Redeeming Endeavor: I couldn't resist. And if I apologized, I'd be lying because I'm not sorry. Most of you knew it was an April Fool's joke anyway, and for that I pat you on the back. As for the rest of you…
In what universe do you live? I thought I made it clear in the past, but apparently not. So here's a reminder: I won't leave before writing a story to completion. Period. End of story. I may be the worst person in the world with the worst sense of humor, but I'm not going to abandon a story before it's done.
I've know some of you for a LONG time, and I simply couldn't believe that I had never pranked you before. Here's the real penultimate chapter now. Enjoy.
Just letting you know that if you reviewed the april fool's joke yesterday, you won't be able to submit a signed review this chapter. I think. Probably.
Chapter 28: Refraction
Roxas looked into Naminé's eyes.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked.
She nodded, looking away. "I would have tried to stop you if I wasn't," she answered.
"You didn't say you were okay with it. All you said was 'do whatever you want,' which is pretty much means the exact opposite."
"Are you calling me a liar, Roxas?"
"Are you saying I'm wrong?"
She met his gaze again. "Think whatever you want."
Roxas ignored the urge to gouge his own eyes out. How the hell did he fall for this girl in the first place?
"I'm starting to remember why I couldn't stand you in the past," he mumbled.
"You seem pretty eager to get away from me now."
Roxas threw his arms up in defeat. "Oh, here we go…"
"Got what you wanted last night and now you're moving on…" Naminé tapped her chin with a perfectly manicured nail.
"Kill me."
Roxas sped up, stomping his way back to their parents walking in front of them. Naminé giggled, pulling him back by the hand.
"Hey, this is just payback," Naminé said, sliding her hand into his.
He laced their fingers together. "Payback for what?"
She shrugged. "I dunno, really. Anything you might do that'll annoy me in the future."
Roxas breathed in slowly. He wasn't angry. Nope. Not angry at all. Hell, he was walking through Twilight City with a beautiful girl next to him. That was a good thing, even if she was purposely annoying him. At least she knew him well enough to know what worked. That was something he could brag about, right?
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"I like watching you squirm," Naminé answered. "Or maybe I'm being a jealous girlfriend."
When they left the lake house that morning, Roxas had told Naminé that he planned on meeting Axel after sightseeing with the family. He and Axel had planned the meeting as soon as Roxas found out about his family's spring break plans, and said meeting was supposed to have happened yesterday. A change in the itinerary had derailed the meeting, but upon arriving in the city—and subsequently getting a cell phone signal back—Roxas had convinced his angry best friend to attempt a meeting again. Axel, thankfully, had agreed.
Roxas's parents had known about his plans before they even left Destiny Islands, so they didn't mind when Roxas reminded them that he was supposed to meet Axel. Unfortunately, Roxas had forgotten to tell Naminé about his plans. She had seemed fine with the idea before when he had told her in the morning when Kairi woke him up to switch back, but now that he thought about it, Naminé probably hadn't spared a thought to it.
He had noted, then, that Naminé didn't retain information very well when she was asleep.
"If it bothers you—if it seriously bothers you, I'll cancel our plans," Roxas said.
Naminé rolled her eyes. "Roxas, I already said you could go. You don't even need my permission."
"Yeah, but you're getting angry about it!"
"I'm not happy about it, but I'm not angry. Just when we… start something, you're running off meeting with other friends," Naminé said. "And I get it, Roxas, I do. You haven't seen Axel in a while. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it when I'm not."
"That's not what I'm asking."
"That's exactly what you're asking. You want me to say that I'm perfectly fine with you leaving me, but I'm not. I'm not going to lie about it either."
Roxas sighed. "So are we going to fight about it? That didn't take long."
"We will if you want to," she said curtly. "I get where you're coming from, you know. The least you could do is look at it from my perspective too. We've got a few days left before we can see each other again. Do you get that?"
"Of course I do."
"Roxas, I get you for a few more days, then we'll be separated for months." Naminé stared at him. "Hey, Roxas, is it clicking yet? Do you have to wonder why I'm not on board with you leaving right now?"
Roxas hung his head. "You could always come with me."
"You don't really want that," Naminé said. "You can't be in two places at once, and I know you said you've been planning this since before the vacation, so go."
