We stood at the entryway, waiting. Akira was beside me, and Mayuki-san was on the other side. My lips were twitching from keeping down the grin, and my right foot was rocking from nerves.
Akira leaned into me. "You're going to tire out your legs if you keep on doing that, and you won't last half the dinner."
I stilled and gaped at him. He gave me a smile and tapped my shoulder. "They won't bite."
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth when three teenage boys appeared in the front, their voices echoing. They stared at me before they greeted Mayuki-san and Akira.
A boy with hair that reached his ears who seemed to be at a close age as Akira tapped him in the back. "Good one, Aki."
"Cousins. Don't mind them," Akira whispered to me as the three boys sauntered inside, leaving a heap of disarrayed shoes.
I managed to let out a stiff chuckle as I rubbed my sweaty hands together. There was no time to regroup. Two girls followed with a very pregnant woman. Each of them glanced at my direction and smiled differently.
Waiting for the next wave, I let myself slouched, and then I nudged Akira in the knee. He glanced at me, his nose wrinkling.
"Honest. I didn't know a lot of them were coming." He tapped my hand. "I'm sure they'll like you."
Stopping a sigh, frowning, I wanted to ask him how he could be sure. He put a finger in my forehead and smiled, squeezing my hand. "How could they not? Look at you."
"Stop flirting, you two," Mayuki-san said, chuckling. "You'll be the center of the attention if you two keep that up."
I let go of Akira's hands and patted my cheeks to keep it from turning red. I saw Akira glared at his sister-in-law when I spotted a woman dressed in a deep purple kimono. The resemblance was striking. I straightened my back in response.
Akira had her lips and nose. Her hair was more immaculate than Mayuki-san's. Her steps were small yet elegant with her back upright. Two older versions of Akahito-san and Akira with shorter cropped hair followed her. Akira got his height from his father.
I held in my breath as they approached.
"You must be Matsumoto-san." His mother regarded me with a tight smile, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm Matsumoto Reiko." I bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for intruding on you all of the sudden."
"Not at all. Lift your head," she said. "Let's get inside. You can tell me more about yourself as we eat."
I did not raise my head until she stepped in the entryway, and when I did I came eye to eye with Akira's father. The lines around his eyes wrinkled as he smiled. It was the same as Akira's. I grinned, but then Akira's grandfather came to view.
He stared at me before he scowled, snorting. My smile waned, and I swallowed, willing away the tightness. I glanced at Akira, but his grandfather already fawned over him.
A hand came up to my back. Mayuki-san's gaze and smile were soft. "He likes you. He's just like that. He didn't even look at me when Akahito introduced me the first time."
I let out a breath and nodded. "He's a little scary though."
Mayuki-san chuckled as she squatted and started arranging the shoes. "That's because you're taking away his favorite grandchild."
"I'm not taking him away," I said as I helped her.
"You say that but you both are clearly smitten with each other." She glanced at me and grinned. "You're worse than us, you know."
Was I really? I paused. Conflicted emotions washed over me. It was a good thing because others viewed us as what we intended them to see. I didn't want to lose him. That was for sure. But—the big question I refused to entertain—did it mean something more?
Do I like him?