Abby and Violet (Yuri Light Novel)

You know, I sometimes think that the message I asked Mathilda to deliver to our classmates that were asking about me when I had to skip school due to my PMS was a mistake. Not all the times however, there were moments I was neutral or even found it to have been a good thing. Right now, I was leaning more between the neutral and the positive.

Classes had ended, and Abby and Mathilda had left me behind so they could go to the toilet while I stayed watching our bags while the boys were… somewhere. I vaguely remember them saying they had to go somewhere, but my head had been so preoccupied with stuff about me and Abby and my future that I didn’t really listen. I was left alone then, but not quite, as a classmate, the girl who had been in my volleyball team when I accidentally smashed Vanessa’s face in with the ball, came up to me with yet another excuse to chat me up, a somewhat nervous smile on her face that put me a bit at ease. It was nice to see someone more anxious than me in a conversation. And if we want to be pedantic, some other classmates, and even outsiders, got involved in our talk, their eyes attempting discretion as they glanced at us, some more successful than others.

“Hey, erm, Violet?” she started, calling out to me despite the fact that I had already been watching her approaching my seat. “Sorry to bother you, but… could I ask you a favour?”

“Sure, assuming that I can help… Jessy.”

She smiled at me showing availability and even more when I remembered to call her by her nickname instead of “Jessica”. It took me three, maybe four conversations, but I finally did it.

“Thank you!” she said, her nervousness replaced by eagerness, Jessy taking a step closer towards me. “I just wanted to ask if you could maybe teach me what knot you use on your tie!”

I frowned a bit, not having expected such request. I also looked at her tie and down to mine before looking at her again. Was it because my knot was symmetrical and hers wasn’t?

Anyway, I could teach her the knot I used, question is, which one?

“Do you want a simple knot, or…?”

“Oh, it has to be simple!” she told me as she pulled a chair to sit across me. “I get all tangled up doing a Half Windsor, so it has to be something simpler if possible. Oh, and I’d like for it to be symmetrical, please!”

Well, that was two out of the four knots I used more frequently in terms of simplicity, and out of the other two, one was out because it was possible to get symmetrical, but not by much and required a lot of work to achieve that result.

“Ok, I know a knot that might be what you’re looking for.”

“You mean, you know more than one?” she asked.

I was explaining to her that I knew several since the day I learned I’d have to start wearing a tie to school. I had no idea at the time what sort of fabric, thickness and width it was going to be, or if we’d be required to use a specific knot, so my me at the time decided to learn several. I still use them semi-frequently, just to keep a bit of variety I guess.

It was also at this time that the girls came back. Abby came to sit by me, leaning over to better observe me with her head propped up on an arm, her eyes glistening with satisfaction and pride from seeing me interacting like a normal person…

“Like a normal person”? Gee…

Self-deprecation aside, that was probably why I played along most of the time. It was just to see her looking at me with silent praise. What an easy woman I can be, huh?

I undid my tie to better show her how it was done. This one is best done in front of a mirror, unlike some others that can be done blind, but I was there to fix her knot as we went along. The important thing was that she understood the moves.

First, you put the tie around your neck with the seam facing outwards. Then, you grab the wider side and move it under the thinner one. Hoop the wider side over the thin part between the tie and your collar, not the hanging tip, so that the wide side is now with the face at the front as it should be. Cross it over the knot you created to loop it under and over, passing the tongue through the hoop. There, it’s done. Technically three movements and two hoops to get it done. I think it’s called the Pratt?

“It just needs some fixing here,” I said, undoing some undesirable folds on the final part of the knot. “Otherwise, it’s done. Like I said, it’s best to do this one in front of a mirror for these touch ups.”

“Right. Again, thank you so much!”

“It-it was nothing.”

“No, it really is! It’s so cool that you know more than one knot! Although, it’s not that surprising! You always look so cool and put together! So mature!”

