The Book of Firsts

Thirty-Nine

Tuesday brought the exact same request, though more as a demand as Kyou handed me a cup, then held out his hand: "Photos."

After taking a sip of a very floral tea, I unlocked my phone, selected an album, and handed it over.

"I promised Rin and Bran to send a share link immediately," he warned, and entered a few email addresses before he began paging through the gallery. "What was behind that very fascinating discussion of not-quite-ex boyfriends yesterday?"

"Using gossip channels to discourage Carr from asking me out."

Kyou looked up at me, then back at the screen. "Oh? And is Carr on the verge of asking you out?"

"At the moment he’s just very happy to offer me lifts, any time, no problem, doesn’t matter if it’s out of his way. I’m not sure how long it would take for that to transition to maybe going to a movie together, just us, but I think that’s where he’s heading. I’m not a hundred percent sure because so far as I can tell Carr avoids dating due to his excessive popularity."

"Not attracted?"

"Oh, he’s very attractive. But what would I tell him? I’m turning everyone down until I graduate because of a sporting competition? While lying doesn’t bother me, there’s contexts where I prefer to avoid needing to."

"So, your actor works as an ambiguous possible-boyfriend to hold things off, and you’ll date Carr later?"

"No. Lania likes Carr." I hadn’t failed to note the combination of happiness and occasional nerves Carr brought out in Lania, nor how she tried to hide her reaction to signs of his interest in me.

This time Kyou put the phone down to examine my expression closely.

"Just because Lania likes him you’d give him up?"

"Well, if I fell in love with Carr, I’d date him. But I wouldn’t date him just to see if I’ll fall in love with him, if you see what I mean?"

"A useful distinction. Don’t fall in love with Carr, Cheshire."

Before I could decide how to respond to this command, my phone vibrated in his hand, and a measured drum beat sounded. The opening of Drive, by The Cars, an old Eighties tune I’d found when setting up ring tones. Kyou raised his eyebrows, then handed my phone back.

"Hi Carr."

"Mika." Carr’s voice brimmed with joy. "I’ve been shortlisted."

"Really?" I was genuinely surprised, and then very pleased for him. "That’s incredible."

"The announcement will be later this week. I just wanted to…share the moment."

"Congratulations! It’s a fantastic achievement."

"Would—I’d be glad if you’d come out with me to celebrate this weekend, Mika. I could show you the sights of the city."

Wincing, I hesitated, then said: "I’m in a rather complicated relationship, Carr. It makes it difficult for me to do that."

"I see." He paused a long time, then said with a dimmed but resolutely pleasant tone: "Well, if it ever becomes possible, there are some beautiful views around Helios."

I smiled. "Congratulations again, Carr. See you at Club."

I ended the call, then looked across at the highly entertained Kyou.

"Evidently the news about this actor of yours hasn’t spread. I might mend fences with Carr out of sheer sympathy."

"Lania needs to gossip more."

"What were you congratulating him for? The Mirion?"

"Shortlisted."

"Very nice. Carr has an excellent eye. How long would it take you to grow your hair back, Cheshire?"

"A few years? My hair grows fairly fast, but it wouldn’t be more than twenty, or maybe twenty-five centimetres in a year. It depends in part on diet, and the amount of care I put in and so forth."

"What would it take to get you to stop cutting your hair—at least for the rest of the year?"

I laughed. "A copy of that kendo photograph? And go back to the ponytail look?"

"Done. And cheaper than I expected."

"Not cutting my hair for a few months amounts to no effort. It’s winter, so it’s not like I’m going swimming, or doing other things where the excess length becomes annoying, and it won’t get long enough by the end of term for me to have to put real work into it. I was surprised to see your photo because I thought you’d kept the kendo from general consumption, so to speak."

"Something to stir things up, add to my confession tally."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you three compete on that as well?"

"This year, anyway. Previously Bran’s been in a committed relationship and Rin and I in various states of girlfriend possession, which impacts numbers. You must get a hell of a lot when your hair is long."

"No, it’s about the same. I think I might even seem more approachable this year, since Carr counts as number four so far."

"Oh? Who else?"

"Someone called Carl, who came up to me out of nowhere, maybe a junior? Rebecca from literature class. Macey."

"Macey?" Kyou laughed. "Was this a verbal confession? Or did he just stand there going crimson at you?"

