[private] and I never saw you coming

[Altissima]

His teasing doesn’t do anything to rid her of those insecurities, though what follows in the shadows does. Altissima tries to let it all go, to believe that this is going to last beyond this chilly day. And though she might wish Tarian’s teasing hadn’t involved the words ‘tolerate you’ she believes they both mean what they share as they wait out the sun and the echoing of those teasing words in her mind stops for a time. When the moon arrives, Altissima follows him - amused by the quiet care with which he leads her across the uneven terrain. She’s incredibly curious about what he wants to show her, eager to share something else with him. Once they are there, she understands instantly - her eyes shining a deep shade of indigo. There’s a soft, reverent smile playing across her features as she drifts past him and just inside of the cave to stand there amongst the blooms - her eyes bright as she takes it all in. It’s beyond beautiful and she doesn’t hesitate to lower her head to brush her nose against one of the flowers while Tarian talks. I’ve been calling them Altissimas She freezes, tension rushing back into her body. Her eyes shift through the full range of colours that they know and don’t settle on one, each shade bleeding into the next while her first response comes out as a shaky, almost-silent “What?” As if she didn’t hear him. As if she didn’t know right in that exact moment what the name was for how that made her feel - and how that sets off a confusing churn of other emotions inside of her. Altissima doesn’t lift her head or her eyes - she just stares at the blooms he’s given her name while her blood pounds in her ears and tears begin to form. Tarian is between her and the ocean, between her and escape, and though she hopes that is not the only thing keeping her from bolting, she knows that it helps. She won’t push past him so she has to stay where she is, frozen with nerves and shock. How is this bigger than the way they’ve been spending the day? Possibly because she could explain away the rest if she tried, she could pretend it was just lust if she needed to try to salvage herself. So although she’s covered in his scent and has fresh memories of his touch - it is here, standing among the glowing flowers while the air twinkles around her, that Altissima realizes she’s in love.

image by yoricade

@Tarian