Chapter 4
Sounds of laughter echoed throughout the hallway as the princess pushed the door to the school open, pausing to hold it open for Beatrix to step inside. The two of them became rather thankful for the warmth that engulfed the two of them. Their jackets were soaked from having touched the snow-covered ground, and their pants were in a similar condition, clinging tightly to the skin on their legs.
It was an uncomfortable feeling, and Beatrix continued to voice her distaste for the snow as a result of that moment.
The air fairy had occupied a lot of Stella's thoughts during their walk back from the Specialist's field. She couldn't shake the images of Beatrix running through the forest with laughter falling from her red-stained lips. The way her hair had fallen in front of her face when Stella had caught her, and the feeling of her body pressed against her own. She couldn't forget how much fun it had been to share such a tender moment with her friend. It was almost as if she could still feel the tingles from her soft touch— her own hand, still cold from the winter air, pressing against her cheek at the mere thought. A grin absentmindedly formed upon her lips.
Behind her, though, Beatrix would occasionally let out incoherent grumbles, which prompted Stella to chuckle as a result. It was clear the shorter woman was displeased with the outcome of trying to stop Stella from falling on the gravel road.
The two of them had tumbled together and landed in a pile of snow, which quickly seeped into their clothes and left them a soaked mess. So they were both more than happy about reaching the school, enjoying the warmth it had to offer as they rushed down the hallway until they reached Beatrix's suite. Stella struggled with the keys in her hand, fingers still aching from their exposure to the chilly evening air.
After a moment, though, the door unlocked and she opened it after retrieving her keys from the lock. Beatrix staggered into the room behind her with an irritated huff, carelessly slamming the door of the suite shut as she removed her soaked jacket. The tips of her fingers held a shade of pink as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them further.
Stella watched as Beatrix headed directly for her room. The princess proceeded to shrug her own jacket off of her shoulders, happy to finally be out of the damp fabric. She turned around to hang her jacket on the coat hanger and paused to run a hand through her shoulder-length hair. Over the last few months it has grown out a little more than she would prefer, but she had yet to find the energy to return to Magix, Solaria's capital, to visit her hairdresser.
Her hair was a mess to say the least. It was frizzy and damp from the snow, with some strands sticking out in many different directions. She was sure that she looked far from presentable. It was part of the reason she was thankful that they came in through the side doors and the hallways were practically empty, for she couldn't bear the idea of her peers seeing her current appearance. They expected more from her– her mother expected more from her.
A throat cleared behind her, causing Stella to turn around, coming face to face with Beatrix. The auburnette offered a small smile as she held out a change of clothes in her left hand. "They should fit, and if they do not—" Beatrix spared a brief glance towards the door of her suite before shaking her head, "Hopefully I have something else you can try, that way we will not have to cut our time together short."
"Thank you," Stella said gratefully as she grabbed the clothes. Beatrix shrugged before spinning around on her heels and heading back towards her room, disappearing behind closed doors, no doubt searching for a new outfit herself.
Stella turned towards the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. Her eyes locked with her reflection in the mirror, wincing at her disheveled appearance. She was a mess– and there was no doubt Beatrix would agree. However, she knew that the air fairy wouldn't say it unless Stella did first. It was part of their agreement. Today was far too great to be ruined by an unprompted insult.
Their moments together never failed to bring a smile to Stella's face. Some part of her couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she should have been honest about her feelings earlier. The opportunity was there — especially knowing that Beatrix didn't actually have feelings for the guy she was with — but of course her fears had gotten the best of her. They always did.
While coming clean may have prompted a positive reaction from the redhead, Stella didn't want to risk the idea of losing their friendship. Beatrix was one of her best friends, perhaps one of her closest ones, too. She was someone that Stella drank with when things would become stressful. They found safety in each other, too, even when the rest of the world went to shit. Beatrix was the only person who never took pity on her.
She was everything Stella had dreamed of growing up— someone who would understand and love her not for who she was supposed to be, but who she was.
Some part of Stella did wonder, though, if Beatrix did know that she had feelings for her. That perhaps all this time, she was simply just waiting for her to say it instead of making the first move. It was definitely something Beatrix would do, especially for a little bit of entertainment.
It would explain why she—
A voice called out from the other side of the door and it immediately dragged Stella out of her thoughts. She had gotten lost in her thoughts, having forgotten what she was in the room to begin with. "Just a second!" She called out over her shoulder, shrugging her own shirt over her shoulder with a sigh. She fought the urge to stare at the scar on her shoulder– the memories of her mother's traumatic attempt at controlling her daughter entirely. That is what it meant to be the princess. Living underneath her mother's shadow and being forced to bend to her will, else she would end up with yet another object in her back.
