Chapter Text
Noelle had probably been scrolling for over an hour when she finally found it. The question of what exactly Akarsha had said to her and then promptly lied about had been eating at her mind for a while, and Noelle finally gave in and decided to thoroughly search their chat logs for it.
It was ridiculous , and a tremendous waste of time, but Noelle kept searching anyway. After about an hour of endless scrolling, Noelle was ready to give up hope on finding it entirely.
But then she did find it.
certified brain genius
i
uh
man this is hard to say
^__^;;;;;;
i kinda have a crush on you
“Oh my god.” Noelle whispered quietly, jaw dropping slightly. Her hand began to shake as she scrolled down. Maybe this was another joke. Maybe this wasn’t the message Akarsha had meant.
certified brain genius
uh
just kidding!!!
that was my brother xD
“Oh my god .” Noelle repeated, gripping her hair in frustration and, on instinct, slamming her face into her keyboard.
How could she be so stupid ?
She groaned, trying to grapple with the onslaught of emotions that came with three separate realizations.
One, Akarsha had a crush on her.
Two, Noelle asked her if she was joking when Akarsha had confessed.
Three, Akarsha tried to confess to her again a few months ago, and Noelle had no idea what she was talking about .
“Oh my GOD. ” Noelle repeated again, just one last time for good measure.
Akarsha had a crush on her .
Noelle laid on her computer for who-knows-how-long, interrupted by a notification sound. She jolted up, away from her keyboard, eyes widening in horror.
Speak of the devil and he may appear had never felt more applicable than right now.
certified brain genius
lol r u ok?
What?
Noelle read back.
Noelle
.jffgrw,kj,fe
rhty
ht
jkl
Noelle let out an even more frustrated groan. Akarsha had ruined her life. She’d made Noelle do stupid things like slamming her face into her keyboard and sending the girl she had feelings for multiple messages of nonsense gibberish.
Noelle scrambled to write a response that made her seem less like the buffoon she currently felt like.
Noelle
Yes.
I am fine.
Apologies, I misclicked.
certified brain genius
lolol u misclicked a lot
were u rereading old texts
maybe finally falling in love with me
owo
jk
Noelle felt guilt swarm in her chest, knowing she was privy to information she wasn’t supposed to be. She had spent time analyzing Akarsha, figuring out her brain like it was a puzzle she needed to solve. But such transparency was unfound for her. She never meant to see right through Akarsha the way she did now.
Noelle
I was just looking for something.
The is typing icon appeared and disappeared for a few seconds, and Noelle bit her nails impatiently. Couldn’t Akarsha just spit it out? If she was so intent on completely turning Noelle's world upside down, the least she could do is not force more vulnerability onto her.
certified brain genius
well did u find it
Noelle
Yes.
certified brain genius
sooooo
what is it :3?
Akarsha was trying to weed the information out of Noelle. This felt comfortable. More like a game. Familiar to Noelle, and to her understanding of Akarsha. Well, if this was a game, she wouldn’t let Akarsha win.
Noelle
Nothing.
certified brain genius
u know
u say that a lot lately
-.-
how can it be nothing if you say it so often?
Drats. Noelle hesitated at her keyboard for a minute.
Noelle
I don’t know what you want me to respond with.
certified brain genius
indulge my nosiness
whatd u fiiiind
tell meeee
your secrets safe with me
in the vault of my heart <3
have i ever steered u wrong
Noelle
Yes.
I would list every occasion you had steered me wrong before, but we would be here an unreasonable amount of time.
certified brain genius
? so
what is it
Akarsha really wasn’t budging on this, was she?
Noelle
Must you know?
certified brain genius
i love when u talk all fancy to me
Noelle
This is how I always talk.
certified brain genius
-3•~
exactly
Noelle
Akarsha.
Do you think that you could answer honestly?
If I asked you something serious?
There it was again. Akarshas stupid icon appearing and disappearing. Again, and again, and again. This all felt like a prelude. Building up towards something. Noelle, despite all she knew, still felt wracked with nerves.
certified brain genius
ya
All of that for one word?
Noelle
Why did you say you had a crush on me, and then lie and say it was your brother?
Noelle immediately leaned back to gaze up at the ceiling. She didn’t need to look to know Akarsha would still be typing right about now.
Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Akarsha didn’t have a crush on her. Maybe there was some other reason, and Akarsha just panicked and made up some stupid lie.
