Wednesday school passed quickly. Hikaru, Risa and Shizuoka exited the gate together. Kiri stood waiting nearby and so, to Hikaru's surprise, was Makoto. She looked at Risa inquiringly.

Makoto answered the unasked question, he grabbed Hikaru, ruffled her hair and said, "Since you don't have a dad, someone's got to watch out for you, I'm here to interview your boyfriend too!" He laughed.

Hikaru shook him off and walked over to Kiri. "Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hi," he grinned at her. "With this many should we squeeze into my car or should I move it into a long term parking spot?"

Hikaru looked at her friends dubiously.

They voted for squeezing into the car and chose an inexpensive fast food place as their destination.

Kiri was dressed in the same sort of outfit she'd met him in, with the cut outs that emphasised his shoulders, and when he turned she saw there were stylized wings cut into the back. She laughed.

He turned back inquisitively. Hikaru shook her head. They all squeezed into Kiri's car, Makoto, Risa and Shizuoka in the back.

"This is a freaking nice car," Makoto said admiringly.

Hikaru looked back at him curiously.

"It's a luxury car, by a sports car manufacturer, you didn't notice?" he asked incredulously.

Hikaru shrugged, "It's black, it looks a lot like other salarymen's cars, it's got four doors so it never occurred to me that it was some sort of sports car?"

Kiri laughed and she looked at him.

He patted the steering wheel and said, "This car is my baby. It's what I bought after I started making enough money to get something nicer than the bit of tinfoil I drove during college. It's a four door because I never wanted to be one of those guys who has to give up his sports car because he gets married and has kids. Plus it's handy if I need to use it for work."

"Oh," Hikaru replied.

"Hikaru, you're not going to wear your uniform on your date are you?" Shizuoka asked.

"You sound like my mom," Hikaru said wryly. "I brought a pair of pants to change into."

"There's worse things than sounding like your mom, I could sound like you," was Shizuoka's rejoinder.

Everyone laughed.

At the restaurant Kiri offered to order for Hikaru while she changed. She agreed, asked for a soda and a parfait, and left them. When she got back they were all standing at a pair of tables.

Kiri smiled at her, and started to wrap around her, but stopped.

"Kiri," Hikaru said.

"Yes?" he replied.

"You can hug me in front of my friends if you want to, they don't count as public so much?" she offered, blushing.

Kiri wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I wasn't sure," he said.

Risa looked at them for a moment and then sat down first. Makoto sat beside her. Shizuoka sat on the other side of Risa.

Kiri looked at Hikaru's friends. "You two are dating?" he asked, indicating Makoto and Risa.

They nodded, and Hikaru belatedly made introductions. She and Kiri sat next to each other opposite the three friends. Kiri held her hand.

Hikaru sipped her soda, and wondered if she was supposed to be talking.

Shizuoka asked Kiri, "So, are you seriously dating Hikaru, or are you just playing around?"

"Shizuoka!" protested Hikaru.

Kiri grinned and squeezed her hand, "It's OK, I kind of expected this kind of question. I am seriously dating her," he answered.

"You really don't look 27." Risa said.

"I'm sorry?" Kiri offered.

"What do you plan to do on today's date?" Makoto asked.

"Whatever Hikaru wants?" said Kiri.

All three of Hikaru's friends rolled their eyes at him.

"What's wrong with that?" Kiri protested. "I have the whole afternoon free, there's hundreds of things we could do."

Wryly Risa asked Hikaru, "And what do you want to do?"

"Um, I should probably do my homework first, or some of it, and we should probably eat dinner before I go home, but we don't have to?" she replied.

Kiri laughed and she looked at him. "I see," he said, lifting their joined hands and dropping a kiss on her fingers.

Hikaru eyed him anxiously, "is that OK?" She asked.

"It's fine," he said and grinned.

He'd gotten a chocolate cookie and a coffee for himself, and took a large bite of the cookie. Then asked a question of his own, "How long are we all staying together?"

Hikaru's friends assured him, "We'll allow you to take Hikaru away soon." They asked Kiri a bit about his job, his friends, and if he had any hobbies.

Kiri told them a little about his job, though he avoided specifics.

Hikaru mentioned, "I met one of Kiri's friends. He seemed nice enough."

Kiri said, "My only real hobby is cooking."

The three girls then remembered to compliment the lunch box he'd given Hikaru. Kiri laughed when he heard about Hikaru opening the box from Risa and Shizuoka. After about an hour the group broke up.

