Chapter Text
Alicia would have liked to say she woke up early, but truth is, she hadn't slept at all. There were a few reasons for it, but all of them boiled down to one: Maëlle Eiffel, her best friend, and the person who was celebrating her birthday today.
In truth, it wasn't her literal birthday, but the day she'd been adopted into the Eiffel family, but that wasn't of any particular importance. What mattered was that Alicia had stayed up all night, straining her single working eye under the lamplight, and, when she'd finished her present, she'd been too scared of going to bed and not waking up in time. So she'd simply decided to forgo sleep, convincing herself she'd just have to regain those hours of rest the next day and try to not make a fool of herself during the actual celebration.
As she forced herself to remain awake, an idea crossed her mind, and it kept her eye open for the few hours that remained until sunrise. She busied herself with preparing her clothes for the birthday, struggling to decide within her limited wardrobe, because nothing felt good enough. In the end, she settled for one dark blue dress out of many, and chose a simpler one to execute her idea.
She left the house as soon as she noticed the sun peeking over the horizon, not even bothering to wear her usual make-up, or stopping time — Maëlle might have been awake at this hour, and if she was, she might ask her when they met why she'd used her power, and Alicia would have no convincing answer. She just had to be as quick as possible, as she knew there were a few flowerbeds with daisies in a square near her home.
She stepped into the cobblestone covered street, looking both ways to check for any fellow citizens. As she made her way to the square, she thought of that moment again, the one that had been haunting her memories for weeks now: Opening her eye to Maëlle's face so very close to hers, so close she'd been able to feel her breath on her lips.
Can I—
Alicia wanted to think she wasn't delusional. She didn't want to assume Maëlle's intentions had been anything but to give her the lip balm. But… There had been a few moments like that, ever since that day. Moments where they'd looked at each other, and, Alicia would swear, she saw her own feelings reflected on Maëlle's eyes.
But you are a coward. Because, deep down, you know she could never seriously fall for you.
She found the square with the flowerbeds. Her hands shook as she touched the flowers, looking for blue daisies. The white ones would blend in with her hair too much, and there weren't any black or gray ones that she knew of, and these colours would be too sombre for a birthday party anyway. Any other colours wouldn't match with her dresses, and so would make for an strident ensemble, and she wanted to look—
Beautiful. But will some flowers fix your inherent ugliness?
They wouldn't. Nothing would, really. Her face would remain that of a monster's no matter what, but at least she could make everything else more palatable for others. For herself, too.
She did find blue daisies. Some of them had more of a purple hue, but it was good enough for the dress Alicia was thinking of, and she plucked them one by one, looking around her as if she was committing a terrible crime. The few passers-by didn't seem to care much about her presence, though, too focused on their own affairs to look at her too closely. Relieved and holding a handful of flowers on one fist, she rushed back to her building. Feeling somewhat safe, she went up the stairs carefully, holding the flowers against her chest. She should try a new hairstyle, maybe, just to change things up…
As she arrived at her apartment, she closed the door behind her, and grabbed the hand mirror, considering her options. A braid? A double braid? How long had it been since she'd last braided her hair, anyway? Years? Maëlle had suggested it sometimes, but she'd been scared of how much of her face and upper neck it showed. But this time they would go from her apartment to the Eiffel residence, and spend all that time inside… There was no need to be afraid of being seen by strangers for too long.
Maybe two braids would look good, and then she could tuck the flowers into them… Or was it too childish? Would it contrast too much with the old-fashioned dress? If she had something more modern this wouldn't be an issue, but she still hadn't bothered to shop for any new clothes, and you're already being such a failure—
She took a deep, coarse breath and looked at the flowers scattered over the bed. Had she gone out of her way for nothing? Was she just going to throw these daisies away? No, she wasn't going to do that.
There was plenty of time before Maëlle showed up, so she looked for ribbons to tie her hair with, and tried all the types of braids she could remember, with only a brief pause in the middle to prepare a breakfast decent enough so her growling stomach would stop interrupting her. The results on the hand mirror went from decent to awful, and she ended up settling for two low braids, while leaving some strands of hair to cover the sides of her face. Yes, this should work.
