“I love you, my dear.”
“I love you more.”
“Ergh,” Lotte threw up inside her mind when the couple in the movie finally kissed towards the end. Two hours of her life spent on a cheesy romance movie.
Don’t get her wrong, Lotte loved romance movies and could cry her eyes out, but this movie? She couldn’t; it was an awful one.
“Naww, how romantic.” But it was her mother’s favourite. “A lovely movie, don’t you think?”
“I guess it was good,” Lotte lied. “But it was a very slowburn romance.”
“My child, you don’t know anything about slowburn romance.”
“Oh, you didn’t just say that, did you?” grumbled Lotte.
“Back then, they knew how to pace them, but nowadays? It’s more like ‘Quick to the action. Sex here and there ’. It leaves out the entire character development.”
Lotte persisted in selling her mother a fake smile.
Sure, she was glad her mother finally spent more time with her own daughter, but Lotte didn’t like her mother’s choice of movies.
Nor the fact of what foundation her mother built up the reason to spend time with her.
“Besides,” Lotte looked back to the kissing couple where the movie stopped at. The way the actress looked during the kiss. It bothered her. “She doesn’t like it. Her face was full of contempt.”
Then the door of their home clicked open; her father had come home. Lotte immediately turned around to greet him as she usually did, but she held back.
He wasn’t in the mood.
He hadn’t smiled at them ever since Lotte had run away and her mother had taken her side instead of his.
“How was your day, dear?” her mother asked, not paying attention to his tense nature.
Lotte’s father silently hung up his jacket, giving a faint shrug.
“Slow,” he replied cooly and approached them with crossed arms. His eye twitched when he saw Lotte and her mother dressed so lightly while watching a movie. He would have remarked to put on something proper, but he held back, clicking his tongue. “The boys and I played some DnD, but my character died.”
“Oh no, how?” her mother clung with her fingers to the couch. She wasn’t a fan of fantasy—but she always liked to ask him about his hobbies and listen.
It was a genuine interest, not a fake one like Lotte often did.
“Charged into a dragon while screaming,” he said.
“Didn’t you say you are playing a cleric?”
“Yap,” her father smacked his lips, “felt bloodthirsty today.”
Lotte gulped nervously and sunk into her couch to hide from her father. He wasn’t a particularly scary person, at least for her, but sometimes she felt like his stare could smother someone.
“Not like he would ever do that,” hoped Lotte.
“Well, we had a lovely night. Remember the movie ‘A Silent Kiss?’” her mother beamed at him, and her father glanced at the TV. “Lotte loved the movie. I mean, why wouldn’t she? She’s like me, after all.”
“I didn’t; please stop misunderstanding!”
Her phone suddenly started buzzing violently.
“Oh, that reminds me, I have a new coworker at the office,” her mother talked about her day, and Lotte glanced back to her phone. A few missed messages and calls from Liara were on display. “She is from the quiet kind and a bit awkward around the others. I feel like she has trouble getting used to us.”
“Hmm,” Lotte’s father attempted to feign interest and brewed coffee. “How unusual for this time of year.”
“I know, right?” her mother stood up from the couch to talk more about that topic—enough time for Lotte to make a quick phone call.
“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you the whole evening!” Liara shouted on the other end; Lotte had to pull the phone away from her ear. “We’ve agreed to call after school. What happened?”
“My mother,” Lotte whispered. “She wanted to watch a movie with me.”
“Oh dear,” Liara sounded concerned, knowing what it meant. “Which one?”
“‘A Silent Kiss.’”
“Ergh,” Liara groaned, making a gagging sound. “That movie is awful! The actress obviously hated doing it!”
“I know, but my mother thinks I loved it. She can’t find out the truth,” a sigh escaped her lips. “Anyway, I got some time. My mother is gushing over her day with my father.”
A Pause. By now, Lotte could tell what it was; Liara was nervous. A feat Lotte could never have imagined for her, but she found it incredibly cute from her usual confidence.
“Are you able to sneak out for tomorrow? Visiting the city and, you know, do stuff?”
Lotte’s heart stopped for a moment and did a flip. “Y-yes, of course!” she couldn’t hold back her excitement. “I would love to, but I better ask my parents.”
“You sure? Can’t believe it will end well.”
“I can’t just sneak out whenever I need to. My father is holding me on thin ice already, but if he doesn’t let me, then…”
“Then you will sneak out, anyway?”
