—

— Intentions —

15# - Where One Lives

"Two hearts in love need no words."
―M. Desbordes-Valmore

―

— A. Misaki

I woke up to a delicious scent filling my senses. My heavy eyelids slowly lifted as I got accustomed to the soft light of a late summer morning. I shifted on the couch, unconcerned by the fact that I slept here instead of my bed. It happened from times to times after all.

A crisp white and large unbuttoned shirt fell from my shoulders when I sat up, still drowsy from waking up. I stretched my stiff limbs out on the couch. It felt so great that I couldn't help but close my eyes and relish in my muscles relaxing.

"Hmm, I could get used to that view," came a dark chuckle. Forest eyes making a slow and suggestive sweep of my body, he stood at the back of the sofa, leaning on it and fully enjoying the sight of me, sprawled on the couch. And it was right then that I noticed how inappropriately dressed I was.

Or should I say, how little I was dressed. My white blouse and... panties.

He seductively bit his thumb as his eyes followed the line of my bare legs, up to my exposed hips and higher up until he reached my face.

I froze.

And then I freaked out and jumped on alert, hauling his wide shirt to conceal my exposed body. And then I noticed that he was shirtless.

"U...Usui!" I spitefully threw his shirt at him as he played it off, casually shrugging with a delighted grin on his face.

He laughed and dressed up on his way to the kitchen. "Good morning, Misaki."

Without him knowing it, his voice triggered something within me. I blushed and scurried off to my room to find any proper clothing.

Even if last night, he already saw my legs... and touched...

Ugh.

Indeed, I didn't forget what had happened last night.

People who were drunk and forgot what went on the night just before weren't being honest. At least, if they didn't pass out of course. You always remembered at least a fraction of your consciousness, no matter how drunk you were.

As for me, the pictures were very, very clear.

Taking my seat on the stool, my hands came onto view and concealed my face from the world.

What I didn't mention is that on top of remembering what happened, I also remember myself being so damn bold and... shameless. Slamming my head down to the counter, I sighed.

I felt ashamed and embarrassed.

"Misaki?" I stiffened. His low voice made me recall so many things... I hoped he couldn't see my face because I could've bet I was bright red.

I cleared my throat, praying that my voice would sound as flat as possible. "Yes?"

His fingertips came to brush against my neck and a heartbeat later, his palm landed, holding me firmly. "Relax, sweetheart," he lazily said.

I slowly straightened and rose up on my elbows, my eyes meeting his mirthful ones. I admit getting a little lost within their depth, right then.

His lips swiftly collided with mine in a soft kiss before I could do anything else. I gasped as he leant back from an inch.

"Good morning kiss," he whispered, before he turned away to set down a plate of delicious breakfast in front of me.

I think I blushed even harder. But I had to admit that those kind of morning didn't feel so bad, after all.

—

After feeding Nero and calming his antics a little bit, we settled to eating the breakfast my guest fixed for me. The conversation flowed easily, him teasing me, as I bit back impishly for his comments.

"Anything planned for today?" He asked, his tone conversational and manifestly harmless.

I didn't get the hint he was holding out right then, so I answered noncommittally.

"Not really, maybe a little work and that would be it, why?"

He grinned, seemingly satisfied. He was really good looking in that out-of-the-bed appearance. His sandy hair was all tangled, messily but rather attractively that I wanted to run my fingers in it. And the easy way he wore his fresh but crumpled shirt. Too lazy to close any buttons off, it was open on the front, and it made him look so lax and homey instead of professional and perhaps fake.

I think I really liked the laid back Usui.

He replied with a knowing smile. "Let's go on a date then."

—

— U. Takumi

I wanted to spend all my time with her.

We were sweetly browsing the gallery of the grand museum, roaming around and enjoying the fine art and temporary exhibition that had taken place in here for the summer. The architecture was impressive and magnificent, the wintry gray marble bringing a refreshing offset out of this location. Obviously, this was the one spot for a classy and intellectual date.

After what happened last night, and the way she didn't dismiss me or anything, I couldn't help but have that smug grin playing on my lips all over. If I had known that her issue was trust-based, I would have solved it ages ago. I didn't cheat, I didn't lie; because I saw no point in any of these.

I was one of the lucky person who could voice his thoughts as I wanted, who could stop relationships the moment I felt like it and who didn't need to lie, because nothing restricted me to do so. I didn't have to fear retribution. As much as I hated liars, I still was reasonable. I couldn't say that lying was legitimate to me, but I knew it had a purpose for some.

Sometimes, people lied to not be hurt.

Sometimes, people lied to protect themselves.

Sometimes, people lied in order to live in the society.

In her case, she lied to test others. A mere test to know if the other could read her mixed signals, could see through her lies the way I did. Because I knew she wasn't engaged after spending a little time with her. The way she never spoke about her supposed fiancée, the way she lived alone, the way her sister didn't mind her coming home with a man.

It was only a matter of time, because as good as she was, I was always better at reading her hidden intentions.

Eventually, we stopped in front of the museum masterpiece, an immense and massive composition depicting a tale from the Ancient times. A Greek myth, perhaps not as famous as the main Gods schemes one, but that still held a significant romantic meaning for the literary society.

Hero and Leander. The typical star-crossed lovers.

Their tale, based upon a poem, followed the tragic theme of two doomed lovers. Hero was a Sestos priestess, and Leander a lad of Abydos. They were on opposite sides of the Hellespont, a waterway more akin to that of a wide river. Despite the distance, they fell in love anyway. At nightfall, Hero would hang a torch so Leander could swim across to her, using the light to guide him. One stormy night, the wind blew the light out; Leander lost his way and drowned. Upon learning of her lover's death, Hero also drowned herself in order to be with him.

