The Polar Star crew threw a weekend of celebration parties at the dormitory in Soma and Erina's honor. As usual, the typical things that happen at a legendary Polar Star house party happened through those halls. They were three nights of fun and frisky festivities for the entire academy, and well...what happens in Polar Star stays in Polar Star.
However, Erina did not attend a single one.
But it was when Alice got the brilliant idea to throw Erina an invite-only homecoming party at the Nakiri mansion on Christmas Eve that Soma saw another side of what life could be.
-8-
It was a formal winter soirée with an explicit black-tie dress code. The re-enrolled, former rebels of the 92nd generation stood at the Nakiri doorstep dressed to the nines and bearing gifts. As Alice's hired staff opened the double doors, she greeted them with a pirouette and bow, an enthused hosting smile plastered on her face.
"Welcome to a night of fun, Polar Star pals, " she announced. Then frowned. "You're late!" The crew exchanged awkward glances as she looked over her shoulder. "Aren't they, Ryo?"
Ryo grunted, looking visibly uncomfortable, and skulked off to the side by the ornately decorated twenty-foot Christmas tree. His burgundy velvet tux and skinny black tie complemented his beloved's sapphire dress as if they'd planned it. Soma glanced between them, half-hoping to see Erina like the time she randomly sprung the door open last fall. "Ha, Kurokiba, I didn't know you could look so sharp!" Soma said, genuinely surprised.
"Shut up, Yukihira," the polished Dane grumbled. He cut his eyes at his friend and ran a trembling hand through his slicked-back hair. "I'm doing this for Miss Alice, okay?"
"Doesn't he look dashing? Compliments to the stylist— ME!" (Of course, it was all Alice's doing. She was a meticulous Nakiri through and through.)
Yuki pushed past them to enter the mansion, pulling Ryoko and Megumi at their wrists. "Oh. My. God! I can't believe I'm setting foot in Nakiri Manor. What is life?!" She gasped, "Look at that giant Christmas tree!" Her jaw dropped as the Polar Star crew gaped and looked around the mansion's massive atrium. It was a winter wonderland with fake falling snow and soft twinkling lights. To think, three members of the Elite Ten lived like this. "This place looks like I just stepped into a fantasy! How did you pull this off, Alice?" Yuki gushed.
The platinum pixie blinked a blank stare. "I'm wealthy."
Yuki gagged and brushed her borrowed teal cocktail dress. "Tea! I'm so poor, I keep forgetting," the spunky gamer whispered to her girls.
Dressed in a luxurious red and gold silk kimono dress, Ryoko moved to the side to usher the boys in. "I made a fresh batch of my rice juice and we brought it for the party, along with some cured and smoked meats and cheeses."
Wearing a long dress that matched her eyes, Ikumi placed a hand on her satin-draped hip, "And I provided the grade-A quality meats," she bragged.
"That reminds me," Soma cut in, stepping into the atrium and pointing at the basket in his hand. "The Aldini brothers left a basket of their family's famous EVOO, fresh pasta, breadsticks, and marinara before they went home for the holidays. Takumi told me and Megs to inform you that everything was handmade."
"He was very adamant about that," Megumi giggled. Alice bounced in her heels as Ryo took the massive case of Ryoko's saké from Shun and carried it down a long hall.
"Ooh, how festive! I love Christmas presents! Okay, your tardiness has been pardoned," she declared and ushered their coats to be taken to the coat closet. Megumi took her hands out of her simple evening gown's pockets and bowed.
"Thank you for inviting us, Nakiri-san!"
"Ack! Enough of that! We're friends now, little Megumi," Alice said, pinching Megumi's blushed cheeks. Then she clapped two times. "Alright, everyone! Gather round for a grand tour!"
As Alice took the Polar Star crew, and Ikumi, through the expansive first floor, Soma reminisced on the first time he'd been in the mansion. That early autumn day felt like ages ago. He chuckled to himself over how disappointed he was that day that Erina hadn't been there.
"Soma-kun? You're shocked by the opulence as well, I take it?" Megumi asked, having fallen back from her girls and Alice's professional architecture tour to match his lagging pace.
"Huh?" He turned to her, unaware he was in a daze.
Megumi stared at him curiously. "You're so quiet. I thought you were rendered speechless like the rest of us about being in the Nakiri's extravagant home for the first time."
"Shut the fuck up!" Shoji said at the end of another hallway. Their heads swiveled to the source of the commotion.
