Stumbling Over Love | ✓

Chapter 51

_Chapter 51~ Photographs_

I fixed my gaze onto the school courtyard; the scattered leaves across the grass originating from the tree Ryu and I were seated under for shade and also the sunlight poking between the clouds in the sky. It was still fairly warm outside today with occasional bursts of cold wind; the perfect weather that portrayed the autumn.

I watched as Ryu picked up a karaage from the bento I'd brought for him and put it into his mouth. His countenance automatically brightened. Rather amusingly, he went on to stuff his face with more of it, and the rice as well. "Whoa, why am I not surprised you're an amazing cook too?" Ryu said with his cheeks filled like a squirrel with acorns. "I've only ever had your baking but now I'm sure. Your hands are a gift, Reina!"

Considering how awkward it was when I first offered it to him, his praise only added to it. "You should just make your own," I said demurely. "Instead of buying lunch every day; it's unhealthy."

Ryu met my eyes with a silly smile. "Is that why you made it for me? You're worried?"

I ignored the warmth that crept onto my cheeks. "So I'm taking you will?"

"Well, after this amazing lunch, I don't think I should even try. But I also don't want to bother you again," he replied with another heart-stopping smile. "I'm blessed enough with this. Thanks for worrying about me, Reina."

My heartbeat picked up in my chest and I darted my gaze to my twiddling thumbs. At my bashfulness, Ryu distributed a chuckle before returning to stuff his cheeks. Inhaling a deep breath to calm myself, I dug into my lunch as well. The silence was comfortable, but it also allowed for my thoughts to roam.

"Hey, Iwasaki," I finally said.

"What is it?"

"Nothing much. It's just, the school year will be ending soon."

Ryu bobbed his head. "Time flies by quickly."

"Yeah..." I tapped the outer container of my lunch. "Mr. Matsuda even handed out those university application sheets awhile ago."

"He did, yeah." Cocking an eyebrow, Ryu looked in my direction. "What's bringing this on suddenly?"

I feigned a quick smile. "Well, I was wondering... You already know what I want to become in the future, but what about you? Do you have something you're going for?"

The question spurned an impassive reaction from Ryu. His shoulders rose and fell and he shifted his gaze back to his lunch. "Not really."

"Seriously? You don't have any idea?"

"I don't really think much about that stuff," he admitted.

I reclined further against the tree. "So you're a 'live in the moment' type of human being?"

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Ryu said. "Don't I still have a few months left to decide?"

"Still, it'd be easier to find something now and work towards it," I reasoned. I placed a finger to my chin. "Hmm... You like basketball and you're good at it. How about that?"

"No way," he refuted. "If you're telling me to join some professional basketball league or something, I'm nowhere near as good, or capable."

"I think you are, but would that just be me being biased?"

Now it was Ryu's turn to smile. "Definitely biased. Seeing as you can say that you probably don't know a thing about the sport."

"Hey, I know enough." I shooed him away. I pursed my lips and sprung up like a rocket when an idea hit me. "You're super smart so you could become a doctor! Something in the medical field!"