Roxas felt like he needed to apologize, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to meet with Axel at that moment. He glanced at the group in front of him and pulled Naminé into a quick hug. "I'll make it up to you. I promise," he said.
Naminé's lips were pressed into a thin line as if she were fighting back a smile. "I'll see you when you get back."
Roxas jogged ahead to let his parents know that he was leaving before peeling away for the subway. He remembered that Axel had texted him earlier, so he took out his phone and reread the information as he jogged down the stairs.
The train was pulling in just as he reached the platform. Roxas stepped inside. The car smelled like it had just been cleaned with cheap disinfectant. Roxas took a seat near the door, wondering if it was actually clean or if the scent was masking something. He only needed to get to the next stop anyway. After a few seconds, the doors closed and the car began to move.
The last time Roxas had seen Axel was last summer, though he had kept in touch and spoke with him about once a month. This was the first time since separating that they managed to organize a meet-up. Roxas tapped his heel on the steel floor, his eyes darting from maps to advertisements to graffiti on the ceiling. It wasn't a long ride, but his eagerness seemed to slow down time.
Finally, the car stopped. Roxas was the first one out of the car and weaved his way back up to street level. He spotted Axel across the street. Crossing with a crowd, Roxas caught Axel's attention and greeted him with a high five.
"How have you been?" Roxas asked excitedly.
"Fine when it didn't involve waiting for you," Axel said. "I've been waiting here for over a day."
Roxas rolled his eyes. "I apologized for that, didn't I?"
"You're lucky I love you enough to make the drive here again." Axel nodded for Roxas to follow. "Come on. There's someone I think you should meet."
Axel walked to the end of the block and held the door open to a local coffee shop.
"New friend of yours?" Roxas asked.
"An old one, actually." Axel pointed to the corner. At a small table near the window, Roxas noticed a girl who was cooling her cup of coffee, her cheeks swollen with air. Her short black hair framed her round face, and her blue eyes moved to search the room. They landed on him and she smiled.
"Holy shit," Roxas said under his breath. He rushed over. She had just managed to stand before he tackled her with an embrace. "Xion!"
Xion laughed and returned his hug. "Surprise!" she said. She held him at arm's distance and looked him up and down. "It's good to see you."
"Seriously? So formal! When was the last time we spoke? How've you been? What're you doing here?" Roxas sputtered.
Xion sat down. "Don't you want to wait for Axel to get here?"
Roxas looked toward the counter where Axel was waiting for an order. "Oh, right." He sat across from Xion.
Axel arrived with two cups a moment later. He slid one over to Roxas and sat next to Xion. "So how's that for a surprise?"
"How long have you two been planning this?" Roxas asked.
"A while."
Roxas didn't know how to feel about the revelation. He was glad that Xion finally showed herself, but she went to Axel instead of him. He wasn't jealous—at least he didn't think he was—but Xion could have said something. She could have at least called or emailed to let him know that a reunion was in their near future.
Roxas brushed these thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to question Xion's motivations. His best friends were right in front of him. That was what mattered.
Naminé didn't fully appreciate the vastness of Twilight City until she walked through the seemingly endless blocks of buildings and vendors and posters. Not only was it a worldwide tourist destination, but it was also the epicenter of the entertainment business, home of the biggest television networks and famous late-night talk show studios.
Naminé navigated the concrete jungle with her family and friends, but there was an air of loneliness that hovered over her. Roxas's absence, it seemed, was enough to sour her mood. She refused to accept that she couldn't have fun without him though. She didn't need him there. When she noticed that she had started lagging behind, she slapped her cheeks and jogged to catch up. She had Kairi and Sora and Riku here. And though Sora and Kairi flawlessly kept Riku included in their self-guided tour, Naminé thought he'd be the best choice as travel buddy.
After taking a group picture, Naminé caught Riku's attention and stole him away from Sora and Kairi. "I feel like I've been left behind," she said to Riku as she looped her arm with his. They probably looked like a couple, but she didn't care.
"You've literally been left behind," Riku repeated. "You mad?"
"I understand why he'd go," Naminé said, "but I am a little miffed."
"Would you let a boy hold you back from meeting your bestest friend in the world though?"
Naminé laughed. "I think you're overestimating the amount of friends I have. Kairi's probably my closest friend, as sad as that sounds."
