The Plotting

Contrary to what she’d been expecting, the realization of her crush didn’t really change things for Dawn. At least, not with how she interacted with Eliza. They still talked and joked and laughed together. They still walked around school together, although those moments were few and far between given how few classes they shared. They still sat in silence for hours, each focused on their own thing and yet fully aware of and basking in their presence. None of what Dawn and Eliza did together changed. How Dawn perceived it did, however.

Dawn was no fool. She knew that the interactions between her and Eliza meant far more to her than Eliza. She knew Eliza didn’t try and use every word to make Dawn laugh because she loved the sound of it. She knew that Eliza didn’t look forward to every interaction, even the short ones between classes, because of how much Dawn’s sheer presence made her day better. She knew that Eliza didn’t spend more time watching her work than actually doing her own work. Dawn knew that, whatever meaning she drew from her interactions with Eliza, it was all one sided. To Eliza they were just standard moments with a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Dawn had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, she was immeasurably ecstatic that it wasn’t less. The thought of her and Eliza not being friends… it probably shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. And yet she couldn’t help wishing that Eliza did see more meaning in their interactions.

Dawn sighed and let her head fall onto her desk. Like with the time when she and Eliza weren’t yet friends, she could barely pay attention in class. (Un)fortunately, this was not the class she shared with Eliza. That meant Dawn just wasted time thinking about her as opposed to thinking and staring. She was able to at least grasp the basic concept of the lesson. Definitely not as well as she should, but Dawn couldn’t work miracles. Dawn sat up and forced herself to take a few notes.

All her life there was one plot point that Dawn found ridiculous. Whether in a movie, TV show, book, fanfiction, or any other form of storytelling, she never understood why people with a crush on their friends didn’t tell them. They always said something about how they didn’t want to ruin their friendship or make things weird between them. Dawn always laughed at the thought. She wasn’t laughing now. She was terrified of losing Eliza even before taking into account her crush.

It was strange. When Dawn was around Eliza she was constantly at peace and on edge. She was at peace around Eliza because she liked Eliza and loved being with her. Nothing else could put her at ease as easily. Yet, at the same time, nothing ever put her on edge like being with Eliza. Eliza was a very skittish person. Dawn was constantly worried that one wrong move or action would make Eliza abandon her. One such action that she was convinced would do it was telling her how she felt. No, Dawn couldn’t do that. She couldn’t tell Eliza. Even though she wanted to. She wanted to tell Eliza more than anything.

It wasn’t just Eliza she wanted to tell. She wanted to tell everyone. She wanted to shout it from the rooftops. She wanted to paint the news on the walls. She didn’t want to hide it. Hiding it felt like she was ashamed of it, and she would never be ashamed of that. But she had to hide it. If she told anyone the news would filter back to Eliza eventually, and Dawn wasn’t ready for that. In Dawn’s mind, telling anyone meant telling Eliza, and telling Eliza would risk everything. She wasn’t ready to take that risk. Not yet.

Dejected, Dawn lay back on her desk. She’d thought her internal struggle with sharing her writing was hard. This was far worse. She wanted to tell Eliza how she felt, but she was too scared. She wanted to tell others how she felt about Eliza, but she was too scared of the information getting back to Eliza. Eliza wanted to tell everyone, but she couldn’t tell anyone. Because everyone she knew was connected to Eliza in some way.

Dawn shot back up to a proper sitting position. Everyone, that is, except…

897

Eliza didn’t know what to do. Her love for Word wasn’t really all that surprising or confusing. She’d suspected that she had a crush on her for a while, so the fact that it went beyond a mere crush wasn’t too hard to grasp. She didn’t even find it all that confusing that she loved someone she’d never met. That she loved someone when she didn’t know what she looked like. When she didn’t know her name. None of that confused Eliza. It had been how her relationship with Word always was.