As they settled into his car again, Kiri asked Hikaru, "So, where would you like to work on homework? Should I take you home and cook you dinner while you work on it?"

"Sure," she replied.

They drove a little ways before Kiri said, "Hikaru, let's go somewhere else."

Hikaru looked at him in surprise.

"If you're this tense just being alone together in the car, I don't think you're ready to come home with me," he said.

Hikaru stared and said, "Kiri, I'm not afraid to be alone with you."

Kiri frowned and argued, "Hikaru, it's fine if you're not comfortable yet, but don't lie to me."

"Kiri, stop the car," Hikaru said quietly.

He pulled over and turned to her unhappily. "Hikaru," he began.

She interrupted him by unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning over to kiss him. "Kiri, I'm not afraid of being alone with you. And I would kind of like to see where you live."

Kiri looked at her uncertainly. "Then why are you so tense?" he asked worriedly.

"It's the car," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm afraid of being in the car. I was in an accident when I was six and hospitalized for a long time. I'm OK on busses and stuff, even though they are technically less safe, but cars scare me, and I can't stand riding in the back at all." She stopped.

He stared at her, reviewing all the times they'd driven together and how tense she'd been. "Why didn't you say anything before this?" he demanded. "I thought you were afraid to be alone with me the first time, because I'd just told you I'd usually take my date to bed. Then on Monday I thought you were just upset."

She shrugged, "Every time I've ridden with you it's meant I could see you longer, or that I could see you at all on Tuesday."

He stared at her. "Your step father shoved you into the back of that police car," he said flatly after a minute.

"I think I called him a fucking bastard when I got out, I'm not completely certain, I screamed something like that, that's when he hit me," she replied.

Kiri's expression was thunderous. "Does he know?" he asked.

"He's been told a little about the accident, and that I don't like cars, but I don't think he understands," she replied.

Kiri took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and then changed the topic. "What do you want to do now? Do you want to take the bus home tonight?" Kiri asked.

"No, I'm OK. I know I seem tense, but you seem like a careful driver, and I don't mind riding with you when I can stay with you longer that way," Hikaru told him.

"OK," he said. He leaned over and kissed her gently, "Home then?"

She nodded and fastened her belt back up.

--

"I'm not sure what I imagined, but I don't think this is it," Hikaru said while looking at the small neat duplex that stood on the corner at the end of a block of identical duplexes.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Kiri laughed.

"Maybe a fancy apartment with a cityscape view?" she suggested.

Kiri laughed again and hugged her, "I used to have something like that, but buying is cheaper than renting if you can afford to, and I like this place."

He took her hand and led her up the small adjoined porch that sheltered the entrances. He unlocked the door and opened it, then stepped back and waited for her to enter.

She stepped in hesitantly. "Wow," she said, "it's beautiful." It was a mix of modern and traditional. The entry was sunken. Half of the big open front room was kitchen, a large refrigerator dominated that side next to a wide counter. An island counter containing sink and stove separated the halves.

The other half was set up cozily around the short traditional style table that was the center of Hikaru's own home. Polished wooden cabinets lined the wall under the row of windows. A larger, thinner, and delicately carved cabinet stood across the table opposite the couch. The colors of the fabrics used on the couch and hangings were rich.

Kiri stepped in behind her. He closed the door and grinned at her. He saw her settled at the table with her homework gave her a kiss and stepped into the kitchen to start cooking. After a bit, Hikaru asked where the bathroom was, he showed her.

When she came out she said, "That's quite a tub."

"Want to take a bath?" he offered teasingly. "It's my one luxury here, I had it installed when I moved in."

"You really like baths?" she asked.

"And hot springs." he answered. He was busy making some sort of dough.

She returned to doing homework. She felt surprisingly comfortable sitting at Kiri's table while he cooked. But she hadn't finished by the time he was done cooking.

He sat next to her to eat. And laughingly offered her the first bite off his own chopsticks. She accepted it, but couldn't help being embarrassed. He let her eat on her own after the first bite, but scooted just close enough that their thighs touched.

"You like touching," she commented wryly.

"What?" he asked.

"You like to be touching, when we're together you're always in contact. Holding hands or sitting close," she moved her leg against his, "just touching somehow."

He looked at her soberly and asked, "Sorry? Does it bother you?"

She shook her head and replied, "No, I'm just not used to it so I guess I notice it a lot?"

"OK,' he replied.

They ate a bit more.

"Hikaru?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she enquired.

"How much homework do you have left, and what do you want to do after?" Kiri asked.

