Merry Christmas and hb to Jesus!

15 – confessions

The slow turning of clock hands filled the lonely minutes of lunch. Ayaka watched the seconds tick away with all the interest she couldn't be bothered to summon. The dullness of the lunch hour was a mimic of her own feelings, which Ayaka had recently seen fit to project onto anyone brave enough to approach her.

The miserable aura surrounding her these past two days was her childish way of dealing with her feelings – although, as Satsuki had felt the need to point out, moping around was hardly dealing with anything.

But of all the answers Rin could have given her confession, that was the least expected. I don't know.

It was so indecisive of him. Ayaka was certain of his ability to make good decisions, just as she was certain that there was a lot going on in his life at the moment. She had been keeping a close eye on the situation between Rin and the Iwatobi Swim Club, and as the two became increasingly close, so too did the tension climax. She hated to add to the weight on his shoulders, but he really was pissing her off.

So far, Ayaka had granted him two days of silence. Akio had warned her not to waste her time waiting, but it was impossible for her not to. She needed to know how he felt, for not only would it decide their romantic future, but could also jeopardise the friendship they had established so far.

She reached a resolution slowly but surely; if Rin hadn't contacted her in another two days, she would be the one to approach him.

Ayaka felt an answer was owed to her. She was, at the least, worthy of that much. Even just the effort it would take to text her a rejection could have satisfied her.

It was then, as her mind returned to the heart of her problem, that the phone in her pocket began to vibrate. Ayaka pulled it from her uniform's pocket, glancing around her classroom to check for onlookers and familiar faces. Satsuki was still nowhere in sight, having disappeared at the beginning of lunch to track down her ever-elusive boyfriend.

With that settled, Ayaka's eyes turned to the alert message illuminated on her phone – Rin Matsuoka.

What he had asked was simple; can we talk? Ayaka's chance to reply was stolen as another text came through, a prompt addition to the first.

Meet me at the front gate of your school. I'm here now.

She considered the words for only a moment, before scoffing lowly and muttering, "How demanding."

A third text followed; please.

With a relenting sigh, Ayaka stood. She couldn't very well refuse herself the thing she had been pining after.

Her action, contrasting her earlier inaction, caused her to garner some attention from her classmates. Ayaka ignored them as she left the classroom and hurried through the halls. As she made her way out of the building, her fingers began to comb through her hair, taming the un-brushed, blonde locks as well as she could. Her smile only grew as she considered the idea that Rin was waiting for her. She wondered how much trouble he would be in for skipping school.

Ayaka's revere was broken when she burst from the school building. Her lungs drew in a deep breath of fresh air, the summer sun immediately beating down on her skin. The harshness of reality helped to focus her mind on the task at hand, which consequently sent her gaze roaming.

A flash of unusual maroon hair caught her attention. Ayaka studied him at a distance, the casual way with which he leaned against the wall – whatever her emotional conflict, she still greatly appreciated Rin's attractive figure.

When a voice resounded close by her ear, Ayaka almost jumped from her skin in fright. "Is that Rin?"

Ayaka, unheeding of the actually question, spun around to hit the newcomer in disapproval. She stopped herself only upon recognising who it was, instead saying, "You scared the shit out of me, Haruka."

His eyes swept down to her, before returning to Rin. "What's he doing here?"

"God only knows," she sighed, and then added, "But I am intending to ask."

Ayaka then meant to walk forward, with Haruka intended to follow, but found the move unavailing. Rin had already seen them, and took it upon himself to approach them. He wore his white school uniform, hands shoved into his pockets as though it made him any less conspicuous.

The moment he looked at Ayaka and found her returning the stare, his cheeks were painted a scarlet no one would think to attribute to the heat.

"Shibata." He greeted roughly.

Ayaka turned her nose to air, acting haughty. "Matsuoka."

There was hardly time for anything else, and no time was spared for Haruka. Rin was prompt in grabbing her wrist, dragging her towards him.

To Haruka, in both greeting and farewell, he said, "Sorry Haru, but this is between me and Shibata."

