Two weeks later…
It was the new year, and Saphira was happy to have celebrated it with the autobots. They all stayed up with her until midnight on New Year's eve, and it was just a wonderful time that they had spent together. Saphira ended up buying a camera the day before New Year's eve as she wanted to capture memories. She knew she would never be able to show the photos that she takes, and she was very protective when she found a store to print the photos without help from the staff, but no one suspected her of anything and she was happy. Optimus wasn't too sure about it, but Saphira kept the photos in one place, and she already promised to throw it in the water, or burn it if someone gets too close. And she picked a place to hide them where no one would think to look as well. Though she didn't know if anyone would actually believe the pictures.
Regardless, she only had photos of their new year celebration, so there wasn't much. Mirage was thrilled, as he knew that capturing moments were important to humans. Plus, Saphira had wanted to get a camera for a while. She did want to try photography, and she now had the time to do it. Even if the camera she had wasn't that good, it was something. And she found herself taking photos of places she thought were photogenic, and she would take photos of them. But as it was still winter with snow on the ground, Saphira picked good times when the weather was nice to do that.
Speaking of nice weather, Saphira had managed to convince Optimus to bring her to an ice skate rink as the weather has been nice, and she was itching to do some ice skating. Optimus had been reluctant, mostly due to not being sure if the weather would be nice. But Saphira begged and begged until Optimus gave in. He was curious to see this sport as well, so the curiosity won out, and he brought her to an ice rink. The other autobots tagged along as they also wanted to watch Saphira skate, and they were intrigued by her level of skill.
Saphira did consider asking him to go out of the city to find a lake, but decided it was best to use the ones in the city. She was holding the box with her skates excitedly as she sat in the passenger seat. She was glad she would get to skate before the end of winter, and she might get to skate some more once Optimus sees it, and realizes it isn't that bad. And there wasn't much to be done when it was lightly snowing. So long as it wasn't super windy or stormy, it was fine to skate. Though Saphira did enjoy skating under the moonlight, but she would try that another time.
Parking close to the ice skate rink, Optimus could see the many other humans already skating on the ice. He could see many were experienced, while others struggled and there were many new skaters. And a lot of those newer skaters were children, and Optimus could see why it would take time to practice the skill. But at least there was not a heap of people here, because he would be more worried if it was extremely crowded.
"Seems like we came at a good time of the day. Not many people, so this is good." Saphira moved towards the door quickly. "I am so glad that I get to skate."
"I hope you will be okay." Saphira looked at the dash in surprise. "I only say that, because I imagine if someone can't stop on that rink, they could hurt someone else. I am sure you will be careful, but I am a little worried. I've never seen it before, and my observations…" Optimus paused as he watched several adults fall because another adult slammed into them after not stopping, which seemed to cause injuries to them. Saphira saw it too, and she smiled. "That just did not help my worry."
"I will be fine, Optimus." She placed her hand on the dash gently in the hopes to soothe his mind. "You have a full view of me. If anything goes wrong, I will come back. But it might be difficult with the skates on, but I will make it back."
Optimus knew that Saphira knew what she was doing. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried. She climbed out of the cab and took the skates from the box she kept them in before making her way over to the rink. Ever since Christmas, Optimus has unintentionally found himself a little more protective of Saphira. He had not noticed initially, but it was Arcee who actually pointed it out after Optimus had protected Saphira when fireworks were set off on New Year's eve, even though they were far from them. Optimus had not realized, and Saphira was annoyed at him for it, but she still enjoyed the celebration despite that.
He has worked on not being so protective, but since Christmas, Optimus felt like he was having a hard time ignoring the feelings that were growing for Saphira. The images she had painted for him seemed to represent emotions she had for him. Especially the painting she has of Optimus and herself sitting by a tree on a hill looking at a sunset. It told him that she did feel something too, but she was not expressing her feelings yet.
But it was okay. Optimus was patient, and he would wait for her as long as necessary. He watched Saphira sitting on the side of the rink to put the skates on. Even if he was worried for her safety, he was still curious about her skill. And she was excited on the way here, so he was definitely happy to bring her. He watched several people skate by Saphira, and they weren't close enough to hit her.
When Saphira had the skates on, she carefully stood up and balanced herself cautiously until she knew she wouldn't fall. Smiling, she began to skate forward with ease, glancing at Optimus and the other autobots with a grin as she skates quickly along the rink happily. She began to hum, and they all could hear her humming through the ring. And as she began to hum, it became obvious that she was dancing to the tune she was humming, by the way she was skating.
Optimus watched as Saphira moved in time with the tune she was humming and as she began to spin on the ice rink as well, Optimus was very intrigued as he watched her glide over the ice while she danced and moved with the song she was humming. Optimus did not know what song she was humming as he was unfamiliar with human songs, but her humming was soft and melodic, and he really enjoyed watching her move, sway and spin on the ice.