The sun had continued rising as she fretted over her hair, leaving her little time to bathe, though at least she'd already thought extensively about the clothes she was going to wear. The flowery embroidery on her chosen dress matched well with the daisies. There would be no time to properly wash her hair, but it looked fine enough, so it would have to do. She braided it as planned, and tucked the flowers into it. She considered a hat, too, but eventually discarded it. She could apply her usual make-up on her own by now, but shouldn't she add something else? Perfume would irritate her skin and bother her lungs, and yet she found herself considering it, until she remembered she didn't have any for those very reasons. She nearly forgot the oil and the lip balm, too. If those missed hours of sleep were already messing everything up, how bad would it be once she had to actually interact with people, even if those people were the Eiffels?
She didn't have much more time to stress about it, though, as the bell rang, and that meant Maëlle was here. The sun must've been halfway through the sky by then.
After opening the main door for Maëlle, Alicia realised something else: The manuscript. It was right there on her desk. Did she have something to hide it with? She frantically looked around her apartment. Why didn't she think of this in the first place?! If she had finished earlier, she could've given it to Gustave or Emma instead—
'Alicia?' Maëlle called form the other side of her door. Merde. In response, Alicia knocked on her desk once: Wait. 'Oh, OK.'
She'd just… have the wrapping be inadequate. There was a newspaper somewhere in her drawer. She took it out, and folded it around the hand-bound manuscript, hiding the cover.
'Is everything alright?' Maëlle said, and Alicia stomped on the floor, immediately thinking of an apology to Rémi and Matéo. 'Huh.'
Just a moment. Just a moment—
After the manuscript was properly covered, she rushed for the door, waiting just a second to check the daisies were in place before opening it. 'There you are, Al…'
Maëlle paused, taking a long look at Alicia's face. Was Maëlle impressed with her new hairstyle? Or, on the contrary, had she messed up somewhere? She so hoped it was the former. But Alicia remained very still too, as she observed her friend: Maëlle had tucked her hair inside of a beret, and the overalls with a white shirt made her look handsome, in a most adorable way.
'Y-Your hair,' she mumbled, tentatively extending a hand to touch it, yet retreating halfway, signing instead, as her cheeks were tinted red. "Beautiful. Your hair."
Alicia blushed as well. "Thank you."
'S-So, uh. All ready?' Alicia signed at her to wait, and fetched the newspaper-wrapped manuscript, holding it against her chest. Maëlle tilted her head, curious. 'Hm, a secret? I wonder what it could be.'
Alicia smiled and shrugged, grabbing her keys before stepping out. They walked down the creaking stairs, as Maëlle talked about how Emma had insisted that she dressed somewhat formally, even if they were just having a pleasant lunch to celebrate, and this was the only thing that felt fitting while also being comfortable. Once they'd reached the second floor landing, Alicia signed "you look very handsome", to which Maëlle giggled and hid her face from Alicia's view.
'I'm glad you think that.'
How could she not think it, when the proof was right there before her eye? It would be like denying sunlight itself.
The ride on Maëlle's bicycle felt far too brief, like the streets of Lumière shrank just to make her time holding onto her friend's waist shorter. Some clouds gathered in the sky, but it was an overall pleasant day, fitting for Maëlle's birthday celebrations. So it wasn't surprising that every window at the Eiffel household was open, letting the light and the gentle breeze in.
'Ah, you two are finally here.' Emma was the first to welcome them, peeking into the hallway from inside the kitchen. A delicious smell wafted from it. 'We're just done cooking the potatoes dauphinoise. And there will be dessert as well, of course.'
'Oh? Let me see.' Maëlle went into the kitchen, leaving Emma and Alicia in the hallway. 'Gustave! Did you put extra cheese in it?'
'You'd kill me if I didn't,' Alicia heard Gustave reply.
Emma snickered, and then looked at the haphazardly wrapped bundle in Alicia's arms. 'That is the present, I take it?' Alicia nodded. 'We've left the presents in the living room. And your hair looks wonderful.'
Alicia smiled at her. "Thank you."
