Chapter 107

Rin.

Len and I headed back to my place, and as we entered my home, I knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep. That was fine, because I wouldn't be able to sleep, either, given what had just happened.

"Doris," I whispered before following Len down the hall, "Could you get some snacks out for us?"

She nodded quickly, squeezing my shoulder. "This must be hard on him..."

"Yeah...," I nodded curtly and ran up to Len, following him upstairs.

"Len, come with me," I linked arms with him and he nodded slowly. I pulled him into my room and closed the door, meeting his eyes in the darkness.

"Rin, I'm so sorry," he mumbled.

"Sorry for what?" I pulled him over towards the balcony and pulled the door open, letting the gentle summer breeze caress my skin.

"For being like this," he replied. I shook my head and sighed, pulling him out into the balcony.

"You were there for me," I whispered into the wind, leaning with my back against the grill, elbows resting on the handrail. He looked down at his feet and leaned forward, looking down at the garden.

"I guess you never know how much it hurts till you feel it firsthand, huh?" He frowned, pushing his hair back, out of his eyes.

"You're lucky, Len," I smiled, tilting my head a little so that we could make eye contact, "You're lucky to have her, and you know what? I'm lucky, too. I'm lucky to have you, Len. I want to be here, with you. I want to be there for you when things like this happen. So don't be sorry."

A small smile broke out across his face, subtle and small, but a smile, nonetheless. "You always know what to say," he whispered.

"No, I don't," I answered honestly, "When I'm with you, the sentences form themselves."

I reached up and ran the back of my hand against his face. His eyes flickered away from the view and down at me, and I offered a coy smile in an attempt to make the situation a bit brighter.

It was almost instinctive, the way he leaned down and closer to me, almost as though he had read my mind, or maybe we were both thinking the same thing. I turned my hand so that his face met my palm rather than my knuckles, coaxing him closer. His fingers gripped my wrists and our eyes fluttered to a close, the last thing I saw being Len's face as the moonlight danced across his perfect, ivory skin and golden hair. The view became darkness and was followed by the sensation of pressure against my lips and heat coursing through my body.

I shifted slightly, moving my face higher as we kissed silently in the moonlight, tilting our faces so that our mouths fit together better. I pressed my free palm against Len's chest and I could feel the rapid beating of his heart, and it seemed, almost, as though I could feel some of the gloom being drained from him.

"Feeling better?" I said against his lips. He stroked my hair and nodded slowly, pulling back and smiling weakly.

"I don't know where I'd be without you," he whispered. I smirked, the hand that I had pressed against his chest forming a fist as I punched him playfully.

"You said that already," I beamed, "Tell me something, Len. Are you hungry?"

I pulled him out of the balcony before he had a chance to answer. As I pulled open the door, he peppered a few quick kisses on my neck, making me yelp with surprise.

"We still have bananas," I said, leading him downstairs to the sofa, where Doris had set the table with some fruit, cookies and two cups of hot chocolate.

We plopped down on the sofa and Len swiped a banana, violently tearing the peel off and gobbling the fruit's white flesh down. He chewed quickly, his cheeks full, looking like a squirrel. I laughed and reached for one of the cups, a white porcelain mug with the dark brown, steaming beverage inside, smelling sweet and strong. Wisps of steam curled out of the mug as I clasped my hands around its body and lifted it, bringing it close to my lips.

"Be careful," Len said, swallowing down his banana, "It looks hot."

I smirked. "There's something much hotter than this drink around here," I said. Len frowned and scratched the back of his neck, confused. Suddenly, he understood what I was talking about, or so it seemed.

"Aha!" He burst out, "You're trying to say that my mug is hotter than yours!"

"Mug?" I giggled, "Sure, why not? Your mug's hot, all right..."

"I don't get it," he shrugged and I broke out into laughter again.

"Len!" I put my cup down and punched his arm, "I was giving you a compliment!"

"Y-You were? What were you trying to say?"

I shook my head and smiled smugly. "I'm not saying it again!"

"B-But I didn't get it the first time!" He tugged at my arm.

"I'll come up with a better one next time!" I assured him, "Now hurry up and drink your hot chocolate! It's going to cool."

Gumi.

"AHHHHH!" I sat up straight in bed, screaming at the alarm clock. I picked it up, started at it for a spilt second, and then hurled it at the bathroom door. It didn't smash to bits, but it did shut up.

"Thank god," I muttered to myself, getting out of bed. I walked into the bathroom and locked the door.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a while, making weird faces. I don't know why I did that, but I did it often. I frowned, sticking my tongue out widening my eyes, pressing the flat portion between my palms and wrists against the counter and leaning forward.

"Weird, as usual...," I mumbled before smiling and standing up straight.

