"You are right. She is not mine.
But she will be soon"
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped slightly. I couldn't believe what he said just now.
'Is he serious about it? Please tell me it's a joke' I sweat dropped mentally.
"Yes, I am serious about it and remember I am never joking. There is one more thing you should know, Nijimura-san: I am able to read you like an open book" Akashi teased, his smirk grew wider.
"Huh?" I respond in disbelieve.
But suddenly I felt Toma's grip on my arm tightened. "Ouch... Toma it hurts"
'What's wrong with Toma? The first time the two of them met, he was acting strangely too' I looked up to Toma worried.
He didn't moved an inch, nor did he loosened his grip. The only two thing he was doing, was staring at Akashi and gritting his teeth in anger.
Akashi on the other hand was smirking mischievously.
'So he was provoking him purposely to see his reaction?
I need to stop them!
But how?'
My mind couldn't bring up any idea because it was still processing what the redhead said before.
A moment of silent passed where the two of them stared at each other again.
Toma snapped out of his thoughts and pulled me behind him. Finally released from his strong grip, I sighed out relieved and rubbed my left arm.
"Don't you dare to come any closer to her again" I heard Toma growl.
I did a step to the side that I had a better glance at the scene before me.
"Where are you that you think you have the right to order me" Akashi responded calm but sharp.
"Tch. The same goes for you" Toma snapped back.
"Ano... both of you.. sto..." I couldn't finish what I wanted to say, because Toma put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him. He shot Akashi a dark glared again.
"If you're trying to hide her from me, than let me warn you. You will regret it" Akashi looked at him with an unbending gaze. It was so intimidating that even I could feel the chill running down my spine, althought this gaze wasn't meant to me.
"I am not afraid of you" Toma tried to withdraw the urge to flinch back or to punch the short redhead before him. I could feel his body tense up.
Akashi seem to notice it too. But instead of stepping back, he stepped one feet closer. "You can't win against me"
"Say that again?" Toma almost yelled.
'This is a dangerous game you're playing, Akashi-kun' I thought worried.
Just the moment i thought it, Akashi looked at me as if he heard my thoughts. I blinked up when his glance softened, a slight grin formed on his lips.
'Dammit' I gritted my teeth.
Akashi chuckled shortly and turned into the direction from his car "Enough for today. See you next time, Nijimura-san"
He started to walk away, totally ignoring Toma.
Akashi then stopped midway and looked back at us. "By the way, it is vain to try to keep her away from me, because she is the one who will come to me"
Akashi continued the way to his car, entered it and drove away without any other word.
"What the hell was that?!" Toma cursed.
"I don't know" I said in disbelieve.
"You really have weird acquaintances" he looked down at me.
"And you think that doesn't included you too?" I asked dryly.
"What? How mean" he whined playfully and I started to giggle at his reaction.
"I think you have to repay me for this trouble" he stated.
"Whaaat? But I didn't do anything wrong?" I protested.
"Maybe not, but you were the cause of it. It's the same" he frowned at me.
Until now I didn't realized that we were still standing really close to each other, more specifically, he was holding me in his arms.
I blushed and pushed me out of his arms. It's seem he realized the proximity too "Sorry"
"Don't worry. Shall we get some drinks?" I asked to overwrite the awkwardness. "Sure"
We made our way to the next ice cafe.
At this moment I didn't know that we were watched the whole time.
After buying some drinks we went to the nearest park and sat down on a bench. Silently we watched the people who passed us.
This afternoon, more especially after the confrontation between Toma and Akashi, I felt very uncomfortable and even Toma had a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
'Or is it more than that?
Why do I feel so uneasy?' I took a nip from my milkshake.
'Why is this happening to me?
I want my peacefully days back' i whined.
"Sorano-chan? Are you alright?" I heard Toma asked me with a worried voice. I looked to my right side where he sat and looked down at me.
"H-hai!" I almost yelled at him. "Why are you asking?"
"I called you several times but you were totally lost in your thoughts that you didn't heard me" Toma frowned.
"Oh really? Gomen gomen" I put my hand behind my head and smiled restrained.
"What were you thinking about?"
"W-well, about nothing special" I waved his question beside.
"Com'on. Tell me or do I have to guess?"
I didn't answered to him. It was not that I did not want to, I just couldn't.
"Then I suggest you thought about the thing the redhead whispered to you, isn't it?" His eyes narrowed.
