Even If There is Heartache
After the discoveries in the dining hall, it was determined that Eva would be under house arrest for a week, keeping her locked up in whatever dorm room she was staying in. Diana had protested at first, but Damon had convinced her to accept it, pointing out that Eva wanted this too in order to prove herself. She looked to the girl, who nodded in confirmation. Since she was willing to accept it, the Ultimate Cosmetologist relented. The main issue was the bunk buddy system. With everyone awake now, there was the question of who would bunk with the injured, and who would be watching Eva during her house arrest. Wolfgang perked up and told everyone he was okay going back to their original bunking situation after the changes made a couple nights ago. Grace nodded in agreement that it was fine, leaving the girls left to decide on what they wanted to do. Since Eva wouldn’t get much of a say as the one under observation, Diana had taken the initiative to say she was okay bunking with Eva again. Eloise had chimed in, asking if she was really okay with that setup, considering she and Diana were both injured and should really be staying with someone who can help them while they recuperate. Though she didn’t say it aloud, she could tell the fencer was worried about the black haired girl being dangerous. However, she reassured her it’d be fine, refusing the gesture. Eva had grabbed her shirt in response, pulling herself closer into her embrace, a sentiment that made her heart swell. Kai had even assisted in saying that he and Damon would help them as needed, even suggesting they all bunk together. The latter had looked less than thrilled about the idea, but Diana could tell by his expression that he actually didn’t mind at all. Very enthralled by the gesture, she had turned to her roommate, who merely nodded in agreement. With all the room assignments sorted, they all returned to their rooms to get some much needed rest, with the boys keeping to their word, or more accurately Kai’s word, and assisting them back to Diana’s room.
It didn’t take long for them to get to her room, and after setting the girls on the bed in a sitting position, Kai said he’d step out with Damon until later tonight to talk about some stuff, as well as to gather their things, wanting to bring the mattress they had used in Eva’s room over to Diana’s later on. He shot the two a knowing look as he escorted his roommate out of the room, who mouthed to Eva before he left that he’d she’d be okay. It was a sentiment Diana appreciated Damon doing for the older girl. After the debater’s faux grumbles of annoyance at the influencer’s pushiness faded into the distance, the two of them were finally alone with each other. They sat in silence, her pink bed creaking underneath their shifting weight. Neither of them knew how to start the conversation, but she knew it had to happen or they’d never get anywhere. However, instead of saying what she wanted, a stilted opener came out instead.
“... how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?”
Eva stared at her, those beautiful blues making her heart feel warmer. “... I’m fine. Everything hurts, but I’ll manage. Besides, that’s what the painkillers are for…”
And then, there was silence once more.
Diana wished she was better at these sorts of interactions. It would be one thing if it was just a normal conversation between friends asking how the other one was though no one ever asked her if she was okay, but the cosmetologist wasn’t just talking to a friend. Eva Tsunaka was that and more in the most complicated, most confusing way possible. She was her friend, her roommate, someone she was a little interested in, and now… the person who tried to frame her for a crime. Even if she decided she’d forgive the girl, understanding her reasons for why she acted the way she did, and understanding her pain all too well they were more similar than she would’ve liked, a part of her within twisted up into a knot at the very thought of it. It was such an ugly feeling, something she knew didn’t reflect her state of mind, yet it was there nonetheless. Was she really that upset at Eva for what she did? She couldn’t be. Her roommate didn’t want to hurt her. You know the truth, Chameleon. Stop hiding. She believed the girl when she said she regretted her actions, so Diana would forgive and move forward with her. No matter how arduous the road, she would-
“Gh… hgh…”
Her train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of sniffling. She turned her head over to her roommate, only to feel her heart break when she saw her. Eva had curled into a ball again, her face buried in her knees as she tried to repress her crying. There was no doubt she was still in a state of shock after everything that happened. Now that she was finally somewhere alone and safe from prying eyes, she could finally allow herself to process it all. Diana gently rested her hand on the older girl’s shoulder, hesitating at first when she flinched away from the touch. They stayed like that for a while, the Ultimate Cosmetologist trying her best to coax Eva to let her emotions out. She tried whatever she could, rubbing circles into her back, tracing shapes on her hand, gently patting her head—whatever came to mind that she had seen her ‘friends’ friends do for each other.
“Am I… really still alive…? Or is this just… a nightmare to torment me…?” she choked out, her breaths beginning to grow more rapid.
