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“Nnah what’s takin’ ‘em so long?” Mika groaned as he leaned back, resting the back of his head against the wooden fence. Arashi worried he would somehow manage to give himself a splinter doing that. “Feels like we’ve been sittin’ here hours already. Didn’ they say pictures would jus’ take a minute?”
“It’s only been ten minutes, silly~”
“Well…. It feels like it’s been a lot longer than that.”
Arashi couldn’t agree more, but she was in no rush to leave the equestrian club they sat outside of. The cicada’s incessant screaming was near-deafening and the heat from the midday sun was more unbearable than any summer she could remember. Even worse than that was the distinct smell of horse and humidity that hung in the air and clung to their skin, it was a smell that would likely take several baths to be rid of, if ever. But those negative feelings paled in comparison to the butterflies that filled her chest and made her heart pound like it had been replaced by a giant drum. Their performance, their Cheval Live as Mika had called it, had ended hours ago but her mind was still racing with everything that had happened.
Even if it was just for a moment, they’d finally been given a chance to shine together, just the two of them. She’d been waiting for that chance for so long and was still reeling from the excitement. They didn’t get to work together nearly as often as she wanted, but thanks to his efforts and some good luck on their side they were able to not only put on a show together, but one that could both look back on and feel proud of. However, to her, just getting to his toothy grin as they got to be part of a show that was made for them alone was the highlight of the entire experience. Even at that moment, sitting on the ground outside of an expensive club just the two of them, both of them still covered in a fine layer of dirt and sweat, she was happier than she remembered being in a long time.
“Naru-chan, thank you for agreein’ to do this… even after I messed up real bad at the start.” She turned to meet his gaze. It was tired but genuine.
She gave him a coy smile. “I should be the one thanking you! You did so much to make sure we were able to do this together. It was wonderful.” Her heart stirred a bit as she thought of the time they had spent apart. “... It’s been a long time since we got to do something fun together, huh?”
“We’ both been so busy since summer started, doin’ our own thing.”
The cicadas continued to scream, but Arashi ignored them, keeping her gaze trained on Mika as he tried to find a spot where his head could rest comfortably.
“I missed you.” The words left her lips before she had time to trick herself into not saying them.
He turned away from her and began fussing with his hair, clearly taken by surprise. Arashi could feel her cheeks flush and wondered if he was upset with her for being so upfront. “I missed you too! It gets so lonely without you durin’ the summer! We gotta make up for lost time, I got lots’a stories to tell you.” His tone was tense as he turned back to her.
She leaned back against the fence with him. “Mika-chan.”
“Naru-chan?”
“I hope we never have to be apart like that again.”
They held eye contact for a brief moment before she broke it, looking down to play with one of her rings. What was she thinking, saying something so honest out of nowhere? She wasn’t one to be so earnest, and she probably should have kept her thoughts to herself instead of putting her friend on the spot like that. “Sorry, that was so weird-”
“I’ll do whatever I gotta to make sure we ain’t like that again.”
He was smiling again, but it wasn’t that big toothy smile she loved so much - this one felt much different. Out of nowhere his smile looked mature and honest, just looking at it made her heart pound even more than the heat already did.
“Do you promise?” She said, just loud enough to be heard over the cicadas.
A quiet nod was his only response, his smile getting a bit goofier as he did it.
Before she knew what was happening or was able to wonder if it was the right course of action, she had leaned toward him. She quickly forgot about the heat and how the grass stabbed through her pants and made her legs itch, all that she could think about was how soft his skin was as she cupped his cheek and how his long fringe tickled her eyelashes as a soft breeze brushed through their hair. If she was being honest with herself, his lips weren’t as soft as she had imagined they would be, but that only served to show her that what was happening was actually happening and not just her imagination. At that moment, it was just her and Mika. Their kiss probably only lasted a few seconds at most, but if it had gone her way it might have lasted forever.
Pulling away from the boy, the absolute gravity of what she did quickly hit her and she wondered if he was going to be mad at her for doing that so suddenly. Mika’s face was a deep red and his eyes were wide, but he didn’t seem upset as much as it surprised her. Countless thoughts raced through her mind at once. What were you thinking? How are we going to go back to normal after that? Is he blushing or is it just the heat? Before she could even manage to get the start of an apology out he wordlessly pulled her into a second, even sweeter kiss.