After almost two months of studying, the day before the math exam had arrived.

As was routine now, I shook Violet awake, calling out to her softly. And as was part of said routine, she reacted very contrarian to being woken up.

As a way to incentivise her, I threw the covers away, the cold air hitting her bare legs and arms since we had switched to wearing t-shirts and shorts to sleep due to the nights having gotten warmer with the arrival of spring.

“No!” she moaned, sitting up to try and pull the covers back up. I seized the opportunity to grab her outstretched arms, and pull her to the edge of the bed, forcing her to sit up.

While she lazily rubbed her eyes, I got distracted with her legs. Ever since I got to see more of them exposed, I had a very hard time not ogling them, but they were too pretty for me to resist. That distraction proved troublesome this time because once she noticed my stare, she pulled me down and forced me to sit on her lap, position her arms and chin on my shoulders, ready to go back to sleep.

“Ah, her skin is so soft!” I mused while rubbing my calves on her shins. “Would she be mad if I touched—wait, no! Don’t go that route!”

I called out to her again, gave tiny hops on her lap and even nibble her cheekbone, but she was refusing to come to the land of the awakened. How many hours a day did she have to sleep to be satisfied, I wondered.

To be fair, she was getting harder and harder to get out of bed, but with how much we studied, her work, house chores and then having to deal with my issues, no one in their right mind would blame her. She needed to lighten up her load or some very well-deserved holidays.

“Haah, fine. I’ll just carry you to the bathroom.”

I grabbed firmly her arms, got my feet on the floor and hoisted her up.

“Eek! A-Abby!” she squeaked, surprised by suddenly be taken for a walk with her feet dangling. “Hold on! Stop! Put me down!”

I let her down as she asked. She seemed very awake as she fanned herself.

“Gee, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Hehe, sorry about that.”

“Humph, as if you were sorry… and how come you can lift me up so easily?”

“I can squat three sets of twelve with my own weight on my back with no problem.”

“Y-you do?”

I nodded. I might be small, but I wasn’t anything you could sneer at either.

“…Take care not to hurt yourself doing it…”

I laughed and leaned on her, rubbing my face on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Marking my territory.”

“Pfft, fufu. Silly as usual, hmm?”

She ruffled my hair and after that, it was business as usual. She asked how I slept, I asked her the same, we took a shower—separately, unfortunately— and ate breakfast together. Today marked the fourth day in a row that we were doing that, the only difference being the house we slept in.

“After we are done eating, what’s the plan?”

“Maybe go for a walk?”

“So, we are studying after lunch?”

“Oh, we aren’t studying today.”

We aren’t?”

I shook my head.

“Today we try to relax and give our brains some rest. We can read some notes, but that’s about it.”

“I see… then… wanna go out?”

Was she inviting me on a date? No, of course not. She only sounded uncertain because we weren’t doing anything she thought we were going to. And it was Violet we were talking about. Not in a thousand years would she ask me out, even if she fell for me.

I guess she doesn’t usually do the inviting, so maybe that’s also why she sounded awkward?

Most likely, yeah.

“The park?”

“It rained during the night, so we better not. I don’t have shoes that I wouldn’t mind muddying.”

“It did?”

“Yes, but I’m not surprised you didn’t wake up. You’re quite the heavy sleeper.”

“At least I’m awake when I wake up,” I joked, poking the tongue out.

“Haah, tell me about it,” she said, slumping over the table. “I’ve been feeling so tired lately too.”

“Look on the bright side; once we are done with the midterm exams, you can take a break from studying.”

She raised her head and propped it up on both hands.

“I think the problem is with my work.”

“Didn’t you say you spend most of the time there doing nothing?”

“Well, nothing besides standing around and getting bored to death three or four hours at a time. The manager could at least let us sit away from sight, no? I find that much more tiring than studying.”

“Why not just quit?”

“…You think I should?” she asked, dropping her hands down and resting her back on the chair.

“I… I don’t know,” I said, not feeling comfortable with giving her my real opinion. It didn’t feel right for me to tell her what to do or not.

She however, insisted, wishing for me to give her my true opinion.

“Erm… I think you might work too much. Like… you look so tired most of the time. But I also get it that the money might be useful, so… and I also think it’s kinda cool that you work, you know? Makes you look very mature and responsible.”

“…Thanks, but you’re rambling.”

“Look, what I mean is, erm… maybe you should quit? I don’t think your health should be left behind the way it is being.”

“…I see…”

She turned to the side and placed an elbow on the table, using it as a support for her hand, propping her head up.

“…Sorry, that must not have been of great help.”

She quickly turned her head towards me, surprised by my negativism. She reached out and held both my hands.

“Abby, no! You were of great help, really! I feel like now I can finally look at it objectively.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes,” she chuckled. “You know how I overthink everything until I’m driven mad, right? At least now, this isn’t going to be one of the reasons why.”

