Good day


Special

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Barry, his face stuffed full of cake.

The chilling wind of an autumn end flowed past the gap of the creaking door. A tall, blonde woman wrapped beneath a thick, black leather jacket stood patiently at the doorstep.

"Good evening," she said.

"Hi, one second," he put up his index finger, before calling out, "Dawn, it's for you!"

"Tell her I need five minutes," said the hasty girl in question, out of sight.

"Come in."

Barry took a step aside. The woman bowed lightly, before closing the door behind her, stopping the cold air from invading this abode any further. As they waited for Dawn, he observed the woman. Her pale skin and long tresses were familiar, but she didn't seem nearly as intimidating as she used to on television. It was half a decade ago, he thought, and so people changed. Her expression was stern and unmoving, unaffected by the warmer, homelier atmosphere inside the house. Presently, they both turned to the rapping sound of running feet.

"Sorry for making you wait."

Dawn came into view, dressed in a bright fur coat of pink and white. Barry had not seen his friend wearing this sort of clothes for a very long time. His lax attire of only tank top and sweatpants became worryingly inappropriate. Momentarily, he noticed the woman's expression lit up, her lips curled into a content smile. Barry had no choice but to sigh.

"Quick party, huh?" he asked.

"Sorry I have to leave so early." Dawn hastily and clumsily put on her boots. "Say goodnight to Lucas and Candice for me."

"Will do," Barry said.

He watched as the girl ran as fast as she could into the blonde woman's arm, before they swiftly left. Barry hung in his own thoughts for a while, before realising that Dawn had made a brief return. Before he could comment, he found her hugging him with all her might.

"Thanks for always being here," she whispered into his chest.

"Always."

He smiled, and waved to her as she left.

The two walked beneath the starry night. The wind picked up, and they came closer together.

"Happy birthday, Dawn."

Cynthia extended her left hand, as the girl grabbed it with care.

"I'm glad you made it."

"Grandmother was very against me going, until I had to explain to her what it was for." Cynthia pulled out a bowtie-wrapped gift, and handed it to the girl. "This is her birthday present."

"What is it?" Dawn eagerly received the small box.

"It's a book she wrote about pokemon fossil and evolution, planned to publish in half a year." Cynthia led them toward the nearby lake. "It's an unedited version. Even I wasn't allowed to read it."

"This is great." The girl brought it to her chest, before stashing it away. "But why aren't you allowed to read it."

"She said that's my punishment for having disappeared for three years." A sigh. "I guess no one had the heart to tell her I was dead."

The mood became sullen. Cynthia found this often to be the case, as she tended to not truly consider the impact of her words. This attitude worked well enough for her career, but her personal life struggled because of it. The silence continued until they reached a stone bench amongst the display of flowerbeds. The two sat down, and enjoyed the moonlight for a moment.

"I'm still getting used to this," Dawn confessed, awkwardly smiling. "It took me such a long time to make peace with the fact that you were gone, and yet…"

Cynthia moved and wrapped her arms around the quaking girl, who wept into her embrace. The melancholy scene carried on, for she had little to say for herself.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault, but I can't help but be angry, at you, at myself, at everyone," Dawn continued. "I even considered unspeakable things, just so that I don't have to deal with it."

"But you made it." Words were all whispers. "I'm proud of you."

A moment of solace.

"I remember a conversation, all those years before. It was the last time we talked." Dawn remembered it clearly. To the blonde woman, it was but a few days. "You said you wanted me to grow up, for me to make better decisions."

"I know you did." Cynthia drew away slowly, but found herself caught by an unrelenting grip.

"There wasn't a single day the since then that I didn't think about you," Dawn implored.

"Dawn…"

"I know you feel guilty, but I'm telling you this." She clasped the woman's hands, refusing to let go. "It's been seven years, three of which was without you. I never want to live like that again."

"What about your mother?"

"She'll understand." She didn't believe it, but it was the best hope she had. "I'm grown now. I'm not her little girl anymore."

The woman hesitated.

"Cynthia." Dawn pushed forward, their faces mere inches from each other. "I know you love me. Please let me love you too."

Cynthia sat still, silenced by her inner turmoil. The two were so close they were practically breathing each other in. It forced her to look up, at the girl she had found herself inexplicably attracted to for the better half of a decade. She could see the girl's growth. Those fingers, no longer short and clumsy, carried their slenderness all the way up her arm. Every touch caused a ripple of heat coursing across her skin. The warmth of the girl's body pressed upon hers, pushing on top of her. The cold bench prodded like a slab of concrete compared to the soft, supple sensation overloading her perception.

"Ok," she spoke under her breath.

She saw the girl's eyes tear up, and collapsed onto her chest.

"I was so scared that you'd say no." Dawn choked up. "I didn't know if I could take it."

"I'm sorry for making you wait all this time."

The two broke into a soft laugh, as they let themselves calm down. Presently, Dawn moved forward, eyes fixed on the woman beneath her.

"Can I kiss you?"

The girl never received an answer. Cynthia's hands reached for her cheeks, before drawing them in. The moment their lips touch was one of blazing ether. It throbbed and soared incomprehensible, crushing all past reservations. The burning anxiety of first contact melted as they brushed with delicate reassurance, hurried and torturously yearning, as the affirmation of a love once forbidden. Their eyes closed, signalling the melding of bodies, and the mending of old wounds. The rapture set to remove the past and future, leaving nothing but the complete erasure of distance between the hearts.