Chapter 23: Wallpaper

"Ryuzaki, stay with me."

Sakuno heard him say while his hands stopped the door from closing.

"Stay for a few more days."

She slowly opened the door and looked into his determined eyes. It was probably the first time he ever asked something from her, and it was surprisingly easy to grant his desire.

Of course, she would. When she decided to come to Brazil, Sakuno was prepared to do everything for him just to get him back and hopefully, to be with him forever. The fact that he's the one who actually wants her to stay is beyond a miracle.

"Okay," she said with a smile. That response was enough to set Ryoma's smile back on his face. He only meant for her to extend her stay in Brazil, but he also wished that she would be with him in the long run, as well.

Because he doesn't know if he can endure his life without her anymore.

"Thanks," he said. There was an awkward silence between them, they suddenly couldn't look into each other's eyes. Ryoma scratched his head while Sakuno fiddled on her pigtails.

Now what?

"Uh, you should get some sleep," Ryoma stepped back from her door. He was about to walk away but Sakuno stopped him.

"U-Um!" He turned around and looked at her curiously. "Ryoma-kun… C-Can you stay here with me?"

Ryoma thought hard about what she said. When he told her to stay, he meant that he wanted her to stay in Brazil for a little longer. But Sakuno is asking him to stay in the same room as her. Not that he minds but isn't that improper? Ryoma never realized she was that bold.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "I don't mind, but why?"

"W-Well…" she hesitated to tell him the reason, and that reason is because ever since coming to Brazil, she has been having a hard time navigating through the city, as well as the hotel. She feared that she might spend the remainder of her stay getting lost.

"T-There's an extra bed here, so don't worry…" she muttered. Ryoma peaked in the room, seeing two beds and a dark interior. He understands that a girl would probably feel unsafe staying there alone, so he agreed.

"Okay. I'll get my stuff," he made his way to his own room a couple of floors from hers, and Sakuno started to clear out the closet and drawers. She made sure that the place is spotless before he comes back. With her heart thumping, Sakuno stood in the middle of the room, nervously waiting for her new roommate.

Half an hour passed, and someone rang the doorbell. She let Ryoma in and let him settle on the other bed. Sakuno hastily checked the water temperature before offering to draw him a bath.

"R-Ryoma-kun, would you like to take a bath?"

"Okay," he rummaged through his suitcase looking for clothes, then he proceeded to the bathroom. Sakuno's heart kept on throbbing loudly in her chest at the thought that they're going to sleep in the same room.

She busied herself on organizing her clothes, making sure that she had enough to wear for a week in Brazil. It was exciting and scary at the same time. She only planned to take a one-day vacation here before coming home, but one word from Ryoma and her plan was changed. She couldn't say no to him, and it made her feel unsettled.

As she waited patiently for him, Sakuno grabbed her phone and checked her messages. Most of it was from Tomoka, and the others were from Aunt Rinko. She opened it.

Sakuno-chan. How are you? I hope you met with Ryoma already. Let us know if you need anything.

She blushed at the thoughtful message of Aunt Rinko. She has always treated her like a real daughter and she's thankful for that. She began to type a reply.

I met up with Ryoma-kun. Thank you for worrying about me. I will call you when everything's settled, Aunt Rinko.

Then she checked Tomoka's messages next.

Sakuno, have you seen Ryoma yet?

Tell me everything.

Call me.

Let me know how it goes.

She giggled at the girl's nosiness. Sakuno said to call Tomoka first thing in the morning, since it's going to be nighttime in Japan.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open, startling Sakuno.

Ryoma stepped out with a towel on his head. He wore an oversized gray shirt and pants. It seems like he likes to wear baggy clothes whenever he's at home.

"Your turn," he sat on his bed and closed his suitcase. Sakuno nervously stood up and made a beeline to the bathroom.

She stared at herself in the mirror. She looked haggard, her hair was pointing in all directions, her cheeks were red from the heat, and her skin was dry. Sakuno felt ugly.

She decided to take a quick shower and head off to bed.

Sakuno was nervous that night. She didn't know why she was hiding in the bathroom and stalling. Ryoma would never do things against her will, right? That time when they almost did it was just a spur of the moment, and she trusts that it won't happen again tonight because frankly, she was embarrassed. She wouldn't want him to think less of her when he realizes that she's not blessed with ideal features and all that. She's not perfect like Honoka, that's why she's afraid that he might be turned off.

