Of Flowers and Frost

"May our love be everlasting."

The voice of Lily Hopea's mother would always hum those precious words in her mind, taking her back to an amiable Christmas day spent with her family. Her mother's proclamation was spoken to her father with so much tenderness and sincerity, it earned a special place in the girl's memory.

Despite knowing better, she felt life was nothing but sunshine and rainbows when her parents were together. They were the definition of a lovey-dovey couple, nearly inseparable and unafraid to show the world how much they loved each other.

She had no idea how long it would be until she found the companionship she wanted deep down... or if she would ever find it.

She was proven wrong on a December field trip taken with her class, when she was ten years old.

As soon as she had stepped off of the bus, Lily briskly walked to an empty spot in the field, moving ahead of the other students. They could sit wherever they wanted, as long as they weren't too far away from the teachers. She had decided to sit near a pine tree.

The other kids, having their own friend circles, elected to sit with each other, paying her no heed. She watched as they settled down on the grass, various pitches of chattering voices filling the air. At first, she thought no one would sit next to her, leaving an empty space as was typical for any group gathering.

It was a lonely way to spend her time, especially when she was surrounded by so many people, but she was used to it by now. She placed her lunchbox in front of her, getting ready to open it when she heard a voice off to her right.

"Cool turtle box."

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin, whipping her head around for her eyes to meet the owner of the new voice. It was a student from another class accompanying them on the trip. She had short brown hair and the most beautiful pair of dark eyes Lily had ever seen. She had tan skin, contrasting with Lily's pale complexion. She wore a purple t-shirt and black shorts, as well as an oversized string necklace.

Ignoring the twinge in her heart, she took a deep breath and plastered a wobbly smile on her face. "U-um... thanks. Thank you! I really like... turtles."

She used one hand to smooth out her blonde hair, which ended just over her shoulders. She glanced at the complimented lunchbox, made to look like a cutesy, simplified version of a sea turtle.

"Same. Did you know turtles can live from around fifteen to a hundred and fifty years?" the other girl asked, chuckling softly. "Imagine living that long!"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?? How do you know that?"

"I like turtles too. They're pretty cool. Dinosaurs are the coolest, though." The girl moved closer before taking a seat next to her, crossing her legs. "Mind if I sit here? I saw you were by yourself. My mom says no one should be lonely."

"Oh! Um, I- I wasn't lonely," Lily clarified, though a small part of her disagreed. She waited a moment before adding: "I don't mind you sitting here. I'm sorry if I'm weird…"

"Huh?" The girl shook her head before letting out a laugh. She brought over her own lunchbox, a purple rectangular pouch with a glittery design. "Why are you sorry? Weird is awesome."

"...It is?"

"Yeah. Normal can be so boring sometimes." Taking a pause, the girl held out her hand. "I'm Dahlia."

Dahlia...

"Lily!" She realized she might have sounded a little too enthusiastic, so she simmered down when she next spoke. She clasped Dahlia's hand before giving it a shake. "My name is Lily."

In response, Dahlia wore a soft, amused smile. "Lily... I like it. That makes us both flower girls."

A pink tinge dusted Lily's cheeks, her blue eyes shining. She barely noticed tiny snowflakes beginning to fall from the sky. "Flower girls... yeah. Flower girls! Hehehe!"

Looking back on it now, Lily knew she had held onto the other girl's hand for a little longer than she should have... but she knew exactly why. The warmth was infectious. It was like a spark had lit a fire in her heart. She would always remember that day as a new beginning.

* * *

From then on, Lily and Dahlia were the best of friends. Despite being in different classes, they would always find a way to meet each other again. Their conversations were full of fun facts about turtles and dinosaurs, talking about their days and complaining about their assignments. They had even dyed their hair together, each using their favorite colors; Dahlia stuck with purple while Lily had her hair dyed completely white.

During one of their summer hang outs, they celebrated entering high school with grape juice and a movie. The film they chose was one Lily absolutely adored. It was about a robot falling in love with another robot, and likewise, Lily immediately fell in love with it the first time she saw it. Upon reflection, she supposed it helped her understand how that kind of love worked, from an outsider's perspective.

Now that she was saddled with her own feelings, she barely had any idea how to handle them. The realization hit her when the crisp autumn leaves began to drift away from the trees. One of the highlights of her daily school life included riding the bus home with Dahlia, since their homes happened to be on the same route. This afternoon, not even a few minutes after the fully loaded bus drove away from the school, Dahlia leaned over and rested her head on Lily's shoulder.

In that moment, she had frozen solid, keeping her gaze level as her heart threatened to tear itself free from her chest. The same warmth from when they first met spread from her shoulder to the rest of her body, enveloping it in butterflies. She could almost see stars dancing in her vision from how dizzy she became. It took every ounce of willpower not to completely overload her brain with questions, doubts and all sorts of feelings clashing in a vortex of chaos.