Huffing, I grabbed the straps of my tank top and pulled it over my head with a soft grunt. I slid out of my shorts and padded across the tiles and into the tub, turning the tap on. Water gurgled and spewed out, pooling by my feet before I turned the shower on and braced myself for the sudden onslaught of freezing water.

I shut my eyes as the water streamed down my figure. I raked my hands across my arms and down the length of my torso, singing a song under my breath. Picking up the soap, I rubbed it along my arms and quickly washed the suds away before getting some shampoo and massaging it into my hair.

I washed my hair and turned off the shower, stepping out, water dripping onto the floor. I took a towel and wrapped it around myself before opening the door and stepping into my room.

"Hey," Yuma was sitting on my bed, dressed for school, with a plate and fork in his hands. I yelped and jumped back.

"W-Wha...What're you doing here?" I asked, my face growing hot, "And why are you eating pancakes?"

He shrugged and took a bite. "Your mom let me in," he said plainly, "She said that I could wait for you up here."

"My mom...," I shook my head and walked over to my closet, "Well, you can step out now. I need to change."

Yuma nodded, getting to his feet and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. I sighed, pulling out a shirt, sweatpants, and underclothes. I let my towel fall to floor and began dressing myself hurriedly.

"You done yet?" There was a knock at my door as I struggled to pull my pants on.

"Almost!" I answered, fixing my pants and quickly picking up my towel before walking over to the door and opening it. Yuma looked down at me and I sighed. He tore a piece of pancake, skewered it with his fork, and offered it to me, brining it near my lips.

"Hungry?" He asked. I opened up and he stuck the fork in. I took the fork and closed my mouth, chewing as we headed downstairs.

"Mom, why'd you let Yuma in?" I called out as we headed into the kitchen. She was at the table, liberally applying strawberry jam onto a slice of toast. She gestured towards two chairs opposite her and we sat down.

"She gave me food, too," Yuma nodded, looking at my mother, who beamed and nodded as well.

"Why'd you give him food?" I asked. He frowned at me for a moment before pulling a plate over and placing it in front of me. He piled up some pancakes and gave me a fork before pouring some syrup.

"I couldn't just leave him out there, Gumi," my mom looked at me like I was crazy, "Besides, he was so polite about it."

I scoffed at Yuma. "Sure..."

He put his fork down and pressed a hand against my face, looking at my mother. "May I?" He asked nervously. I glanced at him, then at my mother, who nodded excitedly. Was I the only one who found this whole thing kind of awkward?

"Of course," my mom said. Yuma grinned and kissed my cheek. I blushed and hid my face behind my hands. My mom just laughed and Yuma ran a hand through my wet hair.

"Gumi, you better hurry up and eat," he whispered, "We'll be late."

I huffed and stuffed the pancakes into my mouth, eating voraciously, my cheeks filled with the food. I could barely chew, but I made it. Once I was done, Yuma took a napkin and wiped my face before offering a slow clap. My mom just stared at me with a frown, dumbstruck for a moment before she looked at Yuma again.

"See, he's so sweet!" She gushed, fangirling over our relationship, "He even wipes your face for you!"

"M-Mom, this is embarrassing!" I said before Yuma patted my shoulder.

"She likes me!" He grinned, getting out of his seat, "Thanks for the food, ma'am!"

My mom waved a hand at him, giggling like a teenager. "Come back anytime!"

"Right...," I got up and walked over to the sink, washing my face and wiping it with a towel, "Let's go."

Yuma nodded and led me out of the kitchen. My mom waved goodbye, and I waved back, and then we left the house.

"Your mom's cool," Yuma smirked. I scoffed and punched his shoulder lightly.

"Just because she gave you free pancakes," I smiled. He chuckled and we walked down the steps.

"I brought my bike today," he said, gesturing towards his beaten black bicycle. I frowned, watching him as he removed the lock from his bike.

"How are we..."

"You'll see," he grinned, getting on the bike, towards the edge of the seat, "Come on."

I did as he said, sitting down. It was sort of hard, though. "You sure this'll work?" I asked.

"Yeah, just wrap your arms around me," he instructed, getting up from his portion of the cushion. I did as he said, passing my arms around his torso and gripping one arm with the other.

"Done," I said, moving onto the seat properly. He nodded.

"Right. Now watch this."

He stayed standing, placing his feet on the pedals and pushing forward, pumping his legs and accelerating down the street, going faster and faster. I tightened my grip on him and shut my eyes. He just laughed.

"This is fast, huh?" He asked, speeding up even more. I nodded, my head pressed against his back.

Blah, this chapter is not very good...

I'm trying to get back to regular updates, you guys!

Also, I entered my story, Losing Myself In A Memory of You: Sebastian x OC, to the KuroWattyAwards! I was like, "meh, whatever. It's not that great, but it's worth a try!"

See you soon, dear readers!