"Happy birthday Aidenn!" everyone shouted. They clapped as Aidenn blew at the lit candles that were perched on the cake that was in front of him.
Aidenn rubbed a finger under an eye, a shy smile on his face. "Thank you, all of you," he said, shyly keeping his gaze on his cake.
Roy pouted, scrunching his eyebrows. He was standing behind Aidenn, his arms wrapped around his shoulders. Despite Aidenn sitting down, his head was still reaching Leroy's shoulders so his husband didn't have to bend too much when he spoke to him. "Heeey. What about my own special thank you? I did more than one thing for you this morning, so I deserve a special thank you, especially for the special treatment that I'd given you this morning." Aidenn stiffened. Roy smirked as he added, "you know... the wake-up—"
Aidenn coughed into a fist and mumbled, "thank you for... the cake and the... other... stuff."
A few of the people around the huge dining table laughed before they all sat down. As for Ferdinand, he made a vomiting gesture, his face squeezed up. They began to dig into their food, some still keeping their eyes on Aidenn as he got special greetings from his nuclear family.
Jae stood and walked to her father. "Happy birthday Dad," she chimed, hugging his shoulders.
"Thank you Darling," he said, patting her hand. Jae let go and walked back to her seat.
Harlem also hugged his father, standing on the tips of his toes so that he could wrap his arms around Aidenn's neck. Aidenn leaned down so that Harlem could do that without stressing himself. "Happy birthday Daddy," he said to his father, pecking his cheek.
"Thanks Love," Aidenn said, returning the kiss. Harlem smiled brightly before he returned to his seat.
Aidenn exhaled softly, fiddling with Chevy's napkin. She was sat in his laps, babbling as she stared at the cake that was in front of her face. Her father smiled softly at her, but jolted slightly as Roy kissed his earlobe. Aidenn dropped his gaze, his face reddening a little. This made Roy snicker quietly.
"Happy birthday my very, very, very handsome husband," he said, playfully nuzzling his neck, moving his shoulders from side to side. "I wish you many more years to come."
"Thanks," Aidenn said with a small smile. Roy gave him a beautiful smile before he kissed his lips, cheek, and then his neck. Aidenn was a blushing mess when Roy finally let go of him. He returned to his seat that was beside Aidenn's.
Czarina couldn't keep her eyes off of them, finding them more interesting than her long forgotten food. Roy was smiling brightly as he pushed the small cake aside and started dishing food into Aidenn's plate. She smiled at them as Aidenn tried to pick up his spoon but Roy beat him to it, winking at him. She placed a hand over her mouth, snorting as Roy raised a spoonful of food and placed it in front of Aidenn's flustered face. Aidenn tried to move his face away but Roy held his chin and said, "ahh".
It was obvious that it wasn't only Czarina who found their actions funny because a few of the adults and older children had started chuckling. Aidenn pouted before he parted his lips and let Roy put the spoon in his mouth. In that split second, they locked eyes, silently communicating with their eyes that were heavy with love. The couple seemed to be lost in each other's gaze, staring so intently at each other that they didn't notice when Chevy began stretching her hands towards the cake. It was when she babbled, "Nyo!" that her fathers started, dropping their gazes on her.
"What is it baby?"Aidenn asked in a soft voice, Chevy's babbling attracting eyes.
Chevy pointed at the cake. She raised her head to look up at her father, a big pout on her face.
Aidenn blinked in surprise before he smiled. "Don't worry. You'll get some," he said, caressing her cheek.
The baby girl smiled and clapped her hands, making some people chuckle. Aidenn's chuckle slowly slipped away when Roy winked at him. The Black man blushed, moving his gaze to the table.
Czarina smiled, their raw show of affection warming her heart. I want that.
━━━━━━━
Czarina was taking her dog for a walk when she bumped into Lulana in the hallway that led to the garden. "Um..." Her heartbeat quickened. Her gaze quickly dropped. She couldn't find it in her to stare into Lulana's eyes, not after the way Lulana had reacted that day, especially since it kept her up at night in ways that she couldn't phantom. She rubbed the back of her neck, her face slowly heating up. "Um... Thanks for standing up for me... the other day."
