The far side of the Fairy King's Forest was covered in a variety of berry vines and bushes. Each color of berry came with a different taste. Sweet, sour, some even had a bit of spice to them.

Helbram and I collected some of each, though we also kept eating some too. We took our time looking for the best ones and figuring out which ones we needed more of.

It was actually nice to be spending this much time alone with Helbram. Originally, I was nervous about the idea but now it actually feels like I might have been overreacting.

In fact, there were several times where Helbram would come to mess with me when he should have been picking berries.

He would sometimes throw berries at me and then pretend it wasn't him, he'd sneak up behind me and scare me, and he also would just come over and talk to me.

I was picking some of the sweet berries when I noticed that Helbram hadn't come to mess with me in about 20 minutes.

I stopped and looked around me, not seeing even a glimpse of the green haired fairy.

Did he leave? No, he wouldn't leave me alone here without telling me.

I started to have the sense of fear, like anything could happen now that I was alone. It wasn't like me to feel like this but it may be that I was unsure about my surroundings.

"Helbram?" I said in almost a whisper as I could feel tears starting to well up in my eyes. "Helbram!" I yelled this time, the tears overflowed and ran down my cheeks.

Where was he? If he is still here, why won't he answer me?

I turned around, hugging myself to try to control my emotions. I closed my eyes and lowered my head as the tears started to become heavier.

"Why?" I choked out, my heart feeling distorted and sad like he would actually be there because he wanted to be with me? "Is this just another stupid joke to you?"

Suddenly, I heard rustling from behind me and then the sound of a loud buzzing.

My eyes shot open but my body of petrified and wouldn't respond.

Come on, please! Move! If I don't then it'll-

My body shot into motion as I flew away from what had been behind me. I moved quickly as fast as I could go but it wasn't fast enough because as I began to slow down if appeared in front of my line of sight.

Before me was a Killer Hornet, a black and yellow bee that was much bigger than was. They normally weren't in the forest but with it being Spring, they look for places that has a lot of natural sugars.

I was frozen, fear once again controlling my movements as the hornet crept closer.

This is it. I'm going to die not telling Helbram how I felt. My tears trailed down my face as the hornet came at me.

"Hel... bram." I closed my eyes, accepting this was to be my unfortunate fate.

Something grabbed a hold of me around my waist and against something soft and warm. I felt that I was being pulled backwards. Whatever it was traveled quickly, eventually coming to a stop.

I was too scared to open my eyes, however, whatever it was set me to my feet but still held my waist.

"Cotton Tail?" The voice was worried and almost desperate for an answer.

I opened my eyes and looked into the sad and concern copper eyes of Helbram.

He lifted up one of his hand and used his thumb to wipe the tears from my eyes before placing it on my head. "You weren't hurt, were you, Cotton Tail?"

Only my heart. "Where were you?" I cried softly grabbing his shirt with both hand and placing my forehead to his chest. "I thought you had left me alone as some cruel, sick joke."

Helbram sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around me, his face softly buried in my hair. "Pearl, I would never pull anything like that on you," he said in a softly, hushed tone. I had never heard him talk like that before.

I lifted my head and looked at him and he gave me a gentle smile. "Now, on Harlequin, maybe." His face came closer to mine. "But I wouldn't dare hurt you like that on purpose."

It was reassuring but all the same, he had disappeared. I lowered my head and looked at the small space that separated us.

"Then where did you go?" Tears threatened to fall again but I held them back. "Why didn't you answer me when I called for you?" I looked up at him.

"I didn't hear you. I sort of got lost in thought and ended up wondering too far from where you were gathering berries," he said turning his head away, but not before I noticed his blush. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

He's blushing again.

I smiled and then it dawned on me. My hands flew to my head. "The berry basket! I must of dropped it when flying away from that Killer Hornet!" I sank down and buried my face into my knees. "All that hard work lost."

I felt a few taps on my head. I raise it so that only my eyes were visible to see Helbram had squatted down to eye level, his chin rested on his arms that were folded on his knees. His smile gentle as it always was.

"You mean the basket that's sitting over there?" His eyes shifted to the left as if pointing towards something.

I looked over and saw the two baskets Harlequin had given us were sitting side by side, both full of colors and different sized berries.

"I had caught it when I was coming back this way." He took one of my hands and stood up, pulling me up with him. I slightly lost my balance and fell against him, I felt a chuckle vibrate through his body. My face got hot and I pulled off him, looking up at his face. "That was when I had come to your rescue as well."

His face was so close to mine, only inches away. My face was on fire but I didn't dare move as we stared into each other's eyes.

We stayed like that, not speaking or moving, but after a minute or so, Helbram pulled back, his face as red as mine probably was.

He laughed, "We had better be heading back. We wouldn't want to miss the dance." He walked over and grabbed the baskets extending towards me.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said taking the basket.

We flew off back towards the Sacred Tree. It was kind of like how it was when we had started to head this way, but this it felt a bit different. There wasn't as much tension like then and honestly it was okay with the silence for now.

Today has been a good day, despite the Killer Hornet. The one thing that could make it better would be Helbram asking me to the Spring Moon Dance, but the odds of that are that of zero.

