56.
chapter fifty-six
he loves me...

"I know it when you feed me pretty little lies, Serena. What do you think? That your blood isn't running within mine? That we are soulmates just in name?!"

Red clouded my vision. "You are the reason!" I blurted out. The can couldn't take it any longer. Like soda, words fizzed out. My hand sought the sharp edges of the metal beneath my tank. "You are the darned reason!"

Ash froze, lips wavering. A still second rained down before he questioned, in a tone softer than before, "Please tell me what I did."

I tore my gaze away, biting my lip. "You didn't."

"What do you—"

"You w-will," I breathed, finding the fuzzy flip-flops way more fascinating than the hurt flashing in his glowing ambers. My breath seized its casual flow, chest tightening. I gripped the pendant harder, trying to form coherent sentences, but all I managed were words. "You. Kanto. University. Y-you'll move out. Y-your parents. They — they—"

My struggle was cut short when he crashed his mouth against mine. His fingers fondled my hair, pulling me flush against him, but mine? Mine only gripped harder at the trinket he had gifted — days, weeks, maybe even months ago.

Time blurred. Seconds, minutes — maybe even an eternity — slipped from my fingertips. The warmth of his lips was setting a fire to the cold coil of dread within my chest, burning the words into ashes.

As swiftly as he had leaned in, he withdrew. With a breathless pant, he pushed forward, our foreheads dancing against each other.

"You overthought." There it was. The huskily quiet voice that made my stomach flip. "You overthought everything. It's my fault."

"Ash?"

"Listen!" he shushed, his eyes snapping closed. With the tiniest of movements, his bangs tickled my skin.

"When I told you that you're my first priority, I meant it. Sure, I'll be gone a week or two, but that's only to help them move in." He pressed forward, as if willing me to believe. "Not to move in with my parents. I'm not changing universities. I can't either. That's not permitted in the middle of a year."

"But—" A sob cut me short. I swallowed, squeezing my eyes tight. The pendant's edges were sharp. "But won't they... expect you?"

"No," he breathed. I willed myself to open my eyes, to steal a glance. But he still had his closed, as if he were in utter concentration. As if one wrong movement would break me.

Which it would.

"No, I already told them. I told them I wouldn't accompany them, and maybe stay away from them until you found a job and we could move in together. With Mom-in-law's permission, and your consent."

Dissolving the lump in my throat was now near impossible. Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks — the cause unknown. We weren't discussing anything heavy, but...

"W-why would you do that? You have missed them every day for this past decade. Why now, when they're so close, are you pushing them away?"

Ash withdrew, drawing in a sharp breath. His glimmering browns finally gave me a glimpse of himself. My lungs spasmed when his hand came to rest on mine, grasping the pendant.

"Despite how cheesy this might seem, this is the truth. I can't go a day without you."

I blinked, feeling his fingers curl around my hand.

"I can't go a day without hearing from you, seeing your smile even if it’s not moving. Serena, I told you a few days after we met how you chased love while I was lost on it. Now I get it."

"What?" I urged, pulse quickening.

"I get why I should chase love too. Why I should chase you." He grinned, taking my hand off my chest and intertwining our fingers. "Because your happiness lights my life, Serena."

Warmth dusted my cheeks, eyes dilating at the boy in front of me. I probably looked like a gaping fish then. "And no matter how long you take to show your affection, I'll wait. I'll wait."

His grip tightened on my hand, grounding me with an electric touch. "I'll wait, because I love you."

— xoxo —

The first of daylight flickered through the darkness of my eyelids. I yawned, feeling my body heavy. It didn't take long for my mind to catch up.

Craning my neck, I caught Ash mid-snore. His hair stuck up in all possible directions, his lips parted in a deep slumber. My gaze softened. It didn't take a genius to figure out how exhausted he was to sleep like a kid.

I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but failed when he pulled me close enough for his breathing to vibrate through me. With warmth creeping up my cheeks, I twisted lightly, cupping his cheek.

"Ash," I called out softly. "Wake up."

The boy stirred, mumbling something incoherently before burying his face in my shoulder. For someone who supposedly didn't remember sleeping beside anyone for a long time, he was doing a very good job at getting me flustered.

"Ash." This time, I almost broke my neck trying to shake him. "Wake up!"

The boy fluttered open his brown eyes, swallowing. I shot him a soft smile when he yawned. "Morning, Koibito."

"Good morning."

He gulped, smacking his lips. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, but it would be good if you could release me."

"If I did, you'd fall," he smirked, voice still thick with sleep. As if on instinct, my stomach tightened, eliciting a mumble of complaint.

"As if I didn't already."

Ash let go, and I sat up immediately, swinging my legs off the bed in an attempt to not let him win. I regretted it at once. Hello, cold air, my old friend.

"Remind me again why we have an exam today?" I groaned when he started untangling my locks with his hand. "I'd much rather stay in bed."

"Me too, me too," he sympathized. "Why don't I whip up breakfast for you while you get ready? Would make things quicker."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You? Cook? I don't want my kitchen in shreds."

"I can manage." He bolted to his feet, patting my head for no reason. Without another warning, he leaned down, letting my lips taste the ghost of his before scurrying out, shouting, "Happy birthday, Serena-chan!"

I drew out a content sigh, hands finding the pendant underneath my tank easily. Its surface was strong, grounding, imposing memories of the last night.

He won't leave.

Because...

I smiled, remembering his words. "Because he loves me. Ash loves me."

— 🫧 —

So guys, are we
liking this book?
The lack of
comments is
really not motivating
me to publish
more chapters. ToT

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x