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“We aren’t gonna let that happen…right?…”
The girl looked up toward the night sky, watching as droplets of rain poured from above. She could feel them landing on her skin, on her face.
They comforted her, washing away hot tears before they would stain her forever.
.
.
.
“I won’t let it happen.”
The girl mumbled under her breath, droplets of rain hammering on the windowsill of her room.
“I won’t be controlled.”
She declared firmly as she fought with the zipper of the third dress she was trying on that night instead of sleeping. After deeming her attempts futile, she sighed and plopped down on the couch.
If only she had someone who would help her, like…
No, now was not the time to dwell on the past. Tomorrow was a big day– the day of the festival. And Susie was taking her! Noelle thought she was going to die of excitement when she agreed to go with her, though she played it off in front of her mom, of course. She even had to pinch herself later just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming again, like that one time they rode a ferris wheel together.
So anyway, that was why she couldn’t let her mother forbid her from seeing Susie. Definitely not this time. She wouldn’t blow her chance.
She picked herself up to check her dimly lit reflection in the mirror. The dress was pretty, at least in her opinion. It was a light blue silk dress she’s been saving for a special occasion. But would Susie like it? Should she go with something more…her style? Like that black dress she bought because it reminded her of…
Before she could lose herself further in thought, her attention shifted toward an unexpected bang on the window. She jumped. After a few seconds of silence, she assured herself it must have been a branch that broke due to the storm or something. Then came another bang. The girl froze. Could it have been Kris? No, it’s been years since they pulled up to her window in the middle of the night. Then who, or what, was it? Despite being frightened to death, Noelle let her curiosity get the better of her. Upon carefully opening the curtains, her eyes landed on a familiar figure painted by the pale moonlight. Guessing by their position, they were probably just about to throw another pebble when Noelle finally opened the window.
“Took you long enough,” the figure called out, “bet you thought that was the severed hand coming for you, heh.”
“S-susie?” she panicked, trying her best to keep her voice down, “what are you doing here?! my mom’s gonna kill you!” Before Susie could answer, the other girl gasped, “Oh, right, you’re completely soaked! Come inside, quickly!”
Somehow, while Noelle was still processing that her literal crush came to her window on a rainy night, which could easily be a scene straight out of any cliche romance movie, Susie was already able to climb through her window with little trouble. That wasn’t what surprised Noelle, she was more concerned at her classmate’s uncharacteristic expression.
“Hey,” Susie started, breathing heavily, “sorry to ambush you like this. I was just…strolling around when it started raining and…then I noticed your light was on,” she sniffled.
Noelle could feel her face burning up. Susie was in her room. In the dead of night. And just when she was in the middle of finding a dress she’d wear to the festival that she’s taking her to. No big deal, right?
“I-it’s fine, don’t apologize! Just maybe keep it down. Here, sit,” she settled herself onto the couch and gestured to her side. Susie shivered to get excess rainwater off and sat down with Noelle. When she was sure it was appropriate, Noelle spoke up again.
“So…why were you outside? Did something happen at home?”
Susie scoffed, “nah. I’m good. Just had a stupid nightmare, you probably know what that’s like.” She leaned back on the couch, spreading her legs, “So…I went outside… to clear my head,” her voice was tired, failing to hide her effort to sound unbothered.
Noelle averted her gaze, “oh, yeah. I’d do that too if my mother let me leave the house this late,” she let out a weak chuckle, then swallowed nervously, feeling her heart pound in her chest. There was a brief uncomfortable silence between the two, filled by the sound of the unceasing downpour. Noelle was the first one to break it.
“Wanna…talk about it?” she asked hesitantly, fidgeting with her hands.
“Uh…sure,” she paused, then spoke again, “it was… a pretty realistic nightmare. It kinda felt like a prophecy, or something. So it spooked me a little. But hey, It’s not like I’d let it come true, so,” she gave Noelle an empty smile, “I guess I just need to forget about it.”
It hurt Noelle to see her friend this troubled. Was this really only about a nightmare? Could the nightmare have been manifested from Susie’s actual fears?…Was there something Susie truly feared?
“Gosh, I must be making no sense…” she mumbled.
“Oh, by no means! I’m no stranger to weirdly realistic dreams, as you know. So…” she put her hand on Susie’s shoulder, “If you ever need to talk to anyone about it, I’m here for you.”
Susie’s breath hitched, “Y-yeah. Thanks.”
