The air had become humid and clingy, summer clearly letting us know it had arrived. I laid down across (y/n)'s couch, the air conditioning providing a sweet relief from the oppressive weather just outside. She was sitting in the kitchen scrolling through her phone quietly; the apartment was peaceful, the only sound the air conditioner.

"Hey," I called out. "Do you wanna do anything?"

"No," she laughed, her voice ringing through the house. "It's too hot. I wanna take a nap." She stood up and walked into the living room, looking down at me from where I laid on the couch.

"It's already almost seven," I said, gazing up at her. "It's not really a nap at this point, is it?"

"Fine," she groaned, pushing me so I was now sitting up. She spread her legs across me, snuggling up to a throw pillow and closing her eyes. "Wake me up in an hour."

I wanted to tell her to get up and actually hang out with me but I knew not to push it, the fact that I was the one she was sprawled across more than enough anyways. I quietly took out my phone and snapped a picture of her, not daring to post it. I was happier keeping it to myself anyways; it was like a secret just for her and I.

I felt so lucky to have this girl snoring next to me, even if it was confusing and strange and complicated. (Y/n) wasn't my girlfriend- "not yet" according to her. We'd been hanging around each other more than I ever dreamed and it was incredible. All her little quirks I discovered as we drove around or sat on her couch like we were now, they felt like treasures to me.

I still had so many questions for her, like do you actually like me? Are we dating and I just don't know it? Did you like Asahi before? Are we gonna move in together? Are we going to get married someday? I let these things go unsaid though, always too awestruck that (y/n) was even next to me to care about the technicalities. I decided to just let our relationship play out how it would, and if that meant just letting her lay across my lap forever, I would be perfectly fine.

My phone buzzed on the arm of the couch, the little blue light flashing.

I decide to think about it for a while before responding, knowing that Daichi would rather wait for me than get an "I don't know". The hour passes by slowly and I have plenty of time to think about his question, but by eight o'clock my mind's as blank as it was an hour before. I gently shake (y/n)'s arm, calling her name quietly to wake her up. I love the little noise that escapes her lips as she begins to sit up, placing her hand on my leg as she stretches out. I try not to notice the touch but fail miserably as my heart skips a beat in my chest.

"That was a good nap," she mumbles, her voice syrupy sweet. "Sorry I'm always so boring. I just like you being here, you know?" I smile at her and place my hand on hers where it still rested on my leg, a rush of bravery going through me.

"I don't mind," I chuckle. "I like being here, too." I'm afraid for a quick second that she's going to lean in to kiss me but I'm thankfully mistaken. Despite dreaming of the moment a million times, every time she gazes at me and I think oh my god, it's happening, all of my fears about being the worst kisser pop into my head. She stands up and walks into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge then plopping back on the couch.

"I should probably bring you home now, huh," she says, not really as a question but like she's talking to herself. I nod at her but neither of us make any effort to stand up and leave; we sit quietly on the couch, when she gingerly rests her head on my shoulder. I'm surprised by the action, unsure how to react as she places her hand on my arm, her stare seeming far away. I decide to do nothing and hope she stays like this forever.

"It's confusing, isn't it?" She asks.

"What is?"

"Feeling like this. Feeling like this is the most natural thing in the world, like I've belonged here my whole life and I'm finally where I should be. But that couldn't be true, could it?"

I'm lost for words and my pulse in my ears reaches a crescendo, deafening me.

"Why couldn't it?" I finally say, not looking at her until I feel her head lift up to look at me. She smiles.

"That's true." She says as she stands up and grabs her keys off the counter, heading toward the door. She slips on a pair of flip-flops in the hallway and I follow behind her, still lightheaded from her previous words. We get in her car and it's quiet; I don't have to give her directions to my house anymore.

"What should I do for my birthday?" I decide to ask, trying to get my mind off the unspoken words between us.

"Why?" She asks. "Is it soon?"

"Yeah, it's next week. June thirteenth."

"What?!" She yelled. "Did you plan on telling me at some point or did you just wanna wait so I'd look like a total asshole?"

"What?" I laughed, loving the way her eyebrows raised when she was mad, and how a deep red creeped up her neck. "You don't have to get me anything." She rolled her eyes, taking one hand off the wheel to lightly push me. I giggled and tried not to get too excited about the way her hand felt on my skin, wishing I could feel it again.

"Let me know what you end up doing, okay?" She said, her voice genuine. "I wanna see you on your big day. How old are you gonna be?"

"Eighteen."

"Oh my god!" She squeaked, a huge grin on her face. "That's so exciting! I'm so excited for you."

