That Night

Chapter Twelve

"Atsu! Where are your cups?" I yell.

"You've been here how many times and you still haven't figured out where the cups are?" I hear him laugh.

I roll my eyes playfully as he comes around the corner with a smile on his lips. So kissable and soft.

"They are in the cabinet to the left of the sink."

I nod and go collect one, pouring some tea into it.

"What are you drinking?" Atsu asks.

"Fig leaf tea." I respond.

"Oh can I try?" He asks.

"Sure." I shrug.

He giggles in delight as he approaches the cup and lifts it to his lips. After taking a sip he stares at the liquid with a mystified expression. He takes another sip. Then another.

"I don't know what to think about that." He states before setting it down and leaving the room again.

"Oh Atsu." I breathe, mixing it with a sorry laugh before following him with my cup in hand. "What are you doing?"

I sit on the couch behind him, his back up against said piece of furniture with a pad of paper resting on his legs and a pencil in his hand, the eraser end resting between his teeth as he looked at the paper with a blank expression.

"Trying to think of a way to put the image in my head on paper." He responds calmly.

I him in response, leaning back as the sound of his pencil begins scratching against the paper.

With one leg tucked under me and the other pulled up against my chest, I watch over his shoulder silently. After about ten minutes, I give up on trying to figure out what he's drawing. His sketch lines are so light is hard to make anything out anyway.

I take another sip of my tea before setting the cup down. I fold my hands over my knee and rest my head on them, slowly dozing off to the sound of his light breathing and the scratch of pencil on paper. It was relaxing in a way I couldn't explain.

"You don't regret anything do you?" He murmurs, voice slightly shaky.

"Not for a second."

I continue kneading my hands softly into his scalp a I washed his hair, the one black stand sticking out above the rest. Carefully, I remove it from the rest of his hair, running it through my fingers softly.

"Do you mind if I ask why you did it?" He asks, voice still slightly shaky.

"Did what?"

"That. With me." His voice falls to a whisper.

I think about an answer that would pose him but come up with none. Why did I do it?

"I don't know. I know that isn't much of answer, but I really don't." He inclines his head to look back at me, dual colored eyes meeting my plain ones. "At first I thought you were adorable and was originally planning on just getting your number but then you struck a cord in me. I don't know what it was, but I know it was something I had never felt before."

"Really?"

I nod with a small smile. "Yeah." I bend down and kiss his forehead before releasing the black strand and mixed it back in with the rest.

He breaths out a laugh as I begin rinsing out his hair. His eyes close as my fingertips graze over the skin of his shoulder and the nape of his neck.

"You're beautiful." I whisper.

If he heard me, he didn't show that he did. He stayed silent. When I finish with his hair, he turns himself around to face me, his legs pulled up to his chest as mine rested on either side of him, knees the only thing above the water.

He traces small patterns on my knee with his finger before sighing.

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

No answer.

"Hey." I begin softly. "Talk to me."

"I... well... its just that I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"The morning. I'm afraid that once we wake up and are separated again, you're going to forget about me and tonight. I feel like you're going to treat this like everyone else does. This will sound strange coming from someone you don't really know, but tonight was special to me. It meant a lot even if it was a one night stand." He looks away, his finger stopping its patterns as he pulled his hand away and rested it around his knees as well.

He looks away with a sad look in his eyes. Gently, I place my finger under his chin and make him look at me again before pressing a tender kiss upon his lips.

"You don't have to worry about me forgetting anything. You are unique and hard to forget. Believe it or not, but tonight was special to me as well. I'm not sure what you mean by 'treat you like everyone else does' but I'm not going to allow you to feel like this is nothing to me. Alright?"

He nods slowly.

"Tonight will be something for the both of us to remember and look back on. Agreed?"

"Agreed." He says softly, a small smile playing at his lips.

I rub my nose against his and he giggles.

"How about we get dressed and get some sleep. I'm sure you're tired."

He nods just as a yawn slips from his mouth. I climb out of the tub and wrap a towel around my waist before assisting him. Once we're both dressed, I carry him to bed.

"Can I tell you something and you not be mad at me?" I ask once we're settled in.

He nods sleepily.

"I may or may not be here when you wake up in the morning." I start. "If I'm not, there will be something for breakfast on the table and a key to the front door. When you finish eating and leave, lock the door and slip the key into the nook by the outside of the doorframe. Okay?"

He nods again. "Okay." Then his breathing evens or and he's sleeping again.

I hated having to leave him alone in the morning but there is an out of town assignment the boss assigned my sister and I that I can't miss.

I can only hope he won't hate me later.

_________________________________________

Yay, another update after a month! I know it's short, but I haven't given up on this story yet.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to stick with me although my updates are completely messed up.

Also does this still make sense or is it confusing? Please let me know if it is or not and I will try to clear things up in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading and, hopefully,  see you in the next chapter.