Eliza blushed at the word relationship. It was the right word to use, but it felt so… romantic. Not that she didn’t want that. She loved Word and would love to be in a romantic relationship with her. But that couldn’t happen. Not while she didn’t know her name or what she looked like. They could have a relationship without having actually met. Long distance relationships were a thing. Eliza would be fine with one. If only she could actually start one. But she couldn’t. Not with her current relationship with Word. No, she needed to take things to the next level. She just wasn’t sure how. Fortunately, that could change.

Eliza could make a plan. In all honesty it would probably be pretty easy. She could just send a message to Word asking what her name was. That wouldn’t be weird, right? Of course it would. If it came out of the blue like that, it would definitely be weird. She just had to find a way to subtly bring it up naturally. Maybe she could say her name first? That shouldn’t be too hard.

Eliza’s first idea was a classic. Send a message saying something along the lines of ‘are you really saying that I, Eliza Laurent, can’t pull off a pink dress?’ Then she could pretend that she’d meant to send the message to someone else and accidentally sent it to Word instead. But no, that plan wouldn’t work. Eliza had never actually said the words, but she’d implied that Word was her only friend a few times. Word would definitely figure out what Eliza was doing.

Her first plan was a bust, but Eliza didn’t give up hope. Most of the time first plans didn’t work out. She could make a new one easily enough. Perhaps she should be a bit more direct than that? She could ask Word if she had any difficulty coming up with names for her characters. Then that could transition into a conversation about the worst names someone could have. Then Eliza could use that as an excuse to say that the name Eliza, while possibly a bit old fashioned, had served her well through the years.

Yes, that plan could work. Eliza actually pulled out her phone to start right away, but remembered she was in the middle of class. She probably shouldn’t text in class. That could get her in trouble, and Eliza didn’t like getting in trouble. Besides, while it was imperative that Eliza followed through with her plan, it wasn’t that time sensitive. She could wait until that night when she’d be talking to Word anyway. It would probably be better that way, actually. Ever since Eliza had started at Yardley she’d been busier than ever. For the most part she only messaged Word in bed after Dawn had gone to sleep. If Eliza just messaged her randomly about a seemingly inconsequential topic, Word might get suspicious.

Eliza had been in the middle of putting her phone away when it buzzed in her hand. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed. No one had. She kept her phone hidden behind her desk and silently opened the message from Word.

Word: Remember that new friend I told you about?

Of course Eliza did. She was intensely jealous of this friend. This friend got to be with Word in ways that Eliza couldn’t. There was no way Eliza could ever forget about this mystery girl in Word’s life.

Pic: I do.

Word: Well, I have recently come to a new conclusion about her

Pic: What is it?

Word: As it turns out, I may, possibly, maybe, definitely have a crush on her

Eliza didn’t know how to respond. Word was her friend so she should be happy for her. But at the same time those words devastated Eliza. She was in love with Word, and for Word to so casually admit to having a crush on someone just proved that she didn’t like Eliza as anything more than a friend. Eliza wanted to scream and rage and cry and scream and rage and cry. But she couldn’t. Because Word was her friend so she should be happy for her.

Eliza dropped her head into her hands and withheld a groan. She didn’t know what to do or say. So she didn’t do or say anything. Perhaps that was the worst thing she could have done. It was by far the most cowardly.

~θ~

Eliza had spent the day thinking. In doing so, she had come to a few conclusions. The first was what she actually wanted. That was easy. She wanted to be with Word and stay by her side forever. And yes, she would love it if their relationship were romantic, but that was incredibly unlikely even before the added variable of Word’s mystery crush. But that was fine. Eliza could live with simply remaining Word’s friend. So long as they were together, why did what they were matter? Eliza hated how that sounded less like a sound reason and more like a poor attempt at convincing herself.

Once she knew what she wanted, she had to figure out what Word wanted. That was both easier and harder. At first Eliza just assumed that Word wanted to be with the mystery girl, but when she thought about it she realized that she didn’t know that. Because she was a coward she’d abandoned the conversation before Word could get around to saying what she wanted to do about her crush. Eliza hadn’t let Word get that far. Because she was a coward.

