*~ I Don't Love You, I Can't Love You ~*
*~ Chapter 21 ~*
*~ Kisses and Lies ~*

The drive back home was silent and a little more than awkward.

I'm so stupid, Uma thought and bit the inside of her cheek to try to stop herself from crying in the humiliation. Just half an hour earlier she had been sat beside Ryou in his bedroom watching a third film, a horror - 30 Days of Night.

There was a jump scare and she screamed jumping out of her skin and covered her eyes with her hands. Then she had felt his arm go around her shoulders and pull her closer. Her heart picked up pace as she scooted a little towards to him.

As the action in the film went on, Uma couldn't look and buried her face in to his shoulder, which seemed to have made him chuckle.

"It's not funny," she had mumbled and moved her face to look up at him, "It's really scary."

He turned to look at her too and now their faces were a mere three inches apart. Her breath caught in her lungs as she had watched his eyes travel her face and land on her lightly glossed lips. She leaned in and so did he...but their lips never met.

Just as soon as he leaned in, he pulled away again and rose to his feet, "We should get you home," he had commented, picking up his car keys from his bed side table.

Now shame suffocated Uma like a fog focused around her being.

They pulled up outside her house and neither of them moved. After figuring that he wasn't going to do the gentleman thing and open the door for her, she took a shaky breath and opened the door herself.

She put one foot outside and he confessed, "I want to kiss you."

"What?" she was a little taken a back. She then got back in the seat and shut the door again. She turned to give him her full attention, "But then why didn't you back there? In your room?"

"We only just met, Kagome-chan," Ryou sighed, he still didn't look at her, "I don't want to go too fast and scare you away."

She sat for a moment staring in to the distant street ahead, and let the meaning of the words sink in. Then she sighed and said, "Okay, I understand," she nodded and turned to him to continue, "But I leaned in as well. It didn't scare me until you moved away. I thought I had scared you off."

Now he looked back at her and his eyebrows were arched upwards as if he thought she were daft, "Of course not! You're beautiful, you're friendly, you're cute and funny. How could any of that scare me away?"

Her words caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say then she leaned towards him and whispered, her eyes fluttering half-shut, "Kiss me."

He did and her heart fluttered. Her first kiss with her first crush - such a magical moment. She finally felt like one of those Disney princesses when they find their prince.

When their lips separated they smiled at each other and said their good nights as Uma got out of the car and watched Ryou drive away. She waved to him until he turned the corner and then turned to her house.

She got out her house keys, opened the door and entered. It was warm and the heat battling the coldness outside turned her cheeks bright red.

"I'm home!" she called out.

"Ah, half eight!" Keira called from her bedroom. She was obviously ready for bed and had just been waiting for Uma to get home, "Good boy. I like him!" Uma rolled her eyes and shook her head as she hung her cardigan on the coat stand in the hallway.

"Night, Mum!" Uma called up.

"Night sweetheart!" and the bedroom door shut.

Uma hurried past the living room door so as not to draw attention or bother him anymore - with all the shouting - and entered the kitchen where she switched on the kettle and pulled out the jar of chocolate powder from one of the top cupboards. She then picked up her favourite Adventure Time mug and put two spoonfuls of the powder in.

As she began pouring the now warm water in to the mug, Marley appeared in the door frame, holding the sides with both hands to support himself. "You lied to me."

Uma hadn't heard him approach and almost jumped out of her skin. She set the kettle down and laughed nervously, "Marley, don't do that! I had a kettle in my hands," then his words caught up with her and she turned to him in confusion, "I lied to you?"

"You told me you'd be home after dark," he pointed out. He spoke like he was breathless and at last he lost his grip on the door frame and fell down.

"Oh, Marley!" Uma swooped in to catch him. She caught his shoulders and cushioned his head with her lap, "Marley, you shouldn't be up in this state. Are you crazy?"

He ignored her question and continued to explain his accusation, short of breath, "It got dark hours ago!"

"I never promised anything, y'know," she pointed out and then shrugged it off, "And to be honest, I didn't think it was such a big deal!"

"So your words mean nothing?" he asked, staring up in to her eyes, "You talk without feeling?"

"What? No. What do you mean?" Uma asked confused and wondered if she should be offended or not.

He sighed and just repeated himself, "You lied to me."

Uma paused thinking about what she could say and in the end feeling defeated just replied with, "Okay, I'm sorry. But I didn't mean it literally," then she shook her head changing her mind, "Wait, I only said after dark, right? I never said straight away, as soon as it turned dark, did I? Well, its dark and here I am. Later than you expected but nevertheless I'm home."

She waited while Marley digested the information, still staring up at her. He then closed his eyes and nodded, "Alright then." He then disappeared in to a ripple of air.

Uma squealed in surprise and somewhat fear, as she jumped up to her feet. She looked around the room, "Marley?"

"Here," he replied from the living room.

She gasped and ran in to the other room. She found him laying on the sofa again. But he had a pained expression on his face.

Uma asked in amazement, "Are you guys able to just do that? I watched Pai and now you! I think its amazing...and a little scary, to be honest."

"It takes a lot of energy when you're healing though," he grumbled and then groaned.

"Would you like a glass of water?" she asked like she had before.

A smile appeared on his lips then and he nodded, "Thank you, Uma-chan."

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