She should've expected it, but it was still sad how pathetic her present looked against the rest, which Gustave and Emma had wrapped in colourful paper and twine. She could only hope the contents would make up for the botched presentation…
The food was served shortly after their arrival, alongside a cup of wine for Maëlle's siblings, and a glass of apple juice for both of them. Gustave jokingly offered a sip of it to Maëlle, who immediately made a gagging noise. Gustave laughed. 'Maybe you'll get a taste for it later?'
'Eugh. I don't think so.'
'And you, Alicia?'
She shook her head. "My father offered it to me, one time. I don't like it."
Emma shrugged. 'More for us, Gustave.'
The food was truly delicious, on par with the kind of thing she used to eat at home, back in Old Lumière. The cheese and potatoes melted in her mouth, making it easy to swallow, and the thyme really added flavour to it. There was sliced bread, and a great assortment of tartines on the table too, just begging to be picked. So much so, that Maëlle rushed for the last cheese and mushroom one, shoving it whole in her mouth, and thus taking away any chance Alicia could've had at stealing it.
"My birthday," she signed, looking smug, and Alicia rolled her eye.
Gustave left towards the end, saying he had to run an errand. In the meantime, Emma and Alicia cleaned the dining table, leaving space for the small mountain of presents Maëlle was meant to open. Only then did Alicia notice there was a small tag on all of them, two of them saying "A." instead of "M.".
She squinted at it. It couldn't be. Her birthday had passed months ago. But what other meaning could this hold? She glanced at Maëlle, suspicious, and she just adverted her gaze and fidgeted with a loose strand of her hair.
'Weird, huh? I wonder what that's about.'
She gently pinched her friend's nose, spelling her name with her other hand. "M-A-Ë-L-L-E."
She tittered, shrinking into her seat as her face reddened. 'I-I did get you something, but I don't know about the other one! I swear!'
Alicia huffed, sitting on her chair. "You don't have to buy anything for me."
"I know." Maëlle sighed. "I saw it, and I thought: Alicia. So, I bought it."
She'd have no choice but to accept it, but it only made her feelings about her own present worse. Whatever it was, would her manuscript compare…?
Gustave returned home carrying a strawberry cake and divided it into eight almost identical slices. The biggest one, of course, went to Maëlle, who happily accepted it after taking careful measurements of the slice. This, too, was delicious, but Alicia was already suffering the heaviness of the previous meal alongside the exhaustion of her missed hours of sleep. Just a bit longer…
'I think it's time to unwrap the presents, no?'
Maëlle perked up, halfway done with her second serving of cake. 'Sure!' Despite it being Maëlle's birthday party, she reached for one of the presents tagged "A." first, and handed it to Alicia. With a huff, she took it, her fingers briefly brushing against Maëlle's. 'It's just a little thing, really.'
It was rectangular, somewhat heavy, and solid, covered in dark blue wrapping paper, almost the same share as Alicia's dress. She pulled at the twine, undoing the bow, and unwrapped it. A black box with silver plating appeared from underneath, and she glanced at Maëlle, who just grinned back at her, expectant. She finally decided to open it, and the box had a velvety touch to it, which she already liked. Inside, there were two bottles of ink, two quills, and four replacements for the tips. Alicia took one of them in her hand, smiling at how light it was, and how well it seemed to adjust around her hand.
'Do you like it?' Maëlle murmured, as three pairs of eyes stared at her at once. It wasn't even her birthday, and yet it sort of felt like it was. Maëlle was willing to share her special day with her. What if her present ended up being subpar?
You don't deserve her kindness.
Ignoring that voice as best as she could, she brought her palm to her chest, and then moved it forward, and pointed at the box, looking at Maëlle. "I love this. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
'Next one?' Gustave suggested, already holding something thin in his hand, perhaps a file with some sort of paper in it. 'I think you'll like this one quite a lot, to be honest.'
Maëlle cocked her head, and so did Alicia. This was one thing Gustave hadn't told her about during their conversation weeks ago…
'Sure, that one's next.'
Maëlle unwrapped it, revealing a folder. She frowned and turned it around, as if the back of it could reveal its contents, and it didn't. She shot her siblings a suspicious look, and then looked at Alicia, who shrugged.