This… this was the part that made me feel like that message had been a mistake. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice knowing that I had helped her and getting an earnest, honest compliment, but… could she maybe pipe it down a bit? Besides, Abby—and Mathilda, were back, so now I wanted to go back home with them, not dilly-dawdle at school for longer with classmates looking at me. Specially Vanessa. I just got a glimpse of her, and it looked like she was trying to shoot lasers out of her eyes. That one was such a pain to deal with, always judging me, even if all I’m doing is simply sitting and thinking what I should do for dinner.

“I had asked my dad and brother for help, but they are like me, terrible with knots and only know the one I’ve been using! I tried watching videos and read tutorial, but that didn’t help either, and the ones the boys tried teaching me were also a bit too confusing!”

“Sorry Jessy, but we need to head out,” Abby said as she hugged my arm and rested her cheek on my shoulder, coming to the rescue. “We are going to have a study session at Mathilda’s and we also need to stop by to get some groceries for dinner.”

“Ah! Right, sorry for running my mouth. See you girls tomorrow!”

Abby looked at me with a knowing eye as Jenny walked away, our classmate looking ridiculously happy for someone who was just taught how to tie a knot. I pulled my girl into a half hug and squeezed her until she let out one of her lovely happy sounds, Mathilda giggling and teasing us about it.

“Come on love birds, let’s get going,” she told us, her cheeks still turning a bit rosy. It was amazing that Abby’s prank still had an effect on her, even after all this time. “I wanna eat your roasted chicken and potatoes.”

“Now, that’s an idea!” Abby chirped, her speech slurring a bit, making me giggle.

Coming back home after a long day was like coming back to a sanctuary. Abby and I went straight to the bedroom, both of us stuffed with roasted chicken and me feeling particularly drained. With zero ceremony or care, I dropped my ass on the bed, bouncing a bit up and down as I let out a sigh that was more of a growl. I didn’t care I had my legs wide apart nor that I had my tie and collar so loose that you could almost see practically everything under my shirt all the way down to my navel. I just wanted to just be, and nothing else. And Abby understood that.

She just let out a giggle, took my bag, and smooched my face with such a warm emotion that I immediately felt better. I was home now. And I was with Abby.

I watched her do some tidying up of our room, fixing the chair by the desk, putting some pens and pencils back to their cups, storing our bags out of the way…

It made me think, you know? About our future together. Would we still be like this in, say, ten years?

Mrs. and Mrs. Evergreen…

It was still wonderful and terrifying, the prospect of making her my wife. I still barely had any idea of what to do about it, which is to say, I had no idea. It was all still so overwhelming.

And yet, as I watched her stretch her small body with a lazy satisfaction, I started feeling some peace. Unlike me, Abby mostly just existed in this world, going with the flow, worrying about things as they came up. It’s not to say that she wasn’t conscientious or anything, no, quite the contrary. She just… she didn’t let the little things bog her down, and when faced with bigger things, she still tried to keep things simple, manageable.

“Pfft, hehe! So cute!”

Abby had already stripped out of her uniform and was now only on her underwear, her choker, and with one of the pair of socks I had given her. These were one of her favourites, a pair of thigh-high socks that covered most of her leg as there were maybe only four fingers of distance between the top part and her groin, and at the top, where she was scratching as if they were real, there was a cat face on each side, pointed ears sticking out of the band, and yellow eyes included. Those latter detail remained hidden by her skirt throughout the day, and I think she half-forgot about it until she saw then after removing her skirt, and she’d almost always react like that.

Then, she noticed me staring at her back thanks to the mirror she was facing. She turned around, placed her hands behind her back and leaned over slightly, me now having three pairs of playful eyes pointed towards me.

“Per! Vert!” she chirped, making exaggerated movements with her lips at each syllable.

“I’m your girlfriend, remember?” I chuckled. “‘Girlfriend privileges’ as you call it.”

She laughed and agreed with me as she came to sit between my legs, bobbing side to side while humming, twisting her feet so she could see the pink cat pawprint under the ball of her feet.

“Abby, you’ll catch a cold like this,” I gently scolded, not wanting her to get up as her warmth and joy were a balm to my tired soul.