But when she silently stepped out of the bathroom, the boy was already asleep on the other bed. He was laying on his back, a faint snore coming from him. His deep slumber made Sakuno smile.

He must have been really tired.

She covered him with the duvet and then she plopped on her own bed and got ready to rest. But before she did, she grabbed the book that Ryoma gave her and started to read it.

The loud ringing of her phone woke Sakuno up. With her eyes still closed, she reached on the nightstand for her phone. She blinked and looked at the time. It was already seven in the morning, and Tomoka is calling her. She groggily sat up and answered the call.

"Tomo-chan…"

"Sakuno! Are you just waking up?"

"Yes… I got tired yesterday," she rubbed her eyes and shivered in the cold temperature of the room. She glanced at the balcony and found the most beautiful blue sky. She thought it was going to be another sunny day.

"Eh? Sakuno, who's that behind you?" Tomoka's face on the screen was confused. She was peering a little closer to recognize the person sleeping on the other bed. And when she finally does, Tomoka gasps.

"That's Ryoma-sama! S-So when you said that you're tired…" she covered her mouth with her hand, letting her imagination run wild. Meanwhile, Sakuno could only groan. She had completely forgotten about him sleeping on the other bed and now Tomoka had caught them.

"It's not like that, Tomo-chan…" she sighed. Knowing her best friend, it would have been better if she had remembered to take the call on the balcony or in the bathroom to avoid misunderstandings.

"Did you wear the dress that I packed for you? What about the bikini? Did you wear them?" she inquired excitedly.

"Tomo-chan, no I didn't… I can't wear those kinds of clothes. It doesn't suit me," she dejectedly replied.

"But those are your birthday clothes to show off to Ryoma-sama and that Honoka!"

There was a brief pause from Tomoka when suddenly she screamed, pointing at the space behind Sakuno. The girl panicked, wondering what it was, but when she turned around, she saw a frowning Ryoma sitting on his bed. She looked visibly angry, with his eyebrows scrunched.

Sakuno immediately realized that they were being loud and that they accidentally woken up the boy. She knew that he was never a morning person, so this is a grave offense.

"R-Ryoma-kun… I'm so sorry," she whispered, noting the groggy eyes of the prince. He ignored her and laid back down, returning to his sleep. Sakuno sighed in relief. She was going to remember all those pet peeves of Ryoma from now on to avoid being on his bad side.

"S-Sakuno… He looks scary. Maybe I shouldn't have called!"

She silently opened the balcony door and resumed their conversation there.

"It's okay, Tomo-chan. Ryoma-kun doesn't like being woken up with loud noises."

"But you're sleeping together in one room. I didn't know you had it in you, Sakuno."

"I-It's not like that…" Sakuno chose not to tell her best friend about what she and Ryoma almost did last night. She will flip out if she finds out.

"Ugh… Okay, I gotta get going. Horio and I are going shopping for the tennis club's farewell party. Tell me all the juicy details later!" Before Sakuno could say another word, Tomoka ended the call.

So, she and Horio are getting along really well. They're not fighting as much as middle school now, and it made Sakuno glad.

She inhaled the morning breeze while the sun rays peeked through the clouds. She wondered what she'll do today since Ryoma would probably train by himself somewhere.

Ryoma and Sakuno made their way to the elevator to eat at the hotel's restaurant since they have complimentary breakfast.

While waiting for the lift, a group of people approached them. Of course, when Sakuno showed up, Ryoma had completely forgotten that he actually came to Brazil with his team. He has been so occupied that he didn't realize to inform them.

"Sakuno-chan?" Brian asked.

"W-Why are you here?" Honoka was dumbfounded. She didn't expect the girl to actually go this far to get in between them. Although Honoka had lost to Ryoma in tennis, she was far from losing the battle for his heart. Her face displayed an obvious dismay and the rest of the group saw it.

"Good morning, everyone," she bowed in greeting.

"Good morning. So, you're here in Brazil, too," Coach Rui smiled.

"She came to visit me," now it was Ryoma who answered. Sakuno could only nod in agreement. She avoided Honoka's glare, while the rest of the people only blinked in curiosity.

"Oh, how long will you be here, then? Because we'll be here until the Rio Open," Brian said happily. He's always been glad that more people are joining them on their long vacation. Well, technically not a vacation since they'll still be training.

"Um, I'll be leaving next week…" she muttered shyly.

