"All right." Nozomi gives Eli's shoulder a soft squeeze of reassurance. "I like what you had in the beginning. Why don't we do it the same up until the end of the first chorus, and then see what we can come up with?"
With Eli's approval, she turns to Rin. "Rin-chan!"
"Right!" The girl hops over to the music player, and excitedly slams 'play'.
Nozomi draws in a breath, and the song begins again. Her heart's beating noticeably louder in her chest this time, even as they retrace the same well-practiced movements of before. Even though she was the one to suggest this, she can't help the nervous flutter in her stomach as, halfway through the third verse, she begins walking towards Eli. Step by step, the distance between them closes. Nozomi keeps the smile firmly on her face, even as she swallows.
They don't touch yet. Nozomi finds that she's almost a little scared to. Instead, she circles around Eli, twintails fluttering behind her with the motion -- and a small knot loosens in her chest as Eli follows suit. They slip into it with surprising ease, drawing swirling patterns around each other with a natural harmony to them. When Nozomi holds out a hand, Eli does the same, and the tips of their fingers brush together -- just briefly.
The spiraling path drawn by their feet first leads them farther apart, and then closer than the dance ever allowed. Closer, even, than they've been this past month, ever since Nozomi's confession. She feels her throat tighten as the music begins to slow.
Eli's voice croons from the speakers: 'As we drift to sleep in our private flower garden...'
Maybe they can't ever really go back to being friends the way they used to. They certainly won't ever become something like what Nozomi sees in her idle daydreams. But this is just a song; it's an act, it means nothing. So maybe, just for now, this is fine.
With only a single step's distance between them, Nozomi reaches for Eli's hand, and wraps her fingers around it. Gingerly, she guides it up to the side of her face, where hair brushes skin.
The warmth of Eli's palm presses against her cheek, and her fingertips brush the shell of her ear. The muscles in Nozomi's knees feel liquid, the air between the two of them thick with electricity. Without thinking, her lips voicelessly form the words.
no subject
With Eli's approval, she turns to Rin. "Rin-chan!"
"Right!" The girl hops over to the music player, and excitedly slams 'play'.
Nozomi draws in a breath, and the song begins again. Her heart's beating noticeably louder in her chest this time, even as they retrace the same well-practiced movements of before. Even though she was the one to suggest this, she can't help the nervous flutter in her stomach as, halfway through the third verse, she begins walking towards Eli. Step by step, the distance between them closes. Nozomi keeps the smile firmly on her face, even as she swallows.
They don't touch yet. Nozomi finds that she's almost a little scared to. Instead, she circles around Eli, twintails fluttering behind her with the motion -- and a small knot loosens in her chest as Eli follows suit. They slip into it with surprising ease, drawing swirling patterns around each other with a natural harmony to them. When Nozomi holds out a hand, Eli does the same, and the tips of their fingers brush together -- just briefly.
The spiraling path drawn by their feet first leads them farther apart, and then closer than the dance ever allowed. Closer, even, than they've been this past month, ever since Nozomi's confession. She feels her throat tighten as the music begins to slow.
Eli's voice croons from the speakers: 'As we drift to sleep in our private flower garden...'
Maybe they can't ever really go back to being friends the way they used to. They certainly won't ever become something like what Nozomi sees in her idle daydreams. But this is just a song; it's an act, it means nothing. So maybe, just for now, this is fine.
With only a single step's distance between them, Nozomi reaches for Eli's hand, and wraps her fingers around it. Gingerly, she guides it up to the side of her face, where hair brushes skin.
The warmth of Eli's palm presses against her cheek, and her fingertips brush the shell of her ear. The muscles in Nozomi's knees feel liquid, the air between the two of them thick with electricity. Without thinking, her lips voicelessly form the words.
"I love your hand..."