As for Saphira, she was imaging herself skating on the ice with Optimus's holoform. She felt a sense of happiness as she imagined what it was like to skate with the autobot, and she had a blush on her face as she thought about it. As she realized what she was imagining, she knew it was coming from a place of attraction that she had for Optimus. Her smile widened, glancing at Optimus for a moment before looking away shyly and her blush reddened when she glanced at him.
Ugh…he really makes my heart flutter and give me butterflies in my stomach. I don't know why he makes me feel this way, but he does. We had a rough start, but things are better. I can't look at him without blushing a lot of the time.
Saphira giggled to herself as she skates along the ice. She kept a good eye of everyone who was around her so she could avoid them. Especially those who were not experienced like her. Even when she spun on the ice, she would not stick her leg out. It was something that she would do on her own, but not while there was a lot of people and kids around. Which was partly why she liked to skate under the moonlight, as there were not as many people at that time, especially as most will want to stay inside at night.
Saphira continued to hum softly as she dance and twirled on the rink, staying close by the autobots as she knew that they would like to watch closely. Plus, she wanted show off her skill, and she liked the fact that they would enjoy the show. And she did know that they could probably hear her humming as well. She was completely fine with that, as she enjoyed humming and singing whenever she was skating anyway. Especially when she would be on her own.
She did want to sing, but she felt too shy to do that with so many people around her. Plus, they may say something, and she would feel anxious and nervous, and she would likely want to leave. So humming was the best she could do at the moment. And she was happy regardless of the fact, as she was in a world of imagination at the moment, so she really did not mind at all.
She would continue to skate around for at least an hour, not feeling bored or tired, until she felt an eerie feeling like someone was watching her. It was strange, because she already knew that the autobots were watching her. But this feeling was different. So as she skated around, she ended up spotting someone familiar on the edge of the rink. A man wearing expensive clothes with obvious dirt, grime and holes in the fabric and a beard that was messy and full of crap tangled in the stands. He was staring at her with a sinister expression.
Saphira tried to not make it obvious she had seen him so she could work out who the person was, but when she realized who it was, she was surprised. It was Arthur! He must have been walking by and noticed her, which was quite the coincidence. However, the stare he was giving her made her feel uneasy and nervous, and she no longer wanted to stay. She decided to act normal about it, so he would not notice that she had seen him.
She sat down at the bench to take her skates off and put her shoes back on quickly, but not too quick. She realized that she was shivering too, and she knew she was going to need to get warm again. She rubbed her hands together once she finished tying her shoes and put the skates into a box. She stood up and turned to the autobots. She considered going over to Optimus, but Arthur would still believe she owned the Porsche, so she walked over to Mirage instead.
"Huh? You coming over to me?" Mirage was very confused as Saphira opened the door to step in. "I am happy that you did, but you don't normally bring the bulky stuff over to me…so…"
"Arthur."
Mirage went silent for a moment as he opened communications to the other autobots. "Arthur? Your old boss?" She nodded nervously. "Why are you acting nervous? Just because he's here, doesn't mean much."
"Well…he was watching me with a sinister glare…and I was getting a bad vibe." Saphira glanced in the direction of Arthur and saw he was walking in their direction, making her gasp loudly. "Can we go? He's coming over! And…he has his hand under his jacket…I think he has a weapon!"
"Why would he want to hurt you?" Arcee questioned as Mirage started his engine and backed away quickly before driving away. The other autobots would follow, and it seemed Arthur seemed surprised as he watched the four vehicles drive away together. "He didn't seem the type when we saw him."
"He's lost everything, Arcee. He's lost his business, his partner and his lifestyle. And he probably blames me, because it all started because one other co-worker was jealous of me, and got me fired. And…I was able to fight back, and won, which caused his life to crumble." Saphira shivered as she sunk a little in the seat, almost wanting to hide from Arthur, even though he wouldn't be able to catch her right now anyway. "All of what has happened to him is his fault, but…he probably does not see it that way. And that kind of mixture can be dangerous."
"I am in agreement with Saphira. Anyone could reach a breaking point, snap and do something that they regret, and can never take back. It was wise of her to return to us when she sensed the danger, even if he may not actually kill her." Optimus was concerned that this man was out for revenge, especially as it seemed that his life has gotten worse since the last time Saphira had seen him, and he clearly was angry. "At least he does not know where were hide out, Saphira. He has no way of harming you."
"I know, and I am glad." Saphira shivered as she was still shaken that Arthur would even try to hurt her. She thought she would never see him again, and she had been content with that. But that still didn't stop her from feeling uneasy. He could potentially be looking for her. She sighed deeply as she felt sad that it was cut short. "Ugh…I really wanted to spend more time skating. But I guess it just had to be ruined by someone else."
