A comfortable silence settled between them. Hiroto, breaking the stillness, asked, "If I had said I wanted to be friends with you, would you have said yes?"
A long pause followed. Fumiko's breathing evened out, signaling she was drifting off to sleep.
"I'm only joking," Hiroto muttered to himself. "Why would I think you'd want to be with me? We've barely interacted."
Fumiko's voice, barely audible, confirmed his thoughts, "Yes, we haven't."
She turned away, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Hiroto watched her, his gaze soft. He knew he was intruding on her personal space, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"I knew you wouldn't," he whispered. "Our worlds are completely different."
He moved to turn off the lights, but the sight of her sleeping face halted him. An inexplicable urge washed over him.Without conscious thought, his lips brushed against hers.