Another wave of silence drowned the room.
“You must be cold, I’ll get you a towel,” she got up, went up to her closet and picked one out from the lowest drawer. By the time she turned back around, Susie had already taken off her jacket, standing there in her tank top only. Noelle couldn’t help shamelessly staring at her. She looked so beautiful, especially the low light, it was impossible not to. Although she did feel bad for her– just thinking how she had to have been out there in the rain made her sympathize– nothing’s ever made Susie look more appealing than being this wet and messy. She went weak in the knees at the sight of her exposed arms, subconsciously picturing them around her–
“Uhm, Noelle? You’re staring. Do I have something on my face–?”
Noelle snapped out of it, “N-NO! You’re just, uh, really wet. Here- I’ll-“ she shoved her back on the sofa, speaking before thinking, “I’ll help you dry off!”
Suddenly, Susie felt a fuzzy sensation on her face. Noelle was using the towel to wipe the water off of her.
“O-okay- uhm,” the girl grew visibly flustered, “thank you.”
Oh Gosh. Why did she do that? This is going to be so awkward. Susie must be thinking how creepy she was. But, oh…did she not regret a thing. Standing over the love of her life, gently rubbing a towel over her skin while she just…let her…it felt so right to Noelle. She was immediately struck with guilt when her ears picked up on stifled sobbing.
“S-susie?” She stopped and moved the girl’s hair from her face, “are you…crying?”
Susie buried her face into the towel. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Noelle’s heart broke at those words. She wiped the brunette’s tears away, desperate to give her comfort. “Oh, Susie. It’s okay to be scared. Don’t worry. As you said, it was just a nightmare, it won’t come true,” she spoke softly, her tranquil whispers blending with the serene hum of the rainfall.
Susie couldn’t hold her tears back anymore, letting them flow free. Noelle froze at first, not sure of what the right thing to say was. So she settled on continuing to dry her up, giving her space to let her emotions out as much as she needed. She was used to seeing people cry and usually knew exactly what to say to help them cheer up. But Susie was different. She viewed her as someone fearless and strong, someone who didn’t let anything get to her, and that was exactly what made finding the words to console her so difficult. How bad was it if it made someone like her cry?
Apparently, even she, like anyone else, had a breaking point. A soft side Noelle had selfishly wished to connect with for so long.
She gently caressed her face, her back and her hair with the towel, treating the strong girl like she would a fragile porcelain doll. Like it mattered if she was to crack.
When the sobbing slowly came to a halt, Noelle gave in to her desire of brushing her hand through Susie’s hair. It was still damp, but she didn’t care.
“You…” Noelle’s ear twitched “you’re gonna wear this to the festival?”
Oh, right, that.
Not expecting the girl to bring her dress up in the sensitive situation, Noelle was a bit caught off guard. “I-I mean, uh–“ she stuttered, “I was…just choosing between multiple dresses when you came,” an awkward laugh escaped her, “so, yeah, I don’t know if I’m done picking–“
“It looks really nice on you,” Susie’s met her eyes, “lucky me, huh?,” she joked.
Noelle blinked. Did Susie really just say that to her?! Before her lovesick mind got to process the sudden compliment, she felt a hand reach around her back and the brief sharp buzz of a zipper.
“There,” Susie hummed casually. Suddenly, she felt hands being placed on her shoulders. She looked Noelle’s way and was met with a wide-eyed gaze.
“Huh? What’s up?” Her head tilted to the side.
Truth be told, Noelle swooned. Literally. All she could do not to collapse in the moment was hold onto Susie for balance.
“I- uh- nothing! Just, em… like your shoulders!”
They both blinked.
Wow, nice save, Noelle. You should just die at this point.
Unexpectedly, Susie threw her head back and slapped her thigh with laughter. “Hah! you really are Kris’s childhood friend!”
Not waiting for a response from the other girl, she sighed and continued. “Wow, thanks, I needed a laugh.”
Noelle smiled, glad Susie was in a better mood now, even if she had to embarrass herself for it.
“You know, I thought that if we talked, I might stop myself from getting in my feels,” she admitted, “guess I just made it worse for the both of us, didn’t I?”
When Noelle’s heartbeat steadied, she was quick to shake her head, “No, no! Hey, I know you’re probably used to it, but you can’t face all of your problems alone. That’s what friends are for!”