"Dude! No way you have an indoor arcade in your house!" Daigo added as they ran inside a door Ryo had propped open.
"It's fully equipped with retro games and state-of-the-art VR games, too," Alice boasted. "A simulation of Nakiri Island's in the far back for any fans of Animal Crossing to explore our family's island off the Pacific."
"Well…some of us," Megumi snickered.
Soma laughed and shook his head as they caught up with their friends. "No, I've actually-"
"Yo, Yukihira! Come check this out! They have Atari and the original Nintendo 64 on 100-inch screens!" Shoji called from inside the arcade. "They have Mario Kart!"
"Oh, that's right, Soma, I didn't show you and Akira the game room the last time," Ryo said offhandedly. The crew grew silent and slowly turned to face a now blushing Soma.
"You've been in this mansion before, Yukihira…?" Zenji gritted through his teeth.
"Haha…heh…yah," Soma replied.
"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!" His dormmates crowded him.
He scratched his head. "Twice."
Megumi gasped, "Twice?"
"You're so fake, Soma!" Yuki decried, pummeling him with her fists. "You do all these cool things all by yourself and never tell us a thing!"
He thought it wise not to bring up the first time. "Ow! My bad! Ryo invited us over for a Food War."
"Why didn't I get an invite?" Takumi whined through Facetime on Ikumi's phone.
"Because you weren't in the top three in the Fall Selection," Ryo said flatly.
"Okay, but that doesn't account for the other time…" Ikumi pointed out. They glanced at each other and a slight crack of tension split the room. Alice looked over at Ryo who gave a subtle headshake, then at Soma, and her eyes narrowed.
"Hm. Anyway! Technically, you lot are the last ones here, so let's get a move on, people," Alice said. "The party awaits!"
It was the longest leg of the tour. Alice took them to the opposite end of the main floor, across two courtyards, and three floors down a glass elevator. When the doors opened, she grinned.
"Alright, everyone. Welcome to the Snow Ball Before Christmas! The only rule: no phones allowed! So stop groaning like little bitches and head so place your phones in the lock boxes to your right. Don't roll your eyes at me, Ikumi! Enjoy the splendor of all my hard work!" Alice said as they filed out one by one.
"Oh...and-" She stopped in front of Soma and winked. "Be sure to behave."
-8-
Soma walked around the crowded ballroom with Megumi, chewing on a sliver of Shun's jerky. He scanned the ballroom decorated like a small city in a snow globe at night as the rest of the dorm scattered around the party. He still could not recognize half of the students in attendance even with the onslaught of students coming up to congratulate him on his victory. But there was no Erina in sight. It was starting to eat him alive that they hadn't seen each other since she left Polar Star.
"Look at you having fans," Megumi said after a trio of girls fanning out walked away. "You're more popular now than ever."
He turned to her in shock. "Yeah, but who are all these people, Tadokoro?" The positive attention was disconcerting. It was endless! They'd finish talking to one group, take a step, and another swarm of people would find him, calling out his name. It was distracting him from his sole mission. He was walking around the edge of the ballroom to find her, but at this point, it was also to get away from them.
Megumi shook her head and chuckled at her best friend's face-blindness. Then she stared at him in awe. "Soma, you just don't get it, do you?" He tilted his head in genuine confusion.
No, he never would. Soma would never know how much the 92nd generation and the entire academy felt indebted to him. When he announced that there were no-holds-barred on Food Wars he broke a time-honored tradition that built the confidence and strengthened the morale of students at the bottom of this elite school's hierarchy. He made students forgotten or were afraid of expulsion feel seen and safe.
He humbled the self-righteous and showed mercy to everyone who rejected him when he was in the position to repay their evil. He showed Tohtsuki another way to be exceptional, but that's just who Soma was in Megumi's eyes. It wasn't a small thing conquering the powers in place, but yet again, he saved everyone, from Polar Star to Erina, while looking out for himself. So if hundreds upon thousands of first through third years wanted to bow down before Soma, from Megumi's perspective, dammit, let them!
They stopped near one of the five Christmas trees strung with lights and popcorn, lining the perimeter of the circular dance floor. "Want to keep walking around or get something to drink, or…dance?" Megumi asked.
"Are you thirsty?"
"A bit. I've had my fill of smoked cheese and meats for the rest of the year," she groaned, rubbing her stomach.
He laughed, finishing his jerky, and threw his arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Then, let's get some punch!"