Or, the more likely solution based off the behavioral patterns Noelle had observed- Akarsha did have a crush on her. That would mean Akarsha would either reply with A, making a joke and dismissing the issue entirely, or B, Akarsha would confess.
That terrified Noelle. As exhilarating as the idea of being tormented by Akarsha forever felt, was Noelle even capable of a relationship? She could barely be honest with herself. Did she really expect herself to be a good girlfriend to Akarsha?
Panicked at the idea of ruining this, Noelle lunged forward, fingers tapping quickly on keys. Luckily, Akarsha was still typing.
Noelle
Nevermind.
You don’t have to tell me.
I believe I’m sleep-deprived.
Do not indulge me, goodnight.
Noelle began to close her laptop, embarrassment sweeping her body, when the notification sound played again.
Hesitantly, slowly, she opened her laptop back up.
certified brain genius
wait
waitwaitwait
don’t go
please
Noelle considered this for a moment, and then replied.
Noelle
Okay.
certified brain genius
okay this has to do with
uh
what u said
so dont think im changing the topic
but have u ever snuck out before
Noelle
What? Of course not.
My mother would kill me.
certified brain genius
right
but like
hypothetically if i asked u to come over rn
would u?
Noelle
Why can’t we talk like this?
certified brain genius
i never thought id say this
but this convo might be easier in person
or maybe u want 2 drop it thats fine too
^-^
Noelle
Your house is far.
Noelle bit her fingernails again, debating typing more.
Noelle
But speaking in person would be appreciated.
certified brain genius
ok stellar idea i just had
stay right where u are
dont fall asleep
i’ll be over in 5
Noelle
What.
certified brain genius is offline
Noelle
What.
Akarsha.
Akarsha it is impossible to get to my house in five minutes.
This is ridiculous
Get back here
akarsha
Noelle shut her laptop in frustration, getting up and falling onto her bed. Ridiculous. Ridiculous, ridiculous Akarsha. On her way to Noelle's house to, most likely, confess to her.
What would she even do? What would she even say? Maybe Noelle could just fall asleep, bury her face into her pillow and pretend none of this ever happened.
But, unfortunately, as she wrapped her arms around her snake plush, Noelle realized she didn’t want to. She didn’t want this to be another thing she would push aside and forget about.
Her dynamic with Akarsha had shifted so heavily. It was uncharted territory. Months ago all they had to do was keep up their little game- Akarsha would act the fool, and Noelle would pretend not to be charmed. Now it was harder to pretend. Sometimes Noelle stopped trying to do so entirely.
It took a long time for Noelle to truly grapple with the way Akarsha had so quickly torn down the foundation she built her life on. The way the careful pedestal she’d worked tirelessly to get to so easily crumbled beneath her. It should’ve been terrifying, to fall from where you thought you were meant to be like that.
Tnk, tnk.
But the rubble was still there. Noelle could pick it up, and build something for herself now.
Noelle made her way to the window, waiting for Akarsha to stop throwing rocks before opening it.
“Can you not throw rocks at my window?” Noelle whisper-shouted, leaning her head outwards.
“Awh.” Akarsha pouted. “Can I throw them at you instead?
“AGAIN?! NO!” Noelle then covered her mouth. That was probably louder than a whisper. She prayed that her parents hadn’t heard.
Akarsha snickered, covering her mouth as well now, in an annoyingly cute way. “How do I get in?”
“Just-“ Noelle pinched the bridge of her nose, making a mental note about the way her stomach flipped at the mere sight of Akarsha. Oh, this was bad. “Wait there.”
Noelle lingered in the same spot, racking her brain for ways to unsuspiciously get Akarsha into her bedroom. Thoughts of her mother catching her passed through her mind— and were shut down immediately. As long as Noelle’s careful, if she calculates it, everything will work out.
… But planning never quite got her anywhere. Akarsha proved that right now.
“… You don’t know what to do, do you?” Akarsha half-smiled, half-grimaced— as if she, too, was now realizing how poorly thought out this was. “Just tie some bedsheets together, I’ll shimmy on up.”
“Right. You and your profound athletic strength.” Noelle deadpanned. “That was sarcasm if you didn’t pick up on it.”
Akarsha lurched back as if she’d been hit by an arrow, gripping her heart painfully. She opened her mouth to mime a pained scream. If they weren’t trying to minimize their volume, Noelle’s sure she would have heard some obscene, obnoxious noise come from Akarsha’s mouth. Noelle squeezed her eyes shut, damning the way the thought caused her face to burn up.
Oh, the woes of being afflicted by such a curse.
