On Wednesday, Hana dragged herself to the library. Thinking about her upcoming hour of detention didn't please her, and the idea of having to sort through a pile of dusty books pleased her even less.

The young woman came in early, and unsurprisingly she was the first to arrive. But Hana hadn't waited for her fellow companion to show up. The mountain of books that rested on the cart which the librarian had kindly lent her wouldn't go back to place by itself, and the student preferred to get rid of her chore as quickly as possible. Even if it meant to start working alone.

Surprisingly, it was right on time that Akaashi showed up to the library, and not as late as Hana had planned. She had also wondered if he made this effort as an apology for having led them into this detention, but she quickly rejected this hypothesis; As soon as the librarian left, the young man had simply slouched into one of the nearest sofas.

Hana sighed but didn't bother to tell him what she thought. She ignored the gaze that she felt on her and turned her attention to the bright coral orange encyclopedia in her hands. The binding seemed worn, and the pages were yellowed by time. The young woman unraveled the annotation as it had been explained to her before placing it between two other books of similar appearance, equally dilapidated.

—Hoshino, you're really gonna sort all that ?

Akaashi's voice broke the almost silence of the library and Hana's response followed quickly after.

—We're here for that, remember? Replied Hana, seizing another book.

—The librarian didn't even stay to make sure we put away those damn books, argued the young man as he stood up from the couch. We could even leave now, nobody would notice it, he added as he approached the wagon.

—You can go if you'd like, she replied, reaching out to put the book in place. I can do it all by myself.

Because of the execrable mood that Hana was in, Akaashi didn't insist. Instead, he grabbed a book and randomly placed it on the shelf in front of him, which caused the girl who was with him to frown.

—What are you doing?

—I sort out books, he said in a self-evident tone.

—You put it on the wrong shelve, said Hana in a calm tone.

—Do I look like I care ?

Now face to face, Hana had plenty of time to observe the boy's light blue eyes, or rather their reddish color. His pupils were so dilated that the characteristic bluish shade of his eyes had almost completely disappeared, and it didn't take her much more to understand.

—Are you high? She guessed in a flat voice.

—Maybe, he said as an excuse to avoid ansering and grabbed another book to put it anywhere.

The young woman refused to sigh again. Why did she even bother asking ? The answer was obvious.

—Stop this nonsense and sit down instead of giving me extra work, ordered the brunette with a quiet tone.

He didn't move an inch.

—At this rate, you'll have a good hour of work.

—It is not as if I really have a choice, she replied, reaching for one of the young man's misplaced books.

—You always have a choice.

Hana finally reached the book he had «put away», but when she pulled on it to take it back, a hand, with some biro stains and silver rings on the fingers, landed on her own to prevent it. Immediately, the student raised her chin towards Akaashi, her eyes filled with bewilderment. She didn't expect him to react so quickly. She thought he was much less lucid than that. And most importantly, with everything he had told her at the ice rink, Hana had come to think that he would avoid being touchy at all costs.

Apparently, she was wrong. Because his hand was still trapping hers against the shelf, and aside from the unusual shade of his eyes, there was no other indication that he had just smoked weed. He smelled his usual cologne mixed with a light scent of smoke and tangerine, which was a curious assemblage that she had already found herself enjoying the evening of their meeting. His fragrance had something soothing, like the sweetness of spring sun after seasonal rain.

—What are you doing? Asked Hana while she dismissed her invasive thoughts.

—I'm saving you time, Akaashi simply replied with his eternal lingering tone. No one will notice if ta few damn books aren't in the right place.

Hana didn't immediately respond, caught by the piercing gaze stuck in hers. Once again, she wondered what this boy had done in his previous life to deserve such graceful features. His skin hadn't any imperfections, and the curve of his jaw stood out just enough to compliment harmoniously the rest of his face. His hair was the same shade as night, and his eyes were the color of the moon. The contrast gave him quite a lot of charm without him even having to make the slightest effort. And then, there was his lips. Every word that escaped from them always had the effect of a gentle caress that didn't fail to alert all her senses. They always seemed to invite hers to dance, a call that Hana was dying to answer.

« If I'd known earlier that you were so young, I wouldn't have done anything with you ». As a painful reminder, what he had said to her came back to her mind, and Hana forced herself to bury the attraction she felt for him in the depths of her being. Her exhaustion must have taken over her common sense, because there was nothing going on between them. The sudden tension she felt was surely coming from her imagination...

—Trust me, said Akaashi in a soft voice.

So why, why did she feel that this was all real? Why did she feel that the conversation was drifting, and that his sentence had a double meaning? He had unconsciously approached her, and the young woman could now feel the warmth of his body against hers, his breath against her cheek. His hand still wrapped around her own. He hadn't removed it. Too close. He was too close. Her heart started beating faster.

—Someone will notice, whispered Hana slowly.

—Not if we aren't caught, he contradicted with a hint of amusement in his voice. We just have to be smarter than them.

—I would know about it, said the brunette in a breath. And you would too, she added to support her point. We would both know.

As the conversation progressed, Hana became increasingly doubtful that they were still talking about those misplaced books. Her senses were too muddled for her to rely on, and the way his eyes drowned in hers completely short-circuited her last rational thoughts.

—Let's keep it private, Hoshino. That'll be our secret.

Our secret. They weren't talking about books.

Hana was sure now, and the lips against hers only confirmed what she already knew. In a blink of an eye, her back was against the shelf, and her fingers were tangled in the boy's hair. He wasted no time. His hands were already memorizing the smallest details of her figure. His kisses were passionate. Eager. Hurried. As if he had held back too long. He barely gave her time to breathe. His lips tasted like tangerine. It felt warm. She felt warm. Her body felt as hot as if it was on fire, and her mind was dizzy.

What a heady feeling.

Akaashi's kisses slowly migrated along the curve of her jaw, then towards her neck, and Hana's lungs could finally fill properly with air. Her breathing was jerky, and it wasn't until then that she realized how furiously her heart was beating in her chest. For a moment, she wondered if he could hear it, too, but her question was quickly forgotten when the young man's kisses lingered on her exposed collarbone. When did he untie her shirt? Hana bit her lip. He smiled.

—I'm relying on you to keep your voice low, whispered the dark-haired boy. 'Cause at this rate, we'll get busted before we even get into it...

—You... you are wrong, replied Hana.

Akaashi slowly raised his head. His eyes crossed hers, and he was pleased to see them so bright, alive. The soft shade of pink that colored her cheekbones delighted him. He began to grin even more.

—If I believe my memories, I can say I'm far from being wrong, he is a shamelessly teased her.

—I don't agree, Hana said with a playful gleam in her eyes. I bet you'll get caught first.

–Yeah, yeah, of course.

Akaashi giggled, not taking her threats seriously. And before she opened her mouth to protest, he had already silenced her with another kiss.