Hot and cold.

How do you remove the awkwardness in the air?

Well to be honest, to Ayane, this kind of silence didn’t feel awkward. I felt peaceful… and a bit embarrassing.

“Um… Kanako-kun…” Ayane whispered in his ear. “You told me to cool off but… how can I do so in this position.”

Granted, her own personal seat was sure comfy and warm. But she didn’t expect herself to be sitting, albeit laying on Kanako’s chest.

“Gosh you are cute.” Kanako mumbled, forgetting that Ayane could hear his every breath.

Ayane felt that Kanako became more unpredictable than before. How much could a person change after a confession? She asked herself.

“You are perpetually cold all the time. I can’t let you freeze of hypothermia.” Kanako added. “Do you realize how cold tonight is?”

Ayane blushed and smiled. “How can I realize those trivial matters when you are here with me?”

She turned to look at Kanako. “Plus, you radiate so much body heat you are basically the sun.”

“Was that a compliment or an insult?”

“A compliment on a cold day, an insult on a hot one.”

Their short conversation was cut short by the friction of the ocean currents, waving by under the night sky. They sat on the bridge’s railing, looking at the beautiful night sky.

Time felt slow, and they didn’t feel sleepy at all. At this moment, what should they do?

“Uhh… Ayane-chan?” Kanako called. Ayane looked at him with such lovely eyes he felt he was going to have a heart attack.

“Sorry to ruin the mood, but its getting late.” Kanako added. “I can’t keep you to myself all the time. You have to go home and sleep too.”

Ayane instantly puffed up her cheeks hearing him. “What, you don’t want to keep me to yourself or something?”

Ayane wasn’t going to budge this way—Kanako knew. Thankfully, she wasn’t the heaviest of the bunch.

“Now tell me, are you going to walk yourself or should I carry you to your home myself this way?” Kanako asked, holding her on his hands.

Ayane jumped out in embarrassment. “Geez… I didn’t say I won’t walk…”

“That’s good to hear.”

***

It felt like an eternity as they walked to Ayane’s home. They uttered no word, until Ayane broke the silence.

“What are you thinking with such a long face?”

“Just wondering.” Kanako replied. “My mom can understand me just by looking. She is definitely going to know even if I don’t tell her about this. Just imagining what I should do in that case.”

That go Ayane thinking as well. What would she tell her mom? How would things go?

But those could wait, even if its for just a little while. Whats more important was this—what would they do in school?

“Hey… I have a question to ask” Ayane called. “Do you w-want to keep this thing a secret? From school I mean?”

Kanako looked at her as if this was his first time pondering about that thought.

“Oh.” He uttered. “I guess you want to keep it a secret, right? I get it, it could affect your acting career and such-”

“NO WAY.” Ayane strongly denied. “I am not going to do that. I was thinking about you!”

“Why would I want that?”

“Because you are popular, and, you are my senior. It might raise some eyebrows, right?”

“Oh.” Kanako said. “But a senior-junior romantic relationship isn’t that uncommon. Its gross if someones a senior from high school and like someone from middle school, but we only have a one year age gap. I don’t see the problem. In fact, a lot of students does it.”

“I-I see…”

Life was now full of surprises. She looked forward to tomorrow, and for the future as well. What was going to happen? She was curious to find the answers herself.