Chapter Text
Lied had decided that the flower hadn't been a mistake. If anything, it had encouraged him to do more.
That was important.
He'd spent most of the walk home after giving it to Elizabetta replaying the entire thing in his head, remembering the way she'd looked at the flower, the little smile she'd given him, and the way her fingers had carefully closed around the stem as she'd thanked him. He'd also spent an embarrassing amount of time thinking about the exact moment she'd looked at him afterward, because his heart had reacted so violently that he'd genuinely wondered if she'd heard it.
She probably hadn't.. Probably. He wasn't so sure anymore about it!
Still, he'd nearly died during the interaction and ended up getting no sleep being too giddy and remembering the scene with his gorgeous crush that was the most amazing demoness ever to exist
But she had liked the flower and even accepted it!
That was what mattered the most to him because he was afraid and anxious the entire time thinking she'll discard them the moment he offered it to her.. thankfully she didn't! How merciful! She's the kindness soul ever!!
She hadn't laughed at him, hadn't teased him about it, and hadn't looked at him as though he'd suddenly become strange.
She'd simply smiled.
And that smile had been enough to make Lied decide that maybe, just maybe, he'd done something right, Something worthy
The thought stayed with him long after he'd gotten home even after getting in his bed, He couldn't get rid of the image of her smile...
Lied had liked Elizabetta for a long time even until now, He didn't think he could love another like he does for Elizabetta.. it's impossible not to
That wasn't something he could really deny anymore, not even to himself. He knew how his chest felt whenever she walked into a room, how easily his attention found her without him meaning to, and how one smile from her could turn an otherwise terrible day into something he could tolerate.
What he'd never expected was for her to genuinely consider him a friend... It was really unexpected and he didn't think the possibility of that ever happening
That had been different.
He'd spent so long assuming that his feelings were something he would simply have to keep to himself that he hadn't really considered what it would be like if Elizabetta actually wanted him around...
Then she'd called him her friend.
And Lied had been ridiculously happy about it, like extremely happy to the point he couldn't believe it was reality or just s wonderful dream!
Maybe that was why he suddenly felt like he had to do something about it, Like an obligation or something similar.. he just felt it
Not because he has a crush on her.. not his crush of course
Not because he had a crush on her, of course. Definitely not because of that... That had absolutely nothing to do with it!
...Probably.
That was staying exactly where it was. He wasn't confessing, Definitely not, Not in a million years he's going to confess to her
He wasn't going to make things awkward.
He wasn't going to do anything that might make Elizabetta feel like she had to answer for feelings she hadn't asked for.
But if she really considered him a friend, then he wanted to be a good one.
A really good one.. he vowed to he a very good friend no matter what! Doesn't matter if they'd just stay friends! it did matter.. he's cool without it.. totally..!
The problem was that Lied had no idea what being a good friend to someone he was hopelessly in love with was supposed to look like..
So he settled on the simplest solution he could think of and the only solution he could come up with after hours of thinking really hard about it..
It was to.. Pay attention.
If Elizabetta said she liked something, remember it.. If she mentioned wanting something, keep it in mind,
If she looked tired, ask if she was okay like any friend would do obviously.. haha.. if he had courage of course
And If she needed someone to walk with her, walk with her if he could, Maybe someday when they could get close like he hopes so
If he saw something that made him think of her, maybe he could give it to her.
Simple, totally Normal, the most absolutely Friendly way possible as a gift that she wouldn't suspect of him having feelings for her! he doesn't know she knows already
That was the plan.
It sounded totally absolutely incrediblely super reasonable plan that no one would think about!
Unfortunately, Lied had severely underestimated how often Elizabetta would end up on his mind once he started deliberately paying attention to her.
He began noticing everything.. like everything with an intent to have a better friendship and get closer with his crush
He noticed which sweets she reached for first when they stopped at a shop and He noticed that she liked certain flavors more than others.
He noticed that she complained more when she was tired, though she would deny being tired if anyone pointed it out.
He noticed that she laughed differently when something genuinely caught her off guard as well as He noticed that she liked flowers more than she let on.
He noticed the tiny expressions she made when she was thinking, And perhaps most dangerously, he started remembering the things she said.
Not just important things, not precious stuff, not obvious things or anything like that but rather it was..
Little things.
Things that shouldn't have mattered.
One afternoon, they were walking through the shopping district after class. Lied had offered to walk with her after gaining he courage to do so and he got extremely happy when she agreed!!