"Don't despair, Saphira. Just because some jerk decided to crash your party, doesn't mean we still can't have a good day. Besides, I know you have been reading those books every day." Saphira looked at the dash as Mirage spoke. "There's a bookshop that isn't too far, and maybe you might want to take a look and get some more books to read. Especially as it seems easy to store the books, so they should not take much space."
"You are not the one carrying majority of her items, Mirage," Optimus said to the young bot bluntly, making Saphira giggle. "Besides, she did mention needing to do laundry. I am not sure if she wants to do that today…"
"No, I'll do that today. I need to do several large loads." Saphira needed to wash her clothes, blankets and towels. She was desperately needing them to be washed. "I might not have if I hung around the ice rink today, but I now have an excuse to do that. I've been kind of holding it off, and it is time to do it. Besides, the laundromat will likely not be too busy today, so I can use a few machines for everything, and it all should be fine."
"Well…if that is what you want to do instead of having the joy of reading, I guess that is okay. But you are right, we can take you to the bookstore some other time. To the laundromat it is then!" Mirage sounded sarcastic when he said to the laundromat, and it was hilarious. Saphira knew that going to one wasn't the best, but it needed to be done. "You don't need to wash the clothes you got on as well, do you?"
"Nah, it can wait. I am not going to get naked. Anyone could walk in." Saphira would wait until the next time she needed to use the laundromat to wash the clothes she had on. "Though I don't expect you guys to hang around. It might take a while for the clothes to wash and then dry, and I don't particularly want to just walk away and let the machines run on their own."
"There's not really much for us to do, even if we decided to drive around. Though…" Mirage paused as he thought about it. "It may not happen, but we could potentially keep an eye out for Arthur. Knowing he's angry and wanting to hurt or kill you is enough for me to keep a close eye out for him. Especially since living without his wealth has changed his appearance, which makes me think that he is homeless. So he's likely walking the streets looking for you."
"And he knows about the Porsche I own…and you have a distinct color and marking that is unmistakable." Saphira pondered for a moment before having an idea. "You are able to change colors, right? Just like you can change into different vehicles."
"I mean, I could…" Mirage didn't particularly like the suggestion, even though he understood the reason why he should change his color. "I like the paint that I have gone with, so I am a bit reluctant to change it. But I will certainly pick out some colors to try and see if they work for me. I've always like silver and blue."
Saphira did feel bad for asking this of him, but she just wanted to feel a bit safer, even though she may not see Arthur again. The city was big, and she would just have to be extra cautious to ensure she didn't run into Arthur accidentally. Though as the man had kind of appeared when she wasn't looking meant that it could happen again. She doubted that she would see him twice in one day, so there was that bonus. But she would certainly still be on guard in the laundromat, especially if it was very quiet.
When they arrive at the laundromat, there were some people here who were using the machines, and that was fine. It wasn't busy, so Saphira could still use a few machines at the same time. She grabbed her bags with her clothes first to bring them into the laundromat to fill a machine and added the detergent before turning it on. She then brought her blankets in to put in another machine, followed by her towels and face cloths. With the machines filled with her items, Saphira grabbed one of her books to sit and read.
Arcee, Bumblebee and Mirage decided to drive around the block to keep an eye on the area while Saphira waited. They knew it would take a while, as she would need to use the dryers as well when her clothes, blankets and towels were finished being washed. So while they could have hung around, they didn't. Plus, they needed to free up the parking space for others. But Optimus remained, as he wanted to be close.
Saphira kept the ring close so she could speak to Optimus without drawing attention, as she knew she would look funny to other people by speaking to her ring. That's not something a normal person would do, and others would judge her. And Saphira wanted to have a bit of a conversation with Optimus since the laundromat was quiet, and she had a lot of time to wait before she would need to put her laundry in the dryers.
"I must compliment on your skill of ice skating, Saphira. You were wonderful." She smiled as she heard his compliment as he spoke to her quietly through the device. "And the way you seemed to move was quite beautiful. I was entranced, if I am honest." Saphira felt her cheeks blush as she listened, surprised he would say that. And it seemed he realized he said that too. "I mean, I was mesmerized, because it is something I haven't seen."
Saphira chuckled a little as he tried to pass over what he had said. "You don't have to backtrack what you just said, Optimus. Do you really mean what you say? Do you really think that I am beautiful? And not just because of some skating."
He was silent as he pondered on how to respond to her. He had heard her genuine curiosity regarding what he had said to her, and he knew that he would have to be honest. "I suppose that I do mean it. You have grown on me in a way that I never thought would happen, Saphira. You are human, and I have long distrusted humans. And I still do not trust them. You are the only human who I trust, befriended and see a side to you that I had been blinded to."
