Too Cute to Resist
The silence in the sitting room stretched, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock and the faint hum of the night. Sophie lay curled beneath the blanket, her face hot, her heart refusing to calm down, beating fast like it could bump out.
Across from her, Talia sat stiffly in the chair, one leg bent over the other, her gaze still locked on Sophie. That smirk had faded, replaced by something unreadable something softer, though no less intense.
After a long pause, Sophie dared to peek out from under the blanket. Her eyes met Talia’s.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she whispered.
Talia’s lips twitched. “Because you’re worth looking at. And besides…” she leaned back, voice low, “…you called me out earlier, saying you needed someone to talk to. But now, here you are hiding under a blanket.”
Sophie tightened the blanket around her shoulders. “Maybe I changed my mind…” she muttered.
Talia tilted her head. “About what?”
“…Talking. What is there to talk about for someone like me who already lost her memory, who can’t even remember her name?” Sophie’s voice was barely audible, but after a pause she added, “Maybe let’s talk about you instead.”
The corner of Talia’s mouth curved. “I think you’re losing on that aspect too, because there’s nothing to talk about me either. I just live a lonely life.”
That response pulled Sophie’s curiosity forward despite herself. She chewed her lip, then blurted out, “Then let’s talk about the basic information… like, how old are you?”
The question hung in the air, startling even Sophie. Talia’s brows lifted slightly, then lowered again, her expression unreadable.
“Thirty,” she said at last.
Sophie blinked. “…You don’t look it.”
Talia smirked faintly. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
Sophie fumbled, heat rushing back into her cheeks. “N-No…I mean..yes. I mean… you just don’t seem like someone who should be living in a place like this. Like in this village. Your apartment tells a lot about you…that you must have once lived a fun and enjoyable life.”
Talia’s gaze grew distant at that, her jaw tightening. “…It’s a long story. One I don’t usually share. And just so you know, I’m not sharing it now either.”
Sophie lowered her eyes, fingers curling around the blanket. “…Then maybe one day, we’ll get closer… close enough that you can tell me.”
For a moment everything went silent again, but Talia broke it. She sat forward on the sofa, crossing her legs.
“I guess there’s nothing to talk or ask about you.”
“Obviously, yes. I’m just an empty person right now, with no origin,” Sophie replied.
“Since you’ll be staying here for a while, how about giving you a name? So I’ll have something to call you till you’re okay, get your memory back, and leave. I can’t keep calling you ‘hey, you’ all the time, can I?”
Sophie blinked, caught off guard. “Well… I would love that. And looking at you and your style, I guess you’ll fix me a great name,” she said, smiling with her eyes.
“I guess you made a great choice there,” Talia replied, all smiley.
Talia leaned forward, her lips curving slowly into a small but touching smile the kind that could twist someone’s stomach. She looked at Sophie lying on the sofa, inspecting her up and down, then finally said,
“What about Mira?”
“…Mira? Why Mira?” Sophie repeated softly, the name rolling uncertainly off her tongue.
“Yes, Mira,” Talia said, her tone casual. “It suits you. It means ‘wonder.’ At first, where I found you, you won’t stop making me wonder. You’re a kind of wonder you fell from that huge cliff, and by wonder I saw you. I wasn’t even supposed to get close to you because of my hemophobia, but by wonder I got healed that moment, even with all that blood I got close to you and saved you, which I would never have done in most cases. And by wonder you survived. So why not call you Wonder once and for all?”
The blanket slipped from Sophie’s shoulder as her breath hitched. She hugged it tighter, trying to hide the flush spreading across her cheeks. “…Mira…” she whispered again, as though testing the sound.
Talia smirked faintly, leaning back once more. “Good one? Yes, Mira.”
Still blushing, Sophie partially hid her face beneath the blanket. “You’re making it feel like you’re flirting with me.”
Talia smirked faintly. “Flirting? How in the hell is naming you flirting?”
“The way you explained it, the way you narrated it… it’s like you forgot one line that will make it sound like we’re getting married straight away. Maybe if you add, ‘the way I came into your life is also… Wonder,’ I might take it as you’re proposing.” Sophie said, hiding her blushing under a smile.
“You are not serious,” Talia said, smiling and looking away. “So is it settled as Mira then?” she said, looking at the all-smiling Sophie on the sofa.
She didn’t reply. Instead, she sat up and whispered, “Mira…” looking at Talia again. “…Mira,” she whispered again, then hugged the blanket closer. Her cheeks were still warm, but this time it wasn’t just embarrassment it was something else, something she didn’t quite understand.
Talia sat back, watching her with that faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You’re acting like it’s more than a name, like it’s the first sweet thing you’ve ever tasted.”
Mira peeked at her from behind the blanket, half her face hidden. “Maybe it is. It’s the first thing in a long while that feels like it belongs to me.” Her voice was low, almost childlike.
“You want a wonder, then I will be your wonder,” Mira replied, smiling weakly.
A long pause stretched between them. The only sounds were the ticking of the wall clock and the faint hum of crickets outside.
“Mira, Mira…” Talia called softly from where she sat. “Did you take your medicine tonight?”
No reply.
Talia frowned, rising from her seat. She stepped closer and found Mira already fast asleep, her lips curved in the faintest smile. The blanket had slipped from her body, leaving her shoulder bare, her skin glowing faintly under the lamplight.
Talia hesitated, then reached forward. Her hands, strong, calloused, but unexpectedly gentle, tugged the blanket back into place, tucking it around Mira’s frame.
“Look at who wants to talk. One minute she is smiling and talking loudly, the next minute she is gone,” Talia whispered gently as she slid her arms beneath Mira’s body one under her knees, the other supporting her back. She carried her and headed towards the room.
Mira shifted a little against Talia’s chest, her head nestling into her wide chest as though it belonged there.
Talia swallowed hard. Her heart thudded louder than she liked, louder than she wanted to admit. She glanced down at the peaceful face pressed close to her, framed by a strand of hair that glowed faintly in the dim light.
She gently brushed the strand of hair away from Mira’s face, her fingers tracing the curve of her cheek. She pulled Mira close, holding her tight like a precious treasure. As they reached the room, she used her leg to nudge the door open, careful not to disturb the silence.
With a gentle touch, she laid Mira down on the bed, tucking a pillow beneath her head and wrapping a blanket around her like a warm embrace.
For a moment, she stood there, mesmerized by Mira’s peaceful face. Her gaze lingered on Mira’s lips, soft and inviting. She felt a flutter in her chest, a temptation she couldn’t ignore. Shaking her head, she tore her gaze away, but not before whispering, “So cute.”
And with that, she turned to leave, casting one last glance at the sleeping beauty before her.