"Or Roxas. But would you, say, let Roxas hold you back from meeting up with Kairi if you haven't seen him in a while?" Riku asked.
Naminé smirked. It was a funny thought, one that made little sense if she thought more about the set-up than the message Riku was trying to convey. "If I went a few months without seeing Kairi, I wouldn't let Roxas hold me back."
Riku shrugged. "I'm sure he'll make it up to you. If you want to get him back though, just tell him that today turned into a date with me."
With Riku at her side, Naminé saw a day's worth of what Twilight City had to offer, from Enix Square, the heart and center of the sleepless city, to Atlantica Avenue. Atlantica Avenue was Naminé's favorite part: big screens and flashing marquees showed praises for an award-winning musical about Shakespeare's Hamlet, but with lions of the Serengeti, because lions and Shakespeare, as everyone found out, made for a great family experience.
On occasion, Naminé would turn to her side, ready to refer to an old conversation she had or an inside joke with Roxas, only to find Riku there instead. Naminé would bite her lip in disappointment, but then she'd put on a smile and involve herself with whatever Riku and Kairi and Sora were talking about. She'd bank her thoughts in the back of her, ready to share them with Roxas when he'd get back. It'd be just like the school year: she'd load up events and memories of the day and spill them all in her evening conversations with him.
Naminé eventually began to worry about Roxas, especially since he never called or messaged her that he was with Axel. He seemed to know where he was going—how exactly, Naminé didn't know, since the city seemed to be built like a modern-day labyrinth—but he could have at least contacted her to announce that he wasn't mugged, kidnapped, killed, or all of the above. She sent him a message, hoping to learn that he was safe and secretly hoping to talk to him.
Half an hour passed. He never replied.
After spending some time in the coffee shop, Roxas followed Xion and Axel around the city. Exploring gave them something else to do while Roxas updated Xion with the daily happenings in his life. Naturally, Naminé was pretty much all he talked about. Since Xion didn't seem to react negatively over hearing about his video chats, he told them the entire truth: that he and Naminé became official in the past week.
He gauged their reactions as best he could, stacking detail upon detail as if he were building a house of cards. He'd pause and watch with every revelation. He slept in the same bed as her. He kissed her. He spent the entire previous day with her. He separated from her today to see them.
"Wait, are you crazy? Why did you ditch her?" Axel asked. They stopped at a park bench, the only one left along the pathway.
"I came to see you because you said you wanted to meet," Roxas said defensively.
"No, I simply agreed to meet." Axel shook his head and turned to Xion, who was sitting on Roxas's other side. "Can you believe this guy? He ditches his girl and blames it on me."
Xion snorted. "You've been enabling him for years. Who drives two hours from their town a second time even after being stood up the day before?"
"I just want to make it clear," Roxas interjected, "that I met up with you today because I couldn't yesterday. How's it my fault that my parents changed their plans?"
Axel crossed his arms. "Well, based on your description of yesterday, it was pretty easy for you to forget about me."
"I feel like I'm watching an ex-lovers quarrel or something." Xion giggled. The conversation died down until they realized they were sitting downwind from a few smokers. Forced to relocate, they started walking around the park until they could figure out where to go.
"You get laid last night?" Axel asked.
Roxas backed away from Axel as if he had spontaneously combusted. "What kind of question is that?"
"You haven't stopped smiling since you got here."
"Yeah, that has nothing to do with the fact that I'm hanging out with my best friends for the first time in forever."
"Roxas, we're fun and all, but we're not that fun," Xion said. "You can tell us."
"I really didn't."
Axel rolled his eyes. "Well something obviously happened. You said you slept in the same bed as her, and then you got all creepy for a second, then you kept on talking."
Roxas wanted Axel to elaborate on what he meant about getting "all creepy," but decided he didn't want to know.
Xion elbowed his side. "Come on. We all know you want to brag about it."
Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he could talk about Naminé for hours, but even if his friends wanted to hear more about her, he thought it'd be better to restrain himself. But he did want to talk about her. Recently, she was all he could think about. He breathed in slowly. Screw it. "Naminé and I made out for hours last night."
Axel laughed. "There it is."
Xion shook him by the shoulders. "Look at you! All smug and shit," she teased.
