Bell comes to me with surety in his step, a kind of quiet confidence that if it were mine, I'd understand well.
We couldn't meet up for the past few days; Bell was busy. It feels odd to stand here and wonder what he'll say to me, like I've changed everything, and in some ways, I probably have.
He smiles at me, looking less like the frightened bunny that I'd saw last time we talked and much happier.
I tried to smile back, but I'm not sure if it worked; my stomach is tangled up in a series of knots, and I feel sick.
I'm not sure that I'll be able to practice with Bell today, but my eyes watch him step closer as if they were trained just to do that.
"Aiz?" Bell's smile doesn't falter, "They said that we can try."
My heart capsizes in my chest and expands; it feels funny. The knots are untangling; I don't feel sick anymore.
"Okay." I don't know what to say other than that, but Bell smiles and for whatever reason, I feel as if that's all that we needed in the moment.
"Do you want to meet up with us tonight? We're going to the Benevolent Mistress today for dinner, and Hestia said that she really wants you there." He looks younger again in that moment and the sparkle flees his eyes.
"Yeah." I mutter, wondering why it suddenly feels like we're locked in a small, enclosed space together or drowning in the sea; it doesn't at all feel right for Bell's eyes to look like that or for us to struggle to find the words to say.
"Thank you." Bell smiles, and it's radiant.
"You're welcome." Were there better words to say than those ones; I'm not sure.
"I'll have to tell my goddess." I finally admit; a part of me already knows that she'll say, 'no,' and that by itself makes my heart ache.
"Okay." Bell looks sort of like that frightened bunny again, but it's not quite fear that lights up his eyes now.