Flow's steps felt light, as if she were floating all through the next morning. Images of Veil kept popping into her mind and flooding her body with excitement.
When she made her way to the cafe for breakfast, she saw he was standing outside. Seeing him again sent her heart into overdrive. He was talking with his brother, a look of annoyance on his face, and when she stepped closer, she heard Vision say,
"She hasn't left her room in days!... Don't you care?"
"She's an adult, and she doesn't want to come out until Fenix returns. What do you expect to do, drag her out? She won't even speak to me." Veil replied scornfully, then he looked over and noticed Flow.
"Excuse me," he muttered, pushing his brother aside and embracing his girlfriend. As he pulled away, he stroked her cheek and said, "Good morning. How did you sleep?"
Flow's mind was racing with so many questions that she didn't know how to respond. As he watched her silently, she could tell he wouldn't want to keep talking about what his brother was saying, so she said,
"I slept well... thanks to you." So quiet it was almost a whisper. He took that chance to kiss her and replied,
"Same here..." sweetly, then he took a deep breath and yelled, "UNTIL MY ASSHOLE BROTHER RUINED IT!"
"Your asshole brother is leaving!" Vision yelled back. They glared at each other as Vision left the area. A second later, Veil smiled and took Flow's hand.
"Come on, let's get some food," he suggested, gently tugging her inside. Flow ordered a strawberry crepe, but he ordered nothing and just sat, eyes locked on her as she ate. Flow's face was red the whole time.
Once she'd finished, he offered to walk her home, and she agreed.
"Can I come inside?" he asked once they reached her door.
"There's not much to do in my house," she replied dismissively.
"I doubt that," he argued playfully. Veil moved, standing so close that she could feel his body heat. Flow gulped before responding,
"Okay, but... I should tell you this first. Fenix is going to come back safely, so there's no need to worry about Aura." He scoffed and said,
"Thanks for the reassurance... could you unlock the door now?" He seemed impatient. Flow's nerves were so bad that she was shaking and could barely enter her access code PIN.
He followed her inside and locked the door behind them, then he made his way to her couch and flopped down, sighing heavily. He patted the seat next to him, so Flow sat there, and Veil laid his head on her shoulder.
"Flow... I like you." His words made her heart quiver. Then he continued, "Do you know when I got interested in you?"
"No..." she replied honestly.
"When we were on that weird aircraft, the first day, my classmates rioted. I saw you single-handedly take down twenty people. It looked like all you did was graze them, but once their bodies fell, order was restored, and no one else dared to act out. I thought you were so amazing," he murmured, then he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck.
"At first I thought I only got excited because I wanted to fight you and see your limits... until... I saw you taking Aura home. I saw her panicking, and what you did to calm her down. I followed you to be sure you really took her home, and I could tell you were genuinely worried about her... which confused me. So I got intrigued," he explained.
"The way you brushed me off after that had me hooked. I wanted to change how you felt about me, but I wasn't expecting to like you so much, so quickly." After he added this, Flow's chest tightened, and she clenched her fists.
"So... you were going to make me fall for you and then leave by the end of the week?" she inquired shakily. He snickered.
"I guess so... but you won me over. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he answered. Flow pouted and said,
"You better not plan to bully me in the future." Veil laughed at this, then sat upright and held her chin as he kissed her over and over.
"I plan to bully you for the rest of my life," he replied in a low voice. She stiffened and stared at him expectantly. He brushed the sleeve of her dress from her shoulder. He pressed his lips on the bare skin, and she squeezed her eyes shut. His other hand moved up her thigh, while gently pushing her dress higher.
"Seems like that's what you want anyway," he whispered against her neck. Flow inhaled deeply.
"... You're right," she mumbled. That's when he gently pushed her back onto the couch and lifted the dress over her head. She folded her arms over her breasts and looked away from him. "... I haven't done this before," she mumbled quietly. In response, Veil began removing his own clothes and replied,
"I'm honored." Flow covered her face, but peeked out at him through her fingers. "Are you nervous?" He asked, while brushing his lips against her inner thigh.
"Of course I am... but... I don't want you to stop." She mumbled, moving her hands down to her mouth.
"I feel the same way," Veil replied in a sweet voice.
He was careful with her at first, taking his time and doing everything to make sure she was comfortable and cherished through it all.
Neither of them made it to class that afternoon, and he stayed the night.
After class ended the next day, Caramel approached Flow and whispered,
"You and Veil were both absent yesterday. Was that just a coincidence?" Her tone made her question sound like an accusation.
"We were together," Flow answered firmly. Caramel was taken aback, then asked,
"Why were you together?" Flow was annoyed with being interrogated, but her cheeks still reddened as she gave her reply,
"Because he's my boyfriend." After hearing this, Caramel's expression changed several times, then it settled on irritation,
"Whatever," she grumbled before kicking the exit door open and stomping out.
"Good job," Veil commented, startlingly, Flow, who hadn't noticed him standing next to her.
"... You're so popular," she replied bitterly after relaxing. Veil scoffed and said,
"So are you... You got me wrapped around your finger in less than a week, and you're so cute, I'm sure you have a horde of admirers." He kissed her cheek, and she blushed, turning her back to him.
"I'm only interested in you, though," she answered quietly, while picking up her gym bag.
"I'm not interested in anyone else either," he replied. Flow turned to him, pulled the collar of his shirt so he'd lean down, and their lips could meet. Veil's face flushed.
"Good," Flow mumbled out shyly.
"I'm... going to sleep over again tonight," he declared softly. Her face heated instantly, then he lifted her in his arms and carried her home.
Four Days Ago
Mirror watched as her little sister had a mental breakdown. She sat frozen, then flinched when Flow struck Aura. That's when Mirror got up from her seat and got close enough to hear their conversation.
"What are you panicking for?! The young Master will return! There is nothing he cannot accomplish!" Flow shouted.
Aura's eyes widened, then she wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. Flow hugged her until her body stopped shaking and escorted her away.
"Should we go after them?" Caster asked, coming to Mirror's side.
"No... I'll check on her tomorrow," she said. She'd never seen Aura lose composure like that before; at times, she even seemed to lack all emotion. "I don't know what to do..." Mirror admitted.
The two returned to their assigned home, which was one of the island's tiered luxury studio apartments—five floors, private entrances, soundproof walls. Everyone from the Academy received one.
Caster and Mirror insisted on being allowed to live together.
"I miss cooking. Do you think we can get ingredients somewhere?" Caster said while sitting on the couch and shuffling a deck of cards.
"We should check tomorrow," Mirror replied, but her voice sounded close to tears. She sat next to him, and Caster set the cards aside and draped his arm over her shoulder.
"Are you worried about Aura?" he asked. As soon as the words left his lips, the tears spilled out.
"Aura is strong. I know she'll be okay... I just realized I don't know how to support her emotionally. I feel like a horrible sister," she answered while sobbing bitterly. He pulled her into a tight embrace and said,
"A horrible sister wouldn't care at all..." he assured. Her tears didn't cease, so he held her and stroked her back until she calmed. "We'll visit her first thing in the morning," he added, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Mirror nodded and wiped her face on his shirt.