Eliza couldn’t just outright ask Word what she wanted with/from the mystery girl. If she had asked when Word confided in her it’d be different. But she hadn’t. It was too late for such a question to not be unnatural. Eliza couldn’t know what Word wanted.

Okay, so Eliza’s cowardice had once again made things harder. That was nothing new. Eliza could work through it. What she had to do was obvious.

The way Eliza saw it, there were really only two paths that Word could take. Either Word could take a path that would let her feelings for the mystery girl subside and move on or she could actively pursue a possible relationship with her. Either way, Eliza had a plan. She’d just have to figure out how both paths would go, see what happened when it happened, and react according to which path it appeared to be. Eliza would be far more reactionary than she ever had been before, but that was fine.

If Word took the first path, either because she chose to or the mystery girl didn’t return her feelings, Eliza’s part would be simple enough. She’d be there to comfort her. Eliza felt guilty about that path. She knew that that path would end up with Word having a broken heart. She didn’t want that to happen to her. But, at the same time, she wanted Word for herself. That was selfish, she knew. But it was true. Eliza wanted Word’s crush to be on her. And, if the mystery girl left the picture somehow, then Eliza had a chance. She hated the mere thought. Among other things, that hope involved wishing that Word suffered from a broken heart.

The second path was also difficult. If Word told the mystery girl how she felt there was only one way that would end in Eliza’s mind. They’d start dating, fall in love, and that was it. There was on way anyone could ever say no to Word. If Word confessed her feelings, the mystery girl was sure to say yes. That was just a fact. And Eliza… Eliza would support it. She wanted to be with Word, yes. But she wanted Word to want to be with her. She couldn’t force it. If Word wanted to be with the mystery girl, then Eliza would support that. Never mind that, if that were the path taken, Eliza would be the one with the broken heart.

897

Life was very confusing for Dawn. First there was the whole having a crush on her friend thing. That would make things confusing for anyone. And then the fact that she lived with said friend/crush. That also made things confusing. One of the most confusing things was Pic.

When Dawn had confided in Pic she hadn’t responded. Dawn thought nothing of it, at first. Dawn knew that Pic had school. Frankly, she was somewhat surprised that Pic had responded immediately at all. But she did, then Dawn continued, and Pic stopped responding. After a few hours had gone by Dawn began to worry. Past experience had taught her that whenever Pic stopped responding it was because Dawn had pushed too far. It didn’t take a genius to figure out how Dawn had gone too far this time. She’d gotten too personal. She and Pic were still at a distance even after months of friendship. It’s not that Dawn wanted that distance, but it seemed that Pic did for some reason. That was fine. Dawn didn’t want to push too far. Except, as time passed, she started pushing too far more and more often. She’d thought that was what she did this time, but then Pic had responded.

Pic: Would I be correct in assuming you haven’t told her?

Dawn looked up at Eliza. She was sitting at her desk. The candle she’d bought was burning bright. Her attention was focused on the phone in her hands. She didn’t notice Dawn’s look. Nor did she notice how what started as a subtle glance quickly turned into staring. But Dawn did. Eventually.

Word: I haven’t told her

Pic: Do you want to?

Dawn didn’t answer immediately. She didn’t know how to. She didn’t know what she wanted. Dawn withheld a sigh and looked up at Eliza again. What did she want? Dawn wasn’t sure. She was never any good at figuring out what she wanted.

She’d once told Pic that she wanted to meet a nice girl, settle down, and live a quiet life. That was still true. But it was also years and years away. What did Dawn want in the meantime? If that life was the end goal, what was the path she should take? Did she want Eliza to be with her on that path?