Stupidly, Noelle stepped back, out of frame of the window, and began to grab her blankets and bedsheets. Muttering incomprehensible words of anger under her breath, she reluctantly began to tie them together.
Then, she secured one end of the makeshift bedsheet rope to the leg of her bed, and slowly stuck her head back out of the window.
“Hey.” Akarsha seemed tense. “Almost thought you left me to die.”
Noelle huffed, showing off her invention.
“Holy shit.” Akarsha breathed in an awestruck way. Of course. Of course Akarsha would find something so stupid so endearing.
“Well?” Noelle threw the other end of the rope down. She could only pray that her bed and her own highly-limited strength would be enough to see Akarsha up. “You asked for this.”
Akarsha’s jaw was slack, in a sort of dazed grin. After a moment, she regained her bearings.
“That I did, Frenchman.” She grabbed onto the rope. “That I did…”
The next few minutes were a frenzied mess of rope-swinging, almost-falling, life-threatening action that made Noelle increasingly more aggravated that she couldn’t scream at Akarsha. Soon enough, with Noelles subpar strength and perhaps pure luck, Akarsha had managed to shimmy her way to Noelle’s windowsill, and it was time for Noelle to hoist Akarsha through.
“This is just like— OUGH!— Rapunzel.” Akarsha spoke through strained, breathless speech as she was yanked into Noelle’s house. She landed on the floor with a loud thud, and both girls paused to make sure Noelle’s mother hadn’t woken up.
… Once the coast was clear, Noelle resumed her role in the antics.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Y’know, you’re Rapunzel and I’m the hot prince that saves her.” Akarsha grinned, getting up onto one knee and then raising her hand like shakespeare. “Frenchman, oh frenchman! Let down your hair.”
Noelle would have laughed, if the situation wasn’t so nerve wracking.
“Akarsha.” She said instead, her voice coming out more timid, more vulnerable than Noelle would have liked.
It seemed then the gravity of the situation set in for Akarsha, and her smile dropped as she slowly stood up, dusting off her shorts.
Now, after the commotion was done, Noelle could see Akarsha was still in her pajamas. Or, atleast, what Noelle assumed to be them. Akarsha was clad in a NASA-adjacent hoodie— that crudely read NASTY in place of NASA— hot pink shorts, and…
“… What?” Noelle stared in disgust at Akarsha’s sonic socks— and the infamous flip flops that came with them.
Akarsha’s demeanor had shifted, and her entire posture was more tense now, more nervous— Noelle figured she’d most likely just remembered the nature of this conversation.
“Cute, right? Gotta go fast.” Still, Akarsha feigned an unbothered grin, attempting to lift her foot to do what Noelle could only presume was wiping it on Noelle’s leg.
Instinctively, Noelle lurched back.
“G-Get that away from me!”
“Waugh!” Akarsha yelped, floundering as she slowly began to sway backwards. Noelle reacted quickly, grabbing the front of Akarsha’s hoodie and yanking her forward. She also instinctively used her free hand to cover Akarsha’s mouth, trying to keep her from making any more sounds that could potentially alert Noelle’s mother.
The two stayed there, in pure silence, for what felt like far too long. All Noelle could hear was Akarsha’s breath entangled with her own. Akarsha’s eyes were wide, and her face undeniably red.
Now, the information Noelle had found earlier made sense. Was she so blinded by her own feelings that she couldn’t see Akarsha’s infatuation before?
Moreover, what did that mean for now? What will they do, after this moment passes? Will Noelle let Akarsha shrug it off, make up some joke or excuse to wriggle her way out of vulnerability? Or, for once, will Noelle chase after what she wants, rather than what her parents do?
Akarsha broke this line of thinking by licking Noelle’s hand.
“Ugh.” Noelle quickly broke away from Akarsha. “You’re disgusting.”
“Thanks.” Akarsha laughed nervously.
There was another beat of silence as Noelle grabbed a paper towel from her desk to wipe her hand.
Noelle turned to Akarsha, then, and stared at her for a long moment. Long enough that Akarsha began to grow visibly nervous.
“See something you like?”
“… Your hair is down.” Noelle pointed out.
“Yeah, I kind of leapt out of bed and Naruto ran here. I got here in five minutes though, didn’t I?”
Noelle checked the time. “… It was closer to twenty.”
“Oh.” Akarsha laughed. “Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Noelle couldn’t keep her small chuckle at bay.
“… It looks nice, for the record.”
