The weeks that followed Chisato and Ohno’s near kiss were just as euphoric, though the pair absolutely didn’t touch whatsoever. Chisato made sure to keep a distance of at least twelve inches. Despite her distance Ohno found it nice to be able to spend time with her, that is when his schedule allowed. Most of their time spent together was the minutes it took to walk to Chisato’s apartment complex. Even with the twenty to thirty minutes of company roughly twice a week the duo learned quite a bit about each other. Ohno learned that Chisato’s tastes in food were surprisingly childish. She liked sweet things and despised things that were bitter or sour. Other than vague profile facts, she was a mystery. She released nothing that was deeply locked within her mind and heart and that kept Ohno both interested and curious but also frustrated. Chisato learned that that one’s appearance wasn’t everything, especially when it came to Ohno Satoshi. He was quite an active fisherman as well as an artist. But one of the most shocking is his ability to make her sincerely laugh aloud, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to accomplish. When in fact it was borderline impossible to achieve….She was by no means a hostile person but she rarely expressed humor let alone laughter.

Today was different though, outside rain danced along surfaces as it poured from the gloomy clouds. Sighing ever so lightly, Chisato stared at a trail of water running down one of the windows of C’est La Vie. Her chin in her palm as she surveyed the empty café, she wished her will was enough to halt the rain. At least long enough to be walked home by Ohno…. Her cheeks were flushed at the thought. She truly was becoming a greedy woman….Chisato nearly fell out of her seat at the abrupt beeping of her cell phone. Glancing at the caller ID, a warm smile made its way across her full lips. A text message had been sent from the very man she had been thinking of. Flipping her cell open she quickly pressed on the message.

Coming to pick you up right now.

His text messages to her always seemed to include a picture. If there was no picture then there would be at least three emoticons. This picture was of an open umbrella about to venture out into the down pour in front of a corner shop. With a creased brow and weak smile she quickly replied.

It’s alright, you don’t have to walk me home today. I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold because of me. I’ll just wait out the storm at the café.

Just as she was going to close her phone to wait for a response, it beeped. Staring at the screen in shock, he was texting fast today.

Already on my way, besides I have time to kill before going back to work. Besides it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face.

The last sentence left Chisato breathless. It had been true that they had yet to see each other through his schedule but she found it a good thing in a way. If they saw each other too much then someone would definitely suspect a relationship deeper than friendship was brewing between them. She also feared that if they saw each other too much then he would tire of her company.

She couldn’t find it in her to reply back to his typed words. Fingers poised to response but her mind had yet to give orders to her digits. Staring at the text she barely heard the raps on the locked entrance. Giving a partial look at the clock on her cellphone Chisato stood, it had been nearly fifteen minutes since Ohno had sent her that text.

Swinging the door open revealed a smiling Ohno, the hood of his jacket up to add protection against the storm. With a furrowed brow she moved aside for him to enter the vacant café.

“You’re closed?” He questioned the obvious as he hung his moist jacket on a hook by the door, deciding to take Chisato’s unspoken offer to come inside.

“Yes. Naomi-san had to leave early for a school event for Hanami-chan.” She explained leaving out the part about her having to close the store for the next month for not telling Naomi about Ohno.

“Coffee?” She inquired with a tilted head, Ohno nodding before taking a seat. A comfortable silence engulfing them as the coffee brewed steadily; accompanied by orchestra of soft sound of rain.

“Here you are.” Placing the steaming cup of liquid in front of the idol, Chisato took her place across from him, avoiding eye contact to elude the haunting letters of his text, her fingers idly tracing circles around the rim of her coffee cup. Though she tried to evade his lazy gaze it was inevitable that she looked into his melted caramel irises, a lopsided smile spreading across his tantalizing lips.

“Can I ask you a question, Chisato-san?” Satoshi asked while twisting the fish engraved ring on his right ring finger. With a furrowed brow of confusion, she nods.

“Why don’t you want this ring back?” He questioned slowly taking it from his finger to place it gently onto the table. It sat quietly between the pair, Chisato’s soft eyes hardening at the sight of the silver accessory, Ohno observing a deep sorrowful glint in her eye.

“Why do you still have that?” Her voice was but a mutter, hands clenching tightly against her jeans.

“….My father gave it to me before he left for work overseas.” Pausing she took a deep calming breath while Ohno waited patiently for her to continue. Chisato took a minute to try to figure out if she should tell him or drop the subject….

“We were really close. Considering I’m their only child, I would hope to be close to my parents….but with my father…we were so much alike back then…” Another pause and deep breath.

“Most of my summers when I was younger were spent fishing on the river with him…at least when his job allowed.” She explained with a slight frown.

“…What happened…?” He reluctantly questioned, leaning in to hear Chisato’s trickling tone. Her eyes suddenly met his, startling the idol. Her usually quiet calm eyes had turned terribly stormy with rage.

“He left us for a foreign woman.” Her words dripped with venomous anger.

“That’s not even the worst part! He didn’t have the courtesy of telling us in person, he just sent my mother divorce papers in the mail with a short letter attached.” Chisato’s breathing had turned ragged as her temper rose to a dangerous level, but Ohno continued to supervise. He was determined to find out the reason behind her resentment towards everything and he had a very strong feeling that this story would reveal the answer he was seeking.

