Concealed no More

Mika’s PoV

 

Mika was inwardly freaking out.

Sure, she was the one who was dragging Silva to her house. Sure, she could not leave her alone after such a traumatic event. Sure, she would have to find an excuse why her friend was out alone in the middle of the night to her parents. 

But none of these were the reasons for her agitation.

No. The reason was entirely different, and Mika did everything to appear calm on the outside. It would do her no good if Silva grew suspicious of her behaviour.

As they walked, Mika’s head swirled with unhelpful thoughts. "This was not how I wanted to invite her to my house! Okay, be cool, don't be tense... Ah, but I already am!" She swallowed the trepidation she was feeling before speaking.

"When we arrive, my mom will probably be still awake. I'll do the explanations, so you don't have to speak if you don't want to." Mika prepared Silva, who was still walking a little behind her and heard an affirming murmur.

Mika looked back to take a peek at Silva’s face. But only for a moment as she quickly averted her eyes. She had to be careful not to make the girl nervous to be around her. 

In all honesty, Mika had ulterior motives. This was neither the time nor the place. And she would have been just as helpful if Silva wasn’t…

“Damnit,” Mika muttered. “And fuck you, Steven.” She quietly added. Of course, the idiot already knew."Why is he so perceptive when least necessary!" She kept silently cursing him. "At least I got him to promise not to speak about it with Silva." She reassured herself.

The truth was that Mika had a crush on Silva. She was painfully aware of it, but no matter how she looked at it, Silva did not need an admirer but a friend. So she tried her best to be just that.

Even before she had met Silva, Mika had no illusions about her sexuality. She could not even imagine herself with a guy. They just didn’t appeal to her - neither with their looks nor their behaviour. For some time, she had thought she had no interest in sexual matters with others at all. 

But that time had long since passed years ago. Not that Mika had been happy about the discovery back then. And she still remembered when it had happened.

One day, she noticed a girl who came to talk with Steven. She was strikingly beautiful. Her smile. Her gestures. Her figure and even her voice. Everything about her made Mika feel tingles running through her body. 

Unfortunately, as it turned out, the girl’s personality was terrible. Her first love crashed before it could take off. The girl had only Steven on her mind and saw Mika only as a nuisance. In the end, after Mika had an argument with her over Steven, the girl never spoke with them again.

From that time, Mika had started to notice her own gender more and more. She had been careful not to reveal it, but it did not escape Steven’s eyes. 

Even back then, he had been her only real friend. It was always just a question of time. And after finding out, he had tried to help her. 

But in the end, she was universally disliked by girls in school for being friends with Steven. Mika found no one but enemies among the girls who were around her.

To this day, Steven was the only one who knew about Mika’s preferences. Her parents loved her, but they also had a deep prejudice against homosexuals. She could not talk about herself with them. 

Not until she had found a place of her own. Mika had already resigned from dating anyone until she got into a university or found a place for herself. 

That was until she met Silva.

Mika was immediately drawn to her upon their first meeting. She had felt herself melt while looking at her. 

When they talked at the teashop, Mika had been filled with the need to protect the girl. She tried to not show peripheral treatment, but she was ready to forgive Silva for just about everything. Every day she spent with Silva was a struggle of epic proportions to keep herself in check.

And they did spend increasingly more time together, mostly just the three of them. Mika had feared the worst-case scenario, but Silva did not appear to be falling for Steven - which was good.

On the other hand, Silva did not seem to have any romantic inclinations at all. That suited Mika just fine. She could work on that. She would work on that… 

Somehow… Maybe…

In conclusion, Mika lacked confidence. But...

Mika couldn't leave Silva alone. Something about her clumsiness, her stiff expressions and rare smiles… Her sometimes inappropriate questions. It was all just so... cute.

So there she was - an 18-year-old girl with no love experience, leading her love interest towards her house to spend a night there. "If only the circumstances were better."

Mika lamented. "And what are the chances of her even liking girls. No, don't get discouraged!"

For the past month, Mika had tried her best to get out Silva's preferences, but it had gone nowhere. Silva had said that there had been no one she had been interested in before. And that was all.

It all was so vague. And there was always that nagging feeling that once MIka revealed that she was a lesbian, Silva would look at her differently.

At any rate, this was not the time to think about it.

Forget the future. Mika had to take care of her friend first. Her desires could wait. A little look here and a short glance there would not hurt their relationships. It was only natural for friends to look after each other, even if Mika took those words a little too literally.

