Slow Burn

Chapter Four:

"Brought to You by a Bomb"

As they approached her house Kokoro squeezed Matt's hand to stop him, she turned to him. He looked down questioningly. He started to say something, but she didn't want to hear it and showed what she would rather have by gently kissing him on the lips. He blinked down at the young woman for a moment, her sweet smile shining up at him. "Not a word about that to my mother, okay??" He nodded.

"Then why did you do it? You sound like it as though you shot someone." She giggled quietly and pecked him once more.

"It's not that, just you're really the first boy I've kissed for real." He gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and sighed. "I've never kissed a boy on the lips before, I mean they've kissed me on the lips but I never kissed back. If that makes any sense." He smiled and nodded. Happy, she hugged him, her heart racing still from the explosion. "So you're technically the first boy I have ever kissed." she said with a smile. "Let's go, my mother is worried sick. I don't want to keep her waiting too much longer." she said as they started back toward her home. They entered the front door. "Mother?" Kokoro called out as she took off her shoes, Matt following suit.

Suddenly, a figure threw itself at the young woman and called her name, "Kokoro! Dear, are you alright?" Miyako was hugging her daughter, and kissing her on the cheek and forehead. She also completely failed to notice the tall American in the corner, who had an awkward look on his face, like he wanted to leave but couldn't so he looked at the walls and ceiling and floor anything but the scene of motherly love before him. Kokoro blushed red, Miyako raised an eye brow.

Kokoro, noticing this, said to her mother, "I'm fine, mother, thanks to Matt here." Miyako suddenly noticed him, and all at once realized why her daughter was blushing. The more she realized about it the more she herself blushed. All of this made Matt's expression become even more awkward, Kokoro looked at her mother who was studying her daughter's face. Kokoro whispered, "…what?" she asked with a concerned look.

"Come with me, please. It will just be a second." Kokoro nodded.

"I'll be right back, okay Matt?" He smiled in response. Kokoro's mother rounded the corner and starred at her daughter. "What?"

"Your make up its messed up. Did you two…?" She trailed off. Kokoro wide-eyed just starred at her mother. "Well? Did you?"

"No!" she asserted quietly, "No we did not! I just kissed him, plus we did go out to eat. Why would you worry about that?"

"We'll you're nineteen, and I saw how you looked at him."

"That doesn't mean we had sex!" she exclaimed quietly.

"I know. I didn't want it to sound like this, but I didn't want you taken advantage over, and you're makeup hasn't ever been messed up…"

Kokoro looked in a mirror in the hallway. "A smudge? That tiny smudge!? It's only like half of a millimeter! How closely were you looking?" He mother raised an eye brow. Kokoro sighed and hugged her mother. "I kissed him, which is a first. I'm still a virgin so don't worry about that either mom." she whispered into her mother's ear. She released her mother.

"You mean tonight was the first kiss you have ever had?"

"It was the first time I made the move, the first time I kissed the boy rather than the boy kissing me."

"How many times?"

"Why does that matter?"

"I just want to know." her mother smiled sweetly. Kokoro let out a sigh.

"Only twice, both times I kissed him on the lips. I had kissed him once or twice on the cheek before today." Her mother raised an eye brow at that. "What? It was on the cheek, and they were yesterday."

"You like him don't you?"

"I think so…so far. I enjoyed getting to know him tonight." she said as she started to go fetch her guest from his solitude. He mother did not follow, though Kokoro heard a sigh from her as she was walking into the hallway.

When he saw her he smiled, "Is everything okay?" She nodded in response.

"Let me show you to your room." she said leading him into the hallway. They arrived at the guest room seconds later, he walked in after her. She noticed he had the backpack still. "What's all in that bag, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Extra clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, passport, necessary things."

"I'm glad you got them before we left then." she said as she approached him, hugging him when she was close enough. "Thank you for getting us out of the way."

"It was nothing. Honest." She just squeezed him a little.

She laid he head against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. "Your heartbeat is so slow, but it's so loud. Are you excited or nervous?" He shrugged. "Are you scared to wrap your arms around me in my home?" He wasn't answering so she squeezed.

"It may have a bit to do with that."

"It's a hug. Hug me." she said with a squeeze, quickly followed by his arms around her. She closed her eyes for a moment, only opening the eye capable of seeing out into the hallway. A few moments after this her mother passed by the door, eye brow raised. Kokoro smiled back. She finally releases him after a ten minute embrace. Smiling, she kissed him once more, and backing out of the room with a smile, "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, sleep well, Kokoro." The sentiment made her knees weak, but she turned, waved and went to her room on the other side of the house.

She got ready to change into long pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She looked at the short dress for a long moment. "He said I looked nice…" she whispered to herself.

"Dear, you're going to get sick." Kokoro slid a shirt on, and smiled at her mother. "Did it go well?"

"Yes it did." she said with a satisfied tone. Her mother walked in. "Did you give him a goodnight kiss?"

Lost in thought, she snapped back to the real world. "What?" she asked gently.

"Did you kiss him goodnight? You were in there for how long?"

"I was hugging him, but yes I did kiss him goodnight."

"Is he gentle?" Kokoro shrugged. "No?"

"I don't really know. He's the nervous kind with me." she said with a laugh. "He hasn't really kissed me yet, and I had to comfort him into hugging me in the guest room. I held him first and he was too nervous to do anything because we we're in my house." Kokoro said, removing her socks.

"That's fairly strange." Kokoro shrugged again.

"I think it's sweet to be honest. I mean, it's better than him being overconfident and doing the opposite. So I'm pretty certain he's a respectful boy. It doesn't bother me."

"But… won't that get annoying after a while."

"I'm already trying to cure it." she smiled. "Give it a while, mother. He'll be hugging me in a couple of weeks." Her mother smiled.

"So he isn't lecherous?" Kokoro shook her head.

"I doubt it. He doesn't have the personality."

"Is he a good kisser?" Kokoro paused suddenly.

She looked at her mother, who had a sly smirk on her face. She paused then exclaimed, "Oh my goodness yes!" Her mother was taken aback by her daughter's outburst. "He really is, well the one time he actually put any effort into it."

"Wait, what?" her mother asked.

"Well the first time was just after the explosion. He had just moved me out of danger and I was hugging him, but I couldn't let go of him. His attention was on the building so he didn't hear me when I thanked him or when I tried to get his attention. So I kissed him to get his attention."

"Did it work?" Kokoro just looked at her mother. "Yes?"

"Yes would be an understatement. He forgot about the explosion." she said half jokingly.

"Then the other time?"

"It was on the way back. I stopped him to thank him. So I kissed him. " Her mother just looked at her, in a kind of wonder.

"Wow, and the kiss goodnight?"

"He kissed back. I had to make myself pull away."

"Why?"

"I couldn't breathe."

"That good?"

"That good." Kokoro said with an obvious sense of satisfaction. He mother hugged her.

"I'm happy you like him and he treated you so well." and she walked out. Kokoro brushed her teeth, said a little prayer, and laid down in her bed and had an easy time getting to sleep that night.