Cookie Kiss - Taiga

Rei stood before me, her arms hidden behind her back in that teasing way I loved. She narrowed her eyes, and a playful smile stretched on her face as she reached out. Taiga. Her lips shaped my name. I reached back, my fingers inches from hers.

But then, the shadows behind her morphed into arms that erupted from the dark, coiling around her waist like vipers. She lowered her head, and the air around her began to bleed. One thread at a time emerged until she was engulfed in an enormous, pulsing bush of scarlet reaching in every direction.

My eyes shot open as I gasped for air. The room was silent. I ran a hand over my forehead; it was slick with a cold, frantic sweat. I sighed, the sound echoing in the empty room. I rested my arm over my eyes. I lay there for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Rei.

After a while, I sat up and checked my phone. The screen was cold when I scrolled for any notifications. Nothing.

[Morning, Rei! ^v^]

[I miss you.]

[I will get you something you like :3]

She was at her studio apartment, the fortress she kept for "work" and "quiet". I had never stepped a foot inside, and I didn't plan to. It wasn't like I didn't want to. But I couldn't admit it because that's what Rei wanted; she wanted me to ask about that place.

I pressed my thumb against the screen until the light died, then set it face down on the mattress.

I showered for a bit longer since that dream left me covered in sweat. After I was done, I pulled on the beige hoodie she’d picked for me. It was soft just like her. I shook my head. Focus Taiga. I still had three hours before my own class, but the urge to see her. I packed the cookies I baked for her. Each one was measured and perfected because she was such a perfectionist. I slung my bag over my shoulder and stepped out of the house.

The university courtyard near the chemistry department was small and far from the main crowd. It was a quiet sanctuary that Rei claimed as her own.

As I reached the entrance, a classmate brushed past me. He glanced my way, his mouth hooking into a crooked smirk that felt directed my way. It was weird. I turned the other way. Rei was there, sitting under the shade of the great tree. She had her knees pulled up, her fingers moving slowly through her hair. My eyes moved back to that guy watching him go, my gaze lingered on the back of his neck until the urge to reach out and snap it finally subsided.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Walking over to Rei, I set my bag down with a soft thud. "Morning, Rei."

She flinched. Her reaction was small, but to me, it was a thunderclap. My lips curled into a smile. Her eyes cut towards me. "Morning."

I pulled the box from my bag and moved it towards her. She took it with both hands, lifting the lid to reveal the treats I spent hours making. She picked up a cookie, turning it over once before taking a bite. Her chewing slowed. Then, the hunger took over. Two more bites in quick succession, her hand already reaching for the next biscuit.

She loved them. She tried to hide the delight behind her indifference, but I saw the way her shoulders relaxed.

I watched her fingers trail along the golden-brown edges. A single crumb fell, landing on her bare leg. Without a second thought, I leaned down and picked it up, pressing the small fragment onto my tongue. Rei froze. She looked at me, her gaze unreadable for a moment, before she turned back to the box and continued eating in silence.

A notebook sat on the grass beside her. It was bare, without the pink covers Rei applied to all her books. It looked way too exposed to be hers. I reached for it.

"It's Haru's", she spoke before my fingers could graze the cover. "He lent me his notes."

Haru. The name hovered on my tongue as I searched my memory for the face. Then it finally clicked. The tall, athletic one I’d passed at the entrance. The one with the smirk. The exact type of garbage I preferred avoiding.

"The guy you met earlier," she added, her eyes narrowing. "Aren't you jealous?"

I moved closer, closing the distance until I could smell the cookies from her. I took her hand; it was cool and small. "Why would I be?"

She pulled back sharply. Her eyes locked onto mine, and I stayed still, waiting for her to say something that she knew would sting. "He and I—"

I didn't let her finish. I caught her by the waist and pulled her into me. She let out a small shriek. The cookie box tipped, striking the ground and crushing the grass under its weight.

I tilted her head back, my thumb pressing against her lower lip to force her mouth open. She pressed a hand against my chest, a weak protest that I ignored.

I sank into the kiss. I could taste the cookies, but it was the iron-sharp taste of her that I craved. I wanted to swallow her whole, to overwrite every word Haru might have whispered to her.

She stopped pushing. Her body went soft, yielding to the pressure. I felt the tension bleed out of her as I moved my arm down, anchoring her to me.

She was the first to break away. She turned her face, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, her fingers trembling.

"I don't care about anyone else." I kept my voice as smooth and calm as possible. I placed my hand on her shoulder, feeling the bone beneath the skin. "I know you love me, Rei."

She offered no answer. She gathered her things, her bag, and Haru’s intrusive notebook and stood up. She pushed her hair back, walking away without a single word or even a glance.

I leaned back against the tree, the rough bark biting into my spine.

She wanted a reaction. She wanted to test me. She wanted to see my worth. But I will give her a silence so profound she’ll have no choice but to fill it with her own devotion. Eventually, the running will tire her. Eventually, she will realise that my love is the only gravity that matters. Eventually, she will fear losing me.

I will pass every test she sets. I will be the only one left standing.

The cookie box lay open on the grass, a few of them scattered around. I picked them up one by one, carefully brushing off the dirt before tucking them back into their place.