Currently Elizabetta started talking about a dessert she'd been craving after walking for a while
"I haven't had it in forever," she said, glancing toward one of the storefronts. "I keep meaning to buy some, but I never seem to have the time."
"You always say that."
She looked at him slightly suprised but didn't show it and couldn't help but ask about it "Do I?"
"Yeah..!"
Lied grinned looking up at her with that stupid usual confidence after he got comfortable talking with her even when it took a lot of time, He still blushed like absolutely get flustered
"You've been saying you're going to get it for like... forever!.."
Elizabetta laughed, it was a loveliest laugh ever, The most gorgeous laugh he had ever heard. It was nice to hear. He could listen to her talk and laugh all day without feeling bored at all
"Then perhaps you should remind me."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the one who noticed."
Lied playfully rolled his eyes and didn't mean anything about it as he then smiled with a slight blush being near his crush
"Fine..."
She smiled, it wad the most gorgeous smile lied has ever said
"I'll hold you to that, darling."
The conversation eventually moved on.. Lied didn't think about it again. At least, not until several days later. He was walking through the shopping district when something caught his eye.
He stopped, His gaze shifted toward the shop display.
The dessert. The exact one Elizabetta had mentioned.. lied stared at it, Then glanced down the street.
Then back at the display.
"...Oh."
He remembered almost instantly, He didn't even have to think about it.
Elizabetta likes this.
That was it, No complicated reasoning with No hesitation he walked inside. It was just dessert.. He could buy it for her right now right then.. she said she likes it
Friends bought things for each other.
That wasn't weird. Was it?
And if she'd been craving it, then she'd probably be happy.. maybe think of him as a good friend and wouldn't regret telling him they're friends
That was all he wanted, And to make her happy.. that was his only motivation to go in the store and buy it without hesitation
Lied paid for it before he could overthink the decision. He carried the box home with a strange sense of accomplishment.
He'd remembered what she likes and got it for her.. That was good.
He was being a good friend. That was it, nothing wrong with friends buying each other's favorite dessert Because they mentioned they crave it and it's their favorite.. right?
The next afternoon, he found Elizabetta after classes
She was talking with some of the girls, laughing about something, and Lied almost turned around.
Not because he didn't want to give it to her, it was something else
Because suddenly, now that she was actually standing in front of him, the idea felt much more embarrassing than it had yesterday.
It's just dessert. He repeated that to himself. Just dessert. He comforted himself having suddenly gaining courage to give it to her
He walked over slightly nervous and couldn't help but keep thinking of backing out but couldn't the moment he got right in front of her
"Hey.."
Elizabetta looked up from her desk as the other girls went their own way not wanting to interrupt.. Her smile appeared almost immediately seeing him
"Darling."
Lied's ears warmed instantly hearing her call him that.. she calls everyone that he wasn't special or anything.. He hated that she could do that to him so easily.
"Uh..."
He held out the box in front of her with slightly shaking hands after holding it in, Lied wasn't sure how to do this at all
"I got you something." He mumbled looking extremely embarrassed
Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, it wasn't anything rare for her to receive something form admirers or suitors but it's a wonder what lied got for her..
"For me?"
"Y-Yeah..!"
He shoved it toward her a little too quickly then intended and he wanted to apologize but didn't also want to make things even more awkward than it is already in his opinion
She accepted it, looking curious wondering what is it
"What is it?"
"J-just open it...! Please.."
She did as she was told all while guessing what's inside but Her expression changed immediately seeing what was inside the box
"You remembered."
Lied blinked getting out of his flustered state almost immediately at her words, Somewhat not understanding her expression
He stared at her and without hesitation spoke "Of course i did."
"I only mentioned it once."
"So?"
She looked at him. He genuinely didn't understand the surprise and seemed clueless about it.. lied then added not wanting to seem rude
"You said you liked it."
Elizabetta smiled at his words as she chuckled which sounded absolutely magical in his hearing "I did."
"Then..." He shrugged and just spoke what came to his mind while adding "I remembered."
She continued looking at him after a while Lied shifted his weight feeling awkward at the intense staring he wasn't used to
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You keep doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Looking at me like I said something weird."
Her smile widened after realizing he was nervous as she responded "You didn't."
"Oh."
Lied relaxed after getting confirmation from her that ye didn't do anything weird, He would have thought about it all day because well.. he does want to impress her, not make her think he's a weirdo.. he would have died if she did
Then, after a second of hesitating on how to say it, he added "I listen when you talk."
