When she hears Hilde take a sharp intake of breath, she turns toward her.
"Don't freak out, but…I…um…uh…" she stammers awkwardly.
Before she can continue talking, a pair of arms wrap around her and pulls her tightly against her chest.
"Oh god, what did I see?!" Hilde cries frantically.
"Shhh...it's all right. Calm down, honey." Annie whispers. She tightens her grip around Hilde, her lips resting gently against her hair as she rocks her gently from side to side.
For several minutes they stay like that, neither of them speaking.
Eventually, Hilde calms down and starts stroking Annie's back slowly, feeling relieved when Hilde begins to relax in her embrace.
"I think Felix was really busy last night, like, really, really busy," she murmurs.
"He was?" Hilde replies in surprise.
"Yeah. He wasn't home until very late, so when I got to the dormitories to retrieve my things, I found him asleep on the couch. He must have fallen asleep there. His laptop was lying open beside him. The browser was open, and I saw his messages." she explains, her voice shaking slightly.
"Your overreacting," Annie thinks to herself.
"Well, anyway…" Hilde continues, "I decided to give him some space. So, I tried calling him when he didn't show up for breakfast or lunch. But no one answered. I don't even know if he's gotten home yet."
"Okay." Annie nods slowly. "Then why are you worried?"
"Because I mean… that's my job?"
"And I told you, I was worried about him."
"I understand, Hilde, and I promise not to tell anyone. But you don't need to worry about him anymore. If he doesn't come back tonight, everything will be fine."
"I hope you're right." Hilde sighs heavily.
She pulls away from Annie and stands up from the bed.
"Is everything okay?" Annie asks her confusedly.
"Everything is just fine," Hilde reassures her. "Just needed to let off some steam and cool down a little."
Her phone vibrates, and she unlocks the device, checking the notification.
"Umm, Felix is inviting us to a party. Should we go?" Hilde asks.
"I wouldn't be opposed to."
"Great!" she exclaims happily.
"Of course, I have to prepare early. This is important for us." Felix replies.
"Go to sleep." Felix smiles as he presses another kiss to her forehead. "Today, we begin our new life together."
******
Annie drags Hilde with her to the local shopping center to buy clothes.
"Do you remember which store it was?" Annie asks Hilde as she hands her the basket.
"Um...the clothing store near that place that sells clothes?"
"That's the one! So let's go!" she exclaims cheerfully, grabbing Hilde's hand as they walk towards the clothing store.
The store itself is vast and spacious, filled with colorful clothes, shoes, accessories, perfume, bags, and other items. Everything seems to be made of different materials. Some of the shelves are full of clothes, while others have various accessories scattered on top of the display. The employees seem to wear black and white uniforms with matching black sunglasses. There isn't a single employee who doesn't wear a uniform.
"Wow…" Hilde murmurs as she stares wide-eyed at the luxurious store.
"Come on, let's find clothes for you first," Annie tells her, dragging her inside the shop.
*****
Annie pays for their purchases while Hilde trails behind her. They exit the shop and head to the next store. Once they reach the jewelry section, Annie picks up some earrings, rings, and necklaces.
"They look pretty…but why are these expensive, though?" Hilde questions curiously.
"These are all custom-made for your size," Annie replies. "They also have a unique design. You see…"
"Oh, you don't have to spend so much on me." Hilde laughs nervously.
"But we're celebrating today, aren't we?" Annie insists, placing the earrings in Hilde's ears.
"You sure do enjoy spending money, huh?" Hilde asks wryly.
"Hey, it's not every day, my... I go shopping with you." Annie replies with a teasing smile. "So what do you think?" she asks, holding up the necklace she had picked out for Hilde. It is a simple silver band with a diamond on each side. It has a small sapphire set in the middle, surrounded by tiny diamonds. On the front of the ring is engraved a symbol.
"Wow, it looks beautiful." Hilde comments.
"Let me put it on you," Annie suggests.
A few seconds later, she's fastening the ring on Hilde's finger. "Perfect fit," she states, staring at Hilde.
"What about clothes?" Hilde asks.