When she finally dared to shift her eyes down to her shoulder, she beheld the visage of a girl she had unknowingly fallen head-over-heels for. While her hair was the same shade of brown from her early youth, the tips were dyed a lovely purple, akin to an iris flower. She wore the same necklace every day, having grown enough for it to properly fit her, the dinosaur claw now resting on her chest. Her breaths were soft, and the way her lashes fluttered whenever she cracked open her eyes almost sent Lily's heart into a spiral.

The white-haired teen had no doubts now. She was infatuated. What was she to do with that? She had no idea what Dahlia's type was, or if she was even interested in that kind of thing. It had taken Lily a while to figure that out for herself, and with her parents being so accepting, she thought it would never become more complicated than that first step.

Then she had to notice how pretty her friend was, how smart, wonderful and perfect she was. Now, everything was at stake. Aside from her parents, Dahlia was her entire world. If she lost her, she would never forgive herself.

She would never-

"Hey!"

With a startled gasp, she snapped out of her existential daze. The voice of the bus driver derailed her train of thought. "We're at the last stop. Time for you to get off."

Lily scrambled to scoop up her backpack, smiling sheepishly. "Right! Sorry, sir," she feebly offered, gently tapping Dahlia on the shoulder. When that didn't wake her, she resorted to jostling her. She tried not to be too harsh, pulling back as soon as the girl jolted awake.

"Huh- wha-?" Dahlia hummed drowsily, rubbing her eyes after lifting her head. If she noticed she had been napping on her friend's shoulder, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she quickly realized they were the only two students left on the bus. "Oh... guess we gotta leave now. Oops."

Lily led the way out, taking a sigh of relief as soon as she was out of the bus. She stepped onto the sidewalk with Dahlia before the bus drove away.

"Good thing our houses are on the last stop, right?" Dahlia joked. "I didn't have any dreams, but it was nice to have a little break from everything."

As the two girls walked across the street, Lily withdrew an idea from Dahlia's words, which gave her an important reminder. She hesitated to speak up, her heart catching in her throat at the thought of what she was about to ask.

"Hey, um... Dahlia? I wanted to tell you something."

She received an intrigued hum in response to her inquiry. "Do tell, then," Dahlia invited with a calm smile.

"Well, you mentioning taking a break reminded me of something. My parents and I are staying in a cabin next month. It's just for a week, and... I would have to ask them, but…"

Lily struggled to keep her eyes on her friend as she proceeded to ramble. "I was wondering if- I was thinking you could- would you- do you want to join us??"

It seemed to take a moment for Dahlia to process her question, but once she did, she tilted her head. "A week, huh?" she asked, dark eyes trailing after the leaves falling around them. "Is this before or after Christmas?"

"Before Christmas," Lily readily answered, feeling her nerves settle down slightly.

"And when are you guys leaving?"

"December 6th, I think? I need to check with mom and dad, but yeah..."

"Hmm. Lily?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Are you sure you want me there?"

At that (perceived) audacity, Lily could only gasp. The white-haired girl fixed her with a look of disbelief. "Yes!! Of course I want you there! Why wouldn't I?"

Dahlia gave an amused huff, fiddling with her necklace. "I dunno. I don't want to get in the way of family plans or anything."

"Please, my parents love you." I love you. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you were there too. It's not like we're having Christmas there, right?"

"Heh. Right." Dahlia's smile widened a bit. "Well... I would have to ask my parents, but I'm positive they'll say yes anyway, so- yeah, I'm down for it."

"Really?? You're gonna come?"

"Pfft, what's with the surprise? You asked me!" the brunette laughed, prompting Lily to laugh with her. She could not have been happier with how the conversation turned out. Even if there was still the matter of approaching her true feelings.

They were approaching Dahlia's house now, a one-story building with brown-painted walls and a rocking chair on the front porch. It was a quaint place, one which Lily enjoyed visiting whenever she had the chance. Her parents were a relaxed sort, usually willing to roll with just about anything.

Before going inside, Dahlia gave Lily a sweet smile, sincerity glittering in her eyes. "I'll let you know how it goes. See you tomorrow, Lily."

All Lily could do was give her a wave, wearing a bashful look on her face. "See you, Dahlia! Bye!"

Deciding she couldn't stand around anymore, Lily took off down the street, her grin growing wider and wider until sheer excitement burst out of her. She laughed while throwing her arms up in the air, and her voice was carried by the breeze sending the trees' leaves on their journey to the ground below.

