The Second Dance

After Eita washed his face, he checked his messages while he was drying up his face with his towel. He got disappointed since he didn’t get the message which he was waiting for. Then he figured that it was eight in the morning and “Maybe he didn’t wake up yet,” he thought.

Eita sent a good morning message. He received a good morning reply message without passing a minute.

“Did I wake you up?” Eita asked.

“No,” Ando answered.

“I wish you sent a message to me as soon as you wake up,” Eita wrote without holding himself.

Ando sent him a smiling emoji. Then “Why not if you want to receive messages at six in the morning?” he wrote.

“Why does a human wake up so early in a holiday morning?” Eita said himself by smiling. Then “I would like you to send a message to me first whenever you wake up,” he wrote.

He didn’t get a message for a while and he got worried that he behaved possessive and made Ando uncomfortable. Then he got a message and got embarrassed. It was written in the message that “I hope one day I could say good morning to your face since I wake up next to you,”.

After they showed their feelings to each other, two weeks had passed but Eita was not used to get messages like that. Besides he was still surprised how he could be so happy with those messages. Since both of them were in a busy period, they could see each other less last week, either. After they chatted some, they decided to meet that afternoon.

…

In a park where was close to centrum, Eita sat on a bank and began to wait for Ando. He was watching the children who were playing. Just then a little girl who was running with a ball fell down to the ground. A little boy came to her and helped her to sit. As soon as he asked that she was alright, the little girl began to cry.

After the little boy saw that she was crying, he couldn’t know what he could do. He got panicked. When he was about to cry, “No, no, no... You are doing it wrong,” Eita said. The little boy startled and looked at Eita.

“It’s no use to cry for her,” Eita continued. The boy wiped his tears and sniffed. Eita made a hand sign as if he wanted to say good job. The boy smiled with success. However, the little girl was still crying. But her crying was less since she focused on Eita and little boy.

Eita got up and got closer to them. He turned to the boy and “Let me show you what you should do for her,” he said. He kicked the paving stone which the girl hit and turned it upside down. Both of children began to laugh.

The boy stopped his laughing and “The stones don’t feel pain, mister,” he said. “But I got revenge for you. This thing is never going to be the same,” Eita answered with pride. “You should do the same thing. Whatever the life does to you, you should do the same thing to the life,” he added. As soon as he said those things, he ate a spank on his nape. The owner of the spank was Ando.

“You are teaching them a true thing in a wrong way,” Ando said by smiling. Then he bended over in front of children. He turned to boy and “Let me teach you what you can do for your friend’s wounded knee,” he said. Then he turned to the girl and smiled. He asked permission to check her knee.

The girl smiled with admire and showed her knee. After Ando checked the knee, he took his water battle and a napkin out of his bag. He said that it wouldn’t give pain and poured some water on her knee. Then he dried the wound with napkin.

After he was done with his work, Ando looked at the girl and smiled with a beautiful face. “It’s small. I’m sure it recovers fast. But you should show that wound to your parents, too,” he said. The girl thanked him and got up. The boy was looking at Ando with an admire, too.

Eita thought that he was forgotten. He went to the ball which the girl was after. He gave it to children. The children thanked them one more time and left there.

As soon as the children went away, Ando looked at Eita with an angry expression. Eita asked what happened. Ando folded his arms and “The stone could harm you, too,” he said. He sighed once and fixed it. “You’re damaging the public property,” he added.

“A yakuza shouldn’t think those things,” Eita answered with a serious tone. Then he made his voice softer and “But I made them laugh,” he added. Ando smiled that cute excuse. He got closer to Eita and “Today I would like to wander around like two college students, not yakuza,” he said. Then he got his voice lower and “Even a couple...” he added.

Eita felt the blood flowing to his checks. He turned his gaze away and “How can you say those embarrassing things to your same gender?” he asked. He was not able to control his smiling at the same time. Ando turned to the park and hold his own chin with a thoughtful expression. “It’s not easy for me, either,” he muttered. Then he turned to Eita again and “I can’t even say that we’re lovers or not to myself,” he added.

When Eita heard that sentence “Huh?” he asked with surprise. Ando began to walk slowly without waiting for Eita. Eita went after him. They walked silently in the park for a while. Eita began to think in that time.