No, that was a crazy way to think. She and Eliza were fifteen. It would be weird for Dawn to fantasize about her and Eliza still being together years in the future. Especially since, in the present, they weren’t together at all. They were just friends. Very good friends, but still friends. Dawn wouldn’t think like that. She wouldn’t imagine Eliza being with her on the path to her perfect world. That would be forcing perfection, and Dawn didn’t want to do that. Forced perfection wasn’t real perfection. Instead, she wanted things to happen naturally on their own path. But what path did she want to take?

Eliza put her phone down and leaned back in her seat to stretch. When she did so she noticed Dawn staring at her. Eliza and Dawn had a silent staring contest for a moment. Dawn blinked and offered Eliza a small smile. Eliza hesitated then smiled back. They maintained eye contact and smiles for a few more seconds. Eliza was the one to look away and grab her phone.

That was the path Dawn wanted to take. The one that led to Eliza smiling with Dawn. Laughing with Dawn. Crying, screaming, scared, joyful and happy. The absolute highest of highs and lowest of lows. The path that involved Eliza living. All with Dawn by her side. Dawn wanted to be on that path. For as long as Eliza would have her.

Word: I do

Pic: Alright then. We have to plan.

Word: We?

Pic: You think I’d let you do this without me?

Pic: Not that I don’t think you can!

Pic: If you wanted me to back off just ask.

Pic: I just… you’re my best friend. I want to help. I know there’s not much I can do, but I could be a sort of sounding board for you.

Pic: If you’ll have me.

Word: I’d be happy to have your help. You can be my number 1 advice gal!

Pic: Oh. That’s good.

Word: But not right now. I have an essay I should really get finished

Pic: Fair enough. I have an essay I should get done myself.

Word: And thank you. For listening and offering to help out with everything

Pic: Of course. I’m happy to help.

Word: Still. Thank you. It means a lot to me

Pic: It means a lot to me that you’ll let me help.

Word: What can I say? You mean a lot to me

Across the room Eliza squeaked. Dawn looked up just in time to see Eliza bolt into an upright and almost stiff sitting position.

“Are you okay?” Dawn asked.

Eliza turned to look at Dawn. “Yeah. I’m okay. Better than okay,” she said with a wide smile.

Dawn wasn’t sure what (or, more likely who) had put a smile that wide on Eliza’s face. What she was sure of was that she was both grateful and jealous. She wanted it to be because of her. Not that she wasn’t grateful that Eliza’s smile was directed at her. But she was jealous of whoever it was that could make Eliza smile so easily. She wanted to be like them.

~θ~

“Okay, I have a question.”

“I have an answer.”

“They make a point of showing off her nails. They’re all dolled up and fabulous and I’m a little jealous. And then the transformation includes gloves? What’s the point of the nails?”

Dawn lifted her right shoulder in a one armed shrug. She’d have used her left shoulder as well, but Eliza was using it as a pillow. Eliza was a very cuddly person. Whenever the two would watch anime, or really anything, together, Eliza would wrap an arm around Dawn’s shoulders at the very least. In part this was a necessity since they were using Dawn’s phone as a screen, and it was small enough to require they at least stay side by side. That didn’t stop Eliza from holding Dawn close. Nor did it stop Dawn from enjoying the touch. Dawn was aware she probably shouldn’t revel in such a small thing, but Eliza was soft and warm and Dawn didn’t care if it was creepy. Not as much as she did about Eliza’s touch.

Focusing back on Eliza’s question and not the way her arm was the perfect length for cradling Dawn’s waist, all Dawn could do was shrug again. She’d long since given up on trying to understand the inner workings of animation.

“Well, in reality it’s a choice made by the original author. Some of the concept art shows how they didn’t actually wear gloves. This was somewhat of a nod to that. As for in-universe: I don’t actually have an answer,” Dawn admitted sheepishly.

“I’d have been surprised if you did,” Eliza said. “I don’t think there is an answer.” She hummed. “Though, if there was, you’d probably know it.”

