Suzua ✓

eight

【 S U Z U A 】

⌕ CHAPTER EIGHT:
博物馆 | | museum

The two teenagers sat beside each other on the couch. The rustling of leaves and cars driving down the street served as their white noise. Kit pulled his jacket back over his shoulder—pulling at his collar as he felt warm in the chilled room. He noticed Asteria taking glances over at him. Heat rose to the apples of his cheeks.

He didn't expect her to kiss him, nor did he think she would make out with him on the couch. The girl cleared her throat, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Although she was the first to start the intimate contact, she was also the first to pull away. Asteria played with the hem of her dress. Her gaze remained fixated onto the carpeted floor beneath them.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Her hands reached to cover her face in embarrassment. The calm, collected person she always forced others to see appeared to be crumbling by the second. Kit extended a shaky hand to pat her shoulder. Albeit he feared she'd push him away, she didn't. Asteria allowed him to rub more circles on her. Was she still the confident person he saw on the library roof two days ago? "I didn't mean to do that. Even if you agreed to it, I shouldn't have taken you along. You could've gone on with your week without me interfering. People wouldn't be searching for you right now. Do you want to go back?"

In actuality, Kit didn't want to head back just yet. The adrenaline rush of knowing people are searching for him made Kit want to keep running. Of course, his friends would be worried about him. But the scenario he was in right now reminded him of the plot Mao was watching a while back.

"Not yet. To be honest, meeting you was probably the most eventful thing I've experienced. I should be thanking you."

Asteria let out a breathy laugh. "No, you shouldn't." Her face peeked out from under her hands. A smile etched on her face. It didn't look forced this time, and that too made Kit smile in return. She lightly clapped her hands, her arms stretched out in front of her as she turned her body to face Kit. "Well, since you don't want to return just yet. Do you still want to go out?"

"Yeah, sure. But won't we get caught? Only I'm 'disguised'. What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Trust me." Placing a white ball cap over her hair, she reached a hand out for him to hold. With her other hand, she wiped at the corners of her eyes. "I've shown you my weak side too many times already. Don't expect me to act all vulnerable anymore. Let's go."

Asteria enveloped her hand into Kit's. The warm touch of her soft skin brushing against his as they headed out the door, locking the entrance to the house before departing down the road. The two walked hand-in-hand toward the closest museum—a choice that Asteria begged for Kit to follow along with. The strong aroma of Asteria's perfume filled the air as leaves rushed past them.

Such a calming feeling that engulfed the two as they walked mindlessly through the streets. There was that adrenaline Kit had felt earlier. The blood rush of confidently strolling through the streets of Boston in his new persona. Asteria fixed the cap on her head, lowering the brim to better cover her dark eyes. The sun's rays pushed down onto his scalp. However, he didn't feel the heat burning up like it usually would do. The black hair he was born with would collect the heat from the sun trapping it in some invisible prison.

He could get used to this blonde alter-ego. The small businesses the two passed by made it hard for Asteria not to take a peek. She untangled her hand from Kit's, moving over to the window display of freshly baked treats. A two--no, three-tier vanilla cake sat proudly on display. The matching colored frosting that layered on top. Large stemless strawberries circled each layer. At the very top of the cake read the price of said treat. The numbers were written in the triple digits as her gaze moved to the wicker basket of cookies.