65. Her sun

Nozomi felt well rested as her consciousness slowly came back. The cool breeze that caressed her cheek was counteracted by the warmth of  the pillow she was hugging, making her feel lazy. The pillow wasn’t only pleasantly warm to the touch but also quite soft, not to mention its sweet and floral scent. 

Unconsciously, Nozomi hugged the pillow even tighter as she wanted to feel even more of that comfortable warmth. However, as her sleepy mind began to slowly wake up she began to wonder where such a nice pillow came from. 

She couldn’t remember buying it, not to mention that such a nice pillow would cost a fortune that she did not possess. As her curiosity had been piqued she slowly opened her eyes. With her vision a little blurry, Nozomi had to blink a few times before she could properly see what was in front of her. 

The first thing she saw were strands of crimson red. Moving a little so she could get a better view she spotted soft rose beige skin. A pair of rosy lips a few centimeters from her own, a well sculpted nose and closed eyes with long eyelashes. Her brain froze as she realized she had been tightly hugging this person, not to mention that said person was doing the same to her. 

Nozomi became flustered as her mind began working to try and comprehend what she was seeing until her thoughts finally caught up. The person in front of her is Tomoka! Her best friend Tomoka! At that realization Nozomi’s heart began beating wildly while her cheeks turned a bright tomato red. 

“T-Tomoka!” She tried to move away but Tomoka’s tight grip wouldn’t let her go. However, it seemed that her words had stirred the sleeping girl. A moment later Tomoka’s shut eyelids opened slowly and lazily.

To Nozomi’s surprise, instead of the bright emerald green eyes she was used to, she saw a pair of shiny pink orbs staring back at her. In them she saw a bizarre picture as in the pink iris an extra pupil would open and close randomly all over. Nozomi became mesmerized with Tomoka’s eyes as it looked like a pool of molten pink diamonds bubbling from time to time. 

“Five more minutes” Saying those words with a lazy and somewhat tired tone Tomoka closed her eyes back up. Nozomi for her part had many questions to ask but seeing how tired Tomoka was she decided to wait. 

Looking at the sleeping Tomoka Nozomi couldn’t help but wonder about her past, present and maybe even her future. Being here and now, embracing Tomoka while she did the same to her felt embarrassing and blissful at the same time.

In the past she had felt empty and cold. She could never forget the looks of indifference her clan members gave her. Even her caretaker looked at her like nothing more than a burden he had to take care of. She had felt empty, cold and lonely until Tomoka appeared in her life. A bright shining star that illuminated her world. 

Once she learned the joy of companionship Nozomi had desperately wanted to keep that warmth all to herself. However, Hinata appeared and she felt threatened. She didn’t want to go back to being cold, empty and alone. How stupid she had been back then. 

Thankfully, with time she had learned that her sun is bright enough for the both of them. Not to mention that as she got to know Hinata better she felt a sort of kinship with the shy girl. Like her people didn’t see Hinata for who she is. 

Unlike her, who was someone unimportant in the clan, Hinata was ignored for the complete opposite reason. As the clan heiress, huge expectations were placed on her. Hinata was ignored as people didn’t want to see who she is but who they wanted her to be. 

Like that, Nozomi had come to know that just like her, Hinata was also empty, cold and alone. As of now, Nozomi didn’t mind sharing her sun with Hinata. The two grew closer as friends and rivals as they constantly vied for their sun’s attention. 

Looking at the girl in her arms, Nozomi couldn’t help but feel happy and warm. Her heart felt strained with emotions she barely understood. Every time she spent time with Tomoka she felt happy and warm but now it was different. Right now Nozomi felt like her heart was melting into a puddle. 

Maybe, just maybe, this was what she had never felt before, what she heard others talk about. Maybe, just maybe, this was love.