Summer Date

-Yuki-

I looked up at him from his lap. Shizuma had a hurt look in his eyes.

“You don’t have to tell me right now,” I said.

“No, listen,” he said. He was growling at me in fact. I drew my mouth closed. Shizuma took a breath.

“Thank you,” he said. “Long ago, I was in a desperate place. You could say that I needed a little guidance. He came when I was at my lowest.” I looked out into the room.

“You were lonely like me,” I said. Shizuma snorted. I could tell that he was trying not to look at me. My mouth moved before my brain could.

“Take me out on a date,” I said.

“Huh?” he asked. I looked up at him.

“Please?” I asked. I paused as I noticed the color on his face redden.

“Oh? Are you blushing?” I asked. Shizuma puffed up his cheeks.

“Shut up,” he muttered. I tried not to laugh. He smacked me on the side.

“I’m trying to be serious here,” my love said.

“I’m trying to be serious here too,” I said. “Take me on a date.” I looked at him with a sweet little puppy. He sighed and shook his head.

“Fine,” he said. My face must have looked like it was glowing. I patted him on the leg.

“I love you so much!” I said.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “I love you too.” It felt kind of like the old days in a way. I didn’t complain. At least it was a step forward.

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He took me out on a Sunday. Shizuma wouldn’t tell me where we were going. I was fine with that. I think I just wanted to get out of the house with him. In all honesty, I don’t know what to do here.

I sat in the living room dressed up in jeans and a t-shirt. We weren’t going anywhere fancy. That’s just not his style. I was okay with that. Besides, we were taking baby steps to get back into the swing of things.

I looked up when I heard footsteps coming into the living room.

“Ready to go?” Shizuma asked.

“Yeah,” I said. He walked over and took me by the hand. I let him lead me outside.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked. He didn’t turn around and look at me.

“Just here and there,” he said. I didn’t ask questions. Something inside of me told me to trust him. I felt my heart beating against my chest.

We ended up going near the park. We didn’t talk on the way there. Still, I had to know what was going on in his head. Shizuma was probably going to tell me more about his master. I kind of felt bad for changing the subject, but we needed this.

“I love you,” I said once we reached the park. He rested his head on my shoulder.

“Want to go by the lake?” my lover asked.

“Yes,” I said in a dreamy voice. My mind started to feel the romance of summer floating in my head. I took hold of his hand. He held my hand back. I led him lead me towards the lake. My eyes stayed on his strong back.

“Tell me more about your master,” I said. Shizuma slowed down in place. My breath caught in my throat.

“Please?” I asked. “I really want to know.”

“Let’s get down by the water first,” Shizuma said in a serious tone. I move my other hand to my chest.

“Okay,” I said. I don’t know why my voice came out trembling like it did. How could I be afraid of a person who might not be alive anymore. I already resolved to stay no matter what the truth was. So why was I still uneasy about what I was going to hear?

Shizuma and I sat down by the water. I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt him trembling.

“Shizuma?” I asked.

“He pretended to be a good man,” he said. “I didn’t see the warning signs in time.” I could tell that it hurt for him to say all of this. How long had he been keeping it all to himself?

“It’s okay,” I said in a soft voice. “Take your time if you need to.” Shizuma didn’t respond. We just stared out at that beautiful lake in front of us. It wasn’t much of a date, but it was going to have to do for now.

“I love you, Yuki,” Shizuma said in a low voice. I squeezed his hand.

“I love you too,” I said back.