Teen Hiroki

Chapter Two: The Secret Place

It was only yesterday that Hiroki and Akihiko had spent the late afternoon at their secret spot. Hiroki had been concerned because she hadn't seen her best friend for days, outside of their few shared courses. But today Akihiko had texted her in between classes, asking to meet her there after school.

The late afternoon autumn sun was still warm. Hiroki sat on a blanket on the ground. The quilt was something they kept hidden there, wrapped in a plastic bag, for days when the grass was damp.

"Ah, Hiroki!" Akihiko called out as his lanky form emerged through the hole in the brambles. He climbed out of the overgrowth gracefully, though it was much more difficult for him now that he'd gown so tall.

Hiroki could still slip in with relative ease since she remained quite petite, although it was hard to get through, in a ladylike manner. She always had to be careful not to catch the hem of her school uniform skirt on a branch or get a stain on her socks crawling in, avoiding any signs that might alert her mother to the fact she was not at the library studying as she had promised.

Watching Akihiko walk towards her, Hiroki suddenly felt her heart start to beat faster. She blushed and turned her head away, not wanting him to see the effect his appearance had on her.

This had been happening more and more lately, greatly disconcerting Hiroki. They had been such good friends (though just that) for so long. Akihiko was almost like a brother to her.

And yet…

Over the last year, if she was honest with herself, Hiroki had to admit that her feelings for her friend had drastically changed.

If he noticed her blush, Akihiko said nothing. He threw his pack on the ground and sat down beside her.

"How was your day, Old Man?" Akihiko stretched out comfortably on the blanket and lay on his back resting his head on one of Hiroki's skirted thighs.

This posture had been one that the two friends had often assumed with each other. Only now, it felt very different for Hiroki to feel the weight of Akihiko's silky head in her lap, to see his lean muscular body as it tapered away from broad shoulders, down into his slender waist, and ended at his loafer-ed feet.

Hiroki growled. "I told you to stop calling me that." Akihiko had taken to addressing her that way ever since Takahiro had shown up and made those stupid comments about her name.

"You shouldn't snarl like that, Hiroki." Akihiko raised his eyes to look at her over his forehead. There was a distinct and unusual mirth in them today. "It's not very lady-like."

"Shut up, dumb-ass!" Hiroki snapped as she ruffled his thick, silver hair. Though she did not sound quite as furious this time.

"That feels nice Ki-chan." Akihiko sighed, closing his eyes.

Hiroki kept her fingers entwined in his hair, gently stroking his brow. This act too was something that they had engaged in for years. But now, looking down on the resting boy's still downy cheeks and increasingly angular jaw, something hitched in Hiroki's throat and stirred up a strange warmth deep in her belly.

"I brought you something new to read." Akihiko said after a time, his voice sounded drowsy. "Shall I start reading you a bit of it now?"

"Okay." Hiroki tried to sound indifferent. She didn't dare let Akihiko know how much this thrilled her, the ass was already so sure of himself.

Still she knew it must be hard for him. Akihiko's father was demanding that he go into law. The elder Usami, she'd heard was already trying to pull strings at some top-notch schools. But Akihiko had already determined that he was going to be a famous author and if he did go anywhere after high school it was going to be a "regular" university. Hiroki didn't doubt one bit that he would accomplish this, even if his father did force him to get a law degree. She had been reading the budding author's works since they were in grade school and every year Akihiko got more brilliant.

Some might ask, on what authority a sixteen-year-old girl could make such a claim. But Hiroki had already read every book in the school library at least once and devoured literature like most girls did chocolate.

Since his voice had changed, Hiroki had found herself increasingly captivated by Akihiko's increasingly smoky tones and now, as he began to read, the richness of them filled their enclosure. Akihiko's voice drifted up, his language lodging in the ever-multiplying spaces amongst the brilliantly colored leaves. Listening to him, Hiroki sighed and couldn't help but bite her lips to hold back a smile. She knew it really didn't matter what the idiot did or said, she could never truly stay mad at him for long.

She wondered and worried more and more in fact, if there wasn't some part of her that was starting perhaps to love him.

Hiroki was pulled from her reverie, by the sharp sound of silence, suddenly realizing that Akihiko had stopped talking.

"What did you say, Aki?" Her cheeks grew pink when she realized she'd not fully been paying attention.

