H-He laughed again! This is the second time.
Vincent was laughing and smiling, and he looked genuinely amused and happy. There was something so gentle and so sweet about the way he laughed, too. It made the tears fall faster.
“No, I don’t wanna cry,” she protested. “Do something to stop them.”
“How?” Vincent finally released his hold on her neck. With him out of the way, she covered her face with her hands. Snot was threatening to dribble down her upper lip.
“We’re friends. Think of something,” Oriana said.
“Then…can I hold you?”
“No, you can’t hold me.”
Wh-Why would you even think to hold me as a way of stopping me from crying? You’re a total lady-killer! Don’t make me expect more from this relationship. I’m already at my wits’ end today!
“Hmm…” Vincent audibly puzzled over how to help her.
For her part, Oriana was scrunching her face up as hard as she could, hoping it would stop the tears.
“In that case, I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone else.”
Oriana’s ears twitched with interest. “Okay,” she rasped.
“I’ve lived through all of this once before. This is my second time going through this life.”
“Huh?” Oriana blurted, dumbfounded. She lifted her head.
“Last time, the two of us were pretty close. You told me back then, much like you did today, that you would never forget our time together, even if you died. But when death did take you, it took your memory with it. You did forget.” He was staring straight at her, and his expression was entirely serious.
Oriana slowly blinked, taking a long pause before opening her eyes again. A teardrop that had been hooked on her eyelash suddenly trickled down the side of her cheek, making it all the way to her chin before it fell.
“Just kidding.” Vincent’s face softened, his lips pulling upward. “Did that stop your tears?”
“…It did.” Shockingly enough, it had been effective; Vincent’s poor attempt at a joke had done well to console her. Even Oriana thought it odd her tears had stopped that easily, but before she knew it, she was giggling. “Ehehe.”
Vincent smiled at her. Seeing that expression on his face made all the tension leave her body.
“So, um…can we be close again like we were before?” Oriana asked.
“I should be the one asking that. Please, Oriana, I want you to be my friend.”
At this point, I think it’s safe to say the word friend isn’t just an empty title anymore. Although it should have wounded her to hear him say that, she was actually proud considering the lengths Vincent had gone to for her. He’d chased after her, covered in sweat, and even made horrible jokes to stop her tears.
“Thank you, Vincent.”
Things are fine the way they are then, she decided, smiling from the bottom of her heart. Our friendship is precious enough as it is, and I want to protect it.