Elizabetta's expression softened ever so slightly and Lied noticed almost instantly and Immediately, his confidence disappeared once more
"..What?"
She shook her head reassuring him not to think too much about it before saying "You're sweet."
His face went red hearing her say that and he couldn't help but deny it "I-I'm not!"
"You are."
"I'm just remembering something!"
She laughed softly hearing him say that immediately Lied looked away hearing her laugh and got flustered and hoped she didn't see it
"Well..."
He rubbed the back of his neck Awkwardly as he explained without knowing why he wanted to explain but just felt like it and it might be the most Embarrassing moment
"You told me you liked it, so..."
He trailed off, then mumbled, "I wanted you to have it."
Elizabetta went quiet.
Lied's eyes widened. Wait That sounded weird he immediately thought as He looked at her then at the dessert, then back at her.
"I-I mean—" He started waving his hands feeling the urge to explain "Not weird! I just meant—because you like it! So I thought you'd want it! That's all!"
Elizabetta laughed.
"Of course, darling."
Lied stared at her.
"...Did I say something weird?"
She smiled.
"No."
"Then why are you smiling like that?"
"Because you're cute when you're embarrassed."
His face became even hotter. "Wh-What?!"
She laughed again at his response as Lied groaned.
This was supposed to be subtle and He was terrible at this.
Elizabetta watched him disappear down the corridor, still smiling to herself. The dessert was sitting safely in her hands, but somehow, that wasn't what she was thinking about.
She was thinking about him.
About the way he'd looked when she'd opened the box, the way his ears had gone red when she'd called him sweet, and especially the genuine confusion on his face when she'd asked if he remembered.
Of course I did.
He'd said it as though there had never been another possible answer.
She had expected him to be embarrassed about remembering something so small, perhaps even surprised that she had noticed, but instead he'd looked almost confused that she'd been surprised at all.
Because she'd told him she liked it And apparently, that was enough for Lied to remember.
Elizabetta looked down at the dessert again.. It was such a small thing to be remembered
Something she could have bought for herself, something she had only mentioned in passing and probably would have forgotten about if Lied hadn't happened to bring it up again.
Yet somehow, knowing that he'd seen it, remembered her mentioning it days ago, and immediately thought of her made it feel much more precious than it should have.
She smiled to herself
He's really very thoughtful.
Perhaps that was what she liked about him and Lied never seemed to realize how much attention he gave her.
He remembered the little things as well as He listened when she talked including that He noticed things she didn't expect anyone to notice.
And whenever she caught him doing it, he looked almost embarrassed, as though he couldn't understand why it mattered so much.
To him, it was probably nothing.
To her... It was becoming something.
First the flower.
Now this. Elizabetta's fingers rested lightly against the box as she considered that thought, There was something different about the way Lied treated her.
She knew what attention looked like.
She had received plenty of it like absolutely, It's what she always got even when she was a child. She knew she received attention a lot more than others
She knew the difference between someone looking at her because she was beautiful and someone actually listening when she spoke. She knew the difference between someone remembering her favorite things because they wanted to impress her and someone remembering because they'd simply cared enough to keep it in their mind.
Lied was different.
He didn't seem to be trying and that was perhaps what made it so dangerous and He wasn't standing in front of her with some carefully practiced smile, waiting for her reaction.
He hadn't even seemed to realize that what he'd done might affect her which He had simply seen something she liked.
And thought of her.. Elizabetta smiled to herself thinking about it How sweet. she couldn't help but think about it
She started walking down the corridor again, the dessert still in her hands.. She wondered what he'd do next and The thought came before she could stop it.
And perhaps more strangely... She found herself looking forward to it.
The following morning, Elizabetta didn't expect anything. At least, she told herself she didn't.
Lied entered the classroom with Jazz, looking half-awake and complaining about something that had apparently happened on the way to school. He dropped into his seat, stretched, and immediately started arguing with Jazz again.
Everything was normal.
Elizabetta watched them for a moment before turning back toward her own desk.. She hadn't been expecting anything.
So when Lied eventually passed by her desk and casually placed something beside her notebook, she looked down in surprise.
A small wrapped sweet.
She looked up. Lied was already halfway back to his seat.
"Darling."
He glanced over. "Hm?"
She held up the sweet. "What's this?"
He looked at it as though he'd forgotten he'd put it there.
"Oh. That."
"Yes, that."
"You said you liked that flavor."
Elizabetta paused hearing that, it was indeed her favorite flavor..
"When?"
He frowned slightly, genuinely trying to remember. "Uh..." He thought for a moment. "Last week, I think."