"You're welcome Miss," Lulana said after staying silent for a while. When Czarina wasn't moving out of her way, she kindly asked, " could you please move out of my way Miss?"
"Oh!" She stepped aside and stared at Lulana as she walked past her, the gardening tools in her hands rattling.
Czarina watched her back as she left, her pink cheeks as warm as the morning sun. When she couldn't see her again, she groaned softly, snapping back into concentration. This caught the attention of her dog and he looked up at her. She heaved a sigh. "It's like she's playing mind games with me," she whispered. Bruvver whimpered, nudging her leg with his nose. "Come on," she sighed, pulling him along as she walked into the garden.
Czarina's attention was immediately drawn towards where the children were playing, her eyes resting on them. It was the young sons of the aristocrats and they were playing football in the little field that was by the garden. Harlem was the first to notice her. His attention was taken away from the game when his gaze fell on her dog. The young boy totally forgot about the game, rushing to her. This caused the other children to stop and stare. When they saw what that had caught his attention, they left the game they were playing, leaving her younger brothers behind, a small frown their faces.
"Woooow! I've never seen your dog before!" Harlem said as he inched closer.
She smiled. "That's because I rarely get the time to take him out for a walk."
He looked at her. "Can I pet him?" he asked, already reaching out a hand.
"Of course." Czarina observed him as he slowly reached out a hand, careful in case her dog decided to bite him. But her dog didn't; he simply sniffed his hand before he licked it.
"Wow! What a lovely dog!" Yann, one of Mamadou's son, said in awe. He went straight for the kill and caressed her dog's fur, roughly running his fingers through Bruvver's fur. Her dog growled lowly before he licked his face. He giggled and looked at his twin brother. "Why don't you pet him Kossi? Go on."
Kossi, the smaller of the twins, raised a hand but squeaked and hid behind his brother when Bruvver barked.
"Touch it," Yann said, trying to pull his brother from behind himself.
"Mm-mmm," he said as he shook his head, his cheeks turning a light red, making his golden-brown skin darken.
Deniz, Ömer's son, placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward. He frowned at the dog before he huffed and straightened up. "It won't bite," he said, holding out a hand to Kossi. Kossi shook his head. This made Deniz roll his eyes. He forcefully took one of Kossi's hands and dragged him closer to the dog. Bruvver merely sniffed their hands when Deniz held Kossi's shaking hand over his head. Czarina snorted in amusement as Kossi visibly relaxed when Deniz placed their hands on Bruvver's head, his hand on top of Kossi's hand. Deniz gave Kossi a toothy grin. "See?"
Czarina watched the young boys in silence as they petted her dog. She raised her head when she heard fast approaching footsteps. It was her twin brothers and they weren't looking happy. She smirked at them when they were close enough.
"Why are you playing with that ugly dog?" Rex asked, tossing the football he was holding from one hand to another.
Harlem looked at him, his eyebrows pinching together. "You're just jelly because you don't have one."
"That's a stupid thing to say. Why would he be jealous of her?" Rey said, pointing at Czarina without even looking at her.
Czarina narrowed her eyes and glared at him. She was going to say something mean to him but swallowed her words when Harlem looked at her with puppy eyes.
"Can you please allow us to play with him?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in a pleading manner. She raised a brow.
"Please?" Yann and Deniz said, mimicking his actions and expression. Kossi stared at them with dull eyes.
Czarina held her waist, smugly looking at her brothers through the corner of her eyes. "Okay." They were about to pull the dog with them but she raised a finger and shook it. "No fighting okay?"
"Okay," they said, clearly fighting for who would hold onto Bruvver's leash.
She sighed and leaned forward so that she could remove Bruvver's collar. When it was off, the dog stretched before bolting towards the field. The boys squealed and ran after him, yelling for him to stop.
"Hey! Come back!" Rey said, running after his friends.
Rex huffed and stomped a foot. "You always know how to ruin our fun times," he said as he frowned at her.
Czarina stuck out her tongue at him. He puffed his cheeks in annoyance, running away to join the rest. Czarina folded her dog's leash, slowly walking towards the children's position. She was a few steps away from the field when she heard a pair of deep laughs. She looked towards the direction of the source of the sound. The owners of the laughs were the Nosferatu couple. They were sat in the pavilion that was in the garden. She moved to the side to get a better view of them, squatting behind a rose bush to conceal herself.
