Another Manager (Akashi Seijuro x OC)

2.9 VS. Umbrella (part two)

I know this story doesn't have a lot of romance scenes, and I'm so sorry about that! Thank you so much for your comments on it! (I hear you! And, I think I've learned my lesson about using cliffhangers. Lol)
I may go back and add more stuff if I can come up with something... But, I'm mostly focused on continuing the story rather than editing for now.

Anyway, just to kind of make up for that, I tried to write as much as I could for the following chapters!! And, there will be more moments with Akashi in the Last Game movie chapters that I'll write! (Those will be around episode 2.14 Growing Fast, I think.)

***

Ai watched for a moment as the person walked forward. His limousine in the background was coated in an orange glow from the sunset.

Breathless, Ai willed her feet to move. She disregarded everything and everyone else as she rushed forward to meet him halfway.

"Who is it?" Kageyama asked behind her.

"Ai's boyfriend," Tanaka explained.

Hinata shouted. "Ai-senpai has a boyfriend?!" Shocked out of his mind at learning this new fact about his second-year manager, he stared with an open mouth and wide eyes. She has someone even closer to her, when she was already so affectionate with the team?
He and Yamaguchi blushed.

The second and third-years didn't know much about the person Ai was dating either, since they hadn't had a proper introduction; they only knew of him. ...Barely.

As for the first-years, they had no idea. Ai never talked about her love life with the club members. It was mostly because it was simply irrelevant. It hadn't crossed their minds until now, but she had countless attractive features. Of course she would be popular in the dating world. Though, it didn't make knowing that she did have a boyfriend any less surprising.

"Yeah," Nishinoya admitted.

Ai slowed to a stop in front of him. She reached out gingerly, her fingertips lightly grazing his face, as if he were a figment of her imagination. A mirage. Another dream. But he was real.

Akashi smiled softly and copied her gesture, holding her cheek. His actions had more confidence than hers, and his right hand felt warm and strong. He gazed at her lovingly. "Ai. How have you been?"

Ai released a breath she didn't know she was holding and dove into his arms. She hugged him tightly, as if he would fade away if she ever loosened her grasp.

Akashi returned the embrace. His hands rubbed against her back as strong arms pressed her closer to his chest, and people started to gather.

"Hey, hey, hey! Who's the guy with the ride?"

"Bokuto-san, quiet."

"What? You don't agree, Akaashi?"

"Kuro, do you know him?"

"No," he answered his best friend.

"Seijuro..." she whispered emotionally.

Akashi lowered his lips to her left ear. "So I did have to come see you."

Ai opened her mouth to say something and remembered their conversation back on the first day of school in April. "I was planning on visiting you..." she tried to explain. "It was my wish for Tanabata to see you again."

He chuckled. "Really?" Akashi held her tighter.

She sighed, relieved to finally be with him in his arms again. The faint scent of his cologne reached her nose. It smelled really good. The sensation of his hug and the feeling of indescribable yearning evoked stinging tears in her eyes. Burying her face into his solid chest, she asked breathlessly, "Do you always have to make surprise visits?" Her question came out as almost a sob.