"No, I haven't thought about that"
"About what then?" He was really persistant today.
Before I answered his question, I gave him one of my really annoyed glances. "I was asking myself, why all of this is happening to me"
"And what kind of answer have you found?"
"None"
"Hmmm... Maybe I should tell you one?!" He questioned himself.
"Huh?" I looked at him confused.
Suddenly Toma took my right hand, in where i was holding the milkshake and took a sip. I inwardly screamed
'A-an indirect k-k-kiss' My cheeks burned dark red.
"I knew you would react like this" Toma laughed out loud.
"Whaaat? You did that on purpose?" I pouted.
As he looked at my face, his laugh turned into a chuckle. "You're really cute when you pout" He patted my head and stood up to hide is flushed face. "Let's go home, Sorano-chan"
Timeskip
The next school day almost ended. 'One last lesson. But it's time for the subject I suck the most - Japanese. Why couldn't it be canceled' I sighed.
While lesson moved on, a small folded piece of paper were thrown at my table. I looked to the direction which the paper came from and saw Mariko grin at me widely.
Slowly I opened the letter and read the following words:
Meet me after school. I need to show you something interesting. Mariko ✌
I looked back to her, but she had already directed her attention back to our teacher.
After reading her letter, I wasn't able to follow the content of the lesson anymore.
Finally the bell ended the school day and i put my stuff back in my bag before i made my way to Mariko.
"What do you wanted to show me?" I asked straight forward.
"Not yet. Let's wait when most of our classmates have left" she answered mischievously.
"Why I have a bad feeling about it" I murmured but loud enough that she could hear me.
"Who knows" she chuckled.
"Hey Mariko! Sorano! Shall we go home now?" Kimiko and Kyoko stood together in the doorway.
"Later. I wanted to show Sorano something interesting"
"Really? What could that be?" Kyoko looked confused at Kimiko. "We want to see it too" Kimiko walked back in the classroom and stopped next to me, followed by Kyoko.
All three of us looked curiously at Mariko, who searched for something in her bag. It seems she found what she had searched for, looked around the classroom to check out if there where still other students. As she convinced herself that nobody was there anymore, she took out two small ...
"Pictures? That's what you wanted to show us?" Kyoko stated disappointed.
"You have to see, what it is on it" A wide smirk appeared on her face again. "Want to see it?" She hold out the pictures to us, the back faced us.
By the way, Mariko was a hobby photographer. And a good one too. I had a small collection of her beautiful pictures. Most of them were sunsets or landscapes. She was always able to catch the best and most beautiful moment. In her free time she had always one of her cameras with her.
"Don't make it so exciting" Kimiko and Kyoko whined.
Finally she revealed one of the pictures.
My eyes widened at the sight. Kimiko and Kyoko started to squeal while Mariko tried to hold back her laugher.
The picture showed a scene that happened yesterday: Toma and I were sitting on a bench. It was the moment when he was holding my hand, in which I had my milkshake and when he was drinking of it.
"Y-y-you was there yesterday?" I paniced, hoping she saw only that.
"Accidentally, yes. Or should I say luckily" she glanced at me.
"You two look like a couple" Kyoko commented parenthetically, while looking intensively at the picture. My cheeks started to blush slightly.
"That's true" Kimiko nodded. "Okay, Mari, Now the next one"
"Please not" I refused. But Mariko turned the picture around, revealing a sight that froze my blood in an instant. If I could I would have sunk in the ground.
It showed the moment when a certain redhead was holding my chin, looking straight in my eyes, his face only a few inches away from mine. My flushed cheeks showed a nuance of a slight pink shade.
"Oh my gosh! You were there too?" I yelled at her, my face burned dark red.
Mariko laughed out loud and showed a piece sign.
"Waaaa... Sorano-chan is dating two guys at the same time" Kimiko squealed.
"Nooo, I am not. I am not dating one of them" I replied.
"I have to admit that I prefer this one more than that with Toma" Kyoko said suddenly.
"Yeah, me too. They look so cute together" Mariko fangirled.
"That's true" Kimiko put her hand on her cheeks.
"No, it's not!" I grabbed both of the pictures and ran out of the classroom.
'Dammit. Why must that happen to me again?'
As fast as I could, I ran out of the building. At the height of the school gates, I saw Toma standing there. But in this moment I hadn't the intention to stop or to walk home together with him. I only wanted to run and to be alone.