While Mika was agonising over her love life, they had arrived at their destination. Her abrupt stop made Silva bump into her back. But when she turned around, Silva had returned to her previous distance further back.

Ignoring the pang of disappointment with the unchanged gap, Mika spoke. "We are here! This is my house!" She gestured at the small one-storey house. 

A simple, white building with a small lawn in front and a short fence surrounding it. The whole street was filled with hoses just like hers. 

Some were bigger, some more decorated, and some with gardens, so Mika's house did not stand out. She again glanced at Silva to measure her reaction. But as usual, she could read nothing from the girl’s face.

"You should smile more," Mika muttered. Silva had a habit of not showing her emotions, and it vexed Mika to no end. "Not that I don't enjoy looking at her blank face... Wait, stop!"

"Did you say something?" Silva asked, clueless about Mika’s slip-up.

"It's nothing." Mika denied it quicker than she had wanted. "We should go in."

When Mika opened the doors, she immediately saw the light in the kitchen, telling her mother was waiting for them. They silently started to peel off the streetwear, and a moment later, her mother entered the corridor and scrutinised both of them.

"I am back." Mika hoped her smile didn’t look forced. "This is my friend, Silva. She had a disagreement with her friend she was staying over with and left the place. Her father is not at home tonight, and she lost her key. That's why I offered her a place to stay for tonight."

Mika could tell Silva was looking at her, judging her for her lies. 

But the girl still introduced herself without missing a beat. "Hello! My name is Silva Timley. Thank you for your hospitality." She bowed her head.

"That's okay, sweetie. I am glad we can help you. It is rare for Mika to have anyone visit her. Well, besides that boy, Steven. I'll go and get a blanket for you. I already prepared the rest." The older woman gave the warmest smile. "My name is Margaret." she finished and left to prepare Silva's sleeping place.

Mika was lost on how to proceed until she noticed Silva's clothing. "Let's go to my room. I'll give you something you can wear for the night." She invited Silva deeper into the house. “Ah, the toilet is right there if you need it.”

The guess had been right. Mika watched Silva blush as she excused herself to visit the lavatory. 

Mika fidgeted in place, waiting for Silva and replaying her slight blush in her mind. When Silva rejoined her, Mika proceeded with the tour, showing her room.

"This is where I live. Let me get a tee shirt. Sorry, I have no spare pyjamas, so that's all I can offer." Mika apologised.

"Oh, yeah! Works for me.” Silva's absent-minded response made Mika notice that her friend was inspecting her room.

Now, in her room, Mika was even more self-conscious about her situation. Desperately keeping her breathing even and heartbeats quiet, she chose a white tea-shirt and offered it to Silva.

"Here. Saw anything interesting?" She noticed Silva’s curiosity. Frankly, Mika thought that her room was very mundane. Nothing was distinguishing here. Plain, white walls, the usual furniture, a computer, school stuff... Her bed was still a mess, as she had rushed out of her house.

"No, it's just that... It's the first time in a friend's room since forever. Well, for the last ten years, at least. I did visit some friends when I was much younger." Silva answered while grabbing the tee shirt from Mika’s hands.

"Friends, huh..." Mika did not expect a big reaction out of Silva, but there was practically nothing. "Anyway- whoa!" Mika spun around as Silva started to undress.

The wall looked mightily interesting right at this moment. The rustling of clothes behind tormented Mika. Part of her regretted not having a mirror placed where she could take a peek. "Wait, she said we are friends. It would not be strange if I looked, right? No, but I can’t! In the future, this moment could ruin everything if I looked! Damn it all, don’t waver now! You decided to be only a friend! Ah, but just a peek would probably not hurt..." 

A jumbled mess of thoughts raced through Mika’s head, confusing her even more. Just as she talked herself into turning around, Silva spoke.

"I am done... So, what now?"

Mika slowly turned around, her eyes glued to Silva's figure. The supposed ‘friend’s’ question echoed in Mika’s head with the imagination running rampant.

"Wh-what n-now?" Mika's voice broke as her eyes fell on Silva's body. 

The girl was wearing only the tee shirt that stretched down to her thighs, leaving most of her legs bare. Mika could see the traces of Silva's modest breasts beneath the simple clothing, which did not leave much for her imagination. Silva's slender body seemed to call for an embrace. Mika felt her breathing quicken more and more as the heat burned her cheeks.

