Chapter 28
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A Bit of Dessert
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Third Person P.O.V.
It was funny.
He could remember how much he wanted to hear the news, to hear she could finally move around. They'd finally be able to go to the library as they had planned for months. All those circled days on a makeshift calendar set up for long walks and stargazing. Picnics on a warm breezy day, basking in each other's presence.
Truthfully, he was the one who planned it all. Eager to get his best friend out into the world again. Though he kept that hidden from her, the calendar stashed under his bed. Coiny had anticipated this for far too long.
But with the news cracked open, he was nervous; anxious to the bone.
When he heard the words, he couldn't deny his joy, but with it came the crash of realization. There was a pause in his thought process, his smile fading as he stuck the puzzle pieces together.
If she had been walking for over a week, that would mean she could roam around the house whenever. Scratch that—she could keep up with his quickened pace.
The boy knew Pin was looking at him, a warm smile dressing her face as she awaited his response. He struggled to look back at her, his mind running and jumping to conclusions.
"Wait. You can walk?"
She nodded, once again reinforcing his thoughts. Worse, she could have—at some point—seen him leave. Though the chances were slim, it was still there. He didn't like it.
"F-For what? Two weeks," Coiny stuttered as he spoke, nervousness kicking in. He hated how his body tended to relax near Pin, never being able to get a good sense of hold of his emotions and feelings.
He tried his best to play it off, hoping he could ignore his thought. It was supposed to be good! This was good—no, great news! She was finally able to get the hang of something and that was impressive! She had struggled so badly to do so, but here he was, dismissing it.
The boy looked everywhere except towards her, moving around, trying to seem as nonchalant as he could.
He was happy for her—there wasn't a doubt about that—but he was letting his fears eat him alive. He sighed under his breath, slowly regaining control of his anxiety.
It hasn't happened. It doesn't matter. This is something to rejoice over, not look down on, he thought. Just think of anything other than this...
The copper-haired boy chuckled at the first thing to pop up to his head—Firey falling face first. Weird how that always seemed to work.
His head, now partially cleared, glanced back to Pin, tapping his index finger against his mouth. She was looking at him, clearly eager to see his reaction. He could feel his head go blank, trying to find a reaction to give her.
With a forced laugh, Coiny spoke. "That's great! That's really great!" He pulled her in for a hug, a nervous giggle leaving his lips as he did so.
He truly was happy for her. He'd be over the moon if it weren't for the terribly impeccable timing. Had it been earlier—later, once everything with Leafy was resolved—he would be ecstatic. Now all he felt was dread, all for a new liability in his acquaintanceship with the leaf girl. He didn't know what to say without letting his anxiety get in the way.
Pulling away from the hug, he tried overlooking his preoccupations. He could think about them later. Right then and there, Pin mattered. She was what mattered. Not him, not anything else. He gently punched Pin's shoulder, a grin forming on his face as he spoke. "So what's our chef cooking today, then?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"Oh."
He should have seen it coming, especially since she was getting the hang of things again. But it didn't bother him, seeing as he already had plans prepared for that day's dinner.
"Yeah, sorry. I haven't gone through any cookbooks, and I don't know what we have from the rations," Pin explained, pushing aside her hair.
"No, that's fine. I was going to make something sorta basic today. You can help, so it gets you back in the grove of cooking!"
His head couldn't stop thinking as he cooked with her beside him. The smile she'd give him, waiting for one in return. The words repeated as he ate, sinking in with every bite. He glanced at the girl, seeing her savor every bit of their dinner.
She can walk...
He wasn't sure what it meant. Despite the lingering feeling of knowing, he couldn't reach it. Maybe it was fear, as it always was, that kept him from thinking. Even if he had the idea set before him, it felt false.
Sitting in the armchair, he let his body ease into the crevasses as if trying to hide. It wasn't intentional, his mind kept trying to run the idea by his head.
She can walk, he thought. Pin could have seen me leave during the past two weeks...
He'd only gone to see Leafy twice; the first time, he'd gone after giving her the cans, a few days before GB called that meeting. The second time was his anxiety getting the best of him.