Her smile grew. "You remembered that?"
"Yeah." He shrugged as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "You were talking about it."
Then he turned back toward Jazz.
Elizabetta looked down at the sweet again, There it was.. That strange little feeling it was Warm, Unexpected.
She unwrapped it and took a bite.
Lied glanced back.
"Good?"
She nodded. " Very."
He smiled. "Good."
And that was all No grand gesture, No explanation and He simply seemed pleased that she liked it. Elizabetta watched him for another moment before looking away.
Perhaps she was beginning to understand something.
Lied's attention wasn't something he turned on when he wanted to impress her. It was simply there.. He remembered because he listened and how He noticed because he cared.
And somehow, that made the smallest things feel more meaningful than they should have.
After that, Elizabetta began noticing how often Lied noticed her, Not in some dramatic way rather It was the little things.
If she looked tired during class, he'd quietly ask if she'd slept well and If she mentioned being hungry, he'd somehow remember it later.
If she complained about having too much work, he'd ask about it the next day occasionally or Sometimes he would even bring up things she had forgotten mentioning.
"You don't like that shop."
"You wanted to try that place."
"You said you were tired yesterday."
"You like this one, right?"
Each time, Elizabetta would look at him and Each time, he'd look back with the same puzzled expression As though he couldn't understand why she found it surprising.
One afternoon, she finally asked.
"Do you always remember everything people tell you?"
Lied thought about it but when he did.. lied realized he doesn't much like how he doesn't remember a thing jazz said a few days ago
"No."
"Then why do you remember so much about me?"
He blinked processing what she said and For a moment, he looked genuinely confused by the question.
Then he shrugged with a slight blush on his ears feeling like he got caught but still didn't want to be embarrassed infront of her at all
"Because you tell me."
Elizabetta smiled.
"That's all?"
"Yeah." He looked at her as though the answer was obvious before adding "I listen when you talk."
Something in her chest fluttered.. it was unexpected, She didn't think she would feel this way.. it was new..
Lied, completely unaware of what his words had done, simply continued walking. She followed him speaking towards him as she does "You really do."
"Hm?"
"Listen."
He smiled feeling quite proud his crush said that and couldn't help but feel pride in that "Of course!"
She looked at him and He really didn't understand, That was becoming increasingly obvious And perhaps that was what made it so endearing.
They started walking home together more often after that.. Not every day, Sometimes Lied had somewhere else to be and Sometimes Elizabetta did.
But whenever their paths happened to line up, one of them would usually wait.
At first, it was Lied.
He'd linger outside the classroom while pretending to check something on his Deviphone, then look up when Elizabetta finally appeared.
She'd smile.
"Waiting for someone?"
He'd immediately look embarrassed as he replied to her question with a flustered look "Maybe..."
She'd glance around the empty corridor.
"Who?"
He'd sigh. "You."
"Then why didn't you just say so?"
"Because that sounds weird!"
She'd laugh hearing his response before trying to reassure him it isn't weird at all "It doesn't."
"It does."
"It really doesn't."
He'd mutter something she couldn't quite hear before falling into step beside her, It took time for him to do that
Eventually, she stopped asking about it. She would leave the classroom and find him there and He would look up, She would smile.. And they'd walk.
It became easy, extremely Comfortable and Almost ordinary yet somehow, that was what Elizabetta liked most.
There was no need to think about what to say.. there was No need to impress each other because Sometimes they talked the entire way and Sometimes they argued over something ridiculous.
Sometimes they simply walked beside each other in comfortable silence as well as she began to notice that she liked those quiet moments too.
Perhaps especially those.. Because Lied never seemed uncomfortable with silence.
He didn't feel the need to fill every second and He was simply content to be there.. more importantly Beside her.
Lied didn't really know when it had started becoming normal.
At first, walking home with Elizabetta had been something he had to gather an unreasonable amount of courage for, because every time he thought about asking her, his brain immediately supplied approximately seventeen different ways the conversation could go horribly wrong, most of them involving him embarrassing himself so badly that he would have to transfer schools and disappear forever..!
But now, somehow, he could find himself waiting outside the classroom for her without thinking too hard about it
Well... he still thought about it.
He thought about it a lot.
He would stand there with his Deviphone in his hand, pretending to be busy while secretly checking the classroom door every few seconds, and whenever someone came out who wasn't Elizabetta, he would immediately pretend he hadn't been looking
It was completely normal, absolutely normal because Friends waited for friends.. That was what friends did.
