Becoming Her Lover

Chapter 14

Never Leave My Side

Note: Sorry about not updating yesterday. My family and I went on an incredible trip. I hope you all can understand. Putting that aside, I'm back and here for you to enjoy yet another update.

It was another early morning for Umi. She climbed out of bed without disturbing Kotori and got ready. Once she was finished doing all of her morning usuals, she returned to her bed and looked down at Kotori. She couldn't help but blush. She was so cute when she slept and she looked so soft. She brushed her air out of her face which suddenly caused Kotori to wake up slowly.

"Aw, I wanted to watch you sleep a little longer."

"Umi-chan, are you one of those creeps that like to watch people?" At that moment, Umi's face turned bright red as she turned around as quickly as she could.

"No! Don't ever think something like that." From behind, Kotori threw her arms over her shoulders and got as close as she could.

"I'm sorry Umi-chan. It's nice to see you too so early in the day." Umi turned her head and saw Kotori looking right at her. For some reason, something stirred up inside Umi. She leaned in closer to Kotori, ready to give her a kiss, but her door suddenly swung open and her parents appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah, you're up. We have to go to your grandparent's house." Umi and Kotori suddenly stopped their momentum and looked at her parents.

"What? This is kind of random. Why do we have to…"

"You don't remember? They always host a Japanese festival around this time of year. They'd be very disappointed in hearing that you forgot about it." At that moment, Umi bowed her head. She did forget about it even though it was such a big part of her family rituals. "Well, pack your things. We'll leave as soon as you're ready." They were about to leave when Umi interjected once more.

"What about Kotori? Can she come with us?" Kotori suddenly blushed. For Umi to invite her to something as special as her family festival was something special.

"I'm sorry, Kotori-chan, but this is a strict family gathering. I hope you can understand."

"It's okay. I completely understand. Family is the most important thing. I hope you guys have fun." They nodded once more and left Umi to pack up. Meanwhile, Umi was a little slow in packing up. She actually wanted to spend her day with Kotori, but because of this, that was no longer an option. She got up from her bed and started to pack. As she watched, Kotori noticed that there was something off about her. When it came to the right time, Kotori grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side.

"Cheer up, Umi-chan. We'll be able to hang out another day."

"I know, it's just… I wanted to be with you today."

"I know, me too. We can't do anything about it though. Just smile and have fun. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Kotori nodded her head with a smile. "Okay. Well then I guess I'm off." She finished putting her things in her bag as the two of them made their way downstairs. Umi's parents were already packing the car so they walked outside and put everything else in the car.

"Alright. It looks like we have everything. Let's get this show on the road." They piled into the car while Umi and Kotori were still next to each other. Even at this point, it was obvious that Umi didn't really want to go.

"Umi-chan, get going. I'll be fine, and plus, you're going to have a great time as well."

"But…" Kotori suddenly spun her around and tried pushing her towards the car. At that moment, Umi turned around and kissed her right on the lips. The two of them shared this moment for a little while longer before breaking away.

"I promise I won't be there long. Bye." Unfortunately, Kotori had her words stolen from her by that kiss. The only thing she could do was wave goodbye like an idiot unaware of where she was. The car started and drove away towards it destination. Now, Kotori was all by herself. She slowly made her way home in silence. When she got home, her mother was up making breakfast and noticed her walk in.

"Hi sweety, you're not hanging out with Umi-chan?"

"No, her and her family and some important things to do today so I didn't want to bother them."

"Aw, well, I'm making your favorite breakfast so that should be able to cheer you up."

"Okay." Kotori slowly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Although she wasn't showing it at all, she was totally hating this turn of events. She wanted Umi to be with her family, but she also wanted to be with Umi. There was only one person who made her happy and it was Umi. To be separated like this was almost torture. All of this time, they were almost always together and the two of them were very happy together. The only thing she could do was wonder if Umi felt the same way wherever she was.

…

During the car trip, Umi was silent. Her parents tried to cheer her up with all of the fun things that come with these festivals, but Umi just gave them small groans. She wasn't really liking this. If Kotori hadn't become such a big part of her life, maybe things would have been different. It's all because that girl decided to confess her love to Umi that Umi is now a different person. She was managing her normal life of being an all-around student with loving and caring for Kotori. It may not seem like much, but for Umi, this was a big step in her life.

Once they arrived at her grandparents' house, they were immediately put to work getting everything ready. All sorts of decorations and party platters were prepared so that this festival would be the greatest one yet.

Unfortunately, Umi was still quiet. When her grandparents reunited with her, she gave them a sweet smile and hug, but she knew that this wasn't where she wanted to be. Yes, family was the most important thing to her, but she couldn't help but blame one person in particular for making her think something else in this situation. That person distracted from her duties and priorities. This was all Kotori's fault.

…

As the day went on, Kotori remained in her room. There was nothing to do. Muse had no upcoming performances so she couldn't occupy her time with making new outfits. None of the girls messaged her or anything so she was alone. All she did was lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling. In this situation, she would be cuddled up next to Umi and enjoying her body warmth. Although she was the only person she ever did this with, Umi's body was so warm and so soothing that it made her feel safe and at peace. However, the only comfort she had now was her pillow and blanket, and those things weren't very comforting.

With nothing to do and no one to talk to, Kotori decided to rummage through her phone to find anything that could cheer her up. The first place she visited was her messages. Right at the top was her conversations with Umi. There wasn't anything special since most of the words that were spoken between each other were in person. However, Umi being her first conversation on her list made her feel happy.

After that, she searched through her pictures for anything that could catch her attention. Immediately, the first picture was the two of them. Umi was looking at the camera, but had an embarrassed look on her face as Kotori was kissing her right on the cheek. Umi's embarrassed face was probably the cutest thing in the world as Kotori stared at it for quite some time.

…

When day finally came to an end, so did Umi. She crashed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling in exhaustion. She totally forgot that these festivals were pretty intense. There was rarely a moment for her to take a breather, but now was the time for that. Everyone in her family was about to fall asleep. However, Umi couldn't fall asleep. There was something bothering her which kept her up. She reached for her phone and checked to see if she got any messages from Kotori. Unfortunately, it was as blank as could be. That's when Umi started to grow a little worried. Kotori always wanted to be in touch with her.

Is she mad at me? Did she want me to call her or something? It is pretty late so I doubt that she'd awake right now. I guess I could try it though.

Umi dialed her number and waited for any kind of response. The tone continued to beep for what seemed to be an eternity. That's when Umi started to think that she was actually made at her. Right as she was about to hang up the phone, the other line picked up.

"Kotori?"

"Umi-chan… you really did call."

"Of course. I wanted to hear your voice again." There was no response. The only thing she could hear was a soft whimper in the background. "Kotori, are you okay?"

"Mhm… I wanted to hear your voice too."

End of Chapter 14