Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
When Yuki suddenly peers down at me, I try to look away, but he’s faster, and his fingers cup my chin as he forces me to look at him.
“Just because I look like I want to cry doesn’t mean I’m weak,” I say defensively.
Silence.
“I’m just happy,” I snarl. “Okay?”
Yuki straightens. “I was only checking if you needed to blow your nose again.”
The words are completely unexpected, but they’re also exactly what needed to be said. I burst into laughter, and even Yuki’s lips curve into the slightest of smiles.
“You’re such a bully,” I tell him with a shake of my head.
Yuki smirks. “That sounds suspiciously like a compliment.”
Oh! I realize it’s exactly as he says, and my face flames anew even as my heart starts ba-thumping really, really hard. It’s just like how it used to be between us, and a hundred questions race to my mind, begging to be asked. Are we okay now? Can I start hoping? Is this our second chance?
I’m dying to ask any and all of them, but I’ve yet to open my mouth when Yuki murmurs, “Let’s just take things slow, mm?” He doesn’t look at me when I speak, and I almost feel hurt. I probably would have if not for his fingers twining with mine. And when I glance down at it, I hear him say over my head, “Don’t overthink things.”
Ah. I’ve always thought it uncanny, the way he can so easily read my thoughts, and the fact that part of him hasn’t changed—-
His fingers tighten around mine. “Ii desu ka?” Is that alright?
I don’t answer right away, hearing the silent conditions that come with his words. No questions, no labels, no commitments. He’s basically asking me to give him everything without promising a single thing.
“I just have one question,” I say finally.
Yuki doesn’t seem surprised. “She’s not my girlfriend, and we’re not dating. There’s nothing about her that should worry you.”
I know I should be satisfied with his answer, but I guess I need to offer more prayers to the gods. I’m no less greedy than before, and before I can stop myself the words are already out. “What about before? Did you and two really—-”
His eyes bore through me. “What do you think?”
Relief floods me when I realize what his words mean. They haven’t shagged. Ever. It’s more than I ever let myself hope, and I want to cry again. I still want to ask so many things about the other girl, but none of them is really as important as what Yuki’s just revealed.
And it’s that he was always mine, even when we were apart.
“Thank you,” I say tremulously. “And as for taking things slow—-” I raise myself on my toes.
His eyes narrow on me in warning. “No.” He quickly lets go of my hand, but it’s too late. “Don’t—-”
“I’m just answering your question the only way I know how,” I whisper.
And then I kiss him.
Word of the Day: Mune-Kyun, n.
A portmanteau of the Japanese words ‘mune’ (chest) and ‘kyun’ (the sound of a heart beating)
2. A term used in shoujo manga to emphasize certain scenes or lines that made a character’s heart race.
Yuki’s lips are as soft as I remembered, but they’re also much colder and stiffer. It’s like kissing a corpse. I close my eyes and brush my lips against his one more time. “Please, Yuki.” It’s a shameless plea, but I’m way past caring. This is the only boy I’ve ever loved, and I missed his kisses like I missed breathing. “Please.” It takes a while, but the magic word eventually works the way it always does, the way it always will...between two people who love each other.
His hands move up to cup my face, and I hold my breath. His lips start to move, and my heart starts racing. Another moment passes, and then he’s giving us both what our bodies and souls crave.
Yuki’s kissing me.
My eyes squeeze shut in an instance of instinctive fear, but the dream doesn’t fade. It’s tangible, concrete – real. The softness of his lips, the heat of his kiss – it’s all so beautifully real, and when his lips coax mine to part, I taste it, too. The sweetness of it, this kiss that I’ve dreamt of, craved, and waited for such a long time.
They’re all so real, and I would’ve cried if I could, but the rawness of his kiss doesn’t allow for any tears. The moment his tongue slips inside my mouth, everything else ceases to matter. I sense other people coming up to the shrine, their gazes on us. I hear the birds chirping from the trees and the faint noise of the city outside the low walls of the shrine. The world hasn’t stopped turning just because we kissed, and I know this. I know, but it’s just not enough to make me care, just not enough to stop the throbbing desire that’s completely consumed me from the inside.