Crush

Chapter 9: Adrenaline Rush

It felt right being here with him, she noticed. And she couldn't be happier.

Teà had to admit that she didn't feel as content with anyone else in her entire life. Ok, that was a stretch, considering that she had her friends and family. She was her own person before she met any of her friends, much less Yami; it wasn't like she depended on him for validation. But Teà felt like she belonged there right by Yami's side, like she was the last piece to a puzzle.

Life felt beautiful right now.

It felt right for Teà to feel like she was on a high, as the two of them explored the rest of the exhibits.

Teà couldn't stop smiling (she had a feeling though that she looked like an idiot). Of course it didn't help that Yami had touched her back for what it seemed like an eternity ago and she still couldn't stop thinking about it.

It didn't stop her from thinking about where else he could put those hands; if Yami touching her lower back could elicit a shiver and a blush… Nope, she was not going to go there; it was blatantly obvious. She was such a perv.

"Teà? Are you alright?" Yami asked, and it was his voice (that decadent voice which resonated across her entire soul) that brought her back to planet Earth.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." Hell yeah she was. Now would be a really good time to act suave and cool. Suave and cool.

"Anything particular on your mind?" If Yami hadn't been an archaeologist, he could have been a great therapist. It was a genuine shame that no one put as much effort into active listening as much as he did.

"I was just thinking about these items. I'm trying to imagine how they would have been used." Not exactly a lie, but not the truth either.

"And what did you imagine?"

"You know that tablet that we saw earlier? The Pharaoh was wearing the puzzle, wasn't he?" Teà pondered out lout. "So I could only imagine that it was the most powerful."

"You're correct."

"So how was it used? Did it shoot laser beams?" Yami gave Teà an amused expression. "Or could the pharaoh summon a whole bunch of monsters with that puzzle?"

"I'm fairly certain that was not how dueling worked."

"That'd be cheating, wouldn't it?"

"That, and the fact that it took immense amounts of energy to summon these monsters." Yami paused, before putting his hands in the pockets of his slacks. "At least, according to the mythology."

Teà gave Yami a curious expression, nodding her head. "Do you think the stories are true? I'm totally not judging you or anything. I'm just curious."

"I've been trying to find these items for years, Teà. My father told me stories about the items as a child," Yami confessed, looking directly into Teà's eyes. "Perhaps there is a part of me that wants to believe these stories are real."

Teà immediately pictured a smaller version of Yami, with bright eyes full of curiosity and a baby-face that would make anyone coo. She could also imagine him tucked into bed, while a male figure sat at the end of it, reading him a bedtime story. It was the most wholesome thing, and she could almost die of cuteness.

"I take it that you don't believe them?"

"It's not that," Teà cleared her throat. "But you have to admit that some of it sounds crazy." Both of them chuckled at that.

"I don't blame you. Some of the stories are not for the faint of heart."

"I can't imagine." She would have brought up what Marik said earlier, but then Teà remembered that Yami didn't seem to be on friendly terms with him. "You can believe them for both our sakes, then," Teà suggested, clasping her hands behind her back. "I'll just stick to looking at artifacts." And then another thought hit her. "You know, I find it weird though that the millennium puzzle wasn't able to be put together."

Yami looked somewhat amused at her observation, but not in a way that he would make fun of her for it. "Yes, it is peculiar. No one has been able to figure it out."

Just like how Teà couldn't figure him out.

"Well, considering on the condition of the pieces, it'd be hard to, anyway, right? Not that you didn't do a good job cleaning them up, of course; the pieces look good." Teà glimpsed back towards the display they were looking at, which contained the remnants of the mentioned millennium puzzle. But her peripheral vision told her that he was looking at her, and she couldn't hazard a guess as to why.

"What is it?"

"I have to admit, Teà, I've never seen anyone take this much interest in my work."

"Really?" Teà felt her cheeks burning red – again – as she made eye contact with Yami. She was beginning to wonder if he could see right through her feelings. "Why? Doesn't your family or any of your friends know?"

"To be honest, most of them aren't interested in Egyptian history," Yami replied, shrugging his shoulders. "And as for friends, well, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I don't have that many. It turns out that history is not really an icebreaker."

A wave of empathy washed over Teà as Yami's words filled her head. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to pursue something and not have many people relate to it. But she was aware that a lot of people she knew in high school weren't keen on history either.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Yami didn't look bothered. Instead, he gave Teà a world-shattering smile. He looked even more handsome when he smiled. She was lucky that she didn't die on impact. "It's alright, Teà. It never bothered me, and it still doesn't."

"You have me," Teà blurted out, much to her own surprise. A part of her was panicking once she knew the implication behind her words. She hoped that she wasn't giving him the wrong impression. "I mean, I don't think you're a nerd or anything like that. You're… you're great the way you are." Teà had been listening to too much Bruno Mars as of this year.

"It means a lot to me to hear you say that Teà."

"You're welcome."

Not gonna lie, the next few moments of silence were awkward.

"So…I guess that's the rest of the exhibit, right?" It was a shame that they went through it pretty quickly. Teà really valued the time that she spent with Yami.

"Yes. I hope you enjoyed yourself, Teà." Oh she enjoyed herself alright – but for different reasons. Non-platonic reasons.

She gave him a thumbs-up in response. "Of course. I learned a lot today. It was great. You're not gonna draft me up a pop quiz, will you?"

Yami grinned. "Maybe, maybe not. You will have to see."

"You could just go easy on me and give me an A."

"I suppose I could. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

"I should be getting brownie points though. You know, for actually being open to learning about this kind of stuff."

Was it just Teà or were they actually…flirting? Nope, nope, nope. She had to put a bullet in that right now.

"You don't need to convince me."

"Well, I guess I know your weakness. These baby blue eyes." Oh God, she totally was flirting with him. Teà could only hope that Yami would just take this as a joke. Or at the very least ignore it.

But judging from the mien in his eyes, he didn't see it that way. A sliver of hope coursed through her veins. "I suppose they are," Yami muttered. And he continued to stare at her. Not in the 'you're about to become a national statistic' kind of stare; but an 'if only you could see yourself the way I do' stare.

Teà couldn't stop herself from blushing. Yami never looked at her like that before, and of course, she liked it. You know that saying 'You should get someone to look at you the way so and so looks at…'? That definitely applied to Teà at the moment.

But as much as she wanted to continue the magical staring contest, Teà knew that she had to leave while she still had her dignity intact. "I should…probably get going. Gotta practice some more before my big recital."

"It's coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah. I'll save you a seat. Like I promised."

"I know you will be hearing this a lot, but I know you will do beautifully." Teà really wanted to tell Yami that he made her fall in love with him with those words.

No, she hadn't heard anyone say that to her. Maybe her parents, but their opinions didn't really count.

"Thanks. Well, I'll see you later."

If Teà thought she would melt into goo after feeling Yami touching her back, she didn't know what to make of the fact that he suddenly came in for an embrace.

She had to mentally pinch herself to check if she was dreaming. Nope – this was real. 100% real. The hug itself was a short one, but it felt like time slowed down. The fleeting touches of his hands over her back still gave her that feeling of adrenaline.

"Take care, Teà."