The night became a movie. Ryoko's popular dorm-brewed saké must have been mixed into the punch because before any of them knew it, the dance floor was packed with moving bodies dancing the night away. They rejoined their friends on the dance floor with red cups in hand. Heels were kicked off, jackets were strewn across tables, ties were loosened, smiles and laughter, and cheers filled the air. He danced with his friends, spinning the girls around and break-dance battling with his boys. He even shared a friendly slow dance with Meat-Meat and he was happy that they seemed to be on good terms again. As the party crept into the final hour of Christmas Eve, Soma's head was swimming more than his feet were moving, but for the first time all night, he was starting to have fun. He couldn't stop laughing as he stumbled over his two drunken left feet trying to follow Megumi's guiding steps as Yuki led the group in the 'Cuff It' dance trend.
That's when he saw her.
-8-
Suddenly, his eyes caught Erina lifting her head above the crowd, yawning and rolling her eyes. He did a double-take. Her face was radiant.
When did she get here?
His belly burst with butterflies of yearning excitement just staring at her blood-red-stained full lips. Erina stood in a corner, annoyed and in the center of a sweaty circle of Tohtsuki's elite and legacy students; fawning jocks, rich, preppy guys, research society club presidents, heirs, and future company CEOs drooling over her designer pumps. They argued amongst themselves to woo her for a dance while awkwardly trying to respect the hierarchy now that she was the academy's director. Their clumsy advances meant nothing to him. His legs floated away from the dance floor...to the edge of the ballroom…to her corner of their shared universe…and he pushed through them all.
"Hey, stranger."
-8-
In silence, she led him to a quiet place in the mansion.
Erina's hips rolled away from the party noise and swayed through the warm mansion's labyrinth lit with candle lanterns in her seductive evening dress. Soma couldn't keep his eyes off the curvature of her exposed back flowing into her small waist if he tried, so he didn't. Instead, he took her by the pinkie and towed behind her like a faithful puppy on a leash. She held his hand. Walking down familiar corners with their shadows moving against the dark halls lined with abstract art and traditional Japanese portraitures on Christmas Eve with the girl of his dreams felt romantic.
Soma stopped in his tracks. "How about here?" He jerked his thumb toward the indoor pool house on their right.
They passed through the automatic sliding doors and entered a new world. Soma looked up and around and took a deep breath. It was a spectacular, magical view. The indoor pool doubled as a solarium with an open-sky glass dome above them with a clear view of the stars. The air, humid and thick, was starkly different from the central heat pushing through the main house—but it wasn't suffocating. It was private. Intimate.
Erina paused to reflect. "This will do."
-8-
Small wicker fans lazily spun from the ceiling like chandeliers. Dimly lit sconces dotted the stone pillars holding the full-length glass walls around them, casting a warm glow and giving passersby a full view inside. Whoever designed the solarium considered this and strategically placed verdant palm trees and tropical shrubs throughout the vast, circular space to obscure naked people from wandering eyes.
Soma squeezed Erina's hand. A sly grin took over Soma's face. "Have you ever skinnydipped?" She snatched her hand back.
"What? No!"
Soma wiggled out of his tux jacket, his tie long gone. "Well, there's a first time for everything!" He threw the black jacket atop a dormant flower bush and pulled off his shoes and socks. "This thing's heated, right?" He asked as he made his way poolside to dip his toes. "Wow, that's like, the perfect temperature. Is it like this all the time?"
"Yes. But Soma Yukihira, you cannot be serious right now! Our friends are but a wing away," she protested. Her voice was hushed but her tone was sharp. Nervous.
He laughed, "You're right, now I'm seriously having fun! Come on, Nakiri. No one's going to catch us." He worked on his belt, then froze and eyed her. "Unless you're uncomfortable being alone with me. Then we don't have to."
"No, dummy," she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "J-Just! Turn around!"
"Aw, what? C'mon!"
A long, manicured finger poked at his forehead. "And no peeking, Soma Yukihira, or so help me God…"
He threw his hands up and slowly turned around. "Okay, okay!" He shook his head and, for some odd reason, was compelled to close his eyes. Erina was like this on the train, so mercurial and shy. It made his heart flutter.
"And I'm not taking everything off, but you can," she announced from behind.
"Well, where's the fun in that?"
"My mansion, my rules."
He chuckled. "The princess gets what the princess wants."
"And I'm going to enter first."
