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Eishia woke up to her alarm clock, jumping out of bed and slamming the clock silent. She rubbed her eyes, her hair messy and sticking out in every direction. Eishia swiftly got ready, dressing and slipping on her sandals before leaving her quarters, heading towards the hospital ward.
When Eishia walked down the hallway in small, hurried steps, she suddenly heard people talking behind the corner. One of the voices was a girl's. A bit cocky, too. Riyo's voice. Eishia's cheeks tinted pink, and she scurried away quickly before someone heard her steps.
When Eishia entered the hospital ward, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her breaths slightly quicker than usual. The truth was, the healer had been secretly admiring Riyo for a while now. Her chest always tightened with something she couldn't name whenever Riyo complemented her. Eishia exhaled slowly, pressing her gloved palms to her warm cheeks, keeping her head down. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬.
A few hours later, Eishia finally stopped organizing medicine vials into the glass cabinet. She had already reorganized and taken everything out for five times now, purely out of inaction. No one visited the hospital ward, and if so, it was her big brother, August. But even he came only once or twice a week. Eishia sighed and fixed her hat before walking to the door.
Just when Eishia opened the door to leave, she bumped into someone's chest. Her cheeks heated up in that instant—the person who she had bumped into was 𝘙𝘪𝘺𝘰. "I-I'm so s-sorry, I—" The healer stammered, her voice a high-pitched squeak as she backed away a few steps, her head down and her gloved hands together.
"Hey, relax, Eishia. I just came in here to check how you were doing." Riyo's voice was unusually soft, and she smiled at Eishia gently. The healer's head snapped up, her cheeks reddening more. 𝘙𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯? 𝘛𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳?!
Eishia swallowed hard, glancing at the door that Riyo had closed without Eishia realizing. Her limbs felt like jelly when Riyo approached, and her mouth opened and closed without any sound coming out. "I need to talk to you about something." Riyo murmured, suddenly a bit shy herself as she stood there in front of the adorable healer.
Eishia straightened her posture, absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵?
The cleaner took a deep breath, unable to meet Eishia's eyes. When she spoke, her ears turned red. "This is really sudden. But uh...remember the other day when I pulled you into the courtyard only to dart away like a coward? I was 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 to tell you that... I've always thought you're really cute. And I like you, Eishia." Riyo cleared her throat, shifting her feet.
Eishia's eyes widened. 𝘙𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳? The sound of cleaner's voices from the hallway faded into background noise, and Eishia felt like she was floating. Soon, she couldn't keep being silent anymore. "I-I think I like you too, Riyo!" The healer blurted out in a high-pitched voice, instantly squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment and ducking her head as her face flamed.
Riyo stood there silent for a moment, stunned. Then, a smile tugged at her lips. "Really? You mean it, Eishia?" She let out a breathy, relieved laugh, as Eishia looked down at her feet. Suddenly, the cleaner pulled her into a tight hug.
As Riyo hugged her, Eishia was completely paralyzed. The cleaner's mild, comforting scent and her warmth made Eishia practically melt into Riyo's arms. Just when she opened her mouth and was about to say something, Riyo cupped her face and gave her a kiss on the lips.
When they parted, Riyo was breathless, her cheeks flushed. Eishia's eyes were glazed over. "I gotta go now. Enjin's looking for me." Riyo muttered, giving Eishia one last kiss on the cheek before quickly exiting the hospital ward, the click of her boots on the floor fading as she walked down the hallway.
For a long time, the healer stood there, swaying slightly. Her lips were still slightly parted, and she could only dechiper one singular thought through her hazy mind. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.