I'm sure you have more important things to do!
Not really - plus, I really enjoy talking to you.
How difficult was that to say? It was only nine flimsy little words.
...since she hadn't managed to say it, apparently it was impossible. For her, at least.
Something about Yang completely destroyed Blake's usually firm grasp on her composure. It had to be the smell of Yang's shampoo or the color of her eyes or...something. Whatever it was, it made it extremely difficult to come up with interesting, engaging responses when she was too busy being flustered by Yang's mere presence. It didn't help that Yang was so beautiful.
When her brain conjured an image of her next door neighbor on cue, Blake briefly hid her head in her hands.
Nope, definitely didn't help that Yang was so beautiful.
In just a few short weeks Blake had gone from being helpful, if not a little shy, to harboring a massive, all consuming crush on the girl next door. Even though she'd tried to convince herself out of it time and time again, the feelings had stuck around and grown into something that refused to fade away. More often than not, she caught herself daydreaming about the two of them going out on a date together. They would share stories and talk about their days while walking around - maybe Yang would hold her hand, their fingers intertwined, and maybe at the end of their date, Yang would leave Blake with a kiss goodnight…
Her cheeks flushed at the mere thought of it.
Hopeless fantasies did her little good...and yet she kept right on having them. They were harmless, right? It wasn't like Yang seemed to have any idea about Blake's true feelings.
Which was probably a good thing. If Yang somehow found out about Blake's crush and didn't feel an ounce of attraction in return...well, it would most likely be very uncomfortable and awkward in the building. Bumping into each other in the hallway would no longer fill her with excitement, but would make her blush in embarrassment. And she was pretty sure Yang would stop coming over to borrow anything…
For those reasons, it was probably best that things stayed the same between them. Neighbors...almost friends...that was better than putting herself out there just to be shot down. After all, there was little chance that someone like Yang would be interested in someone like her.
These were all good reasons why Blake shouldn't ask Yang out - which she had failed to even attempt yesterday. Asking someone out really wasn't one of Blake's strengths, anyway. And when it was unclear that Yang had any feelings for Blake above 'neighborly,' she had very good reason to hold her tongue.
Unless Yang did feel the same way. In which case, it would be a lot easier for Blake if Yang did know and could initiate the first move.
But there was no way Yang felt the same way. What Blake interpreted as flirting was just Yang being friendly.
...right?
"You need to stop thinking about her," she muttered to herself while walking into the kitchen and picking a couple of grapes from the bag Yang had just returned to her. "Especially like that. You're hardly even friends, let alone..."
A burst of laughter filtered through the wall next door and to her ears. There seemed to be more talking and laughing going on today than usual. Maybe they were feeling extra rambunctious…
When a loud bang reverberated through the wall followed by a crash of glass, she jolted in surprise. Staring towards her kitchen cabinets, she smiled when a muffled, "Sorry Blake!" was shouted through to her.
Surprisingly, it was really enjoyable to have neighbors her age that she actually got along with. Even if they hadn't become best friends or anything yet, their lively energy made everything more interesting and upbeat. Simply by living beside Yang and Ruby, Blake felt like her own life was a bit more spirited as well.
Popping another grape into her mouth, she returned to the living room and immediately thought about Yang. This time, the bookshelves reminded her that Yang had asked for some more book suggestions. It had been the cutest request anyone had ever made of her and she was willing to put a great deal of effort into finding the perfect story for Yang.
Walking over to start her search on the shelves on the far left, she allowed her eyes to glaze over spine after spine, writing most off in less than a second. In most cases, she didn't even need to read the title - she knew which book it was just by its placement and its color.
What would Yang like though? Was she more into fiction? Nonfiction? Adventure? ...romance?
Blake's cheeks warmed when her eyes landed upon one such romance book that was a little...risque. It was a great overall story of a forbidden romance that always brought tears to her eyes, but some of the scenes were particularly steamy. The thought of Yang reading the book and knowing that Blake had read it - not only read it, but owned a copy…
Her eyes moved away as her cheeks grew even warmer.
That wasn't the right choice for now. Definitely not. She would never be able to survive making that recommendation and then discussing the story with Yang after the fact.