Saphira's blush deepened as she listened to him, and she felt extremely flattered with his response. It made her feel happy, and she loved hearing him tell her that. "It makes me happy to hear that. It really does. And I feel the same about you." She chuckled a little, looking away from the book, even though it was already hard to read while listening to Optimus. "I respected you from the moment we met. I learned what pain you were going through, and understood your distrust from me was genuine, and I actually supported that. I don't trust other humans much either. And you already see the reason for that." She shrugged and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "And then we started to become friends. I started to see differently. And then you saved me…twice. You saved me from the edge, and from Transit." Saphira paused as she took a deep breath, looking around the laundromat for a moment, before she continued. "And…we have a bond that I can't describe. I have learned a lot from you, Optimus. I can't ever imagine what it is like to be in your shoes, knowing that you may never go home. But at least you are safe. Safe to find some other way, even if it takes a long time."
Saphira had no doubt that Optimus was touched by her words as well. She really did want him to know how much he meant to her, and she hasn't even gone into deeper details. "As for your question regarding your beauty…" Saphira felt her heart flutter as soon as he said that. "While I am not fully aware of the standards of beauty among humans, I do not care. Once I stopped being stubborn, and allowed myself to be your friend, and form a strong bond…I have noticed. Whenever you sleep, you have a restful expression that is untouched. And when you smile, and your cheeks turn pink and red…" Saphira giggled a little, placing her hand on her cheek, knowing they were still blushing. "I can't help but see the beauty from within and outward."
That's the sweetest thing someone has ever said to me. Aw…man…he's really making me feel happy and giddy…I wonder if he genuinely likes me though?
Saphira took a moment to compose herself, placing her hand on her chest as her heart was racing at the moment, she smiled to herself. She took a deep breath and responded to him. "Thank you, Optimus. You know, I could probably say the same about you. It has taken some time, but…I think you are quite handsome and very attractive for an autobot." She looked around again for a moment and lifts the book to hide her face for a moment. "Um…but your personality is what I think I like the most. You are patient, you are kind, you are wise and understanding, and you fight to protect your own. That is what I find myself attracted to the most. I have never had anyone listen to me like you do. It almost makes me want to open up about my past, but I hate remembering those horrors. And I am just glad you never push." She paused for a moment to take another deep breath. "And that is why when you told me that it was okay for me to go and live my own life, I could not help but feel fear and hurt. I don't want you to be out of my life. Not ever. I know my life is shorter than yours, and I'll probably just be a spec of dust in your lifetime, but for me you could be here for the rest of my life. And I don't want to let that go."
"You will never be a spec of dust to me." Saphira felt tears welling in her eyes, and she did her best to not cry. "And you might be right about your life, but that does not matter to me. I have grown to care about you deeply, Saphira. And I don't think I would feel happy knowing if you leave for a life of your own. I know doing that might be your best interest, but I would not be happy." She let the tears fall silently as Optimus spoke to her. "When you refused to leave, I was happy. Even though I do know you should try and live a normal, human life with a new job. And we will be by your side the whole way, that I can promise you." She believed him. She just didn't know where to start at the moment, given she feared something similar would happen to her at a different company like the way it did at Arthur's company. "I hope that we continue this friendship."
Saphira wiped the tears from her cheeks and sighed deeply. "Is really just a friendship though?" She widened her eyes a little when she suddenly said that. "Uh…I mean…it just feels…deeper…if that makes sense…" She brushed strands of hair back quickly from embarrassment. "Um…sorry…I…I'm feeling…I am not sure…"
She heard Optimus hum in amusement at her, and she let out a light chuckle. "Well…maybe our friendship is deeper. You and I are showing signs of it. But what exactly is it?" Saphira did not want to answer that question, because she is still not sure. "I haven't worked out those feelings myself, but…I think I am leaning towards one." Saphira nodded in agreement. "But only if it is right for us. I do not wish to cause any further harm than you have already been through."
"Thank you, Optimus." Saphira was really glared that Optimus was pressing the issue. Saphira was still unsure, but she was definitely sure that she was in love with Optimus. She just felt too shy to say it. "I feel the same. But I am glad you are there with me, no matter what." She looked up as the first washing machine she had loaded finished its cycle. "Oh! I need to move my clothes to the dryer now!"
Saphira got up and walked over to the machine to move her clothes. She was still feeling a lot of emotion from the talk with Optimus, and it made it hard to concentrate. But she at least knew that Optimus was on the same page as well. He probably felt love for her too, but now just did not seem like the right time. However, that confession was likely on its way, and Saphira knew it. One of them will say it, and she was not sure when, but it will. And she was looking forward to it.