Annie looks around for a moment before walking further along the rows of racks until she finds a stand dedicated solely to dresses. "I think we'll both look great in something similar." Annie declares.
Hilde follows her gaze and gasps in awe. Each dress looks perfect paired with the other. They were all made from the same material as their outfits, but they were entirely different.
"Which one would you prefer?" she hears Annie ask her.
"What do you mean?" Hilde replies quizzically.
"Which style do you like more, dresses, skirts, pants, or pantsuits?" she clarifies.
"Uh...I don't really know…."
Annie raises an eyebrow in response. "Seriously? No one knows which one they like better or how they would look with different outfits?"
"Well, no, but-"
"What? No buts!" Annie protests. "I've been trying to figure it out since yesterday, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but none of these look good on you," she exclaims frustratedly.
"Okay fine, but seriously, which style do you want?"
"I-I..." After a moment of Annie scrutinizing her, she speaks up. "You chose..."
*****
As soon as she gets home that afternoon, Annie heads straight for her bedroom, throwing her bag and jacket carelessly aside and falling face-first onto the bed.
It felt incredible, just letting the giddiness drain out of her body after a long day of dealing with Hilde. She feels incredibly exhausted, but somehow, it all feels almost perfect.
Maybe because it is. Perhaps because she feels like everything finally fell into place. Maybe because it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, and now she feels free. She feels like everything is going to be all right.
Hilda enters the room after dressing up and walks towards the bed where Annie is lying. She climbs next to her and wraps her arms around her, pulling her close.
"What are you doing?" Annie blushes.
"I just needed a hug. Are you ready to go?" Hilde asks, nuzzling her nose against Annie's temple, inhaling her fragrance.
"No."
"Why?"
"My legs hurt," Annie complains, closing her eyes.
Hilde stands up and fixes her hair. "Well, we've got to go," she says.
"Nooo, not yet," she whines, opening her eyes.
"Please come along."
"Fine!" she grumbles and climbs out of bed.
***
In the car ride, Annie keeps complaining about her tired legs. Hilde ignores her.
"I feel like you ignore me just because Felix is brought up. What's so good about him anyway?" Annie says indignantly.
"Nothing. He's just nice to me. He's a very nice man."
"Yeah… I guess." Annie mutters.
Eventually, they arrive at the venue for the party and get out of the car. They enter through the main entrance of the building, and Annie spots Felix instantly.
"There you are!" he exclaims, rushing forward to them.
"Hey, Felix." Hilde blushes, slightly embarrassed. "Nice seeing you."
"How are you? How did your work go?" he asked enthusiastically.
"It went well. Though there is more paperwork upcoming."
"Don't worry about it. I understand." Felix chuckles lightly. "Anyway, let's get inside."
He leads the two girls inside. They follow Felix through the crowd until they reach a large hallway. There are many people inside, but luckily they manage to make their way through. As they reached the end of the corridor, music could suddenly be heard.
They stop just before entering the dance floor, and Felix takes out a microphone. "Attention, everyone," he shouts. "This is your boss speaking. Please join us in the middle of the hall if you are here to dance."
An applause breaks out from the crowd, followed by a few cheers.
The three of them stand on the edge of the dance floor. As the music plays, the couples start dancing slowly.
Annie grabs Hilde's hand and begins to sway her hips, moving closer to Hilde.
"I was expecting party music. Not classical posh people music." Annie giggles as she moves closer to Hilde and places her right arm around her waist.
Hilde also lets out a soft chuckle and returns Annie's closeness. "I suppose things never change."
******
Several hours pass as the four dance the night away to the music. Many of them have already fallen asleep on each other, but it seems like nobody minds.
Hilde sighs as she rests her head on Annie's shoulder, closing her eyes as the music continues playing.
Annie looks over at her with a soft smile on her lips, noticing the contented expression on her face. She gently pokes Hilde in her sides, eliciting an adorable yelp from Hilde.
"Stop messing around, Annie," Hilde rolls her eyes, putting a piece of chicken in her mouth.
"Ladies and Gentlemen... I have an announcement."