Hiroki wished she didn't blush so easily, though her mother had told her it was one of her charms. "That blushing makes you seem innocent Hiroki-chan and there will be a time when that will be a great tool for you to disarm your suitors with." Hiroki snorted, she didn't want suitors…

Well, maybe just the one.

Looking down into that very person's amazing amethyst eyes, Hiroki saw them filled with perplexity.

"Honestly Hiroki, I asked you what you thought and even now you, you just wandered away from me again, I saw it. You act like your mind is a million miles away today."

Hiroki stammered, "I'm sorry Akihiko."

"Don't be." Akihiko brushed it off, then he added, "Here, take it and you can read it later and tell me what you think."

Rolling over onto his stomach, he rested his chin on Hiroki's knee as he reached out one of his long arms and gave her the notebook with his latest masterpiece in it.

He watched Hiroki put it into her bag, his lavender eyes studying her intensely.

"It's a boy isn't it?"

"What?"

Akihiko smirked as he saw Hiroki's large, hazel eyes widen in surprise and then dismay at his question. The telltale blush confirmed it. His usually cool eyes lit up with interest.

"Yes, I was right.

"Okay Hiroki, out with it. Who is the lucky or should I say more appropriately 'condemned' boy that you have your eye on?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Hiroki snapped, pushing Akihiko's forehead off her knee with a huff.

Akihiko sat up. "Suit yourself," he shrugged. "But it isn't like you to keep secrets from me.

"He must be really special."

Hiroki looked away, fiddling with the zipper on her panda backpack.

"He is."

Akihiko was surprised at how gently Hiroki said this, her voice free of its usually furious inflection. Then Hiroki turned back slightly, regarding him from beneath long lashes.

"What about you, Aki? Is there a girl you like?"

Akihiko reached into his light jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He had just started the habit recently and Hiroki found it disgusting. She knew he was only doing it to annoy his father, not that the man was ever around enough to even care.

Lighting up, Akihiko regarded his friend. He dragged his long fingers through his hair and shrugged again.

"Well there is someone… but I'm not really sure how this person feels about me… I mean I feel very close to them, but I'm not sure that this individual shares my same feelings."

Hiroki looked down, her heart fluttered in her chest like a frightened bird. "Have you said anything to this person?"

"Oh gods, no!" A rare look of alarm formed on Akihiko's generally impassive face.

"I like this person too much, I don't want to wreck the relationship. What if I confess and then the person hates me?"

Hiroki smiled shyly, her blush deepened. "I can't really imagine anyone hating you Akihiko.

"Besides, maybe the person likes you too, just as much, but they're afraid to say anything for the same reason."

"Maybe," Akihiko said noncommittally. "I'll think about it."

He coughed and then choked a bit trying to regain his breath: he still wasn't quite used to the smoke yet. He ground out the cigarette.

"Take that with you, dumb-ass," Hiroki had recovered herself a bit now. "I don't want your dirty butts littering my sanctuary."

Akihiko said nothing in response, but he smiled and casually slipped the stubbed out smoke back into the pack.

"Are you coming over for dinner tonight?" Hiroki hoped that her voice didn't sound over eager. Then she offered as a further diversion, just in case: "My mother's been asking about you again."

"Nope. Sorry, I'm taking Takahiro and Misaki out to dinner tonight."

"Again?"

"But that's like the third time this week, Aki."

"I know, and Takahiro's so sweet saying he feels bad and like he's taking advantage of me, but now all of his relatives have left and it's just him and his little brother and honestly, Hiro can't cook at all. I just don't want them to starve."

Hiroki was angry with herself for feeling suddenly jealous.

Akihiko is just trying to be kind after all.

He always was, even though he came off to most people as unfeeling or arrogant. Hiroki knew he really had a very tender heart beneath his unruffled demeanor. Sometimes she wished she was more like him that way.

Akihiko pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Shit," he said seeing the time. "Speaking of which I have to go or I'll be late picking them up." He closed his phone, grabbed his bag, and stood up. Just before he ducked out into the bushes he looked back over his shoulder. "I'll call you later tonight, okay, Old Man?"

"If you want, but don't feel obligated!" Hiroki called out as the bushes swallowed him.

After Akihiko had disappeared Hiroki sat there dejectedly gazing at her panda backpack.

"Who are you staring at stupid?" she demanded.

Its black button eyes regarded her stoically despite her attack.

As she thought about who was truly stupid here, Hiroki's brow furrowed. She knew despite what she just said, she was now going to spend her whole night waiting.

Thanks for Reading!