Whittling out everything in the first bookcase, she moved seamlessly to the next one. There was a lot of pressure to pick exactly the right book. The first one had been an off-the-cuff suggestion that Yang seemed willing to pick on her own, but this would be a full-fledged recommendation from Blake. More than anything she wanted Yang to enjoy it, but also keep coming back for more…
Recommendations, that is. Was it so bad to want to be Yang's personal book guru? It was one of the things Blake was truly skilled at, after all. And the idea of being able to discuss all of these stories with Yang...hearing her thoughts and reactions...was something Blake hadn't even realized she would desire so greatly. Reading to her had always been a solo endeavor. It was something she did to escape the world and delve into new ones on her own. It wasn't until Yang had walked out the door with Blake's book in hand that she realized it was possible to take someone else along for the journey.
So she needed to pick a good one. What she was searching for was something light-hearted, action-packed, and addictive enough to make it a fast and enjoyable read. Something like…
Smiling, she reached out and removed one of the books from its space on the shelf. Flipping it over in her hands, she nodded in satisfaction.
The Dust Chronicles. There were several more books in the series which Yang could continue if she wanted, but the first book was enjoyable as a stand alone feature.
This was one of Blake's all-time favorite series - a label she didn't apply lightly. She had discovered it completely on accident in the bargain bin of a cute little secondhand bookstore and devoured all five parts in just two days. And it was one of the few series that she would actually love to see made into a movie. Maybe one day she and Yang could even go see it…
Ok, there was no need to get ahead of herself. But maybe she should reread the books...then she would have a clearer memory of what happened and could discuss with Yang more fervently. They were quick reads thankfully. And highly addictive. Plus, Blake kind of had an imaginary crush on the main character.
Even though her mind was already made up, she quickly glanced over the remaining shelves to see if anything else jumped out as a better option. Finding nothing, she set the first book down on the coffee table so that she would remember to give it to Yang whenever she came over next. Every part of Blake hoped that it would be today, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high just yet - Yang had a life of her own, after all.
Now that that was done...she supposed she could try to read. 'Try' being the operative word. Concentrating on her books had been a little difficult recently with how much her mind enjoyed thinking about Yang instead. But after getting situated in her favorite chair, Blake picked up the book that had been resting on the table and tried to block Yang from entering her mind.
Her momentary focus failed when a black town car slid into view outside the window, pulling right up to the front entrance before stopping. A smartly dressed driver got out of the car and raced around to the passenger side to open the door for Weiss to exit. As usual, the wealthy girl was dressed exceptionally well - wearing business attire that Blake could only assume meant that Weiss came here straight from work. With one nod to the driver, the girl headed into the building.
Even after Weiss had disappeared from view, Blake watched the car intently. From the numerous days she'd noted its arrival, she knew that if the car pulled away Weiss would be spending time with Ruby here. If the car stayed, Weiss was only here to pick Ruby up and the two would soon be on their way.
When a full minute had passed and the car hadn't moved, her excitement began to build. Another few minutes, the sound of Weiss' heels appeared and clicked down the corridor before disappearing next door. Blake had never thought of this before, but Weiss never knocked or rang the doorbell when she came over, at least, not that Blake ever heard. Which either meant that Yang and Ruby always left the door unlocked or that Weiss had a key to the apartment. Assuming it was the later, Weiss and Ruby were far more serious about each other than Blake had suspected.
Trying to focus her energy back on her book, her ears refused to cooperate with her. They were too busy trying to pick up voices from next door, but there was nothing to be heard but some muffles with occasional laughter thrown into the mix. It took a little longer than she'd been expecting, but eventually Weiss emerged in the hall while talking to someone who was quickly identified as Ruby by the upbeat voice.
Before the sound of footsteps had even disappeared down the hall, Blake's hope had built to new highs. She wanted to see Yang this evening...she knew that she'd just seen the blonde yesterday, but she was really hoping that Yang would come back over tonight. Maybe Yang had finished the book and would stay over for a little while to discuss it with Blake?
That was a good idea, actually! She would make a promise to herself right now - if Yang came over tonight and had finished the book, she would invite Yang to stay and discuss over a cup of tea. Or...something like that. Hopefully she could make the offer sound as friendly as possible and not completely give away her massive crush. And if Yang accepted, the two of them could spend more than just a few minutes together, which was what Blake really wanted. She didn't want Yang to keep running off after they'd barely gotten to see each other. She wanted Yang to sit across the table from her and talk - so that she could listen to the cheerful sound of Yang's voice, watch the girl's lips move, watch violet eyes sparkle with animation and candor...