'Here goes…'
She opened it, and Alicia leaned closer to look at its contents. The first thing she noticed was four slips of paper, all cut in the same size. Behind them, there was what seemed to be a flyer. Alicia recognised the title on that flyer, but…
"La grande péripétie d'Esquie sur la montagne neige"
She'd chosen that title, ages ago. She'd been embarrassed of it ever since. Too infantile, too… Immature, even for a kid's story. And yet, Maëlle's eyes were shining, and their light showed in her voice was she spoke, too.
'It's— It's one of de la Fontaine's short stories, isn't it?'
'Sure is,' Emma said. 'It's gotten quite popular again recently, so they're doing a theatre adaptation. I found out, and asked that we got some reserved seating.'
Maëlle took the tickets in her hands, spreading them like a fan, and Alicia took the flyer. In it, a being incredibly similar to her big brother's plush toy toiled alongside a pack of gestrals through a snowy mountain, the very same where they'd gone skiing so many times as a family before. It was… there, in her hands. It was her work, and she'd forgotten all about it, but now she was remembering it.
She'd written this while thinking of Verso, of the adventures he'd tell her about when she was little, using his beloved Esquie as a prop. As she stared at the flyer, her brother's smile appeared clear as day in her mind, as did their mother's voice as she chuckled and asked Alicia about the story. Such a simple, inconsequential memory, and yet it made tears build up in her eye.
Years ago, Alicia had taken all of these feelings, and poured them into little stories to quell her loneliness. And people still liked these enough to make plays out of them? That was…
'Do you like it?' Emma asked, and Alicia didn't know if the question was aimed solely at Maëlle. This… was a present for both of them, wasn't it? She was stealing yet another moment from what was supposed to be her friend's day, but Maëlle didn't seem bothered in the slightest — in fact, her smile only grew as she briefly turned to Alicia before replying.
'Yeah. Thank you, I love it. This is for…' She checked the date on the ticket, 'next week?' That was pretty soon. Would Alicia have time to get a proper set of clothing for it?…
'There are still many presents left,' Gustave reminded them. Indeed, there were three presents on the table: two soft bundles, Alicia's manuscript, and… a small, sort of cylindrical thing that wasn't even wrapped. Wait. That was four. Alicia rubbed her eye as Maëlle reached for the soft packages, leaving Alicia's in front of her.
"Let's open them together."
"OK."
They pulled at the twine at once, unveiling what they already suspected was inside: Clothes. Maëlle's set contained a black three piece suit with golden buttons, alongside a white shirt. Alicia's, meanwhile, was a blue skirt and jacket with red detailing, a frillier white shirt, and a red waist piece.
This looked familiar. Had she seen a set like this before? There was a vague memory somewhere in her mind of walking next to Maëlle, passing by a shop and seeing this on display. Or something quite similar…
'If you're going to the theatre,' Emma explained, 'you have to wear formal, appropriate clothing. And I'm afraid Maëlle had nothing like that at the moment.'
'And Maëlle said you like this type of dress, some time ago,' Gustave added, looking at Alicia. 'Thankfully, you two seem to be the exact same size, so… It should fit fine?'
From the look on Maëlle's face, she hadn't expected this either. 'I mean, it looks good, but will it look good on me?' She questioned. Alicia looked at her, incredulous. 'What? I-I've never dressed like this… It feels too… elegant. You are the one that always looks good in this sort of thing, Alicia.'
She huffed in response, shaking her head. Despite herself, she felt a yawn coming — the threat from those missed hours of rest.
'You can try it on, and see if you like it,' Emma said. 'Personally, I think it will fit you like a glove. And you've always said you preferred suits.'
She did, one would be hard pressed to see Maëlle in a skirt or dress.
'Alright… I'll try it on later. Thanks.' She carefully folded the clothes, putting them aside alongside the folder with the tickets. 'Alicia? Are you trying yours too?'
She covered her mouth to yawn, blinking a few times before nodding. "I will need to nap first. If possible. I'm sorry."
'You didn't sleep well?' Alicia shook her head. 'If you want, we can stop…'
No, no, absolutely not. There was still her present left — and that odd thing that wasn't wrapped, so it might have not been a present, now that she thought about it — and it was hers. She needed to know what Maëlle thought, or she wouldn't be able to rest at all.
So her friend reached for the poorly wrapped present. She held her breath as Maëlle easily unwrapped it, uncovering a hand-bound manuscript with a title written in golden ink.
