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A gentle rush of wind passes by Lizzie as she sits on the bench near the garden. Her dress sparkled under the glimmer of the moon. In contrast of the bustling party inside the school was a silent night outside.
Lizzie has once again been stood up by her 'boyfriend'. It seemed his priority once more shifted from joining her, to accomplishing another task for his beloved organization.
This has recently become more of a pattern as of late. Each of their dates would usually begin well, they both hold hands, spend some time with each other... before Nigel ultimately gets swept away by another mission.
Acting accordingly to how she observed humans would act, Lizzie has shown her 'outbursts' at times. Acting disrespected and set aside, she often confronts Nigel. Of course, he'd try to set things straight afterwards though. He truly doesn't mean to hurt her.
Lizzie should be glad of his actions and choices. He's prioritizing KND above his own romantic relationship! Exactly a trait to pass him on this secret test...
But... Well she actually felt quite an odd feeling today. Once he quickly slipped away from the party without notice, she felt a slight pang of pain in her chest. Like the knowledge that he doesn't exactly care enough about his relationship with her enough made her upset...
Looking up at the stars, she subtly wonder's if Nigel truly loved her. If he really cared when he'd unfortunately need to leave her behind. Momentarily, actually caring about this relationship she's established with this boy that was supposed to be fake. Quickly noticing though, she shakes her head, rolling her eyes towards the thought.
Such silly thoughts. Was she actually falling for him? The urge to roll her eyes again passes as she looks to the side. No, no way would she...
...
Thinking more of it. She asked herself more seriously this time... Was... was she actually falling for him?
Feeling her heart faintly skip a beat at the question, Lizzy felt a mix of frustration and fluster course through her afterwards. Oh dear, it seemed her acting skills had gotten the better of her. Even earlier, she was actually getting upset towards him due to his negligence, and over prioritization of KND. Wasn't that the quality GKND was looking for? She should be rehearsing her lines for when he comes back, not sit here and mope around, truly feeling upset towards him. She's been sent to Earth to judge Nigel's character, for the mission, not to actually develop a crush on him!
Letting out an annoyed sigh, she reminds herself of her mission on Earth. She's here to test Nigel and see if he's what they're looking for. She's not a student. She's not a human. And most certainly not least she's not Nigel's girlfriend, let alone someone who's actually fallen for him!
...
But... As much as she'd tell herself that though, she can't deny the sweet moments both of them shared as it quickly flashed within her mind. Nigel's warm smile, how sweet he'd been to her despite his negligence at times, the care he'd put into making up for his past mistakes, the gentleness of his actions... Nigel can truly be such a good boyfriend. And the thought of it all made Lizzie more conflicted, her feelings once more sprouting, making her shake her head in disbelief.
Standing up, Lizzie kicks a rock. "No no no!" She shouts. She's a galactic kids next door operative from space! She can't be seen dilly dallying during a mission! A very special one at that! Her objectivity and focus is of utmost important here.
It's decided, Lizzie will only focus on her mission. It's for the best. Getting truly attached would only complicate things. And most importantly she does NOT have feelings for Ni-
Just then...
Suddenly a silhouette appeared beside Lizzie.
"... Hi, Lizzie.." the boy spoke sheepishly.
Lizzie slowly turned her attention towards Nigel's direction, her introspection getting cut short. She stayed quiet, still caught up by her inner conflict earlier, surprising Nigel that expected a full blown angry outburst from her.
"Look I know it's super duper late and truly I am very sorry for only attending now!" He continues, still feeling a tad bit worried as her lack of words made him a little nervous.
"So... As an addition to my apology, here! I got this for you!" He holds out a beautiful shiny trinket that glimmered under the moon's light.
"I actually made this for you a couple of days ago. I was saving it for a special occasion," handing the trinket to her, he smiled softly.
Taking it, Lizzie examines it for a second before forcing herself to go on cue with what she's taught. Putting back on the mask, she hugs Nigel, accepting the gift, "Oh thank you Nigie!" She shouts, "I love it!"
Nigel hugs back, ecstatic that he's managed to not only finish a mission, but also got to avoid getting yelled at today! As an added bonus he's even gotten a hug from his girlfriend.
But, something didn't exactly feel right for Nigel. After the hug, he managed to catch a glimpse of Lizzie's troubled face before it quickly got replaced by her dazzling smile.
He quickly smiles back, both sharing a heartfelt moment as he tried to read Lizzie's expression better. But she quickly catches on, and smiles even more, this didn't seem to trick Nigel though.
Holding her shoulder's gently, he assures her, "I really am sorry Lizzie. I promise I'll never do it again," Nigel spoke, assuming she's still very upset due to his mistake, making Lizzie sigh in relief. Feeling her heart once more jump in its place, she couldn't help but let out a genuine smile sprout on her face despite the denial of her feelings earlier. Although yes, he doesn't exactly know what was truly bothering her, it still made her genuinely smile that he truly does care for her enough to try and read her expression. A sweet gesture, yet bittersweet considering her mission.
"Now come on, let's dance before the party's over!" Nigel initiates before holding her hand, gently tugging her back inside. But before he could do so, Lizzie held back and answered, "Wait, can we actually just stay here and look at the stars? They look so pretty tonight." In all honesty, her true reason was that she was quite tired of doing her persona. The idea of a loud, bustling room wasn't exactly something she'd want at the moment. Especially after her troubled introspection earlier.
Surprised, but not against it, Nigel nods before replying, "Sure darling". Holding her hand, he leads her to a peaceful clearing in the garden. He didn't exactly expect her to want a peaceful evening with him since she was very adamant on going to the party today. But accepting it still, he loved to see another side of her.
He sits on the ground before patting the spot beside him. Taking the seat, Lizzie gives him a sweet smile before looking up.
The night truly was beautiful that evening. The twinkling stars above them painted a serene picture that made the silence settle naturally. It was unexpected to say the least, usually both of them would be conversing loudly by now, sharing stories and having a few banters. But as it seemed it was enough for them to enjoy each other's company, they both continued to hold hands and gaze at the stars.
Nigel may not fully know what was bothering Lizzie. And the conflict within Lizzie is still present. But for now, the night ushers both their troubles away as they find peace within the silence, with each other.
No other words were uttered, but it was clear how much they cared for one another.