"Wrote me a poem. A very good one. Macey’s a bit of a sweetheart."

"You like them tongue-tied? What about your actor? Are you really going to Peru with him?"

"I’m probably going to Machu Picchu with Millie, if her work complexities allow. Christophe has fallen madly for Millie—a totally understandable thing, because Millie is awesome—and he is very keen to come along in hopes that he can win her."

"A lot of partial truths, hm?"

"Did you believe I currently have a boyfriend?"

"Maybe for a nanosecond. But odd as it is to say about someone who lies so glibly, you’re far too honest. And were too clearly enjoying our reaction."

"Yesterday was so much fun. I need to do more things to make Lania shriek."

"That sounds wrong. Or too right." He began to collect together the tea set. "Do you think I could make you shriek, Cheshire?"

"Not with wheelbarrow."

He put down the tray, and circled me to swat my behind lightly, then picked the tray up again.

"If you try to make me laugh during the good bits, I’ll stop and spank you."

"I wonder if I’d like that more." I thought about it, following him into the summer house. "It doesn’t really draw me. Would you like me to spank you?"

"Not at all."

With the heater going, the summer house was relatively warm. Kyou had spread blankets on the couch already, and I sat down to watch him wash the tea set, then decided to amuse myself shedding my shoes and pants as silently as possible. He turned back, paused for a moment at the sight of my bare legs, then walked directly to me and slid his hands from my knees to the top of my thighs.

"Should I take this as a sign of enthusiasm?"

"In general, or specifically for today’s challenge?"

Sitting on the coffee table, he cocked his head. "Did you really dislike this position? We can change things up if it doesn’t work for you at all."

"It’s okay. I just feel silly, so I crack jokes about it." I shrugged. "Your task is to get me to like it."

"Challenge accepted," Kyou said, and kept sliding his hands upward, lifting my tunic, but instead of trapping me as Bran had, he stopped when he could reach my bra, unhooking it and then rubbing his palms in gentle circles over my breasts while he nuzzled and lightly licked my stomach.

This could also make me feel silly, but the slow movements got to me almost immediately, so I responded by removing layers, until there was nothing to stop Kyou’s touch. He pushed me to lie on the couch, and kissed me all over, occasionally pausing to shrug off a piece of clothing. He eventually worked his way to my mouth, and we twined together.

Kyou was clever, finding every place he knew would make me react, and paying a great deal of attention, until I stopped caring about the position, and was focused entirely on the fact that he wasn’t inside of me. When he finally drew back and kneeled on the couch, all I did was immediately hook my legs around his waist, helped when he hoisted me up, and gasped when he finally pushed forward.

"Did you feel silly?" he asked, a suitable time later.

"Only a tiny bit. Doesn’t it feel silly to you?"

"Only when I think of it as wheelbarrow. But I fully endorse you trying to make Bran laugh until he can’t hold it together."

"He’d tickle me to death."

"How meek. Has he tamed you after all, Cheshire?"

I ran fingers lightly across his stomach. "Does not poking a bear make me tame?"

"A bear, huh? I would have put Bran down as a wolf."

"I guess so. Gives off the appearance of being a lone hunter, but very much a pack animal. While Rin is a smiling fox, and you—"

"You’re about to say something uncomplimentary, I can tell."

"You don’t fit into categories so easily, do you? Businessman Artist. If I were to take the school’s general opinion of you, it would be a snake, but that doesn’t really fit you at all."

"Why not?"

I glanced at him. "Because you’re very kind, Kyou. You get almost as big a kick out of helping people as you do teasing them."

"You’ll make me blush." His voice was dry. "But if this is leading up to calling me an adorable dove or something else, I think I’ll stick with snake. I can just be a generous snake."

"I think they’re guardians of treasures or something, so it sort of works."

"Hm." Kyou, looking distracted, rolled onto his back. "You keep giving me ideas for pieces, Cheshire, but this game makes it impossible to use them."

"If you draw me as Cheshire, then wouldn’t I only be a smile?" I asked.

"A grin without a cat?" He grimaced. "I want to show off all the drawings I could do of you."

"More umbrellas," I suggested, and propped myself up so I could kiss him, adding: "Let’s not risk this game by getting over-confident."

He nodded, then pulled me closer. "Umbrellas it is."