"Go find Satsuki," Ayaka added loudly, inching away, "She was looking for you!"

Haruka didn't move, instead staring after them with sparkling, blue eyes. He was, understandably, perplexed by the situation. Perhaps it took one closer to Ayaka to understand – an idea that strengthened his resolve to do as that same blonde had advised. At the same time as Haruka turned to enter the school, Ayaka was stumbling out the front gate.

"I can walk on my own, Matsuoka." She pointed out.

Rin glanced down at his arm, his fingers around her wrist. "Yeah. Right." He muttered, before releasing her slowly.

"Thanks." Ayaka replied, more the point of saying something rather than it being an expression of sincere gratitude. Now that she could, Ayaka took a stand under the shade of her school's outer wall. "This is far enough."

Rin nodded resolutely, keeping his back to her. It left his expression to her imagination, not that Ayaka was too willing to think on it. She had imagined – good and bad – what he might say to her now. Apprehension was only just beginning to set in, making her fidget in her spot.

A deep breath of air was exhaled from his lungs, enough to expel his inhibitions. It was but a moment, and that moment was all Rin needed. The very next second proceeding, he had spun around and bowed with all the depth of his heart.

"Sorry."

Ayaka had never imagined that a single word could make her so happy. She wanted to reply, to tell him to stand up straight, to look her in the eye, but the words fell short in comparison to her feelings.

The silence urged Rin to continue. "I can explain, but I'm still sorry."

"So am I." Ayaka whispered, her voice meeker than intended.

Rin then stood straight, his eyes immediately finding hers. "For what? I was the one who made you cry."

"But I wasn't very nice to you either – you have other things going on in your life, and I shouldn't have expected you to think about me above everything else."

Of all the things for her to say, he expected that the least. Rin knew his expression betrayed his astonishment, but he hardly cared. "Of course you should have," he argued softly, "You are important."

"To you?" she wondered, surprised she could sound so confident at a time like this. Her lips were dry, her heart pounding, as she realised that it had been for the better reason that he came to speak with her.

"Yeah," Rin confirmed, glancing sideways shyly, "I was just…confused. You're not who I thought you would be, Shibata, and I wasn't sure if – how to…"

"I get it." She declared, eyes gleaming with what he guessed to be tears. It was strange to see her so emotional, though Rin conceded it was, at least, proof she cared.

"Do you?" he wondered.

"Yeah. I get it."

He took another steadying breath. "I like you."

"I knew it." Ayaka informed smugly, a smirk settling across her lips.

She was teasing him – forgiving him, in her own way. "Isn't that a little pretentious?" Rin retorted, his smile echoing hers.

"It's a fact. Everyone likes me," she continued to boast, "I mean, look at me. Great personality, stunning looks. Even I like me, and that's-!"

Rin covered the distance between them in two steps. His hands were immediately either side of her face, his lips above hers. "You know, you're not always going to be right." He warned, despite his words passing unheard.

Ayaka was deaf to it all, caring only about the way in which he met her kiss.

For all the times she had imagined it, reality was no comparison to that dream of hers. While it happened so quickly, passing through her memories in a rush, she felt everything with stunning intensity. His breath, his shoulders tensing as he clutched at her waist. Ayaka's heart thudded in her chest, loud enough to distract her from her own actions. It was a brief surprise to find them kissing, though the remainder of the kiss was spent in simple enjoyment of the moment.

When they broke apart, both were breathless. Ayaka's courage led her to another quick, ensuing peck on the lips.

"I'll be there the day that you're wrong," Rin vowed, pressing his forehead to hers, "And I'll probably laugh at you."

"Well, you'll be waiting forever," Ayaka replied, an irresistible grin spreading across her lips, "But I don't really care. So long as you're there."

Thought I'd update early just coz it's Christmas - good excuse, right? The next chapter (an epilogue of sorts) will be posted on Saturday as per usual, along with a kind of sequel oneshot separate to this story set in the following year (amidst all the drama that is season 2 of Free!). Once that's done, this story will be done and dusted.

Thank you guys so much for reading, reviewing and following! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)