HeartBeats - Ruka Sarashina (Kanojo, Okarishimasu)

After I managed to save Ruka's life and vice versa, the lifeguard came to get us. Obviously, he scolded us for doing something so reckless.

A short time later, when we returned to my group of friends, we also ended up getting yelled at by the group. After the big misunderstanding, each of us went to our respective rooms.

Ruka and I decided to sleep together in the same room. - "Ruka, I'm going to take a shower..." - I went into the hotel room's bathroom, still feeling the tension and relief of what had happened before.

"Hm... I'm going to buy something." - Ruka said to herself.

As the hot water ran down my shoulders, he tried to organize his thoughts. The weight of the emotions he shared with Ruka was still present, but now there was a comforting calm in knowing that she was by my side.

Meanwhile, Ruka left the room, dressed casually, but still with the elegance that always seemed natural to her. With light steps, she went down to the nearest convenience store to buy a Coke, it was large, about six inches. While waiting in line, she found herself smiling to herself. It was hard to contain the happiness that overflowed in her heart.

Back at the hotel, I finished my shower, grabbed some light, comfortable clothes and began to dry my hair with a towel, looking absently out the window at the dark sky dotted with stars. Despite being alone in the room, I felt a strange tranquility, I was confident. - "It's really beautiful here at night..."

A short time later, Ruka returned to the room with two bottles of Coke. As soon as she opened the door, she found me looking out the window, still naked and with my hair still a little damp. I looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, I brought your share..." - she said, holding up the bottle as if it were a prize.

"Thanks." - I replied with a relaxed smile, reaching out to take one of the bottles.

Until Ruka looked straight at me, occasionally getting lost in our gazes.

"Ah, twenty centimeters..." - Ruka's face gradually became redder than I had ever seen it. Trying to hide it, Ruka quickly looked away, but not before letting out a small sigh.

I looked at her confused. - "Twenty what?"

"R-Ryo-chan... I think you forgot something..." she said, trying to sound natural, but her voice was shaky.

Confused, I looked to where she was pointing and realized the situation immediately. My eyes widened and I quickly covered myself with the towel from my hair, improvising as best I could.

"R-R-Ruka! I... I didn't know you were back already! -I-I forgot!"

"I... I also didn't know you were going to leave so... carefree!" - She tried to contain her nervous laughter, but clearly couldn't.

We both remained in an awkward silence for a few seconds, until, still not knowing what to say, I quickly turned to go back to the bathroom.

Ruka, still not knowing whether to laugh or hide in embarrassment, muttered softly, still not looking directly at me: "Five centimeters more... now I know that... that Coke isn't even that big..."

I felt a mix of confusion and embarrassment before I realized what she meant. - "Ruka! Don't say things like that!" - I quickly ran back to the bathroom, closing the door tightly behind her while still holding the pillow.

Ruka finally relaxed and started laughing alone, still trying to process what had happened. "This Ryo... how can he be so clueless and cute at the same time?" - she muttered to herself, opening the bottle of Coke with a smile on her lips, trying to disguise the wave of heat she felt inside.

In the bathroom, I leaned against the door and sighed deeply, vowing never to leave there again. - "Fucking idiot..."

Ruka, on the other hand, just stood there, holding the bottle of Coke with her cheeks on fire and a mischievous smile on her face. - "Twenty centimeters... This trip is definitely more interesting than I expected..." - she muttered to herself.

After I finished getting dressed quickly, my face still red with embarrassment. I looked away when Ruka walked past me to go to the bathroom, avoiding any exchange of glances after the previous situation.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, so decide what you want to eat in the meantime!" - Ruka said, already with a visible smile on her face as she grabbed a towel in her hands and walked into the bathroom. She seemed to have completely recovered.

"Sure, no problem. I'll take a look at what's around here..." - I replied, pretending to be completely focused on my cell phone while I waited.

As soon as I heard the sound of the shower turning on, I decided to go down to the hotel lobby to find something for them to eat. I knew Ruka loved sweets, so I thought I'd get her something she might like. On my way down, I passed a small convenience store inside the hotel and stopped to browse the selection.

As I walked through the hallways, I thought deeply. "Aren't we moving too fast?" I thought, grabbing a bento box and some desserts. Despite my worry, I couldn't help but smile whenever I thought of her.

Suddenly, a store clerk approached me and said, "Do you need any help, sir?" I quickly replied that I didn't, but the clerk's kind tone reminded me of how Ruka treated me in the simplest of moments. I chuckled to myself. "Yeah, I guess she's really messing with me."

After paying for my groceries, I went back to my room. The sound of the shower was still running, so I arranged the bentos and sweets on the small table by the window, making sure everything was ready before she got out of the shower.

