She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face deeper into the pillow. Her head throbbed just a little bit from the spiked coffee + alcohol shot yesterday. She lay there for a few seconds, letting her brain slowly wake up.
Then, like a speeding train, the memories of yesterday came crashing into her mind.
The cafe. The confession. Telling him her heart went into "bullet train mode." The park. The sunset. The kiss.
Oh my god. The kiss.
Mai's eyes snapped wide open. A massive wave of heat rushed to her face, turning her cheeks, ears, and neck a bright, burning crimson. She grabbed the pillow and shoved it aggressively over her face, letting out a muffled, embarrassed scream into the feathers.
What the hell is wrong with me? she cursed herself. I practically threw myself at him. I told him everything! I acted like a total, desperate idiot.
She rolled onto her back, keeping the pillow glued to her face as she kicked her legs in frustration. She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
"You know, if you suffocate yourself, this weekend is going to end on a pretty sad note."
Mai froze.
She slowly lowered the pillow. Ren was lounging on the small sofa across the room, holding a water bottle with a highly amused smirk on his face.
Instantly, her walls slammed back up. The vulnerable girl from the park vanished, completely replaced by the defensive Kyoto sniper.
"Shut up!" Mai snapped. She sat up quickly, pointing an angry finger at him, her face burning red. "Don't look at me like that! Whatever you're thinking right now, stop it! Just forget everything that happened yesterday!"
Ren just laughed, leaning back against the cushions. "Forget it? I don't know about that. You were pretty convincing yesterday. Especially at the park."
"I was drunk!" Mai yelled, her voice pitching up in panic. She crossed her arms tightly, glaring at him with all the fierce attitude she could muster. "It was the alcohol talking, idiot! I didn't mean any of that embarrassing garbage I said, so don't let it go to your head!"
"Oh, really?" Ren teased. "So you didn't enjoy holding my hand all afternoon?"
"No!" she lied instantly, looking away and aggressively fixing her messy hair to avoid his eyes. "You were just walking too fast! And you... you tricked me! Yeah, that's it! You took advantage of a girl who had too much to drink!"
Ren stood up, walking slowly over to the edge of the bed. Mai's tough glare wavered for a second, her heart doing a nervous flip as he got closer.
"If you say so," Ren said smoothly, his voice dropping into that warm tone that made her stomach tie itself in knots. He reached out, gently tapping her forehead. "But just so you know... drunk or not, I liked hanging out with you."
Mai swatted his hand away, though there was no real force behind it. She huffed, turning her head stubbornly to the side so he wouldn't see her blushing again.
"Whatever," she muttered, her defenses crumbling just a little. "Just... go buy us some breakfast or something. And don't you dare tell my sister about this."
Ren pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up as he checked the date. With the thirty-first fast approaching, he slipped it back into his pocket with a slow nod.
"Well, I actually have to tell her," Ren said calmly, looking down at the highly flustered girl.
Mai's eyes widened in sheer panic, the walls she had just tried to rebuild instantly shattering.
"Are you insane?!"
"I kind of have to," Ren pointed out, his smirk returning. "Otherwise, she's going to beat me half to death. You said it yourself yesterday—she's the most jealous, stubborn girl on the planet."
Mai gripped the hotel blanket, her knuckles turning white as her face burned a furious red.
Ren took a step closer, leaning in just enough to keep the pressure on. His voice dropped into a playful, teasing drawl. "Besides, you're her little sister. What exactly are you doing kissing your sister's boyfriend?"
Mai's brain completely short-circuited. The absolute last shred of her tough sniper act vanished. "I—I wasn't—" she stammered, completely flustered.
"I mean, moving in on your twin sister's guy?" Ren teased, thoroughly enjoying the show. "That's pretty bold for someone who just tried to blame everything on a little Irish cream."
"I didn't steal you!" Mai shrieked in pure embarrassment. She grabbed her pillow and threw it right at his head. "You kissed me back! And you're the one with that stupid 'future wife' rule anyway! You basically asked for it!"
Ren caught the pillow easily with one hand, letting out a loud, genuine laugh.
Mai crossed her arms tightly, glaring daggers at him while the fiery blush spread all the way to the tips of her ears. "I hate you," she mumbled, though there was no real bite to it.
"Sure you do," Ren chuckled, tossing the pillow back onto the bed. He turned toward the door, giving her a final, teasing wink. "I'll go get that breakfast now. Try not to die of embarrassment before I get back."
...
Miles away, deep in the freezing woods of Hokkaido, Maki pushed a heavy pine branch out of her way. The air was biting cold, and her breath puffed out in small white clouds. She had been hiking for hours looking for the hidden Zen'in clan sword, and she was getting seriously annoyed.
Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks.
A massive wave of heat rushed through her body, completely ignoring the freezing winter chill. Her heart did a sudden, crazy flip in her chest. Her face felt incredibly warm, and a strange, fluttery feeling settled deep in her stomach.