* * *

In Lily's opinion, December took forever to arrive. She believed whoever said 'time flies when you're having fun' was lying through their teeth. She could not wait for her family's holiday trip to arrive. At the same time, she hated having to sit with her emotions for a month, trying to work out whether the trip was the opportune time to tell Dahlia how she felt or not. Whether she would regret her decision or not. Whether it would completely crush their bond to dust or not.

The easy part was over with at least: Asking her parents if her friend could accompany them. The conversation had only lasted a minute or two, because the answer was an enthusiastic 'yes'. Then, the very next day, Dahlia had told her the good news at school. Her own parents had also agreed to let her go on the trip, as long as she stayed safe. After all, Mr. and Mrs. Hopea were considered very trustworthy by Dahlia's mother and father.

The trip took a total of eight hours, taking them across fields of wheat and bumpy roads. It allowed Lily to properly wind down, and to make things better, it even snowed a little more than halfway through their trip. The sight of gentle snowflakes falling from the cloudy sky brought some comfort to her, amidst her crushing doubts and worries.

When they first arrived at the cabin, the first thing Lily did was find the nearest bedroom and flop onto the bed. Sitting in the same position for several hours was surprisingly tiring, and she wanted - no, needed - proper sleep. It had been nighttime when they reached their destination, so she wasn't woken up by anybody. Rooms were picked out the day after, and the vacation officially began.

It was on day three that Lily decided it was now or never. If she blew it, she could at least enjoy a few more days with Dahlia before they parted ways for good. Now or never, she had told herself throughout the day. Now or never!

The two girls were on the couch, watching the snowfall through the large window in the living room. They were raised on their knees to peek over the upper half of the couch, admiring the view next to each other. While Dahlia's attention was caught by the snowflakes outside, Lily was enraptured by her. She wore a purple sweater with an image of silver bells embroidered on the front, contrasted with Lily's fluffy blue and white sweater.

Now... or never.

"Dahlia... I... I-I have to tell you something..."

Her voice was unintentionally quiet, but it was enough to reach the other girl's ears. Her eyes were drawn away from the weather and towards Lily. "Hmm?"

Instantly, Lily's face flushed red. She suddenly found it difficult to swallow. Now or never, right? Say it now, say it NOW!

"I just wanted to say that... you're really, um... important. To me." Lily swallowed, staring into her crush's dark eyes. "I'm always happy when I'm with you. Everything we do together, I can never imagine doing alone."

Dahlia's smile was tender and sincere. "Aww, Lily," she purred, batting a hand at her. "You make me happy too. What made you wanna say that? You're shaking... a lot... wait. It's not something serious, is it?"

"No! N-no- I mean, yes- I mean-"

Lily was scrambling to save the moment, her nerves firing at high capacity. Try as she might, she couldn't stop trembling. Finally, she made herself crystal clear.

"I LOVE YOU! I love you, Dahlia, I love you! I really love you! I'm in love with you!"

After her outburst, Lily planted her gaze firmly on the ground just over the couch's edge. She considered curling up in a ball and letting herself rot, then and there. It was finally out, and her heart was beating furiously against her chest. The embarrassment was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes. Almost.

"Lily..."

Upon hearing Dahlia's voice, she flinched with a whimper. "P-please don't hate me... please? It... it's okay if you don't..."

A hand drifted towards her face, tipping her chin up before tilting her head in the direction of her best friend. She had no choice but to look at her friend, but she was overwhelmed by what she saw. Instead of hatred, or confusion, she only saw amusement. What...?

They spent one moment gazing into each other's eyes, and the next with their lips touching. Lily barely had any time to process the moment when Dahlia leaned in. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating, and then she placed her hands on her shoulders. The kiss was light and brief, only lasting five seconds, but it felt like a blissful eternity to Lily.

When Dahlia pulled back, she wore a satisfied smile, accompanied by a subtle blush filling her cheeks. "Took you long enough."

Lily just stared at her in complete shock, blinking rapidly to bring herself out of her daze. She glanced at her hands, still resting on Dahlia's shoulders, before opening her mouth. "Took me- you-?"

Dahlia shushed her with a soft laugh. "Lily, stop. You're too cute. You're just too cute. Who else would I want to spend the rest of my life with? You. No one but you."

She paused for a moment, contemplating something. "I don't know when I realized it, but I think I've liked you for a while. I guess I wanted you to make the first move. Sorry to make you wait."

Although Lily's eyes were welling up with glistening tears, her expression reflected nothing but joy. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in for an embrace. "It's okay, Dahlia," she assured her, managing to stop her voice from shaking. "You have no idea... how happy I am."

Over Dahlia's shoulder, she watched as the frosty snow outdoors continued to dance in the wind. Contrary to the chill of the outside world, every part of her was enveloped in warmth. She almost didn't know what else to say. That was, until her mother's words echoed in her mind.

With a soft, caring hum, Lily whispered to Dahlia, "May our love be everlasting."