"Am not!" He knew he was blushing, but he knew there were worse things than his friends teasing him about making out with his girlfriend and creating their own stories about how bad and terribly incompetent he'd be as a partner.
He shifted the subject when he got the chance, explaining how his nightly routine was determined for him by Kairi so she could spend the night with Sora. His deflection, however, fell on deaf ears.
"You touched her butt," Axel declared.
Roxas pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Did you hear anything I just said?"
The time passed quickly for Roxas, and before he knew it, he was spending the last hour he had with Axel and Xion waiting at Traverse Station, which was bustling with commuters and tourists alike. The station served as the main stop for most of the trains in the city.
They found a small round table just outside the entrance of a café. It was Xion's turn to update everyone on her life. Roxas had been waiting for her to talk all day: he still didn't know where Xion was living, what she was doing with her time, or why she chose to meet up with him and Axel when she did.
He learned that Xion had been with Axel for over a week, which meant that Axel had kept her arrival a secret. Roxas had told Axel about meeting up when Xion was at his place, apparently for spring break. Roxas sighed. Surprises were nice, but he didn't understand why Axel and Xion hadn't just told him that they were both going to meet him. Roxas also pushed down the jealousy bubbling from the back of his mind. Axel was her friend too, so Roxas he had no reason to be offended that Xion chose to call and stay with Axel first. Still, a week was a long time.
"When's spring break over for you anyway?" Roxas asked.
"Three days ago," Xion said cheekily. "Yes, I skipped school and rescheduled my life to see you. Pretty awesome, I know."
Roxas rolled his eyes. "What a martyr."
Xion was pretty open with her life, but Roxas noticed that she carefully skirted around details regarding her permanent location. Based on the conversation, Roxas figured Axel didn't know either. Roxas wanted to ask his older friend about it, but chose not to. If Xion called and asked to stay for a week for spring break, Roxas knew he'd probably agree to it with no questions asked.
Xion, as it turned on, had just continued living life normally. She told them that adjusting to a new school was easier than she had imagined, which Roxas was grateful to hear. She also told them that she had started talking to a doctor. When the time would come, they'd find a way to manage the symptoms. Until then, Xion said, her bitchiness was the result of her actually being a bitch, rather than the change of personality and increased irritability that would likely come.
The conversation died down, and the three of them spent a few minutes people-watching and making up stories for the more interesting people that walked by. Roxas looked at the large clock face that hung above the staircase that led down to the platforms.
"I'm going to have to head out in a bit," Roxas mumbled.
"Ah, it's already that time. You said you're meeting your family at that fancy restaurant—Mushu's, right?" Axel asked.
"You both are welcome to join us. I don't think anyone would mind."
Xion shook her head. "We have to head back to his place soon too. He has to work, and I've got some packing to do."
Axel stood up. "I'll get your ticket," he said. "Wait here."
When they were left alone, Roxas noticed Xion staring at him with a hint of a smile. He shuffled under her gaze. "What?" he asked finally.
"Can I ask you something about Naminé?" Xion asked, and he nodded. "Did you tell her I was here?"
Roxas shook his head. He then remembered that he had completely forgotten to tell her and his family that he even found Axel. He took out his phone and cursed. There were a few missed calls from his parents, but he felt worse for not responding to Naminé's message asking if he was okay.
He sent her a text. "Should I tell her now?" he asked Xion. "She sent me a message earlier asking if I found Axel, so do I just include that I met up with you too?"
Xion laughed. "Why are you asking me?"
"I'll tell her when I see her," Roxas said. "You're okay with hearing about her, right? I mean… sorry, just—"
"We can't be best friends if you're afraid to ask questions, Roxas."
"Fair enough," Roxas said.
"You're different now," Xion said. "I mean, I saw how you changed last summer, but now you're… easier, I guess. You're happy with her, right?"
"With Naminé? Yeah." Roxas smiled. "It's kind of silly. I'm ridiculously happy just being around her. It's the same when I'm with Axel and you."
"Except Naminé's the only one you want to have sex with," Xion teased. "You're in love with her."
She said it so easily that it caught him off-guard. But she wasn't wrong, he realized. She just knew the truth. "Yeah, I think I am."
"Don't you think you should tell her?"
