Bellona let out a groan as she regained consciousness, feeling something pressing into the side of her head.

What the? Bellona thought, opening her eyes to see what was going on. Instantly, the girl's eyes widened in shock noticing that her head had been resting on Festus's shoulder. Festus, however, did not seem to care, too busy sleeping to even notice.

When had this happened? Last she remembered the two were barely touching.

But despite the initial shock, Bellona couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from the boy. Unlike at all other times, Festus appeared much more relaxed. His curls were slightly messy, covering his forehead more than usual and his nose scrunched up just enough for Bellona to see the faint freckles that painted it, but still, by the rising and falling of his chest, Bellona could see just how calm he really was.

And for some reason, she seemed to feel a lump in her throat at the sight. Was this how Festus really was with others? Calm and relaxed? Why did she feel so drawn to him right now?

Bellona tried to shake off her thoughts as she noticed Festus begin to stir, a panic in her chest as she tried to pull her head off his shoulder before he could notice. But it seemed her efforts were in vain. As if he had missed the warmth from her head, Festus's eyes trailed toward his shoulder, landing instantly on Bellona.

His eyes widened slightly for a moment, but unlike Bellona, his look didn't seem to be out of fear. Instead, it seemed to be out of genuine curiosity, his lip faintly twitching as his eyes glanced down again.

And then, he did something Bellona had definitely not expected.

Without a second thought, Festus surged forward, cupping her cheeks as he pressed his lips against hers. Bellona, surprisingly enjoying the feeling, closed her eyes and ignored the burning of her face as she matched his pace.

As if fueled by her acceptance, Festus pulled the girl closer, taking his hands off her cheeks and moving them down to her waist. But the awkward angle made it hard for the two to continue, so Bellona, unwilling to stop now, shifted herself into his lap as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders without pulling their lips apart.

For the first time in a long time, Bellona's thoughts remained silent. No anger. No anxiety. Only desire to keep the warmth between them.

And the two did just that, continuously letting their lips come back to one another as they huddled closely, ignoring the pounding of their hearts. It was only when they could not physically maintain their breaths any longer that the two separated, chests heaving as they tried to regain a healthy breathing pattern.

Still, Bellona remained numb to everything but their touch, letting the boy press his forehead against hers as she kept her eyes closed.

But, of course, all good things end eventually.

"Bell," Festus breathed out, voice desperate as he called out for the girl.

Instantly, Bellona's eyes shot open, as if she had just awakened from a dream. Bellona quickly scanned the boy's face, trying to make sense of what had just happened, but all she could focus on was the desperate look of love in Festus's eyes as he stared back at the girl.

No. No. No. This can't be happening, Bellona thought. There was no way in hell she just kissed Festus, right? Let alone liked it...

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," Bellona muttered, pulling herself out of his lap and making her way toward his bedroom door. Why did she like it? Festus was annoying and stupid and only mildly attractive. He shouldn't have made her feel the way he just did, let alone make her want more.

"Bell," the boy called out again, staring up at her like a lost puppy before fumbling after her.

"Bellona!" Festus yelled again, chasing after her only for him to stop in his tracks when she noticed her frozen in his living room.

"Bellona Plinth. How lovely it is to finally meet you."

His ma. Shit.

-

Bellona's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the unfamiliar woman. Oh god. This looks bad, Bellona thought. It is bad.

But Festus's ma only chuckled, smiling softly at her.

"Don't worry, I knew this was coming," his ma replied, gesturing toward a seat at the table, "Why don't you join us for breakfast?"

Bellona awkwardly turned toward Festus, noticing the boy's eyes already lingering on her. Nope. That's not happening.

"It's okay, Mrs. Creed," said Bellona, putting on the fakest smile she could, "I'm not that hungry."

Festus's ma waved her off, looking at the girl again.

"Nonsense. Look at the state of you," said his ma, referencing her messy appearance and crooked bandage, "I insist. We'll get some food in you and then I'll clean you up."

"It's really okay-"

Bellona's sentence got cut off midway when she felt a hand graze her arm, turning angrily to see Festus shaking his head. The girl shot daggers back at him before sighing.

"Fine. I'll stay."

-

Setting up the table was quite awkward. Mr. Creed did not seem to be home, but the house was still lively with Festus's ma conversing with the maid as they brought the food in. Bellona tried to help them, but his ma insisted she stayed seated, urging her next to Festus.

Bellona awkwardly bit her nails as she looked at the food, quietly thanking their maid and his ma for the meal before picking at some pancakes. Festus, too, seemed too distracted to eat, keeping his gaze on Bellona the entire time.

It seemed even Mrs. Creed could sense the tension.

"So," the woman asked cheerfully, "How long have the two of you been together?"

Instantly, Bellona coughed, choking on a piece of pancake as she looked at her plate in embarrassment.

"Mom!" Festus yelled, holding his head in embarrassment. But the woman only looked confused, eyes scanning between the two.

