Sara had my hand firmly grasped in hers as she practically dragged me – quite enthusiastically, might I add – along the terrain of Eos.

I knew it was the desert, but as the sun began to set, it started becoming cold. I was glad I had the good sense to wear a jacket.

She was taking me up a hill – a rather steep one, actually – and I was already running out of breath, though she looked just fine.

"Sara," I breathed out with a laugh. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see!" She said – again, quite enthusiastically – still dragging me alongside her.

I just giggled, though I felt somewhat skeptical. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, and Sara refused to say anything besides, 'it's a surprise!'

Finally, though, we neared the top of the hill, only causing her to speed up, until we reached the top.

"Ta-da!" Sara said with a flare, motioning to the empty landscape. I only looked on confusedly, causing her to follow my gaze. "I—wait. Ta-da? Wait. There's supposed to be a blanket and wine here. Where did the blanket and wine go?" She pondered aloud.

I couldn't help it. I started laughing. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

She gave me a deadpanned look. "Of course I'm sure," she said. "I guess a gust of wind must have blown them away…" she sighed. "Well, that puts a damper on the plan."

I raised a brow. "You had a plan?" I asked.

"Well, a vague one," she replied sheepishly. "It involved sitting on a blanket, drinking wine, and watching the sunset."

I smiled, and I felt like it was threatening to split my face in two. I looked like a fool, I'm sure. "Sara, that's so sweet," I said.

She suddenly seemed bashful. "Yeah, well," she said, looking down at the ground briefly before back at me. "It's kind of ruined now."

"It's not ruined," I insisted, grabbing her hand, still smiling. I saw how she glanced at our joined hands. "We can still sit and watch the sunset."

"But the ground is literally dirt—"

"So? Who cares about a little dirt?"

"I care. I don't want you to ruin your clothes."

I snorted. "Sara. It's just dirt."

"Still…" she trailed off, before looking as if she had an idea. She began taking off her jacket.

I frowned in confusion. "What are you—"

Before I could finish, she laid her jacket out on the ground, motioning for me to sit on it.

It was my turn to give her a deadpanned look. "Sara," I repeated. "Now you're going to be cold."

She grinned. "Not if we snuggle," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "And what about your clothes getting dirty?"

"I'm trying to be a gentleman, Suvi, if you'd just let me."

I rolled my eyes again, but down on her jacket anyway. "You're impossible."

"Please. I'm adorable," Sara said, as if she were correcting me, sitting beside me.

"Adorable is a strong word."

"Well, ow."

I laughed again, and that's when she intertwined her arm with mine, leaning in close to me and resting her head on my shoulder, and I ignored how rapidly my heartbeat had picked up.

I could feel her shiver. "I told you you'd get cold," I chided.

"Just shh, snuggle me, and watch the sunset."

I giggled again, but did as I was told. For the first time, I actually looked at the sunset, and was amazed by what I saw.

The sky had turned into a purple-pink color as the bright, orange sun started to sink faster into the horizon. The beauty was only enhanced by the clouds in the sky, casting various shadows on the ground.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful," I said softly.

"Would it be too cheesy for me to look at you and say 'neither have I?'" Sara asked, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

I blinked, too shocked to say anything for a few moments. Still, it made me laugh. She always made me laugh. It was a conscious effort to keep my eyes on the scene before me, rather than to look at her, though I knew I couldn't bear to look in her eyes anyway. I could feel a blush creeping up on my cheeks. "Yes," I said as I finally found my voice.

"What if I meant it?" Sara asked.

"Then it would be it even more cheesy."

"Really, though."

I playfully nudged her. "Oh, shut it," I said.

"I'm serious!" She insisted with her own, small laugh. She tightened her grip on my arm, and I could feel her lift her head off of my shoulder. She faced me. "You're beautiful, Suvi," she said softly.

I still couldn't bear to look at her, and I'm sure my face was as red as a tomato. "As beautiful as a sunset?" I asked with a grin playing at my lips, sounding much calmer than I felt.

"As beautiful as a thousand sunsets."

I let out a puff of a laugh, shaking my head. "Now that really is cheesy."

"It's true," Sara said, voice still soft. "Suvi—"

"Wait," I said, interrupting her, shutting my eyes tight for a second. "Don't."

She must have noticed my look. "Did I do something wrong? Was this—is this a bad idea?" She asked, untangling her arm from mine. I could hear the hurt in her voice.

"It's not that," I insisted, almost sighing. "It's just that… Sara, I know we've been flirting—shamelessly flirting, actually—but please don't do this to me."

"Do what?"

I shook my head again. "Make me believe. Believe that you actually care about me. That you really want me," I said, letting out a short, sad sigh. "I know that flirting is your thing, and that you do it with a lot of people—not that there's anything wrong with that—but it… it's become more than that to me. And I couldn't bear to just be another fling."