"Une vie à rêver — Fin Heureuse"
She didn't say anything, at first. Alicia dug her fingers into her skirt so hard that she could feel the sting of her nails through the fabric. Maëlle opened the book and passed the pages, stopping at the occasional illustration.
'It's— It starts on the second to last chapter,' she pointed out. Alicia gritted her teeth, she hadn't had the time to rewrite the whole thing, but, if Maëlle returned the book to her for a few weeks, she could do it. 'You… Wrote the ending again, because I didn't like it?'
Alicia nodded, grasping at her skirt. The writing was rushed. The illustrations weren't that good. Her style had changed since she wrote that novel, so there was a chance it wouldn't mesh well with the rest. The more Alicia thought about it, and the more Maëlle's silence stretched, the more catastrophic this situation felt.
You messed up. You should've stayed in your lane. You should've done anything else—
And then, Maëlle's hand was on hers, warm as sunlight. Alicia looked up, and Maëlle was holding her present against her chest, with a gentle smile on her face and a soft blush on her cheeks. 'Thank you. I really, really love it.'
She liked it. She liked the present. She wasn't saying it just to please Alicia, was she? No, she was honest. She loved it. Oh, thank goodness, she loved it.
A wave of relief crashed over Alicia, tension dissolving as all her exhaustion returned at once. As the world started spinning around her, she slumped forward, alarming the other three, and Maëlle hurriedly left the book on the table to hold her. 'Alicia?!' She clung to Maëlle's shirt, squeezing her eye shut. 'D-Do you want to lay down on the couch for a bit?'
Alicia shook her head — she just needed a moment to get her bearings again. After a few seconds, she sat up and took a deep, difficult breath. As before, Maëlle and her siblings were observing her, afraid she might collapse, and she felt a small stab of guilt.
"I did not sleep at all," she admitted.
Maëlle's eyes widened like they were going to pop out of their sockets. 'All night?!'
'Hm, that's not very healthy, you know,' Gustave was more worried than he should, frankly. Alicia was just drowsy.
'You're one to talk,' Emma said, rolling her eyes. 'It's fine, Maëlle. Let's put your presents away and let Gustave keep an eye on her.'
'Alright…' She took one last concerned look at Alicia, who smiled at her in return. She'd be fine, it was just a bout of dizziness. 'But you're going to rest after we're done cleaning up, yes?'
"Of course."
Emma and Maëlle gathered the crockery, the leftovers, and the presents. Gustave sat by Alicia's side instead, and she noticed that small cylindrical object in his hand again. Now that she took a good look at it, it wasn't exactly that shape, more so like a… soft rectangle.
'So, uhm. I've been working on something for a while… this is a prototype.' He showed her the object from all angles: It had a few incisions underneath and on the side, and two pictos on its surface. 'The finished product will look better than this, so… I was wondering if you'd like to try it?' Alicia tilted her head, taking the object in her hands. 'You know about chroma manipulation, right?'
Yes, of course she did. Beyond the basics, she was pretty sure her strange time-stopping powers had something to do with it.
'So, what it does varies depending on the picto you activate. Try using the one to the right — your right, I mean — first.'
She did. The indentations opened, pushing out waves of chroma that were assembled into a long rod that reached the floor. Alicia blinked at it, suddenly realising what this object was: A cane.
'So, this mode is a cane.' Alicia frowned. 'I do remember what you told me, that you didn't want to "look useless" to the expedition. That's why I made this. Let me show you.'
She activated the picto again, and the chroma retreated back inside of the rectangle. Then, she gave it back to Gustave, who activated the other picto. The chroma came out of the indentations on the side, blooming into a flower-like shape before it elongated again, this time into a sharp surface.
A sword.
Gustave smiled. 'Impressed?' Alicia nodded, and took the sword when he offered it back to her. 'With this, your support will also be your weapon. Much like my arm… I, uh, thought it was a good idea, at least?'
Alicia ran her fingers near the blunt side of the blade — it was cold, like actual steel, and it would certainly cut like it. Then, she activated the picto again, making the chroma retreat back inside of the rectangle. "Yes. It is a very good idea. Thank you."
