do you remember love?

They were still laughing over something stupid by the time they came up to Emile's apartment, uncaring of who might hear them. And they had hours to goof off with each other already.

She stood in front of her door chagrined, like it only existed to bring her nice time to an end. Sylvain wasn't as flummoxed; he took the chance to lean against the doorframe and give her a playful, insufferable smirk. God, he was too good. Or maybe her standards had lowered. Anything he did was attractive to her at this point.

"So. Here we are, my lady. I brought you back safe and sound, as promised."

"Yup."

She hooked her fingers together one by one, knowing what she wanted but not how to say it. If she should at all. She was grateful that at least one of them seemed to know how to do all of this dating-not-dating stuff.

Sylvain angled his head down towards her. She was briefly worried that there was no way she could get tall enough to reach him.

"Can I kiss you good night, Emile?"

Folding her hands, she swayed side to side and tried to fight the ridiculous giddiness welling up in her body that made her want to squeal. She pretended the squiggly hallway carpet was very interesting to look at. After being on the receiving end of so much lighthearted flirting, she never thought such a question from him would make her feel this way, and it was terribly difficult to keep herself together.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

"Woah, I didn't think you would say yes."

Sylvain bent down even closer, with that stupid, perfect grin of his that made her think he was really happy to kiss her, and his face was so close that she could count each orange hair on his head and wonder what it would be like to run a hand through it. "I'm really glad you did, though."

Emile stood up on her toes to make up the difference, and he laughed and put his hands on her arms to steady her. Even if her legs gave out, she was certain he would catch her; she vaguely wondered when she came to trust him so much.

He was so, so gentle when he pressed his lips to hers. Ever since she met him years ago, her impression of him was that of a careless, reckless playboy, a hurricane that swept through and left countless broken hearts and ruined relationships in his wake—this was nothing like that. This kiss, she felt, was what an expression of love was. A "hello" and a "goodbye" and a "good morning," simple and pure. It made her breathless, buzzing all over. A half-second swipe of his tongue at her mouth jolted her nerves and left the alluring taste of him for her to ponder over later.

She was barely aware of when it ended, but she looked into the pretty light brown of his eyes and found her dreamy stupor reflected there.

Sylvain touched his fingers to her warm cheek, caressing her like she was something very precious and fragile, a once-in-a-lifetime sight never to be seen again. "You're even more beautiful when you're blushing like that."

Emile couldn't keep the delirious grin off her face, and she didn't think she wanted to. Everything felt hot and pleasant, swimming in good feelings, like no dream she'd ever had. She touched his hand with her knuckles, equally awed, and her blood rushed deafeningly in her ears. For a lovely minute, she allowed herself to believe in romance, to believe that someone desired her and wanted to treat her the way beautiful girls were treated, and that she lived in a world where she would never have to be lonely again. Her heart was full of wild, aching pity for anyone who had ever loved and lost Sylvain, because that meant they lost this feeling too.

"You say that to everyone, I bet," she breathed. She didn't know if she really believed that.

She thought he would laugh it off or defend himself as he often did in he company of his friends, but he remained looking serious without even a wince. "None of them are you."

Emile didn't know what to say to that. She took a half-step back towards her door and away from his warmth, regretting that she did. His hand lingered on her face before falling to his side.

She said carefully, "Thank you for taking me out. I had a lot of fun." And she smiled. "I hope I wasn't too boring for you."

"Nah, you could never. I'd love to do it again sometime if you want. You know how to reach me." Sylvain winked, and she looked away. "Seriously, I mean it."

After a pause, he ruffled her hair vigorously. "Go to bed on time. Don't stay up thinking about me, alright?"

Emile stuck out her tongue at him and turned to unlock her door. "You wish."