Aidenn was sitting in a bench, a book in his hands. Roy was standing behind him, massaging his shoulders; it looked comical though because he had to stand on the tips of his toes so that he could be able to properly massage his shoulders. Czarina snorted at the scene, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Luckily for her, her position wasn't easily detectable, their backs fully turned to her.
They kept on laughing until Aidenn suddenly stopped and looked at Roy. "Don't you have work to do?" From where she was, Czarina saw him frown playfully at his husband.
"Yes I do. But before anything or anyone else, you come first."
"But—"
"Babe it's you first, then work later," he said, pausing his hand movements.
Aidenn sighed, turning back to his book. "Okay. But have you showered?"
"No," he said with a voice that sounded like a kid's, shaking his head as if he were a toddler.
Aidenn looked at him again. From where she was, Czarina saw him blink twice, his face straight. "Why?"
"Because you haven't," Roy said, shrugging as if it was normal. "Actually, I wanted us to shower together. Remember what I told you, today, you're not doing anything by yourself."
"And what if I want to poop?" Aidenn asked.
Roy stiffened, but then his shoulders relaxed. He brought his face closer to Aidenn's and gave him a flirtatious look. "Don't even think about that," he said in a husky tone and kissed Aidenn's lips, parting their lips with a smacking sound.
Aidenn rolled his eyes. He went back to reading his book, squirming a little when Roy put more pressure into his hands as he continued massaging his shoulders.
Czarina turned her face towards where her dog was but looked back at the couple when Aidenn spoke again.
"Oh, before I forget. You remember that I always visit my mother's grave on this day right?" he said, gazing at Roy.
"Mm-hmm," he answered, playing with Aidenn's long, curly brown hair that had been bundled up into a messy, low bun.
"Will you follow me to her grave?"
"Of course, Babe." He smirked in a michevious manner. "I want to tell my mother-in-law how her little boy has turned fifty and wants me—his hubby—to stop calling him babe because he's a grown man now."
Aidenn he heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "I'm not even going to respond to that."
"Touché." He pressed his cheek against his husband's head, tightening the arms he had around Aidenn's shoulders. "I can't believe you're already fifty."
"Nobody is going to believe I'm fifty, with the way you force me to dye my hair to hide my aged locks," he said tiredly.
"Boo-hoo. Blame that on your muscles and tattoos, and not my very wonderful idea."
Aidenn peered over his shoulder and smiled at Roy. He reached up and placed his hand on Roy's cheek. "You don't even encourage me to get angry at you."
"Sorry, not sorry, but I'm not into spanking and the likes," he said in a tight voice, any evidence of emotion in his voice fading away. "Already got enough of that from my parents."
Without a second to waste, Aidenn shut his book. He placed it aside and patted his laps. Roy stared at it for a while before he rushed around the bench and dropped into his laps. Then they remained that way, arms wrapped around each other, silently enjoying each other's company.
Czarina smiled as she returned her eyes to her dog. She wrapped her arms around herself as she lifted her eyes to the clear, blue sky. I wish Lulana and I were like that. I wish she'd give me one more chance to show myself. I wish we'd love each other dearly and grow old together. She snorted. Well... mostly me.
Czarina frowned and then mumbled, "I want to know why their love is still the way it is, full of love and happiness."
━━━━━━━
While she waited for her uncle and his family to return since they left the mansion, she lazed about, trying to occupy herself. When they returned, it was already dark outside, and she had already had dinner and also showered. Czarina gave them a few minutes to themselves before she left her room and went to theirs, her steps rushed. She had to take the lift to get to their room. When she got out of the lift, she jammed into Jae.
"Woah! Hi Czarina," Jae said with a grin, balancing the items that nearly slipped out of her arms.
"Hi Jae." She pointed down the hallway, impatiently moving from one foot to another. "Um... are your parents in their room?"
"Yes they are." She cocked her head. "Is there a problem? You kind of look... um... stressed."
