120 Rhapsody In Spring (2/2)
After all, he'd never dated anyone before, let alone fallen in love with someone.
To him, dating had been more of a struggle than manipulating Anima in comparison. Reed had quickly learned that being able to reshape reality and the laws of the universe meant little when it came to the matters of the heart.
Some almighty God he'd been, given how he had acted when he confessed to her. Sputtering out words like a broken record; palms sweatier than a man lost in the desert; not even properly looking at her the whole time…
AAAAHHHH! Stop, stop!!! Mercy, O brain of mine! Be silent for a moment!
The hovercraft swerved over the vibrant grasslands again, this time even more precariously than the last as if it had been possessed by some nefarious demon or spirit.
Fortunately, few people ever ventured out into the remote countryside where Cem-Elle was located, so air traffic was virtually nonexistent — a great boon for the dangerous driver heading toward the little town…
\”What's the matter with you?!\” said Lu'um, clearly annoyed by Reed and his sudden emotional outbursts. \”Have you forgotten how to drive or are you actually trying to kill us both?!\”
She hadn't been the brightest of moods, especially after they'd left Mardeimus earlier than anticipated. Reed had been a little glum about it too, but not nearly as much as his beloved.
\”M-My bad,\” Reed said, \”Listen, we'll go back some other time so don't be like that, okay? It's not as if the city's going anywhere, right?\”
It wasn't as if Lu'um was actually angry at Reed; If anything, she was simply frustrated with herself. Had she taken care of the hidden base on the Verdant Tear at the end of their vacation, they would have never had to cut their trip short in the first place.
Why didn't I think about this before?!! How could I have missed something like that?!! Things were getting really good, too!
AAAHHH, FUCK!
The girl cursed herself in her mind, for she could not vocalize the vulgarities in the open. That was how deep her noblewoman education had been inscribed upon her.
For the longest, she had not even known what curse words were until a certain boy had unwittingly taught them to her and influenced her on the inside…
Princess on the outside; Wild child on the inside.
That was how she'd grown up, and only those who were closest to her knew what she was really like. They were the only ones who were allowed glimpses past the 'princess mask' she always wore for the public…
Reed smiled when he saw her brooding frown and said, \”…You wanna know what I was thinking about when I, well, lost control of the car?\”
\”...What was it,\” said Lu'um, staring out into the dancing, swaying grassland in the wind.
\”Death and Love in Paradiso. When we went out to see it at the old Williams' Theater. I remembered that... stupid scene when 'I' held 'you' up on the bow of the battleship,\” said Reed.
The effects were almost immediate when Reed spilled out his embarrassing guts to her. When a small, amused smile broke out on her lips, Reed knew that he had gotten her. That he'd hit a proverbial home run, so to speak…
\”It's been a while since we've seen it, right? Why don't we have ourselves a little movie date and re-watch it once we get home? …I'll try not to fall asleep this time, too.\”
\”...Promise?\”
Reed grinned and said, \”For you? Anything.\”
Nowadays, he was getting better at the whole boyfriend thing. He had grown up and then some. A thing of past were the days when he had wielded the sword.
He was more of an explorer now; Out on much a larger journey than he could have ever envisioned before he had taken the mysterious shadow's deal that night. Greater than the stories of dragons, swords, and beautiful maidens he'd idolized in his childhood.
The little boy from the slums had finally stepped out his shell, and taken a step forward in his life…
But if Reed had to explain what had happened to him, he'd say that…
He had, to put it simply as possible, gone to see about a girl.
[1] Check the comments section for a little treat about this and find my post, haha...