To Love's End | Shigure Sohma

Chapter Three

Amai tried incredibly hard to get Shigure out of her head. It had been a few days since she had seen him last but thanks to the dream after reading his new book, she kept thinking of him in a romantic way.

'It's wrong, Amai. He's five years older than you,' she scolded herself mentally. 'It's never going to happen.' She sighed as she made her way home after college. 'You have to focus on your studies.'

It was almost sunset and as much as she wanted to see it, her mind was focused elsewhere. She had two months to write 15,000 words for her final essay. It was a big one but it would make up 50% of her score and would determine if she could go on to do a teaching course. She didn't have a computer or a laptop of her own plus the college closed at a certain time every day. There was no way she would be able to complete it in time along with her research.

"Ugh, what am I gonna do now?"
"Amai?"

She stopped walking and looked ahead. It was Shigure. Suddenly seeing him in front of her made her blush as she subconsciously thought about her dream. She tried to shake it off as he made his way towards her.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said.
She smiled. "Yes. I just finished class so I was on my back to the hostel."
"You seemed to be deep in thought about something. I'm surprised you didn't see me sooner."
"Oh, right." She smiled just a little. "I'm just stressing out about my assignment."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Well..." She sighed. "It's my final essay and it counts for half of my final grade. I can't use the computers at my college because they close early and I don't have anywhere else to go. I mean, even the library has time restraints." She glanced down at the ground as the stress built up again. "And I can't afford a computer or a laptop right now..."

Shigure could sense her stress. Studying was difficult and he knew how much she dreamed of being a teacher.

"You can use my computer."
Her head shot up as her eyes widened. "Really?" She shook her head. "No, I couldn't. I would just be in your way."
He smiled. "It would be no trouble at all. I've only recently published my novel so I won't need my office for for a few months."
Amai hesitated. "I don't know... Are you sure?"
"I'm completely sure. You can come by whenever you want and stay however long you need."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Shigure. You're always helping me. I don't know how to repay you."
"Don't be silly," he laughed lightly. "I can even help you with your assignment."
"That would be so great. Is it okay if I come by tomorrow?"
"Of course."
Her smile brightened. "Thank you so much, Shigure!"
He chuckled. "Don't mention it. Now, how about I walk you back to your hostel? It will be getting dark soon. I can't have a pretty girl like you out alone at this time."

Any other time, his words would not have affected her so much. But as he called her "pretty", her cheeks flushed pink and butterflies erupted in her stomach.

"That would be nice..." she said quietly.
He smiled. "Lead the way."

They resumed their walk, Shigure walking beside her. Amai wanted to say something to start up a conversation but she suddenly felt too shy to speak to him. But even Shigure began to feel nervous.

Recently, as he thought of ideas for his new book, Amai kept on appearing in his mind. Even after just one tea break with her, she had managed to draw him in with her youthful charm. Simply having her walk beside him was causing him to have butterflies in his stomach. Her hair the colour of sunshine, and her blue eyes that sparkled like the ocean, and her bright smile lit up his entire day. She was truly beautiful.

"So, Amai," he spoke to cut through the tension between them. "Do you know what you're going to base your assignment on?"
She nodded. "Yep! I'm going to write about the different ways households and families can effect a child's upbringing and their education."
"Wow. That's impressive. That's going to require a fair amount of research."
"Yeah. I've decided I'm going to check a few books out from the library and pick out as much research as I can." She frowned softly as a small sigh left her lips. "I don't even know where to start."
"It is difficult and you're not alone. Even I have trouble starting up a new book. But once you start writing, the ideas just flow through."
She looked at him and smiled. "Well, that puts me at ease."
He returned the smile. "Did you enjoy your book?"
Her smile grew. "I loved it so much! I would say it's my new favourite but I love all of your books."
He chuckled softly. "I'm glad I have your approval."
"Are you planning on writing a new book soon?"
"That's the plan. I have some ideas floating around and, if you don't mind, I would like to discuss something with you."