Czarina placed her hands on her cheeks. She heaved a sigh, dropping her hands. "It's nothing. I just... need to iron out my emotions that are all over the place."
"Oh, okay." She continued her journey down the other side of the hallway. She suddenly stopped and turned around. "Congratulations by the way."
"Thank you." Jae nodded at her before she continued walking. Czarina gazed at her until she walked into one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind her. When she was finally alone in the quiet hallway, Czarina smacked her cheeks. "Be confident," she whispered to herself, dragging her hands down her face.
As she walked, Czarina looked at all the boards that were hung on the doorknobs, reading the names that were written on them. When she found the right one, she stopped in front of it. She inhaled a long breath and slowly released it, trying to calm herself down. Clenching and unclenching her hands, Czarina moved closer to the brown double doors. She held her breath as she rang the doorbell that was beside the door. Czarina waited for a while but got no response. It was only the sound of the doorbell that she heard when she rang it again. She moved closer to press her ear against the door. She jumped away from the doors when they flew open.
It was Aidenn that opened the double doors. He was struggling to tie the ropes of the bathrobe he was putting on. Water was rolling down his face and arms, a towel covering his damp hair. Hastily drying his hair, he asked, "oh, Czarina. What brings you here?"
Czarina could only open and shut her mouth as if she were a fish out of water. Her eyes were glued on the necklace he was putting on. It was a silver chain necklace, its pendant a silver crucifix.
Aidenn raised a brow and stepped to the side. "Come in. From the look on your face, I'm guessing you want to talk to me."
Czarina's eyes widened. She swallowed her spit, slowly stepping into the room. She was hit at once by natural air that danced through the room; it wasn't too cold or too hot. "How did you know that I wanted to actually talk? You can't just tell that by looking at me?" she asked, moving her gaze to the large windows that were open, the curtains pulled aside.
"I'm a father, it just comes naturally," he said as he shut the doors. He gestured towards one of the chairs that were around a table that was in the corner of the room. "Take a seat."
Czarina fidgeted with her hands as she walked slowly to the chair and sat in it. She pressed her hands into her laps, looking at her uncle as he stepped to the table and sat in the chair that was in front of hers. Roy and Chevy weren't in the room so she concluded that they were in the bathroom due to the sound that was coming from the bathroom.
"So," Aidenn started, placing his arms on the round table, leaving the towel on his hair. "What do you want to talk about?"
Czarina downcasted her gaze, staring at the table. She stayed quiet for a few seconds before she heaved a sigh and answered. "It's about my... my feelings. It's about the feelings that I have... for... Lulana," she said softly, whispering Lulana's name.
Aidenn hummed. "Your feelings as in...? Is it that you're unsure about your feelings or you're afraid that it's getting you nowhere? Which is it?"
"Both."
"I see." She heard as Aidenn heaved a sigh. "This uncertainty, is it due to the fact that you habour these feelings for someone like her or something else?"
"It's something else, but mostly because she's a Yumboe. I've confessed to her twice and she'd rejected me."
Aidenn stayed silent for some seconds. "I'm guessing that she rejected you either because you're human"—she flinched—"or because she's a Yumboe, and you're the daughter of her master."
Czarina swiftly raised her head. "But that doesn't—"
"Or maybe she's also finding it difficult to come to terms with her own feelings."
Czarina frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Aidenn scratched his stubble. "I'm pretty close with Felid so he tells me stuff. He told me how the other day Cheshire had been talking passionately about how Lulana had protected you from Vladimir and his friends." She blushed, dropping her gaze; Aidenn smiled at that, humming lowly. "A Yumboe, a Yumboe who's a servant, just doesn't easily stand up to people, talk less of the son of their masters. He also told me how Cheshire had said that Lulana had stayed quiet after that, not wanting to talk to Cheshire or even move a muscle till you guys had left his restaurant. He had said that Cheshire had felt her feelings, only to find out that she was in conflict with herself." Now this made Czarina slowly lift her gaze, blinking in surprise.
Aidenn paused, heaved a sigh, and then continued talking. "I believe... she is also trying to sort out her own feelings. It's weird for Yumboes to harbour feelings for humans Felid had said. He's speaking from experience given that he was married to a Yumboe himself. So... just give it time. Don't push her. Maybe, if you tried to... act natural with her, she'll see your feelings as genuine ones and accept hers. Is that okay with you?"
