Chapter 7 - Admiration
The silence rang through Genya's ears painfully, and the awkwardness made him want to throw himself off the nearest cliff.
After that "moment" he had taken his seat, and you had started staring down at your menu, seemingly entranced.
Must be some menu if it's got her this hooked, considering that she'd have memorized it by now. Genya thought before shakily picking one up for himself and placing it, closed, on his lap.
His eyes darted across the restaurant, taking the time to appreciate all the new furniture he's somehow never noticed before. After a couple of minutes, he moved onto counting and memorizing every nook in the wall.
While on this mission, Genya's eyes eventually landed on the opening of the kitchen, where he was met with the image of a fuming Iguro, standing arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
TALK TO HER. His eyes seemed to scream.
Genya sighed and looked at you, weighing his options. On one hand he could continue his counting–he was at 73–and risk Iguro's wrath...or he could talk to you. Talk... to you. His hands shook a bit more violently.
Genya took a deep breath and started, "So..."
"So..." You repeated, finally looking up.
"I never realised you and Mitsuri were sisters." What a terrible conversation starter.
"Oh, yeah we don't look alike do we? We both have different dads and we've taken after them rather than our mother..." You trailed off, looking down at your hands.
"Ah, I guess that makes sense, you guys seem very close."
"We are. Mitsuri was the one who took care of me, and helped me figure things out."
Genya smiled and nodded, "older siblings are pretty admirable."
You hummed in agreement. "Sooo, you're a police officer? What's it like?"
Genya let out a breathy laugh, "well, it's tiring. Lately things have been quieting down but they still have me patrolling late at night sometimes, or taking care of a messy arrest. All that aside, it's rewarding."
You smiled in acknowledgement.
"I saw you working here a few times, are you uh... a cook?" He asked.
You shook your head. "I work part time here, I'm actually an artist." Genya's eyes widened slightly.
"Really?" He said, amazed.
"Well... kinda. I do commissions and sell paintings sometimes. But my main job is designing advertisements for this company, so I'm usually just busy with that near the holidays."
Genya hummed, "sounds eventful."
You giggled and shook your head once more, "not really..." Dammit why is my giggle so ugly.
Genya smiled widely at the sound and stifled a chuckle of his own.
The evening went on with the two of you so engaged in conversation that you didn't even notice that you had forgotten to order, or when your food was brought out either way, or when Mitsuri not-so-secretly snapped photos.
Eventually evening turned into night, and as the sun was slowly setting... so was Iguro's patience.
It didn't take long for the two of you to feel his nasty glare, silently urging you to pack it up and leave. Sharing a nervous smile, you both walked out, your bill mistakenly forgotten.
"Favourite food?" You asked.
"Watermelon, you?"
You shrugged, "anything edible."
Genya laughed and looked at the setting sun. "I can walk you back to your apartment... if you like?"
You hesitated. Does he want to...? I wouldn't mind but... what if he leaves after and isn't looking for anything serious? I can't handle that...
Genya nudged you with his elbow, "everything alright?"
You smiled tightly and nodded, thoughts still spinning in your mind. It's been a while... What if I'm disappointing?
Genya seemed to notice your unease, provoking doubts of his own. Is something wrong? Did I do something? ... Maybe I said something that made her uncomfortable? He thought.
You both stopped at a light and Genya cleared his throat, "you have any plans next weekend?" You pursed your lips and looked at the ground, trying to remember your schedule. Genya immediately took the act as a sign of rejection and quickly faltered "I-I mean you don–".
"I think I'm free."
"Oh" Genya sighed in relief.
You laughed nervously, misunderstanding the response "you sound disappointed."
"What? No, no. I just– I would never." He stammered trying to rectify the situation.
He looked at your face, and found you avoiding his gaze , "No– well, I suppose? Why would I ever be disappointed towards someone so perfe–" He stops himself, a blush rising up his neck.
You furrowed your brows, "why'd you stop talking... oh. " You choked violently and crouched to avoid tipping over as you came to the sudden realization that he was about to call you perfect. Perfect. You'd never been called that before.
"Are you okay?" Genya exclaimed as he bent down beside you. Your choking quickly turned into giggles and you leaned into him for stability. Genya couldn't help but admire how beautiful you looked smiling under the streetlight and a laugh of his own escapes his lips. He eventually steadied you up, his hands on your shoulder. Everything seemed to slow down as your eyes met. The busy sound of traffic, rattling of signs and chirping of nocturnal birds quieted, and soon the only thing you both could hear was the synchronization of your breaths.
"Hi." You breathed out, entranced.
"Hey." He replied, eyes flickering down to your parted lips.
A cold breeze made you shiver, disrupting the moment.
Genya shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts "It's getting dark... and cold, we should walk faster."
"Right." You agreed, still smiling and dazed.
After a moment of silence, Genya started "About your weekend... there's a new restaurant opening near the lake..." He trailed off, looking for a reaction.
"Betraying Mitsuri and Iguro... the audacity." You joked. "But sure, I'd love to do this again sometime."
Genya grinned in both relief and excitement. "Great! Can't wait."
You hummed before nodding in the direction of your apartment. "This is me."
Genya analysed it, taking note of the rundown walls. "Looks... cozy?"
"Don't lie," you scoffed and playfully rolled your eyes.
He smiled, "I'll walk you up."
You both walked silently, you internally panicking while Genya was trying to figure out how many safety laws this building was violating.
"Well... here it is." You mutter, standing outside your door.
"Right... I'll see you later then," Genya smiles before turning away, lost in thought.
You stood at your door, dumbstruck yet relieved that he wasn't asking to push things so early. You inhaled sharply before quickly catching up to him. "Genya?"
He stopped and turned to look down at you, tilting his head. "Yes?"
You smiled in reply and lifted yourself to the tips of your toes, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Then...
The sudden sound of erotic moaning and a bed creaking made you freeze. You slowly turned and looked in the direction of your neighbours front door.
Why were these walls so thin? And when did anyone else as dumb as me decide to move in here?!
You and Genya awkwardly met eyes, both your faces flushed red.
"Nevermind... I'll see you later." You mumbled and quickly turned to go inside your apartment and slump to your floor in shame. Genya grabbed your wrist, stopping you in your tracks. His free hand reached out and cupped the side of your cheek, tilting your face in his direction.
He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on your cheekbone.
"See you later..." He whispered, before letting go of you and walking away, still pondering over the safety of your residence.
Once he was out of sight, you leaned against the wall, and held your hands over your pacing heart. It beat so loud that it was ringing through your ears, blocking out the sound of your neighbours...
Unfortunately this effect was temporary, and you soon realized that you wouldn't be getting sleep that night.
1.3k words
Thank you to my friend for helping me write and edit this
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