Before My Memories With You Melt Away in Tears - Episode 19

The movie Kyoya and I watched was as exciting and fun as the reviews promised, with plenty of laughter and no dull moments. It was a comedy, and we both enjoyed it immensely.

“That was so much fun!”
“Yes! It was really fun!”

Like everyone else, Kyoya and I left the theater with big smiles on our faces. I was bursting with thoughts about the movie and wanted to talk about it, but discussing spoilers in the lobby would be rude. It was frustrating to have so much to say, but nothing I could share just yet.

“Do you want to go to a café?”
“Yes!”

When Kyoya suggested going to a café, I eagerly nodded. I wanted to talk about the movie, and I also wanted to know what Kyoya thought of certain scenes.

He ordered a black coffee, and I got a café mocha. We sat at an empty two-person table.

“Heh.”

As Kyoya took a sip of his iced coffee, he smiled as if amused.

“You’re wearing an expression like you can’t wait to talk.”

“Huh? Really? How embarrassing…”

I might have been too obvious about how eager I was to talk. Maybe Kyoya had noticed that I was waiting to hear his thoughts on the movie.

“That’s one of the things I think is really cute about you.”

“C-Cute…? Not me…”

“Don’t say that. You’re cute, Ayaka-chan. At least, to me, you’re really cute.”

My cheeks heated up from both embarrassment and a strange ache in my chest. Kyoya had probably said similar things to many other girls. Hearing him say something like that made my heart tighten with a pang of jealousy.

“Ayaka-chan? Is something wrong?”

Kyoya looked at me with concern as I suddenly went quiet. I quickly put on a smile and took a sip of my café mocha. The sweet and bitter taste filled my mouth, helping me relax a little.

“I just spaced out for a second, thinking about the movie!”

“I see. By the way, what was your favorite scene, Ayaka-chan?”

I felt relieved when Kyoya’s expression softened. He had told me before that he liked seeing me smile. So, instead of getting all moody or thinking too much, I decided it was better to just laugh and talk with him now.

The person I was with wasn’t the person from the past. It was the Kyoya right in front of me. The Kyoya who said he liked me. And the Kyoya I was falling for right now.

Time passed quickly as Kyoya and I spent more time together. Before, we’d spent time together, but now that I had started to understand my feelings for him, everything felt different. The way time moved felt like it had changed completely.

After the movie, we spent about an hour at the café, and before I knew it, it was already around the time when I should be heading home if it were a school day. I wanted to stay a little longer, but I wondered what Kyoya thought.

“Ayaka-chan, about after this…”

Just as I was trying to figure out how to bring it up, Kyoya spoke first.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Uh, not really…”

I hated how I couldn’t think of anything clever to say. I could have said something cute like, “I want to go shopping,” but I couldn’t even think of anything else besides that. It made me feel pathetic.

“I wish I could just say, ‘I want to stay a little longer…'”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

I had only sighed in my mind, but somehow Kyoya was looking at me with wide eyes, surprised. Why? How? No way…

“Did I just say that out loud?”

“Ah, no, it’s just… yeah.”

“……!!!”

My face felt like it was on fire with embarrassment. I completely understood now why people talk about wanting to disappear when they feel like this. I didn’t even know if I had said it or not, but I wanted to escape from this moment immediately.

With a forced smile, I panicked inside. In front of me, Kyoya pressed his fist to his mouth and muttered, “Um…”

“Ayaka-chan…”

“Ah, uh…”

I was so scared of what he might say next that I waved my hands in front of my face, desperately trying to explain.

“It’s not like that, it’s just that… I don’t want to go home yet. I mean… Ah, what am I saying? What I meant is… It’s just that, even though we’re finally out together like this, the time went by too quickly, and now I feel kind of lonely…”

“Stop! I get it, I get it!”

Kyoya quickly covered my mouth with his hand. He was sitting so close that I could see his face, which was just as red as mine.

“Your face is red.”

“Of course it is.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“What do you think I am to you, Ayaka-chan?”

After pulling his hand away from my mouth, Kyoya hid his face with his fist again. Maybe this was just his habit when he was embarrassed.

“Kyoya-senpai, you’re cute.”

Before I realized it, the words slipped out, and Kyoya laughed in disbelief.

“You’re the cute one, Ayaka-chan.”

Then he stood up, taking my hand as we left the café.

“Uh, wait, um…”

“You don’t want to go home yet, right? Well, how about we take a quick walk around Emerald Mall?”

“…Yes!”

Walking side by side with Kyoya, I glanced up at him. His cheek was still a little red, and I tried to hide the smile that crept up on my own face, not wanting him to notice.