Hope Will Find Its Way to You

Chapter 3: Books and Cigars

Books and Cigars

Hinata woke with a start, heart beating fast from the dream he just had. Not because it was horrifying in every sense of the word, but because it touched on hidden desires that he didn't even know he had.

'No, no! It can't be!'

Hinata swallowed hard before burying his face in the pillow.

'It's wrong of me to think of him that way.'

... But is it really?

Hinata didn't know what to make of these feelings. He wanted to get close to him, to hold him and... a-and... k-kiss-

Hinata's face heated up, the dream still fresh in his mind. When Hinata dared to allow himself to dwell on it for a little while longer, he found himself smiling at the thought.

If he were to be spared the backlash of harboring such thoughts, he imagined pulling Komaeda to his arms to comfort him, hold him close as he caressed his cheek. He would tell him how beautiful he was, knowing quite certainly that Komaeda would smile back. He would then lift his chin and lean close until their lips touched.

Hinata turned to lie on his back as he looked up at the ceiling, a smile playing on his lips as a soft blush caressed his cheeks. The sun gently lit up the room, staging the rise of another morning and the beginning of a new day.

The sound of faint footsteps on the other side of their adjoined room brought him back to reality as guilt started seeping in.

Following quietly behind his parents as they strolled down the hallways and into the lounge, his breath got caught in his lungs when he spotted Komaeda by the corner, seated elegantly as he drank his morning tea with a book in his hand.

Although he felt compelled to go to him, he decided against it. Besides, he didn't want to bother Komaeda while he was reading.

"Oh Hajime, look over there. Isn't that the Koizumi family? Let's go introduce ourselves."

Soon, the two families shared a table as they enjoyed their morning breakfast.

Hinata thought of how interesting Koizumi actually was. She seemed very confident in herself and teased him about his initial stammering, telling him boys shouldn't stutter.

Despite their awkward greeting, Hinata was amazed when Koizumi shared some of her photographs to him and his parents. Nothing less to expect from an elite. Her dream was to take photography to the next level and capture the vibrant colors of the world in pictures. With her talent, she could surely reach that possibility one day.

Subsequently, Hinata couldn't help but think less of himself because of his lack of talent, knowing quite well Komaeda's fascination with them.

Hinata's mother scooted closer to Hinata and whispered in his ear, "What do you think, Hajime? Isn't she charming?"

Charming ...

At the very mention of the word, Hinata couldn't help but peek to the corner of the room, his eyes fixed on a certain uncanny figure seated so comfortably as he read his book. He just looked so serene that he couldn't take his eyes off of him as the beats of his heart rang louder, a steady pace that slowly started to drum in his ears, and just like that everything else melted around him until it was just him and Komaeda in the room.

"Hajime?"

Hinata snapped out of his trance and looked over at his mother.

"Were you listening?"

"Y-Yes, mother."

As they nearly finished eating, Koizumi beamed excitedly saying, "Do you mind if I take a picture?"