“Yes,” replied Lotte without hesitation, prompting a laugh from Liara.
“That’s my girl. Good luck. I’ll send you the details later.”
Beep. Beep.
Silence. The call had ended, and Lotte was shaking to take a breath of courage. She listened to how her mother was still happily chatting, and her father nodded at every word.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
His expression was much softer, and maybe, MAYBE, he would be amiable.
So Lotte asked with a genuine and innocent smile to earn permission to go with Liara to the city. Her mother was amused by the idea and immediately gave her blessing without even saying a single word.
Her father, though, was less amused by the idea.
“No, you’re grounded until I say otherwise.” Her father stared at his daughter as if she just had killed a classmate and not run away from home with Liara weeks ago.
His stormy silver eyes, they stabbed into Lotte’s heart like daggers. Her father, who only had a smile for his daughter, now looked at her as if there was nothing to love anymore.
As if that one misbehaviour had killed her for him.
“You can’t be serious, can you?” her mother defended Lotte as she usually did as of late. The stern frown on her face was so uncharacteristic of her. “It’s just a day in the city with her friend. Not like she will run off again.”
“You’re missing the point; she has yet to be punished for her previous misconduct.”
“Oh shush, we settled that already.” Lotte’s mother turned to her with a smile. “You go and have fun tomorrow, alright, dear?”
Her mother patted Lotte on her back, encouraging her to go to her room for the night.
“Excuse me? You don’t decide this alone!” her father furiously stomped out of the kitchen after his wife, a strand of blond hair fell over his forehead. “Do you have any idea what kind of precedent you are creating? As her father, I will not allow it!”
“My word stays, she goes.” Lotte’s mother put her fists on her hips and stared her husband down. “Now come and let us watch our favourite movie, won’t you?”
Her posture relaxed, and she tried to reach out for his arm. He pulled back.
The eye of Lotte’s father was twitching. “I lost my interest. Oh, besides, I forgot to tell you this when I found out about it years ago. You know why your actress from our favourite movie was shunned from the industry?”
“Don’t you dare; I don’t want to know whatever it is!”
“She had a scandal for being in a relationship with another woman!”
“WHAT!? NO! HOW DARE YOU!?”
Lotte ran up to her room, away from the ensuing fight.
“I need to get away; I need to see her.”
Covering her ears, Lotte couldn’t stop the tears coming out of her eyes before the sudden image of that actress popped back into her mind.
A face full of contempt. To kiss someone she didn’t like and no one else could see except Lotte and the person she loved.
“I need to see her.” Lotte pressed the contact on her phone and waited for Liara to pick up.
—❂—
“Alright… what happened?” Liara crossed her arms and scrutinised Lotte’s appearance. They had agreed to meet in the city to have fun and do whatever struck their eyes.
However, Lotte’s appearance was dismal.
Her hair was dishevelled, a sleeve from her top was missing, and her knee scrapped with blood trickling down.
“Not much,” Lotte replied, avoiding eye contact as she was catching her breath, but Liara knew there was more to it and nothing she could casually tickle out of her.
Not without a bribe, that is.
“Here, for you. Don’t worry about it, my treat.” They sat at a nearby fruit shop, and Liara bought Lotte’s favourite drink, a fruit smoothie. It always helped to settle her mind for situations like these. “So, wanna tell me who to beat up?”
Lotte choked. “What? Where’s that coming from?”
Liara pointed at Lotte’s appearance. “This, who did this? And don’t tell me you tripped.”
“...” Lotte audibly slurped on her smoothie. “I tripped.”
“Bull–”
“I mean it; I actually tripped towards the end.”
“Ok, back to the beginning. Tell me what happened.”
Knowing Lotte for years now, Liara knew she wasn’t one to stand up for herself.
She was a sort of yes–woman. Give her a task, and she would have a hard time saying no. That’s why she always silently accepted what her parents or others told her.
Liara wanted Lotte to stand up more for herself, but that was a long road.
Strangely, though, she had no fear of flat-out rejecting the advances of the boys in school.
“My father saw me sneaking out today,” Lotte confessed and took another sip. “He tried to drag me back inside, but I protested. The sleeve ripped off, and I tripped. Then I ran my way here… that’s about it.”
Finishing her smoothie, Lotte threw it over to a nearby trashcan and stood up from her spot. She offered Liara her hand. “Where should we go? What do you have planned? Something fun?”
