The Eclipse Princess

Chapter seven

                       “What? What is it? Romina, did I do something?” Jovina asked for backing away from Romina fast,  but there was no response from Romina. She was just staring at the forest behind them. “What are you…oh…” Annika’s fists were ghost white now with how hard she was clenching them and her eyes filled with tears trying to escape. Before anyone was able to get a word out she booked it into the forest, skimming the flowers down on the ground.

                       “Annika, wait!” Romina quickly jumped out of the lake sprinting to catch Annika, and leaving clueless hurt Jovina alone at the lake. Annika and Romina got very deep into the forest before finally Annika stopped running, still not turning to look Romina in the eyes. 

                       “Go away Romina!” 

                       “No please Annika, talk to me.” Romina tried walking up slowly, putting a hand on Annika’s back shoulder. Grabbing Romina’s hand she pulled her up over her shoulder,  and slammed her onto the ground. 

                      “Dude! That was uncalled for!”

                      “Don’t touch me then, and that won't happen. None of this would have happened if you didn’t come here in the first place anyways.” Romina could tell she had hurt Annika, so she wasn’t taking what she said to heart, but it still hurt to hear her say that. 

                      “Annika…”

                      “Don’t, I don't need your sympathy Romina.” 

                      “I don’t know why you are so upset with me. It’s not like I knew that you guys both apparently liked me!” 

                     “Oh come on Romina! It was so clear, the questions, the late night talks, the cuddling during the sleepovers. How was it not obvious?” 

        Looking back at the memories made Romina feel worse for hurting Annika. She was right, they both were giving many hints but she wasn’t catching any of them this whole time. So her dreams were actually predicting the future, but just the different paths it could go. Her whole mission today was just to see if they were alike before finding out if they had stronger feelings, but she kinda got both answers today. 

                    “I am already getting some of my power…” Romina said under her breath so that Annika couldn’t hear her. 

                    “Well don’t be afraid. What were you going to say?” Annika asked, now looking and  towering over Romina still on the ground.

                    “I was going to say that I was sorry. I know how this feels, and I am sorry that I managed to do it to you too. I didn’t want anything to come between us and I still want us all to be friends but I know that will take some time, definitely with me and Jovina.” Sighing, she held out her hand to help Romina off the ground. 

                   “This brings back some deja vu doesn't it?” Annika jokingly asked as she nervously laughed. “I agree with you though. I still want to be friends with you guys too, you have become family to me but it will take some time.” Nodding Romina agreed then was swiped into a hug. “I am sorry to Romina, I just want what’s best for you, and if that is Jovina then I am happy for you guys.” 

                  “Thank you Annika.” Her eyes shot wide open as she realized what she did quickly pushing Annika off. 

                  “What’s wrong?” 

                  “I left Jovina in the lake alone with her thinking she did something wrong. I have to get back and explain.” 

                 “What are we waiting for then? Let’s go get the girl!” 

        When they got back to the lake Jovina was already gone, so they went to her room and she wasn’t there so they checked the whole house, and still no sign of her anywhere. 

            “Where could she be? I messed up so bad.” 

                “Don’t freak out just yet, Romina. Remember the question I asked on the hike up to the mountain, about your favorite place to get away to clear your mind?”

                   “Yeah, I remember.” 

                   “Well, I know where Jovina’s is.” Bringing Romina in close she whispered the location into her ear. 

                   “You better get going though.” 

                   “Thank you Annika, we will be back before you know it!” 

        Grabbing her things again, Romina sprinted out the door back towards the woods and waterfall. Reaching the top of the waterfall again, she saw the location that Annika whispered into her ear back at the house. Through a moon lit path was an old willow tree, kinda like the one she had back home and underneath was the brown hair girl. 

               “A willow tree?” Romina said as she walked slowly up to Jovina, startling her a little in the process. 

               “Romina, how did you find me?”

                   “A little birdy told me you might be here. Why did you just disappear without telling anyone?” 

                   “I thought it was the best. I messed up, and I don’t know how to fix it.” A tear slid down her cheek barely able to see in the light of the moon.      Romina grabbed her chin now forcing them to look each other in the eye’s now. 

               “You didn’t do anything wrong. I did. I didn’t see all the signs and hints you guys were giving me until it was too late. I was trying to find out if you guys even liked me that way still. I kept getting these dreams but…”

                   “But every time you wake up alone in your bed.” 

        Romina was confused, and a little shocked on how she was able to know what she was going to say. “Yeah exactly, how did you know that?” 

                   “I've been having these dreams every night where I sneak into bed with you, we talk, confessed our feelings then fall asleep cuddling each other tightly but everytime I wake up you are gone. I thought it was trying to hint at my future or something, but apparently I was wrong yet again.”

              “You are not wrong, I had that same dream, I also feel that way towards you too.” 

                   “You do?” 

                  “I do,” Romina responded, placing a small kiss on top of her lips before looking her back in the eyes. 

                  “So does this mean?”

                  “We are a thing? I think so? I am pretty sure your dream told you what is to come with that though, are you up for that?” 

                  “I want to sleep with you. Together. Under the blankets. In your bed with my hand on your chest and yours wrapped around me. Cuddling, and taking in the sleepy blissfully happy silence.” 

     Both smiling, they sat laying on each other's shoulders, looking up at the stars for a while before getting up to make their way back to the house. That night their dream came true, and the next morning they would wake up with each other both in bed with no idea what was going to happen that next day. For now though, nothing else mastered or crossed their mind they were together.