Private Property

If you love someone, you tend to skim over their secrets without accepting them and understanding them. But if you love someone enough, you will choose to learn why they bear the secrets that they bear. Love isn't acceptance, acceptance is love.

"Misa~," His voice was taunting, she knew that before she'd turned around. Instantly, she thought, it had been a bad idea to let Usui Takumi into her room. An item was clutched behind his back.

"What have you got?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. He grinned a toothy, adorable smile.

"My dear, is this a diary?" From behind his back he brandished a blue notebook. Her face contorted into disinterest and she waved it off.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She plopped herself down onto her bed and studied her nails. What gave her away was her small, desperate eye flicker towards him.

"So you wouldn't mind if I opened it?" She was on her feet in a flash, the notebook an inch from her fingertips before he wrapped an arm around her waist and caught her. "You're quick, Misaki, but not quick enough." He murmured.

"That was in my underwear drawer!" She fumed, beating against his chest. He shrugged.

"I lost interest in waiting for you to return." She had been downstairs for all of five minutes and he'd gone through her stuff?

"That doesn't give you snooping rights!"

"I didn't snoop. I came across it and didn't open it. Why are you so protective of it? Is it a diary?"

"It's a notebook." She mumbled into his shirt, her hands gripping the back of it. "But it's embarrassing." His eyebrows raised.

"Can I look through it?" He asked gently. "I'm not going to judge you for whatever's inside it." He added as an after thought. She huffed and pulled back from his grasp.

"It's embarrassing!" She exclaimed quietly.

"Come on, Misaki, it can't be that bad."

"Look for yourself- I mean- I didn't mean that!" He had his fingers gripping the cover of the notebook but stopped. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Are you really going to hide things from your lover?" Her face burned a bright crimson as he pulled his face back and brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

"I- uh- I mean- fine." She said in a quiet, conflicted voice. He took a seat on her bed, his back resting against the wall and he patted the space next to him.

"You can look away if you're that embarrassed." He smiled and she sat herself down next to him, her face hidden behind her fingers. With immense interest, he opened the notebook and found that the first twenty-two pages were filled with words that had been scribbled out, and then he flicked to the twenty-third page and his eyes fell upon something legible amongst the scribbles. His heart stopped. Written in Misaki's neat and cursive writing were these words:Wedding vowels to Takumi.

"Don't. Say. Anything." He flicked a few more pages to a scribble-free page.

I wonder how we should last that long - he read- I wonder if he will always love me. It's funny how, despite how I was raised, I still cling to the hope of my own wonderful romance. After all I swore about never trusting love... it's not fair, this feeling, I didn't get a say in it. What's with Takumi anyway? Who gave him permission to show up and turn my world upside down? Who gave him the right to make me fall in love? I hope that those wedding vowels that I cannot seem to form will become useful one day. But, then again, what do I know about love, other than the fact that, for me, it starts and ends with him? Here's my prayer that it doesn't all come tumbling down. He blinked and very slowly opened his mouth.

"I- I don't really know-,"

"I said don't say anything." She demanded again, her eyes still hidden behind her hands. He set the notebook down and reached for her hands, gently prying them away from her face so that she could see his gaze. His eyes were wide, his cheeks gently blushed, and he couldn't seem to find the words. "It's embarrassing, right?" He shook his head instantly, cupping her cheek.

"I'm just lost for words. It's the last thing I would've expected from you, but my heart- feel it." He raised one of her hands to his chest and she felt his erratic, speeding heartbeat. He feathered his fingers across her cheek. "I'm really glad that you let me read that. Thank you." He began to lean forwards, closing the gap. "I hope you can use those vowels as well." The last thing she remembered was the distinct feeling that her cheeks were on fire before his lips met hers.

"So much for private property." She murmured against his lips. He simply pushed her down until her head hit the pillows and, in that moment, she had fallen in love all over again.