Czarina digested his words before she mumbled, "yes."
"Good. Now... about the other one. About your feelings not taking you anywhere. I believe if you also give it time, you'll find out that it's a genuine one."
She raised her head. "But what if it's too late and I find out that it had all been a silly crush, what will I do then?"
Aidenn folded his arms atop the table, gazing at her face. "Well... you—"
Aidenn stopped talking as the bathroom's door was flung open in the noisiest way ever. Roy walked out, their babbling baby in his arms. A towel was wrapped around his waist and all his attention was on Chevy, unaware of Czarina's presence. He stared towards their direction when Aidenn coughed loudly.
When Roy noticed Czarina, he smiled lopsidedly. "Czarina? What are you doing here?" he asked as he walked to the bed.
"I came here to speak with uncle."
Roy hummed and laid Chevy on the bed. He began to wipe her wet body clean using the towel wrapped around her.
Aidenn cleared his throat. "Um... Roy? Could you like... put on a bathrobe?"
"No," he answered curtly, moving to dress Chevy with the baby cloths that has been laid carefully on the bed. "You know I never, ever put on a bathrobe."
"But... Czarina's here," Aidenn said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Roy looked at Czarina. "Is my nude torso bothering you?" he questioned softly, gesturing at his torso with his prosthetic arm. Water was running down his fair skin, riding the little waves that were his muscles.
Czarina shook her heard and laughed lightly when Aidenn sighed, palming his face when Roy stuck out his tongue at him, even though he wasn't facing him.
"Just pretend that I'm not here."
Aidenn shook his head. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I apologize if he made you uncomfortable."
"No worries."
"Great." He slowly pulled off the towel on his head. He placed the towel to the side, returning his attention back to Czarina. "Now, back to what I was saying. Um... You asked if your emotions was just for naught and you'll later realize that you'd wasted your time, right?" She nodded. "You know, you just reminded me about myself. I'd questioned my feelings for Roy. In the end, we learned to sort out our feelings, although it took years, very painful years. Sometimes it's better to take things slowly, one step after another."
"Okay, I understand," she said softly, nodding.
"Is that all?"
Czarina swiftly shook her head. She rubbed the back of her neck, her face becoming warm with embarrassment. "Um... I... have more questions. Intimate... ones." She laid her gaze on the table, her eyes slowly widening.
"Oh? What is it?" Aidenn rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes trailing to Roy. Roy had finished dressing Chevy and was carrying her about, rubbing her back. "I hope... it isn't too embarrassing?"
"No! Uh... if you find any question uncomfortable, you can... you can decide not to answer them." Aidenn dipped his head and she exhaled. Czarina hung her head in shyness. "Uh... in a same-sex relationship, who... who is usually the dominant one during... during... sex?" she asked, whispering the last word, her face growing hotter, if that was even possible seeing as her face was as red as a tomato that was fresh out of the farm.
Aidenn sputtered. "W-well... that's... that's very... straightforward. Uhhh... Ummmm... Uhhhhh—"
"It doesn't matter who ends up being the dominant one or the submissive one," Roy suddenly said, moving closer to them.
Aidenn's head snapped back to look at him. "Um... Roy... you speaking isn't necessary."
Roy stuck out his tongue at him. Aidenn gritted his teeth and puffed his cheeks that were flushed. Roy rolled his eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying." Aidenn flinched and he smirked. "It doesn't matter who's the top, bottom, dominant, or submissive. Let's take Aidenn and I's relationship as an example. He's the top, I'm the bottom... but he's not the dominant one." He smirked at Czarina when she suddenly looked up with a "Huh?!" look on her face.
"Oh Dear God," Aidenn whispered, a hand over his mouth, his face turned away.
"Who do you think is the dominant one in a same-sex relationship?" Roy asked, rubbing Chevy's back.
"Uh... the one who takes control in bed?" she said, shrugging.
"Correct." Roy nodded, a certain shine in his eyes. "Well that's how it is with us. Don't let all his tattoos that he used to... decorate his arm... and his titanic figure deceive you, he's a mush in bed." He paused then shrugged. "Well it can, seeing as his tattoos are made up of stuffs from the Bible and the likes."
