Project: Socialize (Chapters 1-197)

151. Departure

The sound of fabric rubbing against other fabric rose me from my slumber. At first it felt like it was simply a dream, so I groaned and rolled over to my side and continued to sleep. My consciousness was still clouded as I was teetering between being fully awake and asleep. It was the sweet scent that lingered about in the direction that my nose was facing that stirred me from my slumber.

I opened my eyes, blinked a few times as I stared at the empty pillow beside mine. Slowly, I recalled the situation of how Luna had stayed the night and slept on the same bed as me. I rubbed my eyes and turned my body to the other side to face the interior of my room. There, Luna was slipping her arms through the sleeves of her own shirt while with her back turned towards me. Then, she turned around to grab her woolen sweater, and since she did not button up her shirt yet, her chest and stomach wasn't entirely covered as merely the two flaps of her shirt hanging down and covering the sides yet leaving the middle completely exposed. I blushed as my eyes were captivated by the little part of her white bra that was exposed as well as her lean stomach and belly button.

"You're awake?" Luna appeared somewhat surprised as she stared into my embarrassed eyes, but she made no attempt at covering herself up. Rather, she smiled pleasantly as she greeted me. "Good morning."

"G-good morning..." I muttered in response as my eyes followed her as she grabbed her woolen sweater before finally starting to finish buttoning up her shirt. My eyes slowly drifted over to my phone that was standing on the wireless charging stand to check the time that was on display. It was still early at 5:30 A.M. 

"It's still pretty early," Luna said in a soft and calming voice as she continued to dress herself in the clothing she had worn yesterday. "So you can go back to sleep if you want."

"It's fine," I rubbed my eyes and yawned as I sat up on my bed while grabbing my warm bed covers tightly close to my chest. "I'm already awake anyways."

"Sorry for waking you," Luna apologized as she grabbed her phone and started swiping through it. 

"It's fine," I yawned once again. "Why'd you wake this early?"

"The earlier I leave, the less chance that someone will see me," she responded and smiled in my direction."That way, it won't cause any trouble."

Trouble for her or for me? That question I was unable to bring myself to ask her as I lacked that courage, just like how I now lacked the courage to continue the topic from last night. Come to think of it, I still did not finish answering her question about my future plans.

It looks like I'll have to find another opportunity... I sighed.

She soon finished dressing and after I lingered about for a bit longer in the warmth and coziness of my bed covers, I forced myself up from my bed as well. Since I was wearing sweatpants, it wasn't really that cold for my legs. However, since the t-shirt I wore to bed was fairly thin and the air conditioner wasn't on yet, it was extremely cold as the interior temperature was low in this winter morning. Therefore, I walked over to my cabinet, grabbed a hoodie, and wore it before I turned on the heater using my phone to control the central heating unit. Palisia is located fairly north, well... it is north enough that it snows in the winter.

I walked over to the living room, yawning once again as I turned on the television. I sat down limp on the couch and simply went through the many different channels in search of something interesting. It was kinda hard since it was so early in the morning, but I managed to find a replay of an interview of Emperor Leshius VII and chose to watch that as Luna brushed her teeth.

"What're your thoughts on foreigners in Vilheim talking foully about the empire on the internet while working Vilhemian jobs?" the interviewer asked.