Musically Inclined (Azumane Asahi x Reader)

Chapter 20 - Earth-shattering Gesture

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat?"

Y/N POV:

Asahi perked up at my question, turning towards me with a smile, "Sounds good to me. Any preference on where we go?"

I shook my head in response, "Nope! You can choose, since I suggested the bookstore." I adjusted the strap of the bag that hung over my shoulder that held my book and Asahi's art supplies as I spoke.

"Hmm, okay..." he trailed off in thought, looking up and down the bustling street, lined with pedestrians and small shops. Something must've popped into his mind, because he immediately perked up and turned to me with a smile.

"How do you feel about going downtown?"

I nodded my head, "Sure! I'm down for an adventure!"

We quickly made our way to the closest train station, which was only a few minutes walk away from the bookstore.

There was an obvious skip in my step, excited that I was able to spend more time with him. I was determined to figure out what exactly he had thought of, so I wracked my brain for ideas.

'I wonder what he thought of...maybe a ramen shop? Or... a bakery? No, it has to be something else, those wouldn't prompt that much excitement from him.'

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice that Asahi had switched sides with me on the sidewalk, making it so he was walking next to the busy street and I was on the inside, closer to the other pedestrians and shops.

We came upon the train station pretty quickly, swiping our metro cards and quickly making our way through the train station to find the correct train that would take us downtown.

After getting turned around a few times, we eventually found it, making it on just a few minutes before it was scheduled to take off.

As we stepped onto the train, I immediately grabbed one of Asahi's sleeves to help keep close. The train car we stepped into was almost completely full, with only the option to stand left.

Asahi looked down at his sleeve that I tugged on, pausing for a moment before slowly grabbing my hand to lead me further into the train to find a less crowded area.

I could feel my ears heat up as his hand engulfed mine and we squeezed our way through the crowd. I felt like everyone was watching Asahi and I after he held my hand, but in reality, it was only us who would've noticed.

I kept my eyes down as we stopped in a more vacant area in the car, providing us with a bit of relief, but not much as we were still quite squished between the other passengers.

He kept a firm grip on my hand as the train lurched forward suddenly, and he grabbed the rungs that hung from the ceiling for stability.

Although I was squished by the high capacity of people on the train, the only thing I could focus on was my hand in Asahi's.

My heart raced at a speed comparable to the train we were on as I looked down at the earth shattering gesture.

Looking down at our hands, my heart nearly stopped.

I could only accredit that feeling to the culmination of my conflicting feelings cascading down on me at that very moment.

I finally knew how I felt.

'I... think I like Asahi'

"Hey, are you okay? Sorry it's a bit crowded in here."

Asahi's voice and a slight squeeze of my hand immediately snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned my attention away from the ground and up toward him, who looked at me with concerned eyes.