"Sounds reasonable enough." As stood with his back to her for a while, Soma wondered, Is this the right time and place to tell her how I feel? He could hear her feet disturbing the pool water and her body sinking into the deep end.
"Okay, you can turn around now."
He did as he was told and the sight knocked the wind out of him. Ripples stretched out from the center of the pool where Erina's body was fully submerged to her nose. Her large doe eyes were barely above water and pinned him like nails. Her golden tresses fanned around her and it took everything in Soma to not drop his eyes below the waterline. The image searing in his memory was like stumbling upon a gorgeous mermaid watching a land-dweller. She was beguiling, bewitching...and he was bothered. Erina slowly rose and frowned, her black lace set leaving little to the imagination.
"Are you going to just stand there and keep staring at me, or are you going to join me?"
It was a flip book of actions in Soma's mind from then on. The headiness of the alcohol and arousal made him fumble over himself but time was of the essence; he was still licking the wounds from how quick Erina was at changing her mind. He took off his clothes in a flash, covered his crotch, and cannonballed right in front of her. Water splashed everywhere.
"Oh my god, Soma!" Erina gasped, sputtering without any trace of an attitude.
"So, this is the life you live, Nakiri," he said, wiping his drenched hair out of his face. "No wonder you were so ready to come back!" He caught a subtle wince on her face before she turned it into a pout.
"Oh, shut up," she blushed.
He splashed her again. "Make me," he said, approaching her with intention. When he was close enough to touch, close enough to hear Erina's breath hitch, he ran a hand down the slope of her head to the small of her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nestled his chin in the crook of her neck. Then, without warning or hesitation...
Soma dunked them both underwater. The scared gasp that Erina let out as they plunged underwater nearly took his breath away. He let go. The few seconds they spent at the bottom of the pool felt like an eternity. The faint glowing lights created shadows in the water and, in Soma's imagination, Erina was once again that mermaid in lace. They locked eyes and the fear he thought he'd see in hers was nonexistent. Her allure pierced him like a trident. Suddenly, she broke her attention and swam to the top.
"I should have your head for that, Soma Yukihira!" She laughed, throwing her head back. Her hair whipped above and behind her, spraying him in the face.
"You can have whatever you like, Nakiri," he replied. She sprayed him again. He splashed her back. They threw water at each other, horsing around like little kids, laughing like old friends. Like they hadn't been gone through so much drama together. Soma cackled and cheered as he sent water flying Erina's way. Erina squealed and giggled as she dodged and tried to dunk his head under in a counterattack. Somewhere in between the roughhousing and the chasing and playful wrestling, the vibe changed.
Soma made the first move. A light touch. First, his fingers found hers. Then, his hands caressed her shoulders and arms until he wrapped them around her waist. Erina softly placed her hands on his shoulders, her chest pressed against him. Their breathing became shallow and in pace, and the mood began to change.
Faintly in the background, sultry Christmas music drifted throughout the mansion. "I've missed you, Erina," he whispered, planting a soothing kiss on her forehead. He placed his chin on the crown of her head and held the plump ass he couldn't keep his eyes off of in the hallway, tight. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to stay like this, frozen in this snow globe, forever. Erina let out a soft shudder and snuggled into his chest. It didn't matter that she didn't say it back; he was just happy to hold her close again.
The warm sconces switched off and the pool's floor cast a luminous blue-white light. The trees and shrubs twinkled with red and gold bulbs; he hadn't noticed them before. In the twinkling darkness, Soma moved, two as one, cutting through the calm waters. A lone saxophone crooned "Merry Christmas to you" over the sound system and he mouthed along in Erina's demure, flushed face. He had an idea and beamed.
"May I have this dance?"
With a mild switch of her hips against his, Erina nodded, and Soma led them into a slow dance around the pool. A subtle step to the left, floating to the right. He cradled her, his eyes closed, as the song guided their steps. When it ended, Soma looked down, surprised to see Erina already focused on him. A classical waltz filled the void the brass instrument created, and it was her turn to lead them in a stirring glide through the pool, this time never breaking eye contact, never saying a word, just their bodies being carried and swept away by the current they created under the starry night.
Soma carefully brushed Erina's limp strands, shimmering from the chlorine to the side of her rosy cheeks, and cupped her face with both hands. He craved this moment, this perfect, quiet snapshot of their chaotic lives for so long, that now that it was here, he could have drifted to another life satisfied. But he stayed present and broke their daze, for her red lips were calling out to him like they belonged to a siren in the sea, and he a shipwrecked sailor.