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I cheered up under her warm smile and gentle caresses to the back of my hands. I supposed I did help after all.

“Hold on, I got a text.”

She took her phone out of a pocket, took care of answering back, placed her hands over mine, but abruptly took them back to grab the phone again, her eyes going wide as she looked at the screen.

“What? What happened?” I asked, a bit worried.

“I erm… say, why don’t we bake a cake?”

“A cake?”

“Y-yeah! We haven’t done that yet, have we?”

Why was she suggesting baking cakes all of a sudden? Wait…

“Ah! Today is my birthday!”

Her face twisted in a mix of regret and sadness.

“I’m so sorry for forgetting! It’s been so many things lately that I… I’m so sorry!”

My face turned into a huge grin.

“Hehe. I’ll get to celebrate my birthday this year. And with you, no less,” I said, clapping excitedly. “It’s ok Violet, I don’t need cake or presents. I really don’t want them. I just want us to have fun together like always.”

“…Are you sure?”

I got up from my chair to go and sit on her lap, putting my hands round her neck and touching the tips of our noses.

“Yup. I haven’t had any of that for years, so it’s fine. Being together with you is all I could ever need to have a happy birthday.”

“If… if you say so,” she stammered. She brushed my hair aside and kissed my forehead, leaving the hand to caress my face, the coldness of her touch tickling me pleasantly. “Happy birthday.”

When was the last time I looked forward to my birthday? I’d say it had been at least ten years. The last one I could remember, my mum ended up beating me up twice, the first time because I cut myself trying to slice another piece of cake, and the second because I peed myself for getting the first beating. Today I wouldn’t let those memories pull me down. No tears, no worrying her, just good vibes and memories.

“So, we really are going to bake a cake anyway?” I asked while sifting the flour.

“Yup. I haven’t baked one in a long time, and we can have slices of it when feeling peckish between meals.”

“What kind of cake?”

“Hmm… I was thinking about a simple sponge cake filled with that strawberry jam you like so much.”

That got me drooling. So much so that I just had to go grab the jar and dip my finger in it. It wasn’t very hygienic, but I dipped the same finger a second time and, as a joke, asked her if she was served.

To my surprise, she turned her head, grabbed my hand and placed my finger in her mouth.

“It’s a bit too sweet for my taste,” she commented before going back to work.

I was left staring at my finger. The tip was glistening with her saliva, tempting me to put it in my mouth. I was truly considering it.

For goodness sake, Abbigail Gardener! She’s your friend! Friend!

That call to Earth from my conscience made me feel disgusted with myself. How could I have had such perverted thought towards my friend, feelings of attraction or not?

“Abby? What’s wrong?”

“This finger, erm… I’m sorry Violet, I used this finger to eat jam before I offered you some…”

I dared not finish my words. I was sure she’d find it bad enough that she had placed my own spit in her mouth.

“Abby, look at me,” she told me, putting down the bowl she was holding. I didn’t look, though, that getting on her nerves. “Abby, you look at me right now.”

Those final words, she sounded angry speaking them, so I looked up, not wanting to get her even madder with me.

She pushed her index in my mouth, all the way to the knuckle before stuffing it inside her mouth for a full second.

“See? There’s no problem,” she said, getting a bit red.

“…That’s not the problem,” I whimpered.

“Then, what is?”

I couldn’t speak. I was terrified of what she’d say if I told her what I had wanted to do.

Still, I reached out to her hand, holding it trembling. I pulled it closer to me, all the while looking at her. I was waiting for her to tell me to stop or pry her hand away from mine as I opened my mouth, but she simply kept watching me. She tensed up a little and grew red the moment her finger got inside it, but she didn’t show any negative reaction. She only kept watching me as I suckled her sweet finger.

“I’ll go wash my hands,” I said as an excuse to get out of there.

I washed my hand, but most of all, I washed my face with copious amounts of cold water to cool down my head.

Just what had I done? Would she ever be able to look me in the eye? Would I? What I did was so dirty, so disgusting. How could I?

Once I’m done here, I’ll beg her to forgive me and to forget what just happened.

Those were my intentions, but they faltered when I opened the door and saw her on the other side.

“Erm, I poured the dough, and put it in the oven, so now we have some free time. Wanna watch a movie?”

“Erm, I guess.”

She was still red and acting a bit fidgety, but otherwise she seemed normal. At the very least, she didn’t look angry.

“Abby, look… about that, I…”

She stopped talking and twisted her hands around. Then, catching me completely by surprise, forced a finger in my mouth and one in hers and proceeded to make an exchange of hands.

“T-The thing is… we brushed our teeth after we ate and… and I know you so… even if we hadn’t… and it was an accident too, so… you know?”

“…Are you saying you didn’t mind?”

