AN: I completed my last final today! I'm technically done with high school now. All I have left is to attend graduation. So here's my celebratory post, I guess, lol.


Chapter Fifty Four- That Fuzzy Feeling


I let Ronnie in soon after eleven. "Sorry about leaving you with the beast."

I shrugged and shut the door behind her. "She wasn't that bad later on. Fell asleep pretty early too."

"Good to hear" Ronnie replied calmly, seemingly worn out by her evening. Rolling my stiff shoulders, I leaned against the entryway wall. A teasing smile tugged at my lips as I eyed the moderately well-dressed woman.

"If I recall correctly, I was promised kisses upon your return" I prompted lightly, waiting impatiently for her eyes to land on me. She raised a curious brow first, then took the two steps required to stand in front of me.

"Oh, is that something I said?" She asked in raspy voice. She must've done a lot of socializing tonight. I shot her a 'don't play innocent look,' and she laughed as quietly as she could manage. "You realize how pissed Ymir gets about PDA in her home, right?"

"Yeah, well, Ymir gets pissed about a lot of things" I retorted, remembering how quick she was to argue with me that evening. Though to be honest, I was good at riling people up.

"Fair enough" Ronnie replied. Then she brought a hand to my warm cheek, running her thumb along my soft and blushing skin. I closed my eyes and exhaled shakily, feeling the weight of the day ease off my shoulders.

She finally kissed me, gently with a hint of hesitation. Clearly she didn't want to get too distracted. "You taste like alcohol" I mumbled against her lips.

"I didn't drink much" she replied evenly, feather-light fingers sneaking under my shirt and brushing against the skin of my waist.

"Swear?" I questioned weakly, images of Ymir's drunken saunter flooding my mind.

Nn, she hummed in assurance. I grabbed one of her belt loops, and pulled her hips flush against mine, then kissed her full-on this time. Her presence made me feel intoxicated.

"You look hot in black jeans" I commented breathily, letting her back away for a moment.

"I'll keep that in mind" Ronnie said, rubbing circles along my hip methodically.

My eyelids fluttered open, and I couldn't suppress a cheeky grin. "I'm also impressed they're paint-free. You manage to mess up all of your clothes."

"A hazard I must live with" she responded smoothly.

A few pecks later, I was feeling pleasantly warm inside. I was growing increasingly accustomed to this fuzzy feeling in my stomach. It was a wholehearted satisfaction that seemed to set me alight with joy.

We eventually detached ourselves from each other. I readjusted the hem of my shirt while Ronnie backed away and walked toward the living room. "Well then, are you ready to go?" She asked, taking a quick look at Ymir's sleeping form.

"Uh, yeah. Should I leave her a note though? And maybe a pillow?" I questioned, retrieving my jacket.

"She's fine" Ronnie reasoned easily. I stared at the unconscious woman for a little while longer with a frown. My girlfriend sighed and walked toward the hall.

"I'll get her a pillow and blanket if it'll reassure you" she stated.

"Thanks" I responded simply. Once Ymir was taken care of and most of the lights were turned off, we exited the house. I was sure to turn the lock on the way out.

The Jeep was still warm when we entered, and I held my hands inches from the heater on the dashboard. Ronnie restarted the car, and we were swiftly on our way to my dorm.

"Have any plans this weekend?" I inquired casually.

She hummed in thought for a second, then shook her head. "Nope. Have anything in mind?"

"I was thinking we could just hang out. It's been a little while since we've had a decent amount of time alone. We could go out to eat or stay at the apartment?" I suggested, heat creeping up along my neck. Maybe she didn't catch onto the implications I was trying to present, because her response was light enough.

"Sure. Louis might actually be at his boyfriend's too. I mean, he's not much of a presence anyway, but still nice not having to worry about his complaining. He always has an opinion about what's on TV, even when he's not even watching. Trust me, I love him. But I want to strangle him."

I chuckled at her statement while a small stone seemed to sink in my stomach at the news that her roommate might not be around. This is it, Christa. You can do it. Stop avoiding your problems. "It's a date then" I said definitively, smiling despite my worries.


Ymir didn't show up to class the next day. I hoped she merely had a debilitating hangover, rather than another drinking fest. I'd already helped as much as I could, however, so it was up to her common sense whether she properly cared for herself this time around.

I completed the required work fairly quickly with the lack of a distraction, and had a few extra minutes toward the end. I spent the time replying to some texts from that morning.

When the bell rang, I followed the other students out the door and into the rest of the crowd milling about in the hallway. Before I could make it outside though, someone grabbed my forearm and pulled me against the wall. "What?" I demanded snappily, then saw my captor.

The circles under Ymir's eyes were darker than usual, her tan face devoid of its usual color. "Sorry if I scared you. I, uh, slept in pretty late and figured I'd get today's notes from you as soon as I could. Is that alright?" She explained cautiously, probably battling an intense headache and lingering nausea.

"Yeah" I replied blandly, fishing around for the correct folder in my bag. Upon retrieving it, I handed her the proper notes. "Just give it back tomorrow. The assignment should be up on the school site."

"Right" she said with a nod, somewhat out of it still. "Thanks. Also, sorry for last night. I don't entirely remember what happened, but I probably said something shitty at one point."

"You're fine" I said with a sigh, shoulders hunched. "I was being a bitch too. We just yelled for a little bit, then watched a movie. No big deal" I responded casually, suppressing the nerves coming to life within my limbs.

To be honest, last night was a big deal. I already couldn't look at Ymir the same way, now that I actually knew my real feelings toward her. But I would just have to learn to cope with this truth, as I did with every other aspect of my life. So I smiled at her softly, and added something else while I remembered.

"Hey, while I've still got your attention…" I bit my lip, then reminded myself that I couldn't be putting Ymir before everyone else. "If Annie's not back by this weekend, maybe you should stay with some friends? I wouldn't mind keeping you company, but Ronnie and I sort of have plans."

"Plans that you don't want interrupted by any sort of break down" she finished for me. She gave me a crooked smile, seemingly understanding my point. "Sure." She glanced past me wearily for a moment, then back down to meet my inquiring gaze. "Well, see you tomorrow then."

I nodded slowly, an odd feeling settling in my stomach. "Yeah, tomorrow."