Susie chuckled, “eww, Noelle, so sappy,” she teased.
“What? It’s true! Unless…unless we’re not friends?”
“…It would be so messed up if I said we weren’t right now,” she gave the girl a mischievous look.
Noelle’s brows furrowed, “Haha, yeah...!”
Susie’s hand shot up and ruffled the blonde’s hair, “we are, duh. D’you think I’d have the balls to show up at your house otherwise?”
Noelle’s face went red at her touch, “m-mhm! Scared me for a bit there!”
“Heh, perks of being friends with me, I guess. Always on your guard. Though I guess I should…probably be leaving now,” she added while getting up. “So you get your beauty sleep in.”
When she turned to the window, Noelle hurriedly closed it. Despite the fact she seemed less distraught than before, Noelle could still tell Susie was dealing with more than she was letting on. She was worried about her.
“H-how about we wait out the rain first?”
The brunette stopped in her tracks. “…Oh. Um. I don’t think the rain is stopping before sunrise,” she argued.
Suddenly, a loud roar of thunder caused Noelle to jump in fright, jolting straight into the other girl’s embrace. Susie flinched, but didn’t push her away. Eventually, her hands found their way to the smaller girl’s back.
“I see how it is,” she purred in amusement, her voice so low that it resonated through Noelle’s entire being. Susie continued, “you want me to stay ‘cause you’re scared of the storm!”
Noelle sighed in relief, trying to ignore the tension in her chest, “y-yeah! That’s right…so, you’re not leaving?”
In response, she felt Susie hug her tighter, “Nah, I gotchu.”
Noelle squealed, the proximity making her head spin. She felt like she was melting in her strong embrace. Then, to her disappointment, the damp warmth enveloping her body faded as Susie stepped away.
“I’m, like…still wet, though.”
“Oh, right!” That makes two of us, “fyuh, well, I’d lend you some of my clothes, but I don’t think they’d-“
Susie took her tank top off.
“…Fit. You.” She gulped.
“Eh. Problem solved.”
well mine just got a lot worse.
“Sure! Yeah! That works!”
“Are you,” she pointed to Noelle’s dress, “gonna change from that, or?…”
“Yes!” She quickly grabbed her nightgown folded on top of her bed and rushed to the door.
“Wait.”
Noelle abruptly turned around.
“Don’t you want a hand with the zipper?”
“R-right!” Susie came up to her and roughly unzipped her dress.
Noelle bit her lip. “You can, like, change here. I won’t look, you know,” she sneered.
“Uh-huh!…”whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck-
Susie sat back, one arm rested over the sofa, and placed her free hand over her eyes.
Noelle exhaled and began changing out of her dress.
It shouldn’t have felt this intimate. It wasn’t like they’ve never changed in the same room before, they had PE together! Yet, it did. In fact, this had to be the most watched Noelle’s ever felt. Fucking hell, she was literally stripping in front of her crush who was also not exactly covered up, to say the least. No wonder she was a bit hot and bothered.
What would her mother think if she walked into the room right now?…
She perished the thought, threw on the nightgown and hung the dress back inside the closet. Her eyes may have been deceiving her, but for a second, she thought she saw Susie smirking…
“Okay, I’m done,” she announced.
Susie uncovered her eyes. “I suppose I’ll be taking the couch?”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to-“
“I want the couch.”
“Oh! O-okay! But I’ll…” she stepped closer to Susie “…feel bad if I let you sleep on the couch!”
“Oh. Well,” she pulled on Noelle’s arm, making her lose her balance and fall over on her, “now we’re even. You can just say you’re scared, by the way,” she winked.
Noelle’s heart raced for the hundredth time that night. As she buried her burning cheeks into the girl’s chest, she asked herself, does this girl have any idea what she’s doing to me?! Ever since they ‘studied’ together, Susie’s attitude towards her felt too good to be true.
Not long after, she heard snoring coming from above her. Just as Noelle had assumed, something must have truly exhausted Susie that day, despite her putting on an act of it not being that serious. She made a mental note to check up on her more often and be there for her, which was now okay to do, since they were…friends. Her hand moved almost instinctively, brushing against the sleeping girl’s face. Feeling peace overcome her and finally letting herself relax, her body went limp against Susie’s.
She didn’t want this to end…
Outside, the rain tapped on the window, humming a soothing melody of a hopeful new beginning.
… and maybe, it didn’t have to.