So I passed him, not looking at him once. He looked after me puzzled.
A few minutes later, I reached grandma's house, entered it and headed to my room. I throw my bag in the usual corner of my room and ran out again.
"Grandma, I am going out for a while" I shouted while leaving the house.
I ran down the streets trying to calm down myself. But this time it took me almost an hour when I finally relaxed a bit.
As I ran down the streets, I didn't pay attention where my feet dragged me. Slowly i stopped running and searched for the next opportunity where I could sat down.
A big tree in the park seemed the best place to me. I sat down and leaned my back against his bark.
Then I realized I was still holding the pictures.
'Couldn't I left them home?' I cursed myself.
I put my wrist on my knees, each picture in one hand, holding them next to each other.
I inspected them accurately. Looking at them for a few minutes, I had no other choice as to admit what my friends stated today.
"On each picture it really looks like we are a couple" I spoke to myself.
'Mariko should consider a carreer as a photographer. Even I have to admit her talent to catch the perfect moment with her camera. Even when it includes pictures like these two. These pictures full of embarrassment. But that is only one side what the picture shows. The other thing was...'
"Love" I sighed. "Now everything which Toma did the other days make sense. He was jealously of Akashi"
'But what should I do now?' My hands started shaking.
'I don't know anymore. Dammit' I leaned my head against the tree, closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in and out deeply.
Slowly I opened my eyes, admiring the view that showed up above me. The already setting sun glittered through the tree cover.The branches of the tree pranced in the wind slightly, playing with the light rays that penetrated trough the leaves. A very reasuring spectacle.
I closed my eyes again.
'You can't win against me....
She will be the one who comes to me' Akashi words made it back in my mind.
"All of this can't be true. He is just mocking with me, right?" I looked down at the picture of him.
'Or maybe not' I sighed out loud again, realizing that it getting nowhere just by thinking about all of that by myself.
"Why has it to be so complicated" I shouted, already back on my feet.
The street I was walking were overloaded with people. Most of them heading to their destinated spots in a fast pace. They hadn't even the time to stop for a monent. Only a few were walking in a slower pace, trying to notice everything and everyone around them. And of course there were a few couples too. I observed them intensively. Everyone of them were holding hands, their fingers intertwined with each other. They were talking to each other, the girls were giggling about the boys comments or about their flushed faces. It were a heart melting scene.
I couldn't surpresse the smile on my face.
Well, maybe it was only possible with the warm and bright sun's rays of the evening sun.
I looked up to the sky, staring to the beautiful colors on it. The sun turned it into a combination of yellow, orange and red. It was a breathtaking sight, but regrettably there weren't many people who noticed this phenomenale spectacle.
But only one color took all of my attention. "Crimson red, huh?"
'Why it has to be his color?
Maybe fate?
No, definitely not!' I declined and continued walking home.
When I arrived at home, I went straight to my room, placed the pictures on my desk and leaved my room again.
It was behind dinner time and grandma already eat alone, so i decided to make me some sandwiches.
"Are you fine now, dear?" Grandma looked into the dinning room where I was eating my sandwiches.
"Finally I have" I answered her with a mouth full of food. "Sorry for worrying you."
"Don't worry. I know how you feel" I choked and looked at her astonished.
"What? I was young too" she chuckled and leaved the room.
"What a strange day" I commented.
After dinner, I cleaned the dishes and went to my room. When I walked in, my eyes hushed to the pictures on my desk. It made me sighed again.
I leaved the room, headed to the storage room, searching for something special. Luckily, it didn't took me long to find it.
I made my way back to my room again and stopped before my desk. I attached the pictures in each one of the picture frame which i had searched for.
I had already placed one of them neatly on the desk, while I was still holding the other one.
I looked intensively at it. My cheeks blushed a light red, a small smile on my lips while my heart skipped a beat.
"Love, huh?
But maybe only affection"
Author's note:
Yokatta, this time I could write a chapter without problems xD
I hope the last part isn't too boring?! But I decided it would be the best to write about her thoughts and uneasyness that you become an intensive insight of the main character...
Please inform me what do you think of this chapter or if I should change the flow or anything else!!!
Thank you infinity for reading, voting and commenting *huuuuggggssss huuuuggggssss*
I hope, until next time :3