"Okay, let's get back."
"Wait," he called out urgently, one hand grabbing her shoulder before she could leave.
"Huh?"
"Not yet." Hizashi took the bag off her arm and set it on the bed. "There's something I gotta do first."
"Oh. Okay. I can -"
Elly was cut off by the gentle pressure of his mouth on her own. Startled beyond belief, it took her a good several seconds before the tickle of his mustache reassured her it was really happening. She closed her eyes, relishing the light, open-mouthed kiss.
He broke apart eventually, his eyes holding her own. "Listen. If we went back there an' I wanted to be with you, you'd think it was only 'cause you're prettier lookin' there, right?"
She nodded, speechless.
"Well it isn't," he said hotly. "I'm not a shallow piece of shit like some guys. I - I like <i>you</i>, and if this is you here, I still do." He bit his lip, then blurted out, "Y'still pretty!"
She shook her head, puzzled, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He stroked them away with a fingertip.
"In my reality, we got people made of cement. Ones with full animal heads, others that are made up of black holes, like Thirteen. We're better at looking at the real person, not just the outside... and I like you for <i>you</i>."
"Really?"
"Yeah." He smiled and shouldered her bag himself. "We can talk about it later. For now, we gotta get back. You gonna leave a note or something for your folks?"
She nodded wordlessly and pointed at her dresser where a slip of paper lay. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss and her heart was racing. All she could think of was to get back to his reality where she would feel better and possibly try that again.
Hizashi perhaps saw what was on her mind and grinned roguishly at her.
She hurried out the door and he followed close behind. Her mother thankfully did not notice when they slipped back to the bathroom, and she leaped into the circle of energy with a much lighter heart than when she had before.
No comments:
Post a Comment