The Sweetness of Tears [IDOLiSH7]

4: Loveliness

It was Monday again. This time, Iori woke up early on purpose. He went in the shower. The boy picked out the best clothes he had and properly fixed his hair. He turned left and right in front of a mirror, making sure he looked perfect.

Iori himself was not sure why he was doing all that. He was only going to visit a person he hardly knew anything about. The boy walked down the steps to the fridge and pulled out a box of pastel-coloured macarons. Iori normally never puts macarons on sale unless it is a special occasion like Christmas since they require quite an effort and practice to make. Yet, he carefully crafted them as a gift for Riku.

Am I... in love?

Iori blushed at the thought. He found it hard to be honest with his feelings. This time, however, he felt like he could not deny it. He thought he might have fallen in love the first time Riku walked into his shop and rescued him from the unending pain of loneliness. The boy sighed. I've never thought this would ever happen to me. And so suddenly too. He shook his head. Finally, he locked the shop's door and walked out.

~~

"Ah! Iori, come on in!" Riku beamed as he opened his house door to find the person he had been waiting for all week. "You look great today." The redhead noticed that Iori looked sharper than the other times he saw him.

To Iori, Riku's house looked warm and cosy, like a proper 'home'. The sweet oil blend aroma that filled the house somehow soothed Iori's mind. It made him feel so relaxed. Iori thought how the house would look even nicer with cute decorations.

Riku invited Iori to sit on a couch in the living area. "Your house is lovely, Nanase-san." Iori complimented and handed a gift in his hands to Riku. "This is... a little gift for you." His face turned pink. He thought Riku would think of him as weird since it was not a special day or anything. Iori was just visiting a friend.

"For me? Really?" Riku happily took the box. He was so excited that he opened it right away. Eight pieces of three different coloured macarons were lined up neatly. "Uwaaaah! Macarons! I LOVE macarons! Thank you so much, Iori." Riku gently set the box down on the table before giving Iori a hug.

"...!" Iori was not expecting a hug. He did not know how to react, but he felt happy. The only other person who ever gave him a loving hug like that was his brother, Mitsuki. Riku, once again, was giving him something he did not know he missed.

"A-ah! Sorry if that made you uncomfortable," Riku pulled away. Iori just felt like a good old friend to him and so Riku treated him the way he treated his Tenn-nii. Okay, perhaps a little differently.

"N-not at all, Nanase-san." Iori blushed harder. He tried to think of a conversation, but nothing came to his mind. However, Riku did not give 'awkward silence' a chance to meddle. "What kind of tea do you like, Iori? I have all sorts of tea leaves!" Riku smiled. He loved tea, especially when he got to drink it with desserts or sweet-flavoured bread. Tea made his chest feel warm and gave him a sensation of ease when he breathed. Iori said he would drink anything, so it was time for Riku to whip up his special tea blend.

The redhead went to the kitchen and prepared some black tea leaves. Then he put some cinnamon and very tiny pieces of salted caramel fudge in. It smelled like autumn while brewing. Iori secretly watched Riku as he made tea. He looks cute with a small smile like that too.

But why does that smile look a little sad?

Riku put a clear glass kettle of tea with two clear matching glass cups on the elegant white and gold tray. He carefully walked back to the living area, set the tray on the table, and sat right beside Iori.

"Thanks for waiting~ Tea is ready!" Riku took a kettle and one of the cups. He was carefully pouring the special tea for Iori. He set the kettle back down, ready to hand the cup to Iori. Unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on Riku's side. He suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest and his breathing became so painful that he dropped the cup and spilt the tea all over Iori's trousers. Riku grabbed his chest while enduring the pain from taking breaths in and out.