saorika + holding hands;
“Saori.”
“Hm?” Saori turned her head. “What is it, Rika?”
“Can I… hold your hand?”
“Oh.” Saori looked down. She could feel a blush creeping up from her neck to her cheeks. She must be as red as tomatoes right now. It shouldn’t be that embarrassing. Everyone who is dating often does it. Saori glanced from the corner of her eyes and saw Rika’s reddened ears. Something that she hasn’t seen for a while, not after Rika confessed her love and asked her out. It turned out she wasn’t the only one who was nervous to the point she was unsure of what to do. Rika was the same.
“O-of course, you can… You don’t need to ask, you know…”
“Okay.” Rika flashed a grin, a tint of pink was still apparent on her cheeks. “I’m just asking. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable and all, Saori.”
Saori heaved a sigh. “Since when you care about that, anyways…”
There was no reply from Rika, and for a while, silence enveloped them. The only thing that echoed in Saori’s ears were their footsteps meeting the asphalt, occasionally stepping on the scattered dry leaves.
Saori remained silent. Waiting for Rika’s hand to hold her hand. She realized how her heart had started to beat wildly, so fast she thought it was beating in her throat, making it hard to breathe. What if Rika could hear my heartbeat!? That’d be so embarrassing!
And when Rika’s fingers, one by one, finally wrapped her hands in a careful grip (not too tight, but not too weak either, just right), it felt like completing a jigsaw puzzle that’s been missing a piece all along.
For the first time in her life, Saori felt complete.
It made her heart warm. Saori might have had crushes on bunch of people in the past, but Rika is the first person she’s ever dated properly. She might make mistakes, stumble here and there, and is obviously still clumsy. But maybe, maybe, Rika is the right one, after all.