Luminary Institute

107: A Teary Confession

The meal as a whole passed without much of note. A lot of laughter, a lot of shouting, and a lot of banter, but nothing much more. No real conversation of substance happened beyond Nyssa getting to know Olivia and Celeste catching up with Alecto. Following the dinner, Class Zero as a whole, headed off to watch a movie in Ryker’s dorm, bidding Olivia a goodnight as she and Alecto wandered off back to the Class One dorms. 

As they walked through the quiet, deserted campus, Olivia checked her watch. “Already ten? Time flies I guess when we’re with that group...” 

“It really does,” Alecto walked along with Olivia. Arm in arm with her contractor, a bright smile danced across her red lips. “Will you return my affection now~? Now that we’re all~ alone~?”

“... I don’t know what you mean by that...” Olivia looked down at her phone as they walked, avoiding Alecto’s teasing gaze. “I think I’m going to sleep early tonight. It’s been a long day after all. Especially with all of them...” 

“What! Stay up late, why don’t we celebrate together?” Alecto rested her head on Olivia's shoulder. “You don’t have any tests during this coming week! AND it’s Saturday tomorrow! You don’t have any classes or any plans! Who’s so boring as to just sleep?” 

“Me, Class Zero has too much energy, and all the other Class One seniors are either too stressed or too egotistical for me,” Olivia trailed off as a shiver ran up her spine. She put her phone away and blew into her hands, trying to stave off the numbness beginning to creep in from her fingertips. “And... Well, I always have you...” 

“Aw, look at you~” Alecto teased, poking Olivia on the cheek. “Opening your heart up to someone as humble as me! Your prudishness has really gone away these past few months. I’m proud of my progress!” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Oh shut up,” Olivia scowled, a faint huff of embarrassment leaving her mouth as she accelerated her walking pace. With Alecto chasing her, she slipped in through the double doors leading into the dormitory and ascended back up to the top floor where her room sat. 

Unable to make the same elevator Olivia did, Alecto unsummoned herself and began shouting for freedom the moment Olivia re-entered her room. After a two-minute mental battle with her contractor, she reappeared in the dorm room, in her ever-familiar sprawled out position on the bed. “So, I was gonna say, what if we cracked open one of your bottles of wine? You’ve been saving them for so long after your father gifted them to you! What better occasion is there than this? You got into your dream graduate program!” 

“I... I’m just not sure,” Olivia, sitting at her desk, looked out the window. Feeling an itch beginning to climb up her throat, she cleared it while hoping Alecto wouldn’t notice the slight reddening of her ears. “I’m just afraid of what I might say, you know?” 

“Aw~ I know you so well though, what could you be hiding from me, my dear contractor~?” Alecto leaned forward, stretching her hand outward and laying it on Olivia’s. “Oh my, your hands are cold though... Also, have you informed your parents of the good news?” 

“Not yet,” Olivia put her other hand on top of Alecto’s. “I should probably do that right now, shouldn’t I?” 

“You definitely should,” Alecto propped her head up with her other hand while adjusting her position on Olivia’s bed. “I don’t want your mother’s angel to start breathing down my neck again... she always blames me for your mistakes! Says ‘this is just the bad influence of demonkind.’ How unjust can she get! That feather-headed halo hugger!” 

“Mhm, mhm,” Olivia tuned out the second half of Alecto’s well-rehearsed rant. In the meantime, she pulled her hands free and leaned over. One hand unzipped her bag and pulled out her laptop while the other pulled out her glasses case from the bag. Flipping the case open, she slid the glasses on and set the case to the side of her desk. Alecto’s rant continued, and while providing some basic commentary—”That’s crazy,” “Woah, how could she say that,” and the like—she typed out a few quick messages to her parents before closing her laptop once more. 

“That’s it?” Alecto shook her head while sitting up. “You’re done? That was like... four sentences at max! I’d guess three!” 

