Chapter 42

Len.

When I got home after school, my mom wasn't there, and it was a Friday, so I took a nap. I had a crazy dream, though, about my parents fighting and arguing.

Yeah, I don't have a dad anymore, but I used to, apparently. My mom says that he left her while she was pregnant with me, and I've never seen him in person, only in photographs and stuff, and they're not new photographs, either. They're old pictures back from when my mom and dad were just a couple, back from when everyone was happier.

I had never spoken with the man in the photographs, either. I knew that he didn't want me, and that was part of why he left my mom, and I can't hate him enough for that. He was the reason my mother worked day and night, trying to make ends meet and trying to save up money for my education. My father owned a large business, and when he left, my mom was left with very little, and since I was on the way, things were harder.

Even though I disliked how my mom was rarely around, I knew that she was doing all this so that we could be independent, and so that we could live good lives...

I woke up from the dream panting and sweaty, my eyes darting across the room. I pressed a palm against my forehead, trying to calm myself down. I had never met my father, but my mind could always conjure up some sort of argument between him and my mother, and it usually left me feeling odd and upset.

Slowly, I slipped out of my bed and walked towards the bathroom. Then, I heard the sound of dishes clinking coming from downstairs.

Mom?

I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. My mother looked at me with tired eyes. She was washing dishes, and her hair was tied into a messy bun.

"Mom!" I ran up to her and hugged her. She patter my back.

"What's this, Len?" She sounded surprised, "You're not usually this clingy...did you have another one of those..."

I cut her off. "Can we not talk about it?" I pulled back and looked up at her, "I'm just glad that you're home."

She laughed. "I'm glad that you're home, too. And you're safe!"

I nodded, "Let me help."

After washing the dishes in silence for a while, I figured that I should tell my mother about my plans for the next morning.

"Mom, I'm going to be going to a friend's house tomorrow," I said as I put the dishes in the dish rack.

She looked at me. "Oh, that's nice."

"I'll be gone around ten tomorrow morning, and I'll probably be back in the afternoon."

My mom nodded. "All right, then. I'm going to be sleeping in tomorrow, anyway, so just lock the door when you leave, alright?"

I nodded. Thinking about Rin again was making my heart beat like crazy. I had to tell her that I liked her, sooner, and not later. I wasn't going to do what Kaito did and not tell anyone for ten years or something. I didn't even have that much time! If Rin met someone during the summer, it would be over for me.

Gumi.

"Hey, look at that cloud," I pointed to the sky, "It looks like a cat!"

Yuma looked up. He had an arm around my shoulder, and it made me feel surprisingly safe and secure.

"It does not!" He frowned after gawking at it for about ten seconds.

"It does, look!" I insisted, "Look at the pointy ears and the whiskers..."

My voice trailed off as I felt Yuma's face against my neck. I think we both sort of froze up in the middle of the sidewalk like that. Normally, I don't like public displays of affection, but there was really no one around at this time. And besides, I just couldn't pull away.

"You're my cat, you know that?" Yuma said softly. I blushed.

"C-Can we not do this in the middle of the street?" I frowned, "I mean, there's no one around, but still..."

Yuma winked at me. Oh God, Gumi, stop going crazy!

"What are you suggesting?" He smirked, taking my hand and starting to walk again.

"I'm not suggesting anything!" I said.

"Come to my place," he said.

"Okay!" I couldn't keep my goofy smile in check, "I mean, I can't!"

He looked at me. "It's alright, I'm not going to do anything crazy to you," he said it with a frown before breaking out into another grin, "Unless you want, of course."

"I think I'm gonna faint," I muttered. He laughed.

And that was how I ended up in Yuma's room.

"My mom is going to kill me," I frowned, standing in a corner as Yuma sat on his bed, flicking through his iPod.

He looked at me. "Why?"

"Not because of you," I shook my head, "Because I'll be late."

"You won't be late," Yuma said, "Do you want to listen to some music?"

"Is that why you brought me up here?"

"Come here," Yuma frowned.

I can't believe I did as he said. He moved to one side and I sat down beside him.

"You know I'm not like that," he said softly, "I would never even think of doing anything to you unless you agreed to it."

I swallowed slowly.

"Even if agreed, I'd still stop and think it through."

"I know," I whispered. He tousled my hair with those pale, slender fingers of his. I looked down at my lap. He kissed my neck softly, gently, in a way that was almost reassuring.

"Let me see your phone for a sec," he said. I nodded and pulled my phone out, handing it to him.

I watched as he flicked through it. Our eyes met, and he laughed.

"I don't mean to snoop, Gumi," he said, "Just looking for the camera."

"Oh," I felt guilty, even though I knew that he wouldn't go looking through my things.

"Here we go," he said, and then put an arm around me and pulled me closer. He held the phone with the inner camera facing us and took a picture.

I frowned as he handed the phone back to me. "What was that for?"

Yuma just shrugged, still smiling. "Memories?"

I hope you guys are loving the (moderately) lengthy chapters and the adorableness! Isn't Yuma the cutest? And Len's dad sounds horrible...

Stay tuned for the next chapter! Vote, comment, share, support! Is that my tagline or something now? :P

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See you next chapter!