Diana’s heart shattered at those words. She wanted nothing more than to grab her and tell her everything would be alright. However, despite how much she wanted to hug her, she felt wary of doing too much when she was already so overwhelmed. So, all she could do was waver, her hand part way around to loop her into her arms, yet never inching any further. Eva’s wails began to grow in volume and size, her body beginning to shake even more. With each woeful cry, her urge grew until finally she couldn’t take it anymore. However, before she even tried asking for permission, the black haired girl lurched forward and grabbed her instead, her hands grabbing fistfuls of her hair as she buried her head into shoulder, quivering violently.
“Don’t leave me… please…” Eva mumbled softly between sobs.
That was all it took for Diana to finally break too. She hadn’t realized how much she was holding back, until those words reached her ears. The dam of tears came crashing down, and soon, the two of them were crying in each other’s arms. They held so tightly to each other, as if they believed the other would vanish if they didn’t hold them close enough. It was such a needy, hungry embrace, one that craved a deeper touch even though it felt like their skin was being burned at the intensity of it all. They wanted to feel the others’ warmth, if only to confirm that they were both alive and present. The cosmetologist had been undoubtedly shaken by what had occurred, but feeling the body heat of her roommate was enough to reassure her that the torment was over for now. Encountering her and Wolfgang down in the boiler room had been one thing, a visceral fear of two predators whom she had once seen as gentle creatures. However, she had been sure that neither of them would kill her or each other. She was able to trust in them, despite being intimidated. Yet, Tozu’s insanity and Mara’s coldblooded gaze made Diana genuinely feel like they were going to all die. There was no one unaffected by it, the unbridled bloodlust that sought their suffering. It was different from the unsettlingly chipper host role that the masked man usually portrayed, or his few moments of iciness. Even though they all knew Tozu was crazy, his constant switches between playfulness and threatening made it easy to forget at times. However, for once, they finally saw a glimpse of the true deranged psychopath lingering beneath those ‘lighthearted’ swings in his voice. The thought alone made her tremble, causing her to cling tighter to Eva, hands entangling themselves further into her lush locks of hair.
They remained locked together, seconds turning to minutes, and minutes turning to hours. By the time they had calmed down enough to speak, the afternoon had passed them by and the encroaching nighttime announcement ticked closer. Letting out a shaky breath, she wiggled herself out of Eva’s grip, eliciting an adorable whine of protest out of the other. As much as Diana wanted to lunge right back into her arms, they couldn’t stall the conversation any longer, or it’d simply never get addressed and fester into something worse. She stared at her roommate through her impaired vision, her eyes filled with such a moroseness that pulled on her heartstrings. The older girl had always had an air of loneliness, one who craved affection, yet was too scared to accept it. From what she learned of Eva today, that assumption was correct. Yet, in that moment, she seemed so fragile that the cosmetologist was afraid even looking at her wrong would make her shatter to pieces. And, it was that same girl who was the one to break the ice.
“... I’m sorry,” she murmured, her gaze staring longingly, pleading for Diana’s mercy. “I’m… so sorry… for everything I’ve done. I didn’t… I didn’t want any of this, as hard as it might be to believe. But, I can’t deny… the reasons that went through my head when I chose you.”
Diana frowned at this, anxiety bubbling in the back of her mind. “What do you mean…?
Eva averted her eyes, opting to stare at her legs instead. “When I said that I chose you because I thought you were a people-pleaser, that you were only being deceptive and pretending to be kind to boost your own status… that was only a surface level reason… the reason I kept telling myself.”
The words stung, but the cosmetologist couldn’t deny that they were true. She couldn’t remember the last time she did anything for herself and only herself. Everything she did was for others, to satisfy what people wanted of her, only to inevitably change hues the moment someone complained. To say she lacked a sense of self was an understatement in her mind. Diana didn’t know who she was anymore. She couldn’t tell where she began and the facades ended. It was all melded together in a sick amalgamation of human standards, expectations, and desires. And, you could only admit it after she told you. You truly can’t think for yourself, puppet. How pathetic.
“I wanted to believe in your kindness,” Eva continued on, shaking her out of her thoughts. “I wanted to so badly, but I just couldn’t. Before I even got here, all I knew was hatred, jealousy, and expectations. No one saw me as a person, just a bundle of potential, or a thief who stole the spotlight. I’d destroy any hope I had of believing in anything, because I was so trapped in the idea that no matter what I did, no one would ever love me… for me.”
