[Novella] BE HAPPY - Prelude

Be happy

                                          

Prelude

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Blue.

The sky was so blue.

Bright as a gem and clear as crystal.

Golden rays of sunlight sprinkled on to the ground, dyeing the lush green grass and warming the moist, soft earth with their joyful colours.

Among the branches, birds of all colours were chirping with their hundred different voices.  

Rebeka pealed her gaze from the sky and turned her head to look at her companion, a beauty among Nature’s most astounding picture.

Her Mhea.

The young girl was lying on her back with her arms beneath her head with her soft long hair splayed out on the grass. Among the pale colours of their surroundings, the dark blue strands stood out like a bold exclamation, defiant and challenging to the Earth.  Her eyes were also a blue, so pale it was almost white and seemed to glow an ethereal light. They were strained on the sky as the young girl spoke with voice barely above a whisper. In the harmony of spring, there is something inherently reverent in the air, a calmness and peace that washed over Rebeka’s veins. She turned to lie on her back and hummed in respond to Mhea’s occasional questions, unwilling to break the atmosphere with any a sound. Their hands were intertwined, Mhea’s smaller hand covered by hers. It was warm, and Rebeka felt that this tiny skin-to-skin connection was the only anchor tether Mhea to the ground.

Rebeka closed her eyes, and thought of the sky, and the eyes she had learned to love. The two hues of blue always reflected in each other, shimmering endlessly. And every time the light hit her face just right, Mhea’s eyes seemed to widen, shiny and deep, as if they were the glow where the sky met the sea. But now, that glow was no more. As Mhea closed her eyes and lost herself in her story, the sun bounced off her long lashes and streamed down her cheeks in rosy shades. Her voice had gone quieter. Pensive, as if she were lost in her own thoughts and Rebeka was only hearing the echo of a busy mind. Rebeka tried, she honestly tried, to follow the other’s ravings. But Mhea’s deep-sea eyes seemed to suck her in and the girl’s canary voice was fading into the background and becoming an almost lullaby that sent Rebeka into a dream-like state. She was awake, but at the same time she was not. The only thing she could register was the warm body next to her and the small fingers entwining with her own that never seemed to be still. 

And she wondered: Was she the one that held Mhea from flying away, or was Mhea the one saving her from her mundane life?

Sensing her gaze, Mhea turned her face and smiled. Their eyes interlocked. Dark brown melted into pale blue. Rebeka felt a jolt from her body; her fingers ached to push away the wayward hair from Mhea’s cheeks. She did just that, feeling the cool smooth skin beneath her palm. Her youthful companion giggled; face brightened with a softness she reserved just for Rebeka.

Could Spring be so warm?

“Rebeka, you are spacing out again.” – Mhea’s voice suddenly became too close and Rebeka had to supress her body’s automatic fight or flight responds. The blue-haired girl was perching on top of Rebeka, – How on Earth did she get there without her noticing? Rebeka was a Royal Guard, for Goddess’ sake! – whining with the most petulant and adorable pout on her pink lips. She lowered herself until there was no space left between their bodies. – “Rebekaaaa. I know I’m rambling and everything coming out of my mouth is probably a nuisance to you but can you please just humour me by at least pretending to listen?”

Rebeka laughed and Mhea’s face darkened by a shade. She huffed and lifted herself of the older woman. Other people might scramble to apologize to Mhea, but Rebeka had known the teen enough to know when she was angry and when she was feigning. And even though she was frowning, the small quirk of her lips belied her true feelings.  

“Fine. Since you clearly have other things more interesting than me, I won’t bother you anym-”

Mhea’s last syllable became an indignant yelp when Rebeka yanked on her wrist and bring her small body back to its previous position. The girl pouted, again, and tried to squirm away from Rebeka’s iron grip. She opened her mouths to talk her way out but was silenced by another pair of lips. One of Rebeka’s hand come up to rest against the back of her neck and the other wormed it way into her hair, gently tugging the girl closer and deepening their kiss. Mhea made a pleased noise at the back of her throat and returned the action with fervour. Her lithe body pressed closer to Rebeka’s and her hand fisted the other’s shirt so tight that she was certain the fabric would crease afterward. Ages seemed to pass when they finally parted for breath, faces red and chest huffing. Mhea rolled off her and laid down on the grass, letting Rebeka’s arm snake around her waist to bring her flush against her side. She sat up and leaned against the tree they were under, pulling her lover into her lap. The girl breathless puff fanned the side of her neck and her long hair tickled her arm, and Rebeka feel warmth spreading across her body. She smiled when Mhea nuzzled her chin and pressed a light kiss on her jaw. She looked good like that, like a kitten with dishevelled hair and pouty lips. With a hand absent-mindedly petting Mhea’s hair, Rebeka let her gaze rake the scene, taking in the blue sky and the green grass. The scenery opened in front of her eyes from her vantage point, an impression she could not get lying down. She breathed slowly and took in the faint flowers’ aroma and the sharper tang of herbs on Mhea’s body. The hill was windy, but she wouldn’t mind staying forever in this heaven.

She and Mhea alone.