She groaned, opening her eyes slowly. 'How long did I sleep?' Sakuno reached for her phone on the bedside table, and checked the time. 9:00 AM. She overslept and it just doesn't happen usually. Blinking, she noticed the e-mail notification on her lockscreen.

2 unread emails.

She opened the first mail from her best friend in Japan.

fr: presidenttomochan@*. com

subject: Big news!!!

Ne, Sakuno!!!! Big news!!! Big news!!!

Guess whose getting married next week!!!

IT'S MOMO-CHAN SENPAI AND AN!!!

I better see you, next week Sakuno!!! I don't want to be a bridesmaid alone, okay????? ( 3)

P.S. I hope you're doing really well. I miss you so much! T︵T

Take good care of Ryoma-sama, okay? ;)

Love,

Tomoka

"Wow!" She gleefully took the news. It is an understatement that she and An have been quite close during their senior years, especially when she started dating Momoshiro Takeshi, the Seigaku regular. They were so compatible with each other that she can't help but think that their relationship would really continue to marriage.

The next e-mail is from An Tachibana herself. Without further ado, she read it.

from:

subject: Life Update!!!

Oh my god. Sakuno.

I know this is too fast, but I'm getting married next week.

It was such a spontaneous and random decision, but this is alright, right? My inner self who is all about planning and contemplating things has been suddenly thrown out of the window!

But I love Takeshi and I know basically everything about him. I'm really sure about this, Sakuno. This is crazy. I can't explain how nervous and excited I am. I wish you are here just so I can visually show you that.

Anyway, you will be one of the bridesmaids okay? I already have plans for the dresses, so you don't have to worry. You just need to come.

I hope you could really come, please?

And by the way, since apparently, the world is really small and you're living with THE great Ryoma Echizen *wink* *wink, can you invite him to come too? Takeshi would really love him to come.

I attached the invitation with the details. We'll be waiting, okay?

P.S. Ha, I have a lot of things to catch up with you!!! Hahaha. I miss you~

Love,

An

With a smile, she opened the file sent by Tachibana. It's a digital copy of their wedding invitation. Blue and cream colored background against the gold cursive names of Takeshi and An are at the top of the image. On the upper half, there are the couple's pictures. Each shots looked really candid and pretty. At the lower half are the date and location, and the words of invitation.

She can't hide the big, wide smile plastered on her face. She's too happy for her friend. It's hard to think that a few months ago, the three of them: An, Tomoka, and her are carefree high school seniors.

Time can really be fast. The start of her second semester is already approaching. New set of professors and units are coming. Though she did quite well on her first sem, she can't just let her guard down.

The girl looked over the calendar in her bed. An and Momo's wedding would happen this weekend. They still have two weeks before the classes start again so it might be a good time to go home. "But how could I possibly get plane tickets this time?" She thought very hard.

Hearing footsteps passing by her room and descending the stairs, Ryuzaki Sakuno realized the time.

"Ah! Breakfast!" She rushed outside her door, feeling panic and sorry that the boy she's living with had to endure a late breakfast because she slept in.

She almost slipped in the stairs because of her speed. When she reached the kitchen, she didn't see her housemate, but the back door of the kitchen is semi-open. The sounds of tennis balls smashing the walls outside indicated that the tennis prince is already up.

Sakuno walked to the door, initially planning to apologize her tardiness. But as her eyes caught him before even completely going outside and be seen, she remembered.

The feel of his lips against hers. The loud, racing beat of her heart threatening to leap out from her chest. The hotness in her face, and the redness she can almost feel. The butterflies in her stomach struggling to get free.

It was just a kiss, but her mind was blown.

Alarms blaring in her head, she awkwardly stepped back. She's not quite sure how to face him.

Last night, after the accidental kiss, Ada Thompson seemingly became sober in shock and apologized right away before escaping the scene. The school official left her with the youngest Echizen alone.

Ryuzaki Sakuno can't even look him in the face after it happened. She's so embarrassed. She turned her back at him, so he can't see her flushing face.

"Ryuzaki..." she heard him say her name, almost sounding really apologetic. But before he could finish his sentence, the girl faced him. Blushing face and all, she said, "Y-You... d-don't have t-to say s-sorry at all." stuttering like her middle school self, she continued, "I-It's not your f-fault, R-Ryoma-kun."

He only looked surprised, and a small blush tinted his cheeks. She's quite sure he felt embarrassed too. He didn't reply right away, and so, the Ryuzaki focused on the ground again.

"Hn." He sounded more composed when he did reply, "Let's go home now. We've seen and done enough."

When she looked at him, he's already started to walk towards the gate. All she can see is his wide back, as she followed him out of that mansion.

They didn't talk about it when they came home and walked to their own rooms. Both too exhausted, and would like to resign on their own beds and sleep.

So when morning came, Sakuno doesn't know how to act like last night didn't happen. Sure, it was accidental, but somehow, because she had an obvious crush on the tennis prince, her reaction can be this big.