“Fun?” Liara thought with a frown. “How could we have fun now?”
Taking Lotte’s hand, Liara stood up and put her arm around Lotte’s hip, startling her.
There was little Liara could do when Lotte wasn’t willing to speak openly about her family or emotions.
So all that Liara could do was distract her girlfriend and enjoy their time together.
“Sounds good to me. How about shopping for some new clothes? I like your style, but that ripped-off sleeve design doesn’t suit you.” Liara grinned and dragged Lotte with her through the shopping streets. “Let’s go; my fashion sense is telling me about a disturbance in the force!”
Maybe it was just a simple distraction, but that was how they needed to operate.
From one distraction to the next, all the while ignoring their circumstances at home.
Distractions, distractions, and even more distractions.
And Liara was the best at providing them.
“Nope, doesn’t bring out your hair.”
“This one… nah, too bright.”
“OHHHH… no… I hate it.”
Call it a cliche that girls like fashion, but Liara never cared about it. Her parents were military people, and the only tenable thing she knew was the fashion of each country.
She loved to be radical about fashion, to rebel against the boring that others saw as the norm.
She loved to get her hands on them, and she loved to put Lotte in them. To watch her squirm ever so slightly when putting her on display for her inherited beauty, something Lotte didn’t realise and Liara would make her see one day.
“This should be considered torture, you know?” Lotte complained behind the curtain.
“Shopping? Ha, I've asked my mother about it, and so far, there’s nothing written about it in the Geneva Convention. Tough luck, huh?” Liara laughed at her joke, but Lotte wasn’t showing any reaction or coming out. “Come on; I want to see my girlfriend in all her beauty!”
Grumbling came from the booth. “Don’t wanna.”
“What was that? Can’t hear you; lemme drag you out to see for myself.”
“Wh- no, wait, hey, stop!”
Without receiving an invitation, Liara entered the booth with Lotte inside. She couldn’t hide her wide smile upon seeing her.
“I was right; it fits you perfectly!” Liara fawned at the outfit choice Lotte was sporting now. It wasn’t a big change, but it already told so much.
Her usual pair of shorts and tights and a dark top in contrast to her warmer skin colour. But now she also wore a red flannel shirt that complimented it perfectly alongside her midnight blue hair.
“Well, at least we are matching now, right?” Lotte stapled her fingers nervously, eyeing Liara’s red top. “Like a couple, right?”
Lotte’s face was flushed red, embarrassed to say all that, but she couldn’t help but feel both happy and daring. “Though we’re still missing the final touch.”
“Oh?” Liara cocked her head and grinned. “What would that be?”
Out of her pockets, Lotte produced a pair of necklaces. Liara’s eyes widened at their designs.
Both were round-shaped with intricate cloud designs on the bottoms.
One was bright with a silver moon on top, and the other had a dark sun with golden designs decked in them.
“They are beautiful, but why them?”
Lotte fidgeted with the necklaces in hand. “They reminded me of us. I mean, to me, you are like this moon. Bright and illuminating… when it’s dark… you shine.”
Ok, if you had a tomato in hand and compared it to Lotte’s blush, you would have spotted no difference in saturation.
Lotte’s face was burning hot, so much so that she was about to hide them in her hands when Liara didn’t stop her.
“Then this is you, right?” she took the other one in hand with the golden and black design. “You tend to be gloomy but are like a burning and bright sun. One that shines no matter how much they try to hide you.
“A beautiful dark sun.” Liara smiled at Lotte brightly, and the heat in the room grew abruptly for her. “Come,” Liara twirled around and lifted her brown hair. “Let’s put them on.”
As usual, when they tied each other's hair, Lotte clasped the necklace around Liara’s neck, and so did Liara for her.
“It looks good, doesn’t it?” Liara linked her arm around Lotte. “Perfect for both of us.”
“It is.” Lotte returned the bright smile when they saw each other in the mirror; she leaned toward Liara in their pose.
But the day was far from over as they exited the mall, their fingers laced together, holding hands in broad daylight.
They were happy.
Cheeks red, a smile on their lips, and no ounce of worry in their bones.
To anyone, they might seem like two best friends spending time together. Or they looked like a couple, but the two of them didn’t care about the stares.
They wanted to be happy and enjoy their time, unbeknownst to the pair of sharp eyes tailing after them.
The eyes stared after the couple in between the crowds as they held hands and bumped right into a familiar musician, giving the city trip another wild turn.