"I'm going to kiss you now, Nakiri," Erina did not attempt to respond. "Don't make me beg," Soma jested, tilting his head to the side as his bottom lip quivered in a sheepish smile. Her lips curled up at their corners.
"Why not? I like it when you beg," she purred.
"Okay…" He pulled her closer. Her heartbeat thrummed against Soma's right pectoral muscle. His stomach knotted from the thrill of it and he buried his head in her neck. "Nakiri, please?" He cooed, his voice softening, sprinkling soft kisses against her wet skin. Erina quietly moaned and lifted her eyes.
"Soma, look!" She gasped. "It's snowing!" He tried—he really did—to follow her line of sight, but Soma couldn't take his eyes...nor his lips...off of Erina. "I've never been in here when it—" She looked back down and they locked eyes. "...snowed."
"Stunning," he replied, the fresh snowfall the furthest thing from his mind. Soma saw the stars in her eyes. They held each other's stares. A chipper Christmas song faded throughout the glowing poolhouse. He sang along, "All I want for Christmas is you."
A new song filtered through the background. A swanky, lazy jam with a sultry duet singing, "I've got my love to keep me warm." Erina slunk her arms around Soma's neck and pulled him even closer.
"You make me nervous, you know that?" he said shyly. His trembling hands moved up and down Erina's waist.
She studied him for a slow beat, her long lashes fanning the warm air as she blinked. "Soma. Could you do me a favor?"
"Always."
She lifted her chin. "Unhook my bra," she said breathily over his mouth. Their lips grazed as he followed her direction. She leaned forward and her bottom lip slipped between the slit of his mouth. He'd been waiting for this moment for weeks, and it had finally arrived.
"Kiss me."
-8-
Erina led Soma down the third floor with his tuxedo jacket draped over her shoulders. He wouldn't have known his left from his right if she hadn't been there; they'd already turned left more times than he could count. As they walked down the wide corridor, Soma realized this floor had the least amount of doors in the mansion, but as they were all spaced extremely far apart, the journey to her room appeared endless. He tipped over and gently bumped her shoulder.
"Did you have fun not skinnydipping?"
Erina smirked, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't the worst experience I've ever had."
Soma knocked his head back laughing. "I'll take it! It's a step above saying it was disgusting."
"Don't hold your breath, Yukihira," she giggled. She stopped at a door in the middle of the hall and grabbed the handle. "You can use this guest bathroom to wash up before returning to the party."
"Thanks," he said, pinning her to the wall. "But-" He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "What if I don't want to go back to the party?"
She twisted the doorknob until it was unlatched. "Oh. Okay. You are also free to leave." Soma's brain glitched watching Erina slip from under his hold. He turned his head to see her walking off.
"That's not what I-"
She moved four paces ahead. "My bedroom is five doors down, to the left," she said under her breath, never breaking her stride.
-8-
They lay in her bed facing each other, catching up in the dark. Erina's room was more massive than he anticipated. Heck, it was bigger than his family's entire apartment. But it was lush with luxuries of home comforts. If she wanted, Erina never had to leave the suite for anything. No wonder she struggled to settle into dorm living.
"Where's Old Man Senzae? I'm surprised he allowed half the school in here."
"The party was Alice's idea, so I doubt he even knows. But after everything that happened with my father, he's spending the evening with my mom and uncle being a father for the holidays."
"Your cousin is such a rebel," he laughed. He liked Alice. She was his brand of messy.
"Ugh, tell me about it," she scoffed. Erina slowly circled his open palm with her index finger.
"So, you'll be home alone on Christmas?" Soma rolled on his back, tension building in his chest. He forced himself not to look at her. "You're not spending it with Tsukasa?" Erina sat up at his side. She furrowed her brows. Her damp hair was spun into two space buns and flopped to the side as she slanted her head in confusion.
"...No? Hisako's family invited us over for breakfast. Grandfather, Uncle Soe, and Auntie Leonora will be back in time for Christmas dinner."
"That's good... I wouldn't want you to be alone on the most wonderful day of the year." Soma caressed the side of Erina's face with his thumb. He wished to spend the day with her but something told him not to push his luck.
"I didn't know you loved Christmas this much."
"Mmm..." His mind wandered to his childhood. "My mom loved Christmas and made it such a magical time, so it's how I try to keep her spirit alive." A moment of silence.
