Page 104 of Let's Talk About Love
Before, her breathing had been shallow but inaudible, but it stopped completely as she watched him move toward her in that impossible moment. And then he stopped.
Inches away, eyes locked onto hers, he stopped moving. Alice pressed her lips together, anxious to get out of that frozen stance, but unsure of what to do. Didn’t he want to kiss her again? She wanted him too. What was he waiting for?
Takumi subtly raised his eyebrows.
(A question for her?)
(Oh.Oh.)
Now was probably the wrong time to tease him, but… “You didn’t ask first.”
“I realized that. I’m sorry,” he whispered back, words tickling her skin. “I’d like to kiss you again.”
“I’d like that, too. Yeah.”
Alice watched him until her eyelids fluttered, then closed. She kissed him with everything she had and borrowed what she didn’t. He exhaled against her cheek. She buried her hands in his hair. He held her face in between his hands.
Blood pumped through her veins and arteries to an unyielding rhythm, chanting his name.
Her heart beat:TakumiTakumiTakumi
Her brain skipped:TakumiTakumiTakumi
She feared there would be nothing left of her after this kiss.
On the list of things Alice loved about Takumi, touching him was definitely in the top five. Resolutely she added kissing him to that list. Kisses were not supposed to be like this. They were nice and soft and made her feel warm inside, special, when done right, but were overly wet and vomit inducing when they weren’t. Kisses had never left her with her chest heaving and desperate for more moments like this. She never wanted to stop. She never wanted this kiss to end.
(Maybe she just wanted it too much.)
(Was this even real?)
She wanted to kiss him, to hold him, to show him, to tell him everything she’d mess up if she tried to explain it in words. She wanted him to feel what she felt. She wanted him to understand that this was different, yes, that it could work, that it could be everything.
Takumi’s face revealed nothing when he pulled back to breathe until he placed his forehead on hers, squeezing his eyes shut. It should have been impossible to see him clearly when he was so close, but she did.
“I figured you out pretty early,” he said. “I think that’s why I liked you so much right away. I never second-guessed myself with you, never got frustrated, never got angry. It’s like I instinctively knew what to say, what to do. It was easy. And I don’t mean you didn’t surprise me or I was bored. It was just… everything feltright.”
“Alice?” Essie called.
Alice leapt out of Takumi’s arms, darting back to the shelf where she had left the books and duster. She cleared her throat, pressing her hand to her chest. Her heart thundered under her palm.
“There you are.” Essie rounded the corner, coming to a stop with her hands on her hips. “Have you seen Takumi?”
“Ah…” Alice looked around—he wasn’t behind her. “No. I’m back here by myself.”
“Where the hell is he then?”
“Basement, maybe?”
“No. I just came from there. If you see him, tell him to come find me.”
“Sure. Will do. Absolutely.”
“Are you okay?” Essie asked, narrowing her eyes. “You seem jumpy.”
“Too much coffee. My heart is having a field day. Honestly, I’m kinda scared of what’s happening in there.”
“Hmm. Okay. As soon as you see him,” Essie reminded her.
