"So, how do you dress for a date when your boyfriend won't tell you anything about it because you asked him to surprise you but the only surprise so far is anxiety?" Ludmila said after running up to Yor and Camilla who were draping the fabric along the columns in the ballroom since this morning's ELS activity was preparing the ballroom. The two looked over the girl's frizzy, stretched out curls, chewed-on fingernails, and mismatched shoes.
Camilla stepped down the ladder while Yor wrapped Ludmila into a hug.
"Oh, honey," Camilla said as she joined the hug.
"You're going to be just fine. Frankie wouldn't try to embarrass you, well, not now anyways. And he would still think you were perfect if you showed up in a burlap sack," Yor said.
Ludmila laughed and they gave her some room. "I don't know. I'm not as pretty as you two."
"Are you kidding? You're stunning. And I am going to make sure he notices and can't stop noticing. Don't worry about a thing. We'll find the perfect ensemble today," Camilla said.
Ludmila sighed loudly. "Thank you!" She squeezed Camilla's hand before letting go. "Ooh, if we go today, then Yor can come!"
Ludmila and Camilla looked expectantly at Yor.
Yor bit her bottom lip from smiling while rejecting her friends. "Sorry, I'm watching Yuri tonight."
Camilla quirked an eyebrow. "Yor Briar eventually Forger, you look much too happy to be watching Yuri alone again."
"You're not watching Yuri alone. He's coming over while your mom's out?" Ludmila squealed.
Yor shushed her and stole a glance over in the direction of Loid who was helping Dominic hang some twinkle lights. He looked back at her and smiled. She looked away quickly. "It's not like that."
"Really? I find that hard to believe after seeing you two on the Ferris wheel," Camilla said.
"Camilla," Yor whined.
"What? It's perfectly within my rights as your friend to tease you about this. Honestly, I'm thrilled you and Forger are finally making out. It's been painful to be around you two for years."
"We're not making out!" Yor said much louder than she intended, loud enough that she was fairly certain the exact person who she least wanted to hear that could hear it. "We haven't even held hands since then."
"No physical contact at all since then?"
"I wouldn't say that, no. It's only been accidental like fingers grazing when he passes my test to me in class or arms brush against each other while we're walking or that time in the study room when he moved my hair out of my face and held my face for a few moments."
"Yor, you sweet summer child, he is clearly as flustered as you are. The answer to your awkwardness problem is incredibly simple. Are you ready?" Ludmila said.
Yor nodded.
Ludmila leaned in for dramatic effect and whispered, "You kiss the poor boy."
Yor blushed. "I can't possibly do that. What if he doesn't like it?"
Camilla snorted. "That didn't seem to be a problem last weekend."
"I don't know about that."
"Oh, I do. He was super into it," Ludmila said.
"Well what if he doesn't want to?"
"Seriously?" Camilla sighed. "Yor, that boy has looked over here at you every ten seconds since you screamed that you aren't making out with him. What does that tell us, Ludmila?"
"He's concerned about why you would yell that out and also about why you aren't making out," Ludmila said.
"Okay! I'll kiss him."
The other two girls high-fived.
It was 1:15, and their three-hour history lecture was taking their second ten-minute break. Ludmila shivered as she left the classroom. 'Why am I so cold?'
Frankie wrapped his Eden-crested cardigan around her shoulders. "What are you thinking going outside without a jacket? You're trying to get sick to skip out on our date."
She put her arms through the too-long sleeves and smiled. "I wouldn't miss it."
He led her over to a stone bench where they sat, and he handed her some spicy chips and an iced tea from his bag. "Here." This was the fifth day in a row he remembered her 1:15 snack, but it didn't make it less touching.
"Gracias, mi querido." She opened the bag and took a chip before offering some to him.
He shook his head. "Anything for you, mi reina."
"I hope you know you're not getting this back," she said.
He snaked an arm behind her. "I know. I don't get it, but I know."
"What is there to get?"
"Why would you want my stretched out, old sweater?"
"Don't make it feel bad. It's a perfect sweater."
"Why?"
"It's yours. It feels like you. It smells like you." She looked up and far out feeling the blood pooling in her face.
He gently turned her head to face him again and sweetly kissed her salt-covered lips.
"So," Yor said once Yuri was asleep and they were alone sitting on the couch.
"So," Loid said.
"I think we should talk."
Loid nodded. 'She's going to break up with me.'
"About last Saturday…" She looked down at her hands which she was fidgeting with.
"I'm sorry that I went too far."
"What?"
"You were going to say that I made you uncomfortable, right?"
She looked up. "Not at all."
"Oh."
"I liked it," she said quietly.
"Oh!" he said louder than he intended.
There was a silent moment between them as they both processed the ramifications of that statement.
"Did you also maybe…?" she started.
"Yes, definitely very much," he said.
"Oh!" she said louder than she intended.
"Yor, if it's amenable to you, I would very much like to—"
While at the same moment, Yor said, "Loid, can I please, if it's not a problem for you—"
They laughed awkwardly when they realized they were talking over each other.
"Sorry, please go ahead," Loid said.
"No, please continue, Loid. I want to hear what you have to say," she said.
"I insist."
"You're the guest, so I insist."
"Yor."
"Loid."
"Would you please—"
She humphed in frustration as she put a hand on his chest to push him back against the couch. As she positioned herself to kiss him, she whispered, "I'm going to kiss you now."
"Please," he muttered as she leaned forward.
By this third time, kissing was less mentally taxing. The muscles in the neck remembered how to tilt the head to get the angle right, the hands remembered where to hold to secure the other without being too forward, and the lips remembered the pressure needed.