Fireflies And Butterflies (ON HIATUS)

15║First Kiss

Staying alone for days in a particular place could make one run mad. If not for the presence of her dog, Czarina would have lost her mind and fought to find a way out of the bedroom. But she simply stayed put to be obedient, speaking to her friends through her phone or through video calls. Her uncle hadn't returned since that day and it seemed to be as a result of her mother becoming worse and keeping a closer watch on her. Whenever a servant brought her food, her mother was there to open the door to let them give her the food. That was how they did for each meal, the servant taking away the plates from the previous day the next morning. It was disgusting but her mother found nothing wrong with that.

Czarina was silently laying in bed alone one cold afternoon, neither sleeping nor resting. She was simply staring at the ceiling of her canopy bed. In her mind, she counted each star that twinkled, lighting her bed's roof. She tried to find a constellation in them but to no avail, and then she did it all over again. After the fifth time, she gave up and sluggishly sat up in the bed. Czarina let her eyes roam around the room, her eyes eventually landing on her dog's bed. She exhaled and lazily got out of bed.

"How long does it take to walk a dog?" she droned, scuffing to the window.

Czarina held the curtain aside and placed her face close to the shut windows. She watched as her breath fogged the window only to fade away as quick as it came. She clicked her tongue and gazed out the window. The sun was almost about to set, dusk slowly approaching. She watched the evening sky for a while before she dropped her gaze on the garden outside.

From her position, Czarina spotted her dog jumping about. Bruvver suddenly paused then looked towards a direction. Czarina traced her eyes to where he was looking at. Her heart began to beat faster as she spotted who Bruvver was looking at. A few steps away was Lulana. It was the first time in a long time that she had seen Lulana. Her breath stuttered and she blushed lightly. But then she lifted a brow.

"What's she doing?" From the looks of it, Lulana was beckoning for him to come closer so that they could leave. Czarina raised a brow as Bruvver ran to Lulana and she hooked his leash to his collar. "But she hadn't been the one I had told to take the dog for a walk." Her eyes followed them as they moved out of the garden and out of her line of sight. She frowned deeply. "Why is she with my dog?"

Czarina gritted her teeth as she left the curtain to fall back into its original position. She stepped away from the window and moved to her bathroom. When she opened the bathroom, she was met with an all-white room that made her wince. She shuffled to the sink and turned on the tap. While Czarina was splashing water on her face to wake herself up, she heard a knock.

Czarina huffed as she turned off the tap and collected a nearby towel to pat her face dry. After that she hurriedly threw the towel aside, balled  her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. She was exhaling and inhaling to calm her racing heart when she heard another series of knocks. She groaned through her gritted teeth.

"Who the freak is knocking on the door?" she spat as she stomped to the door, knowing fully well who it is. "Don't you remember that I'm on room arrest?" When she got to the door, she pressed her side into it and barked, "who are you and what the freak do you want?"

"It's me Miss, Lulana. I'm here to return your dog." A shiver ran through her at the sound of her voice.

Czarina frowned deeply. "Then freaking open the door yourself. Do I look like I'm with a key or keycard?" She stepped away from the door as see heard the sound of the door getting unlocked. When it moved open, her expression calmed when she noticed that her mother wasn't present. But then her face warmed up at the sight of Lulana's face. "Where the heck is my mother?" she asked as she quickly squatted to pet her dog's fur, using it as a safe excuse not to look at Lulana.

"Out of the house at the moment."

"With my father?"

"No. She went with the twins."

She frowned and looked up. "The twins? Why would she—oh." Her eyebrows flew up. "They needed a new toy right?"

"Yes."

Czarina hummed and moved her attention back to her dog. She looked up as Lulana was about to close the door. She quickly stood and said, "wait."

"Yes Miss? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes." Czarina folded her arms in a not so composed manner, readjusting her posture. "Does anybody know?" she asked, her voice sour, a scowl distorting features.

Lulana's eyebrows moved together just the slightest. "I don't understand Miss."

"I mean... Does anybody know that it's you?"

"Me? How?"

Czarina scoffed bitterly and locked her jaw. "Do I have to spell it out to you? What the hell?! I mean that does anybody know that it's you who I apparently like?" she hissed quietly through her teeth, her eyes trailing to the other Yumboes that were buzzing around the house before staring back at Lulana.

Lulana's expression turned blank. "No."

"No?" She scoffed and began to twirl a strand of her hair. Putting on a smug look, she cocked her hips and asked, "I thought you must have told your colleagues by now."

"Why would I have done such a thing?" Lulana asked in genuine confusion.

"You know... for clout." To Czarina's greatest surprise, Lulana held a finger under her nose and snorted softly, the faintest smile on her face. Czarina stopped moving and frowned in confusion. "What's funny?"

"The fact that you think that I'd do such an idiotic thing."

She huffed in anger. "How is it idiotic?"

"Because clout is for people who don't know who they are. Telling people you like me? What will I gain if I do that? An extra meal? Special treatment? My own room?" Lulana shook her head, her smile slipping away. She looked to the side and sighed. "If you'll excuse me Miss, I'll be—"

"How dare you?" Czarina hissed, causing Lulana to look at her with a lifted brow. Czarina was boiling in anger at what Lulana just said. "How dare you disrespect me?"

"I didn't disrespect you Miss. I just... said my mind," Lulana answered, her voice bland, her face blank.

Czarina pointed a finger at her. "How dare you say those things? You should even be grateful that someone like you can be liked by someone like me. You insolent slave. How dare you mock my importance?"

Lulana shook her head. "I didn't mock your importance, I simply spoke my mind. You're just angry that I hadn't done what others usually do. I don't use people to gain favour. And you're only angry because you're used to literally everyone using you to gain favour that it has got to an extent that you naturally expect that of them and want them to do it, and then you feel offended when they don't." She looked into Czarina's shocked and confused eyes and held onto the double doors. She bowed. "If you'll pardon me Miss, I'll take my leave now."

Czarina gaped at Lulana as she was dragging the double doors to shut them. When the doors were almost together, she grinded her teeth and frowned. Oh no you don't.

Czarina held the doors and threw them apart. Lulana was still trying to understand what was happening when she held the young woman's face and slammed her lips into hers. That close, she could feel Lulana's breath against her face, her breasts against hers, one racing heart against another. Lulana's lips were soft and full, and Czarina sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, causing the Yumboe's breath to stutter. It made Czarina's insides to twist in ecstasy. Lulana's eyes were wide in shock as Czarina leaned her face to the side, trying to get a better taste of Lulana's lips.

She tastes like peppermint, she thought. When Lulana was still unresponsive to the kiss, she dug her fingernails into her face. Come on! KISS ME BACK!  Lulana didn't and she still felt tears sting her eyes. It was only when she heard a sharp gasp did she jump away from the Yumboe.

"CZARINA!"

Author's Note: :') :') :') Poor Czarina. T_T My poor baby. T_T Please remember to vote.