Moments Under the Starlight |Cylou|

●•.★°2nd Starry Night

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"Kiss kiss, fall in love"

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"You totally have a crush on him!"

"W-what?! How did you even come to that conclusion?!"

Nilou had made a trip to the forest to visit her forest ranger friend, Collei. The two always frequently met up whenever they had free time.

Collei may have been a little younger, but her input was always greatly appreciated and surprisingly intuitive. The two would sit─sometimes with a cup of tea and some snacks─chatting away about anything and everything they could.

The reason for Nilou's visit this time however, was a bit different...

"Lou, you said you can't stop thinking about him! According to all the romance books I've read, that sounds like a crush to me" Collei took a small sip from the heavily designed tea cup in her dainty hands.

The dancer sighed exasperated, the vibrant blush on her cheeks felt like they were burning the skin there. No matter what way she twisted her words, the young forest ranger always had the same verdict.

"I don't, it's just...it's just because we've been spending a lot of time together. Yeah, that's it! I don't have a crush on him, that would be ridiculous", Nilou still tried to convince her friend, but the skeptical purple eyes looking back at her proved her efforts useless.

She wasn't even convincing herself, her infatuation with him had been getting out of hand lately. The way her heart always looked forward to every chance they got to meet. The way her eyes sparkled under the sky's twinkling light every time the two found themselves atop that cliff at night. The way her dreams and thoughts were plagued with the quiet memories the two had made. The way her body filled with giddiness like that of a small child every time he went out of his way to leave some sort of small gift for her after each performance─

Oh no, she was so fucked...

"Calm down, Nilou", Collei's voice came out soft as she shifted closer to place a hand comfortingly on her friend's thigh, "it's not like this is the end of the world, it's just a measly crush"

"No, it is the end of the world, Lei!" Nilou cried, her face falling into her palms. What the hell was she supposed to do?

The forest ranger's face contorted with confusion, "How? All you have to do is confess your feelings to him"

The redhead slowly moved her hands away from her face, revealing an almost disappointed expression, "You're joking, right?"

The other glanced back at her nervously, "Uhm...no?"

"You want me to confess?"

"Yes?"

"You want me to confess my feelings to Cyno?"

"Yes? Is there a problem with that?" Collei's words had a level of sheer obliviousness to them, it was almost baffling.

Nilou sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, "I know you mean well, Lei...but that's not how it works"

"What? What do you mean?", now her confusion was immeasurable as her eyebrows furrowed.

"You said I should confess, but what if he doesn't like me back?"

"Oh...", her lips pressed thin before she mumbled, "the feelings are usually reciprocated in those romance books..."

The dancer let out a loud groan as she let her forehead fall loudly onto the table set before them, a few ceramic wares clinking at the impact.