I laughed and thanked her, in disbelief that she wanted to see me on my birthday- that she really wanted to see me at all. It always shocked me that she didn't have anything better to do; now and then she'd talk about driving into the city to talk on the radio, and going to interview celebrities and politicians, and I'd see it all online, which only made me want to get to know her more.

"Alright," she sighed, slowing to a stop in front of my house. "I'll see you around, Koushi."

I hesitated getting out of her car, not wanting to leave just yet. I pushed the thoughts away and opened the door but she caught my wrist before I could step out.

"Are you okay? You look like you wanted to say something," she asked, seeing right through me. I felt my face flush and tried to look away but she tugged on me, forcing me to meet her eye to eye. Her eyes were dark in the dim overhead light of her car, a few pieces of hair sticking to her neck in the thick summer heat, a rosy glow on her cheeks; she was ethereal, an angel waiting to drop me off outside my house.

"I- I just..."

"Just tell me what you want to say. You don't have to be afraid with me."

Her words sent a chill down my spine along with a sudden rush of bravery that pushed me forward, placing a hand gently on her thigh as I leaned my face into hers. I closed my eyes, too afraid to see her expression as I awkwardly placed my lips on hers; she sharply inhaled but leaned into me, resting her hand on my bicep just where the sleeve on my t-shirt ended. A moment passed and I began to pull away but she leaned closer, our lips still touching as she tilted her head, deepening the kiss. A weird noise escaped my throat as she squeezed my arm and after another second we both pulled away, our eyes locked. Everything seemed clearer somehow, as if the world had been cleansed in an almost heavenly rain. I took a deep breath, unable to look away from her.

"I really like you," she breathed, breaking the silence between us. Her words were rushed, like she forced herself to say them before getting too scared.

"I like you too," I said, smiling. "I really like you so much. You really have no idea how-"

"Yes I do," she laughed, our eyes not leaving each other's for even a second. "It's been killing me for so long. I always liked you, Koushi. I always, always liked you and I never wanted to say it because I didn't want to mess up you and your friends."

"I thought you liked Asahi for so long," I laughed, my voice higher than usual.

"I like Asahi but it's not the same as how I like you," She spoke. "It's different with you. It's always been different with you ever since we met and I always wanted to tell you but I was too afraid."

I was tempted to lean in and kiss her again just to relive it but I didn't, simply reaching for her hand and twining our fingers together.

"Well, you just did," I smiled. I didn't know what the right thing to do was at this point, everything feeling so surreal that I wondered if I was dreaming.

"Okay," she breathed, nodding to herself. "Okay. We should talk tomorrow. Text me when you're home and I'll come by."

"Okay," I nodded, my legs carrying me out of her car and to my front door. She waved to me before she drove off, and once she was finally out of sight I jumped in the air, pumping my fists as I yelled out with joy, not caring if the neighbors heard. Once I finished my outburst I walked inside, my mom and dad sitting on the couch. My dad looked at me like I'd lost my mind while my mom just smirked at me, having probably watched the entire scene from the window.

"Everything okay?" My dad asked.

"More than okay, Dad," I sighed. "A million times better than okay." My mom giggled and told me dinner was in the microwave, not even making me dish all the details to her right then. I sat at the table alone after I reheated my food, scrolling through my phone with my cheeks still feeling hot despite the air conditioning. I pushed my hair back from where it stuck to my forehead with sweat and thought about how (y/n) looked just moments ago, and wondered if she thought of me in the same way. Every detail and aspect of her floated through my mind every hour of the day, and after our kiss my brain would need forever to mull over every little thing.

I still felt her lips on mine even as I ate; how they felt like gummy candy and didn't taste like anything, and how her breath was cool against my hot skin in that millisecond before we pulled away. I couldn't wait for the next time we kissed, imagining what it might be like to place my hand on her waist, or her cheek, or the back of her neck, and how it would feel if she ran her hands through my hair and, oh my god, we're probably going to make out at some point and probably even more than that eventually. I stopped my raging thoughts and got up to get a glass of water, trying to focus on reality instead of my daydreams.

Later that night as I laid in bed and mindlessly scrolled through my phone I remembered Daichi's message. I told him that the team could go out to eat to celebrate or we could just all hang out; after, I got up to plug my phone in but Daichi had already responded before I got back into bed.

I found his text a little strange but responded all the same, saying if he wanted to then that would be fine. I put my phone on silent and crawled back into my bed, ready to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow, my thoughts heavy with thoughts of (y/n) and kisses and dates and birthdays and everything in between.

I fell asleep before Daichi responded again, the little light blinking on my phone as I soundly slept.