I sat on the bed, crossing my arms and looking out the window at the night view of the city. I thought about how much these simple moments, like sharing a meal with Ruka, meant to me.

"Maybe after dinner..." - I muttered to myself, as I listened to the sound of the water stopping and imagined what it would be like to spend the rest of the night with her.

I was sitting on the couch, distracted by my cell phone while I waited for Ruka to come out of the bathroom. I heard the sound of the door opening, but I didn't even look up, assuming she would already be dressed. Only when I felt the atmosphere change, with an awkward and heavy silence, did I look up and froze.

Ruka was standing next to the bed, wrapped only in a short towel. Her still damp hair fell over her shoulders, and her face was completely red. "I forgot my robe..." - Ruka said to herself. She realized, with a mix of despair and embarrassment, that she had left her robe on the bed, exactly where she could see it.

I immediately looked away and tried to focus on my cell phone. - "I didn't see anything, I swear!" - The voice said louder than I intended. Her face was equally red, and she seemed extremely nervous.

"You saw everything, you pervert!" Ruka exclaimed. She quickly grabbed the robe from the bed, holding it against her body as she stared at him with half-closed eyes.

"N-It's not that! I just looked up by accident! It was a reflex!" - I tried to defend myself, raising my hands as if I was surrendering.

Ruka wrapped the robe around herself, hiding the towel, and sighed deeply. - "Did you... like what you saw?" - Despite her attempt to look serious, she couldn't hide the shy smile that appeared on the corners of her lips.

"I... did like it..." - I said, standing up hurriedly and heading towards the table where I had placed the food.

Ruka huffed, crossing her arms, but her expression soon softened. - "You're lucky to be my boyfriend, you know?" - She stopped, leaving the threat hanging in the air, as she sat down to join me.

I gave a nervous laugh. - "Yeah, I'm really lucky... really lucky." - I looked away again, trying to hide the slight smile of satisfaction. Even in embarrassing situations, being with Ruka was something I valued more than anything.

After we finished our meal, we set the table in a silence that, although comfortable, carried a slight tension in the air. We simply avoided mentioning the previous incident, but the flushed faces and quick glances made it clear that we were still thinking about it.

"Well... I think it's time to sleep..." - I said, scratching the back of my neck as I looked at the double bed that occupied the center of the room.

Ruka nodded, adjusting the robe she had decided to use as improvised pajamas. - "Yeah... I think so." - Her voice was low, and she seemed nervous, although she tried to maintain her composure.

We approached the bed as if we were about to face a battle. I pulled the blanket on one side, while Ruka did the same on the other. We looked at each other, our faces still flushed, and without saying anything, we slowly lay down.

The bed seemed smaller than it really was, with both of us trying to keep a respectful distance, but at the same time aware that we were sharing the same space.

"Good night, Ruka." I murmured, staring to the right as I tried to control my rapid breathing.

"Good night, Ryo." - she replied, turning her back to me, but unable to completely relax. Her heart was pounding, and she was sure he could hear it.

For a few minutes, the room was completely silent, except for the sound of breathing. The tension was almost palpable, but it gradually dissipated.

"Hey, Ruka..." - I broke the silence, speaking softly. - "Sorry about earlier... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

She turned her head slightly in my direction, still with her back to me. - "I know... I overreacted too. It was just... unexpected."

I laughed nervously. - "Yeah, unexpected for me too."

Ruka finally turned to him, though keeping a slight distance. "I..." Her voice had a tone of seriousness.

We were still lying down, back to back, with the silence in the room filled only by the sound of the soft rain beating against the window. We were awake, each of us immersed in our own thoughts. The room was filled with an energy that was hard to ignore.

"Ryo-chan..." - Ruka's voice broke the silence once more. It was soft, hesitant, but there was a sincerity in it that made my heart race.

"Yes?" - I answered without turning around, trying to keep my tone casual, although I could feel the tension rising.

"Are you... really comfortable like this? I mean, sharing the space with me..." - She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, but her voice betrayed a slight nervousness.

I finally turned to face her directly. She also turned, our eyes meeting at the same moment.

"I am..." - She said with a shy smile appearing on her lips. - "But you seem to be thinking about something. What is it?"

Ruka lowered her eyes for a moment, lightly biting her lower lip. - "It's just... I feel like there's something I need to experience... Something more..."

Her words left me silent for a moment. I knew what she was trying to say, but I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.

"Are you sure?" - I asked in a serious but caring voice. - "I don't want to pressure you or do anything you're not ready for."

Ruka blushed, but looked up to look at him again. - "I trust you, Ryo. More than anything. And... yes, I'm sure."

