Aiko Oikawa

Kora Oikawa

Toru Oikawa

Sliding my arms into my white blazer, I twisted my hips back and forth to make sure my skirt was high enough to show off most of my legs. Unlike Aiko, I had been blessed with the more feminine body, smaller in all the right places. She had the height, being almost 5'6, and I was 5'2. Humming to a K-pop song in my headphones, I picked up my phone off the counter. A new message from Eita! It seemed they were ending practice early due to a water leak.

Leaning back to get a good look at the clock on the wall, I sighed. If I go now, it'll be a whole hour early. Aiko hasn't even finished making breakfast, yet. My stomach growled lightly. To go or not to go. An excuse would be easy to make. I'm not ready yet, or Aiko needs me for… something. My phone in my hand buzzed with a second message.

Eita: Be here in 10 minutes.

I internally cringed at his directness. Eita and I had a secret relationship to most everyone. His teammates know, but that's about it. In return for keeping it a secret, Eita made me agree to meet him whenever he wanted, no arguing. It's been almost a whole year, and I still haven't gotten used to his demands. At least he's quit calling me in the middle of the night, and started coming over here instead. Turns out, it's much easier to sneak into my house than his.

Those around him knew the stoic and serious side of him, and occasionally the hot-headed side he also had, but I knew all the other pieces of his personality. He can be sweet and caring, along with his dominant traits. With our one-year anniversary coming up soon, Eita promised to take me out somewhere nice in Tokyo, for a whole weekend. His family owned a chain of high-end apartments and got us one for free.

Going into school early for him is nothing for the things he's done for me. Picking up my school bag, I picked up an already cooked piece of toast. "I'm going on to school!" I shouted, heading for the door. Just make it out the door before—

"Kora!"

Groaning, I turned on my heel to face my annoying eldest sibling. He is not a morning person and since it's earlier than normal, he was only half dressed. Running his hand through his messy bed-head, he covered his mouth when he yawned. "Why are you leaving so early? Have you even eaten breakfast?"

"No, she hasn't!" Aiko piped up from the kitchen.

Thanks, sis. Placing my hands on my hips, I rolled my eyes. "I don't need you to be a mother hen, Toru. I'm meeting my friends for breakfast." That lie had gotten me out of a lot.

Toru, though, could see through me a lot. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped closer to me, towering over my short self. Leaning down, he lowered his voice. "You're hiding something, Kora, and I'm going to find out what it is. I don't like who you're becoming."

A breathy laugh left my lips. "Look in the mirror, Toru. Conceited womanizers don't get to lecture me." Whirling around and jerking the door opened, I glanced back at him. Making him speechless was a hard task, but today I'd achieved it. A small tug at my heart made me sigh. "Don't let Aiko forget her notes on the table beside the couch."

With that to hopefully defuse the tension between us, I left. He'd cost me time. Even running wouldn't allow me enough time to make it to the school when Eita requested. Should I text him or just explain when I get there? Picking up my pace, I chose the latter. It took me almost five minutes longer to arrive at school, and Eita stood by the front gate, leaning against the brick wall with his arms folded.

By the time I reached him, I was out of breath. Bending over and placing my hands on my knees, I took deep breaths. "I hate running," I mumbled. Anything sports related made me cringe with hate.

"You're late, Kora," Eita said, not moving from his spot but placing a hand on my head. "Did you run all the way here? I thought you hated physical exertion of any kind."

"I do," I said, finally catching my breath. Turning my head up to look at my gorgeous boyfriend, I smiled at him. "But I knew if I walked it would take me longer to get here to see you."

Eita laughed, offering me his hand. "Now how can I be mad at you after you've said that? I had everything planned and your cute face had to ruin it." With my hand in his, he led me off toward the building, but not either of ours. Actually, it seemed like we were going toward the volleyball gymnasium.

"Eita, where are we—" I went silent with one look from him. Okay, he's still a little mad, even though he said otherwise. Squeezing my hand reassuringly, he kept moving without words. Sometimes it's hard to read him when he gets like this.

