He must’ve appeared so at ease to the naked eye; his arms around his dear childhood friend’s waist (just how had he plucked up the courage to make that move again?), an almost smug smile plastered across his face, and a confident aura radiating from his being. But that was only his exterior. His interior on the other hand … ‘She’s so close …' Was one of the more prominent thoughts in his mind, repeated over and over like a chant. Another was, ‘What am I doing?’ and, ‘Nice one, Sora.’ Her stillness was definitely noted, as was her refusal to meet his eye. But yet, Kairi didn’t express any signs of wanting to pull away or get away from him it wasn’t like he was holding her tightly enough to prevent her from leaving if she wanted to. Which posed the question: was she … enjoying this? The brunet swallowed thickly as a goofy smile spread across her face, suddenly feeling a bit more confident with himself. ❝Heh … that doesn’t really answer my question, y’know.❞
Seconds trickled by, followed by a heavy, yet comfortable silence as Sora continued to try and make sense of the situation only to be broken out of his train of thought moments later as oceanic hues met sapphire ones, the latter holding some sort of intense emotion that he couldn’t decipher in their depths. Hesitance? Uncertainty? Affection? Before he could guess any more, the gaze was broken as the other leaned back against him, the bridge of her nose brushing against his collar. A shiver shot down his spine as his face reddened a little at the contact, but its affect was nowhere near as strong as the following words:
"I wish we could stay like this forever."
And it was at that moment that whatever bit of bravado he had left flew out the window, leaving him with scarlet tinted cheeks. She— she what? Gulping, he was sure that given their current proximity, the redhead in his arms could feel his thunderous heartbeat racing in his chest as he struggled to respond.
❝I … y-yeah. Me too.❞
The flushing of her cheeks brightened in hue, the tone of rose shading in deeper until her face almost felt burning. How could he be so ... relaxed? They've always laughed and curled against each other, but never to the point where he was close enough for her to wrap her fingers into his spikes, and let them twirl and dance within hazel. In a way, she was unsure how to feel, what to feel or what to particularly do in this scenario. Kairi grown accustomed to being relaxed and even being cracked under pressure, she learned to keep a calm exterior and allowing to express a gentle, comfortable smile at that.
As of right now; she was a mess, azure orbs darting from left and right, daggering from the sea, to the sandy rocks and her palms felt sweaty from all the nervousness that rushed through her veins. Attempting to brush off her fears, her bottom lip extended, lids batting towards his direction. "But, I did answer your question, didn't I? You approached me. I don't see why that was so hard to understand." Calm. Keep calm. Was the words being constantly repeated within her consciousness. In a way, the cool and collected keywielder was paralyzed, immobilized with Sora's strong arms that looped around her waist. But, she embraced it. Sora didn't move but smuggle her closer, bringing a sort of ease, her shoulders dropping in advance with the sign of comfort from her friend. They were friends, right? But the pounding in her chest and the rush of blood flushing within her cheeks said otherwise.
"Do you like anyone?" Her inquiry boomed, quick and slurred as the auburn visibly shivered, detaching herself from the boy, eyes down casting. It took her a moment to realize her motives. Why? Why would she ask -- that out of all things. It probably didn't matter in that case because -- Sora. He was just a friend. A friend. A childhood friend. But, it was the same way with Riku, yet, she didn't feel this sort of way with Riku. It was more like a brother/sister relationship which protection and care came of all costs. With Sora, it was clear --. Laughing uncomfortably, the nerves shaking as she turned her gaze towards the sunset, swinging her legs. "Uh, I mean, the sky's pretty right? I haven't seen a sunset like this in a while." Kairi tossed her question away, pretending she didn't mention a thing. 'Plus. He couldn't have known what it meant. Like could mean anything, right? Yep.'
