Chapter Text
“Violette..” A soft, melodic voice called, the pleasant sound filling her ears and making her heart flutter. She turned around, clutching the strap of her bag just a small fraction tighter, coming face-to-face with Luciana.
“Are you okay? I asked if you thought we would be able to stay for the sunset today, and you just totally ignored me!”
Luciana stepped forward, and reached out, lacing their fingers together, gently coaxing Violette to release her hold on her bag.
“If something is bothering you, you can tell me. You.. You know that, right?”
‘Woah..’
Violette stared into Luciana’s eyes, feeling blood rush straight to her cheeks. She had to take a step backward, pulling one of her hands away and covering her face out of embarrassment.
“I-I’m fine,” Violette whispered, her expression softer. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I can stay for the sunset today.”
Luciana observed her expression for a moment too long, before nodding. “Alright,” She responded, releasing Violette’s other hand. “Well, I found the perfect spot, it’s only 5 minutes away!” When Luciana had let go, Violette felt like someone had reached into her chest, grabbed her heart, and ripped it out.
‘I couldn’t possibly feel this way over something so insignificant, can I?’
As Luciana prattled on and on about what she had seen in the fields today, Violette could only focus on the short moment their hands had made contact. It was a feeling that brought her comfort, one that she always hoped to bring to others whenever she interacted with them.
In a moment of impulse, Violette reached out and wrapped her fingers around Luciana’s pinky, her gaze cast to the side when Luciana stopped in her tracks and turned to face her with a look of surprise. The silence was loud. Long. It made Violette shift uncomfortably, beginning to pull her hand away when Luciana pulled it back and properly intertwined their fingers together.
“Sorry, you just caught me off guard,” Luciana spoke, continuing to walk. “You never do this.” She added, a soft laugh escaping her lips. Violette stayed silent in response, focusing on the rapid beat of her own heart. She was right. She never did this. Violette would have rather run away forever than initiate contact like this, and yet she did it anyway.
‘She makes it seem so natural.’
After what seemed like hours, the two came upon a rocky clearing. The breeze was colder, the sun beginning to sink behind the puffs of clouds in the sky. Luciana coaxed Violette to come closer to the edge, the two sitting down. Violette’s gaze was drawn to the distant ground that seemed further and further away each time she blinked. The one Violette regarded as her ‘star’ looked over, sensing her growing distress. She gently grazed her fingers over Violette’s skin, “Look over there! Doesn’t that one look like a cat?” She pointed to the mass of clouds in the sky, pulling Violette’s attention away from the long fall that awaited below.
“Huh? O-Oh.. It looks more like a dog.”
“Really? I can’t see it. See, that’s the ears, and then that’s the body…”
Violette shrugged slightly, “I guess we just see things differently..” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was entirely enamoured by Luciana, looking at her, and the way the golden hue from the sun made her glow, rather than whatever shape or object the clouds in the sky made.
For once in her chaotic mind, everything had calmed down, and she could focus solely on the sounds nature brought. When was the last time she ever felt like she could relax like this? She didn’t know, and had no desire to know, either. As the two sat silently, occasionally talking about passing clouds and what they looked like, Violette began to get lost in thought, and she considered what she could do to not feel so terrible about herself.
‘I should try to be more like her.’
She thought, rather than wallow in self-pity like she habitually did. The clock ticks, the flowers prepare for the next day they can bloom, and they are still there, sitting on that cliff edge. Every time Luciana touches Violette, even so much as looks at her, Violette feels her blood rush to her face, and she’s unable to face her best friend once again. Things weren’t like this before, so what had changed that made Luciana’s mere presence unbearable to Violette?
Violette looked over at Luciana, her fingers twitching in hesitation before she reached over and squeezed her hand three times before letting go entirely. Whether or not Luciana understood, she didn’t care. She just knew that at this moment, it was all she wanted to tell the woman who had left an indelible mark on her heart.
Minutes pass, the once comfortable silence now awkward and thick with tension. A warm hand wrapped around Violette's. Four squeezes, and the warmth disappeared as quick as it came. Time passes slowly once more, the area feeling a lot calmer as the sun sets and the moon rises, making way for the day to rest. Eventually, Luciana got up, brushing off the dust on her clothes.
“We should go, now.” Luciana said, her voice tight as she tried to hide her very obviously giddy expression. It was clear Luciana was overjoyed that Violette was trying so hard to come out of her comfort zone and do things she usually wouldn’t do, but it was something that also concerned her. She felt the burning desire to ask, but refrained, knowing the moon-kissed woman known as her best friend would only brush it off, and likely never do anything of the sort again.
The two are quick to move one as they make their way through the dense bush, the distant star casting an orange glow, the skies a mosaic of blue, pink, and grey. In the opposing direction, the skies began to mix into a blend of violet and a deep blue that neared closer to the color of the abyss beyond. The moonlight was just beginning to wake, the light blue streams gradually growing and reaching further parts of the land.
They reach the field and stand there for a moment or two, the long-standing silence between them making the air feel thick and uncomfortable. Luciana was first to make a move, quickly bidding Violette goodnight, before beginning to walk towards the cabin shrouded by the glow of the sun, and the streams from the moon. Before she could disappear until the next sunrise, Violette took a few steps towards her.
‘What would I do without her?’
“Are you mad at me?” Violette blurted out, taking a step backward when Luciana had turned to face her, the proximity alone making her hands clammy.
“I-I mean, I just- I thought I would express how I felt, and I thought that maybe you’d understand, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I didn’t mean to, I just felt that you, my light, my life, s-should know-!” Violette added before Luciana even had a chance to think about her answer. Violette’s hands were waving about in front of her as she spoke in an anxious tone, a habit she had developed whenever she got nervous and felt the desperate need to clarify or justify her actions.
“Violette, it’s fine..!” Luciana said, stopping Violette before she could go on another rant. “It caught me off guard. You never say things like that. You’re the type of person who would rather be lit on fire than say words that never rang true, so.. I was surprised you felt that way.”
Luciana took a deep breath before continuing, “Regardless… I’m sorry I made you think I was upset. I’m not. I’m the opposite, I-I’m overjoyed, really. You don’t even say those things to your own family, right? So… It’s a lot to take in, knowing I’m the only one you have ever said those words to.”
Violette nodded in response, “You’re right. I.. I just-”
Before Violette could finish speaking, Luciana interrupted her, telling her the words she didn’t think she needed to hear. It was so simple, but so reassuring and telling of how Luciana felt in return to Violette’s feelings.
“Please don’t feel the need to tell me everything now, Vi.”
‘Oh.. I really don’t deserve her.’
“Thank you for understanding, Luci.. ”
Even if Violette would never amount to anything in comparison to the star that was her best friend, at least she was the one Luciana wanted to be with.