Akarsha blushed, looking away.
“… C’mon. You, uh… You really don’t have to say that. I know it’s thin and weird.”
It aggravated Noelle sometimes, that Akarsha thought so little of herself.
You idiot, can’t you just see yourself the way I do? This once?
“I’d never offer you pity compliments,” Noelle retorted. “I’m… Being genuine. Accept it before I take it back.”
“Fine, fine! You win.” Akarsha grinned.
More silence passed. It felt awkward to breach the topic of the chat logs. Noelle had to admit, she was about as incompetent at this as Akarsha. If Akarsha didn’t try to find a way to wriggle out of this, Noelle can’t promise that she herself wouldn’t.
It’s undeniably terrifying to know you’re on the cusp of something you can never go back from, and yet, you need to persist anyways. There’s no way to keep everything unchanged, as much as Noelle currently yearned for it. She’d opened up a metaphorical Pandora’s Box, and now she had to deal with any impending consequences.
“Did you mean it?” Noelle asked, deciding to press on. “The, er…” She trailed off. “You know.”
Akarsha froze. She seemed to flounder, unsure of what to say. She stepped back, leaning against the windowsill. Noelle could see her shaking.
“… Didn’t I, uh, already say it was my brother?”
“You told me it wasn’t. At the assembly.” Noelle crossed her arms. “You told me it was you.”
“You remember that?!” Akarsha seemed genuinely taken aback. “That was ages ago. How long did you scroll through our messages to find that?”
“I was curious, is all. I’d remembered the interaction and wondered.” Noelle huffed, lowering her head. “Furthermore, judging by the fact that you ran across town to my house to have a discussion with me, I believe it’s beyond reasonable for me to conclude there’s a deeper purpose to this conversation. Surely you didn’t need to face me in person just to tell me something you’ve already said.”
Akarsha’s face paled. “Can— Can you stop doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“I don’t know. Looking through me?” More nervous laughter. “I just… Honestly, I don’t know what to say.”
“… Can you just be honest? You came over to have a face-to-face conversation. Can’t— Can’t we just do that?”
Akarsha contemplated this, then nodded.
“… It’s easier to say than do.”
Noelle sighed. “… I can’t disagree with you there.”
“… Hey, uh,” Akarsha looked to the side. “If it weirded you out you can really just forget about it. I mean, I’ll get over it. I know you probably have bigger, brainier things to worry about than little ol’ me’s little ol’ feelings.”
There it was— as close to a confirmation Noelle believed she could possibly wring out of Akarsha. Her heart picked up then, and Noelle felt all the familiar sensations of romance she feels whenever Akarsha sends her a stupid photo or crinkles her nose.
“Who—“ Noelle spoke past a lump in her throat. “—Who said I wanted to forget about it?”
Akarsha whipped her head back towards Noelle, seeming totally and utterly stunned.
“I just— I mean, you don’t actually…” Akarsha was fully caught off guard now. “—Aren’t you straight??”
“I’m—“ Noelle stopped.
Well, she obviously isn’t straight. But she’d never quite admitted it out loud to anyone before. Infact, her feelings for Akarsha in entirety had been kept wholly to herself. She wasn’t sure if even Diya knew— did Diya know? The more she thinks about it she wonders— But quickly decides to move on from that train of thought.
“Well. Evidently, I’m not.” Noelle admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Akarsha was quiet for a long moment, before stepping forward. Then, without a word, she rolled up her sleeve and stuck her arm out.
“Pinch me.”
“What?”
“So I know I’m not dreaming?” Akarsha grinned, shoving her arm closer to Noelle. “I feel like any second I’m going to wake up in some, like, panicked-frenzy from a nightmare. Then I’m gonna go to school tomorrow and go up to you like Hey Noelle, what was THAT all about haha. Then you’ll be confused and realize I was dreaming about you and then— Ow!”
Akarsha yelped again, covering the spot of her arm that was now freshly pinched.
“Quiet, you dolt!” Noelle whisper-shouted. “There. I pinched you.”
Akarsha let out a strained, wheezed breath. Like she was trying to make sense of all of this.
“Even if you’re, y’know, batting for the other team—”
Noelle was bewildered. “What other team??”
“—That doesn’t mean you like me. ” Then, Akarsha’s voice shifted to something careful and gentle. Laced with vulnerability. “Right?”
Now it was Noelle’s turn to freeze.
Surely she can’t back out now. Akarsha hadn’t, had she? Well, she’d tried, but Noelle wouldn’t let her.