I felt the weight of her words, and for a moment, I stood there, watching her, as if I wanted to keep that moment in my memory forever. I slowly approached, reaching out to caress her face. Ruka closed her eyes, leaning into the touch.

We moved closer, our hearts racing in sync as our breaths mingled. The kiss we shared was unlike any other: intense, full of emotion and meaning. There was no more hesitation, just total surrender to the moment.

As we were engaged in the kiss, a strange sensation enveloped us, as if the world around us had faded away. At first, we didn't notice it at first, lost in that intimate moment. However, as soon as Ruka opened her eyes and looked at the television that was on, something caught her attention.

"Ryo... look at this." - She pointed to the screen, where a scene had frozen in the middle of a commercial. Even pressing the buttons on the remote control, nothing happened.

Initially confused, I got up and walked to the window. Outside, everything was still. The trees were still, the raindrops suspended in the air, like crystals trapped in time.

"It can't be..." - I murmured, feeling a mixture of unease and familiarity. I looked at Ruka, who was watching him with wide eyes, now completely alert. - "Time stopped again?!"

"This... Has it ever happened to you?" Ruka asked, her voice tinged with nervousness, but also curiosity.

I nodded, trying to remain calm. - "Yes. Time has stopped again... but the strange thing is that you are also conscious now. This has never happened before."

Prelest appeared. - "Actually, it has happened to her. But she never remembers it."

"Prelest!" - Ruka frowned, thinking about what he said. - "Does this have anything to do with what happened at the bottom of the sea? Or maybe with Prelest?"

"So you noticed..." - Prelest said with his calm but mysterious voice. - "It is rare for two people to become conscious when time is suspended."

"Why is this happening?" - I asked, holding Ruka's hand, as if I wanted to protect her from any threat.

Prelest looked at the two of us for a moment before answering. - "Your bond has grown so much that it has now transcended. This could be a sign of something greater, or perhaps just a consequence of my recent experiences."

Ruka, still trying to process everything, asked: "But what should we do now? Why would time stop like this... for no reason?"

Prelest smiled enigmatically. "Nothing happens without a reason, Ruka. Maybe you need to take a closer look at your surroundings, or maybe just appreciate the fact that, for a moment, you're together in a world that isn't moving."

I took a deep breath, still uneasy, but trying to calm myself. - "So, this isn't a threat? Is there nothing to worry about right now?"

"Not for now," Prelest replied, his form slowly starting to dissipate. - "But remember, time stopped for you for a reason. Find out what it is before it starts flowing again."

With those words, Prelest disappeared, leaving the two of us alone in the room again. Ruka and I exchanged glances, trying to understand the meaning behind what was said.

We sat on the bed, observing the static world around us. The room was enveloped in absolute silence, a world suspended in time, where only Ruka and me existed.

It was as if the universe had granted us an exclusive moment, free from any interruption or judgment, a space where only we could unravel.

I looked at Ruka, my eyes meeting hers, a mixture of tenderness and intensity. I didn't need to say anything. It was a silent invitation, a confession of everything I had kept inside me and now wanted to share.

Ruka, in turn, felt the weight of this moment, not as a pressure, but as an understanding of something greater, something that transcended the physical. She held my hands, her fingers intertwined, and realized how natural it was to trust me.

"Ryo-chan..." - she murmured softly, her voice almost lost in the silence. But I heard it. I always heard it.

There was no rush, just a rhythm of its own, guided by something that was not time, but feeling. Each gesture, each touch, was like a silent conversation, an exchange of promises that went beyond the tangible.

We weren't just close; we were connected. And in that moment, all doubts, fears and uncertainties disappeared. There was only each other's presence and the truth shared between us.

When we finally rested side by side, still wrapped in that silent and timeless world, I looked at Ruka, a discreet smile appearing on her lips. - "Ruka-chan..."

Our bodies began to intertwine completely. We were so tense that we didn't even care if we were naked or not. Ruka was dying of embarrassment, she was so red.

She couldn't look me directly in the eyes. - "I... I can't... Not yet." - Seeing the fear and shame in her eyes, I just accepted her answer.

"It's okay..." - I kissed her mouth, very softly, to calm her down. We continued hugging and suddenly time began to return to normal.

The night unfolded naturally, we were respecting each other's rhythm. The room was filled with nervous laughter, soft caresses and affectionate words.

At the end, when everything had calmed down, I wrapped Ruka in my arms, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. "You look so cute when you blush like that..." - I whispered in her ear with a voice full of sincerity.

Ruka smiled, closing her eyes as she snuggled into me. "You really are such a goofball..."

And so, we both fell asleep together, wrapped in the security and love we had built for each other.

"I love you"

End of chapter 12