"I think I'll wait." Roxas looked at Xion. He tried to find signs that might tell him if she was actually being honest with her feelings, but he couldn't glean anything. He was, as he discovered, quite terrible at reading her when she wanted to hide something. He continued, "I still don't understand how I fell for her."
"Dat ass, obviously," Xion joked. "Which, let's be real, isn't even that great. It's pretty average. She's too skinny."
"It is quite literally a handful," Roxas admitted. Xion smirked and he added, "Don't you dare tell Axel he was right."
"Axel? Maybe I'll tell Naminé how you've been talking about her today."
"Don't even. If I said anything that could be spun as sappy, I wouldn't hear the end of it from either of you."
Xion laughed loudly. A genuine, unmistakably Xion laugh. "Ah, dang. I missed you, Rox."
Roxas's smile flattened into a line. He thought back to what Xion said about being best friends, so he asked the question that had been waiting to be asked. "Why didn't we talk for almost a year then?" He didn't mean for it to sound so accusatory.
Xion crossed her legs and leaned her weight on the table. Her eyes focused a spot on the floor. "I needed space, and it clearly helped. You know why."
"We couldn't have talked at all?"
Xion shook her head. "Meeting you over spring break wasn't even part of my plan. But when Axel told me that you were going to meet him this week, how could I not, right?"
Roxas remained silent. He couldn't understand how Xion had felt, and he didn't know what it had been like for her to harbor and hide her feelings for so long. Hearing her say that she hadn't planned on meeting him, however, felt like rejection. It must have been worse for her. If Xion hadn't planned on seeing him, were they ever going to meet again at all? He didn't want to know. He was afraid to hear her answer.
"It doesn't bother me much, hearing you talk about her. I don't know why, but I think I'm relieved to see how much you've changed, and it's funny hearing you gush about someone who has you wrapped around her finger."
It was an obvious attempt at changing the direction of the conversation. Roxas ran with it. "I don't think I'd call myself whipped if I enjoy doing things for her."
Xion snorted. "Said every whipped guy ever." She sat back, stretching her arms above her head before smoothing out her hair.
"Hey," Roxas said, "what happens now?"
Xion quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Are we just going to part ways, never to hear from each other again?"
Xion nodded. She asked for his phone, dialed a number, and picked up her phone. She handed Roxas's back. "Is this good enough for you?" she asked, her phone raised to her ear.
"Do you have to be so dramatic about it?"
"Now you know for sure that this is my number. I could have given you any number. I'm just proving that it's real.
Roxas shrugged. She made a good point. And even if he didn't know exactly where she was going, he'd at least be able to talk to her whenever he felt like it.
Axel returned with Roxas's ticket and handed it to him. "Well, we've got maybe ten minutes left. You ready to go?"
"Try not to seem so eager to make me leave," Roxas said with a smile.
"I've fulfilled my 'hang out with under-aged friends' quota for the day." Axel shrugged. "Let's do this again sometime."
With the last few minutes they had, Roxas followed his friends around the station, taking selfies and squeezing into portrait-oriented frames. He picked one of the photos and set it on his phone, replacing an older picture of them when they all lived on Destiny Islands. Xion and Axel followed him down to the turnstiles. Roxas bumped Axel's fist and pulled Xion into a tight hug.
"'Til next time," Axel said.
Roxas inserted his pass and walked through the turnstile. "Maybe this upcoming summer?"
"Maybe," Xion said. "I'll be in touch."
Roxas grinned. "I'll see you later then."
He waved to them one last time before he turned the corner.
Naminé walked faster than anyone in her group after receiving a text from Roxas saying that he had been waiting for them for a while. She sighed when she saw him standing outside the restaurant doors, his phone in one hand and a pager in the other. He looked up as she approached and smiled.
"Hi there," he greeted. He turned to his parents and handed them the pager.
Naminé waited off to the side while Roxas talked to his parents. Sora, Kairi, and Riku huddled around one of their phones, presumably playing a game. Naminé laughed as Kairi and Riku groaned and blamed Sora for screwing something up. She was about to go over and check, but something brushed her hand. She turned to find Roxas standing beside her, his fingers tugging at hers. He nodded toward a lamppost farther down the sidewalk. She nodded, taking his hand and following him there.
"Was your meeting everything you imagined it to be?" Naminé asked. "I bet you guys had a slo-mo run and reunion hug and everything."