"Ah, so that's why Ryoma has been out of reach yesterday. It's because his friend is here!" Richie uncharacteristically commented. Yesterday, they had been calling Ryoma to invite him to a bar, but his phone was either turned off or he just didn't care to check it.

"Girlfriend," Ryoma corrected him. It earned a surprised reaction from them.

Sakuno was dumbfounded. Given the fact that they both confessed to each other and had already shared kisses, it would have been natural to assume that they are now a couple. But they really haven't talked about it, so she was as clueless as the rest of the team.

"What?" Honoka gasped. She was the most surprised out of all of them. Sakuno noticed this and she didn't know if she would explain or not. Honoka previously told her that she likes Ryoma and even asked for her help. But now that they're together, it looked like she betrayed her and the vicious glare from her only made Sakuno even more scared.

'O-Oh… then let's invite Sakuno-chan later at the beach! We'll be swimming there as part of our endurance training," Brian chirped.

"You call it training, but you just wanted to swim, right?" Beth laughed at Brian's face.

"Um… I don't want to intrude on your training, I can stay in my room," Sakuno interjected but Ryoma nudged her.

"You can come," he whispered.

"Sakuno-chan, come with us. We're more than glad to welcome you. You can play on the beach with Honoka while I train these men to death," Coach Rui winked at her. Sakuno didn't know if she should be thankful or scared at him, but it looks like she's got no choice but to agree.

"We're going to have so much fun, Sakuno-chan!" Honoka was the most terrifying among them. Sakuno couldn't help but sense the dark aura around the girl.

Sakuno sat on the cloth she laid out on the sand. She wore a tank top paired with white shorts and Ryoma lent his favorite white cap for her to wear.

She watched them do their stretching routine by the shore, the intense sun burning the men's bare backs. If she hadn't reminded Ryoma to put on sunscreen, he would have been sunburnt by now.

Anyway, since breakfast was a little chaotic earlier with the team, Sakuno finally had the time to think about things.

Especially when Ryoma confidently declared her as his girlfriend.

She didn't even realize that they were officially a couple now. He didn't say anything! But, well, she can't complain. Now, is it safe to say that he is her boyfriend now?

Ryoma-kun's my boyfriend?

It was hard to believe that a nobody like her managed to catch a famous athlete's attention, a good-looking athlete at that. But it sounded good in her ear when the words came out of his own mouth.

So, yeah. They're really a couple now.

"Sakuno-chan?" A tall girl wearing a bikini stood in front of her. Honoka's pink swimsuit was barely keeping everything covered, and her front and back highlighted her abs. She peered down at her like she was looking at an ant.

"H-Honoka-san!" She forced a smile but deep inside, she was nervous of what kind of wrath the girl would show.

Honoka took a seat beside her, it made Sakuno flinch, but she could only scoot over. The two girls watched the boys work out with Coach Rui. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, but Sakuno didn't want to break that silence, fearing that the girl would confront her.

But bad luck is always on Sakuno's side when Honoka decides to address the elephant in the room.

"So, you and Ryoma-kun, huh?" She scoffed. "I should have known, Sakuno-chan."

"H-Honoka-san… It just happened," she said in a weak voice. She understands that Honoka feels betrayed and cheated on. But it wasn't Sakuno's fault at all. Ryoma made his choice to be with her, and that's what matters. Neither of them could change that.

"It's okay, Sakuno-chan. I really do understand how you feel," she smiled at her, making Sakuno feel relieved. She almost thought that Honoka would lash out at her, good thing that she was a considerate woman.

"Oh, thank you–"

"But understand how I feel, too."

A sinister smile was visible on Honoka's face that Sakuno could not describe any other way. She felt cold even though it was blazing hot at the beach. There was something about the girl that made her shiver, it was almost evil.

"Honoka!" Brian shouted at them. Sakuno averted her eyes from her and nervously hugged her knees.

"What?" she shouted back.

"Let's grab some lunch for everybody," the man approached them, and when Honoka finally stood up, Sakuno heaved a sigh of relief. She knows that Honoka is angry at her, and of course she's aware of the reason. But there's nothing she can do anyway.

Nothing and no one can make her stop seeing Ryoma.

The two made their way to the snack bar, and the rest of the team walked towards Sakuno. She grabbed a towel for Ryoma and gave it to him when he tiredly sat beside her. His tan lines were visible and sweat covered his entire body.