She inhaled sharply as she willed the thoughts away and proceeded to tug on the oversized shirt that Beatrix handed her, pausing to admire the unexpected pattern on the fabric. It had an image of a band on the front, one that she vaguely recalled being one of Riven's favourites in the past.
The realisation made her chuckle at the thought, "Of course they are his." She muttered under her breath with the shake of her head, finding the image of Beatrix in such large and baggy clothes absolutely adorable.
Quietly, she changed into the sweatpants that she was given— no doubt also belonging to Riven. They were certainly comfortable, however, she had to tie together the strands in the front just to get them to stay up.
How did Beatrix even manage to wear them?
After finishing tying the strings, Stella paused to look at her reflection in the mirror once again. She reached forward to turn the water on and ran her hand under the faucet, gathering just enough to smooth out the messy strands of her hair in an attempt to appear at least a little more presentable.
Once she was satisfied with her appearance, the princess turned to gather her clothes in her hand and unlocked the bathroom door. She stepped outside and turned the light off behind her with the flick of her wrist. Her attention shifted towards the kitchen where Beatrix stood with two cups on the counter. She was scanning through a few boxes of tea flavours before settling on one in particular.
Stella stood still, admiring the way that Beatrix's hair fell loosely down her shoulders, neatly brushed and slightly damp from the touch of water. It held more of a brunette shade compared to the usual shade of red it held.
Her face seemed to be clear of any and all traces of makeup, and Stella couldn't help but wonder if her freckles would be visible tonight. There was nothing she loved more than the sight of the brown speckles kissing her skin. Beatrix was dressed in an oversized black t-shirt that fell over one of her shoulders, which revealed a splotch of very prominent freckles.
The air fairy lifted her head with a raised brow as her eyes scanned over Stella's body, a small smile forming upon her face at the sight of her in such an unexpected outfit. This was the first time Beatrix had ever seen her in something so casual and comfortable. It was definitely a more than welcomed sight. "You can put your clothes in my hamper." Beatrix paused before continuing, "It's on the left side of the bed next to the dresser."
Stella nodded as she made her way towards the bedroom, pushing the door open and stepping into the room. She couldn't help but notice how the bed had been neatly made compared to how it appeared earlier in the day. There was a bookshelf in the corner across from a desk that remained spotless. Stella stepped towards the dresser and set her clothes in the hamper before she left the room, stepping back into the main area.
The princess moved to lean against the wall and was unable to stop the smile that spread on her face as she watched Beatrix. She was too busy to notice Stella's presence as she leaned over the sink with a measuring cup in one hand and a carton of milk in the other. Months ago, while passing a bottle of whiskey between the two of them in Rosalind's office, they had a discussion about Stella's mother, and the only way she would take her water. Chilled, four lemons, sparkling— and of course Beatrix had gotten a laugh out of it.
Not long after that, the air fairy asked Stella if she too had a specific way that she drank her water. It was then that the princess revealed that it wasn't water, but rather her tea. She would only take it if it was made in a very specific way. It seemed as if Beatrix had remembered both of those little details as she poured exactly half a cup of milk in what Stella assumed was her cup of tea, soon followed by a few other ingredients.
After a moment of staring, a voice drags her out of her thoughts, "Are you just going to stand there staring, or are you going to turn the movie on?" Beatrix asked with an amused look on her face.
She jumped slightly, her cheeks flushed a rosey red at the realisation that she had been caught staring. Stella nodded a little longer than necessary before turning towards the living area, "Right, of course!" She said shyly, cursing herself for getting caught whilst Beatrix let out a lighthearted laugh behind her.
The princess fumbled around with the movie case until she managed to pop it open, taking the disc out and inserting it into the DVD player and reaching for the remote. She set the case back on the TV stand and moved back towards the couch, playing with the settings until the main screen popped up.
Once it did, Stella set the remote on the table and began to arrange the pillows on the couch. She set a few against the arm of the couch in case Beatrix chose to lay down, and she almost reached for the blanket behind her but decided to wait for her friend to join her first.
She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps today would be like all the rest, the two of them laying down on the couch together while watching the movie. The thought caused her mind to wander towards the many possibilities, and part of her wished that maybe, just maybe, one day they could do more than just cuddling on the couch.
Oh, what she would give just to be able to stay one night in the air fairy's bed. To have a valid excuse for holding her in a tight embrace where Beatrix didn't hesitate to lay her head against Stella's chest. The two of them staying just like that all night long. Enjoying the comfort of each other's presence— being able to call each other more than just friends.
"Alright," Beatrix sighed as she moved to place the cup of tea in Stella's hands, "spit it out." The side of the couch dips as Beatrix leaned back against the cushion, lifting her own cup to her lips and enjoying the warmth of the liquid against her throat.