"Roy."
"Shut up. You're too shy to say anything, let me talk." Aidenn frowned at him in warning. Roy winked and blew him a kiss in return. "Anyway, I may be the bottom, but I'm not the submissive one. It doesn't have to be a certain way, it could change depending on certain situations. In the presence of love, there's nothing like superiority. It's the same with heterosexual relationships."
Her eyebrows went up. "Really?"
"Yes. You could ask your—"
"I think that's enough Roy." Aidenn hastily stood and slammed a hand over his mouth. He clicked his tongue and whispered something to him. Roy rolled his eyes and he dropped his hand. Aidenn placed a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. He looked at Czarina. "Um... as he said... it doesn't matter."
"But I'm scared. What if... I make the wrong decision and—"
"Czarina?"
She heaved a sigh, raising her head to stare at the couple. "Yes?"
"It doesn't matter," Aidenn said with a smile.
She twiddled her thumbs as she placed her hands on the table, her eyes sliding to the side. "But... I need some kind of reassurance and clarification. I..."
Aidenn suspired. "You could ask Prim and Casey since they share a similar... relationship?" He huffed and added, "I don't know, maybe ask them."
Czarina smiled at him. "Okay." She stood. "Thanks Uncle. Thanks Roy. I'll be leaving now, sorry to bother you."
"You're welcome," Roy said.
She nodded, moving to the door.
"Czarina?"
She stopped and peered over her shoulder. She stared at her uncle. "Yes?"
"If you want to ask questions... mince some words please because... they have... a not so bright past," Aidenn said softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Czarina nodded and opened the door. She shut the doors behind her. A huge sigh escaped as she placed a hand on her chest. "I thought that I was going to have to hear how my parents—" She cut herself short as she shuddered.
Czarina dropped her hand, sighed and began to search for the other couple's room. It didn't take long before she found it when she stepped into the next hallway. From the other side of the closed doors, the sound of giggles could be heard. She could also hear the sound of something being played on the television. She gulped as she knocked on the door. It didn't take up to six seconds and one of the doors was opened, revealing Prim. Prim raised a pencilled eyebrow, resting against the door, her red lips curled into a smile.
"Oh my goodness Czarina! What are you doing here?" she said, stepping to the side.
"I... I came to talk with you... you and your wife."
"Really? Well come on in?" Czarina walked into the room. The room's air-conditioner was turned on, explaining the silent reason why Prim's twin toddlers were wrapped up like sausages. "Felicity, Felix, look who's here." The twins looked away from the cartoon they were watching and stared at their mother. "Come say hi," she said, motioning for them to come closer.
Awwn, Czarina thought as the twins wiggled their way down the couch they were sat in and shuffled towards their mother.
They stopped beside their mother and raised their gazes to look at Czarina. The both of them had Prim's pale complexion and wavy strawberry blonde hair. Their only facial difference was the colour of their eyes; Felix's own matched Prim's pale blue eyes, while Felicity had deep green eyes.
Prim picked them up and sat them on her waist. "Guys, this is Czarina. Say hi."
The two of them waved at her and she waved back. "Hello."
"Come on. Let's take a seat," Prim said as she turned towards the couch.
Czarina followed her to the couch and sat beside her. Prim sat the twins on her other side and their attention was instantly grabbed by the cartoon.
"So," Prim said, tying the ropes of her sheer nightwear robe. "What do you want to talk about?" She crossed her legs and smiled at Czarina. "Is it bad?"
"No, no, no," Czarina said, lightly waving her hands and shaking her head.
Prim dramatically placed a hand on her chest and rolled her eyes. "Phew! I'd thought something bad had happened."
Czarina laughed awkwardly. "Uh..." She scratched the back of her head and gazed at her laps. "I came here to ask... for advice from you and Casey, seeing as you guys are... are um—"
"Lesbians?"
Czarina exhaled. "Yes."