In the passing months, she’d made her peace with the fact that whether Noelle fancied a girl or not, her parents would never approve. There was no pleasing them.
So, if every other path lead to a dead end, the only logical conclusion would be for Noelle to pursue a path that would, in some way, fulfill her.
Was Akarsha that path?
Standing here, with Akarsha standing in front of her, vulnerable yet endearing all the same, it certainly seemed so.
Either way, there was no way to truly go back. There was no way to stop everything from changing. So, if things had to change from this moment on, shouldn’t Noelle strive for it to be a positive one?
Noelle stepped forward, and then held her hands out infront of her. She seemed to contemplate what to do with them, for a moment, before grabbing the front of Akarsha’s hoodie and, in her own nerves, pulled Akarsha closer.
“I have feelings for you.” Noelle blurted out, quick and higher than her typical register.
Then, she watched Akarsha’s eyes light up.
Yes, Noelle realized, this is fulfillment.
She found herself overcome with emotion, feeling her hands shake, so she let go of Akarsha’s hoodie and began to step away. But before she could get far, Akarsha’s hands shot up to interlace with her own.
Noelle felt her palms prickle at the contact, and found that Akarsha’s hands in hers had the power to seize her body entirely. Now, she waited on Akarsha.
It felt a little terrifying to not know what would come next, but exhilarating nonetheless.
Then, their hearts pounding, Akarsha leaned forward and kissed her.
A clumsy, messy first kiss. A smashing of two lips together, from two teenagers acting on spur of the moment impulse. It was imperfect, but it was theirs, their own special moment.
It was extraordinary, not because it was perfect, but because of its nature. Its existence, in this uncertain and terrifying world, was something undeniably beautiful. To just be in such a way felt so inherently defying, it had Noelle floating on cloud nine. Could romance truly spite the world? Could love be so rebellious?
When they broke away, they were both trembling. Neither sure what to say, neither sure what could possibly punctuate this careful, fragile moment.
Then Akarsha— of course, Akarsha— grinned, sly and knowing.
“Sorry. I just kind of went for it.”
Noelle found herself utterly stunned.
“… Earth to Frenchman? You okay?” Akarsha dropped one of Noelle’s hands and snapped her fingers in front of the other's face. At the lack of response, she began to grow nervous. “Are— are you okay? Did that freak you out? Shit, did I misinterpret—“
“I’m fine.” Noelle wheezed, catching Akarsha’s still-snapping hand by the wrist, lowering it. “Give— Give me a moment.”
Slowly, she led Akarsha to her bed. Frankly, her legs had felt like jelly, and she needed to sit down. Akarsha seemed to appreciate it, too.
Uncharacteristically, Noelle clutched onto Akarsha’s arm, leaning into her. Akarsha did the same.
“… What do we do now?” Akarsha asked. “… Are you like the Shadow to my Sonic?”
“WHAT.”
“Ya, I’ll get you a matching pair of socks.” Akarsha grinned, and raised her leg to show off her still hideous Sonic socks. When she started to wiggle her toes, Noelle smacked her leg down.
“Why must you always come up with some inane and obnoxious thing to say?”
Akarsha tilted her head.
“Isn’t that why you like me?”
Noelle couldn’t fight back the slightest small smile.
“This— You’re not pranking me, right?” Akarsha asked.
“This would be a cruel and inhumane prank if so.”
Akarsha said nothing, clearly still waiting for an answer.
Noelle sighed. “You idiot.” She laced Akarsha’s fingers with her own, and there was the prickling sensation again. “This isn’t a prank.”
“… Can you pinch me again?”
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the previous pinch!?”
Noelle dissolved into laughter then, and was able to catch a glimpse of Akarsha— Akarsha, who always looked at Noelle with pure adoration when she laughed. Then, Akarsha was laughing too.
After a minute of it, the laughter died down, and Akarsha flopped onto her back. Noelle followed suit, and the two relished in peaceful silence.
It was still terrifying, yes, but there was a certain calm to it now. Like the hardest part was over. The two still had to figure out what to do next, but Akarsha’s humor was great at soothing Noelle’s anxieties, as much as she hated to admit it.
What an odd thing, for Akarsha of all people to be the one to soothe her like this. Noelle wonders sometimes how she got to this point, and then Akarsha smiles and she remembers all over again.
“… So…” Akarsha began, turning her head towards Noelle. “Seriously, what now?”
