Trouble in Paradise

Chapter 2

It was at least a 20-minute walk home, but she was still seething when she walked in the front door. She decided to soak in a bubble bath, filling the tub, and adding her favorite smelling salts, lavender and honey.

Shedding her clothes, she stepped into the tub, submerging herself up to her chin. She let the hot water seep into her skin and bones, washing away her frustration. Why did InuYasha have to make such a big deal about this? It was only studying, but he acted like she was going on a date with this boy.

She thought of Koga—his long dark hair, with its blue sheen, and his crystal-clear, blue eyes. She could admit that he was handsome, but he just wasn't her type. She thought of InuYasha, with silky, silver hair and large golden eyes, and her heart swam. She sunk lower into the tub, remembered all the times, he'd held her hand and pulled her close, whispered that he loved her, and how the butterflies would be in full force whenever he leaned down to gently kiss her goodnight. She leaned her head against the side of the tub, and breathed in the sweet scent of the smelling salts.

Could she have overreacted? Clearly, he was struggling with something, and the first thing she did was verbally attack him. Maybe if she had handled the situation better, they wouldn't be in this mess. Kagome took a deep breath, and felt a little more of her stress melt away. She gripped the sides of the tub, and pulled herself up to sit upright. She grabbed the soap, beginning to lather her body in suds, then rinsed off. She stepped out of the water and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved, cotton tee, wrapping her hair in a dry towel.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she glanced at the clock. It was still early, 4:30pm. She wasn't meeting Koga until 7:00pm. To pass the time, she sat at her desk and did some light reading, finishing her homework in no time. By the time she finished, it was only 6:00pm. She still had an hour.

She sat on her bed, crossing her legs, and reached over to snatch her phone from the end table. She opened the message app on her phone, and the texts she had traded with InuYasha the night before were the first thing she saw. She opened the conversation and reread the messages:

InuYasha: You left your pink sweater here, you goof.

Kagome: LOL, that's ok. I'll get it, tomorrow. Can you bring it with you to school?

InuYasha: Is that all I'm good for now?

Kagome: No, you're also good for lifting heavy boxes and carrying me to bed when I fall asleep. 😊

InuYasha: You know I like holding you when you sleep.

Kagome: I know.

InuYasha: Are you ever going to spend the night with me?

Kagome: You know I can't. My mom won't like it.

InuYasha: I can wait. 😉 Love you.

Kagome: Love you.

Kagome smiled as she read the texts. She pressed InuYasha's name and a picture of the two of them on their first date popped up. Kagome stared longingly at the picture, remembering the butterflies she'd felt when he'd held her hand, and how it felt at the end of the night when he'd kissed her. They'd gone to a carnival, and were playing at one of the tents, where you throw a plastic ring onto the top of a bottle to win a prize. Kagome desperately wanted this fox, with auburn hair and bright green eyes, but no matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't get the ring to land on the bottle neck. After her fifth attempt, InuYasha had put his hand on her hip, and gently taken the ring out of her hand. Blushing at his proximity, she slightly stepped away, but was acutely aware of his fingers brushing her skin where her shirt had ridden up.

Effortlessly, he had tossed the ring, and it landed on one of the farthest bottle necks. The clerk said she had her pick of anything on the racks. She looked at InuYasha, "Go ahead. Pick one," he said. She pointed to the fox and the clerk got it down, handing it to her. She gushed, and said, thank you. "No problem," InuYasha smiled back. They'd gotten ice cream after that. He paid, and Kagome was careful not to get anything on her prize. When the night was over, InuYasha walked her home, and they passed through the park, which lit up at night with dozens of lights in the trees, the branches, and the lamps. They stopped in front of the fountain. The surface of the water glimmered, casting sparkles over their faces, and reflecting the amber highlights in InuYasha's eyes. He turned to her and looked down at the stuffed animal she was clutching to her chest. He smiled, and said, "I know you're attached to that thing, but you think you'd be okay without it long enough for me to kiss you?"