Tezuka could not recall what convinced him to end up in her apartment. They had went out to celebrate the end of the term with the rest of their classmates, a rare occurrence for the stoic-faced tennis prodigy. He then walked with her home, as always, and she'd ask him to come in for a cup of tea. So here he was, in her pretty, all-white living room, sitting awkwardly next to her. Clearing his throat, he took off his jacket and laid it on the empty space to his right.
Hotaru Keiko found it hard to peel her eyes away from Tezuka. It was always like that, though, she reasoned. She smiled inwardly. He's taking off his jacket like he's here to stay… "Tea?" she asked. He nodded. The apartment was small, so from the kitchen space she could see the back of Tezuka's head as he flipped through whatever magazine she had lying on her coffee table. She leaned forward on the counter, wandering eyes mentally undressing the brown-haired man. No, bad thoughts.
The sound of boiling water saved her from her own inappropriate thoughts. She placed two cups of tea on the coffee table and took a seat next to Tezuka. He simply nodded. Keiko couldn't tell if the warmth she felt was from the heater, the tea, the man next to her, or herself. She hoped it wasn't the latter.
"Will you be doing anything this break?" he asked, eyes never leaving the business magazine in his hands. It was the latest issue that he hadn't found time to read. Keiko was too busy taking in his form to process his question. After a few silent moments, he finally looked up. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Her eyes lost their airy gaze. "I'm sorry?"
"You were staring." It's impolite.
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"So are you?" Somehow, Tezuka always found himself carrying the bulk of the conversation around her. She cocked her head at him, eyes furrowing the slightest. She asked him to clarify his question. "Are you doing anything this break?"
Keiko turned her fully body to him, folding her legs into an Indian sit. Tezuka resisted the urge to slap her legs off the couch. It is her house, he reminded himself. After a few pensive moments she answered, "Nothing, really."
"Hn."
"How about you?"
"Preparing for next term," he replied, breaking eye contact to resume his reading.
How studious, she thought, giving him one last glance before picking up a book herself to read. The silence they shared was comfortable, normal even. Their interactions, save for a few extraordinary circumstances, was composed mainly of silence. Occasionally Keiko would switch reading positions, her legs sometimes brushing against Tezuka's. She'd murmur an apology and he'd simply nod. Time slipped by, the two of them too engrossed in their reading material to really care. It wasn't until the teapot ceased to pour out tea did Tezuka take a look at his watch. 2:38 a.m. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of his host. "I should get going." He waited for Keiko by the door.
"Good night," she said softly, opening the door for him.
"Good night, Hotaru."
A/N: This chapter is inspired by the song, "Pretty Thoughts" by Alina Baraz and Galimatias
Lilting Glamour - Thanks for the review! I'll definitely take that pointer into consideration, but I stylistically prefer to write shorter chapters but to update frequently. I, however, want to work on writing longer chapters! ^_^
