Hesitantly, Eri crawled onto the bed and settled beside Takumi's knee. He gave her a rueful look, and she decided to ask what she'd been wondering since the two simple words, 'please stay', had set his ex off. "She said that you never asked her to stay, why not?"

"It's a silly reason." He looked away from her doubtful expression, and swallowed before attempting to explain what suddenly seemed embarrassingly childish, "I always thought it was cool the way my mother's bandmate, Rin, always said that he would never ask a woman to stay. Especially since according to his wife, he really never has." He looked back at her before admitting, "So I decided I'd never ask either, even though my father insisted that it was stupid."

"But, you asked…" she started to object.

He interrupted, "I didn't care if it was cool or not when I asked you to stay." He met her eyes before adding, "I guess my father was right, because I just really didn't want you to leave, and I felt like if I didn't say it I'd regret it later."

She looked at him dubiously. "Are you trying to say that it didn't matter to you if she stayed?"

"No." He shrugged though and admitted, "I don't know why it's different." After a moment he suggested lightly, with a quick grin, "Maybe I fell in love with you at first sight?" She made a face at him and he leaned forward and touched her cheek for a moment, "My parents probably aren't the best examples either, my mother insists that she did fall in love at first sight, and my father has always said that if my mother ever decided to leave him he'd beg her to stay on his knees."

That made her smile a little, even though she suspected that his words were designed to get her into bed. Especially when he told her a moment later, "I really want to kiss you again."

She examined his face and then asked directly, "Why did you bring me to your apartment?"

He shrugged again. "I thought it would be comfortable, private, and I might cook you a real dinner later."

She shook her head at the unspoken implications that seemed to confirm his intentions, but then she remembered that he'd already directly admitted that he was hoping for it when he'd told her that she didn't have to do anything if she didn't want to. "How many women have you dated?" she asked obliquely.

He winced and replied, "Lots. Do you really want me to answer that?" She nodded and he asked doubtfully, "Do I need to include one night stands?" Her shocked expression made him add a quick apology, "Sorry."

"I don't want to be a one night stand," she told him with surprising firmness.

"Marry me then?" he suggested teasingly.

"That's not funny," she replied unhappily.

"It's not completely a joke either," he said softly. "I really haven't ever asked a girl to stay when she wanted to leave before."

She stared at him for a long moment and then objected, "We don't even know each other!"

He grinned and scooted closer to her and insisted softly, "That's why you should date me until we know each other well enough to get married."

She leaned in until their noses almost touched and replied seriously, "I am feeling way too anxious to agree to anything right now."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

He sat back and replied ruefully, "I'm sorry. What can I do to make you feel less anxious?"

She examined his face thoughtfully for a moment and then suggested, "Tell me about your dating history?"

"That will take a long time," he said reluctantly.

"Do you have other plans tonight?" she asked curiously.

He grinned at her again suddenly. "No. Okay, I will tell you everything, if you're sure that you want to know," he agreed conditionally.

She nodded, and replied firmly, "Yes, I'm sure."

Takumi started at the beginning, with his first girlfriend. After he'd covered high school, he stopped and asked, "Should I make you dinner or would you rather go out?"

"I'm not hungry yet?" she replied uncertainly. "And didn't you eat already?"

"Yeah, but I usually eat a snack before bed. And if I'm cooking for you, there are some things I want to start now, so that they have some time before I actually make you dinner," he explained.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Okay what?" he asked laughingly. "Should I cook or should we go out?"

"Cook," she replied.

"Testing my skills?" he asked lightly.

"Maybe," she answered seriously. "If your food is good, I can put that in the plus if-I-date-you column?"

"Is there anything in that column yet?" he asked dryly, as he crawled off the bed.

She laid back and gazed at his ceiling for a moment before answering. He started rummaging through his cupboards and his refrigerator for the ingredients he wanted.

Finally she told him, "You are really pretty. I like it when you kiss me. You've answered everything I've asked you so far. And you seem to be telling me the truth I think?"

He stopped what he was doing and told her, "I'd really like to kiss you again right now." She looked over at him and he added, "And I have been telling you the truth, which I would probably say if I were lying, but I'm not."

Eri laughed and crawled off the bed. He looked surprised when she walked up to him, and stunned when she kissed him. After a moment he set down the bowl he was holding, pulled her up tight against him, and kissed her thoroughly. She gasped when he let her go and picked up the bowl again.

"You really should agree to at least date me if you're going to let me kiss you like that," he said with a grin.

She blushed and retreated to the far side of the bed without answering. He sighed and resumed the narrative of his dating history, while she looked out at the city.

"It's almost sunset," she commented after a little while.

"Are you even listening anymore or am I rambling on about ancient history for no reason now?" he asked a little plaintively.

She regarded him dryly and replied, "You just finished telling me about your 18th girlfriend, not counting your one night stands."

Takumi asked uncomfortably, "You're keeping count?"

She just nodded.

"Why does it matter who I've dated or for how long?" he asked.

She answered seriously, "It probably doesn't. But you started out by kissing me, then you brought me to your apartment, and then there was that scene... And then you say something like you want me to marry you? I don't know what to think. And it may not make any sense, but it does make me feel less anxious to know your history?"

He replied wryly, "I'm a little surprised it doesn't make you feel more anxious."

"How many people have you asked to marry you?" she asked suddenly.

He looked at her, and then replied soberly, "You're not going to believe me."

She gazed back at him doubtfully.

"I don't want to tell you," he said unhappily.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Is it really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied calmly. "I'd much rather have you say that you don't want to tell me something than tell me a lie instead."

"Alright," he agreed. A moment later he added with a laugh, "I'll tell you someday though."