She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “At one point in my life, that was true. All I was ever surrounded by were adults who wanted to use me, or older students who hated my guts. My family didn’t care about me, taking my talents as an excuse to demand more than I could handle. I was so used to that environment that I didn’t realize when it had shifted. I couldn’t see that some people had outgrown those vendettas, or that others had never even fostered hatred towards me from the start. To me… everyone was my enemy and there was no one I could trust. Trusting in people was what got me hurt after all.”
“Eva…”
“When you first tried to reach out to me, I initially felt disgusted. You were still supporting everything Wolfgang said despite what he was doing to me. It didn’t feel like you were being nice because you wanted to help me or that you cared. You were just pretending to care to maintain the peace between Damon and I, and him. You only pitied me, at least, that’s what it felt like at the time,” she said, her voice beginning to tremble more as unshed tears welled up in her eyes.
“But, in the couple of days that you became my roommate… you made me doubt all of that. You tried so hard to make me feel better, trying to talk to me, smiling so warmly at me… it made me hopeful that maybe you did care, that you actually liked me. I… I wanted to be special to you. I wanted to mean something to you,” she mirthlessly smiled. “Yet, I couldn’t get myself to internalize that. Your actions began to hurt more than they made me feel happy, all because I got insecure and scared… thinking maybe I was just trying to delude myself due to everything that was happening to me. I was being pressured to commit a crime that I never wanted to commit, and it felt like I was trying to guilt-trip myself out of it… because a part of me thought that dying would be better than living. But, I eventually shot those ideas down, and turned your kindness into a lie. I tried to trust Damon, but I couldn’t tell him what I had done and the situation I was in when I had the chance to do so.”
The cosmetologist reached out her hand, a mournful look on her face as Eva readily accepted her comforting touch with a pained look of grateful guilt. She was hooked onto her every word, yet all Diana wanted to do was hold her and cry, to tell her that everything would be okay. She wanted to shield her from everything that hurt her, and fend off the demons in her mind that tried to torture her. That’s what she so badly wanted to do, yet she remained stuck where she was, only able to listen as the emotions flowed out of her like a rushing river.
“In the end, I never escaped what they told me, I embraced it. I believed what the adults said, that anyone who hated me was jealous of my talent and all the attention I got, and I also believed what the older students told me, that no one loved me because I was a waste of space, just a weak, pathetic loser. I self-sabotaged myself from having any meaningful relationships in my life because I couldn’t get out of my own damn head. All I ever had was studying, some cheap games and books, and myself… because that’s all I ever allowed myself to have. It’s all I really deserve to be honest, for never trying to be anything more than… well, this,” her roommate professed, gesturing at herself. “None of this excuses what I did to you. It doesn’t excuse the fact that I thought so many cruel things about you, even believing that you deserved what I was going to do to you. What I planned to do was awful… and there are no valid reasons in the world to justify those actions. I told you this because you deserved to know why, but… I understand if you can’t forgive me. You have every right not to. You also don’t… need to force yourself to be around me. You’re not obligated to care… you don’t have to pretend if you don’t want to. No one here would blame you.”
“Eva,” Diana finally speaks, her footing finally found. “There’s no way I’m forcing myself to be around you. I want to be with you, because I do care. You didn’t deserve any of those horrible things that happened to you!”
The tears began to well in her eyes, and no longer wishing to restrain herself, she lunged forward and pulled Eva into her arms. The girl let out a squeak of surprise, her arms glued to her sides at first. But slowly, the cosmetologist felt a burst of sunlight glow in her heart as she felt her arms wrap around her body. She held even tighter, burying her head into her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Eva,” she whimpered out, running a hand through her black locks. “I never tried to truly help you… despite claiming to want to be your friend… and I failed to realize how I was hurting you… I… I…!”
“Diana no,” Eva cried out, her voice cracking with emotion. “Please… don’t say that. You didn’t hurt me… I was the one who hurt myself with my own twisted thinking… You shouldn’t be apologizing to me! I should be the one begging for your forgiveness, not you!”
She shook her head in response, a ragged exhale escaping her lips. “You don’t need to apologize to me… because I already forgive you, Eva.” Do you really? Or are you just deceiving yourself?
Yes, I do. I do forgive her, because I trust in her, and the love inside her heart.
