Silk is out for the weekend, so Eline stayed with me at the dorm.
"Babe, just stay here, okay? You're still on a brace, so please don't move a muscle. I'll get us some snacks."
"...Okay, babe."
A few minutes later, she comes back and sets everything down before sitting beside me.
Then she looks at me. "So... when did you start liking me?"
I smile a little. "Hmm... since the moment I saw you."
She tilts her head. "And when was that?"
"First day of school. It was early in the morning. I got lost and ended up in the garden. You were there, reading a book."
I chuckle softly. "I heard you giggle. Then a butterfly started hovering around you... that's when you stopped reading."
"Then I saw Rin and Ivy show up... so I left."
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah. Seriously."
She covers her mouth. "My heart just—skipped."
The we both start laughing.
"...By the way, I need to tell you something."
"Hmm?"
"It's about the land I came from."
"...I don't care where you came from."
"But I think you should know."
She narrows her eyes slightly. "No matter what you say, that wouldn't change anything between us."
"...Are you trying to escape from me?"
I laugh softly. "No, of course not. But I really think you should know. It's important."
She shakes her head gently. "Babe... it doesn't matter. I love you, and that's all that matters." Her voice softens even more. "Besides... I'll find out during graduation anyway, right? Your hair will tell me. So I'll wait until then."
I look at her for a moment, then smile back and we kiss.