I felt eyes on me and looked over to see Helbram staring at me. His expression was blank and unreadable. He then glided over and flipped over so that he flew under me, his arms crossed and his eyes still on me.

I cocked an eyebrow, confused by this action.

"Hey, Cotton Tail. I was going to wait until later to bring this up but honestly I'm afraid of you thinking about something embarrassing," he said before his eyes shifted up as though thinking about some. "Although, that might make you flustered and you look even cuter when you're blushing."

I blushed and slowed down to a stop. Helbram straightened up in front of me.

He said I looked cute? And what does he mean by me thinking of something embarrassing?

"You really are hopeless sometimes, Pearl," Helbram said with a sympathetic smile. "What I mean is, the whole time we've been out here, you've been thinking to yourself."

I frowned, not sure what he was implying. "Is that a bad thing?"

Helbram sighed, shaking his head. His eyes met mine again. "Not always, but when you're around another fairy, you should be careful of how much you want others to hear."

I still wasn't sure what he was talking about. "What do you-" Then it dawned on me. My face burned like fire and my heart felt as though it were going to escape from my chest.

"You mean this entire time you could hear what I was thinking?!" I yelled, fear of what he might think of me.

He had heard everything I had thought about, which means... I had confessed my feelings for him without realizing it!

"I'm sorry, Helbram, but I've got to go!" I said throwing my basket of berries at him and flew as fast as I could away from where he hovered.

*****

"I can't believe I did that," I said my hands holding the sides of my head as I pulled my knees to my chest. "I just left him to deliver the berries on his own."

I was laying inside a red poppy that had closed due to it being night now. I had come here after I had left Helbram and honestly I didn't what else to do.

"Maybe I can just lay here and eventually I'll just wither away," I said before sitting up and crossing my legs. "Besides the fact that fairies don't decompose." I let out a sigh.

"Pearl!" I heard someone yell. "Pearl, where are you? You're missing the Spring Moon Dance!" Sage, go figure.

"Ah, so you are around here somewhere," she said with a more cheerful tone. Crap! I let my thoughts out again! "Now, the question is, where around here?"

I hugged my legs, hoping for once she wouldn't come and help me. I wanted to be alone and wallow in my self pity.

Suddenly, the poppy opened and in stared the face of my best friend. She smiled. "Ah ha, I finally found you!"

I gave her a fake smile. "Yep, you found me, guess that means you can go and enjoy the dance now," I said before burying my face in my arms.

"Oh, come on, Pearl! Don't tell me you're not going to the dance that everyone has worked so hard on?"

"Yeah, everyone, except for me. I had one job to do and I ended up having Helbram finish it," I said my voice muffled.

"Hm? If you're talking about the berry delivery, then Helbram told us that you were stressed out from being attacked by a Killer Hornet and that you went to calm down," Sage said. I felt her hand rest on my shoulder. "But something tells me that only part of the story."

I looked up at her and was taken aback. Sage wore a beautiful dress. The top of the dress was darkish green that wrapped tightly around her waist and made a small V-shape around breast around. The sleeves came off the shoulders with green tulle sleeves that puffed out down to her wrists. the bottom part of her dress was white with the same green tulle overlaying it just below the knees. There were also small flowers and thin vines intertwined with the tulle.

"Wow, you look-"

"I know, I do look amazing," Sage interrupted basking in her self glory.

"She's just as prideful as her brother," I said in a low voice so she didn't hear me.

"Anyway, I want to know why Helbram is alone at the dance and you're alone in a sleeping poppy?" She asked placing her hands on her hips, her eyes curious. "And what happened between the two of you while you were gathering berries?"

"Nothing happened really, we just picked berries," I said looking down to avoid eye contact. Her previous words then struck me. "What do you mean,  Helbram doesn't have a date?" My eyes met Sage's.

She frowned. "Despite how popular he is, he turned down anyone who asked him." She crossed her arms and looked out of the poppy where she had entered. "Said something about how he had someone he wanted to ask to go with him. I was pretty sure it was you, considering how often you stares and tenses you."

I was shocked at my friend's words. "M-me? Why would he want me to be his date? It's not like I'd be good company anyway," I muttered tapping my index fingers together, a blush enveloping my face.

Sage smiled, "Then how about the fact he goes on and on about cute you are when you're nervous or how about how he always stares at you when you're not looking?" She came closer to me and took my hands in hers, her expression soft and reassuring. "All I'm saying is, you can't hide your feelings from each other forever."

I gave her a nervous smile. "Yeah, about that. I'm pretty sure he knows how I feel about him because I didn't block my thoughts."

"Eh?" Did I break her? "You mean to tell me that he looks sad and sulky because you threw your heart at him and ran?!"

"Actually, it was more of an accident and I freaked out on–"

"I don't know if I should proud that you confessed or disappointed that I wasn't there to see his reaction," Sage said making her voice sound weepy as she pretended to wipe away a tear. "Alright it's settled! I'm going personally deliver you to Helbram at the Moon Dance!"

"Okay? Say I do go to the dance. I didn't make anything to wear because I gave up after my embarrassing episode," I said as Sage pulled my up to my feet.

She gave me a cheeky smile. "I have the perfect dress for you then."

I was scared. When Sage already had something planned ahead of time, it was really something to worry about, but I didn't have any choice but to go along with it.