She stared at Prim when the lady heaved a short, sharp sigh. She flipped her hair over a shoulder and gave Czarina a small smile. "Before that, I'd like to say something. From the way you were sounding, it seems like you haven't come to like... terms with who you are." Czarina dropped her gaze. She looked up when Prim placed a hand on her hand. "But I understand that, judging by the way your mother reacted to your not so smooth coming out, I believe you're still trying to accept that you're out and open." Czarina nodded and she nodded back.
Prim sighed and moved her gaze to the television. "What sort of advice do you need?"
"I don't know? All of it?"
"All of it?" She raised a brow at Czarina, her deep red lips raising to form a sneaky smile. "You want to hear all of it? Are you so sure about that?"
Czarina nodded in a broken manner.
Prim placed her hands together and clicked her long, red, acrylic nails against one another. "Well, I guess it's a great thing that I still remember my ear—" She pressed her lips together and stopped talking. Prim's shoulders fell, and so did her eyes. She heaved a sigh and dropped her hands. "My early years." She hummed and looked up. "Well, you said all the sorts of advice. And all the advice I can give you is that you should follow your heart, as cliche as that sounds."
Czarina frowned. "But... I was—"
"Expecting something fancy?" She suspired and rubbed her eyes. "I'm really not the best one to give advices but if I can tell you one thing, I'll tell you never to doubt your feelings. People may say that it's an obsession, or a phase, or some sort of infatuation, but..." She sighed and blinked. "But... don't ever doubt the feelings of a person who is ready to lose it all for you. That's all I can say."
Czarina puckered her lips. "That... wasn't the advice I had been expecting."
"I can give you another." Prim rubbed her neck and looked aside. "You know, anyone who usually is attracted to someone of the same gender, be it a lesbian or a pansexual, it is often thought that they always choose to be attracted to someone of the same gender." She flinched as she muttered, "I had made a very bad choice in the past and I hadn't payed for it. Casey hadn't made that choice but she had..." She swallowed and looked at Czarina. She quickly leaned forward and held her hands. She squeezed it tightly. Suddenly, she didn't look her age again, drifting in between old and young. "Czarina never ever try to make the mistake of choosing the words of others over the words of your head and heart, or the one whom you love with all your heart is going to pay dearly for it. Do you understand?"
Czarina nodded. She frowned in concern when she noticed tears in Prim's eyes. "You're crying."
Prim chuckled lightly as she unhanded her and wiped her tears with her fingers. "Oh my gosh," she said as she fanned her face with her hands. "I didn't expect myself to act like this. Memories do bring back memories, and the not so lovely ones." Prim cleared her throat and stared at her legs. "I hope my answer wasn't too far from what you wanted to hear."
"No. I... had been expecting way worse."
Prim hummed and rubbed her hands together. "Wonderful. I hope my words without the tears are of use to you."
"They will be." She stood and Prim looked at her. She smiled at Prim. "I'll be taking my leave now. Thanks for your advice."
"You're welcome." She patted her children's heads. "Say bye-bye."
"Bai-bai," they squealed, waving at her.
Czarina waved at the children as she went to the door. She opened the door and came face to face with Casey.
Casey's eyebrows flew up. "Oh... Um... Czarina... what... what are you doing here? I—"
"I just came to talk with Prim," she said, pointing a thumb behind her.
"Oh! Really?" she said, using a fist to push up her gigantic glasses as she tried to balance the books in her hands. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened Love," Prim answered for Czarina. She moved past Czarina and helped Casey with the books, taking some of them out of her hands. "She was just leaving."
"Really?" She smiled at Czarina. "In that case, goodnight." She waved at Czarina as they walked into the room and Czarina walked into the hallway.
They shut the door and Czarina held an arm, the hallway's chilly air making her cold.
"That was... weird." She sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Will I have to face harsh challenges before I find true love?" She sighed again. "I guess the only true love is the one that has stood against the test of time." Czarina smiled and returned to her room, taking their words of advice with her, hoping that it will guide her decisions.
Author's Note: hi. Sorry this update came late. Was sick and drained to the core. I hope to add another update in the next two days or so. So... :) How was this chapter? How did you guys find this little pick into our queer couples' past? I'm hoping to write a story about their past one day. Would you guys like that? Well, drop your thoughts in the comment section. Also, remember to leave a vote. Thank you!!