Aisha dug her toes deeper into the wet sand. The beaches of Andros were said to be some of the most beautiful in the world, but she couldn't fathom how any others could compare to Andros' coral pink sand and crystal blue waters. Especially now, when a soft orange glow was cast over the beach, and the sand and water seemed to sparkle like the setting sun.
Meeting her parents had been nerve-wracking, but necessary. Telling them she had no intention of marrying Nabu was just another disappointing notch against her. Her mother's eyes had watered when Aisha voiced her disapproval of the entire idea, something that – despite voicing her hatred of the situation to her friends multiple times – she realised she had never said to them.
It had gone surprisingly well and, despite how much she'd hated having to disappoint her parents like that, she was thankful that her friends – Musa and Stella in particular – had pushed her to do it. It still surprised her that she'd gone from socially awkward loner princess to socially awkward princess with friends. Somehow, sneaking into Shadownhaunt and being tossed off a bridge into turbulent waters had led to one of the best things to ever happen to her.
"What are you doing out here?" Musa asked, walking up behind her, footsteps thudding to her distinct beat even against the soft, shifting sand. The musical fairy took a seat beside Aisha, curling her legs under her. The glow from the last bits of sun hit her perfectly, the shades of blue in her eyes and hair more evident now than in the bright light of day.
"Just... thinking."
"About?"
"How happy I am that you're all in my life" Aisha replied after a beat. Musa rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face betrayed the cynicism of the action. "I'm serious."
Musa's smile widened.
"I know. I'm really happy you're in mine too."
Aisha brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. She knew Musa meant it – of all the girls, she and Flora were the ones Aisha had really bonded with – but she didn't think Musa knew just how much more Aisha was grateful for her, for all of them. She turned towards Musa and grabbed the singer's hand, holding tightly in her lap. "Really, though. I don't know what I would've done without you, especially this last year with Andros being so chaotic and the whole engagement bullshit."
"Of course, anytime" Musa replied, her fingers tightening around Aisha's hand. Her gentle smile faded as she looked out at the calm waters before returning her gaze to Aisha. "How did the talk with your parents go?"
"Uh... good, actually. They agreed to call off the engagement for now-"
"For now?"
"Yeah. They've agreed to give me another year or so of freedom before they start looking at suitors again. I think they really hope Nabu is still on the market then. He's from a very wealthy family which, apparently, is all takes to make him a perfect match."
"He seems nice enough..."
"He actually seems really great, but I'm just... I'm not interested in him."
Musa nodded thoughtfully as her eyes trailed back to the water. The tide splashed on the sand, water coming up to their toes and falling away. Aisha kept her right hand – and Musa's - in her lap and used her free hand to push her hair out of her face again. She thought maybe she should wear her hair up more often like Musa did and then she wouldn't have to deal with wind-whipped hair quite as often. In front of her, the musical fairy chewed on her lower lip for a second before speaking. "What... what are you interested in?"
"I... don't really know" Aisha shrugged. Stella had set her up on so many dates over the last two years in a ridiculous attempt to display whatever matchmaking skills she thought she had; she took credit for Bloom and Sky AND Tecna and Timmy's relationship, but as far as Aisha could see, hadn't actually had much of a hand in either besides being around them when they'd met and gotten together, but there wasn't much point in arguing with Stella about that. Either way, none of the potential matches for Aisha had led anywhere. "Someone that makes me happy; that I can just, I guess, be myself with instead of whatever perfect version of me exists in their head."
Musa nodded again, but Aisha could tell she was holding back. In the time they'd been friends, Musa hadn't been one to hold back on very much – that was one of the many things that Aisha loved about her. The royal life of a picture perfect princess had put her in situations where people had held back what they'd thought so many times that Musa's blunt honesty was refreshing, even when it wasn't pleasant. "What?"
"What?" Musa repeated dumbly.
"You have something to say. Just say it."
Musa opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again without saying so much as a syllable. No doubt she was trying to find a way to tell Aisha to stop being so damn picky like her mother had when she'd been told that Nabu was nice, but not right."
"Forget it..."
"No, tell me. I want to know what you have to say."
"Okay, but..." Musa pulled her hand away and used it to balance herself as she turned to face Aisha more. The absence of warmth in Aisha's hand was striking, like she'd been hit by a deep frost. Musa took a deep breath, refusing to meet Aisha's curious eyes. It worried Aisha, if she was honest. Musa had never been this nervous before, not when it came to voicing her opinion. "I'm gonna... I need you to please not freak out or be upset."
"Oh...kay" Aisha replied as Musa's hand brushed her long, dark brown curls out of her eyes for her. The warmth that her hand had been privy to moments earlier made its way to Aisha's jaw as Musa's palm settled onto it and her fingers gently cupped her chin to pull her closer. Her touch was soft, gentle... nice. Their eyes locked inches from each other and she caught a glimpse of the smile on Musa's lips before they disappeared, and she felt them on her own.
Her eyes widened and she didn't know how to react. A million thoughts, and no thoughts, ran through her mind until she felt Musa's free hand slip over her own. The hand on her cheek moved back to the base of her head, pulling her closer to the singer, and Aisha found herself getting lost in the kiss. It was gentle and caring, with that perfect mix of bold and sweet that was so quintessentially Musa. It was beautiful; like a golden sunset on her favourite beach. And when they pulled apart, Aisha rested her forehead against Musa's and smiled, and it just felt... right.