Hikaru sighed. "Too much, but I could finish the rest after I go home? And I don't know, is there something you'd like to do?"

Kiri looked at her. He stuck out his tongue and then laughed. "There's a lot of things I'd like to do? Are you stuck on anything I could help with?"

Hikaru stared at him for a moment, then answered the last question, "The worst of what's left is math, and I shouldn't have you do it because I need to know how to do it."

Kiri hugged her and said, "Then I'll bring some work out and sit with you."

He collected their dishes, and Hikaru complimented the food.

He grinned at her. "You shared the lunch I made," he commented after a moment.

"Yes, not that I was given a choice, but did you mind?" Hikaru asked.

"No, I was just surprised," he said. He stepped into the room that stood open to the living room and Hikaru stood up and peeked in. He looked back at her and motioned her in. "I use this room as an office, it's kind of a mess."

Hikaru looked around, it had mismatched filing cabinets and things were piled up, including a messy, overflowing old fashioned CD rack. "It's reassuring," she told him.

He laughed and asked, "In what way?"

"The rest of your house is so neat and pretty," she said. "I'm kind of messy I think, comparatively."

He gave her a wry look, "You don't think I just cleaned up because I knew you might come over?"

"Did you?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I didn't think so," she said. She looked out the window and commented, "Your garden is beautiful."

"I think so too, but I can't take any credit," he said laughingly.

She raised her brows at him.

"When I moved in my elderly neighbors approached and told me that the last people had no interest in yard work, so they'd taken over. They offered to let me use the whole as my own yard if I'd let them continue to use it as their own garden. I'm totally getting the best of the deal," he explained with a laugh.

He took the selection of papers and the computer he'd collected from his desk out and set them on the table beside her homework. Then turned and asked with a wide grin, "Want to see my bedroom?"

"Sure," she replied.

He surprised her by scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the small hall in front of the bathroom, it was a little awkward.

"Aren't I heavy?" she asked.

"Heavier than I expected," he answered.

"I could just walk," she suggested when he struggled with trying to toe the door open without banging her against it.

"But having committed myself, I feel obliged to continue the gesture," he said a little breathlessly.

"OK," she said, but reached out and started the door open with her fingers.

He laughed and slid it the rest of the way with his foot, and carried her inside and up onto the bed where he laid her down. He kissed her and whispered, "Now I have you where I want you?" And then kissed her again.

She looked at him and said, "Your room is kind of dark." It was dim, and the bedding was black. The wall hangings had black designs too, though they also had color worked into them.

"Oh," he replied, and got up on his knees and started to pull apart the blackout curtains that appeared to hide a row of windows like that in the office.

She put out a hand and said, "It's OK, you don't have to open the windows, I was just saying."

He dropped back beside her and kissed her again. "You're being surprisingly calm," he commented.

She shrugged and said, "Honestly, I feel like you're just teasing me, and I'm not sure how you want me to react."

He laughed and reached out to caress her cheek. "I guess I was teasing you a bit, since I expected more of a reaction." He kissed her again.

"Your room is pretty but smaller than I expected somehow, it feels a little crowded," she told him.

"It seemed bigger before I put in the closet system," he waved toward the connecting wall which was occupied by a floor to ceiling storage system. "If this house lacks anything it's closets," he explained. "But this room is the same size as the office one, just wide instead of long."

"Ah," said Hikaru.

They kissed some more. Hikaru let him lay her back against the pillows as they kissed. His hands wandered her waist and hips, and his kisses began to wander as well. He kissed along her jaw and back to her ear.

He slid his hands under her shirt and caressed her. Then he claimed her mouth again and slid his hands behind her and undid her bra. She shivered as he ran his fingers over her breasts and he kissed her throat.

He drew one hand out and started undoing the top button on her shirt and she panicked and said, "No!"

He froze and took his hands away and sat up. "Sorry, I was teasing at first but I got serious," he said.

"I'm sorry," Hikaru said. "I didn't mean, I mean I..."

He interrupted her, "Hikaru, it's fine, we'll stop here, come out."

He got up and walked back into the living room. After a moment she followed him. He'd picked up his computer and papers and he sat on the couch.

She sat at the table and tried to resume working on her math. But after a few minutes she sighed and said, "I know I'm the one that said no, but I feel kind of rejected right now."

Kiri set down his things and looked at her and said, "Hikaru, I want to do a lot more than what I was doing, but I don't want to push you into it. I don't know what to do right now. Tell me what you want to do."