Probably.
Except Lied had discovered that waiting for Elizabetta was both the easiest and most nerve-wracking thing he'd ever done.
The easy part was wanting to see her.
The difficult part was surviving the moment she actually appeared.
Every single time, without fail, his heart would jump and started to race to the point lied often wonder if she could it hear it and he'd hate it if she did
There she'd be, walking toward him with that familiar smile, and Lied's brain would immediately stop functioning properly.
She's coming!
She's actually coming!!!!
She's looking at me????
She's smiling..!!!????
Don't stare.
Stop staring!!
Why are you still staring?!
Then she'd reach him and say, "Darling."
And somehow his entire brain would become even less useful.. He hated how easily she could do that to him and He hated how one word from her could make his ears burn.
He hated how happy it made him.
Mostly, he hated that he secretly hoped she'd keep calling him that forever.. Which was ridiculous!!
Obviously.
She called everyone darling and It wasn't special.. He knew that like He absolutely, definitely knew that ...So why did it still feel special when she said it to him?
Lied didn't have an answer for that, so he decided it was better not to think about it.. He had enough problems already.
Like the fact that he was hopelessly in love with her and he can't help it
That was probably a pretty big one.
There were other things he started doing without really planning to.
Sometimes he'd buy an extra snack because he remembered Elizabetta liked it and Sometimes he'd save something funny to tell her later.
Sometimes he'd see something in a shop window and immediately think, Eliza would like that occasionally ot Sometimes he'd hear a joke and wonder whether she'd laugh at it
Sometimes he'd have a terrible day and find himself thinking that maybe seeing her would make it better and sometimes he'd have a good day and immediately want to tell her about it.
That last one confused him the most.. It wasn't as though she needed to know everything that happened to him.
She wasn't responsible for making his day better.
He just... Wanted her to know.
That was all and He didn't think there was anything strange about it.
She was his friend.. A friend he cared about, a friend he wanted to get closer to and a friend whose opinion mattered to him.
A friend whose smile could make him forget what he had been upset about as well as a friend who happened to be the most beautiful demoness in the entire Netherworld.
A friend who made his heart try to escape his chest every time she looked at him for too long.
...
Okay.
Maybe the last part wasn't particularly normal.
But it wasn't like he could help it.. He'd liked her for years and That wasn't going to magically disappear just because she'd called him her friend.
If anything, knowing she actually wanted him around had made everything worse.
Before, he could admire her from a distance and tell himself that it didn't matter because she'd probably never notice him anyway.
Now she noticed.. Now she smiled when she saw him and Now she waited for him sometimes.
Now she talked to him, Now she remembered things about him.
And Lied was beginning to understand that having even a small place in Elizabetta's life was much more dangerous than simply having a crush on her from afar.
Because now he had something to lose and he really, really didn't want to lose it.
One afternoon, Lied was waiting outside the classroom again when Jazz passed by after classes
Jazz stopped and He looked at Lied, Then at the classroom Then back at Lied. "What are you doing?"
Lied immediately straightened. "Nothing."
Jazz stared like a absolutely stared at him "You're standing outside the classroom."
"So?"
"You've been standing there for ten minutes."
"I like standing."
"You've checked the door twelve times."
"I like doors."
Jazz's expression became completely blank.
"Lied."
"What?"
"You're waiting for eliza-san are you not?"
Lied's face immediately heated.
"No, I'm not!"
"You literally just looked at the door."
"I was checking something!"
"On the door?"
"...Maybe."
Jazz sighed.
Lied crossed his arms, trying desperately to look unaffected. "I'm just walking home with her."
"Again? And when i ask you to wait for me you'd never do! Fake"
"Yeah and so what it's different"
"Why? How??"
Lied looked at him as though he'd asked the stupidest question imaginable.
"Because we're friends."
Jazz stared at him for several seconds and Then he sighed again. "Right." Before mumbling something about what about him Aren't they also friends??
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"You're being weird."
"I'm not the weird one here."
Lied frowned hearing that, He didn't know how Long or how much he got called weird.. or he thinks he's being weird but whatever it's different if it's jazz because that's offensive in his opinion!!
Jazz walked away before he could ask what that was supposed to mean. Lied watched him leave, completely confused and Then the classroom door opened.
Elizabetta stepped out, still graceful, Wonderful, Gorgeous, beautiful as ever
His confusion disappeared almost instantly. She saw him and She smiled. With just like that, Lied smiled back.
"Waiting for me?"
