"Hiro!" Yui Ishikawa chased after me, pushing her way past the doors to stop me from leaving.
For some reason, the sound of her in a distressed voice made my heart ache, making me feel sick to my stomach all over again, wondering if it was my fault for leading her on.
Her long legs caught up to me by the time I was nearly outside of the building. She grabbed onto my arm and stopped me from escaping any further. "Wait—please wait! Don't leave yet!" Her voice was almost desperate now.
My body stiffened at her touch; I knew my face must have shown the whole of my emotions like a book that had been left out in the sun.
Her face was half hidden behind the shadows cast by the lamps illuminating the movie theater lobby as she gasped for air with one hand gripping tightly onto my elbow and the other balled into a fist by her side.
"Y-Yui-san," my voice was practically hushed, my lips trembling—I couldn't seem to form the words I needed to say.
"...Why!?" Yui-san's grip tightened on me as she held my gaze as though demanding an answer. "Why can't we be together? Did you not proclaim that you would allow yourself to be with me if I wasn't just your client? Was that all a lie?"
"No, Yui-san," I said softly. "I didn't mean it like that—"
"Then why? Am I too unattractive for you to want to be with me?" she demanded with a tone of anger that seemed to be laced with hurt. "Is it because I'm not rich enough? Or is it because I don't have a job that pays well enough for you to date me? Maybe I'm not tall enough or smart enough for you?"
"No!" I shook my head in denial; feeling the sting of tears forming in the corner of my eyes as I tried to hold back the flood of emotion threatening to burst forth from within. "That's not true at all..."
I could see her lower lip tremble ever so slightly as she fought to keep herself calm. The sight of her struggling to contain her emotions only served to make me feel worse.
Even now, I didn't know why I was trying to run away—why I was resisting her advances. Plenty of excuses were running through my head like maybe she was too old for me or that our entire relationship was built upon false pretenses; but deep down inside, I knew none of them were real reasons.
I knew there was something about Yui Ishikawa that made me attracted to her, but no matter how hard I tried to explain it to myself, I couldn't understand it either.
Maybe it was the way she spoke to me, always with a kind smile and gentle demeanor; the way she took my hand in hers while we walked side by side—her fingers intertwining themselves into mine as we strolled hand in hand.
Or maybe it was simply because I had never experienced any sort of love before in my life until then—that I felt an attraction toward her because of it. All of these things combined to create the perfect storm of confusion inside my mind, a swirling mass of thoughts and feelings that kept me from being able to rationalize my own actions.
Yui-san stepped closer to me and I didn't stop her, allowing her to gently encircle my waist with one of her arms, drawing me close in what I could only imagine as an embrace—although she did it in such a delicate manner that it felt more like a hug than anything else; causing me to relax against her body as she pulled me closer to her chest.
"Hiro, give me a chance." Her soft breath tickled my earlobe as she whispered into my hair. "We can start slow...go on more dates, meet up occasionally, get to know each other better," Yui-san continued softly after taking a moment to pause. "You don't even need to quit working as a paid date if you don't want to—not until you're ready for something more serious anyway; not until you've fallen for me just a little bit more...just enough to be honest with yourself and admit your feelings for me."
I stared at the small pinprick of light shining down upon the carpeted floor from the lamp beside us, listening intently to every word she said.
Her words seemed so out of place here in this dark hallway in the middle of nowhere, yet despite everything, her voice was still filled with sincerity and kindness. There was nothing false or manipulative about it whatsoever—it sounded genuine in a way that I didn't think I had heard before. Perhaps that was why it was able to cut through all my excuses and self-doubt in a way that my logical mind couldn't.
"Okay?" She asked as though seeking reassurance as she held onto me tightly; my face pressed firmly against her chest.
My throat tightened as I nodded back in response. "...Yes." My answer was almost a whisper, muffled by her chest.
"...Really!? You won't ever regret it. Not once." Yui-san's voice was full of hope and excitement as she hugged me tighter.
Her hand reached around to grab hold of my cheek—turning my head towards hers. Her eyes looked straight into mine as she spoke. "Do you understand?" The expression on her face showed that there were no hidden depths behind her words; they came from the very core of her being without any pretense or hesitation.
Then without waiting for an answer from me, Yui Ishikawa brought both hands up to cradle my face gently, placing one on each side of my cheeks while slowly moving toward me. I closed my eyes, letting her kiss me—again.
She kissed me softly; a gentle peck at first—like the way we had started off earlier tonight, only this time, it wasn't a fleeting kiss; instead, it lingered with the intensity of someone who wanted to make their mark upon another person. I could feel the moistness between her parted lips as she drew them across mine with deliberate purpose, making sure not to leave anything out.