She looked back at him and said, "I want to keep kissing you. I liked what you were doing."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Then why did you say no?"

"You were going to take my shirt off," she said with embarrassment.

He looked at her wryly and asked, "So you just want to kiss and touch a little?"

She nodded.

He held his arms out to her and said, "OK, come here. We'll just make-out for awhile."

She crawled up into his arms and he kissed her again. Tentatively she laid her hand against the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her harder. When he slid his hands down her back he said between kisses, "You didn't fasten your bra."

"I just followed you out, and then it seemed like it'd be awkward to mess with it, and it's not doing a lot anyway," she explained.

He slid his hands under her shirt and fastened it without trouble.

"You're really good at that," she commented wryly.

He kissed her again and then asked, "Sorry, was I supposed to take my time fumbling around and touching you more?"

Hikaru laughed and he bit her ear. She shivered and he embraced her tightly and kissed her more. A little moan escaped her when he ran his hands down her back again and she jumped and clapped a hand over her mouth.

He laughed and gently removed her hand. "Hikaru, that's a good noise, I want to be able to make you make that kind of noise." He kissed her nose.

She relaxed against him, and he cupped her cheek and kissed her again. Then he ran a line of kisses down her neck but didn't stop at her collar. He continued down over her shirt and she felt the heat of his mouth through her shirt and bra. He put his mouth over her nipple and sucked hard through the fabric. She gasped and clutched at his head and he ran his hand down her back and along her hip and she arched into him.

And his phone went off. And he slid to the floor and buried his face in her lap and groaned.

"Is it your work again?" she asked a little breathlessly, and patted his shoulder.

"No," he mumbled into her lap, "it's the alarm I set so I could get you home in time."

Hikaru laughed. He looked up into her face with a pained expression. She bit her lip.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's OK," he said, and stood. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

She sighed and nodded.

--

In the car on the way back Kiri said, "For our next date, let's dress up and go out."

"So that we have to behave better in public?" Hikaru asked wryly.

Kiri laughed and said, "Maybe a little, but it's also something I want to do with you."

"OK," Hikaru agreed.

"When?" he asked. "I'll be gone tomorrow and Friday, are you busy all day Saturday again?"

Hikaru shook her head, and said, "No, this weekend we play for six hours Friday night, and we have an extra long rehearsal on Saturday because we're going to try to enter a competition soon. But I have both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon free."

"Then Saturday night?" he asked.

She nodded.

When they arrived he walked her up to the door, and kissed her as usual but then he said quietly, "Hikaru, I know it's too fast but I want to say it." He reached up and caressed her cheek, "I love you," he said and kissed her gently.

She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kiss. He pressed her into the door at her back. They kissed for awhile. Then the door swung open and they tumbled down and through it.

Izumi stood with his hand on the knob and angrily snapped, "You're late, and what the hell do you think you're doing."

From the floor Hikaru said "I'm not late," at the same time Kiri asked, "Hikaru are you OK?" Then he lifted himself off of her.

"I'm not hurt, I think," Hikaru reassured Kiri.

Miri pushed forward past her husband and said, "Hi Takeshi-kun!"

Kiri gaped at her from his awkward position.

"My mother, Mizuki Miri" said Hikaru, getting to her knees.

Miri was even smaller than the video chat had shown. She was cute and curvy and had light brown curly hair. She looked barely old enough to be Hikaru's older sister. And was very obviously pregnant. She grinned winsomely and added, "And this is my husband Izumi, I think you've met? May I call you Kiri-kun?"

Kiri said, "You may. Um, it's too weird, how would you prefer I address you?" He stood.

"Just Miri is fine," said Miri.

"Miri-chan?" he replied.

Hikaru's mother nodded and asked, "Would you have dinner with us on Sunday?" Izumi glowered but didn't protest his wife's invitation.

"Sure," Kiri replied and pulled Hikaru to her feet.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked again.

She nodded.

"You're 5 minutes late," Izumi said.

"I'm not," Hikaru replied a little bitterly, "I've been here, if the front steps weren't part of my home I'd never have to scrub them."

Izumi's expression tightened, but Miri interrupted him. "Nevermind that," she said, rolling her eyes in the same fashion Hikaru would.

Kiri gazed at Izumi and said a little grimly, "I'll head home now. Goodnight Hikaru."

"Goodnight, I'm sorry," Hikaru replied.

He stopped and hugged her. "It's OK," he said, then turned and walked back to his car.

Hikaru sighed and stepped inside and closed the door.