Noelle turned her head back towards Akarsha, a frown tugging at her lips. “… Can we take this slow? I’ve… This is very new to me. I’m sure you can tell.”
“I don’t exactly have a giant romantic history either.” Akarsha chuckled. “… But yea, that sounds good. It’ll give me more time to strategize.”
“Strategize…?”
“Y’know, figure out all the cool tips and tricks to be great at whatever this is.”
“Well, I won’t question your methods, for the sake of not giving myself a headache.” Noelle smiled again. “… For the record, I think you’re doing just fine”.
Akarsha grinned. “Good. That’s good.”
Then, she sat up. “… I do think I should probably get back to my house, though. It’s like, super late and my parents’ll flip if they realize I’m gone.”
“Oh. Right.” Noelle sat up aswell. “Right. How did you even get here in twenty minutes?”
“Huh? Oh, I biked.”
“You have a bike?”
“Not exactly? It’s Pratiks.”
Noelle narrowed her eyes.
“Can’t a girl ride around town in her very cool Spider-man bike?” Akarsha shrugged. “You’re stifling me. I’m stifled.”
“Oh, hush.” Noelle walked back over to her window, lifting the bed sheet rope. “How exactly do you plan to go about this?”
Akarsha tapped her chin.
“I-a shimmy up, I-a shimmy down.” She reasoned.
“If you break your bones, I’m not calling an ambulance.” Noelle threatened.
“Ouch.” Akarsha began the arduous process of trying to get out of the window without plummeting. “Okay, this is a lot harder the other way—”
“Be careful.” Noelle hissed, helping to steady Akarsha. Once secured, Akarsha dangled off of the rope.
“Pretend I’m blowing you a kiss.”
Noelle blushed. “I will not do that.”
Akarsha was quiet for a moment, clearly struggling to stay still with her lack of upper body strength. Despite it, she suddenly leaned up, kissing Noelle on the cheek before immediately proceeding on climbing down the rope.
Jaw slack, Noelle stared after Akarsha, watching her get farther and farther down until she safely reached the ground. She pulled Pratik’s bike out of a nearby shrubbery, before looking up at Noelle.
There was a pause.
Then, Akarsha did in fact blow Noelle a kiss, before running off giddily into the night, bike in tow.
Noelle lingered at the window for a long moment, before yanking on the bedsheet and pulling it up. Silently, with her head a jumbled mess of thoughts and fears and Akarsha, Noelle untangled the sheets and began to remake her bed.
She felt like she was in some sort of trance, her entire body crackling like a live wire. In her sleepy haze, it was hard to believe anything that had just happened actually occurred. She supposed she’d have to wait for tomorrow, just to make sure it wasn’t a dream. She should have asked Akarsha to pinch her back, in all honesty.
She flicked the lights off and was starting for her bed when she heard an incredibly familiar ding. She turned her head, realizing that in her daze she’d forgotten to shut her computer.
Slowly, she walked over to it, a smile creeping its way onto her face at the sight of Akarsha’s messages.
certified brain genius has changed their name to lovemaster600
Noelle
What? So you think you’re an expert now?
lovemaster600
aren’t i? even cupid finds someone eventually…
Noelle
Does he, now?
… Please don’t explain anything to Min and Diya just yet.
lovemaster600
o shit yea i gotchu bbygirl
its okay i’ll just make something up
witty and charming as always
Noelle
Never call me that again.
Are you already home?
lovemaster600
nah i paused to text you ^__^;;
Noelle
Well, I appreciate the sentiment.
But it’s very late, and I urge you to try and get home as soon as possible.
Please stay safe.
lovemaster600
awhhh are you worried about little ol me
Noelle
In your dreams.
lovemaster600
uhhhmmm actually frenchie
we already established this wasnt a dream
what was the pinch for then???
Noelle laughed.
lovemaster600
anywaaaayys
rest that big noggin of yours
i’ll continue on my perilous journey :3
Noelle
Text me when you make it home.
Goodnight, Akarsha.
lovemaster600
see you in my actual dreams
Noelle still felt so undignified blushing. It was hard to unlearn the idea that romance is beneath her. For her entire life, love was less of something to want but something required, another useless burden put on her by her parents.
But Akarsha had the power to shatter notions like that with a flick of a wrist. It was amazing, in all honesty. Noelle marveled at it, even now, clutching Snakey to her chest and climbing into bed.
Noelle had no idea what tomorrow would hold, no calculated plan.
Whatever this was, it was exciting, it was terrifying, but most importantly, it was hers.