"You don't have to keep doing this for me," Ankoku said, looking up at her from where he laid on the couch.

She shrugged. "I know. But I want to. Besides, it'll give me more time to finish studying for English. Did you remember last night? You were really quiet at dinner. Like super quiet. Not like how you usually are. Not even when we were watching TV together, like usual."

Ankoku frowned. Hadn't he been behaving normally during those times? If he had been, then maybe she could've forgotten about their kiss. Or at least tried to. How about your parents? Are they mad at you because of our kiss?

"Sorry, Mina, I guess I spaced out for a minute there," he lied.

"Oh."

"But I'm glad I didn't miss any important classes. I was kind of nervous when I came in here this morning, ya know? What if people start asking about yesterday?" He chuckled nervously. "I think I would have given myself away."

"They weren't supposed to ask, anyways," Mina pointed out.

"I know, but still…" He shrugged. "I'd rather not be questioned too much, I guess."

She giggled slightly at that. "Whatever. You're lucky, though. There aren't too many questions in our class anyway."

"Yeah…"

Ankoku stared back at the wall opposite him, lost in his own thoughts. He still couldn't believe what happened. Last night they had spent the entire evening talking and watching movies. Then sometime during the movie, they suddenly started kissing each other. It was quick at first, but he soon forgot about that as well. All he knew about that was that it wasn't bad, or messy either. In fact, it felt great.

He felt warm inside and fuzzy all over, and he wondered why. Maybe it' s because Mina likes me back now, he thought to himself. That would explain why my heart feels so full right now. He let out a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Mina asked. She sat beside him and watched him amusedly. "Something happen in your head?"

"It just occurred to me," he began slowly, "that I never got the chance to tell you that I like you."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"What?" she asked confusedly. "But you did say-"

"No, I mean what I meant is that it occurred to me last night. I told you that I liked you, remember?" he interrupted her abruptly.

"Oh!" Mina looked sheepishly embarrassed and blushed slightly. "Yes, I remember. Thanks." She grinned at him, causing him to smile back at her.

"Anyway, now that you know I like you back, what do you plan on doing about it?" Ankoku teased.

"About what?" Mina asked innocently.

"About us! We don't need to do anything else, really. Just be my girlfriend. That's it." He chuckled.

Mina laughed. "Don't worry, I know." She paused for a moment before adding, "I mean, you're my boyfriend. Of course I want to be with you."

Ankoku smiled widely at hearing her words. She wasn't joking. She really was ok with having a relationship with him. He had expected her to deny everything and run away from him, as she always did. He didn't expect her to be completely honest with him.

"So?" he asked smiling hopefully.

She looked down shyly and blushed. "Yeah," she mumbled softly.

Ankoku felt his heart soar at her answer. "Really? Are you serious?"

"Yes," she answered with a shy smile on her face, "I like you, Ankoku. So yeah, I' ll accept your proposal."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His hands went straight to her hips and he pulled her closer towards him and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and they kissed passionately for a long while until they both needed some air.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Ankoku asked when he pulled back a little bit.

Mina nodded her head. "If you are. I really like being with you, so I don't mind." She giggled lightly. "I promise I won't mess it up this time."

"Good," Ankoku said seriously. "Because I'm totally willing to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

"Then I hope you will," Mina said sincerely as she pressed a soft kiss against his lips, her pinky finger resting gently underneath his chin.

"I hope so too, baby," he breathed out. The two of them stared into each others' eyes in silence for a few moments before Ankoku leaned in and kissed her tenderly again.

When the kiss broke, Ankoku pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. He held onto her loosely, as he enjoyed the feel of her body close to his. Her lips moved slightly against his as they continued to kiss lazily. They stayed like that for a couple minutes until Mina pulled away from him.

"I'm going to go change," she said simply. Ankoku nodded in response, allowing her to leave the room and disappear into her bathroom.

When she was gone, Ankoku ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He hated that he had to hide things from Mina, especially when it concerned something so personal. However, the risk was worth it if it meant that she wouldn't leave him forever. And besides, he was pretty certain that she would return home with him. She promised her mom that she wouldn't stay away from him for too long. He was already mentally preparing for when they returned home.

"Ah!" Ankoku exclaimed as the sound of someone entering the bedroom caught his attention. Mina emerged from the bathroom wearing one of his old shirts and leggings. Ankoku gave her a surprised look, almost afraid that she might have changed her mind.