NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Talking with Celeste
The group began their trek back toward the forest's edge following Zacard's navigation crystal as the fungal glow shifted to indicate the approaching evening.
Lucas walked near the back of the group, his mind still thinking about everything that had happened.
The encounter with the boss monsters, Celeste's reckless use of magic to save him, her confession that only she and him had heard...
He'd been avoiding thinking about it, but he couldn't anymore.
"Lucas?"
He turned to find Celeste had dropped back to walk beside him. The others were far enough ahead that they had some privacy, though still within shouting distance.
"We need to talk," she said quietly.
"I know," Lucas replied.
They walked in silence for a moment and the sounds of the forest around them were all they could hear. The rustling of leaves, the distant animal calls and the crunch of their own boots on the undergrowth.
"About what I said," Celeste said. "My confession. I know you heard me."
Lucas nodded slowly. "I did."
"And?" She asked , her voice rising. She was nervous.
Here goes nothing. I hope she doesn't try to kill me but I really need to get her off my tail. Time to give her some sappy speech and hope it moves her heart.
Lucas took a deep breath. "Celeste, I... I can't accept your feelings. Not right now."
She stopped walking, her face going pale. "Why?"
"Because," Lucas said, also stopping and turning to face her, "it's been two weeks, Celeste. Two weeks since we first met. We barely know each other."
"That's not true," she said. "We've fought together and survived together..."
"Under extreme circumstances," Lucas said. "But think about it. Really think about how we've interacted. Most of our time together has been you... forcing yourself into my space. Into my friends' spaces. Making me and us uncomfortable."
Celeste's hands clenched into fists. "I just wanted to be close to you."
"I know. But that doesn't make it appropriate." Lucas said.
"When you first approached me, you immediately claimed we were engaged without asking how I felt about it. You've consistently ignored my boundaries. You've inserted yourself into my friend group without invitation."
"They accepted me eventually," Celeste said, her voice small.
"They did. Because they're good people, and because you proved yourself capable and trustworthy in combat. But acceptance doesn't erase the way you went about it."
Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "Celeste, I'm not saying you're a bad person. I'm saying your behavior has been... problematic."
"I just..." Celeste said. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. When I look at you, when I'm near you, everything feels right. How can that not be love?"
"Because love isn't just a feeling," Lucas said. "It's not just the excitement or the rush you get when you're around someone. Real love is built slowly. It's built on mutual respect, on truly knowing and understanding each other, on trust that goes both ways."
"What you're feeling... I think it's infatuation. Maybe obsession. You love the way I make you feel, not necessarily who I actually am. Because you don't really know who I am yet. And I don't really know you."
Tears were streaming down Celeste's face now. "You're saying I don't love you."
"I'm saying you don't love me *yet*," Lucas clarified. "Maybe you could, someday. But right now? What you're feeling is intense, yes, but it's not sustainable. It's not healthy. Not for you, and not for me."
Celeste was quiet for a long moment. It seemed she was thinking about his words. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Get to know yourself better," Lucas said. "Figure out who you are outside of your family's expectations, outside of this... fixation you've developed on me. What do you want? Not what your mother wants for you, not what you think you should want, but what you actually want."
"And maybe, once you've done that, once you understand yourself better... we can try being friends. Real friends, with proper boundaries and mutual respect. And maybe, eventually, if we both feel the same way..." He left the sentence unfinished.
"But not now," Celeste said.
"Not now," Lucas confirmed.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "This hurts."
"I know. And I'm sorry for that. But I think this is necessary. For both of us."
Ahead of them, the group had stopped, probably wondering why they'd fallen behind. Damion was looking back, concern evident on his face.
"We should catch up," Lucas said.
Celeste nodded. "Lucas?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For being honest. For not... not just going along with it to spare my feelings." She took another breath, steadier this time. "I don't like what you said, but I think... I think I needed to hear it."
I can't believe that worked. Good riddance. Well not yet, let me sweet her up some more to make sure.
"For what it's worth," Lucas said, "I really do care about you, Celeste. It's just not in the way you want. Not yet, anyway. But I really do care."
A small, sad smile appeared on Celeste's face. "That's something, I suppose."
They rejoined the group, and if anyone noticed Celeste's red eyes, they were polite enough not to mention it. The remainder of the journey passed in relative silence, each person lost in their own thoughts.
---
The extraction point was marked by several tall stones arranged in a circle, each one inscribed with monitoring runes. Professor Hendricks was there, along with several other academy staff, checking off students as they emerged from the forest.
"Team Damion!" Hendricks called out as they approached. "Glad to see you all made it. Any injuries?"
"Nothing serious," Damion reported. "Some minor cuts and bruises, but we're all functional."
"That's good. Place your collected resources in the designated area over there. They'll be catalogued and your points calculated. Results will be posted tomorrow morning."