She seemed irked by me asking that. She was going to pull the same stunt a second time, but this time I saw it coming and stopped her before she could do anything.

“But on Valentine you said that… you think it’s nasty, isn’t it? Exchanging saliva and stuff.”

“Erm… I still think so but… we brushed our teeth… and I know you…”

Is she… is she saying she’d be ok if we kissed for some reason?

She might have thought the same thing because she got even redder and so embarrassed, it looked like she’d start crying at any second.

“A-Anyway,” she cried out, interlocking fingers with me and pulling me after her. “A movie! Let’s watch a movie!”

It was at times like this that I got my hopes up a little. However, she had always been very awkward, and she’d sometimes say things in a way that could be interpreted in a different light if you didn’t know her. Fortunately for me, I did know her very well to know better than letting my hopes become unrealistic.

Someone knocked at the door some time before dinner. She was the leading cook, and I was the assistant, so it fell on Stan to answer the door. That never happened, someone knocking that late, but I had a good idea of whom it might be.

“Hi! Happy birthday, sweety!” my father cheered as he walked over towards me for a kiss and a hug.

“Thanks dad!” I cheered back, disappearing in his hold. “Did you come here just for that?”

“No, I came here for the birthday dinner. Violet didn’t tell you?”

“Violet!?”

“Surprise!” she said awkwardly.

I’d hug her, but she was holding a particularly sharp knife and I’d like to keep my internal organs exactly that; internal. That knife already had enough of my blood from martyrised fingertips, thank you very much.

I had spent the whole day all over her, and I hadn’t noticed anything of her planning behind my back.

“That’s not all,” my father said, pulling out his phone and making a call. All right, it’s calling, he told me as he passed the phone over.

I looked at the screen, but it didn’t show a name, and the number was one I wasn’t familiar with.

“Hello? Abby, are you there?”

That voice… Even after all these years I immediately recognised her.

“Sophie? Is that really you?”

“Fufu, yes, it’s me. Happy sixteenth birthday.”

“…I miss you so much.”

“I know… I miss you too, baby sis. Dad told me about what’s been going on. Are you doing ok?”

“Yeah, I… I’ve got a lot of support from people around me, so I’m managing,” I said, looking particularly at Violet.

“I’ll be having some holidays next month, so I was planning on making a visit. Do you think it will be a good time for that, or will it coincide with exams?”

“We are having midterms right now, so next month will be fine, but… what about mum?”

“Mum!? To hell with that hag! What’s she gonna do? Disown me? The only reason why I might try finish the degree is for dad’s sake and the time and effort I put into it… Haah, let’s drop this subject, it’s your birthday after all! Have fun, make a wish when you blow the candles and have a slice of cake for me, deal?”

“Sure thing sis.”

“Fufu, good. Is that friend of yours with you?”

“You mean Violet. And yes, she’s right by me.”

Violet perked up, looking like a deer surprised by an approaching car. My sister hasn’t even finished her request for talking to her and she was already flailing her arms around, desperate for me not to hand her the phone.

“H-hello? Erm, yes, my name is friend and I’m Abby’s Violet. Ah, no! I’m Abby, and—ah that’s not it either!”

It took her a while, but she managed to say that line correctly. I watched her, delighting in her torment. Who’d have guessed she was that bad of a talker over the phone? For all intents and purposes, I thought she’d have an easier time since she didn’t have to be face to face with the other person.

“She… sounded nice,” she said, sounding like she had run a marathon.

“Hehe, I hope you two get along. No, I’m sure you will.”

That night would be one I’d hold dear for the rest of my life.

The majority of people I cared about were there, I had a cake, I was sang the birthday song, and even got some presents from papa Stan and dad. I didn’t get one from Violet though, but with everything she gifted me every day we were together, there was no need for that. Not that I wasn’t aware she’d go out of her way to buy me one at the first chance she got.

“Thanks for everything,” I told her with a hug. “Well, try to sleep properly today, ok?”

“Oh… Right, the math exam is tomorrow.”

“Pfft, ah-haha! You forgot?”

“Y-yeah… today was a busy day.”

“…Really Violet, I can’t thank you enough.”

“…Can we sleep together tonight too?”

“Don’t you think we already slept too many nights together in a row?”

“Maybe but… thinking about tomorrow’s exam leaves a bit anxious, but… when I’m with you I…”

“…You feel calmer?”

She nodded shyly, mercilessly tearing at my heart.

“…Hehe, and since when can you make puppy eyes too?” I joked, pulling her along with me. “Bye papa Stan! I’m borrowing your daughter tonight!”

“Make sure that she comes back the way she goes!” he shouted back, clearly laughing.

Was he doing some sort of suggestion with that joke? On the lewd side, I mean.

Nah, he’s just goofing around. He’s just referring to my teasing of her.