Fractured Echoes

An Unexpected Question

The room was dim, lit only by the soft, golden glow of a bedside lamp. The air smelled faintly of lavender, a scent I had always loved. My bed, cluttered with blankets and pillows, sat beneath the open window, where a gentle breeze whispered in from outside, carrying the crisp autumn scent of leaves. Violet and I sat on the floor, cross-legged, just like we always did when we wanted to escape from the world. My room was our safe haven—our little bubble, away from everything and everyone.

Violet was next to me, her usual confident, sharp gaze softened tonight. Her hazel eyes, which normally seemed so full of life and fire, were quieter, but there was an intensity there that I couldn't quite place. She seemed deep in thought, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie. I noticed the way her lips parted slightly, as if she had something on her mind but wasn't sure how to say it. My stomach churned with anxiety, wondering what it could be.

Without warning, Violet turned to me, her expression unreadable. Before I could ask if something was wrong, she pulled me into a hug—tight, desperate almost. Her arms wrapped around me, her body pressed close to mine, and I could feel her heartbeat, fast and uneven. I hugged her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through her clothes, her familiar scent filling my senses. It was comforting, but something felt off.

"Everything's going to be okay," Violet whispered into my ear, her voice shaky but determined.

But I knew her too well. I could tell that she didn't really believe it. Her words were a hollow promise, spoken more for my benefit than her own. I didn't say anything, though. I just let her hold me, let the silence between us stretch on, let the tension in the room thicken.

Then she kissed me.

At first, it was soft, a gentle press of her lips against mine, like she was testing the waters. But as soon as I kissed her back, something shifted. Her hands slid up to cup my face, and her kiss grew hungrier, more intense. I felt her tongue slide across my lips, and I opened my mouth, letting her in. Our kisses became fast, almost frantic, like we were trying to lose ourselves in each other, like we were trying to forget whatever was happening outside this room.

I barely registered it when Violet's hands began to wander. They were on my waist at first, gripping me tightly, almost possessively. Then they moved up, cupping my breasts through my shirt, her fingers squeezing hard enough to make me gasp into her mouth. The heat between us grew unbearable. I arched into her touch, wanting more, needing more. My hands mirrored hers, sliding under her shirt, feeling the soft skin of her back, the smoothness of her stomach.

Her touch was electric. Each caress, each squeeze sent a jolt of desire through me, pooling low in my belly. When her fingers dipped lower, trailing down between my legs, I shuddered, letting out a low moan that I couldn't contain. It felt so right. It felt like home.

But then, as her lips moved to my neck, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses along my skin, she whispered something that made my breath catch.

"Would you want to be my girlfriend, Iris?"

For a moment, my mind went blank. My body froze beneath her, my heart skipping a beat. I pulled back slightly, staring at her in disbelief.

"What?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper. "Your girlfriend?"

Violet's arms tightened around me, and she pressed her forehead against mine. Her breath was warm, shaky. "Yeah. My girlfriend. Wouldn't you want to be?"

I didn't know what to say. The word "girlfriend" felt so heavy, so final. My mind was spinning, my chest tight. This was too much, too fast. We hadn't even talked about what this was between us, and now she was asking me to commit to something that felt... monumental. It was too soon, wasn't it? We'd barely even done anything, and already she was talking about love and relationships.

"I don't know, Violet," I said, my voice trembling. "Isn't it all too soon?"

For the first time, Violet hesitated. I felt her freeze, her lips still hovering over my skin. Slowly, she pulled back to look at me, her face a mixture of vulnerability and hurt. For a second, I thought I saw something break inside her.

"I love you, Iris," she said softly, her voice barely audible. "I always have. Since the moment I saw you, I knew I loved you."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Love? She loved me? I stared into her hazel eyes, searching for some kind of answer, for some kind of reassurance that I wasn't misunderstanding her. But all I saw was the truth—raw, unfiltered, terrifying truth.

"You love me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Yes," she breathed. "I love you, Iris."

I couldn't breathe. It felt like the world had shifted, like the ground beneath me had crumbled away, leaving me teetering on the edge of something vast and unknown. This was too much. Too fast. But at the same time, hearing those words... it did something to me. It made my heart race in a way that both excited and terrified me.

I looked into her eyes, feeling a flood of emotions rise up in me. Part of me wanted to say yes, wanted to throw caution to the wind and dive headfirst into whatever this was. But another part of me—an anxious, fearful part—wanted to run, wanted to protect myself from the possibility of getting hurt.

Violet was still looking at me, waiting, her breath shallow, her eyes pleading.

But I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if I was ready for what she was asking of me.