Dawn blushed slightly at what she chose to take as a compliment. Thankfully, her blush was completely unnoticeable because it was just a mild one and wasn’t even noticeable compared to the blush she was sporting from cuddling with Eliza. Double thankfully, neither blush was visible to Eliza thanks to her having her head on Dawn’s shoulder and thus not having a good angle to look at Dawn’s face.

Dawn cleared her throat. “What makes you say that?” She asked.

“You know everything there is to know about the fandom,” Eliza said simply.

“Not… everything,” Dawn said, somewhat embarrassed.

Dawn couldn’t actually see Eliza’s face, but she could hear the smirk in her voice. “I’ve seen the fanfiction,” she said smugly. Then her voice changed to a whine. “Even if you won’t let me read it.”

“It contains spoilers,” Dawn said weakly. It was a weak excuse and she knew. It was one thing having someone miles and miles away reading her writing, especially when they (sadly) only communicated via text. But having someone read her writing in person? When she was likely in the room? And could easily see each and every one of Eliza’s almost definitely negative reactions? No, Dawn couldn’t let that happen. Not now, and hopefully not ever.

The smirk was back. “That excuse won’t last forever.”

Dawn didn’t actually respond. Instead, she just started the next episode. As the intro played, Dawn reflected on Eliza’s words. No, that excuse definitely wouldn’t last forever. Though, Dawn decided as Eliza repositioned herself against her side, if other things about their situation were to last forever, she wouldn’t exactly complain. It would be the exact opposite.

~θ~

Dawn groaned as she woke up. She really didn’t want to wake up. For one, it was immediately obvious to her that it was still nighttime, and nighttime was for sleeping. However, her other reason made the time of day completely irrelevant to Dawn.

Dawn was still being held in Eliza’s arms. It was only because of her shock that Dawn didn’t immediately pull herself out of Eliza’s grip when she first realized that fact. Instead, Dawn just continued to lie there. She lay still, reveling in Eliza’s grip and listening to her steady breathing.

Dawn should move. She really should. But, given how tightly the two were intertwined, moving would wake Eliza. Dawn shouldn’t do that. For one it would be rude. For another, Dawn wasn’t sure what she would do if Eliza woke up. It would be incredibly awkward, obviously. Perhaps Eliza would even be disgusted. Dawn couldn’t handle that. But she’d have to. Eliza wouldn’t stay asleep forever. Dawn would have to handle that situation eventually. Thankfully, eventually didn’t mean immediately.

Dawn slowly relaxed her body. After hesitating for what could have been seconds or hours, she wrapped one arm around Eliza’s waist.

897

Word: We slept together

Eliza read the words and dropped her phone. She didn’t know how to react to that announcement. She allowed her mind a very brief moment to reflect on the implications. Then she forced herself to stop thinking about it with a very rough shake of her head.

“Are you okay?” Dawn asked from across the room.

“I’m fine,” Eliza said, scooping up her phone.

“Are you sure? You’re face is… really red.”

“Of course.” Eliza stood up and turned to leave. For this conversation her face would almost definitely get redder. That would just worry Dawn even more. Dawn didn’t deserve that. “Just… I’m going for a walk.”

“Want me to join you?” Dawn asked, already starting to stand up.

“No!” Eliza shouted forcefully. Eliza was leaving so Dawn didn’t get worried. If Dawn went with she’d just worry more. Besides, Eliza would just spend the entire time texting Word. That would be rude to Dawn. Dawn didn’t deserve that. “I mean… I want to be on my own right now.”

“Oh,” Dawn said tonelessly. “Of course.” She sat back down. “Have fun.”

Eliza nodded and pulled the door closed behind her. She turned and started aimlessly walking through the building. Most of her attention was on the phone in her hand.

Pic: Does that mean something?

Pic: For the two of you, I mean.