The side door to the gym was propped open just slightly. This must be what he meant by planned. Does that mean he knew I'd been late? Or this smooth boy bet on me being late with his short time frame! It irritated me almost as much as it turned me on. This boy!

Eita took me into the locker room, throwing me forward gently before turning to lock the bolt on the door. "Are you going to explain what took you so long?" He asked, returning his attention to me, like a lion cornering a lamb.

Dropping my bag on the floor, I sat down on the bench with my hands on the edge behind me. Leaning back slightly, I swung my legs back and forth, scuffing the bottom of my shoes on the floor. "My idiot brother stopped me on my way out, trying to lecture me again. You should be happy that I made it in early at all. You know I hate being early to-"

Eita moved to stand in front of me, grabbing my chin with one hand and raising my head to meet his gaze. "You'd better watch what comes out of that pretty mouth next, Kora. I might not be so forgiving." The threat didn't come across as he probably wanted, since a smirk crossed his lips.

"Sorry, Eita. He really irritated me this morning," I replied, dropping my head and running my hands down my pigtails. Toru was an asshole, but I knew he meant well. He didn't approve of me choosing Shiratorizawa, and if he found out that I'd been dating a player from the volleyball team, who knows how he'd react. I reached out and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my forehead against his abs. "I just need a minute."

After a few moments of silence, Eita pried me off him and crouched down in front of me. "Kora," He said my name softly, waiting for me to find his comforting brown eyes. Placing a soft kiss on my lips, Eita held my face in his hands. "It's okay."

It's okay.

For some reason, his words sent a wave of calm through me. This has been a rollercoaster of emotions to have so early on in the morning. "I love you, Eita," I said softly, leaning forward to kiss him. Eita never pushed me to get over my feelings. Those two words might not mean a lot to most girls, but for me, it meant the world. He always told me it was okay to feel, even when the feelings were conflicting or hard to understand.

Eita didn't respond, instead hooking his arm around my waist and lifting me up against his body, continuing to kiss me back. Twisting us around, he straddled the bench, laying me down against the cold metal. His hands roamed up under my shirt and slipped under my bra, causing me to moan. "Quietly, Kora. Those men are out there fixing the pipes, remember?"

The gymnasium had been empty when we entered, but now that he'd said it, I could hear men talking and things shuffling around. He'd only paused for a moment when the bell rang, signaling it was time to go to class. Our time had been wasted, and Eita pulled away from me. "I'm sorry…. Eita, I didn't mean to waste so much time."

Helping me up, Eita grinned and kissed my lips once again. "Oh, don't worry, Kora. You'll make it up to me later, right?" He gave me a wink and took my hand in his again.

My legs felt like jelly after he said that. Damn it! How can one boy make me feel so hot with only one sentence? Eita walked me to class, acting like he hadn't just assaulted me in the boy's locker room intent on doing more than just making out. "See you at lunch," Eita said casually, heading toward the third-year building after delivering me to my classroom.

I stood in the doorway, in a daze. "Bye," I whispered, much too late for him to hear me.

"Your shirt is messed up and you've got a hickey on your neck," Shirabu chastised from behind me. He'd kept his voice low enough that no one heard.

One hand flew to my neck to cover the dark spot and I straightened my shirt with the other one. "Shut up, Shirabu," I said, knowing how red my cheeks must look. Digging out my scarf that I brought for this occasion, I relaxed. Shirabu and I only met last year when we both started high school. He's an okay guy, I guess. Jealous of Eita and some first year, even though he has a starting position. Last year he'd kissed me, so I know he's got a thing for me.

"Semi should be more careful. He could ruin your reputation," Shirabu returned to his seat that happened to be right next to mine.

I slid in my chair, laying my head on my desk. "He's just aggressive. Don't be so jealous." That seemed to shut him up long enough for the teacher to begin the lessons. I only half listened, thinking back on Eita's words of making it up to him… and that sexy wink… It made me hot and bothered just remembering it! I almost laughed out loud at my next thought.

Toru would kill if he found out about Eita and me.