Either time, he hadn't checked his surroundings when leaving the house. It was only when he was out on the streets that he looked over his shoulders, fears heightened with every motion around him. He never did that in the house. He had his full trust in her—
No. He had trusted that she wouldn't be able to see him based on nothing. Leafy's words weren't helping him either.
"Just don't do anything dumb."
He'd done something dumb before she had said that. Augh!
"You still up for dessert?" The question caught him off guard, looking back at Pin, who had a plate of the pastries in hand.
He blinked. "Oh, yeah."
He picked one up, trying to keep cool as he sunk his teeth into the roll. Despite being at room temperature, he could taste the warmth of it, as if it had just finished baking. To say the least, it threw off his train of thought, the sweetness of it melting in his mouth. Between rushed bites, he spoke. "Wow, this is fantastic!"
Pin scoffed, setting her hand on her hip. "Figured you'd like them. You looked like you needed something sweet." Setting down the plate on the coffee table, she turned back to the kitchen, hesitating as she left.
She took only a few steps before looking back at him, words clearly wanting to be said. "Coiny," the gray-haired girl called, hushed between the faint steps she took toward him.
"Mhm?" He had already picked up another cinnamon roll, halfway through eating it.
A low chuckle escaped her, the sight being nothing more than comical. Even if hesitant, she finally gave in to the need to speak to him, the exhaustion in his eyes being her final push.
"I think you should sleep early tonight, you seem," she paused, "exhausted." She sat down on the couch before him, hoping to see him eye-to-eye. "I can clean for today. You look like you need it."
He took another bite of the roll, hearing her speak, trying to finish it as swiftly as possible. He swatched his hand across his shirt instinctively, forgetting he was wearing white.
"Woah, woah. I'm not exhausted, just tired. I've done this before, so I can do it again," he bragged.
She rolled her eyes at his response. "That's my issue. I want to help you, like all the times you've helped me."
Oh.
"It's the least I can do, even if it's for this one time," she muttered, audible enough for him to hear.
It really was funny.
He scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to respond. The words were there, but without a proper execution; he kept silent.
"I'll clean, alright?"
There wasn't much to say, so he simply nodded. "Fine. But just for today. It feels weird not having to do anything," he said with a huff. Although he had to admit, it was nice to be free of responsibilities for a night. Well, at least for the evening. He still had to meet up with...
Leafy.
He hadn't thought about it that far ahead. So much that he'd completely forgotten he was going to see her that night.
Coiny glanced behind him, seeing Pin beginning to clean the counters, setting the dirty dishes in the sink.
How in the world was he going to go see Leafy now? If she saw him gone one night, his entire charade would fall apart. Of course, he could say he took a midnight walk, but it was something he wasn't willing to pull off half-baked. He hadn't planned this far ahead, mostly out of thinking he still had time. Though it was quite clear to see he didn't. It had all slipped through the creases of his hands.
He sunk again into the armchair, pressing his hand against his forehead. There wasn't a proper way to go through with it. Even if there was, there was a risk, one that he was unsure to take. It would risk everything with Leafy. And his relationship with Pin. It would be in tatters seeing how she felt regarding the once green-haired girl.
He grumbled in frustration, his possibilities eroding before his eyes.
There was no way around it, nor through it or over it. The only way to play it safe would be to remain still—nonchalant until there was a signal—if he could even identify it.
Even if that meant not seeing Leafy.
A/N: Okay! I know this chapter is a tad bit shorter than the past few ones but, I think it's important to the story so there's that. :D
IM ECSTATIC FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! Because I've been writing this for the past 3 years (Wowzers!), we're actually going to hit the main point of this fanfic! If you wanna guess what it is, then do cause EEEEEE!!
Although truthfully, I can save it for Chapter 30 just so it feels more whole. Like Gatey said, "ya' know, whenever I see 25 minutes, I think, Why not 30 minutes, you know what I mean?"
But I also can't wait that long so we'll see. ._.
Also no art this chapter, even though I have the sketches of it ;-; My stylus's nib is getting dull so I need to replace it :P
Other than that, I can't wait to see you all next Chapter. Bye!!