"It's not like that," Bellona muttered, smiling through the embarrassment as she looked at Festus for reassurance. Festus, however, only nodded bitterly, playing with the food on his plate.

"Right."

His ma once again noticed the tension between them, eyeing her son once more before smiling sadly.

"Right. How silly of me," she muttered, taking a bite of her food as the room went silent again. Bellona shoveled the food into her mouth as gracefully as she could, hoping the faster she ate, the faster she could escape. But Mrs. Creed did not seem to want to get rid of Bellona as much as she wanted to leave.

"Oh, my Bellona. How could I forget," his Ma muttered, getting up from the table to grab something from the kitchen. The metal tin she had given to Festus with the Strawberry tarts.

"They were just splendid," the woman complimented, a warm smile as she handed over the tin, "Tell your ma I said thank you."

Bellona smiled happily, grabbing the tin as she looked at the woman in surprise.

"I'm glad you liked them," Bellona replied, gripping the tin close to her chest, "I honestly thought Festus would've kept them to himself."

Mrs. Creed laughed at that, smiling at the girl as Festus began to pout.

"Hey!"

"Well, thankfully he didn't," said his ma, smirking at her son, "Though, he seemed to enjoy them a lot. But, I'm not sure if it was because of the sweet treat or because you were the one that gave them to him."

Festus loudly cleared his throat, standing up abruptly as he began to take the dishes to the kitchen.

"I'm going to clean up," the boy muttered, scurrying out of the room as he tried to hide the embarrassment on his face. Bellona, too, held a hand to her cheek, eyes widening in confusion at the heat.

What was going on with her today? Maybe she should have gone home with Father last night.

Mrs. Creed seemed to be the only one not affected, asking the maid for her first aid kit before scooting closer to Bellona.

Then, the older woman quietly cleaned Bellona's wounds again, paying close attention to any dirt and grime left behind.

"Did you patch this up yourself?" Mrs. Creed asked, placing a fresh bandage on her knee after she finished wrapping her ankle. Bellona chuckled, shaking her head.

"Festus did actually," Bellona muttered, glancing over to the boy, who seemed to be occupying himself with the dishes. Their maid, however, continued to scold the boy, insisting she do them, but Festus refused, needing an escape from the table.

Mrs. Creed smiled softly as she watched Bellona watch Festus.

"He's a good boy," his Ma muttered, "Doesn't always show it. But he means well. He's like his father in that way."

Bellona furrowed her brows at the mention of Mr. Creed.

"How so?" Bellona asked, glancing once more at Festus before turning back to his ma, "Sorry. I don't mean to intrude."

Mrs. Creed waved her off, patting her leg as she sat back in her chair.

"Oh, don't worry about it, sweetie. Festus's father is a lovely man, but he spends all his time working to get ahead for the family. We hardly see him. I think Festus tries too hard to be like him sometimes," his ma admitted, frowning slightly as she watched her son fumble with the dishes.

"He is a bit competitive sometimes," Bellona muttered, remembering all the times Festus would try to beat her score on a test. Was he trying to impress his father then too? Or did he just like seeing Bellona fail?

Again, Mrs. Creed watched carefully as Bellona looked at Festus.

"Bellona," Mrs. Creed whispered, inching closer to the girl again before speaking, "All I ask is that you be careful with him. He might not look it, but he's quite sensitive."

Bellona furrowed her brows at that, feeling a lump in her throat as she watched the woman stare back at her in sincerity.

"It- It's not like that," Bellona muttered, fumbling over her words as she began to play with her fingers. Mrs. Creed laughed.

"I know my son. I can tell when he has feelings for someone," Mrs. Creed admitted with a smile causing Bellona to tense. There was no way Festus liked her, right? This whole day was just a fluke. A mistake.

By tomorrow, they'd forget all about this and move on.

"And I see how you look at him too," Mrs. Creed added, noticing Bellona go silent, "It doesn't seem like his feelings are as one-sided as you might think."

Instantly, Bellona shot up, causing Festus to turn around.

"Oh, wow. Look at the time," Bellona muttered, pointing to the imaginary watch on her wrist, "Looks like we have to get to the Academy. It was lovely meeting you, Mrs. Creed."

The woman smiled softly, chuckling at the girl's reaction.

"It was lovely to meet you too, Bellona. I hope to see you again soon."

"Right," Bellona muttered, faltering as she rushed toward the door, "thank you again!"

From the kitchen, Festus rushed to dry his hands, ignoring the fact that he was still in his pajamas as he scurried off behind her.

"Bellona wait!"

This was going to be a strange day.

-

a/n:

this is such a funny chapter hahahaha,,, bellona is really going through it right now and Mrs. Creed is not helping with her comments

also... i suck at writing kisses bc im awkward so i'm sorry for that one yall... like it was supposed to be more but i kept cringing at myself

anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter,,, it was literally so fun (and yet stressful) to write

thank you for always supporting me <33

love you guys,

hannah <33