“No apology to my mother or me…he didn’t even bother to mention me! It made me think that I was nothing to him…” Ohno wanted to reassure her that, that couldn’t be true. He wanted to grasp her hand in his and tightly hold it until her unconscious trembling stopped.

“…I mean…it wasn’t like my parents had obvious marital problems. They always seemed so happy…Even when mom got sick…my father supported her and took on the burden of having to work six days a week….He’d even take her to doctor appointments during his lunch breaks.” Pausing again to catch her hitching breaths, she turned her gaze upward to the ceiling. Somehow it was easy for her to hold in hazardous tears of despair.

“But she didn’t even bat an eyelash when she viewed the papers….I was the fool in all of it. Always laughing and smiling like an idiot around them, never noticing problems between them. The subtle sighs of annoyance at each other, the glares behind my back. I didn’t even notice when he started sleeping in his home office.” A sour smirk quirked at the corner of her lips in utter disappointment in herself.

“I blamed myself in the beginning…writing to my father every day to beg and plead and apologize for everything that was happening….It was when he never replied that I started blaming him for everything. For the way I am…for not writing back….For utterly abandoning me and my mother. He’s a coward and an absolute disgrace to men everywhere.” She spat gritting her teeth.

“I hate what he’s done…I hate it! I’m so angry with him it drives me insane! But the memories of my childhood won’t allow me to genuinely hate him…” With a quivering lower lip, Chisato stared into Ohno’s wide eyes. Her heart was pounding in fear of his coming reaction and as the seconds ticked by her anxieties grew more and more.

“I’m pathetic…aren’t I? Blaming someone else for something that’s my—” Ohno cut her sentence short by jolting up, his chair making a cringe worthy scream across the wood floor. With his hands firmly placed on the table as he stared down at the surprised woman.

“In what way are you pathetic? In what way is it you fault?” All she could do was stare up into his passion driven gaze, even as he made his way over to her side their stare never broke.

“…You…I-I mean…You don’t think I’m…pathetic?” She whispered, finally able to break the stare to look down at her clenched hands. The only person outside of family that new about this issue was Naomi, who was also the only friend in high school that didn’t abandon her after her parents’ divorce.

“No, I don’t think you’re pathetic.” Ohno clearly states with sincere eyes. With her gaze still on her hands and her expression showing little conviction, he took a deep breath. Kneeling in front of Chisato and taking her clasped grasp in his own, kind, warm hands. A sharp shock of wonderful heat shot through her arms from the contact, her body relishing in the soft pleasure from the simple touch.

Blinking away invisible tears, she met his gaze once again. A calm smile had formed on his lips, a smile that jump started her chilled heart. A heart that had been void of romance for a number of years was now beginning to glow with starry-eyed emotions that clashed with her timid mind.

With Ohno so close, Chisato could trace with her eyes the outline of his tempting mouth, the gentle curve of his jaw, his youthfully full cheeks, and above all his intense gaze that always drew her in closer. She was making sure to imprint every detail into memory, not wanting to miss a single thing in this moment.

Ohno also tried to take in every aspect of this moment. Looking from her shining eyes to her smooth skin and stopping at her full lips. Through gentle and slow movements, he moved his way upward until his forehead pressed gently against Chisato’s. Smiling when she didn’t startle or move away, he continued forward until their lips were a fraction of a measurement away from each other.

“I’m going to kiss you now.” He announced causing a hard palpitation to painfully course through her body as she felt his breath ghost its way across her flushed skin. Before another inhalation was taken from either party, their lips pressed firmly against one another. Ohno made sure not to deepen the kiss too much for fear of pushing Chisato away again.

There was an explosion of heat that spread through Chisato’s small form, wrapping and fusing with every cell in her body. Pooling in her stomach as Ohno placed a gentle hand at the nape of her neck, pulling her ever closer. Another shudder contradicts the swirling heat as Chisato reluctantly parts for air, with wild eyes she delves right back in.  Her fingers finding their way up the nape of Ohno’s neck to twine softly in his hair, unintentionally her nails scrap dully against his scalp. Causing and unexpected groan from the man which in turn fueled her new found feeling of panic and yearning. She didn’t want this delicious feeling of being so close to him end and neither did Ohno.

As her heart swelled with painful happiness, her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. Reluctantly they had to part but Ohno continues to press his forehead to Chisato’s in an attempt to keep close. Her eyes were still closed as her bottom lip found its way between her teeth; she could still taste his lips on her own. Reveling in the enchanting feelings that were eager to burst out of the seams, Chisato tries to regain some type of sense. This was Ohno Satoshi after all; an unobtainable man who Chisato couldn’t begin to dream of having to herself….and yet a part of her could never deny her affections towards him and she was so tired of fighting them….

Sighing in defeat she gently pushed against his forehead, earning a lopsided grin that in turn made a smile finally spread across her lips.

“Ah, there it is.” Ohno whispered, running his thumb across her bottom lip. This was the smile he craved to see each and every day and it made it all the more beautiful knowing he was the one that caused it. Chisato had been so seemingly opposed to being anything other than friends that Ohno was concerned she would hate him for trying to take it a step farther. Nevertheless, here he was, going to take another reckless step forward.

“Go out with me.”

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A/N: It's been a super duper long time since I updated anything! :O

Anyway, thank you to all who read this.

P.S. BOLD is text messages, email, etc