Thirty minutes has passed since I'm lying in bed next to Keiko, I tried everything to sleep. But no matter how hard I forced my eyes shut, my heart wouldn't settle.
The rhythmic sound of her breathing was too close, too familiar, yet foreign at the sa ti. The cool air from the air conditioner brushed against my skin, but I was still sweating.
Another thirty minutes passed. Frustrated, I opened my eyes again. Damn it, why am I like this?
Curious, I turned my head slightly to check if Keiko was asleep. My breath hitched the mont I t her gaze.
“Whoa…” I flinched, startled.
She wasn’t asleep either?
Keiko’s expression remained calm as always, her voice steady. “What is it?”
Quickly, I averted my eyes, staring back at the ceiling. “Ah… nothing. I just can’t sleep for so reason,” I muttered, hesitating before continue, “I was just surprised to find that you’re still awake too...”
Silence.
Even though she wasn’t speaking, I could still feel her gaze on . I turned my head back towards her cautiously, only to et her eyes again.
“What now?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I exhaled sharply, gripping the blanket tightly.
“I can’t take this anymore,” I admitted under my breath.
Keiko frowned slightly. “What do you an?”
Heat crept up my face as I swallowed my hesitation. “I… I want to kiss you.”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
Keiko blinked, staring at in silence. My pulse pounded in my ears as I imdiately turned away, mortified. Why did I say that?!
Then, to my surprise, she spoke.
“Then… just do it.”
My heart stopped.
Slowly, I turned back toward her, searching her expression. She was unreadable, her face calm, but her eyes… I couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind.
“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.
Keiko didn’t answer, but she didn’t look away either.
Sothing inside snapped—I didn’t want to hesitate anymore.
I leaned in, closing the distance between us. My movents were slow, unsure, but Keiko didn’t move away.
And then, finally, our lips t.
A soft warmth spread through as I pressed my lips gently against hers. It was light, barely more than a touch, but my entire body tensed at the sensation.
I pulled back slightly to gauge her reaction, but Keiko didn’t move away. She simply looked at , calm as ever.
I swallowed hard before leaning in again, this ti lingering a little longer. I gently captured her upper lip between mine, savoring the feeling.
And then—
Keiko kissed back.
It was slow at first, hesitant, but then our movents synced. Her lips moved softly against mine, her warmth pulling in deeper. My heart pounded violently as I reached out, my fingers lightly grazing her cheek.
The room felt hot. The air between us grew heavier, more charged.
I didn’t know how long we kissed, lost in the mont, but eventually, reality caught up to us.
I pulled away, breathless. Keiko’s face was flushed, her fingers clutching the blanket. Her expression—normally so composed—showed rare vulnerability.
“I—” she started, but I cut her off, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I think… I’ll just sleep on the sofa tonight.”
I hurriedly got up from the bed before I could do sothing reckless. My body was still burning from our kiss, and I knew if I stayed any longer, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.
Keiko didn’t stop . She simply hid her face under the blanket, silent.
I stood at the door for a mont, glancing back at her one last ti.
“Good night,” I murmured before stepping out and gently closing the door behind .
Collapsing onto the sofa, I let out a deep sigh. My heart was still racing.
That was crazy…
Even though we kissed, even though Keiko allowed it, I knew things weren’t that simple.
She still had complicated feelings toward . Also she still carried the pain of the past.
And yet… she kissed back.
That was enough to give hope.
Finally, exhaustion overtook , and I closed my eyes, a small smile lingering on my lips as sleep claid .
---
A soft voice stirred from my sleep.
"Hey... wake up."
I groggily blinked my eyes open, still disoriented. The warm sunlight seeped through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. It took a mont to process where I was. The familiar scent, the slightly firm but comfortable sofa beneath —oh, right. I spent the night here.
When my vision cleared, I was t with the sight of Keiko standing beside .
I almost jolted in surprise. Keiko…?
"Oh! Morning, Keiko…" I quickly greeted, forcing myself to act normal.
"Morning," she replied, her tone unreadable as she studied .
There was a brief silence before she spoke again, this ti with a hint of hesitation.
"By the way, I just realized… how should I call you now? Ryusei or Ryuko?" She sighed, rubbing her temples. "It feels weird calling you Ryuko."
She wasn’t wrong. Even I hadn’t gotten used to it. The na "Ryuko" belonged to the new , but "Ryusei" was the na tied to my past—the na that Keiko once loved and the one that had also hurt her.
I sat up, stretching slightly. "I get what you an, but… you can't call Ryusei in public," I reminded her.
Keiko paused for a mont before nodding. "You're right," she muttered.
A faint tension lingered in the air between us. It wasn’t exactly awkward, but there was sothing unspoken, sothing hanging between us from last night.
Did she regret it?
Before I could dwell on it too much, Keiko spoke again.
"You should hurry and get ready. You'll be late."
I blinked, montarily confused, before it clicked.
"Ah, crap!" I shot up from the sofa. Work!
Panic settled in as I ran a hand through my ssy hair. I was still in borrowed pajama. The yesterday’s clothes, they were still slightly damp from the rain last night.
Keiko seed to realize this at the sa ti as I did.
"Wait… you don’t have any fresh clothes, do you?" she asked.
I let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, and these haven’t dried yet either."
Keiko glanced at my wrinkled shirt and let out a small exhale. "Well… you can borrow sothing from your closet if you want. I ant Ryusei's."
I froze.
Keiko must’ve noticed my hesitation because she quickly added, "I an, if you don’t mind. Otherwise, you’ll have to go back to your apartnt first, and that’ll take ti."
I hesitated for a second. Borrowing clothes from my— I an, Ryusei's? That felt… weird. The size and style of the clothes wouldn't suit at all, so wearing them would feel awkward.
Just as I was about to answer, I checked the ti on my phone.
"Shoot!" I groaned. "I don’t have ti. I’ll just go back to my apartnt first."
Keiko crossed her arms. "You sure? You might be late."
"I'll manage!" I insisted, quickly grabbing my things.
I turned to Keiko, bowing slightly. "See you, Keiko!"
Without waiting for a response, I dashed out the door, hoping—praying—that I could make it on ti for work.
As I ran down the street, I could still feel the lingering warmth of last night's kiss on my lips.
But then I realized I was running in pajamas. I groaned and just kept running to my apartnt without caring about it.
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