Suddenly on a Leash (1)

Chapter forty eight

My eyes cracked open around the break of dawn, a gentle, yellow light raying on the bed. I groaned softly and stretched a bit where I lay, turning over as I rubbed an eye.
"...good morning."
I almost had a heart attack as I came face to face with, surprisingly, Sora, who was crouching beside the couch to be eye level with me.
"GAHー" I covered my mouth as I jolted, so as not to wake my friend, who was still sleeping soundly next to me.
Gapping in disbelief, I scream-whispered to Sora, who was, of course, just smiling at me, his tail swaying back and forth behind him.
"Sora?? What the heck are you doing...??"

"Before you get creeped out," he murmured back. "You should know that I wasn't just watching you sleep. I just got here and wanted to see if you were awake."
I let out a heavy breath, running my hand through my tangled bed head.
Sora smiled.
"You should know... you're adorable when you first wake up."
I scowled at him, but my face was burning.
What was I supposed to say to something like that...?
Chuckling lightly, he stood to his full height. "Want to drink tea out on the porch with me for a bit?"

"... Sure."

Maybe it was just my imagination, but as we turned to go, Sora seemed to stare at Haruka for a long moment...

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•

We were quiet as we sat side by side on the porch, looking at the light colored sky. I shuddered a little. It was kind of chilly this morning...
"Cold?"
I turned to look at Sora who was looking at me. Oh, he'd seen that.
"Ah, no, I'm fine."
Despite what I'd said, Sora scooted towards me and pulled me into him, draping himself around me from behind.
I tried to fight the blush that threatened to burn my face. He had me blushing every five seconds... I was so easy...
He leaned against my back, his arms around me, and rested his chin on top of my head, letting out a soft breath. When he spoke, I was surprised by the darkness of his tone.
".... So who is this 'Randyn McClive'...?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Frowning deeply, I pulled my head from under his, leaning my head back to look at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"

"That's not an answer."

"Were you poking your nose in my head last night?"

"I didn't have to, you were talking loud."

I groaned loudly, leaning forward limply. "Honestly..."

"Who was he?"

"A guy! Leave it!"

"Was his hair better than mine?"

"Shut up!"

I raised my legs to hug my knees, crumpling with a slow breath.
"... I don't want to talk about it. Okay..?"
Sora didn't answer, but the atmosphere felt uncomfortable.
"... He hurt you."
I paused, then raised my head to look back at him. He was look at me so sadly...
My brows drew together. Don't look at me like that...
I hesitated to say anything for a long moment.
"Yeah. He did. But I got over it. I'm fine."
After all the times he'd used that phrase on me, it should be just fine when I say it.
He made a face, but I pretended I didn't see it.
After a moment, he reached out to cup my face, just looking at me for a long moment.
I looked in his eyes, staying quiet, wondering what he was thinking about.
Finally, he leaned towards me and gently pressed his lips to mine, kissing me sweetly for a long moment, then kissing me again, and again...
I felt dizzy and breathless, finally having to pull away, unable to breathe.
"W....wait, I...I can't...."
I couldn't even speak correctly, my chest heaving.
Sora looked amused by my reaction. Seemed he took great pride in taking my breath away...
He was so unpredictable...
He grinned, leaning closer. "I'd like to keep it that way."
Before I could respond, he leaned back in, kissing the last of my breath away.
It amazed me the things he did to me...
But if he wasn't careful, he'd give me a heart attack... Seriously....
Stupid fox...