After Story: Potential

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Joining of Two Hearts

"Whew!" I exclaimed as we trudged through the door to our home. "I'm exhausted!"

"I am tired as well," my bride said as I shut the door. "I am glad that so many people wanted to celebrate our wedding, but it was still...tiring."

I smiled at her. "I'll admit, I was worried about you, whether you'd be okay around all those people."

She returned my smile. "It was difficult, but..." she took my hand. "...you were there, so I was okay."

"I'd hope I was there!" I quipped. "It'd suck if I missed my own wedding."

"Tomoya-kun!" she exclaimed. "You know what I mean!"

I raised my free hand in surrender. "Yes, yes, I know what you mean!" I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath, allowing myself to exhale all of the stress of the day. "This might sound weird, but I'm glad we're finally married."

"Not yet," she said.

"What?" I opened my eyes and looked over to her. "But we just had the..."

Kotomi looked up at me with a meaningful expression, an intensity I hadn't ever seen before.

I felt really hot as I realized what she likely meant. "Y-Yeah, when you put it that way..."

The mood felt solemn and serious as she led me up the stairs and down the hallway to- "Kotomi-chan, isn't this your parents' room?"

She stopped before the door and turned toward me. "Not anymore." She blinked tears from her eyes. "This is our home, Tomoya-kun...so this is now our room. I miss Mommy and Daddy, but I cannot let my memories of them run our lives."

I blinked. What an amazing girl. "That makes sense." I swallowed hard. "Then let's go."

***

It felt weird knowing that she and I would be sharing a bed from now on. Even when she and I agreed to marry we had slept in separate rooms, so I guess I unconsciously assumed that it would always be that way.

I fell back on the bed, throwing my arms above my head. "Man, I'm tired."

"Tomoya-kun?"

I sat up again to a shock: Kotomi stood with her back to me and her hair pulled to the side, revealing the zipper to her dress. "Y-Yeah?" I stammered.

"P-Please unzip my d-dress." Her voice was clearly shaking; in fact, I could see her trembling. The poor girl was nervous.

"Uh, sure..." was about all my poor stupid brain could manage as I stood and made my way over to her. As I reached out toward her, I noticed that my own hands were shaking. Apparently I was nervous as well. Who wouldn't be?

It was almost like a ceremony, the way I carefully unzipped her wedding gown. I heard her take a deep breath before letting the soft, shimmery fabric fall from her shoulders to the floor. She stepped out of the ring of cloth and I quickly picked it up and gently put it on a nearby chair.

I turned around to face a goddess. Kotomi stood facing me with her hands folded in front of her. She still had her undergarments on, but the skin that I could see nearly glowed in the low light. Was the awe that I felt like what the first man felt when he saw the first woman? "Woooow," I breathed the only word my mind could come up with. "Y-You're so beautiful."

"Th-Thank you," she replied blushing shyly. She turned again, moving her hair, and my stomach nearly slithered to my shoes: D-Did she want me to finish undressing her?

I swallowed hard. This was like unwrapping the best gift I could ever get...and the giver was also the gift! The thought left me humbled as I reached out again and carefully, always carefully with her, removed the rest of her clothing. Then, wanting to preserve her modesty, I gently picked up my 'blushing bride' and put her in bed.

Before my nerves had a chance to stop me I turned and quickly removed my clothing, also laying it carefully over another chair. Then I joined her under the covers and simply gazed at her face, into those large violet eyes. I was almost afraid to touch her.

"Tomoya-kun, are you okay?" she asked softly.

I shook my head slightly against the pillow. "No. To be honest, I'm scared out of my mind."

She giggled lightly. "Me, too. I am worried that I will not be good enough for you. After all, I have never-" She cut herself off with a cute blush.

My chest swelled, humbled. I would be her first and only... "I'm honored, Kotomi-chan, really. I just...I don't know what to do right now," I admitted. "I'm afraid that I'll hurt you or something."

"Well...we could always start with this." She took my hand and rested it against her cheek. I smiled at her usual reaction; pressing her face to it and sighing with a smile. Her expression then turned serious, looking me in the eye as she slid my hand to her shoulder.

We explored each other, discovering where the other liked to be touched, didn't like to be touched. I learned so much about her during that time; I felt like I learned more about her than I did during all our other times combined. As my finger passed over a particular spot that caused her to giggle, I realized that it was because we were seeing each other as we really were; no hiding, no trappings, no secrets.

And we kissed. We kissed more than I thought lips were made to handle. Kotomi really seemed to like kissing.

After we had been exploring each other for a while Kotomi started tugging on my arm, pulling me toward her. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Did I mess up?"

She shook her head, slid forward to give me another kiss that lit fireworks behind my eyelids, then pulled on my arm again, and I understood that it was time.

I carefully allowed myself to be pulled above her. I could not believe what we were about to do.

"Tomoya-kun..." I heard her say through a trembling voice. "I love you so much..."

I looked down into her misty eyes. "I love you, too. Words just aren't enough," I lamented. Then I gave her one more kiss on her forehead, letting my lips linger for a time before looking into her eyes again; they were full of love and trust as I readied myself to enter my bride. My wife. "Are you ready?"

"Tomoya-kun..." Apparently she couldn't say anything more and simply nodded.

The significance of what I was being allowed to do wasn't lost to me, and my eyes widened at the new sensation that threatened to overwhelm me. I looked to my wife's eyes and we exchanged embarrassed smiles when I found hers just as wide.

I came up against her barrier and paused.

"T-Tomoya-kun?"

I looked into her eyes once again and remembered us a children, playing hide-and-seek among the bushes of the yard outside this very house.

I smiled softly as I thought back on the circumstances that brought us together in the library for the first time, stopping her from cutting up books and then eating the lunches she shared with me.

I remembered all the times that I tried to teach her about humor. I recalled all of our efforts to make new friends for her.

And finally, I thought about all the work that I put into restoring the backyard and the confessions of love that it led to.

I had a lot of history with this girl and her family. Kotomi and I had become united in so many ways.

The pressure of her hands on my backside snapped me out of my reverie and I slid forward, breaking through the last barrier between us and uniting us in that one, significant way.