“Tell me I’m cute!” she demanded, looking up at me with challenging mischief. “And if you’re that worried, dress me up!”

“Pfft, fufu! Your sister is right, I spoil you too much.”

And even if I say that, I still play along. I got us up and we picked a PJ for Abby to wear tonight before we went to bed. I’d pick a shirt and Abby would shake her head. I’d pick another, and she’d do the same until I picked one she wanted. We continued this until we had an ensemble for her to wear, and I got her dressed, Abby happily raising her arms or stepping into the shorts we had picked. Then, I tried to remove the socks, but Abby refused.

“But honey, they’ll get stretched prematurely if you wear them so much,” I told her, still crouched in front of her with her tiny hands on my shoulder.

“I’ll just start wearing garter belts then,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’d look cute in them, wouldn’t I?”

I thought about it for a bit, and… yeah, she absolutely would. And I was about to say that when, while thinking about her previous state before I got her dressed, I had a bit of a realisation.

Isn’t that… a bit lewd?

I didn’t consider it exactly, I was thinking society in general might see it like that and get the wrong idea.

“Erm, Abby? Are chokers… you know, erm, put in the same category as garter belts in terms of… context?”

“Hmm, I think they might, yeah,” she hummed. “Honestly, I’m so used to wearing one and seeing you wear yours that the thought never crosses my mind.”

“Then… do you think that, when Sophie and your dad saw my garter belts… the fact that I wear a choker… you know.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, yeah, it might have made it worse,” she said, sounding genuinely surprised, showing me that she had indeed been telling the truth that she didn’t see these things in that light and not just trying to make me feel better. “Hmm, was that why you started blushing when you were picturing me in my underwear?”

And just like that, she went to the attack, straight to the jugular.

“N-no! I just thought you’d look really cute!” I said, trying to defend myself.

“Hmm? That so huh? You perv.”

That was it. She was getting tickled until there was nothing left but a puddle of melted Abby on the carpet.

At least that was the plan, but we were making a lot of noise and we immediately stopped when we heard her sister’s stomps coming from her room and towards ours. The door was still being flung open and she was already scolding us and telling us to pipe down.

We meekly apologised, Abby a bit out of breath.

“I think I might have leaked a bit,” she panted right after the apology, her feet still dangling in the air as I held her up.

“Huh!?”

“Nope, false alarm,” she then said, having tapped her groin. “We are in the clear.”

Her sister let out a long sigh as she held her forehead. Then, it looked like she remembered something.

“That’s right! Violet, your dad asked me to tell you that your room back at your place should be ready in a couple of days or so.”

“Oh, erm, thanks for telling me,” I said, wondering why he hadn’t called me or at least sent a text.

“He also feels bad for not having been present lately, but he says he should have more time available starting next week. At least that’s what I gathered from our talks.”

Yeah, that was my dad, all right.

I’m not going to say that it was all right with me as it wasn’t. As independent as I might be, I still enjoy having him around, even if he can be a bit overbearing at times or get on my nerves when he joins up Abby in her teasing me. He was my dad after all, and the thoughts of marrying Abby and moving away with her made me realise how fast time was going by and how little I had to be with him. It’s not like we wouldn’t ever talk again once I move out with Abby, but… we simply wouldn’t be able to be face-to-face as much as we can now.

There was also the fact that he’ll likely overwork himself if I’m not here to nag him about taking breaks, and I’m the child in this relationship, not him.

“Is he taking proper rest while I’m gone?” I asked.

“Babe, toilet,” Abby whined, squirming lightly in my hold.

“Oh, sorry!”

I gently put Abby down and she took the chance that I was hunched over to smooch my cheek before scampering off.

“He is,” Sophie told me as she ruffled Abby’s hair as her little sister walked by her, Abby sticking out her tongue in return. “As best as he can anyway. ‘Can’t give more reasons for my daughter to nag me about’ is what he said a couple of days ago.”

I chuckled, mentally calling my dad a smartass. But at least he knew he’d have hell to pay if he didn’t take proper care of himself when I’m not around.

