A nagging feeling jolted me awake. Light had passed through the screens and lit the room in a glow of a beautiful day. It took a second before I remembered where I was. This was Akira's old room. I was in Hakone. This was day two.
I sat bolt upright, panicking. Mayuki-san mentioned that her in-laws would be back today. I knew I should have set an alarm, but I thought Akira would have woken me up.
Akira. This wasn't technically breaking our rules, right? We were on vacation. I patted the side he had slept on, but it was already cold. I drew out a breath and lay back on the futon, burying my head on the pillow. Waking up alone wasn't a pleasant feeling, but his scent lingered.
I inhaled again. It was as if he was still there. Gods, I had it bad.
"Good morning," a voice said.
The grin on his tone was so tangible that I found myself smiling. I got up and glanced around. Fully dressed Akira was sitting on the side facing me. His hair was tousled, but his eyes were bright. He had an almost finished book on his hands.
"Were you watching me sleep?" I smirked, grabbing my clothes.
"No." He scowled, his pitch rising an octave. "It's not the first time I've seen you sleeping."
"Yes, yes, you were reading." I started towards him, tightened the obi, smiling as I plopped down in the seat beside him. "Why didn't you wake me? What time is it? Your parents?"
Shaking his head, he closed the book, untie my obi, and redid it. "My parents won't be here until dinner. It's a little past ten—"
"What?" My eyes widened. "How long have you been reading?"
Akira finally grinned. "Not long. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to wake you, but I'm starving. Why don't we eat first?"
"You haven't eaten?" My voice halted, my mouth falling open.
He shrugged and then lifted the cloth cover from the table which revealed a tray of food. "It's supposed to be breakfast, so it's gotten cold. I could reheat it first if you want."
I stared at him. I didn't know what to make of it. He waited for me. We were technically more than friends but less than lovers, but wasn't this too much? My heartbeat raced. This felt more like we were actual couples rather than playing as one.
"Stop reading too much into it." Akira flicked my forehead.
"Ouch!" I rubbed my forehead, glaring at him, the weird feeling dissipating.
"I had no choice but to wait." He averted his gaze as he bit his lips.
My stomach sunk. "Why? What happened?"
He sighed, picking up the chopsticks. "I'll tell you later. I'm ravenous."
"Tell me now. I won't be able to digest the food guessing about it." I blew out several breaths.
"That's what I'm worried about. You might freak out." He put down the chopsticks and faced me.
"Now, you're scaring me," I said, "did I do something wrong?"
"No." He took my hand. "It's my fault."
"Spit it out now. The suspense is killing me." I squeezed his hand hard.
"So impatient." Akira winced and then sighed again. "It's Mayuki-neesan. I forgot to tell her not to bring you breakfast."
My brows furrowed. His words did not register all at once. My mind refused to connect the dots and the implications of it.
"She wanted you to experience the full inn package," he continued. "She was too used with the inn's rooms which had several layers before the room itself."
My world tilted, whirled into oblivion. "She saw us?"
"Don't panic." Akira moved his hands on my shoulders. "We had the covers on. She didn't see much."
"But she saw something?" My voice rose.
Shifting on his seat, he cleared his throat and tried hard not to flinch. "You must be cold so you snuggled up to me…I was wrapping my arms around you when our eyes met."
"Mayuki-san?" My jaw dropped.
He nodded. "She might have seen your bare shoulders."
I buried my face in my hands, groaning, imagining what happened this morning. "Your mother and sister-in-law wouldn't like me now."
"You're worried about that?" His tone sounded incredulous that I looked up and glared at him. He cupped my face. "That will not change Mayuki-neesan's opinion of you, and she wouldn't tell my parents."
"Still," I mumbled, my chin trembling. "Maybe I should pack up and head back to Tokyo."