Serendipity (Ryeji)

Confession

"Oh, god. Why did I knock?? I can't do this." Ryujin paces, thoughts running feral while mumbling them out loud to herself. Her body trembles, hands shake. "What was I thinking?? I should leave. I still have time. I— "

The door flings open and startles the blue-haired girl out of her panicked state. She swallows the lump in her throat, acknowledges the knots in her stomach. Her eyes trail upward, greeting an enchanting feline pair. One foot tells Ryujin to step forward whereas the latter advises her to turn around and run away.

She ignores the latter.

"C- Can I come in?"

"Uhm— " Ryujin was the last person Yeji expected to show up at her doorstep. She doesn't know what to say or how to react to this surprise visit, not after their tense encounter before this one, namely at the bowling alley. She's sure glad her mother isn't home, though, doesn't want to imagine what could've happened if she was.

Impulsively, before Yeji could invite her in or demand she leave, Ryujin takes the wide-open door as a silent offer and invites herself in. Seconds ago she was nearly scared enough to leave. Now, she couldn't postpone it any longer. She couldn't bear not asking for forgiveness when Yeji was clearly suffering on her behalf.

Done with her stalling, Ryujin hastily steps back, faces the very individual she often struggles to find the courage to talk to. "I want to talk about what happened, or what didn't happen, w- what almost happened, maybe what w- we wanted to happen, unless you feel different or— "

"Please slow down. You're making me anxious." Yeji pleads, her body stiff, and hands pressed together. She's nervous, convinced she felt a drop of sweat drizzle down her face, but most of all she needed answers, and it seems the person she craved it from was ready to provide them.

"I'm sorry... " Ryujin mumbles an apology, fingers stroking her blue hair back shakily. "Can we sit?"

Yeji nods, leads them to the living room. She decides to sit across from her friend on a separate couch, not certain if space was required, but the younger girl isn't content with that choice. Ryujin moves to her and shifts herself around on the available cushion beside Yeji until she feels comfortable, one leg bent in. The closeness makes her palms sweaty, but with pure silence around them, she was focused enough to get a good look at Yeji.

The last thing the brunette asked her for was the reason behind her jealousy. Rather than simply say the reason, she doesn't find the harm in flirting, not after her fellow athlete's encouraging words.

"This is random, and not really why I showed up in the first place, but... " Ryujin regrets not complimenting her whenever she has the chance, wants to tell her how beautiful she is, aches to feed her with endless praise, not just today, but quite literally any and every day. She lets out the breath she wasn't aware she held in and shares her thoughts, the words slipping off her tongue naturally. "You look beautiful."

"O- oh~ " Yeji blinks repetitively, cheeks puffed, extremely flustered. The compliment catches her by surprise, twists her stomach in ways she didn't believe were possible. Ryujin's not sure if she has seen her this red before. The pink tint grazing the surface of Yeji's skin made Yuna's words one hundred percent reliable.

"I really mean it."

"Shush." The athlete gets shoved lightly. Yeji's giggling is too cute of a sound, making Ryujin temporarily turn her head in hopes of lessening the jaw aching grin. Her heart excitedly beats faster, and she acknowledges how Yeji's shy reactions to her comments incite a curve on her own lips. They haven't done this in a while, which Ryujin knows is her own fault, but still. It's nice to talk normally, to openly speak the truth.