One Last Epilogue

[Aura]

The hard part was over. She admitted it. She had to force it out like she was trying to push through a brick wall, but it was out there now. Granted, it was only to one person, but that was still one more person that knew than there was five minutes ago, and it was a person that she had put all of her trust in.

And as it turns out, that trust had been placed well. Nothing that Yumi had been fearing happened. Felicia wasn't put off or alarmed. She didn't walk out of the room. There wasn't even as much as an awkward silence, at least not more than a couple of seconds.

But then she talked, and she was okay. She didn't judge, criticize, or question her. She reassured her. Yumi felt like she might cry right there from the swell of emotion that she was feeling, but she managed to hold it together.

"F-Felicia..." She started, looking down at the table to try to hide her quivering reaction. "Th-thank you." She looked back up, revealing a small smile of her own. "I was s-so scared to tell anyone. I didn't know what th-they'd do or think, but..." She paused for a second to collect herself before looking back at Felicia.

"I knew I could trust you. I knew it."

[KamiKaze]

Felicia’s smile widened with Yumi’s.

Yumi felt comfortable, and that was good. Still that sense of awkwardness, but she knew that she wasn’t judging. In a way, it looked like she was ecstatic to know that Felicia cared for her.

For a moment, she searched for what more to say. Keep it simple, think of what you would have liked to hear, be kind, be considerate.

“I’m… glad you were able to talk about it,” she said. “I understand how hard it can be, you know?”

A beat.

“How are you feeling?”

[Aura]

"I'm good." Yumi replied to Felicia's inquiry. "I f-feel a lot better now."

A tear squeezed its way out of her eye, and she wiped it away before it could roll down her cheek. Her emotions were resisting her attempts to hide them, but she didn't mind this time. Because it wasn't fear or anxiety that were overtaking her. It was relief and happiness. She was thankful that she had a friend like Felicia. It gave her a pleasant, warm feeling inside.

Yumi looked back up at Felicia, and acting on instinct, she leaned forward and hugged her. Her arms were fully wrapped around her friend, holding her snugly. Yumi normally wasn't one to initiate this sort of thing, so this was definitely a side effect of her current rush of positive emotion.

"Th-thanks Felicia. You're my best friend." She sniffed a little as a tear she couldn't keep back rolled onto Felicia's shoulder. "Th-the best I could ever ask for."

Somehow, Yumi felt like as long as she had Felicia, things were going to be okay.

Yumi Nunes: The End

[KamiKaze]

And Felicia returned the hug.

As long as she'd be there for Yumi, as long as Yumi was there for her.

That's what friends were for.

The end.