Just the thought of it filled her stomach with jittery butterflies.
Imagining it was one thing, but in order for this dream to come true Blake would need to find the bravery to actually ask Yang to stay.
Have you finished the book yet?
Yeah! This morning.
Would you like to come in? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
That would work. Hopefully. If she was able to say the words without stuttering.
Satisfied with the plan, she returned her attention towards the book held in her hands. Not that she would actually be able to read anything with the nerves already building in her stomach, but she could pretend for a little while. The romance story Yang had suggested Blake read next had turned out to be a delightful read, but only served to constantly remind her of what she wanted but couldn't seem to have with Yang.
After waiting for what felt like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. But it wasn't the knock she had been expecting. Three quick knocks, which was out of character...Yang had always used two before tonight. It was probably just a mistake though - maybe Yang was simply extra energetic or impatient at the moment.
Hurrying over, Blake pulled open the door with a smile that quickly faded to nothing. Whatever excitement she'd been feeling left her with a nearly audible whoosh of air.
It wasn't Yang standing in the hallway with that beaming smile and invigorating aura. Rather, it was an orange haired girl with a quirky grin and even more energy than Ruby.
"Oh, hey!" the strange girl greeted Blake with a friendly wave. "I'm just hanging next door and Yang doesn't have any salsa, the goof. You wouldn't have any, would ya?"
Opening her mouth, Blake couldn't decide what she wanted to say in response to the sudden change in events. She'd been expecting Yang to come over to see her not...whoever this was. And why wouldn't Yang come over herself to ask Blake for the salsa versus sending over a stranger?
Those weren't questions she could pose to the girl in the hall though, who was still awaiting an answer.
"Um...yeah, I think I do - hold on," she replied before leaving the girl at the door and walking into the kitchen. After searching through a few cupboards, she found a jar of salsa that she'd picked up a little while ago during her weekly shopping sprees for random things. Walking back to the front door, the girl waiting there grinned happily upon seeing that Blake had been successful.
"So...you two are watching a movie or something?" she tried to ask nonchalantly while handing the jar over.
"Yup! I've only been begging her for a movie date for like forever," the girl replied with an easy smile before raising the salsa higher. "You - new best friend - are a lifesaver!"
Still with a grin on her face, the girl waltzed back to the apartment next door with an animated skip in her step.
"You're welcome…" Blake said quietly to the girl's back before quickly shutting the door. Her heart was beating rather fast, but not from excitement like usual. Instead it was something rather painful eating at her chest.
Of course, what had she been expecting? Someone like Yang would have multiple suitors after her at all times. So...why should Blake be so surprised if Yang actually took one of them up on an invitation for a movie date? It wasn't as if Blake had been responding to any of Yang's invitations. In fact, Yang had invited her over to watch a movie and she hadn't answered, which was as good as a no. And Yang had even asked her out to a movie in theaters - again, Blake hadn't even responded to the invitation.
When she walked over to her favorite chair and sat down, she didn't even bother picking up her book and pretending to read. Instead, she stared out the window and tried not to hear anything next door. The last thing she wanted to do was to eavesdrop on their date. Which, thanks to her, would at least not suffer from a lack of salsa.
But Yang hadn't even come over to ask…
Was Blake really that far from Yang's consideration as a romantic interest? That she would send over a stranger seemed so blasé and...exactly what a mere neighbor might do.
'Yeah, sure! Just go next door and ask Blake - she's real nice.'
Hearing muffled voices next door, she closed her eyes and sighed.
Why was she so disappointed? She'd known all along that Yang was just stopping by because Blake was a hospitable neighbor who was always able to lend a hand (or a piece of fruit). It was nothing more than that, and it was foolish of her to pretend that it could be. Yang was just a crush. It had been fun while it lasted…
For a little while though, it had felt like more than just a crush. It had felt like there was something between them that was sparking and flickering like a light trying to turn on.
Clearly that had just been her imagination. This was why she'd told herself not to develop any feelings for Yang...the feelings wouldn't be returned and then she would end up feeling exactly this way - like there was a wildfire spreading through her chest.
Yang was like the characters in Blake's novels - living in a world that she only dreamt about. In order for the two of them to come together, worlds would need to meld and timelines would need to shift. It just wasn't possible.
It would probably be best if they remained merely neighbors. Blake could continue to lend out whatever Yang needed, but hopefully without having to feel like this again.