ıოօʊтօ

A Little Bit Longer

  Upon arriving back from the kitchen, Hiroomi smiled softly. _____ had fallen asleep already. Hiroomi set down the tray softly, certain it didn't make a sound so as to not stir _____. He got a bit closer, examining her as she softly breathed in and out, back rising and falling. He pushed back the hair that fell in front of her face and his smile soften into a loving, protective one.

  Pure. _____ was the image of purity, Hiroomi thought. He couldn't fathom what he would do if she broke ties with him or if another boy would have taken her for himself if Hiroomi hadn't talked to her when he did. When she looked this soft and pure, she almost morphed into a porcelain doll before his eyes.

  But was she as fragile as porcelain? Hiroomi always wondered that.

  Straightening, Hiroomi turned and prepared his tea. He slowly and gently sat besides _____, trying his best to not wake her with the shift of weight on the cushions. Lifting the tea cup to his lips, he took a sip.

  Bitter. Bitter and hot. His tea left a taste in his mouth of scalding hot, earthy muck. It was certainly made to his liking as he was the one who prepared it. What didn't sit right, and caused the unpleasant taste, was his conscious. Everything Hiroomi ate or drank tasted bitter anymore. Since the day that he had planned to ask _____ to pretend to be his girlfriend. It was only the second day into their pseudo relationship but the bitterness only grew and grew. This had been going on for two weeks since the idea popped into his head.

  The truth of the matter was there was no stalker girl following Hiroomi around. There was no need to force _____ out on dates as a disguise of throwing the nonexistent stalker for a loop. It was all an elaborate and cruel plan that left Hiroomi with that seething bitter after taste with even the sweetest of foods.

  He wasn't the one that even thought of it. It was a joke made in passing by one of the elders of the clan. The more and more Hiroomi weighed his options, he feared _____ rejecting a real confession. He mulled over the plan for two weeks before asking before one day seeing her in the hall and being unable to get his heart to settle down. She was just walking. Nothing more. But Hiroomi's heart had gone off racing as if she had said I love you to him. He impulsively acted, asking to meet her after class. When they met his heart was screaming in anxiety. The hopeless look when she denied being a spirit world warrior nearly caused him to break but he was already knee deep in his plan. To keep Mitsuki and Izuki quiet and playing along he had to pay them far too much, promising to be their errand boy and do all their chores for two months.

  Each day the taste of bitter leaves grew stronger and stronger. But every time he saw that angelic smile cross _____'s lips, he couldn't tell her. When she'd blush, it was like his heart was going to burst. When she called him onii-chan-. No more thinking about that.

  Hiroomi shook his head and placed the tea cup back on its saucer gently. Looking to _____, he let out a sigh and smiled apologetically to the sleeping form.

  Just a bit longer. Let me enjoy this a little bit longer before she leaves me. Please. She can hate me if she wants. She can spit on me, hit me, whatever she has to do. I will accept it all as it will be what I deserve.