Kjelle, Laurent, and I are sitting in the food court, me sitting across from them. The fake lovebirds are sharing chicken nuggets, but I refuse to eat. It's dumb, I know. My stomach's growling, but I can't eat with fucking Laurent here. That's supposed to be me sharing chicken nuggets with Kjelle. I shove another mint in my mouth to quell my stomach's whines.
Laurent is currently trying to keep up-to-date with Kjelle with their reading race. I keep interrupting to talk about feminine stuff like bras and tampons, much to his horror and Kjelle's amusement. It's a tense thirty-minute conversation, but I can't fucking break him, even when I start going on and on about cutting myself shaving. I thought this dude hated blood? I guess he's that thirsty...
The red-haired boy graciously leaves us alone after the nuggets are gone so he can use the bathroom, and I feel like I can breathe normally once again. Kjelle lands her eyes on me after he's gone from sight, a playful smile on her lips. "That was mean," she chides. "He just wanted to chat."
I wave that away. "Yeah, whatever. Let's leave him."
Kjelle frowns. "We can't just do that, Severa."
"Yeah we can; who's stopping us?"
She sighs. "Just put up with him for a little longer? Please?"
I give Kjelle a snide look. "Ew, what, like you like him?"
Kjelle's face reddens. "W-what? No...he's just nice, that's all."
I purse my lips. "Fiiine…" I cross my arms once Laurent comes back. Kjelle mouths a reassurance that she won't let me starve as he begins to apologize.
When Sumia and I get out of the hot spring, I've gone numb. I don't know how much time has passed crying in Sumia's arms, my face buried in her chest—yes, I did secretly revel in that—but we needed to leave.
So I let my best friend drag me out of the water, holding my elbow gingerly. I'd take a moment to be shy or enjoy about being naked with her, now that my feelings have become...something more, but my nose is stuffed and I feel like a raisin. I let Sumia wrap me up in a fluffy cotton white robe as I stood there like a mannequin. I didn't feel like moving. God, I'm such a child. Sumia didn't say anything, just rubbed my shoulders until I felt some semblance of warmth, until I didn't feel so numb anymore.
I watched her pull a green robe of equal fluffiness over her shoulders, unaware that she was also looking at me, until Sumia says, "Cordelia?"
"Mm?" I look up to meet Sumia's gray eyes. They're usually bright, though this time there's a new kind of fire in her eyes. Or maybe it's not fire. Maybe it was always there and I just never saw it because I wasn't looking close enough.
Sumia stands close to me, closer than I realized. Her body heat is emanating towards me and I just want to drown in her. It's not until she's right in front of me that she puts her warm hands—how are they so soft?—on my face. "Su…?" The question bubbling up in my throat fades as Sumia leans in and kisses me.
It's incredible. It's the sweetest, warmest, most heart-stopping kiss I've ever had. Sumia kisses me slowly, like she's afraid of feeling me disappear.
My knees buckle and I almost fall to the floor. Sumia catches me by wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer. By then I'm drowning, just how I wanted. I'm grasping at her silver hair, craving more. Her tongue tastes like plums. I don't even know how; we haven't eaten any fruit since we got here.
We collapse against the wall and I'm fumbling for the opening for Sumia's robe. Sumia's hands guide me to her robe, but to my bitter surprise, I pull away. Slowly, but I pull away. It's a small satisfaction seeing Sumia's face fall, her moist lips craving more. We're breathing hard, faces equally flushed. "Why'd you stop?" Sumia asks quietly, leaning close to me.
My head fogs over when Sumia speaks like that. I have to shake my head and push her away a little more before my head clears up enough for me to say, "Why...are you kissing me? I just...told you probably the worst thing…"
Sumia pouts in confusion. She twirls a strand of my hair around her finger. "I don't know why. I just...wanted to. I-I thought that, uh, it'd help."
I squint my eyes at her. "Wait...you mean like a pity kiss?"
Sumia's eyes widen as she takes my hand. "N-no, not at all! I just mean...I don't know actually. I wanted to kiss you. Maybe I always have…"
Hearing her say that makes me smile. "That makes me happy." I frown. "But still…"
Sumia shuts me up by kissing me for a hot moment. When she pulls away to my dismay, she asks, "It's in the past, right?"
That sends my mind into a thousand trains of thoughts. Is it? I don't really think about Chrom anymore. I just get...hot flashes of envy that quickly fade and leave me tired more than angry. I care about Sumia. Would I say I love her? I mean I do, but...wait, who am I to horn in their beautiful marriage? Their relationship has lasted literal decades. Well, so has Sumia and me...do I get preference?
God, shut up. I can't do this. No. It's time to back off. But then Sumia kisses me again and I lose all sense of my resolve.