"Well I'm glad I don't have to explain any of that. Apparently you saw the whole thing," Roxas joked. "Sorry for not talking to you earlier. I—"
"Take me out on a date and we'll call it even," Naminé said. She had been thinking of ways to spend time with Roxas throughout the entire day, and a date seemed like the best way to do that.
"Seriously?"
Naminé nodded. "I wish I could've kept you all to myself today—and you don't know how many times you should've been here—so a date is how you'll make up for leaving."
Roxas smiled. "I kind of like you as my girlfriend."
Hearing him actually call her his girlfriend made her blush. She'd get used to it one day, she thought, but until then she couldn't help but swell with happiness. "What? Only kind of?"
"Yeah. Normally you're exhausting, but I think I can handle a date."
"How do you know? You've never been on one. Not officially anyway," Naminé said. "Unless you've got something to tell me."
Roxas exhaled slowly. "I've been meaning to tell you that there was someone before you. My ex—we dated for more than three years, five months, and eight days."
Naminé rolled her eyes. "I hope you're over her."
Roxas shrugged. "Eh, I've been over her. She was a bitch anyway."
She gaped. "Wow. You went there."
"Too far?"
"Yeah, so now you owe me two dates."
"Is that supposed to a punishment?"
"Please stop. I'm starving right now, but if I watch you two any longer I think I might actually throw up," Kairi interrupted.
Roxas crossed his arms. "The whole reason we came over here was so that you didn't have to see or hear us."
"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't have a choice. We're being seated right now, so I was told to get you." Kairi walked off without checking to see if they followed.
"She's raging pretty hard right now," Roxas said after a moment of passing silence.
"She's tired and hungry. Just ignore her."
Naminé tightened her grip on Roxas's hand as they walked back to the restaurant. It had been so easy to get lost in conversation with him that she was almost glad that he wasn't around when she toured the city: he would have been quite the distraction, and she probably would have missed some sights.
She watched Roxas from the corner of her eye. Seeing his face somehow made her smile. Even if she missed him earlier, he was here now. Any desire to argue or fight over the fact that he left disappeared the moment he pulled her aside and gave her his attention. It scared her that a simple act could erase all her insecurities, but at the same time she liked it.
He seemed happier than he had been in the morning too, and seeing him like that was infectious. She mentally congratulated herself for letting him go. She hadn't expected to have the day she did, but it turned out fine in the end.
If he was happy, then she was too.
"Hey, there's something I need to talk to you about after dinner," Roxas said. "It's not a big deal or anything, but I think you ought to know how my day went."
"Naminé nodded. "I guess I'll tell you about my day while we eat." It was a routine Naminé was familiar with—one that defined the video chats that kept them close when they were far apart.
Roxas grinned. "Just like old times."
Back at the lake house, Roxas and Naminé sat in the backyard while they waited for their respective turns to shower. Roxas told Naminé everything about his meet-up with Axel, including the surprising reappearance of Xion. If Naminé was anything but happy for him, she didn't show it. He knew there was some tension between the two girls, but Naminé had either put it in the past or hid her true feelings. Either way, he wasn't going to press the issue. Naminé was being rather passive with him, which was the opposite of what he had expected given their conversation before he left.
Naminé did, however, enjoy reminding Roxas that he "should have been there" for certain moments in her day. If guilt-tripping was her torture method of choice, he was going to sit there and take it. At least she wasn't mad at him and giving him the silent treatment.
They parted to take their showers and pretend to get ready to sleep in their respective rooms. When Roxas got out of the bathroom, he waited in his room, his eyes trained on the open window. He didn't know how long it would be before Kairi would climb through, but he began to grow impatient. He considered climbing out and heading over himself, but it almost seemed too obvious to him that he'd most likely see something he wasn't allowed to. Something like Naminé changing.
Roxas bit his lip. He wasn't completely opposed to finding himself in such a situation, but Naminé probably wouldn't forgive him if she found out.
He turned to Sora, who was playing a game on his cell phone. Sora lay on his back, his cell phone held above his face, and he rolled over and cursed when he messed something up. Roxas was tempted to ask Sora about the game, but there was a more concerning issue. Sora, who normally slept fully dressed, was wearing nothing but his boxers.
