Obsession (Ayano x Budo)

Chapter 29

...Click. Swoosh. Click...

Their shoes stepped through piles of orange and brown leaves on the ground, sending them flying and scuttling on the concrete pavement in clouds of bright color. And with every step, Budo made sure that his were in sync with Ayano's.

They walked silently, side-by-side, their arms almost touching but not quite. Somehow, he knew she didn't want to talk. It was in the way she kept her gaze forward, and how she kept her hands
closed, and how she walked decisively with long strides, as if she were alone. These were the little signs that he'd picked up from watching her quietly.

He would respect her wishes. Who was he to defy his cool, confident angel? And besides, as long as her warm body was a hair's breath away from him in the most tantalizing way, and as long as she wore his jacket, and as long as he could watch her out of the corner of his eye, he was happy.

What was she thinking right now? Was she happy he was with her? She did she love him yet?

They had been walking for about ten minutes since they left the hospital's parking lot, having said nothing at all since then, and, during that time, Budo had been slyly letting his eyes explore the details of Ayano's face and her expressions. No longer was she nervous and uncertain as she had been just before they'd left. As a natural sort of defense mechanism, she seemed to have reverted back into her old, cold self. But Budo was fine with that. He loved that part of her too - In fact, that was the part of her with which he'd fallen in love. And just being able to walk next to her was more than enough for him. At this moment, he couldn't be happier. It was as if a bright pink aura of warmth and live surrounded him when he was with her.

Oh, they were already here?

He saw the moment Ayano's eyes drifted to a particular house, one that they were approaching. That was Ayano's house? Budo's eyes detached for the first time from Ayano, and latched onto its next prey - the humble abode of his love. It was a two-story building, but it looked more modern than his home - there were larger windows, greener and squarer hedges, and it looked extremely well kept. He was deeply curious about what lay inside, especially in her room. As his eyes scanned the exterior, he noted that there was no parked car in sight. A sudden recollection hit him like a white strike of lightning through his mind. Hadn't Info-Chan said that her parents were out of town? That thought gave Budo multiple ideas that he immediately pushed out of his head.

And then they were standing outside her house. Ayano's hand reached into down her shirt, scuffled for a moment, and pulled out a key. Did she keep it in her...? The thought brought forth new images Budo had to resist seeing in his mind's eye. He watched Ayano slide the key nimbly into the lock of the front door. With a decisive twist, she turned the knob and pushed open the door at the same time. The door opened noiselessly, and revealed a entrance room before it with a shining oak floor and clean white walls. Middle class.

Without a second look over her shoulder, Ayano deftly stepped inside, as graceful as a panther, her inky hair flowing behind her like water. She turned to face Budo, standing in the middle of the doorway and blocking his entrance. Ayano's slender fingers curved around he edge of the door, clearly intending to close it. She isn't going to invite him in? Budo felt a second of disappointment in his heart, but cast away the feeling with a smile.

"Tomorrow is Monday. I'll see you at school then?" he asked cheerfully, hiding the desperate hope from the tone of his voice.

Ayano shrugged, her eyes looking back at him dispassionately, but Budo's breath hitched at the sight of their beautiful, grey gaze as her eyes caught his. Even when she was so cold towards him, he couldn't help but love her.

"Fine with me," she replied, and looked away. She started to close the door. "Goodbye."

She closed the door in his face. As soon as the door clicked shut, and his shining angel was blocked from view, it was as if the vibrancy of his world had desaturated. Budo was left alone, staring at a wooden door, eyes still locked in direction where Ayano had been. However, his mood had decreased only slightly. Warm tendrils of love were still deeply intertwined within him, like red threads caught with a grey mass, turning it the bright pink color of lasting happiness. Until these threads were picked out by the nimble fingers of time, his heart would continue feel as light as a feather. For now, Budo could simply savour this feeling of spending time with Ayano.

Budo was able to turn away from Ayano's house, feeling happier than he had in days. Not only because of the amazing thing that had happened today, and not only because he had been able to walk her home...

...But also because Budo now knew where she lived.

Now he could come see Ayano any time he wanted.