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The warmth of the breeze enveloped you like a blanket. You sighed softly, leaning back towards the bench— humming a tune from your childhood, a song your mother used to sing.
Your eyes dart up, locking on a single maple leaf that flutters through the air that soon falls onto the cobbled ground.
The wind grew stronger, and more leaves followed in its wake, cascading through the gust like a dance shared between nature and its elements.
You smiled, reaching out to catch a leaf when suddenly your surroundings grew dark.
A gasp elicits from your lips in a panic. You feel the long, smooth graze of hands over your eyes.
“W-what the hell?!” You stammered out, trying to pry the hands away from your face— but alas your attempts were futile. As you kept on trying, a soft laughter came from behind you.
“Haha.. haha!” The laughter continued, and only then did you realise it was another prank of your dear friend Lucien.
He moved his hand away and looked down at you with a cheeky smile, his long blonde hair and the strands framing his beautiful emerald eyes.
Lucien does not move, but instead keeps his eyes on you. You stare back at him, your face mixed with both confusion and exasperation.
“Haha, got you didn't I?” He spoke, his voice almost like honey to your ears. You huffed at him, crossing your arms to look intimidating— but deep in your heart, all you feel is warmth.
“Ha. Ha. Not funny. What are you doing here anyway?”
Lucien raised an eyebrow at your question. He immediately moved to the front of the bench and took the space beside you.
“Break time, and it appears you have a new hobby.” He reached out, poking your cheek. You glare at him, but it softens the moment your eyes meet. (Internally, you blame his unwavering charm.)
“Tch, I’m just trying to pass time..”
“Well, just look at my face.”
“And why would I do that?”
“People do that to pass the time, and it helps.” He winks at you, adding more to his charm.
The blood from your veins immediately rushed towards your cheeks. It was a stark contrast from the daylight that shone upon Lucien, which was almost like his personal spotlight.
But then, a great idea came into your mind. You decided that a little payback was not harmless.
You lay your eyes on Lucien, and he seemed to catch on what was happening. He stares back at you with a sheepish smile.
“Looking at me now? Hah, you catch on quickly with my words.” He moves closer to you, closing the gap between your bodies.
His hand brushed against yours, leaving a lingering comfort that left goosebumps down to your spine. Neither of you move away from each other.
For a few moments, the two of you stayed like this. Everything was a blur, as if the world centered its stage just for the two of you. A soft breeze drifted through the air, brushing against the two of you.
“...Y/N.” Your heart races just from hearing him say your name.
“Huh..?”
“If you keep looking at me like that, I might just melt.”
Heat rushed towards your skin. You immediately averted your gaze, your eyes landing on the orange leaf held between his fingers.
“Did you know? Autumn is almost like the Season of love.” You raised an eyebrow at his words. “Really? How come? I thought Autumn was close to Halloween.”
Lucien simply smiles at you, his gaze unwavering. “Haha.. of course, you'd think of that. It is not. Autumn… well, is celebrated on the 21st to 24th of September and Halloween on the other hand, is held on the 31st of October.”
“...So why do you say it's like the ‘Season of Love’? I thought Valentine's day held that title.”
He simply laughs at you, your confusion endears him very much. “Of course, of course! Valentine's day is indeed the Season of Love. But for me.. I think autumn fits the title more.”
You watch his gaze soften, his lips curling into a soft smile, and the sight of it all— your heart begins to beat wildly against your ribcage. The effect Lucien Chauveau has on you..
“For me, Autumn has always been about warmth. It's almost like a blanket, whenever you're too cold it warms you up— and especially..” He stops for a moment, slowly looking into your eyes. “Autumn is the best, when you have someone near you. To share the warmth with, to share.. everything.”
Hearing his words, your heart skips a beat. The way he was looking at you, and the words he said, was he perhaps hinting on something?
With a gentle smile, he reaches out once more, his hand moving towards your face and then… “You have a leaf stuck here, haha.”
He plucks the stray leaf off your hair, and you scowl at him. If he keeps doing this, teasing you relentlessly, you might as well lose all your composure.
“What? Were you expecting something?” He grins at you. Your hands itch to hit him.
“Ugh.. whatever..” You grumbled, averting your gaze from his.
The two of you stay like that for a few seconds, until a familiar voice calls out to you both.
“Y/N! Lucien! Come on already, break time is over!”
You both turn your head towards the source of the voice, ah. It was Alicia, your fellow classmate.
“Coming!” You quickly rushed back to your feet, only for Lucien to grab your wrist. His hands felt warm, like the breeze from earlier.
“Careful, if you stand too quickly you'll just fall back down.” He stood up slowly then smiled back at you. “Come on, let's go. We wouldn't want to keep our friend waiting.”
And with that, he walked towards the direction where the purple haired girl was.
You watch Lucien's figure move, your eyes lingering longer on his back.
“...”
You recall all the things from earlier, his relentless teasing and sudden touches…
Your heart skips a beat once more.
This must be the Autumn he was talking about.