Word: Nothing good. You see, we didn’t exactly intend for it to happen. And now she’s avoiding me

Eliza stumbled. They… hadn’t meant for it to happen? How did people accidentally sleep together?! In a daze, Eliza hobbled over to a nearby bench and sat down. She desperately wanted to focus on helping Word get back into Mystery Girl’s good graces. Unfortunately, before Eliza could make a plan, she needed to know all of the details. Not all of the details! Just… just the buildup. And then the aftermath. Eliza wanted to know nothing of what happened between the two events. Well, not Mystery Girl’s part in it.

Pic: You accidentally slept together.

Word: Yeah

Pic: How did that happen?

Pic: Not the actual act!

Pic: Just… what led to it?

Word: Nothing really led up to it. We were just hanging out, having fun, and then the next thing I know…

Pic: And now she’s avoiding you?

Word: Yeah. First when we woke up she just completely ignored me. And just now she said that she doesn’t want me around her

Pic: Ah.

Word: Yeah

Eliza hummed thoughtfully as she read through the messages again. The situation seemed pretty straightforward. As she scrolled back down one thing stood out to her. Word and Mystery Girl slept together, Mystery Girl ignored Word afterward, and then said she didn’t want Word around. From the way Word had phrased things, that was all that had happened.

Pic: Have you two actually talked about what happened?

Word: No

Pic: I think you should. Apparently, communicating is good for relationships.

Word: What we have isn’t exactly a relationship

Pic: But you want it to be?

Word: But I want it to be

Pic: Well, as your Number One Advice Gal, my advice is you should talk to her about last night.

Word: As soon as possible, right?

Pic: Probably.

Word: Yeah. It’s best if we don’t let things fester

Pic: My thoughts exactly.

~θ~

Eliza had barely closed the door behind her when Dawn grabbed her by the shoulders. “Can we talk?” Dawn asked without preamble.

Eliza looked at Dawn in confusion for a moment. She was always happy to talk to her. But Dawn almost never asked if they could talk. Especially not this forcefully. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Something was wrong. That had to be it.

“Sure,” Eliza said.

Dawn’s face melted to show her relief. She took a deep breath and the smile fell off her face. “I wanted to talk about last night.”

“What about it?” Eliza asked. She didn’t think anything weird had happened. It was just a normal night for them. Although… Eliza had been a bit more clingy lately. Ever since learning that Word had a crush on Mystery Girl, Eliza had been seeking out a bit of comfort from Dawn. She hadn’t said anything about it, so Eliza had assumed it was fine.

“What about it?” Dawn repeated in a high voice. “We fell asleep! We slept! In each other’s arms! Together! Like-” Dawn clamped her mouth shut so tightly Eliza could hear the noise it made.

“Yeah,” Eliza agreed with a slight nod of her head. “You fell asleep and I thought if I moved it’d wake you. So I just… didn’t move. Was… was that weird?”

Eliza didn’t think it had been weird. She thought it was something unusual but not weird. That morning, when Dawn hadn’t said anything, Eliza assumed that meant that everything was fine. That there was nothing weird with what had happened. Now, seeing Dawn’s somewhat extreme reaction, Eliza started to reassess.

Dawn spluttered. “W-wasn’t it?”

“I didn’t think so,” Eliza answered. “It was actually kinda… nice,” she added shyly. She liked having someone to hold at night. Someone to hold her. In all honesty, Eliza likely could have left after Dawn had fallen asleep and not woken her. But she hadn’t wanted to. She liked holding people. She liked being held. She hadn’t wanted that to end.

Dawn squeaked. “It-it was?”

“Yeah,” Eliza admitted. “It was.”

“Oh,” Dawn said. She just stood there with her hands on Eliza’s shoulders. She looked down and noticed that she was still holding Eliza in place. Dawn yelped and jumped back as if Eliza had shocked her. Dawn cleared her throat. “I guess I just misinterpreted things.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eliza said. She turned and started gathering up the supplies she needed for class. As she was doing so, Dawn started to leave the room. When she was standing in the doorway, Dawn said one last thing.

“We can… we can do it again. If you want.”

Before Eliza could respond Dawn had pulled the door shut.

897

Word: Number One Advice Gal?

