Imperfect match // Daiki Aomine (Kuroko no Basuke)

19. Lets's race

She stops frozen.

First, she doesn't know the guy and his intensely serious stare is intimidating. Is it a trade mark with him and his friends or something?

Second, Aomine is holding her by the waist, his arm wrapped around it, and he's flushed against her back, his chin on her shoulder. This proximity reminds her of that fateful night and the remnant passion once experienced resurfaces and puts her in a state of yearning.

"Hello?" She hears.

She looks up at the man standing still in from of her, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, in this embrace.

"Hey Kagami." Aomine greets.

"Am I interrupting?" The guy says seeing her close proximity to Aomine.

"Nah. This is Satori. Satori, this isTaiga Kagami." Aomine introduces while releasing her and walking to her side.

"Hi." She says recovering from her excited state.

"Hello. And Satori is... your..." He waits for Aomine to fill in the blanks.

Aomine stares at her seriously, wondering if he should divulge that they live together.

"Friend! She's a friend. We participate in a research study together and get on well. We're very alike."

Kagami looks at her from head to toe, noticing her obvious beauty and athletic physique.

"Meh, I don't think so. She's way too pretty."

"I meant inside, idiot!!!" He bursts angrily.

"Something tells me she doesn't have your bad temper either."

"I meant... aarggghh! Whatever!" He says taking her hand and passing him, pulling her forcefully.

"Nice to meet you!" She says quickly before being dragged across the living room, occupied by a few more people she hasn't met yet.

Once on the terrace, away from his friends' sight, she pulls her hand away from his, forcing him to turn around.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" He answer cluelessly.

"The way you grabbed me felt like you were grabbing a toy. I'm not a thing. I'm not your thing." She says calmly but seriously as he stares. "I didn't do or say anything inside because your friends were there but don't do that again please."

"I'm sorry. Kagami has his way to get on my nerves. I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

"You guys have a habit of grabbing me and pulling me around like I have no will power or say about it. Some women might think this is nice because a they like tsundere guys but I am not them. I like to think that I can be in a relationship romantic, sexual or friendly where we are on the same level..."

He stands there listening to her attentively. He likes what she says, how she speaks and explains herself. She's wonderful. She's... so smart and strong... and beautiful and sexy. His heart beats a little stronger to the point that he feels it in his chest, and he suddenly worries for a second wondering if he is having palpitations.

"Are you listening?"

"What? Yeah."

"Great." She says with sarcasm thinking he wasn't and walks away.

"Satori!" He shouts, running after her after picking up a couple of clean towels from a cabinet on the terrace. "Satori wait!"

Now on the beach, annoyed that she was wasting her time spelling it for him, she removes her pareo and he drops the towels on the sand.