A Shy Kiss

Chapter 9

"It's ready." Tamaki says with a smile. He bent down to smell the paella before turning off the stove.

"It smells so good!" You exclaim, eager to try the dish. You grab plates and hand them to Tamaki to serve. He serves them both, also working on the presentation of the dish.

You both settle down at the table and try the paella. You taste the warm rice first; it's very soft, but not mushy. You can taste the seafood broth in the rice. The clams are so good as well as the shrimp. And the bass is so juicy it's incredible.

"This is amazing Tamaki. You have a real talent for this!"

He blushed at your words, not really knowing what to say except thank you.

After the meal you both cleaned up and Tamaki carefully cleaned his paellera as if it were made of glass. You both settled down and decided to watch a movie together. "What should we watch?" you ask as you flip through the options.

"Uh, anything is okay with me Y/N."

"Okay, ooh! Tsu mentioned a new horror movie! I heard it's super good and keeps you guessing to the end."

"Oh..." Unbeknownst to you, Tamaki was a wimp for horror movies. He slowly grabbed the blanket next to him as protection. "S-sounds fun."

"Yeah! Do you wanna watch it?" He gulped loudly before nodding, hiding his fears in order to impress you.

As you clicked play he silently cursed to himself. He should have said no but he didn't want to sound like a total wimp to you. He's older than you and yet you can handle more horror than he can. He held on tightly to the fuzzy blanket as the movie progressed. It wasn't until the third jump-scare that he made a noise. He cursed himself as you turned to look at him concerned.

"You okay Tamaki?"

"I-I'm f-f-fine." He was halfway hiding his face in the blanket. And unfortunately you had paused the movie during another jump-scare, leaving the demon's face of the movie right on the screen.

"You don't sound fine Tamaki. Is it too scary for you?"

"N-No! It's okay I promise..." He looked away from you as he lifted the blanket a little more to cover his face.

You exited out of the app and opened Disney Plus on seeing his reaction. "You know, we don't always have to do what I want right? If you don't like horror movies you can tell me, I'm not going to make fun of you because of that."

He hid his face on the couch, too embarrassed to speak anymore about what happened. You gently moved closer to him, lightly rubbing his arm to grab his attention.

"It's okay to be scared of things. I mean, I like horror movies but I could never go into a haunted house attraction. I know they're actors, but I'd still panic." You said with a laugh. "It's okay to be scared of things, it's what made our kind survive on Earth."

"......am I embarrassing?" He mumbled from the couch, still to anxious to look at you.

"Not at all Tamaki. I think you're pretty amazing."

"Even now?"

"Even more so now, because you're being honest with me." you said with a smile.

He slowly moved to sit up a bit, still not looking towards you out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I should have been honest about it." 

"It's okay Tamaki, I'm just glad you're being honest with me. I want us to both have a good time together ya know?"

"Yeah I know...."

"....um," You started, biting your lip, wondering if this would help or make things worse. "Can I give you a hug?"

"H-Huh?!" Okay maybe this wasn't the best idea.

"Sorry, whenever I feel down in the dumps a hug always helps me feel better. I was just wondering if that helps you too."

"Oh, um I don't know. C-Could we.....try it?"

"Sure!" You said with a smile. You turned yourself a little so you could face him. Your heart started beating faster as you finally processed the fact that you were going to be hugging the man you've been crushing on for weeks. You shook those thoughts away as you looked at him. He really needed a friend right now. And if that's what he needs then that's what you'll be.

You opened your arms and slowly wrapped them around his torso. He stiffened as he felt your touch. He remained still as he felt your head on his chest. You could feel his heart beat fast, probably from the earlier dilemma. You softly sigh and start to lightly rub his back. 

"It's alright, it's okay Tamaki. " You whispered as you continued to rub his back. Slowly, he began to relax as you held him in your arms. Even his heart rate was slowing down. His head drooped down, laying on top yours as his arms hesitantly wrapped themselves around you. His hold was gentle, like you were a fragile creature he held in his hands. 

"Do you feel better?" You whispered, not wanting to frighten him.

"Yes, thank you." He whispered, not wanting the moment to end. You both stayed together for a few moments more, neither one wanting to let go. The living room was quiet, nothing could be heard but the sound of cars passing by on occasion.

Eventually Tamaki let go first. He removed the blanket from himself and thanked you for calming him down. The rest of the afternoon was pleasant with Disney movies and you two finally exchanging phone numbers to text more freely. 

The following weeks were the same: you'd hang out at your apartment, watch a movie or two, make a meal, and just talk. While your friendship blossomed, no real romantic progress was made on either side.

Until midterms.....