✔️ Body and Mind

Don't forget

They spent most of the Sunday in bed, just watching movies and talking. Anya was here and there still picking up the calls from the Japanese reporters, denying that she would even know some figure skater named Hanu Yusuru, or whatever his name was, watching Yuzuru quietly giggling next to her, anytime she was trying to come up with a way how to mispronounce his name.

-You enjoy hearing me butchering your name?

-Honestly, as long as you don't call me pumpkin, I don't care.

She laughed and started to squeeze his cheeks, talking to him in a baby talk.

-Awww, my little cute pumpkin with such soft, squishy cheeks...

Yuzuru was squirming in cringe, pulling her hands away from his face, but she always found her way back, until he just used slightly more power and kept her hands in his, now Anya squirming in return, trying to free herself.

-Why do you girls always have the need to give us guys some silly nicknames

-Well, I didn't give you any nickname, but if you don't let go of me, I will call you pumpkin for the rest of your life....

He let go.

-So why didn't you actually give me a nickname?

-Well you know I am not a big fan of this lovey-dovey behavior....sending good morning texts, etc.... It's just an equivalent of small talk for me. Do you mind you don't have a kawaii nickname from me?

-Not really, no. Girls are supposed to be kawaii, not guys. But I wouldn't mind some...how did you call it? ....lovey-dovey(?) talk....or texts.....

Anya turned on her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking hard but after a while, she gave up.

-I am sorry, I can't even come up with anything right now....

-Is there no romance in any of the books that you read?

-Oh!...there is plenty of romance! Wait a minute!

She started to think hard again and then quoted one of her favorite passages from Jane Eyre.

"I have a strange feeling with regard to you. As if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly knotted to a similar string in you. And if you were to leave I'm afraid that cord of communion would snap. And I have a notion that I'd take to bleeding inwardly. As for you, you'd forget me."

Yuzuru pulled her into a tight embrace, suddenly feeling sad.

-I would never forget you, Anya.

She looked at his sad expression and said quietly.

-I guess I didn't choose the right passage....but in the book, it's extremely romantic. It's just when Mr. Rochester is telling Jane she has to move and they will never see each other again and this is his way of finally expressing his love to her.

-Hmmm...will YOU finally express your love to me?

Anya blushed again and buried her face in the pillow.

-C'mon, Anya...It can't be that hard...

Yuzuru said jokingly and tried to roll her over to face him, but she was holding onto the pillow tightly.
After a while, he sighed in defeat.

-Will you at least take a picture with me that I have something to look at when we are apart?

Anya hesitated, but then thought that it's the least she could do for him after being so damn shy to tell him how she feels. She nodded and Yuzuru reached for his phone and pulled Anya to lie right next to him.

-So what should I do? Do you want me to smile? Or purse my lips? How does this work?

Yuzuru grinned, a thought going through his head.

-I have a plan, don't worry.

Anya frowned but put her head on his shoulder. Yuzuru wrapped his free arm around her and grabbed her hands by her wrists, holding her tight. He then raised the phone towards the ceiling and grinned at the camera. Anya was looking into the camera as well, smiling, and then Yuzuru said:

-I love you, Anya.

Her cheeks turned immediately pink and she tried to hide her face in her hands, but his grip tightened. Feeling she can't use her hands, she just tried to hide her blushing face in his chest and at that moment Yuzuru took the photo.

He was looking at the picture with an expression of great satisfaction.

-That's perfect....

-You are pure evil!

-Eh....what did you say that night when I was walking you home? Nobody's perfect?

Anya rolled her eyes and went to re-do her braid, seeing on the photo it had some loose strands.
As she was doing it, Yuzuru was again fascinated with her absolute concentration and her fast fingers, going through her hair and creating something so difficult without her even looking.

-Why do you always braid your hair? Not just a ponytail or a bun?

-Hmm....I think it started when I was in primary school and my hair was already long enough to do things like that with it. My mum always sat with me and braided my hair. It was the only time we could have some girl talk as we otherwise had nothing in common. So it was for both of us something like a bonding moment. Just girls chatting, even when I was getting older and could do it myself, she always found the time to come and braid my hair. And then later on when I was in high school and started to go on chess tournaments, stressed from all the attention, I found out that anytime I started to play with my hair, it calmed me down and helped me focus.
Feeling like I am not fighting it alone, as if she would be there with me. And as the years went by, it just turned into a habit, a way of keeping my focus in general.

-Wow....I didn't expect something that profound....

Anya finished her braid and turned to him, grinning.

-Well, how could you, if you are so evil, taking such embarrassing pictures of your girlfriend!

Yuzuru proudly smiled again, not being ashamed in the slightest over the masterpiece of a photo he took.
He reached for his phone and resent it to her.

-There, now you have it too....so that you don't forget what a loving boyfriend you have.

Anya rolled her eyes and sighed.