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The golden afternoon light, usually a comforting embrace, felt strangely amplified as Sun watched Dahlia. They moved with an almost ethereal grace, limbs a blur of focused energy.
Every swift, deliberate movement Dahlia made, Sun's eyes tracked, a silent, unwilling sentinel. He found himself unable to tear his gaze away, a blush creeping up his neck at the sheer audacity of his prolonged stare, yet a powerful, unfamiliar urge compelled him to prolong the moment.
He wanted it to last, to sink itself into the very fabric of his being.
It was only now, amidst the familiar hum of machinery and the comforting presence of his friend, that he truly understood. A realization, sharp and undeniable, bloomed within him – a feeling he hadn't known he possessed, let alone one he harbored for Dahlia.
He’d always cherished their time together. The comfortable silences, their small talk, the words they exchange, he cherishes every little thing they do together.
He’d always enjoyed Dahlia’s presence, the easy rhythm of their friendship, the effortless flow of their conversations. He had, with a startling certainty, always believed there was nothing more to it.
Just a profound, unwavering friendship. Or so he had thought.
But as Dahlia’s brow's furrowed in concentration, his dress flowing perfectly, and the soft, almost faint hum of a new melody began to bloom from them, they were coaxing to life, something shifted within Sun.
It wasn't just admiration for Dahlia's skill, or appreciation for their company.
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"Sun? Are you paying attention..?" He snapped out of his train of thoughts, Dahlia’s voice, soft and a little distracted, pulled him back. They turned, a faint smile playing on their lips, their eyes, the colour of warm honey, meeting his.
"Always," he managed, his voice a little thicker than he intended. "Just… lost in my head." He managed to think of words to say.
Dahlia’s smile softened further, a knowing glint in those honey-hued eyes. He leaned back against the ancient, moss-covered stone wall they’d been resting against, the faint scent of damp earth and blooming night jasmine clinging to his worn dress.
"Tell me about it, pour your thoughts to me."
Sun's heart jumped out of his chest, he didn't want to confess just yet. He had to think of something quick, he didn't want them left waiting.
His mind raced, a flurry of half-formed excuses and desperate distractons.
"It's… it's the stars," he blurted out, gesturing vaguely towards the sky. Dahlia tilted his head, a soft, questioning hum escaping his lips. "They're… they're so much brighter tonight, aren't they?"
Dahlia turned their focus onto the stars, sun could feel his whole body deflate under the pressure. "I could agree they are bright," He looked at sun in the corner of their eye, "I can feel that you're nervous."
Sun flailed, choking on his words. "M-me?? Nervous? I'm not nervous!" He tried looking everywhere else but them, if he looked at them any longer he might explode.
Dahila’s lips quirked into a small, knowing smile. "Right. And I'm a professional astronaut. Your palms are sweating, Sun, and you've almost tripped over your own feet three times practicing."
They paused, a gentle laugh escaping them. "You're doing the little nervous twitch with your thumb again."
Sun instinctively tucked his hands under his thighs, mortified. He'd been trying so hard to play it cool, failing miserably.
"Just… a lot of stars," he murmured, at last daring to look. The gaze of Dahila’s eyes, shining with the faraway twinkling stars, conveyed humor that was disarmingly enchanting.
"Of course," Dahlia stated, their tone warm. They leaned in, one shoulder pressing against his. Sun's breath caught. "But they aren't the only shining things tonight." They tilted their head, their eyes soft and unwavering. "So tell me, what's got you all worked up, Sun?"
Sun took a deep breath, "Please promise me that you won't think of me any other way after I say this..." Dahlia nodded in confirmation, his pinkie way too close for comfort.
He swallowed hard, the words catching in his throat like stubborn burrs."It's… it's you, Dahlia," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. The silence of the night hummed in the air around them, and at last he was going to burst into flame from sheer hope instead of shame.
It would be from hope.
But Dahlia simply stared at him, their wide eyes still, the corners of his lips twitching almost slighty.
His gaze dropped to their pinkies, still entwined, the promise holding fast.
Finally, a gentle whisper escaped from Dahlia’s mouth. "Sun," he started, his voice barely above a whisper, "Are you… are you trying to tell me what I think you’re trying to tell me?"
A little smile started to bloom on his face, a bit timid yet very real. They did not take back their hand. He moved his thumb over sun's fingers instead.
He had the nerve to look into his eyes again. “Yes,” he said, more confident than before, pleading in his voice. “I am saying that I have loved you like crazy ever since forever.”
All the weight that had been bringing him down from that moment, lifted. It felt like a relief to let these feelings out. "I pushed these feelings far for a long time now.. I never really knew how I felt until now." His hand hesitated, before moving over on top of Dahlia's hands, caressing them gently.
"I was so scared to see how you would react, scared of loosing what we had."
Dahlia's fingers shifted slightly beneath his, and for a moment, Sun thought he might've pull away. His hand immediately started to retreat. "Sorry—" he murmured, his voice suddenly smaller. "I didn't mean to—"
Dahlia caught his hand before he could move it.
Sun froze.
He didn't say anything at first. He simply held his hand, their fingers resting gently against his."You really are an idiot sometimes," he said quietly.
Sun blinked.
"...I know." There was a tiny, almost nervous laugh in his voice.
"I mean, you had all this time to tell me," Dahlia continued, looking down at their hands. "And you were just... carrying it around by yourself?"
Sun's shoulders sank. "I didn't want to make things weird."
"You thought keeping it a secret wouldn't make things weird?" He winced.
"When you say it like that, it sounds really dumb."
"It is."
"Yeah." A pause.
Then Dahlia smiled. Sun looked up at him. "But," he continued, "I understand why you were scared." Something in his expression softened. "I really didn't want to lose you," he admitted. "You're... you're important to me, Dahlia. More than I probably know how to explain."
His thumb brushed absentmindedly over the back of his hand.
"And every time I thought about saying something, I kept thinking about everything that could've gone wrong. You could've gotten uncomfortable. You could've stopped talking to me. You could've—"
"Sun." He stopped.
Dahlia squeezed his hand.
"Look at me." He did. "I'm not going anywhere." The words hit him harder than he expected.
His smile appeared almost immediately, but it was shaky. His eyes lowered for a second as he tried to hide just how much those words meant to him. "You promise?"
Dahlia's expression softened. "I promise." Sun let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Okay." He laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand."Okay... wow."
"I've imagined this conversation so many times."
"And?"
"And none of them went like this."
Dahlia raised an eyebrow.
"What happened in your imagination?" Sun's face immediately changed. "Absolutely nothing."
"Sun."
"Nothing!" They gave him a look. He sighed dramatically. "Fine. In one version, you turned me down and we never talked again, and you hated me." Dahlia stared at him. "Why would I hate you?"
"I don't know! Anxiety isn't exactly logical!" That earned a small laugh from him. Sun smiled at the sound. For the first time in what felt like forever, his chest didn't feel so tight. He'd said it. He'd actually said it. And Dahlia was still there.
His fingers tightened around his just a little. "I really do love you," he whispered. "I just... wanted you to know. Even if nothing changes between us, I needed you to know." Dahlia's eyes softened. "Something already changed."
Sun's smile faded slightly. "What?" He leaned a little closer. "Now you don't have to be afraid of me knowing anymore." Sun stared at him. Then, slowly, his smile returned. "Yeah." He squeezed his hand.
"That sounds pretty good to me."
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