He scratched the back of his neck feeling the blush coming up to his face as she asked. "Maybe."
She laughed hearing the same response as last time but less.. well denial
"You're getting better at that answer."
"At what?"
"Admitting that you're waiting for me."
Lied's ears turned pink as he stared at anything except her, He tried but failed "I just happened to be here."
"Of course."
She fell into step beside him and Lied tried not to smile too much.
He failed absolutely miserably at doing it
He didn't realize that these moments were becoming memories and To Lied, they were simply days.
One day after another, it was a walk home A conversation, a snack and a laugh. A small gift including a stupid argument and maybe a quiet afternoon.
Nothing important enough to remember individually And yet he remembered all of them like how He remembered the first time she'd waited for him and He remembered the first time she'd asked him to walk with her.
He remembered what she ordered at certain shops like He remembered which jokes made her laugh and He remembered when she was tired.
He remembered when she was annoyed as well as He remembered when she was genuinely happy..
He remembered.
Always.
And somehow, without realizing it, Lied had started measuring parts of his days by whether Elizabetta had been there.
A good day was a day he'd gotten to talk to her.. A boring day was one where he hadn't and A bad day could usually be fixed by seeing her.
He never stopped to question that because He simply thought that maybe Elizabetta had become important to him.
Which was true.
Very true.
He just didn't understand how much.
Elizabetta had begun noticing the same things Only, unlike Lied, she couldn't quite convince herself that they were meaningless.
She noticed how his face changed whenever he saw her and She noticed the way he tried to hide how excited he was whenever she agreed to walk with him.
She noticed how he always seemed to remember the smallest things she said And she noticed something else now.
Lied was beginning to expect her.. Not in a demanding way it was Never that way ever.
It was simply that whenever he finished class, his eyes would search for her like Whenever he was going somewhere, he seemed to look for her first.
Whenever their paths crossed, he seemed genuinely pleased.
It was subtle.
So subtle that perhaps someone else wouldn't have noticed.
But Elizabetta did.
She had spent most of her life being watched, She knew what attention looked like and She knew what people wanted from her.
She knew how to recognize admiration, attraction, infatuation, and even the shallow kind of affection that disappeared the moment she stopped being entertaining.
Lied's attention was different. He didn't seem to want anything and That was what made it so difficult to understand.
He simply wanted to be near her like He remembered things because she had said them, He listened because she was talking.
He waited because he wanted to walk with her, He bought things because he thought she'd like them.
There was no performance behind it. No expectation. No attempt to make her owe him something.
Just Lied.
And perhaps that was why she found herself becoming so attached to it She liked being remembered.. She liked being listened to.
She liked knowing that somewhere in the middle of Lied's busy thoughts, there was always a little space reserved for her.
The realization made something warm settle in her chest.. She didn't know exactly what to call it yet and She only knew that when Lied wasn't around, she noticed.
And when he was, she felt a little happier.
One evening, they were walking home together when Elizabetta suddenly stopped and Lied stopped too.
"What?"
She looked at him before responding "Nothing."
"You stopped."
"I know."
"Then why?"
She smiled at herself with a slight chuckle
"I was thinking."
"About what?"
She looked at him for a moment before answering. "How often you walk me home."
Lied's face immediately went red. "I-I mean, it's not like I'm always doing it!!"
"I didn't say you were."
"Right..." He looked away. "I just... don't mind."
"Don't mind?"
"Walking with you."
Elizabetta's smile softened. "I see."
Lied scratched his cheek. "It's nice."
There was a pause.
Then, because he apparently had no ability to stop himself when it came to Elizabetta, he added, "I like spending time with you."
The words left his mouth before he could think about them.
He froze and Elizabetta froze too but not like he did, she was more graceful and quickly regained her composure while lied malfunctioned
Lied's heart nearly stopped.
Why did I say that?! That was so stupid of me!!!!!!
He immediately started panicking. "I-I mean as friends!"
Elizabetta's lips twitched.
"Of course."
"Yeah!" He nodded far too quickly. "Friends."
"Friends."
"Exactly."
She smiled and the moment she did, Lied looked away, his face burning.
He was going to die!!! He was absolutely going to die. Right here right now?!!!;!;??!
But after a few seconds, Elizabetta quietly moved closer to him again and continued walking.
Lied glanced at her.
She was smiling.
His heart did that stupid thing again And despite everything, he smiled too. Maybe being her friend was enough.. Maybe it wasn't. He didn't know But for now, he was happy.
And perhaps that was enough.