It was quiet, too quiet, for several long moments. I almost couldn't handle it, and I began to silently berate myself for what I had said.

"Suvi," Sara said in a soft laugh, which confused me. "Is that what you're worried about?" She asked.

At first, I just nodded. "Sara, I can't…" I eventually said, sighing again. "I just can't."

That was when I finally dared a glance at her, and nearly frowned.

She was smiling.

Not in a mocking or mean way, rather, it was warm and bright. In her blue eyes I saw an intensity that made me feel warm all over.

"Suvi," she repeated. I felt her breath on my lips, and it was only then that I realized how close we actually were. "Do you think I take all the girls to my favorite place on Eos, to watch my favorite sunsets? Do you think I'd actually set up a blanket and wine—which… admittedly didn't turn out too well…" she trailed off sheepishly, making me laugh softly. Her smile widened. "But my point is: you could never just be a fling to me. Because I… I do want you. And I do care about you. More than you know."

My heart fluttered and I could feel the familiar butterflies in my stomach that so often appeared when Sara spoke. "Really?" I asked, almost quietly enough to be a whisper.

"Really," she replied, and she raised her brow. "I could be even cheesier, if you'd like."

I let out a soft laugh. "I doubt it," I said, still quietly.

I saw a twinkle in her eyes as she continued. "There are so many things that I love about you. Your passion in your beliefs, and your passion in science. I love your laugh—why is it do you think I try so hard to make you smile? It's beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful," she said softly, tucking some stray hair behind my ear.

"Sara," I almost laughed. I looked away for a moment, and I was blushing all over again. "That wasn't an actual challenge. You didn't have to say all that."

"But I wanted to," she said. "I want you to know how much you mean to me. That I never once thought of you as just a fling."

"You're so sweet," I said. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Of course," she replied.

We watched each other for a few moments before she rested her forehead against mine, and we were content to sit like that for some time.

That was, until, something that felt suspiciously like a raindrop hit the top of my head. I looked up to the sky with a confused frown, only to feel another cold raindrop on my cheek. Then another on my forehead. I looked back to Sara to see her watching the sky as well, before she flinched as a raindrop hit her chin.

The few raindrops soon turned into more, and even more, until suddenly it was a downpour.

"Rain?" Sara asked incredulously over the sound of the downpour. "On Eos? Are you kidding me?"

I giggled. "It's probably a good thing, Sara."

"I mean, yeah, but—right now, of all times?" She asked, before shaking her head with a roll of her eyes as she stood up. "C'mon, we'd better get going before we're soaked."

She helped me up then grabbed her jacket from the ground, and we each held it up over our heads as if it were an umbrella, trying to keep the rain at bay.

As we ran back to the Tempest, Sara's words kept reverberating in my head.

She cared about me.

She loved things about me.

I was never going to be a fling.

She had said so many things, and each word only made my heart swell more and more.

But I didn't say anything back.

What was wrong with me?

I suddenly stopped right where I was, and Sara did the same as soon as she realized I wasn't right next to her anymore.

"What's wrong?" She asked over the rain, closing the short distance between us until she stood right in front of me.

"There are things I love about you too," I said.

"What?"

I realized I must have said it too quietly. "There are things I love about you too," I repeated, louder. She frowned slightly, mostly looking confused, but that didn't stop me. "I love how much you care about people. I love how you put your whole heart into everything you do. I love how your eyes shine when you laugh, and I love how you try so hard to make me smile. I love how cheesy you just were. And I love you," I said, though the last part was probably too quiet for her to hear.

She only stared at me for a moment or two, shock evident on her face, and I waited agonizingly for her to say something, anything, because I felt so vulnerable.

But then, in an instant, she was kissing me. It took me a second to realize what was going on, but once I did, I happily kissed back.

And it seemed like something out of a cheesy novel, or a sappy movie – kissing in the rain like that – but I didn't care. It was a perfect moment, because I was with Sara, and she was kissing me.

But the moment couldn't last forever – regrettably – and eventually we pulled apart.

Still, she held me close to her, and she looked at me in a way that made me shiver.

"I love you, too," she said, just loud enough for me to hear. "But we should probably continue this on the Tempest."

"Probably," I agreed with a nod, though I didn't move.

"We're going to get sick."

"Maybe."

"Suvi," she laughed.

I only grinned, pulling away, though slowly. She grabbed my hand in hers, and we renewed our walk to the Tempest, though we weren't in a rush.

"And you said I was being cheesy," she said with a grin. I only laughed, shaking my head.

A/N: eehhh, I don't know if rain on Eos makes sense, but my friend asked for rain, so I made it rain. Anyway, thanks for reading! Drop a comment, if you'd like.