Who could kiss a person who was same gender with him without love? Of course, he was in love! However, to love and being lovers are different matters. Eita guessed that Ando questioned their relationship. He thought his friends in high school. He tried to remember their relationships with their girlfriends. Dating regularly, messaging every day, holding hands, hugging and kissing each other and more... They had been doing most of them for two weeks. Did one of partners have to say “Please go out with me,” in any case?

Eita didn’t know that Ando cared that too much. But if Ando wanted, Eita would restart the relationship and ask Ando to go out with him. Eita attended to say his thoughts but before that, Ando talked first.

“I’ve been in love with you for longer time than you and I have had a lot of time to think about that situation. I said those because of my familial and social concerns. People around us want us to be good colleagues, not lovers,” Ando said.

When Eita heard those explaining, he stopped walking. Then he began to laugh. Ando walked more and when he figured that Eita was laughing, he stopped, too. “I’m just trying to tell you about my worries,” Ando said with an irritable attitude.

Eita looked around. He got sure that there was nobody around them. They were under a big tree and shadows were dancing with the wind slowly. “I laughed since I relaxed,” he said. Ando looked at him as if he didn’t understand anything. Eita continued his explaining.

“At first I thought you questioned our being lovers because you’re not sure about my feelings,” he said. He moved his gaze away. He touched his own nape and “If that was like that, I wouldn’t know how I could take my feeling to you or I could make you believe in my feelings,” he added shyly. Then he turned to Ando and “Say... Do we have to meet the expectations of others?” asked confidently.

The wind got stronger. As the leaves were moving, the shadows on Eita were changing too. After a silence for a few second, “I’ve never tried to meet expectation of someone in my life. From now on, I’m not going to care others' opinions, either,” Eita said.

Ando stayed still for a while. He was surprised that Eita could explain himself so easily and clearly. Eita got closer to him. While he was walking to Ando, “I think you should learn to close your eyes and ears to others’ opinions, too. Because I won’t let you go since you are worried about that,” Eita said. He held Ando’s hand and “I told you before. You started this. You can’t leave,” he whispered.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go and eat something,” he added with lauder voice and began to walk by pulling Ando’s hand. Ando left Eita’s hand suddenly and “Who is leaving? Actually, if you leave, I will make you pay for that,” he said. Eita smiled to that reaction but Ando was still looking seriously. Then he made his gaze softer and “There is no need to go somewhere. I... I brought something for the lunch,” he added.

…

Eita was enjoying his sandwich. Then “Everybody adds the same things in a sandwich but how can this thing be so delicious?” he asked. When Ando took them off his bag, Eita guessed the sandwiches were homemade. Besides there was not a brand name on the packages. He drank the fruit juice which was homemade possibly.

“Cook of your house is really something,” Eita said. Ando began to cough suddenly. Eita asked Ando was alright. Eita gave him his juice for helping the cough. He got worried and sat next to Ando. After Ando drank some juice, he felt better. Eita asked Ando was alright again. Because even if the cough went away, Ando’s face was still red.

Ando said he was alright then he added the sandwiches was not made by his housekeepers. “Is that so? I thought they were homemade since there is no brand name,” Eita said. That made Ando blushed more. “It’s not like that, either,” he said. Finally, Eita could understand who made the sandwiches. He looked at his front and “Look at that surprise...” he muttered. Then he turned to Ando and “I will kiss you even if I made your head cheese,” he said and kissed Ando’s forehead.

Ando got panicked and looked around in case somebody saw them. Eita moved away from him. Then Ando looked at Eita and “I’m glad you like it,” he said with a smile.

“Can you cook?” Eita asked after he watched Ando for a while. “Why do you ask? Do you want me to bring lunch for you at school?” Ando asked as an answer. Eita laughed and “Why not?” he said. He folded his arm and took the park table and lean his head. But still he was looking at Ando. He smiled and “You, the things you can do, the things you can’t do, what you like and dislike... I want to know everything about you,” he said.

Ando got shy but kept his smiling on his face. He pointed Eita with his finger and “What do you think what I like?” he asked. Both of them laughed. Ando touched Eita’s ear and “Will you come with me?” he asked.