The black haired girl let out a choked wail, her hands clutching onto the cosmetologist so tightly that her fingers were digging into her back. However, she didn’t pay any mind to the pain. All that mattered to Diana in that moment was holding onto her roommate, ensuring that she was able to do what she needed to feel better and recover from everything she had gone through. It was… so much for the pink haired girl to process. She couldn’t even fathom how she would have reacted in her situation. However, what stood out the most to her wasn’t the situation, but rather her mentality. There were so many similarities between them, some she wished the two of them didn’t have to share, that only she had to burden. Diana understood that feeling of pressure to be some certain way, to bend yourself to become whatever everyone else wanted you to be, only to receive nothing but pain in return. The key difference was how they handled it. While Eva became locked up in her head and gained a skewed vision of reality, Diana sacrificed her identity to gain approval, only to lose any semblance of who she was and what she wanted in life. The one who craved love but never received it, and the one who got love that could never appreciate it—they were two sides of the same coin.
“H-How…?”
“What?”
Eva sniffled, trying to regain her composure between weeps. “How are you… how could anyone be so kind that they’d forgive the person who tried to frame them for a murder…?”
How? Well, that’s obvious… The Ultimate Cosmetologist laughed lightly, a teary eyed smile dotting her face. The answer was so clear to her, a truth that came from the bottom of her heart, and a truth she should have so much earlier to Eva.
“Maybe I look stupid to others, but I could care less. You’re special to me, Eva. I care about you so much, and I want you to be happy. Even though what you did… it did hurt, I want to forgive you and I’m willing to forgive you because I know the kind of pain you went through all too well, and in the end, you didn’t really want to hurt me.”
“None of that makes any sense…” the girl replied with a weak, but humored huff.
Diana squeezed her gently in her arms. “Following your heart is rarely logical, but I trust it anyway.”
“Dummy.”
“Ahaha, I know.”
The two stopped speaking, simply basking in the glow of the other. For the first time of that day, Diana felt at peace. Her heart had finally calmed down, rhythmically beating in her chest to the tune of Eva’s. The other girl’s scent filled her nose as she buried herself further into her black hair, relishing in its softness. She hummed a noise of contentment, nuzzling the other girl, who muttered at her to knock it off. However, she could tell by the tint of redness in her ears and her partially upcurved lips that she was merely being a bit shy. So, she sank further into the other’s embrace, enjoying the warmth of her gentle heart.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Eva whispered in her ear, her breath tickling her skin. “For as long as I remain alive in this Killing Game, I promise to make it up to you.”
“We’ll both live,” Diana refuted quickly, grabbing onto her tightly with a pout of dissatisfaction at her pessimism. “Everyone is going to survive, especially after what happened today.
However, the other girl exhaled shakily, doubt leaking into her voice. “It’s naive to believe in such things…”
“Maybe… but this time I think logic has my side too,” she mused. “Everyone saw what Tozu was doing, how he tried to get everyone to hate you, how he tried to convince you of things that weren’t true. We saw how manipulative he truly is… and I’m sure no one is going to let him get away with it again.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I know it,” she replied firmly, confidence lacing her voice. In truth, she wasn’t sure, but if she chose to believe in nothing, there would be no hope for any future.
“It seems a bit far-fetched, especially in my position… but, I’ll try to believe in it for now, because I trust you,” her roommate said, leaning her head into cheek, a light chuckle dancing out of her mouth with a low, melodious ring. The cosmetologist let out a soft squeal of joy at hearing those words, snuggling herself further into Eva’s shoulder out of celebration. The older girl merely laughed, running a hand through her hair that sent a shiver of pleasantness down her spine. Diana wanted nothing more than to stay in her arms forever, to feel this comforting safeness that washed over her when the Ultimate was near her every second of her life. It was a feeling of euphoria she didn’t think she could live without anymore.
“I’m sorry again,” Eva mumbled, her hand patting Diana on the head.
Pulling herself back, though reluctantly, the pink haired girl looked at her roommate directly in those blue eyes of hers. In a single motion, she brought a finger to the other’s lips, eliciting a small gasp of surprise.
“You don’t need to apologize, silly. But, if you really feel like you need to, then I’ll just have to forgive as many times as you need to feel assured… and I’ll do it for however long you need it, no questions asked.”