"That's beautiful, Soma," she said, mystified. She placed her head upon his beating heart and snuggled up to his chest. It was now or never.
"So..."
"Hm?"
"Are…you and Tsukasa still…" She didn't even let him finish being courageous.
"No."
Soma couldn't explain the rush of relief coursing through his body. He had to slow his mind down to be present to how soft Erina felt on his bare skin, and how delicate she looked under the moonlight wearing his hoodie. He thought they'd never comfortably share a bed again.
"You know what this reminds me of?" he asked, twirling her hair around his finger and staring at the sheer canopy draping her bedposts.
"What?"
He kissed the top of her head. "Guess." The chlorine smell had been replaced with floral apple notes.
"If only my house were on wheels," she quipped.
Soma looked around the pink room. "You call this a house?" Erina shook her head.
"Baka," she giggled, cozying up to her human pillow. "It was fun."
Soma stroked his hand up and down to her arm and squeezed her shoulder. "It was. I missed it." He rolled on top of her and pulled her legs around his waist. Her silk sheets rustled beneath them. Erina used her legs to pin him down, his body pressing between her hips. Soma let one hand slip down her bodice until his palm cupped the round of her thigh and gave her flesh a firm squeeze as her fingertips scratched his back apart. With his free hand, he grabbed her by the jaw, and they kissed. Slowly…deeply…intensely.
And fully intertwined for a very long time.
Soma didn't know if he was a good kisser or not; if Erina enjoyed their makeout sessions or if she didn't. But he loved how their tongues wrapped like ribbons and the smooth smacks their lips made on contact. He enjoyed how soft and warm kissing Erina made his insides feel. Soma relished the sweet taste of her mouth. He tried to remain calm, and not be overzealous with his movements, but his heart was beating out of his chest. He wanted more. There was no way she couldn't feel it. Everything about the night and this moment felt right. His mind raced with all the thoughts and feelings he'd sat on for months. He gazed at her, ready to spill his vulnerable guts.
"Erina, I-" He spoke into her mouth. She grew rigid beneath him. His eyes immediately flashed open. The shadows over her face bore a sorrow he thought would have long since faded. She broke away. Her sweet expression turned serious. Something had changed.
"Soma, can I ask you something?"
His heart leaped but his answer didn't skip a beat. "Yes."
She tenderly held his face with both hands and searched his nonplused eyes. "Even if I told you what I really need, would you do it?"
Again, without hesitation. "Yes. I'll do anything for you, Erina."
She parted his lips and kissed him passionately. "Hm..." Erina sighed, pulling back. "Anything?" Bleary-eyed, again Soma nodded, then held his breath for her request.
"Leave me alone."
Soma stared at her, unblinking. It was a gut punch like no other. He didn't want to believe what he just heard, but her voice was heavy as stone and her words sank into the pit of his stomach. Her eyes were unreadable; it was his turn to carefully search them for meaning. He looked for a hint of flirtation or a lie, but he found neither. It dawned on him like an anvil smashing his head. Erina meant what she said. His mouth dried. He cleared the lump forming in his throat just so that he could breathe and had to roll away to keep from crying. Erina's mattress was the most comfortable material he'd ever laid upon, but now it felt like a hollow grave.
He said nothing. He simply picked up his clothes strewn on the floor beside her bed. Soma stood up, pulling his undershirt over his head, and faced her bedroom door wondering what the hell just happened. As he buttoned his pants, staring at the opulence that was her bedroom, he began to replay the last two weeks in his head. Erina was back to being comfortably perched in her gilded nest, safe from her abusive father and back with her doting grandfather and loving extended family. She had the wealth and the professional help to get her life back in order in every way conceivable. Erina Nakiri had everything she needed.
Her rejection made him feel like a poor and unnecessary disturbance in her life again. But as much as he wanted to take that first heartbroken step towards the door, and towards giving her what she wanted, Soma's legs wouldn't stop feeling like lead enough to move. In his heart, he wanted to stay, but he didn't have it in him to argue. Not this time. He didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to lose her. He took one step towards her bedroom door, then stopped.
"No." Erina frowned at Soma's back.
"Excuse me?"
He spun around and stared at her head-on. "I said no, Nakiri. I'm not going to leave you alone."
"Soma, this is not up for debate."