'You're welcome. If nothing else, it was an interesting project to work on, so…' He cleared his throat. 'Since it's a prototype, I can try to make it more stylish. But I think comfort should be prioritised.' That was reasonable. 'I'd like for you to use it for the following weeks, and then get back to me with suggestions to improve it. Of course, I don't expect you to use the sword version, unless it's for practice… Would that be alright?'
"Yes. But I have a question."
'Yes? Tell me.'
"Is there a thing I can do. For you?"
It took Gustave a moment to understand what she was trying to say. 'As I said, it was an interesting project to work on on its own. Besides… You can take it as my way to thank you, for all you've done for Maëlle.'
But she'd barely done anything. Maëlle was the one that saved her.
Still, this contraption could make her more useful, so she just had to make up for it by doing her best during the expedition. She yawned again, covering her mouth as a tear escaped her eye, and Gustave patted her shoulder. 'Maybe a nap is in order?'
"Surely."
They brought the leftover cake and the dirty crockery to the kitchen first, and then Maelle placed her new suit inside her wardrobe and the hand-bound book and folder on her desk. She still felt unsure about the suit, even if she knew Emma had a good eye for these things, but imagining herself dressed so elegantly still felt… Strange. When she was at the orphanage, the rare occasion where she had to look fancy involved dresses and skirts and acting "as nice as possible", and it had failed spectacularly. And, after being adopted by Gustave and Emma, the latter hadn't asked Maelle to attend any of her important political events with anything fancier than what she was wearing right now.
But this was a proper suit, with gold buttons and a very nice touch, and it was…
'Are you sure this is going to fit me?' She asked, gazing at the inside of her open wardrobe. 'Not in the size way, but… I don't know, it feels to "high society" for someone like me.'
'I am very much sure it will fit just fine, and that you will see it when you try it on. And you will need to look elegant, if you want to impress her.'
Maelle blushed. Her sister had her arms crossed and small grin on her face, and Maelle pouted. 'I-It's not like it's a date.'
'It could be.'
'Well, I'm not taking you and Gustave on a date. That's embarrassing.'
She sighed, shaking her head. 'Stop fretting over things being embarrassing, Maelle. If you let that hold you back, you will never progress. Besides… She most likely feels the same, and it's not hard for anyone to see that you—'
'Shush!' Maelle put her finger over her lips, a surge of panic taking over her body. She could hear Gustave's muffled voice coming from the living room, but what if they could hear them more clearly? Emma stopped talking, looking startled. 'D-Don't say it out loud… I…'
'You…?'
'…I… Want to confess… By myself…' she murmured.
After a moment of silence, Emma chuckled. 'Good. Even more of a reason to look your best while you do it, then.'
Look her best… She thought of Alicia's braids, decorated with blue daisies, and how she was still mesmerised every time she looked at Alicia again. She'd wanted to touch her hair so badly, feel the braids under her fingertips, and wrap her finger around those loose strands of hair to the sides of her face… Would Maelle "looking her best" have the same effect on Alicia, too? 'Right…'
'Maelle? You're looking very red right now.' She yelped, getting a second amused chuckle out of Emma. 'If you don't like how the suit looks, we can look for an alternative. There's still a week to go.'
'I-I guess we can do that.'
She perked up as she heard Gustave and Alicia stand up from their chairs and their soft steps on the hallway. Soon enough, Alicia was peeking into the room, and her braids, combined with her sweet smile, made Maelle's heart race once more.
'Ah, Alicia, are you feeling better?' Emma asked, to which Alicia nodded, followed by a wide yawn. 'I think we all need a little break right now. I'll be in my room, if you need anything.'
"Thank you."
Alicia walked into the room as Emma left, carrying her presents. 'You can leave them on my desk,' Maelle said, standing out of the way, but standing close to her, just in case she got dizzy again. She noticed the little prototype Gustave had been working tirelessly on, too.
"Did you like Gustave's present?"
Alicia's lips curled into a sweet smile, showing a bit of her teeth. "Yes. It is wonderful." She turned back to the desk, looking at the book. "Do you like this?"
"Yes." That answer was as easy as breathing. The real question was… "Why?"