Stella froze as her heart caught in her throat, "Spit what out?" She feigned confusion, silently leaning into the back of the couch behind her, opting for staring down into her cup of tea.
Beatrix shook her head, "It is quite obvious that something is on your mind, and has been since we spoke in the forest."
Was she that obvious? The princess shifted slightly against the couch, the tips of her ears turning red from the embarrassing thought. Letting out a nervous laugh, Stella was prepared to deny it all in hopes of the topic being dropped.
"I haven't—" She began, but was immediately cut off by the redhead letting out a groan and rolling her eyes at Stella.
"Oh, please drop the act." Beatrix sent a look of annoyance towards the light fairy as she leaned forward to set her cup against the glass table.
When she turned to look back at Stella, the princess was looking down at her hands with her lips pressed together tightly. The corners of her mouth had been turned down into a pout which became more of a frown than anything.
Stella knew it was now or never.
"Fine," Stella said quietly, her tone was hesitant and it was clear that whatever was on her mind made her anxious, "I will tell you, but you mustn't say anything until I have said it all, okay?"
At that, the air fairy's eyes softened and she opened her mouth to speak, but fell short of her words as she watched Stella move to place the cup of tea onto the table; right next to her own. The two of them sat quietly in the room, a silence settling over them while Beatrix waited patiently for the woman to speak.
"It, uh," Stella started, wiping her damp palms against the fabric of her sweatpants. "Suns, I don't know where to start." Her hands moved towards the hem of her shirt, fiddling with it as she desperately tried to find a way to put her feelings into words.
Beatrix's eyes softened and she didn't hesitate to shift closer to Stella on the couch, reaching out to grab ahold of her hand and giving a gentle squeeze. "Take your time," she offered an encouraging smile, "I won't be going anywhere."
Stella squeezed her hand back as she closed her eyes. She tried to focus on the feeling of Beatrix's thumb rubbing against the back of her hand rather than the anxiety that swelled in her chest. It was moments like this that Stella was grateful for Beatrix allowing her own walls to crumble, showing a softer side towards the princess that she didn't share with many other people.
They were sitting in a position that had their shoulders nearly touched and when Stella lifted her head to meet Beatrix's gaze, she found that amber eyes were already watching her and waiting for her to speak. She could still make out the faintest scent of perfume that still lingered on her skin.
And maybe it was the strong wave of anxiety that had rushed over her, or it was the sudden burst of courage that she had gained from Beatrix's words. But she glanced down at her lips, then back at her eyes. It was at that moment that Stella closed the distance between them and pressed a very chaste kiss – a peck more than anything – upon her lips before pulling back a few seconds later.
Her cheeks were flushed and she was met with a dumbfounded expression upon Beatrix's face.
"I guess that's it," Stella said quietly, her eyes lowered to the floor as she refused to meet Beatrix's gaze.
A few moments went by where neither woman spoke, and Stella soon found herself growing more anxious by the second. The fear of Beatrix not feeling the same way about her had settled once more. Her heart raced, anxiety threatening to swallow her whole. What if she had misread it all? Every moment spent together— what if Beatrix decided that she didn't want her?
"I don't want to ruin–" Stella is cut off immediately by a hand gently pressing against her chin, guiding her head to lift upwards and without missing a beat she felt the gentle touch of Beatrix's lips pressed against her own.
Stella's eyes widened in shock for a moment before she melted into the auburnette's touch. Her heart pounded with each passing second, like a horse hooves beating against the sandy beach as they raced the waves of the ocean. It felt as if her body was on fire and as if she might spontaneously combust at any given moment. Beatrix's hands on her body leaving tingles behind everywhere they touched. The blood rushed to her head, leaving her with the feeling of lightheadedness.
A few passing minutes had Beatrix gently guiding Stella down on the couch, pulling back from the kiss long enough to move to hover over her. The two of them stayed like that for a while; sharing gentle kisses and pulling back for air. Breathless giggles filled the room until
Beatrix finally pulled back with a genuine smile on her face, "Well," she paused to catch her breath, "I thought you would never say it."
The implication lingered in the air, leaving Stella confused and with a wide eyed gaze, "You knew?"
"That you had feelings for me? Of course I did." Beatrix chuckled as she brushed a few strands of short hair behind Stella's ear, "I hate to break it to you princess, but you are not as subtle as you think."
Stella let out a groan as she covered her face in an attempt to hide her face, blushing with a mixture of embarrassment and complete, utter happiness. Beatrix's laughter echoed in her ears which prompted Stella to peek at her through her fingers with a smile.
"Does this mean that you feel the same?" She asked curiously as Beatrix leaned forward and moved her hands away from her face.
"Perhaps," Beatrix grins, "Maybe you will have to kiss me a little more to find out."