Petals on The Moon || Reyna Ramirez-Arellano x Fem!OC

LXXXI

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Hello again.

I stirred awake and saw Reyna coming back into the room. "Reyna?" I yawned and sat up. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," she said. "Just had a long talk with Maia. She's coded like an old southern man." I snickered and she crawled back into bed, noticeably closer to me than before. I tried not to stiffen as I glanced at her. It was hard to see in the dark, but she seemed to be a little cold. "Pretty chill outside."

"I bet," I replied. "How is she coded like an old southern man?"

"She had me listen to Chris Stapleton while she drank a new juice, and she gave me life advice."

"Ah, well. That'll do it. But, y'know, sometimes lesbians are just sort of like that." I do not think I am old in that way, but I do have a tendency to go to bed at like nine o' clock and I complain about the noise and I cannot figure out YouTube for the life of me. "What life advice did she give you?"

She hesitated. "Basically, she told me to... slow down and take some deep breaths." She sighed heavily. "It's weird. I feel like I'm rushing through my whole life for no real reason." I laughed and she looked at me. "What's so funny?"

"I feel a little different," I said quietly. "Like everything around me is just moving so slow, and I can't ever seem to figure out how to match the pace. The whole world is this slow-mo whirl, making it impossible to stick myself in anywhere."

"It's impossible to grow up," Reyna mumbled, sounding rather displeased about the whole thing.

"Agreed." We got quiet for a little bit. She breathes so gentle, it almost makes me wonder if she's even alive sometimes. "I wish I never had to grow up."

"Why?" She sounded a bit confused.

"I didn't get to be a kid," I admitted. "Ever, really. So everyone around me wants to do these- these teenager things, and I just feel like I'm so behind. Everyone wants to grow up and get jobs and go to coll-" I felt my throat closing up. I didn't even know the whole thing made me so sad to think about. "I was alone my whole life. My favorite moments are when we go to the tire swing or when we build forts in my house or do ch-cheesy little plays." I wiped my tears awkwardly.

"Those are my favorite moments too," Reyna said softly, and I could feel her eyes on me. "Because that's when I feel like I can slow down and breathe the most."

I sighed, relieved that she didn't think I was childish. I don't think I'm childish, per se. I just think I want to experience some of the childish things once in a while to regain what I didn't have in the first place.

Reyna suddenly got up. "Let's go for a walk."

"What?"

"I can't sleep, and neither can you." She got on her shoes and grabbed her winter coat. "Not far. But the cold will remind us what the bed is for, and being upright will make us tired again."

I couldn't really argue with her logic. I got on my shoes and my coat and we went out the back door, which was by the kitchen, and once outside, I could faintly hear Maia's music playing from the front porch. I didn't catch all the words except "You sucked the dick straight out my ass" which made my whole body go rigid. Reyna's eyes got crazy wide, and we made brief eye contact before bursting into laughter. It made my nostrils sting, since the cold air was so sharp, but we calmed down and just started walking the perimeter of the house. Not quite in the woods, but still not fully in the light.