Roxas thought back to the first night they had at the lake house. Back then, Sora was fully dressed for bed. Last night, he went to bed without a shirt. Tonight, he apparently ditched both the shirt and a pair of shorts.
Roxas knew what Sora and Kairi were doing when no one was watching, so he probably shouldn't have been so surprised, but at the current rate, Sora was going to be heading to bed in his birthday suit by tomorrow night. Someone had to draw the line.
Kairi apparently chose that very moment to show up. Without warning, she lifted herself up through the window and softly landed on her feet. Sora tucked his phone under his pillow and greeted his girlfriend.
"Up and out, Romeo," Kairi ordered with a smile, waving her arms in a sweeping motion toward the window.
"Night, Roxas. See you in the morning," Sora said cheerfully. He laughed as Kairi pounced on him.
"Oh, but it's disgusting if Naminé and I so much as talk to each other," Roxas muttered as he climbed out of the room. He walked across the roof and pulled himself through the window, spilling onto the window nook without a touch of grace.
Naminé giggled from her side of the bed. "You okay?"
Roxas fought back a smile and tried to play off his embarrassment. "I did that on purpose."
He climbed into bed, moving until he was in the center of the bed. Naminé lay with her back to him, her body rising and falling with each breath. She seemed so far away.
King beds were humongous.
"Nami," Roxas whispered, "you should come closer."
Naminé turned around. In the dark, Roxas could still see the image of her bare shoulders and exposed collarbone. Her shirt rode up, showing him more skin and the waistband of her shorts. He gulped before wrapping his arm around her waist, and he pulled her closer until she was pressed against his body.
She was so warm, but he shivered when her breath tickled his neck. She wrapped an arm around his neck and moved her other arm into his shirt, her hand tracing lazy circles on his back.
"Stay here," Naminé mumbled into his shirt.
"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Roxas rested is chin on her head. Her hair was still damp from her shower. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and sighed. He tightened his arms around her and inhaled. He loved the feel of her smooth legs tangled with his and her soft body pressed tightly to his. He closed his eyes, content to keep her right where she belonged.
He relaxed his shoulders and sighed, thinking that he would be content if this moment lasted forever. Drowsiness evened out his breathing, and for the first time that day he realized how tired he was. Resting his cheek on her head, he listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing.
Then he fell asleep.
Redeeming Endeavor: I decided to chop this chapter in half so we'll get one more. Now it seems more filler-ish than anything, but I wanted to get some closure.
Next chapter's last. That way, if you ignore the joke upload, that'll be 30 even chapters and epilogue. Even numbers are delicious.
So Kyorii really did write that note yesterday. I can't say I've ever met up with her in real life, but we did have a recent google hangout with Jomatto just last week. That's where the magic happened. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me. I forced Kyorii to write it because I have a sick sense of humor.
It wasn't entirely false though. I'm going to just come out and say it, and since it's not a day for pranks, you can take this one seriously: I won't be writing another story after LPA.
I'd like to thankEternal Abyss 59, Lupus7, Naivette, Demigod103, Burai Stelar, Gear001, Kuroiikawa, Lilaclia, Twenty-Twenty-One, Crush-Chan17, Kingofclubs8129, DuelRoxas16, Nnix Ame, PinkParadise23, applebear, Ventusblade, Xerzo LotCN, GengaJupite, chibixbabe, Kigen Dawn, It's My Lucky Charm, KurukiXV, Pink Star Art, Harmonious Wolf, evilestguyever, Listless-Nobody,Revenge of the Red Pen, Cascade of Raindrops, Vitality Astral, monkmonkeys, stupid-tai, Muledragon, a Guest, Pili1995, King of the Rams, Justice Tokidoki, xXbluerainsXx, ryan1jr, KingdomHeartsKeyBladeMaster, Bretardedness101, FromSoraXWithLove, Maxeyn, CherryTree, and NaturistElisaXII. I loved hearing your thoughts from last chapter. And thanks to anyone who added this story to your favorites and alerts! Also, thanks to those of you who left a review in reaction to my prank. I got a good laugh out of it because, let's face it, I'm an ass. And really, the only thing that was damaged was my reputation. I can live with that.
Chapter Data: Total Editing Time- 1045 minutes. Word Count: 5833.
Take care, everyone. I'll see you next chapter.