~Noelina~
Ever since Raynor said that to me, I've been flustered almost all week. Just walking past each other in the hallway would lead to both of us having red faces and looking away from each other. We didn't talk much, especially when there were people around. I didn't know if anyone noticed our behaviours around each other.
I stood on the balcony in my room. The cool wind brought me to peace. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself down.
Much better. I sighed.
I took a folding fan and headed up to the roof.
~Raynor~
Noelle and I have avoided each other in the past week, and I haven't talked to her that much. Did I say it too early? Was the kiss on her hand too much? Well, her face was almost as red as a tomato so, probably. It's been a while since we've actually had a full on conversation.
I woke up on Saturday morning to do some early training, and headed for the roof, hearing footsteps as I headed up the stairs. Were they cleaning today? No, they don't start until nine thirty, and the roof was usually the last. So, why would there be someone up here? My question was answered as I opened the door and found Noelle.
She held a closed fan in her hand, and walked a few steps forward. She opened the fan and twirled it on her finger, taking a few steps back, while adding a hop in her step. While she danced, she sang a song, quietly but gracefully. I recognized the dance almost immediately.
"That dance," I said. "it's the traditional dance of the Province of Light."
Surprised, she jumped, dropping her fan on the floor. She picked it up, her face turning pink. The sight of her blushing probably made my face go pink too.
"Y-Yeah, it is." She said.
"So I see you're still into dancing." I said. "But just saying, singing and dancing at the same time can be really hard."
"I know." She said. "The dance is easy, so singing isn't so difficult."
"But why did you choose this dance?" I asked.
"I wanted to know more about this place, after all, I'm gonna live here for two years." She said. "The history of this place is really interesting, so after that I started with traditions and rituals. And then I found this dance."
"Wait, so all those times you walked down the hall, you were going to the library?"
"Y-Yeah."
I was surprised. I probably never even read those books. And now, Noelle probably knows more about my own home than I do.
"The dance was the first tradition I found. I tried learning it, and singing the song." She said. "It really calms you down."
"Well, I won't interrupt you." I said. "I'll just go practice somewhere else."
"No! You're not interrupting." She said. "You can still practice here if you want."
And so I walked to the other side of the roof. I tried not to get distracted by Noelle's dancing, but that clearly didn't happen. She did it almost perfectly, and the fact that she was singing along too distracted me sometimes.
"No," I said. "I can't do this, I have to practice somewhere else."
"No! It's seriously fine. You're not distracting me." She said.
"I just can't concentrate today." I said. "I'll just leave you to it."
"Then why don't you dance? It's really calming and it might relieve your stress."
Well, I wouldn't say it was stress that distracted me. "Oh, um, I don't really dance."
"C'mon! It'll be fun. I'll help you." She said. "You do know the boys traditional dance right?"
"Well, yes, but I've only danced it once or twice when I was around twelve-"
"Okay! Then we're all set." She said. I sighed.
"Okay, I'll start singing. One, two, three."
I tried my best to remember the dance. Noelle had been practicing the past few days, so she clearly knew her part better than I did. Even if I could barely follow along, dancing really calmed me down.
"I feel so much more relaxed now." I said. "Thanks."
"Told you it'd be fun." She replied. "Okay, I guess you can go back to your training- whoa!"
~Noelina~
Raynor suddenly took my hand and wrapped his other arm around my waist. Surprised, my face turned red.
"Why don't we keep going then?" He asked, grinning. I was embarrassed, but I smiled.
"If you really want to, sure."
We ballroom danced around the roof. We made mistakes and and ended up stepping on each other's feet, but we laughed. Raynor suddenly leaned close to my face, and I could feel his breath on my lips.
"Uh, Raynor..."
"Um, uh..."
We stayed in this position, both red in the face. I looked deep into his eyes, and could hear his heartbeat quicken. My heartbeat was faster as well, and I panicked inside, so surprised that I couldn't move. His face inched closer to mine, and I closed my eyes.
"Princess Noelina?"
One of the maids called, opening the door to the roof. Luckily, Raynor and I jumped away before she saw us, though both our faces were red.
"Y-Yes?!" I answered.
"Your grandmother is calling you." She said.
"Oh, okay I'll be right there." I said taking my fan and walking towards her. I turned around and bowed towards Raynor before leaving, and he waved back.
~Raynor~
W-What just happened?
What was that?!
I just made her more flustered!
What am I gonna do now?
I grabbed my staff and headed back inside.
~Noelina~
Breathe in, and let it out, I thought over and over again, watching the sunset. The thought of Raynor almost kissing me had made me feel flustered all day.
"Why don't we keep going then?"
No, no, no, no, no! I can't be thinking of it again!
But somehow, I can't stop it.
His warmth.
His kindness.
His sacrifices for my sake.
He is a big influence in my life, and he's definitely changed who I am as a person.
Who he was before,
And who he is now,
They're both still Raynor.
I looked at the rose he gave me a few days ago. I had put it in a vase by the window.
As I've thought...