That was all Sophie had to tell me, so she excused herself to go back to her room, leaving the reminder that tomorrow was still school day so Abby and I shouldn’t go to bed too late. Abby appeared shortly after, telling me that now it was her turn to dress me up in a PJ.

But before that, she had to undress me, and she started it with my tie. However, instead of continuing taking off my clothes, she instead put it around her neck and did the knot I had taught Jenny.

“Did I do it properly?” she asked, pointing at it with a single finger.

“You did, yeah. And on your first try too.”

She let out a short laugh and resumed the stripping, leaving the tie on. Then, she said something completely out of pocket.

“You know, I was a bit jelly of Jessy when she got you to teach her how to tie a knot.”

“Huh!? Why?”

“I mean, I should have thought of that so I could have gotten your face really close to mine back when I was courting you.”

“She wasn’t courting me though.”

“Pfft! I keep forgetting that you can be as dense as lead regarding others that aren’t me.”

I cocked my head back, but Abby didn’t give me an answer. Instead, she was more interested in seeing if I could reach a conclusion by myself.

Then…

“No!”

“Oh, but yes.”

“Nah, that can’t be! We barely ever talked before!”

“Babe, it’s a crush, not that you’re the love of her life.”

Even so, a crush over me? Why? Because I looked mature and put together? Because, as Abby could tell anyone, that was mostly just looks. I mean, I am mature-looking and try to act responsibly, but… you know, I’m messy, I can be very moody, I make storms out of a single droplet… the list goes on.

“Haah, the curse of being popular, right?” Abby mockingly sighed, giving me a bit more context why Jessy developed a crush over me. “And there! All comfy to be at home now!”

And right on cue as Sophie was knocking on the door, this time to just tell us something as we’ve been quiet.

“What’s with the tie?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as she saw Abby still with my tie around her neck.

“Relaxing is a very serious business, don’t you know?” was her nonchalant answer to her sister’s question. That made me chuckle.

This time, it was just to inform us that tomorrow she’d be having dinner with Claire, so we didn’t have to cook anything counting with her nor that she’d be home to prepare something for us in case we got home late.

And when we were alone again, as Abby removed the tie and her long socks, I had an idea based on the fact that Sophie would be out when we were done with classes.

“How about we go buy you some socks to wear at home and have dinner while we are at it.”

“Sock for me? You really don’t have to…” she said before going quiet. She looked like she was decided to firmly refuse my offer, but then, her face started to lit up. “All right, lets do that! The socks will be an early birthday present!”

I frowned at the idea. Socks? As a birthday present? She couldn’t possibly be satisfied with that, could she?

“And why not?” she asked, sounding almost offended. “As long as they are super cute, what’s the problem? Or what? Were you thinking about getting me a pearl necklace or something?”

Not something as extravagant as that, no, just… something a bit more? Although, at least now on the spot, I couldn’t come up with what “more” could be.

“Are you really sure about having that as a birthday present?” I asked in defeat.

She smiled warmly at me and put her arms around my neck, already tiptoeing towards my face.

“As long as they are cute,” she said with a whiny voice.

“Haah, you’re way too easy to please sometimes.”

“Oh-ho? Would you rather having me demanding the pearl necklace and a fine dining experience after all?”

I was lucky she was so easy to please, even though she can be a real pest sometimes. This conversation also made me briefly wonder if I was overthinking about a lot of stuff about our future marriage, namely stuff related to our wedding.

But right now, I was being comforted by my girlfriend after a very long day, so I just wanted to live in the moment for now, not do any more thinking.

“I wouldn’t have you any other way besides your cute, silly, shortcake self.”

Abby turned a giggling mess due to how in love I just sounded, and I really couldn’t win against her, so I relented to her request for cute socks, leaning down so I could kiss her. It was a somewhat quick peck that earned me a bit of pain on my neck as Abby practically hanged from it as she bobbed on the tips of her toes, demanding for me to do it properly.

She was a pest, but she was my lovely, demanding, pest.