"I mean… Where will I sleep?" Silva tilted her head.

The simple movements caused Mika to lose all self-control as she started to move forward. The answer was so obvious, she should sleep here!

Mika looked into Silva's dusky blue eyes, and then her gaze fell to the girl’s red lips before moving even lower. Her mind was empty while her insects were screaming. She had to take the moment. She had to do something… Anything! Her whole existence was concentrated on the girl standing in front of her. That was until she heard knocks on the door of her room.

Mika suddenly felt like she had been thrown into a freezing lake. Her body quickly cooled down. She looked over Silva's shoulder at her mother, who was speaking.

None of that registered in Mika’s mind. Her eyes fell back to Silva, who had a questioning look on her face. "What was I about to do?" Mika was horrified. "Was I about to assault her?" She felt like she had fallen into a swamp. 

All of her movements felt slow. As if she was fighting against the air around her. Her joints seemed to creak, and movements were mechanic.

"Mika? Is something wrong?" Silva closed in, causing Mika to hurry backwards.

"No, no! I'll show her the way, Mom! Thanks!" Mika waved her mother away, finally catching up with the situation.

Mika heard her mom mention something before she left, closing the doors behind her. Her gaze was darting around the room as she once again found herself alone with Silva. 

And she was scared. Scared that if she looked at the angel again, Mika would lose her self-restraint once more. "Wouldn't that make her a succubus instead?" Mika's thoughts wandered.

"Mika? Is everything really alright?" Silva asked again, now even closer to her than before.

Mika felt her desk behind her. She realised she had no more room for a retreat. Keeping her head turned to the side, she barely managed to answer.

"Y-yes, why do you ask?" Mika stammered a little but managed to regain some external composure.

But inside, she was still a mess. "Damn, it was supposed to be the other way around. I was meant to comfort her, not make her worry! She was clearly distressed, so why is she coming even closer now?" 

Mika’s rear was pressed against the desk, and she even had to lean back to keep as much distance as possible. It did not help. Her subconscious still kept filling her mind with devious thoughts.

"You are acting strange. Was it something I said? Are you avoiding me?" 

Silva looked so sad that it nearly broke Mika's heart on the spot, and she rushed to correct her mistake and change the subject.

"No, it's nothing, truly! I just lost my balance for a moment. Let me show you where you will sleep!" Mika replied as she gathered all of her courage to look into Silva's eyes to reassure her. To her surprise, she managed to not stare too much.

Mika used the chance to take the initiative. She moved with the sole goal of delivering Silva to her bed before Mika had a chance to make another mistake. 

She circled around Silva, trying not to accidentally touch her. It proved to be difficult, considering the size of her room. After nearly falling over her chair, Mika managed to exit her room, with Silva following after.

Luckily, Silva was trailing once again. Mika was sure that her face was twisting in various unfathomable ways. She just could not help it. Her mind kept returning to the moments before. She could recall every detail. There was no doubt that Silva's figure was burned in her memory.

Moving as quietly as possible, Mika hurried to show Silva her sleeping place. She made sure that nothing was missing and brought a glass of water for her friend. 

However, there was one last test left for Mika’s self-control. Before Mika left the room, Silva unexpectedly gently hugged her while whispering a thank you.

Mika froze when she felt Silva's body pressing against her own. She could feel the soul leaving her body. Even though Silva immediately let her go, she found it impossible to make the smallest motion.

Slowly, Silva found her way to the bed and tucked herself under the blanket. "Goodnight, Mika!" She sleepily mumbled, her head resting on the pillow and eyes already shut.

“Sleep well!” Mika belatedly returned in a louder voice than she wanted. She still could not believe how lucky she was.

When Mika came back down from her high, she found herself lying down on her bed, her head on the pillow. 

How she had gotten back was a mystery. There was only one thing she could think about. "She hugged me!" Mika squealed in her pillow to muffle her excited voice. “She smelled so nice. I should have hugged back! That was my chance! I should have smelled more of her. I should have... Wait, how did I get back? Whatever, she was so warm! So cute, so great, so nice!”

That night, Mika did not calm down. She spent her time recalling the moments spent with Silva.

Mika agonised and giggled, then frowned, then smiled sloppily. Whatever tomorrow would bring, she could face with all of her might. “Ah, I am in trouble. I truly have fallen in love!” Was her last thought before she finally fell asleep.