He'd picked up his computer and papers and he sat on the couch.

She sat at the table and tried to resume working on her math. But after a few minutes she sighed and said, "I know I'm the one that said no, but I feel kind of rejected right now."

Kiri set down his things and looked at her and said, "Hikaru, I want to do a lot more than what I was doing, but I don't want to push you into it. I don't know what to do right now. Tell me what you want to do."

She looked back at him and said, "I want to keep kissing you. I liked what you were doing."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Then why did you say no?"

"You were going to take my shirt off," she said with embarrassment.

He looked at her wryly and asked, "So you just want to kiss and touch a little?"

She nodded.

He held his arms out to her and said, "OK, come here. We'll just make-out for awhile."

She crawled up into his arms and he kissed her again. Tentatively she laid her hand against the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her harder. When he slid his hands down her back he said between kisses, "You didn't fasten your bra."

"I just followed you out, and then it seemed like it'd be awkward to mess with it, and it's not doing a lot anyway," she explained.

He slid his hands under her shirt and fastened it without trouble.

"You're really good at that," she commented wryly.

He kissed her again and then asked, "Sorry, was I supposed to take my time fumbling around and touching you more?"

Hikaru laughed and he bit her ear. She shivered and he embraced her tightly and kissed her more. A little moan escaped her when he ran his hands down her back again and she jumped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

He laughed and gently removed her hand. "Hikaru, that's a good noise, I want to be able to make you make that kind of noise." He kissed her nose.

She relaxed against him, and he cupped her cheek and kissed her again. Then he ran a line of kisses down her neck but didn't stop at her collar. He continued down over her shirt and she felt the heat of his mouth through her shirt and bra. He put his mouth over her nipple and sucked hard through the fabric. She gasped and clutched at his head and he ran his hand down her back and along her hip and she arched into him.

And his phone went off. And he slid to the floor and buried his face in her lap and groaned.

"Is it your work again?" she asked a little breathlessly, and patted his shoulder.

"No," he mumbled into her lap, "it's the alarm I set so I could get you home in time."

Hikaru laughed. He looked up into her face with a pained expression. She bit her lip.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's OK," he said, and stood. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

She sighed and nodded.

--

In the car on the way back Kiri said, "For our next date, let's dress up and go out."

"So that we have to behave better in public?" Hikaru asked wryly.

Kiri laughed and said, "Maybe a little, but it's also something I want to do with you."

"OK," Hikaru agreed.

"When?" he asked. "I'll be gone tomorrow and Friday, are you busy all day Saturday again?"

Hikaru shook her head, and said, "No, this weekend we play for six hours Friday night, and we have an extra long rehearsal on Saturday because we're going to try to enter a competition soon. But I have both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon free."

"Then Saturday night?" he asked.

She nodded.

When they arrived he walked her up to the door, and kissed her as usual but then he said quietly, "Hikaru, I know it's too fast but I want to say it." He reached up and caressed her cheek, "I love you," he said and kissed her gently. 

She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss. He pressed her into the door at her back. They kissed for awhile. Then the door swung open and they tumbled down and through it.

Izumi stood with his hand on the knob and angrily snapped, "You're late, and what the hell do you think you're doing."

From the floor Hikaru said "I'm not late," at the same time Kiri asked, "Hikaru are you OK?" Then he lifted himself off of her.

"I'm not hurt, I think," Hikaru reassured Kiri.

Miri pushed forward past her husband and said, "Hi Takeshi-kun!"

Kiri gaped at her from his awkward position.

"My mother, Mizuki Miri" said Hikaru, getting to her knees.

Miri was even smaller than the video chat had shown. She was cute and curvy and had light brown curly hair. She looked barely old enough to be Hikaru's older sister. And was very obviously pregnant. She grinned winsomely and added, "And this is my husband Izumi, I think you've met? May I call you Kiri-kun?"

Kiri said, "You may. Um, it's too weird, how would you prefer I address you?" He stood.

"Just Miri is fine," said Miri.

"Miri-chan?" he replied.

Hikaru's mother nodded and asked, "Would you have dinner with us on Sunday?" Izumi glowered but didn't protest his wife's invitation.

"Sure," Kiri replied and pulled Hikaru to her feet.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked again.

She nodded.

"You're 5 minutes late," Izumi said.

"I'm not," Hikaru replied a little bitterly, "I've been here, if the front steps weren't part of my home I'd never have to scrub them."

Izumi's expression tightened, but Miri interrupted him. "Nevermind that," she said, rolling her eyes in the same fashion Hikaru would.

Kiri gazed at Izumi and said a little grimly, "I'll head home now. Goodnight Hikaru."

"Goodnight, I'm sorry," Hikaru replied.

He stopped and hugged her. "It's OK," he said, then turned and walked back to his car.

Hikaru sighed and stepped inside and closed the door.