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“How about we pop over to the Dugout Inn for a victory drink? What do you say?”
Blue and I had just returned home to Diamond City after fending off a group of raiders from a local settlement. It seems like every day there’s another settlement in need, another call from Preston asking us to run off somewhere to help someone in need. I don’t mind, of course. As repetitive as it can be, I couldn’t be happier spending my days helping the people of the Commonwealth. It’s all I ever could have wished for. Soon enough, the Minutemen will be back to their former glory. Every settlement we aid is another addition to something that can do so much good. That’s a feat worth celebrating, right?
And so, the two of us made a beeline for the Dugout Inn. We each ordered a beer—despite Vadim’s exclamation that we just had to try his famous moonshine—and took a seat at the back of the bar, separated from a majority of the commotion by the short partition. As I sipped my drink, I couldn’t help but notice Blue staring at me, her lips curling into a small smile. I anxiously ran a hand through my hair, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“So, Piper,” she began, “I’ve been meaning to ask. I know a lot about you, sure, but it doesn’t feel like I really know you. There’s more to you than just the ‘nosy reporter.’”
I tilted my head quizzically. “What do you mean? I’ve opened up to you more than I’ve ever opened up to, well… anyone, really. What more is there to know?”
“Simple things. Like, what’s your favorite food? Your favorite color?”
“My favorite color?” I intoned. “I’ve never really thought about it. Like, red is nice. And green. But I’m not really sure if I have a favorite.”
“Oh, come on, Piper. Everyone has a favorite color.”
Blue playfully punched my shoulder, and it took everything in me to keep from blushing.
“I really don’t know, Blue! I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
“Alright, alright,” she finally conceded.
I took another sip of my beer, sighing in relief. That woman really was going to be the death of me one day…
Blue and I chatted idly about all sorts of things for who knows how long. After around two drinks, I was able to loosen up enough that my anxiety was all but washed away. Talking to Blue was easy. Comforting, even. The way her eyes lit up whenever she spoke of the work she’d done for the Commonwealth. Her soft laughter each time I brought up something embarrassing from the past. Everything about her was perfect. I wished more than anything that we could sit here forever, going on and on about everything on our minds until our voices grew hoarse.
We were eventually cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I looked up to find Yefim staring down at us with an incredibly exhausted look on his face.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the bar is closing soon. Either rent a room, or I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Had we really been there that long? I could have sworn it was far earlier. But, then again, time flies when I’m talking with Blue. We thanked Yefim, then stood up and dropped a few caps onto the table before leaving.
Blue and I took a seat on the bench just outside the door. It quickly became all too evident that we were alone. The courtyard was empty, not a soul in sight. The light flickered, illuminating Blue’s face with a soft glow. Our eyes met, and I took a deep breath. It was now or never.
“Hey, Blue…?” I muttered, twiddling my thumbs in my lap.
“Hm?” came her quiet reply.
“I, uh… I’m really happy to be traveling with you. Having someone I can count on, someone like you, it’s meant a lot to me. Not a lot of people want to hang around with the nosy reporter.”
Blue smiled. That same, soft, comforting smile as always. “Yeah, but you’re my kind of nosy.”
I laughed nervously, and my heart panged in my chest. I could feel my cheeks growing hotter by the minute. There’s no way Blue wouldn’t eventually notice, but I couldn’t back down now.
"L-Listen, uhm… What I’m trying to get at is that I like you. A lot.” My voice stuttered as I spoke. I kept my eyes trained on Blue, watching for any sort of reaction. “I was sure that the paper would be the best thing I ever did in my life. B-But being here with you, now, now I don’t know. I’ve needed someone like you in my life for a long time, Blue. I just never expected I’d actually get them. And now that I have, I… I-I guess I’m sort of in a state of disbelief.”
Blue simply stared. I attempted to read her expression, to gain something from it, but I was at a loss.
After around thirty seconds of silence, my anxiety grew to be far too overwhelming and I blurted, “I-I’m sorry if this is sudden! I didn’t mean to drop this huge bomb on you out of nowhere—…”
“Piper.”
“God, bad idiom, I’m sorry, uh… I-I don’t expect you to feel the same or anything, Blue, I just—…”
“Piper.”
“I just wanted you to know. You’re so incredibly important to me, and I—…”
I was suddenly cut off by the sensation of soft lips pressed up against my own.
Blue pulled away after a few seconds, smiling softly as if she didn’t just completely short-circuit my brain.
“I—… Wh—… Y-You j—… Huh…?”
Here I was, blathering away in front of the most beautiful girl in the whole entire world, making a complete and utter fool of myself.
Blue placed a hand on top of mine, squeezing gently. “Piper,” she murmured, her eyes boring into me. “I like you, too. No—I love you.”
This couldn’t be real, there’s no way. But the pain I felt when I reached up with my free hand to pinch my cheek told me otherwise.
“I was thrust into a completely new world out of nowhere. Everything I had ever known and loved was just gone, all in the blink of an eye. I felt hopeless, alone. And then I met you.”
I felt like I was going to cry. A million emotions surged through me all at once. Blue ran a hand through my hair as she spoke, her voice never wavering.
“I don’t know what I would do without you, Piper. You’re my rock. The one person I know I can always count on, no matter what. Even if my whole world feels like it’s falling apart, I know I’ll be alright because I have you. You’re my reason for persevering; my reason for never giving up; my reason for never losing hope.”
I had expected to be rejected. I had expected Blue to give me her sweet, apologetic look and tell me she can’t return my feelings but that she’s grateful for me opening up to her. I had never—not in a million, billion years—expected Blue to feel the same.
“Blue, I—… I’m loud and pushy and constantly getting in over my head. Why would someone like you ever want someone like me…?”
“Is it so hard to believe that someone could fall for you?” Blue frowned slightly, furrowing her brow.
“W-Well, no, but I don’t exactly feel like you’ve seen me at my best thus far, Blue. I mean—how many relationships established in a hail of gunfire actually work out? Would you really want to end up with someone like me…?”
“You don’t need to be flawless, Piper. You’re perfect for me.”
“Perfect, huh…? That’s a new one. Well… well, I think you’re perfect, too. Goodness, Blue, I—… I don’t know what to say. You’re everything I could ever ask for...”
Blue simply smiled and replied, “You don’t have to say anything.”
We sat there in silence, my head resting on her shoulder, simply enjoying each other’s company. Out of all the stars in the sky, none could compare to the beauty of the girl sitting beside me.
And as I looked into her eyes, I finally realized. My favorite color is Blue.