She watched as the black haired girl smiled tenderly at her. Her eyes were red and swollen, her body an absolute mess, and her hair tangled and frazzled, and yet, she looked happier than Diana had ever seen her before. It was the first time since they got here that she saw the girl smile with not a hint of negative emotion to go with it. Something about seeing it made her want to cry again, but she held it back. The Ultimate Cosmetologist had shed enough tears that day. In that moment, all she wanted to do was smile back at her and-
… is it too soon to do that?
I’m sure it’ll be fine.
And so, without much warning or prompt, Diana leaned forward and gingerly placed a kiss on Eva’s cheek. As she pulled back, her roommate blinked at her in disbelief, unable to process what she had just done. However, after a couple of seconds of realization, her face exploded into a tomato, her bandaged hand reaching up to clasp where the cosmetologist's lips were.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing?!” she sputtered out, causing Diana to giggle at how cute she looked. “D-Don’t laugh at me! Why did you do that?!’
The answer was simple, and an answer she instinctively knew a long while ago. “Because I love you, silly! Duh!”
“We’ve known each other for 5 days, how could you-”
“That’s plenty of time to fall in love with someone!”
“In what world?!”
Eva sighed indignantly, puffing her cheeks out ever so slightly in embarrassment. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
“Guilty as charged,” she giggled happily, nuzzling her face once again into her roommate’s shoulder. “But, you didn’t say that you didn’t like it~”
“... that’s because… it’s…”
Her words trailed off, fading into unintelligible mumbles, her face becoming an even darker red. Then, at barely even a whisper, she spoke again.
“It’s because it’s the first time anyone told me they loved me…”
“Eva…” Diana cooed out, her heart panging at those words. It was nice to be Eva’s first, but it hurt her nonetheless that it was for something that the girl should have been receiving all of her life. Feeling a bit guilty, she apologetically petted the girl’s hair, soothingly running her hand through every lock to smooth them out.
“You don’t need to feel bad about it,” she quietly chided, nuzzling her back. “I’m happy… though, it was a bit rash to suddenly kiss me on the cheek like that without asking for my consent, you know?”
…
…………
…………………
… she’s right.
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SHE’S RIGHT! WHAT AM I DOING?! WHY DID I THINK IT’D BE FINE TO JUST KISS HER OUT OF THE BLUE??!! DIANA YOU IDIOT! FOLLOWING YOUR HEART IS FINE, BUT USE YOUR BRAIN FOR ONCE AAAAAAAAGH-!
She pushed herself off Eva, flustered at her realization. Diana attempted to stutter out some modicum of apology towards her brash actions, however, her thoughts and words were interrupted by a pair of supple lips making contact with her own. The cosmetologist had never actually kissed anyone. A kiss on the cheek for family members was the most she knew of, so when the foreign sensation hit her, she all but melted at it. It sent a jolt of pleasure through her, firing through all her nerves until she was practically falling into Eva. Her lips were soft like clouds, the warmth intoxicating her to want more. Diana craved this kind of touch so desperately, so when it came to an end a couple seconds later, she all but mewled in protest, feeling breathless and lonely.
“There…” Eva muttered, her face beet red. “Now we’re even…”
“Th-That’s… that was my first kiss…!” she cried out. It wasn’t even the real reason she was pouty, but how could she admit to Eva that she was a great kisser and she wanted another one? Her cheeks already felt hot enough. Anymore, and Diana was sure she’d combust on the spot.
“It was m-mine too!”
“I didn’t even kiss you on the lips the first time!”
“So what?! It’s still a kiss!”
“But they’re different!
“...”
“...”
“... pfft… ehe… ahaha!”
With color in her cheeks, Eva let out a laugh, unrestrained and beautiful. Her voice sounded so happily free, like a new breeze on a sunny day. It was such an infectious sound, and soon enough she was laughing alongside her too. They knew that neither of them were actually mad at the other. However, it was nice that they could easily understand what the other meant without much effort… the fact they were open enough to finally try and pay attention to those details and signs they had forced themselves to ignore. Before this, Eva would have probably acted genuinely upset, and Diana… well, Diana doesn’t know how she’d react. Her first guess was that she’d be normal about it, but the more she thought, the more she realized she probably would have frozen up in shock. After all, even if she loved Eva, it didn’t align with how she was trying to act.
“I… I can’t say I know for sure what I feel is,” Eva chuckled, calming herself down. “But, I can say that I liked the kiss, and that your feelings make me happy. That has to mean something, even if I can’t comfortably put those feelings into words yet, right?”
