Sunsets

˗ˏˋ Chapter Eight 'ˎ˗

Elaine was texting Valerie one afternoon, smiling as she watched the screen of her phone. She was supposed to be doing an assignment but got distracted by a text message popping up on her phone. Time passed, minutes, hours, until late into the night. Way past midnight. Elaine sped through her work and went to bed.

Elaine woke up the next day, she didn't feel rested. No surprise, as she had barely gotten any sleep. A smile crept upon her face when she saw the good morning text Valerie had just sent her. Elaine got ready for the day, brushing her hair and doing her makeup. She picked out a casual outfit for the day. The day passed by, slowly but surely. Just like any other day, except the fact she was thinking about Valerie constantly. Elaine had music class with Jules, and technology class with Louis. She couldn't focus all day, she kept thinking of Valerie. They had plans to meet at the beach in the evening. Elaine was distracted all day. During music class, Elaine was staring out the window instead of paying attention which earned her a scolding from the teacher. Jules was trying to talk to her while the two were working but Elaine didn't pay attention to any of her surroundings. Jules had to tap Elaine's shoulder multiple times to snap her out of the trance. Elaine was so unfocused it was almost abnormal to Jules, she was used to Elaine being sharp and focused. In the next class Elaine had, which was technology, Elaine couldn't focus either. Louis kept trying to explain something she didn't get to her but she was too far gone.

"Elaine, this is almost an obsession. You have to talk to that girl or something, or learn to take your mind off her," Louis said. Jules nodded in agreement.

Elaine sighed and hid her head in her hands. She was getting overwhelmed. Jules rubbed her back, gently trying to comfort her. The three were sitting in Elaine's dorm, which over the past few days had grown messy due to Elaine's neglect. Elaine leaned against the wall and sighed. She just couldn't get Valerie out of her head.

"Is this what being in love is supposed to feel like?" Elaine asked, quietly.

"I don't think so" Jules replied, "I think you're supposed to be able to think"

Elaine groaned and closed her eyes. She felt as if she was losing her mind, " I do have a date, sort of a date, with her today"

Jules and Louis spent the whole day with Elaine. They cleaned her room with her, went for food, and played board games. The three had an amazing day. It was about four in the afternoon, Louis had fallen asleep over the homework the three had been doing. Jules and Elaine kept doing the homework.

"Does he fall asleep like that often?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah, it's his ADHD. Let him sleep, he was texting me at 4 am," Jules answered and went back to the homework.

Elaine got through a lot of the assigned work for the week. She went to change and got ready to meet Valerie again. The sun was about to start setting.

Elaine met Valerie at the beach. Valerie was wearing a white dress and had two braids in her hair. Elaine's heart skipped a beat as she walked up to the girl. Elaine started talking to Valerie, kind of shyly at first but she soon loosened up. The two watched the sunset, the sea was beautifully reflecting the orange sky. Elaine couldn't help but notice Valerie looking at her lips, not looking, staring. Elaine felt Valerie pulling her closer as they watched the sunset. Elaine's cheeks flushed. Suddenly, Elaine felt Valerie's soft lips on hers. The moment didn't last long but it left Elaine stunned. She felt her cheeks flush and her brain grow foggy.

"This is the first time I've ever kissed someone," Elaine admitted sheepishly.

Valerie chuckled and brushed a loose strand of Elaine's hair out of her face, "I hope it was okay for me to kiss you,"

Elaine smiled and nodded, her hands resting on Valerie's arms. She felt extremely awkward, but warm and giddy too. Elaine looked into Valerie's eyes, they were a light blue color. Elaine was mesmerized by the spark in Valerie's eyes and stared into them. The eye contact between the two was deep and intense. The tension was thick. The two sat on the beach until dark, Valerie occasionally pressed a kiss either to Elaine's cheek or forehead.

That night Elaine could actually sleep. She was feeling peaceful and let the sleep take her. Her brain was filled with sweet, peaceful thoughts. As she slept, she had a sweet dream about Valerie. Elaine didn't want to wake up but she heard her alarm chime on her bedside table to signalize it was time to wake up. Elaine stretched and groaned. She sat up and turned her alarm off. She saw a good morning text from Valerie on her phone and texted her back immediately. Elaine felt happy and light as a feather. She had a wide smile on her face all day. Louis and Jules could easily notice something had happened, but they didn't want to investigate.

After all the classes Elaine had for the day ended, she went to Jules's dorm– her, Jules, and Louis had planned a sleepover. Elaine arrived with some pizza she had ordered and the three sat down to eat. Elaine noticed Louis being more fidgety than usual but ignored it. Jules seemed shut off, which wasn't unusual for her around other people, but she was quite talkative around her and Louis. Elaine didn't question it and the evening carried on. They had fun, ate, watched movies, played games, and gossiped. The two girls even got Louis to do a face mask with them. Jules fell asleep first, she was wrapped up in a blanket on the bed. Elaine was sitting in the bed next to her while Louis was sitting on a bean bag next to them.

"Are you going to sleep anytime soon?" Elaine asked.

"I don't think so," Louis chuckled.

Elaine nodded and they kept talking until Elaine started to doze off too.

In the morning, Jules and Elaine found Louis on his phone, he had accidentally pulled an all-nighter and looked absolutely exhausted. The three went out for ice cream. When they came back, Louis fell asleep with his head in Jules's lap. The two girls talked for about an hour and a half until he woke up again. Elaine felt a little self-conscious, she wasn't used to people seeing her without makeup. She felt vulnerable, as if the only protection she had was stripped away. Elaine decided to ignore the feeling of nakedness and tried to have a good time.

Elaine got back to her dorm on Saturday evening and scrolled through the notifications on her phone. She texted with Valerie for a while and then started to get ready for bed. She washed her hair, her body, shaved, and did her skin care. It was her self-care evening routine. She later sat down to read and fell asleep shortly after sending Valerie a good night text.

Words: 1213