Love was extremely important—and hurtful, deadly, and destructive. However, love was vital to the scheme of existence.
But that didn't hide the fact that those two lovers were basically too desperate for each others.

Too linked. Involved.

"Love is not full of pity as men say, but deaf and cruel where he means to prey," she read, no louder than a whisper, her fingertips curving over the painting's placard that depicted the tragically lovers tale.

I didn't reply, waiting for her next words, but they never came.

We kept silent, drinking every details of massive piece, every expression that twisted, contorted, in a painful mask, the broken lovers faces.

My voice broke the silence, contemplative but curious. "What would you have done, in her stead?"

How far would you go, for the name of love, Misaki?

She quietly considered her answer. Our hands brushed, and when she came to her conclusion, she gazed up at me with her beautiful eyes and a small smile.

"Do you want the romantic answer, the desperate one, or the reasonable one?"

Our little fingers brushed, and we both reached out, linking them as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"The romantic."

The smile that played on her lips only grew fonder. "Then... That would have never happened."

My eyebrows arched. "Why?"

"Because I would have swam instead."

—

After her heartfelt answer, we wandered in the gallery in companionable silence, our pinky fingers never letting go of each others. Maybe it didn't mean much on the outside, but appearances were always the most deceptive thing in the world.

However, we'd never tell the world how we felt, sharing something as seemingly simple as that connection. I would treasure it, only for the two of us.

Lazily following the river path in the early evening, our laugh mingled with those of the people around us. We eventually stopped walking to dinner in a simple outdoor restaurant, the summer sun still shyly shinning, ready to call it a day. The mood was much more laid back than at the place I took her to, the first time we had eaten out. It was less oppressive, carefree chatters and laugh filling the warm air. We took seat on a table for two, enjoying the last sunny rays. She was practically glowing, her raven hair turning soft chocolate and her eyes a mixture of hue I never thought I'd see together so closely.

We were both content, relaxed. Free from all duty and responsibilities.

Carpe Diem.

Seize the day.

I should've brought her in a place like this earlier. Fancy didn't suit the real us. It only was an excuse to try and fit in the societal group we thought we had to belong.

The night finally fell as we left the place, settling on rambling around, near the river shore. A few citizens were also enjoying the night, sitting on the green grass and spending time together with a lack of concern that fit their age generation. Where was the harm to savor your youth as far as possible?

We, adults, couldn't blame them.

But we could maybe be a bit envious.

Unthinkingly, I pulled her down to the green patio, a spot of grass unsullied and withdrawn enough from the other group calling for my attention. Setting my suit vest down, covering the spot, I chivalrously gestured her to sit. She chuckled, her little giggle bubbling in the air.

"Really, Usui?" Her expression was amused. "What about work, huh?"

I grinned. "It can wait for tomorrow, I won't bother you." She sat down, scooting on the side to leave me a spot beside her.

Taking my seat, I placed my hand behind her, propping on it as I brushed closer to her. "Unless you want me to," I said, my voice low and steady.

She smacked me on my chest. "You're so sly, you know that?"

We both knew it was a rhetorical question. "How observant, Ayuzawa-san," I laughed huskily, nuzzling my nose against hers. She smiled, a slight flush climbing up her cheek but still indulged in the gesture and linked our fingers together.

"You are also unexpectedly cute," she voiced her thoughts, her honesty making me melt.

I shifted my weight, lying down on the grass as I dropped my head on her lap. My eyes locked with hers and I looked up, "Only with you."

I held her hand to my lips and warmly kissed it. She couldn't help the corner of her mouth lifting up, though she was fighting it. Her eyes lingered on my expression, before it steered to the horizon, her free hand curling into my hair. I liked the feeling of her hands threading my strand of hair, lovingly patting it, her soft caress ever so careful but meaningful.

I lost myself in the moment, blissfully enjoying the way the whole day went through.

"Do you think I would have let you swim?" I asked her, mentioning the conversation we had earlier at the museum.

"I don't think so," she voiced after a while. "After all, you guys have too much pride," she wisefully remarked. I couldn't agree more.

"But then, what were the other options?" Genuinely interested in her way of thinking, I felt helplessly curious.

She hummed before replying. "I'd have used my brain. Hell, I'd have created energy and light just to guide you back to me."

She was so passionate she didn't notice her word slip. To guide me back to her? That was almost —if not definitely— a confession on her part.

"If that wasn't enough, I'd scream until my lungs bled perhaps, I don't know," she chuckled, the sweet tremor carrying to my body. "But I think I'd be smarter than that," she easily added.

I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling. If she looked down to me —though I doubted she would ever hazard a glance at me— she'd see the bloody ecstatic look on my face. I was so fucking happy I could die right here, on her lap.

I loved that woman. I damn much loved her deeply.

My eyes slowly opened up, and my earlier expectation slapped me right in the face. She was peering down at me, and when I caught her, her lips twisted and softly curved up. She had beautiful eyes, really. Especially when they were full of tenderness.

So beautiful I leant up, facing her as I propped on one hand. My fingers curled in the grass as my other hand loosened from hers and came to gently hold her nape.

And our lips met, lightly and slowly.

Falling back onto her lap, I smiled, my hand brushing her cheeks.

I really, genuinely, loved her.

—

Author's note:

I'm soon going on vacation for a month, I should be able to write there and have access to internet, but nothing's sure, so in case I don't update, know that I'm still there somewhere ;)

Thanks for your amazing SUPPORT as always! Love you and happy summer!