After finishing up her chores, Chloe made her way to Ciel’s stall to purchase groceries. As she perused her options, Ciel interrupted her, clearly in a jaunty mood. “Chloe! What’s gotten you so perked up this fine day?”
“H-How did you know?” Chloe asked, eyes fluttering in surprise.
“How couldn’t I? Not with you humming up a storm over there!”
“Humming?! I was humming? Oh, no...”
She’d been completely oblivious. Clutching her cheeks, Chloe tried to contain her embarrassment, much to Ciel’s amusement. “Am I really that easy to read?” she murmured quietly.
“Took ya long enough to realize!” Ciel responded, her hands on her hips. “I appreciate it, though. Makes ya easy to deal with.”
Chloe had just begun to realize how much of an open book she was; her every mood was clearly reflected in her expressions and body language. She realized, somewhat belatedly, that it was perhaps for this exact reason that she admired Lloyd’s ability to keep his composure under any situation; he could do what she could not.
“Back to my question,” Ciel continued. “So—what happened? Let ol’ Ciel in on some of that young joy, eh?”
Chloe fidgeted uncomfortably. “I... I’ll try...”
Her voice trailed off as her mind drifted off to what had happened last night. After their heart-to-heart, she sensed that she and Lloyd had attained a deeper mutual understanding—a change that brought her immense joy, yet she found herself at a loss for words to convey this newfound feeling.
Her hesitation, however, seemed to have been answer enough for Ciel; her eyes sparkled with mischief, her grin widening as she stroked her chin. “Ahhh, I see, I see...” she mused, her voice lilting with a teasing note. “You’ve finally gotten intimate with Lloyd, haven’t you?”
The word struck her like a stray bolt of lightning. “I-Intimate?” she echoed, her voice shaky.
“As in...you’ve kissed him, haven’t you?”
A series of shrill, staccato syllables tumbled out of Chloe. “K-K-K-Kissed him?!” Her mind spun, images cascading like a runaway merry-go-round.
Kisses. Smooches. The old smackeroo—a touch of the lips whispering love, desire, a secret language for those romantically inclined. Chloe knew the concept all too well; she’d encountered such an amorous scene in Love & Knight, one that had set her heart racing with each passionate line. She remembered tossing in her bed, the scene replaying in vivid detail, igniting thoughts that kept her awake until dawn. But she couldn’t spiral down that path again. Not here. Not now.
“W-W-W-W-We did not!” a red-faced Chloe stammered back. “We did not kiss!”
“Oh my, you didn’t?” Ciel responded with a hint of genuine surprise. “It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a pair of young housemates to have shared a kiss or two by now, if you ask me, but I suppose it takes all kinds.”
“Really?” Chloe replied, unsure. “That’s...normal?”
Ciel paused, speechless, sneaking Chloe a slightly annoyed sidelong glance. “Chloe, I did always peg you for the innocent type, but this...”
Chloe blinked, a whirlpool of confusion swirling in her eyes. “Um, Miss Ciel?” she ventured, her voice laced with bewilderment.
“Ah, nothing, pay the musings of a woman lost deep in middle age no mind; it’s nothing worth agonizing over.”
Chloe nodded, though her expression still held a trace of puzzlement. “Oh, okay...”
“So, what really happened between you two?” Ciel pressed.
Chloe hesitated, retreating slightly as she mulled over her response. “It’s a bit complicated, but Lloyd and I... We’ve been a bit off since we became sweethearts. And yesterday, we had a deep talk, sorted things out, and now we’re good again. I think that explains it?”
“Sweethearts?” Ciel repeated, her voice pitching up in surprise. “Now hold on just a darn second; you two are official?”
“Um, yes. Lloyd and I are together, yes...” Chloe replied sheepishly, unaccustomed to saying it out loud.
“Since... Since when?”
“Since the incident with my sister. I confessed my feelings on the way home.”
Ciel’s expression drifted into a daydream as she absorbed this. “Rescued from the clutches of an evil sister by a dashing knight...” Her eyes suddenly widened, a dramatic flare igniting in them. “Chloe, you’re living a real-life fairy tale!” She leaned in, getting all up in Chloe’s face. “And you mean—to tell me—you two—haven’t kissed yet?!”
Chloe’s response was a high-pitched, startled yelp. “Miss Ciel?!”
Noticing the curious gazes from nearby shoppers, Ciel hastily recomposed herself. “Sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away there.”
Chloe shook her head. “It’s okay, really. It’s just I suppose I’ve never really given kissing much thought. I’m more than content with how things are right now.”
Lloyd hugged her, patted her head—why yearn for more when the simplicity of their connection felt so right? It would be presumptuous to ask for anything more, a part of her believed. Yet, beneath this, a nagging voice whispered of her naivety, hinting at the depths of experience she was yet to understand.
Ciel exhaled a soft sigh. “Oh, bless your sweet, innocent heart, Chloe. Part of me wishes you could stay this pure forever.”
“I’m...pure, Miss Ciel?”
“Well, with Lloyd being the gentleman he is, and you being...you, I might just die of old age before anything happens between the two of ya!”
“Sorry...” Chloe replied sheepishly.
Ciel waved off the apology with a chuckle. “No need to apologize, I’m just teasing. Everyone finds their own rhythm in life; there’s no rush. You two take your time. What I’m trying to say is, congratulations, Chloe. I’m truly happy for you.”
Chloe, momentarily taken aback, quickly recovered and bowed her head gratefully. “Oh, thank you, Miss Ciel!”
Indeed, congratulations were fitting. Their journey together had been a winding path, but Chloe and Lloyd had found each other in their own time. The joy of others recognizing and celebrating their union was as heartwarming for Chloe as the relationship itself.
“On an entirely unrelated note, Chloe,” Ciel began with a spark of excitement in her eyes, “how do ya feel about embroidery exhibitions?”