Eyes wild, he continued to look at her as though he heard nothing. Suddenly, he was crouching at the foot of her bed. "Then, tell me why."
"I don't have to explain myself to you. We're not dating."
He desperately grabbed her hand. "Then, let's start!"
"What?!"
"Let's make it official, Nakiri! I want to be your man."
Her face turned. "No, Soma! I don't want that."
"Why not? I thought we had something special."
She quickly hid her face over her shoulder, her voice empty. "You thought incorrectly."
"But I-" His voice cracked and his vision blurred with a tear rolling down his cheek. "I have feelings for you, Erina."
Erina's eyes watered but she steeled them from falling. "I don't feel the same."
"I don't believe you."
Her glare snapped him in place. "Believe what you want, Yukihira. I don't care. I have much bigger concerns than what you feel or believe! Don't you get it? I will destroy you. I was just having fun. You were fun to have around. A fun distraction, but no one told you to take this seriously."
He could see the weight of the world on her shoulders; it'd always been there. But now she was the director of the very academy she had to enlist his help to snatch back from the grips of her wicked father. So he had a fleeting feeling the night wouldn't be short or sweet. Soma knew only a glimmer of what she was going through, the pretenses she had to put up to survive her gilded-caged life. But he didn't need to know anything. He just wanted to be there.
"So, I mean nothing to you? The last two months meant nothing? Hokkaido was just you passing time...using me?" She shrugged, her expression as cold as ice. "Is that why you iced me out the whole time we were on Rabun Island?"
She groaned and slipped out of bed. "You're complicating things, Soma. That's why I need space." She headed to her antique vanity and sat down, tinkering with the contents in a drawer. Soma looked at her through the center mirror.
"How am I complicating things, Nakiri? I've been nothing but honest and open with you. I've been direct. I've been vulnerable. Hell, I even saved this school for..." He bit his tongue. It was all for her. Everything he'd done since November was for her. For her to cry, vent; feel safe and supported, protected and loved. Still… "You know what? Forget it!" He groaned into his hands.
"No, no! Don't stop now, Mr. Savior's Complex! Go on and finish what you were saying," she pressed.
"I didn't mean it like that."
She got up. "Then, what did you mean? Because you being a horny teenager nearly cost me everything! Our friends were expelled because of you," she screamed. Soma gasped. His face screwed in disbelief. The silence between them was stifling.
"What's that supposed to mean? I've been nothing but there for you, Erina! I've never betrayed you. Not once!"
"You dismissed the importance of my morning roundup meeting and it cost us those two weeks of preparations! You completely disregarded all my hard work because you were distracted! You distracted me when our futures were on the line!"
Soma let out a heavy sigh. So, this was what turned her heart to stone. The sudden realization made his shoulders shudder. "Why didn't you tell me this then? Instead of flirting with Tsukasa in my face for a whole week?"
"Why do you think, idiot?"
Soma slid down the wall and buried his head in his lap. He was heaving to keep from crying. "I don't want to leave you. I fought so hard for the past two months to make sure you weren't alone. Yes, okay, I get that I distracted you that morning, just like you distract me all the time. But you also help me focus. You give me a reason to sharpen my cooking and to care about something other than cooking. I care about you, Erina. You can't tell me you don't feel the same about me, too! I've seen you grow and become an entirely different person around me and my friends." He looked up at her, tears welling in his eyes. "We've told each other things that we swore we'd never told anyone else. I wasn't lying to you then, and I'm not now. I know you weren't either. So why are you lying to yourself now?" Soma saw tears tumbling down her face but couldn't bear the sight of them if he couldn't wipe them away. Even though it felt good to know she wasn't heartless, it didn't feel right to witness and do nothing.
His eyes stung and his heart ached, but his feelings were unmistakable. So, he stared into his lap and whispered the thoughts that replayed in his mind. "Remember how we bonded in my room over growing up as only children? How tired were were of being by ourselves and wished we had siblings to grow up with. You told me on the train that you were sick of being left alone as a little girl, wondering, hoping to find a friend who made you feel less lonely than when your parents were gone or away. How you hated that they always left you to fend for yourself because it made you feel abandoned and unloved. I thought we agreed we were tired of being alone."
He stood up and prepared to leave. "But do you wanna know what I've never said to another soul?" He slid into his dress shirt and shoes and took her silence as an answer. "Leave me alone."
"So?" Erina snarked, nervously watching him finish dressing.
