Chapter Four - Initiation, Finally
Well...that went better than last time, at least.
The problem with having said something more or less smooth--the fact that I had said anything at all, actually--to him was that the scene kept replaying in my head, fragments of it added with bits of my own imagination.
He watched me until I was out of sight, smiling and thinking that he'd 'end up' at the pool and accidentally on purpose find me.
"Saa...we meet again..."
I had to hold back my giggles, giddy at my own daydream, wishing and half believing that it were true. I couldn't sit still. "Kaa-san, I'm going to walk around for a while."
My feet carried me automatically, round and round the edge of the pool. While pretending to admire the soft candlelight and decoration around, my eyes jumped to the entrance every time someone came into view.
After an hour or so, I was tired of maneuvering through all the people gathered beside the water. It was apparent that unless he'd mistaken 'pool' to be as in 'billiards', he had no intention of showing up any time soon. "Tou-san, kaa-san, I'm going somewhere else now..."
What do you think your life is; some kind of romance novel? Disappointed, I dragged myself back to the main building, lamenting the loss of a whole wasted hour.
Idiot.
Again, the third floor landing. I was going to give up for the night and find a real romance to read instead.
One where things happened between the soon-to-be couple, and quickly too.
Thank heaven for chic lit.
I was nearly at the end of the carpet-covered hallway when I heard the soft, muffled footstep.
Smiling in utter disbelief, I swung around and went back down the hall.
"You've got to do better than that," I dared to be teasing, stopping in front of him where he stood with one hand on his camera, half in and half out of his bag. "I heard you coming."
"The people I know all seem to have their guards up all the time." He shook his head. "Back so soon?"
"Yeah," I replied, again having to purposefully lower my voice of below a high-pitched squeak. "There wasn't anyone I know down there...except my parents." I smiled ruefully.
"Is that so?" he asked empathetically. "I didn't do much better at the tennis courts. The only person around was my brother." The boy looked more subdued than the situation called for. "He didn't want to play."
"Oh..." I mumbled. "That's...that's too bad."
We stood there awkwardly.
"Do you want to go somewhere together? So that, you know, at least we won't be ignored any more?" I heard someone blurt out. It took a while to realize that the 'someone' had been me. I almost wanted him to say no, just so that I could run into my room and just blush for a while.
But at the same time, I was silently begging him to say yes...