Akiko’s eyes went wide, staring at him like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Her hand was trembling slightly in his, and there was sothing in her expression that made his chest tighten – a mix of shock, hope, and sothing deeper that he couldn’t quite identify.
"Haruto-kun..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You... you really an that?"
The way she was looking at him was intense, almost overwhelming. Like he’d just handed her everything she’d ever wanted. It made him feel guilty as hell, because this wasn’t exactly how he’d planned for things to go, but seeing that happiness in her eyes made it hard to regret the decision.
Aza watched this exchange with mild interest, like she was observing an interesting scientific experint. "How sweet," she said, and her tone was perfectly neutral. "Young love and all that."
"Look, Aza," Haruto started, trying to figure out how to navigate this conversation without making everything worse. "About what you wanted—"
"Oh, don’t worry about that," she interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "I’m not particularly concerned with your romantic entanglents. I simply need soone to play the role of my boyfriend for certain... social obligations. Nothing more complicated than that."
"But I can’t," Haruto said firmly, squeezing Akiko’s hand. "I love Akiko. I can’t pretend to be with soone else when I’m with her."
The words felt strange coming out of his mouth, but they weren’t entirely untrue. Maybe he didn’t love her in the way she wanted him to, but he did care about her. And right now, claiming to be her boyfriend might be the only thing keeping both of them safe from whatever ga Aza was playing.
Aza’s smile didn’t waver, but sothing flickered in her eyes. "Love," she repeated, like she was testing the word. "How... inconvenient."
"It’s not inconvenient," Akiko said suddenly, and there was a fierceness in her voice that surprised both of them. "It’s beautiful. Haruto-kun and I—" She looked up at him with those adoring eyes. "We belong together."
"Indeed," Aza said dryly. "Well, I suppose I can’t force genuine affection." She checked her watch. "This has been enlightening, but I have other matters to attend to. Haruto-kun, do think about what I said. I’m not in any particular hurry, but..." She smiled that dangerous smile again. "I do hope you’ll consider my offer carefully."
She turned and walked away without another word, disappearing into the crowd like she’d never been there at all. Which, knowing Aza, was probably exactly how she preferred it.
The mont she was gone, Akiko threw her arms around Haruto’s neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. He could feel her trembling against him, and when he looked down at her face, the expression there made his breath catch.
Her eyes were different. Still the sa warm brown he rembered, but there was sothing burning behind them now. Sothing hungry and possessive that reminded him uncomfortably of the way Satsuki looked at him sotis.
"Haruto-kun," she breathed, her face inches from his. "I can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve dread about this for so long..."
"Akiko—"
"Let’s go to my place," she said suddenly, her grip on him tightening. "My parents aren’t ho today. We can finally be together, really together. I want to show you how much I love you, how much I’ve always loved you..."
The way she said it made his face burn. There was no mistaking what she ant, and the intensity in her voice was both thrilling and terrifying.
"I... we can’t," he said, trying to step back but finding her arms surprisingly strong around his neck. "Not today. I promised Satsuki I’d spend the evening with her, and if I don’t show up—"
The change in Akiko’s expression was instant and dramatic. The dreamy, loving look vanished, replaced by sothing cold and sharp.
"Satsuki," she said, and the na ca out like a curse. "You’re still going to see her? Even after what just happened? Even after you told you loved ?"
"It’s not like that," Haruto said quickly. "She’s my... she lives with . I can’t just ignore her. But tomorrow—"
"Tomorrow what?" Akiko’s voice was rising, and people were starting to stare. "Tomorrow you’ll have another excuse? Another reason to choose her over ?"
The jealousy in her voice was raw and painful to hear. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of – that claiming to be her boyfriend would make everything more complicated instead of simpler.
Without thinking, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was ant to calm her down, to stop her from making a scene in the middle of the shopping district. But the mont their lips touched, sothing shifted. Akiko lted against him, a soft sound escaping her throat, and suddenly she was kissing him back with a desperation that took his breath away.
Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, and he found himself responding despite everything. She tasted like strawberry lip gloss and sothing uniquely her, and the way she was clinging to him made his head spin.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard. Akiko’s eyes were half-closed, her lips swollen from the kiss, and she was looking at him like he was everything she’d ever wanted.
"Tomorrow," he said, his voice rougher than he intended. "I promise, tomorrow I’ll make it up to you. We can spend the whole day together, just the two of us. I’ll make sure you know exactly how I feel about you."
She nodded slowly, still looking dazed from the kiss. "Promise?" she whispered.
"I promise," he said, and ant it. Whatever else was happening, whatever gas he was playing to keep everyone safe, he owed her that much. "Tomorrow, it’ll just be us. No interruptions, no one else. I’ll show you exactly what you an to ."
The smile that spread across her face was radiant, and for a mont she looked like the sweet, innocent girl he’d known in school. But there was still that hunger in her eyes, that possessive gleam that made him wonder if he’d just made everything infinitely more complicated.
"I’ll hold you to that, Haruto-kun," she said softly, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Don’t make wait too long."
Reviews
All reviews (0)