courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

20

I stepped down from the desk to grab my phone, leaving a sad Yuki behind.

Before answering, I turned back to him. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyes made me feel exposed, and his lips were a bit swollen after our make-out session.

I smiled at him, then glanced down to see who had dared to interrupt us.

If it's Ayumu again, I swear—

I felt my smile fade.

"Hello?" I said, walking toward the bathroom.

"Is everything okay, Nabi?" Yuki asked at the same time.

I locked myself in the bathroom, leaning my back against the door.

"Who was it? Are you with another man, Nabi?"

"Hanbin-oppa, what do you want?" I said, clenching my fist with my free hand.

"What are you doing with someone else?" Hanbin asked again.

"Oppa, if you don't have anything important to say besides these stupid questions, then hang—"

"Wait, at least if you're going to do something with someone, don't get caught—" I hung up on him.

I sighed.

I approached the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. Just like Yuki, my hair was tousled, and my lips were swollen and slightly red. I touched them with my fingers, still feeling the lingering presence of Yuki's lips on mine.

I sighed again.

I hate my phone and these damn calls too...

I decided to leave the bathroom, and there was Yuki sitting on the chair, lifting his head from his phone as soon as he sensed me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

I tried to smile, and he took two steps toward me. He took my hand and gently caressed my face. "It's okay, you don't have to force a smile with me. If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. You have your reasons, but if you ever want to, know that I'm here. Okay?"

I nodded.

He's too good for someone like me...

"Come on, let's join the others. They're probably all playing together, and Yuji and Koga-san are here today too," he said, taking my hand.

I stopped him. "I need to change first; I'm still in my mountain clothes."

He looked at me, his eyes lingering on my shirt. "I'd like to see you in my jersey," he murmured as if speaking to himself.

I smiled. "If you give me one, I'll gladly wear it."

He looked up, surprised. "Did I say that out loud? Well then, I'll give you one later. I'll go change too." And with that, he left.

As soon as I closed the door, my smile faded again. I headed to the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would lift my spirits.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

I decided to wear cargo pants and a fitted t-shirt to be comfortable. I headed toward the break room, and before entering, I saw Yuki waiting outside the door.

How sweet

"There you are, ready?" he asked, extending his hand with a smile. I took it, and we went inside together.

I already feel better.

"EHHH! You two took your time! So, Chō, how's our Yuki in bed? You don't seem too tired," Yuji shouted.

"But they're both athletes, they've got stamina to spare. Actually, it's surprising they're already back with us," Ayumu commented.

...

I felt Yuki tense up beside me, and within a second, he wrapped his arms around me to hold me back as I yelled and struggled. "Ayumu, if I get my hands on you..."

"Want some coffee?" Yuki asked me.

I turned around quickly. "Yes!" and we headed to the corner of the room where the coffee maker was.

After grabbing our coffee, we sat on the couch with the others, who were watching old X Games videos, particularly those of Hiro.

"Hiro-senpai! I've watched his video so many times, He were amazing!" I said while sipping my coffee, Yuki's hand gently stroking my shoulder.

"Oh right, we have a friendly match against Poland next Saturday. Are you coming?" Yuki asked.

"Yess!" Ayumu said excitedly, while Hiro replied quietly that he'd be there.

Yuki squeezed my side. "And you?"

I turned to look at him. "Of course, I'll be there."

I saw a smirk grow on his face. "And will you wear my jersey?"

I pretended to think about it. "Hmm, depends..."

He frowned. "On what?"

I lowered my gaze to his lips, then slowly brought my eyes back to his. "If I feel like it."

His face shifted, the intensity in his eyes deepening. His gaze became darker, the muscles in his jaw tightened, and a subtle smirk hinted at his thoughts.

"You guys get offended when we tease you, but then you act like this in front of us. You might as well just head to your room," Yuji said, laughing.

I giggled and turned to chat with the others, while Yuki leaned in closer to whisper in my ear, "I'd gladly take Yuji's advice; my room is always open for you."

And with that, a shiver ran down my spine. I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress a smile, while my body instinctively leaned closer, drawn in by his words.

At some point, Yuji asked Yuki, "Where's Ran?"

Yuki shrugged. "I thought he was with you guys."

I looked around to see if Reira was with us, and not seeing her, I giggled.

I started to send her a message but then remembered all the times I'd been interrupted because of my phone, so I changed my mind.

"How about karaoke tonight?" Yuji suddenly asked.

"Yes!!" I immediately responded, sitting up straight.

Koga looked at me curiously. "Are you good at singing?"

Ayumu jumped to his feet. "The snowboard team actually messed up big time—we should've formed an idol group instead," he said, striking ridiculous poses.

Hiro ignored Ayumu and addressed the others. "Don't believe a word he says. It's really just the two of them causing chaos when they sing."

I turned to Hiro, feigning exaggerated offense. "Hiro-senpai, but you always said I was good!" I said, placing a hand over my heart.

"I didn't say you're not good... you just tend to get a bit carried away," he replied quietly.

"You're just saying that because deep down, you want to sing XG songs too, but you're afraid it'll ruin your reputation," Ayumu teased him.

Hiro shook his head, returning his attention to something on his phone.

"We'll see tonight if you don't end up singing too" I teased back.