I could see my own breath come out in white puffs as I ran through the market. I bumped into several people, trying to squeeze by to get to the mountainside.
Aylin, please be there.
My legs ached with exhaustion as I finished climbing the mountain. My ankles were covered in scratch marks and bleeding from spiky bushes as I ran through them without a second thought. Once I reached the end of the path, there was only snow covering everything. I saw imprints in the snow and followed them.
My body calmed immediately when I saw that familiar pink hair swaying in the wind. Snow was piling up on her head as she sat there, staring out into the city.
She heard my panting and turned around, seeing me disheveled and dirty.
"I have come to get you back." I got up from my knees and pointed a finger at her.
"Vivshi, I'm not human," she said, holding out her hand to catch the falling snowflakes.
I shook my head.
"It doesn't matter if you are an Aeon, because you are the most human person I have ever met. You have treated me with a kindness no other person has."
She stood at the edge of the cliff and held her hand against her cheek. When her hand pulled away, a pink flower emerged on her cheek, its roots spreading across her face and digging into her neck.
"Don't I disgust you?" she said, gripping her clothes tightly as she waited for my answer.
My steps through the thick snow made it feel like an eternity before I reached her.
"No. You are the most dazzling star I have ever laid my eyes on."
My hand reached out to touch her cheek. Her body was cold and red from sitting in the cold for too long. I brushed the snow from her head and embraced her in a hug.
Her grip relaxed as she felt my body press against hers. Her arms fell limp, and she rested her head against my shoulder.
"I was scared of losing you. I enjoyed this life with you. Studying with you, laughing with you, teasing you. We even built our club together. But the moment you asked that question, I thought you wouldn't see me as me anymore. You would just see me as 'the Aeon' and not as your Aylin."
"You are my Aylin. No god inside you dictates what you are to me."
"I was scared…"
"I know."
"I was…" she cried out.
She started to hit my chest lightly before wrapping her arms around my body.
"You are just the simple, plain old Aylin. My Aylin. Nothing else," I said as I pulled her head into my chest and wrapped my arms around her.
She burst into tears, crying with her face buried against my chest. My hand gently cradled her body as I patted her head while she sobbed.
"Vivshi."
She looked up at me with teary eyes and smiled.
"Please hold me closer."
I didn't know how to hold her any closer when I was already hugging her. That was when her hands pulled my head toward hers, and our mouths connected. She was still crying as she kissed me. My heart softened, and I closed my eyes, kissing her back as my arms wrapped around her waist.
We broke the boundary we had set, to just be friends. In that moment, I felt incredibly warm. The softness of her body and the sensation of our lips touching melted away all my exhaustion. When we finally pulled apart, Aylin smiled at me with that smile she always gave me.
That was it. That was the expression I wanted to protect.
"Again, please, Vivshi."
I leaned in again, and we shared another long kiss.
As we were kissing, my legs, which had endured so much, finally gave out, and we both collapsed into the thick snow. Aylin landed on top of me and continued pressing her soft lips against mine.
Eventually, we lay side by side in the snow.
"Feeling better now?" I asked.
"I am. Thank you, my hero," she said sarcastically, trying to hold in a laugh.
She let me lean against her as we walked back into the city. We ate warm food at a restaurant before heading back to our dorms.
Aylin pointed at her door and asked who had broken her lock. I told her the teachers had forced their way into her room to search for her.
"Can I sleep in your room tonight, then?"
She usually slept in my room anyway. Whenever she started one of her long talking sessions, she would suddenly fall asleep on my bed mid-story. The moment she got into my bed, her eyes closed. I pulled the blanket over her and laid a mattress on the floor.
"No," Aylin said softly, opening her eyes slightly.
She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me onto the bed.
"I don't want to sleep alone. Could you sleep beside me?"
"But—"
In a tired, groggy voice, she said she felt scared and asked me again to stay beside her just for tonight.
I reluctantly lay down next to her, and she pulled the blanket over me. Her cold hands wrapped around my chest as she drifted off to sleep.
A few strands of pink hair blocked my view of her face, so I gently brushed her bangs aside to see her better.
I lay there, staring at her sleeping face. I poked her soft cheek to see if she was awake and realized she was completely out. She must not have slept at all the day before.
I continued stroking her cheek and realized something.
This warm feeling in my chest. This urge to see her happy. To hug her. To touch her.
These feelings were not just a simple crush.
I loved her.