It was such an earnest, honest response. There was simplicity to it, yet it was heartfelt enough to make the cosmetologist flustered, averting her gaze as her face became an even deeper red than before. Her roommate lightly giggled, causing her to whine in response, puffing out her cheek. She tried poking Eva in retaliation, but the other one was quick, and immediately caught her finger before it could even make contact. She shot her a look of faux offense, a smile soon following after her frown. Diana rested her chin on the black haired girl’s shoulder, staring down at her hair draping over the bed.
“Mhm,” she finally responded. “I’ll wait for you for as long as you need.”
“It might be a long wait.”
“I’m prepared.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever overcome all my bad habits and anxieties…”
“Kai, Damon, and I will all be there to help you through it, so long as you want us to.”
“There’s a chance I’ll never be okay… I’ll be living with this guilt for the rest of my life.”
“It’s okay to have regrets, and it’s okay to not always be okay. You won’t be facing anything alone anymore, even if we’re only on the sidelines cheering.”
“... will you really wait for me…? Will you really let me try to do this myself?” Eva whispered, her voice cracking.
“I’ll wait for you until the end of time, Eva,” Diana promised her. “And, I know how much you want to take it upon yourself to work hard to assure yourself that you can become better, so I won’t interfere unless you want me to, and I’ll be sure to tell the others too.”
Eva pulled away, smiling brightly at the Ultimate Cosmetologist. Her roommate was more than just her title. Underneath the surface, there was just a normal girl who wanted love. A girl who had a few quirky interests, and possessed a curious intellect that enjoyed learning. She had a cunning, calculative mind that could utilize logic in anything, but she still got lonely and sad. She still got angry like anyone else. She was just another person like all of them. Ultimate titles and talents defined people like them to the masses, yet there were still people with human emotions and struggles carrying those weighty labels. Diana may have enjoyed being the Ultimate Cosmetologist, she still wanted to be seen as plain old Diana Venicia, a normal, high school girl who simply enjoyed makeup. Yet, surrounded by others who saw nothing beyond the surface, and other Ultimates who were the same, it made sense why no one was able to get past the idea of Eva being the Ultimate Liar, and then consequently viewing her negatively when she was revealed to be the Ultimate Mathlete. They stopped looking for her, but rather the person who bore those titles as a name. However, seeing her in that moment, Diana knew she’d never see her as anything other than Eva Tsunaka, the person she loved.
“Hey! Are you two okay for us to come in? We got our mattress with us!”
“It’s really heavy, so it’d be great if you could spare from waiting much longer…”
“Dude, be patient! Let them take their time!”
“You’re not the one holding the full weight of this thing!”
The two of them turned towards the door as Kai and Damon’s voices called from the other side. The boys were already bickering with each other, though in a playful way rather than actual hostility. Hearing the debater’s grumbles as the influencer chided him like a mother would, despite apparently not carrying anything, was rather amusing to her roommate. She laughed and looked at Diana, waiting for a nod of approval to let them in. The cosmetologist was excited to have them over here with them, but with them in the room, it did limit what they could do. She held out a finger, to which Eva nodded and hollered back, making sure to point her face away from Diana’s ears.
“Just give us one minute!”
“Got it!” Kai exclaimed, followed by an exasperated ‘fine’ from Damon.
The black haired girl turned back to her, blue eyes meeting magenta. There was a knowing look on her face, meaning she didn’t even have to say another word. They gazed longly at each other and shared one more kiss, one of promise and hopes for a better day.
“Making them wait just for that? You’re rather devious,” Eva smirked.
“Hehe, they offered to wait,” Diana giggled in reply.
“Kai offered to wait. Damon… not so much.”
“He just acts grouchy. I doubt he actually was trying to rush us along.”
The older girl rolled her eyes. “We’ll see about that.”
As the door opened up, the boys coming in to greet them both, Diana stared at Eva’s smiling face. There was nothing in the world that she could imagine being more beautiful than her joy, and she never wanted to see her looking so broken ever again. With a silent vow, she prayed that Eva’s world could finally change. No matter the heartache that might await them, she hoped that it would never break her again, that her care could help her persevere. Diana wished every day that Eva lived could be full of warmth and happiness, one of discovery about what she liked and what she wanted to do. She wished she could be free from the shadows that had held her hostage for so long, that her title could no longer hurt her, and she could finally be around people she trusted and loved, people who would also love her in turn. But, most of all, Diana wished that she could finally be free from seeing a world engulfed in darkness, and finally see the world in light.