“Yeah, it was three,” Olivia shrugged, ignoring the messages now appearing on her phone. Walking over to the closet, she began pulling off her clothes with casual movements to change into her nightwear. “Do you mind scooting over a little? I want to lay down as well.” 

“Oh my~ undressing in front of me? So lascivious, what if I pounced on you?” Alecto teased, covering her face while squirming. Her face though, might as well have remained uncovered as her fingers just happened to part at her eyes. 

“You’ve seen me naked enough times, I don’t know what you’re expecting...” Olivia trailed off as she pulled her nightwear over her head. “Scoot though, you haven’t moved at all in the time I’ve changed.” 

“My bad~ my bad~ I was too mesmerized~” Alecto sang while laughing. Rolling over, she patted the section of the bed beside her. “Here, your highness, I’ve warmed this part of the bed for you already! It’s just waiting for your presence!” 

Unable to keep a straight face, Olivia cracked a smile while climbing onto the bed. Seconds later though, she sighed, muttering “I’m cold” before slipping under the covers. Alecto, on the other hand, followed her contractor under the blankets, pressing her body against Olivia’s as they laid in silence for a minute or two. 

“... You’re really warm...” Olivia yawned, wrapping her arms around Alecto under the covers. “Making me sleepy...” 

“Wait, wait, you can’t just fall asleep now!” Alecto protested, pinching Olivia’s nose. “It’s not even ten-thirty yet! Come on, let’s have a bit of a heart to heart. Or do you want to respond to the messages on your phone first?” 

“I kind of just feel like sleeping, I don’t want to talk to my parents right now. They’re so tiring,” Olivia mumbled, her voice still nasal. After Alecto increased the strength of her grip, though, she relented, climbing half out of bed to close her curtains and type out a few vague responses. “Alright, I’m ready to talk about... whatever...” 

“Then who do you love! Is It Ryker? Electra? You’ve been acting like love is on your mind recently!” Alecto clenched her fist, pulling Olivia back under the covers next to her. “Spill it my lovely contractor~” 

“H-Huh?” Olivia’s voice cracked as she felt a blush climb onto her face. “Wha... What are you talking a-about??” 

“Of course I would realize~” Alecto teased, reveling in Olivia’s reaction. “I’ve known you since before you were born! I know you better than you know yourself! So, come on I’m~ waiting~” 

“... N-No, I’m not going to share,” Olivia snapped her mouth closed, burying her face into Alecto’s neck and closing her eyes. Her face burned as she hoped Alecto could move on. “N... Nope.” 

“Awh, you’re no fun, come on~ my dear~ you know I won’t judge, I’ve been with you through thick and thin,” Alecto sighed, a gentle smile blossoming across her lips as she pulled Olivia in closer. “I’ll wait~” 

And so... they waited. 

They laid in uncomfortable silence. Olivia tried to fall asleep but... just... couldn’t. After they traded another round of jabs, she felt her emotions boiling, almost as much as her face. As tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes, she unshielded her thoughts for a brief moment. 

IT’S YOU! OKAY?!

Alecto laid there for a couple seconds, her mouth hanging open. A faint blush climbed on to her cheeks as she felt her entire worldview tilt. Her heart began to pound like a jackhammer. Olivia, meanwhile, while laying in her arms, had begun sobbing into her shoulder. 

With tears streaming down her face, Olivia rolled over as she heard her phone begin to vibrate as a call came in. “I’ll... leave to answer this...” 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Alecto snapped out of her trance. She pulled Olivia back into bed and back into a hug. Patting Olivia’s head, she reached over to the phone and turned it over to hide its screen before pausing all notifications. “Shhh... it’s okay, it’s okay. All that can wait until tomorrow. Don’t cry my love. I... I love you too, okay?” 

“I just wanted to spend the evening with you...” Olivia whispered as she squeezed Alecto in closer. 

“Well... I’m happy to,” Alecto smiled, wiping a tear from one of her eyes. “I... I truly love you too, Olivia.”