"So?!" His chuckle was sarcastic, biting. Soma didn't know where the sudden defiance came from but he found himself still walking across her bedroom and closer to the door. "That's all you have to say?"
"Yes, Yukihira. Why do you keep begging me for more?" She tried desperately to hide the storm of emotions raging through her, but Soma could hear her resolve shaking. "I already told you-"
He exploded. Stressed veins bulged at his temples. "Because I know you want more, Erina! Stop pretending like you don't. Stop acting like you don't feel the same way. I know you do!" He took decisive steps towards her, clearing the physical and emotional distance pulling them apart. Soma softly called her name. "I don't want to keep playing this cat-and-mouse game with you. I want to be with you. So, just tell me the truth. Aren't you sick of feeling lonely?" Erina blinked, and her lips disappeared into a thin, hard line. "Well?" He demanded.
Erina took a step back. Her voice was even keel. "I'm not pretending, Soma. I'm simply not looking for anything serious right now. I have too much to focus on and I can't afford to be distracted by a childish crush. I'm this academy's director now, and that matters more than the fear of being alone. You don't get it because you're a man." His golden eyes pierced through her stoic façade with unsettling accuracy. Erina squirmed, but her mind was too afraid to sway, lest her now noodling legs give way under her.
"You're lying."
She scoffed, "Am I?" Her eyes shadowed as she crossed her arms. His eyes flitted to her bottom lip's slight tremble as his shallow exhale lightly grazed his warm breath against her lips.
Soma hugged her and read her mind before he calmly spoke. "Yes, you are." His irises liquified into glittery pools of molten gold. They stared at each other, his toned left arm wrapped around her slim waist, her bosom pressed firmly against his broad chest, his right hand delicately brushing the wisps of her golden threaded flyaways from entangling with her long-winged eyelashes. Soma noticed Erina's cheeks taking on a dusty pink blush and noted the light pink glow of her deep purple eyes. She looked unsure, scared, even. Softer than life had forced her to become.
Of course, this would not be so easy. When had any moment in their love story been uncomplicated? She collapsed into his warm, snug, hold and just melted into his smoldering gaze. Erina shuddered at the sensation and drew herself closer to him. He inclined his head to her quivering lips. She wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss her. For all the times they both played dumb with each other, arguing, resisting, fighting, chasing, he knew they both wanted the same thing.
"Erina, I love you. I'm in love with you so much that it's driving me crazy! I'm not asking you to love me, but I know you like me, too." Soma leaned his head closer into her face, eyes reading her face for implicit permission before he explicitly asked. "Am I wrong?" He waited.
But she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth.
"Erina-sama!" Hisako burst through the door. "Are you in here- Oh! Oh, Soma! I-I'm so sorry!" Hisako covered her mouth and diverted her gaze. Erina let out a deep breath and Soma groaned at the ill-timed interruption. They snapped away from each other and faced Hisako's back.
"Arato! Great timing!" Soma ran his hand through his hair and laughed so casually that Erina wanted to twist his arm. He never seemed put off by inconveniences the way she was. He sensed that this irked her, but how could he truly be annoyed that her most trusted friend was looking for her? I mean, wasn't she always? He grabbed his jacket off her lounge chair and took his leave.
"I didn't mean to interrupt-" she said as she turned to face them once more.
Soma shook his head and patted her on the shoulder. "You didn't. I was just telling Nakiri she shouldn't be alone and here you are. So it looks like my services are no longer needed." There was no hint of sarcasm in his tone, nothing but his usual happy face masking his teary eyes as he walked past his pink-haired friend in Christmas green. He tipped his head in Hisako's direction. "Nice dress!"
"Oh- okay. Thank...you?" Hisako said, glancing between the two. "Is everything alright?"
He pulled something out of the black suit's inner jacket pocket. "Yup," He said, a forgiving twitch tugging at the corner of his lips and a glint of emotion flashing in his eyes. She gasped; Hisako had never seen Yukihira look this way...this...forlorn. She side-eyed her best friend. Erina was pouting like the spoiled rich girl she was raised to be as Soma made his way to the open door. He finished his thought. "It's just time for me to leave." Placing a tiny black box on the bookshelf beside her door, he glanced over his shoulder one last time. "Merry Christmas, Erina Nakiri. I'll leave you alone." Hisako didn't know how to read into his final statement.
However...
"Soma, wait! I-I didn't mean…" Erina sputtered, but the door shut before she could take it all back.
THE END