Alicia pursed her lips, glancing at the floor as she decided on what to say. In the end, she took a paper and pencil from Maelle's desk, and wrote: I was afraid you would think it wasn't interesting, or good or original enough. Or that, when you read it, it won't be up to standard.
'No one else in the whole world could've done this for me. Just you.' Maelle shrugged. 'You can't find something more original than that. I'm just… Sorry, maybe I complained too much about that ending, and that made you think you had to fix it.'
Alicia shook her head, setting down the pencil. "I like this better. The story is better."
'If my favourite author says so, then I believe it.' She smirked, as Alicia's eye opened wide. 'I mean, I've suspected it for a while, but… I guess this confirms it?' Alicia covered her face, turning away from Maelle in shame. 'It's fine, really! Why didn't you tell me sooner?'
Alicia uncovered her face, and frantically signed something Maelle didn't quite understand. Noticing Maelle's confusion, she grabbed the pencil again, and wrote down, it didn't come up in conversation, and then I was ashamed to mention it.
Maelle could understand where she was coming from, but… 'Well, now I have an exclusive ending to one of my favourite books, from the author herself. I can't really ask for more.'
Alicia still looked flustered, though another wide yawn escaped her. Maelle yawned immediately after her. 'Come on, you need to sleep.'
Her friend pouted. "You are tired, too. Nap."
'I'm going to! On the couch—' She'd started to turn on her heels when Alicia grasped her wrist, pulling her back. 'What's wrong?'
Alicia released her, and signed, "your neck will hurt." Maelle opened her mouth to argue, but she continued, saying something that nearly made Maelle's heart stop. "We can nap together."
Together? In her bed? The two of them? Huddled together in the same space? Sleeping? Just the two of them?!
Together?!
Her face must've been burning like a small sun. A single, strangled word came out of her mouth before she could stop it: 'O-Okay.'
Alicia smiled from ear to ear, walking closer to the bed and sitting on it. As she laid her head on Maelle's pillow, Maelle herself felt like her organs would explode. But she'd just said okay a second ago. She had committed to it. So, as her hands started sweating uncontrollably, Maelle too sat down on the mattress, and lied down next to Alicia.
It wasn't small, but it still was a single bed, and thus, their bodies were close no matter how much Maelle tried to keep a respectable gap between them. She didn't know where to put her arms either, choosing to bend them and press them against her chest, which wasn't particularly comfortable, and Alicia seemed to notice. She touched Maelle's hand, slowly curled her fingers around her wrist, and Maelle held her breath as Alicia brought her arm around her waist.
Her chest hurt. She could feel her brain melting inside her skull. Her lungs didn't know if to stop working or start hyperventilating. The proverbial butterflies were gnawing at the walls of her stomach. Her voice came out in a soft whisper. 'A-Are you comfortable like this?'
Alicia nodded, cuddling up with her, and closed her eye. Maelle closed hers, too, desperately trying to tap into the drowsiness she'd been feeling minutes ago, but her arm was around Alicia's waist, and they were napping on the same bed, and they were so close. She wondered if Alicia was trying to tease her, and if so, with what objective.
Emma's words came to mind. She most likely feels the same.
There was a chance that this was Alicia trying to be bold and signal to Maelle that she felt the same way. Emma had assured her her feelings were requited, and Gustave thought so too. She could do it. She just had to say I like you. Or maybe that was too infantile. Would Alicia prefer being told I love you? Or would that be too much? Why was she second-guessing herself so much, anyway?! Emma had also told her to stop being embarrassed, or she would never move forward. What other reason could've Alicia had to purposefully put Maelle's arm around her waist like that? It had to be… It had to be that she felt the same.
And if it wasn't? She would be ruining everything. Even if Alicia remained her friend, things would be different.
Maelle rested her hand on Alicia's back, feeling her strained, yet even breathing, and opened her eyes. Alicia's face was relaxed, and her lips were slightly parted. One of the daisies was slipping out of her braids. If Maelle could, she would cover that face in kisses, starting with her forehead, and then kissing her nose, her cheeks, and finish at her lips. But waking her up right now, after she hadn't slept all night, would be no less than a crime.
So she settled for brushing her lips against Alicia's forehead, and spoke in the softest voice she could muster.
'I… love you.'