Maybe she will never forget that accidental kiss for the rest of her life as long as she remembers her feelings for him. Maybe someday, while she recalls, she can be more indifferent like it didn't happen at all. But someday is not now, and her feelings are as clear as day.

Giving up on interrupting his practice just to apologize, she retreated in the kitchen and fixed a late breakfast.

The smell of frying bacon wafted on the boy's nostrils. His stomach grumbled, as he breathed heavily. He only had a cup of milk before going out to playing against the wall.

He caught the bouncing ball in his racket, tossing it up in the air to catch with his hand. He slid the ball in his pocket and walked over the bench where he left his towel. Draping his head with the white cloth, he sat for a little bit in the bench. His chest is heaving, and sweat dotted his forehead. He's hungry, and the boy silently wished that the girl prepared something for him too.

Ryuzaki sure woke up late. It doesn't happen usually, at least not that he know of for the past few months he's been living with her. He knew her to be really diligent when it comes to cooking meals. That knowledge, he remembered from his middle-school days in Seigaku. The girl would always prepare and cook something for the team every training camp. She would occasionally bake stuff and gave portions to everyone in the afternoon practice.

Well, she did made him bento a few times. It's a shock that he even remembered the first bento she made for him. It was on their first year, and one of their same year friends-- was it Kachiro? Whose father was a trainer and let them use a court in their tennis place.

Ryoma remembered eating her bento while watching some matches. She was saying something that he didn't clearly hear, his focus, being on the match. He was surprised then to see her running off, taking the unfinished bento with her.

He admits to being dense, especially in their younger years. Though over the years, he matured a little, thinking a bit more before he says and does anything. He's been learning to apply his perception not only on his sport. Considering those things, maybe he did change.

And he knows that Ryuzaki Sakuno, by all means, has also changed somehow from their middle school days. For starters, she doesn't stutter as much, and is more confident than what she used to be. He can see the sheer effort she poured onto improving herself through the years, because even now, she still shocks him, sometimes.

But weirdly enough, because of last night's accidental kiss, he was yet again, reminded of what she used to be in middle school sometimes: face beet red, eyes too shy to look at him, and stuttering her words in embarrassment.

It was just a kiss.

It was just an accidental bumping of lips, not even intended to mean anything.

He found it ridiculous to overthink a situation where they had no power to change back. But then again, it's morning and his stomach grumbles while wishing that he did woke her up and did not feel the need to escape any awkwardness so early in the day.

Sighing, the tennis prince hung the towel in his shoulder as he stood up from the bench. He'd have to go back inside the house. They must address the elephant in the room while it's as early as now.

Ryuzaki Sakuno awkwardly set the table. There's the silence that engulfed the room. Aside from when he went inside and she told him she did breakfast, they did not really talk at all. Not even a syllable was exchanged as they both sat down and ate their long overdue breakfast.

"I-I'm sorry I woke up late..." in almost a whisper, Ryuzaki took the first step and apologized. She didn't look at him in the eye though, still uneasy because of last night's embarrassing memory.

"You don't have to," he replied casually, as if he didn't notice the girl's acting before him, "You shouldn't force yourself cooking for me."

"I-I actually like cooking, Ryoma-kun," she replied, still focused on her food, "S-So it's not a bother."

"Hn." He nodded, still chewing his food. Gulping it down, he looked at her, hopefully trying to start on addressing the matters that bothered them both.

"About last night..." it was him who opened the topic.

Upon hearing his words, the girl flushed. "I-It's just an accident, Ryoma-kun." She tried so hard to not sound as if she's not too keen about it. As if she didn't recall it at least ten times just from the moment she woke up this morning at all.

"I know." He felt awkward, trying to open that topic about. "You should just forget it."

"After all, it was just a kiss. An accidental kiss doesn't mean anything." There, he said the 'kiss' word. He tried to sound as stoic as possible, not wanting her to think that he was affected with such.

He expected her to take it easy. Maybe get a deep breath and not overthink now. Maybe she can just forget the awkwardness and go back to how she would usually act. He didn't definitely expect her to flash him a reassuring smile. As if she was convincing him that she's okay. Except, in her eyes, the smile doesn't reflect. He wondered why.

Ryuzaki Sakuno didn't know whether to feel hurt or happy. The tennis prince outright told her that she should just forget about that kiss... That accidental kiss that she's tired of trying to forget and still somehow make her feel elated, like a middle school girl kissing her long time crush.

She knew that it was 'just a kiss'. But somehow, she wished he'd know that in no universe would it be 'just a kiss' for her.

A/N:

I had a writing slump the past days. It sucks because it's quarantine, and I have the time to write... but oh well. Haha.

Anyway, I made this without proofreading, so I'm sorry for any mistake.

As always, thanks for reading!

Edit: So I revised/edited the first six chapters! I added/removed some moments, but all in all, no major plot points were removed.