Kiss Cry Love » Places

         

"You look beautiful today."

His words took Yumiko completely by surprise, seeing as they actually had spent most of their time completely avoiding each other. To hear a compliment was a relief, but as he grew closer she realized that little had changed between the two of them. His arm rested atop her shoulders. The fact that the bare skin of his arm was touching the exposed skin of her shoulders, even in such a harmless way was noted. She felt her cheeks growing hotter by the minute, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to maintain her composure, "T-Thank you." She spoke it in English, and despite coming from a small little town hidden between the bigger cities that dotted Japan's countryside, she spoke it quite well. What she lacked in confidence, she made up for in her studies. She looked him over for the first time since they left the apartment together, noticing that his clothes matched her own. It couldn't have been more coordinated if the two had planned it. E-Everyone will think we're a couple! TOUYA will think that we're a couple! What should I do? I don't have time to go back and change....UGH! She thought frantically, biting the inside of her cheek. She shivered as she felt his breath brush against the exposed skin of her ear and neck, the ponytail she wore leaving most of her neck and ears unprotected from her roommate's serial habit of making personal space violations, "Y-You'll be popular at the beach yourself, I assume..." Now that she was giving the compliments, Yumiko reverted back to their native tongue, Japanese. She did not wish to outright call him attractive, even if that's exactly what Masaaki was. He was attractive, it could not be denied.

"Now that you know my name, that'll be Yamada-sama to you."

Blink. Blink. She almost thought she had imagined it, but after a moment to thought, she realized that Masaaki had actually commented on the fact that she knew his name, "Eh!?" Despite her horror and embarrassment, Yumiko did not fight the physical contact, remembering quite well what had happened the last time she attempted to deny him the right to touch her. It had become far too close to an adult moment, one that she did not wish to repeat. She had not been mentally prepared, nor did she think she would be anytime soon. Had it of been Touya, she wasn't sure if she would have had the voice to object... but her inner romantic rose to the occasion and saved her from the potentially erotic situation. Yumiko's warped virgin definition of 'erotic' anyway. Panic and embarrassment were the two main emotions that Yumiko felt, and her pink blush engulfed her entire face, transitioning into a bright shade of candy apple red, "Okinawa-san! She told me.. I..." Flustered did not even begin to explain how unraveled Yumiko felt in the elevator. Thankfully the doors opened, or maybe that wasn't such a good thing after all, because none other than Okinawa-san, their landlord noticed the pair stepping out.

Yamada-kun~ Nakahara-chan! You do make for an attractive couple. Ah... youuth~"

Twitch. Yumiko noticed that the landlady's mind was elsewhere and that their definitions of 'youth' surely would not match up. In fact, Yumiko had a feeling that if the landlady had her way... Nevermind that... She did not wish to corrupt her mind. However, she had a bad feeling that if she stuck around Masaaki and Okinawa-san long enough, the innocence her father desperately tried to protect would evaporate like smoke in Tokyo's busy streets. Whether Masaaki was ready to leave or not, Yumiko's feet were out the front door. She did not actively try to remove herself from his grasp just yet, but if he didn't keep up, it wasn't her fault. Once she saw Touya and Kayo in the distance she freed herself from Masaaki's arm and ran ahead.

"Fujiwara-San! Watari-Kun!" She energetically waved as she approached the two. She grinned to each of them, before glancing Touya over. She wasn't sure if he'd gotten taller, but she felt that he did. Not only that, she hoped that the dress and the way she'd prepared her hair would earn her a little attention from her crush. Perhaps he wouldn't see her as a child when she wore a dress? As lame as it sounds...please notice me Senpai!

Before she knew it, they were inside of a store shopping for swimwear. She wanted to prove that she wasn't a little girl anymore, so she went straight to the bikini aisle, even though she had never worn one before. She grabbed three from the shelves before trying them on in the changing room. She did not like the blue or the pink one she had chosen, instead deciding on a white one in the end. It was one of her favorite colors after all. It reminded her of a blank canvas, of endless possibility, of new beginnings, and of purity. She nervously stepped out to show the others to get their opinion, "How is this one..?" She did a shy turn to let them see the entire bathing suit, then her eyes shifted to Kayo, wondering if she choose to buy a new suit as well. She was curious what kind of swim wear a college girl would choose. She also wondered what kind of input the female upperclassmen would have on her choice of swim attire. She couldn't even manage looking in Touya's or Masaaki's direction. As they were male, it made this far more embarrassing. She had never shown this much skin before in public, this was the first time in her life.