Pic: Are my services required?

Word: I think so, yes

Pic: Alright. You have any thoughts so far?

Word: A couple. I want to tell her on December 1st. That gives us almost a month to plan things out

Pic: We can work with that.

Word: I plan on taking her out for a fun night and telling her how I feel at the end and then ask her out. Properly

Pic: Why at the end?

Word: Because that way, when she says no, I’ll still have the memory of a fun night with her

Pic: Okay, don’t do that.

Word: Do what?

Pic: Say things like ‘when she says no.’ She won’t say no. Not if she’s even remotely sane.

Word: You really think so?

Pic: I do have eyes.

Pic: Not that I’ve actually seen you.

Pic: But that doesn’t discount what I’ve said.

Pic: And there’s more to it than just how you look!

Pic: Your personality is a very big part.

Pic: Not to say you look bad! Just… it was a metaphor.

Word: Thank you. I really appreciate it

Pic: Anytime.

Word: So, since I’ll be telling her at the end of the ‘date’ I need to be careful. I want the night to be casual enough that it isn’t obviously a date during (unless she wants it to be) but also romantic enough to count as our first date if she says yes

Pic: Which she will.

Word: Which I hope she will

Pic: You have any other ideas of what you’ll be doing on this romantic-yet-not-overly-so-yet-not-underly-so night with your friend/crush?

Word: Not at the moment. I am open to suggestions

Pic: I’ll get back to you on that.

~θ~

Pic: Do you know if she’ll be busy that night?

Word: I don’t. I don’t think she has plans?

Pic: Hmm. You should probably plan a date that can be easily moved to another day in case it turns out she does have plans.

Word: I could just subtly figure that out now?

Word: But that’s a ways aways. Something might come up between now and then

Pic: So, unless we’re willing to hold off on planning until the last minute, we need to make sure to keep things flexible.

Word: Which is probably a good thing. This whole thing is supposed to be somewhat casual, and casual and flexible go hand in hand

Pic: In most cases.

~θ~

Word: What about a moonlit stroll? It’s plenty romantic if you want it to be, and there’s nothing unusual about asking a friend to go on a walk with you

Pic: You have a point. However, for a moonlit stroll you’ll be outside at night in the middle of winter.

Word: Yes, it might be too cold to be comfortable

Pic: Unless you set up some precautions.

Word: I might have an idea. I’ll look into it and get back to you

~θ~

Word: What about a short walk outside that ends with us going inside? I’ve tracked down a private place that we can get to in just a few minutes. As I’ve said, it’s private. It’s also warm and has a great view. Especially at the time we’ll be there

Pic: And you think this place would be good?

Word: Yes

Pic: There we go.

Word: That’s it?

Pic: I don’t know anything about this place other than what you’ve said. I trust you, so if you say that you think it’ll be good, it’ll be good.

Word: Oh. Yeah, I suppose you’ve got a point

Word: You know, sometimes I forget that we only actually text each other as opposed to…

Word: You know

Pic: I do.

Pic: Sometimes I pretend that you’re here in the room with me.

Pic: Not in a weird way! Just that we’re sitting and talking instead of texting.

Word: I get what you mean. Sometime I do the same thing

~θ~

Word: Okay, I think the plan is almost complete. There’s a bit of fine tuning, but that’s negligible in the long run

Pic: I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming.

Word: Not a but! A however!

Pic: However.

Word: However, I do have a not-so-small favor to ask of you

Pic: I’ll do it.

Pic: What is it?

Word: I need you to send me regular encouragement. Nothing major, just, you know, reasons why I shouldn’t chicken out

Pic: I’ll do it.

Word: I knew I could count on you

Pic: And you always can.

~θ~

Pic: Just a friendly reminder: if you like someone in a way that’s even remotely romantic, you should tell that person.

~θ~

Pic: She deserves to know how you feel.

~θ~

Pic: Keeping your feelings to yourself is only gonna hurt you in the long run.