"Thanks," he wiped off his sweat and caught his breath.

Sakuno wanted to talk to him about Honoka, but she felt that it wouldn't be right for her to reveal Honoka's feelings.

"Something wrong?" The boy asked when he noticed her being silent.

"N-Nothing."

After they ate lunch, Brian and Honoka went to play by the water, Richie and Beth had their own tent nearby, and Coach Rui retired to his room to rest. Handling five young adults was too much for him.

Ryoma sat under the shade that Sakuno built, as he watched the girl crouch on the sand and was drawing something on it. In his view, she looked like a little kid who was excited to play at the beach. She looked even cuter with her simple attire and his white cap over her head. Her ponytail swayed behind her as she hummed a song, and her pale skin glistened under the sunlight.

Ryoma grabbed his phone and took a snap of her. He stared at it for a long time, admiring the picture perfect Sakuno, before he decided to set it as his wallpaper.

Now, he's got a reason to stare at his phone every now and then.

"Ryoma-kun, is something wrong?" she turned her head to him.

"You should get under the shade, or you'll get sunburnt," he tapped on the space beside him, and the girl happily obliged, abandoning the drawing she made on the sand. It was a whale, although a badly drawn one.

Still, Ryoma found it fascinating and took a photo of it with his phone. He rarely uses his phone for the camera, but these photos were too precious not to remember.

When he looked over to Sakuno, she had the most beautiful smile ever.

In the distance, Honoka and Brian stood by the shore as they watched Ryoma and Sakuno. They seemed to be talking about something funny, Honoka can see Ryoma chuckling whenever Sakuno spoke. She couldn't help but feel resentful at the two of them, especially her.

"Now that I took a long look at her, Sakuno-chan's not that pretty. She looks so plain. She wouldn't be a good match for Ryoma, who's the epitome of perfection," she muttered, not caring that Brian could hear her.

"I understand why you hate Sakuno-chan, but can't you keep your thoughts to yourself?" Brian said with a disapproving look. He was aware that Honoka feels jealous and all that, but Ryoma is their friend. They should respect whatever he chooses to do or who he's with.

"I never thought Ryoma's taste in women was this low," she muttered. The older man could only click his tongue. Honoka may be perfect physically, but her attitude is something else. She's been trying to get Ryoma to go out with her, but he never seemed to be interested in her.

And now that Sakuno, his friend, has become his girlfriend, Honoka didn't know what to do anymore, especially since the prince seemed to be so in love with her.

Honoka's mind was clouded with wicked thoughts. She thought hard about what to do with Sakuno and how she's going to keep them apart. Ever since she met Ryoma, she had her eyes set on him and she's not about to give him up for some timid classmate of his.

Ryoma and Sakuno silently laid on the cloth, with the shade protecting them from the harmful sun rays. He felt sleepy and was about to fall asleep when Sakuno suddenly spoke.

"R-Ryoma-kun… the thing you said earlier."

Ryoma's eyes shot open. He knew just what she was referring to and it was a bit embarrassing for him. But he thought that there's no harm in telling everybody, especially since he's been ghosting them when Sakuno came.

"What about it?"

"Um… me being your girlfriend, is that okay?"

"Of course, why?"

"But… being with someone like me?"

"Ryuzaki," he called her, which made Sakuno turn to face her and when she did, Ryoma went for a quick peck on her lips that lasted for less than a second, then he returned to his side, a faint blush visible on his cheeks.

Sakuno touched her lips as her face reddened, obviously not from the heat.

"I don't want anyone else."

Sakuno felt like she was floating on the clouds when she heard his words. That kind of affirmation was something she needed to keep herself from doubting. She realized how lucky she is to be loved by Ryoma. It was unbelievable how much he could love someone, and how much he could make her feel enough without too many words. It was comforting to hear those words from a boy with few words.

"I only want you," he added when he noticed the girl was being silent.

Sakuno felt the love she has from him growing inside her, and she just couldn't contain it. It was the first time that she felt overwhelmed with emotions.

"Thank you…" she whispered, trying to stop herself from crying or it would kill the mood. As Ryoma smiled, he reached for Sakuno's small hand and intertwined his fingers on hers.

Honoka stood far from them. Needless to say, she witnessed what had happened and the jealousy inside her heart only grew. She clenched her jaw and balled her fists as she walked away, finally thinking of a way to ruin their momentum.

To be continued.