"...Say, Hiro. Have you ever been kissed by another girl before?" Yui Ishikawa spoke, her voice faint and almost drowned out by the film's sounds and noises around us.
My cheeks felt like they had gone numb from her question; however, I still managed to make a reply of some sort. "No... I've never been in a relationship with anyone in the past."
Yui Ishikawa became quiet again after my answer, taking in a breath that sounded like she was holding something back as well. Another awkward silence lingered—this time much longer than it should have. A moment later, she spoke again.
"That makes two of us," she finally said out loud, surprising me. Considering she's in her late twenties, I thought a woman of her age would have more than enough experience with dating. Then again, she did tell me she had trouble finding someone willing to date her.
She then raised her hand to touch the top of my head as though petting it like a cat—her pale fingers traced over my hair's smooth texture, the calloused pads of her fingertips gliding across my scalp.
"Hiro," she whispered to me, her warm breath brushing against my ear, "Are you still the same person who told me that if we met under different circumstances, maybe we could be together?" She questioned with a soft tone to her voice. "Have you changed your mind?"
I quivered on the spot like a twig in the wind, startled by the sudden question; that I was now faced with—in hindsight, I should have known that she would ask me that question someday.
Although the answer to the question would never change, my emotions towards Yui Ishikawa were changing.
"...No, Yui-san, I haven't changed. I am still the same person from our last meeting." I replied, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.
"Then...does that mean...?" Yui Ishikawa asked in a soft murmur, like the question was a test. I could practically hear her heart beating faster than usual as she awaited my response. "If that were to happen—do you think you might let me kiss you too?"
Her shaky voice hinted at the tremble in her throat as she waited for me to answer. The feel of her thin body pressing against mine made me feel alive again as her hot breath brushed against my ear from her whispered words.
The rational side of myself screamed to deny her request, to keep my distance, but my heart—a treacherous traitor—demanded otherwise.
Why? I wasn't sure if I could explain it with reason or logic. Maybe because I was attracted to her gentle persona like a moth to the flame, or perhaps my subconscious was merely happy at the idea of being in a relationship for the first time, despite my disbelief of it happening to me.
"...Yes," I whispered back at her after a short silence as though my words were constricted within my mouth. "...I think so."
As though she had been waiting for my reply—her fingers instinctively slipped down the base of my head like she was trying to hold me in place; her other hand reached out to my chin and gently tilted my face upward until my gaze met hers.
I stared into the pitch-black wells of her eyes. To be honest, she wasn't a pretty girl by anyone's standards; however, looking into her face now, I could see something beautiful. Something that could captivate those around her—captivate someone like me.
A thin line of crimson colored her slightly parted lips, accentuating the natural pinks and rose tint of her bright red cheeks. Like blood-red roses blooming amidst the springtime field, they stood out against her pale skin. As she panted heavily, her blushed cheeks shined like freshly polished marble.
"Yui...san," I mumbled with a tremor as she inched her lips closer to me, her eyes holding onto mine.
My eyes fluttered close; it felt like time slowed down as my heart rate increased while I thought about what was going to happen next—while a small part of me screamed at myself not to let things go too far.
Her lips brushed softly against mine; just the faintest taste of her lipgloss could be felt as her kiss lingered, warming my lips with her own. My body responded by giving off a pleasant shudder, or so it felt to me. Her hands gripped firmly onto my chin as though she didn't want to let me slip away from her grasp. Her fingers traced the outline of my jaw and the sides of my neck.
Gently—with a delicate touch, she started to coax my mouth open with her tongue, the tip gently caressing the roof of my lips while searching for the right place to slide in. She made sure not to rush things either, but I could feel her anxiety—her desire to taste my mouth—as she continued to slowly drag her lips across mine, seeking more than just a simple peck.
Her other hand left my chin, shifting to rest on the side of my cheek; while our lips were still attached, she began to move her face ever so slightly, pressing her lips ever closer to me, pushing the top half of her body nigher to me until she was practically leaning over me like she was going to kiss me all night long.
Yui-san's breathing became more intense with each passing second; she eagerly awaited the moment—the moment that I would give in and accept her advance, pulling away from my usual conservative mindset and letting her passion win the fight.
It was at that instant I realized the line between where we were now and where we should have been was becoming thinner and thinner as well. If we continued on this path, there would be no turning back; a truth I wasn't exactly proud to admit.
My eyes immediately snapped as I pushed Yui-san away from me, sitting myself upright to regain my balance as I quickly adjusted my clothes in embarrassment—all the while, a thin strand of her saliva clung to my lip like some kind of ode to passion, causing the small amount of shame that remained to seep further into my being.
"T-That's enough, Yui-san," I was already regretting the whole situation, my heart thumping furiously inside my chest as it was straining itself under the pressure of impending dread. "We shouldn't do this—"
"Then why did you let me kiss you?" Yui Ishikawa asked with an echoing whisper after I pried my lips from her grasp like I was taking them away from death's jaws. I don't know if the color of her face changed or if it was just a trick of the light as she cast a shadow across the dark cinema, but there seemed to be a slight tinge of red in her cheeks.
Like the last time, her breathing was ragged as though she had just sprinted across a track for a short distance—eyes fixed upon me; she looked ready to continue fighting. "If you wanted to stop," she said, keeping her voice low in the dark theater, "then why didn't you?" She placed her hands on top of mine as though attempting to bring me closer again.
I pulled my hands from hers; an expression of trepidation flitting across as I stood from my seat—I realized now how reckless of me it was to think of giving into her advance, even if I did have some feelings for her. What was once a matter of right or wrong was now a lot more complicated than that.
"I...I need to go." My voice was shaky, still filled with anxiousness as the reality of what just transpired crossed my mind.
"Wait—" Yui Ishikawa called out to me, her fingers reaching out to grab mine in an attempt to stop me from leaving, although she was too late as I quickly scrambled for the door before stepping outside the dimly lit hallway.
The theater lobby was empty like usual at this time of night; it felt emptier somehow without a movie playing on the screen. All the lights were turned off except for one small lamp that sat atop a table just inside the entrance, illuminating the bright red carpeted floor—
"Hiro!" Yui Ishikawa chased after me, pushing her way past the doors to stop me from leaving.
(☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