Like before, she tried to get me to open my mouth wide and let her inside, but this time she went about it in a slightly different manner—by running her tongue along my bottom lip. She brushed her soft wet pink lips against my own before biting down softly against my plump lower lip, holding the spot there before licking around it with her long red tongue.
Gently yet insistent, Yui-san began to coax me to part my lips again so that she may slip her tongue past the line of my teeth. This time though, I did nothing to stop her advance as I allowed myself to be pulled into the moment of passion by her actions. I opened my mouth just enough for her to sneak her slimy organ into its confines—she sucked gently on the fleshy tip as if trying to taste what lay within my mouth, tasting every inch of it by dragging her slippery tongue back and forth over my cheek's insides; exploring everything in my mouth until it was thoroughly coated with her saliva.
I let out a breathless whimper as her fingers slipped underneath my chin, tilting it upwards, allowing her to deepen her kiss more intimately still as her other hand trailed downward until it rested upon the side of my hip, where she proceeded to squeeze my asscheeks playfully—kneading them through my jeans; massaging me from behind. Her hot breath escaped from the gap between us and caressed my skin with tiny waves of air while she continued kissing me with increasing intensity.
The sound of people talking and clapping their hands can be heard faintly in the background, echoing throughout the theater, indicating that people were beginning to head toward the exits.
Her assault on my senses finally broke off after several seconds, drawing her face away from mine so that I could take a small sip of air—my lips parted involuntarily, sticky and slicked with her thick saliva as I stared up at her. She gazed back down at me with a sultry expression in her eyes, clearly satisfied by what we had just shared together.
"I never knew that kissing someone felt this good," Yui-san whispered softly, stroking her thumb across my lower lip as she watched it slowly glide towards the end of my mouth before resting there. "You've got such soft lips, too."
I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to shake the cobwebs out of my mind before meeting hers once again. For some reason, she seemed to be enjoying watching me blush now; a gentle smirk formed upon her full red lips as she gave a knowing nod. "Thank you—for accepting my feelings, Hiro."
"...Yes," was all I managed to utter back. As usual, I was completely taken aback by how quickly things moved forward between us—how fast our relationship began progressing.
Footsteps across the floorboards echoed loudly in the hallway outside; the sound of approaching voices could be heard coming closer and closer.
"We should probably go soon," Yui-san said quietly, looking down at me with a smile on her face. "I'll call you a cab to pick you up."
I nodded silently as she led me by the hand back to the main entrance of the theater hall. We walked side by side down the short hallway leading to the front door of the building, passing by the ticket booth, empty at this time of night.
The dark gray clouds overhead cast the streetlights into sharp relief, illuminating the surrounding area with an eerie glow as we made our way out of the theater complex and onto the sidewalk.
Silence filled the space between us; neither of us spoke as we waited for the taxi to arrive. But our silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable—it was peaceful and tranquil, almost reverential. A calmness settled over us as we stood there in the middle of the street, finally content with one another's presence.
A few minutes passed before the taxi arrived, pulling up beside us.
A feeling of deja vu washed over me; this was the exact same scene that happened on my first date with Yui Ishikawa last month. It seemed to have been ages ago already—the memory of it felt so distant now.
Yui-san must have realized this as well because she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, smiling as she did so. "Well then," she started to say, "I guess it's time to part ways."
"I...I will call you later?" I asked hesitantly, unsure of how people who were dating behaved normally around each other.
A chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head. "I don't have your number—so only you can call me." Then she leaned forward, placing her hand gently against my cheek, her palm pressing firmly against my skin as she drew her face close to mine. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again, Hiro."
"Yeah," I replied softly, not quite sure what else to say. My heart was beating faster than normal. I knew I was being awkward around her, but somehow I couldn't help it; maybe it was because of all the things we had done tonight—or perhaps it was simply because I was nervous about the fact that we would be spending a lot of time together from here on out?.
Not wanting to embarrass myself by letting her see that I was struggling to find something witty to say, I decided to do one better instead.
I reached out with my hands and grabbed hold of both sides of her face, tilting it slightly downwards and planting a small kiss on her soft lips. She let out a soft gasp of surprise, still holding my gaze as she stared back into my eyes. Her cheeks flushed red as her lips parted ever so slightly.
Pulling myself back from her lips, I hurriedly stepped backward and turned around, making my way towards the taxi without looking back at her.
My face must have been beet-red by now—as I quickly climbed inside the cab.
Just before the cab pulled away, I took one last glance behind me, watching Yui-san wave goodbye to me through the window with an expression of longing etched upon her pale white features.
For some reason, she looked incredibly sad, but in a good sort of way, almost to where it was endearing. As if everything was finally coming full circle for her tonight.