Jim lay at the edge of the pool, playing with the water with one hand. His right hand was immersed in the pool and therefore soaked, but with his left, he held onto Miya"s waist. Miya was lying on the tiled floor beside him, cheerfully counting the stars."One, Two, Fifteen, Eighty-five, Two Thousand!"
She sang.
Jimmy was immediately annoyed.
He loved numbers! Why was she counting them wrong?
"No," he told her distractedly, "It"s not like that. It"s One, Two, Three, Four – Like that. It doesn"t come directly to Eighty-five!"
Miya frowned in rebellion.
"Nope. It comes like that."
"But Miya, I"m telling you. It doesn"t come directly to Eighty-five!"
"It does."
"No –"
"Jimm. It does."
"Um… Okay."
Jim wasn"t sure what he was saying anyway.
He watched the missus"s small face as she pointed at the sky and continued to count. Her hair kept coming in the way of his vision though, so he pulled out his hand from the water and began to remove it carefully. The water dripped down her forehead.
Miya frowned again.
She turned sideways to look at him.
"What are you doing?" Her voice was soft.
"Removing the hair."
"Why?"
"It"s in the way."
"Of?"
"My sight."
"What are you seeing, Jimmy?"
"Your face."
"Why?"
"Why do you ask so many questions? I like your face."
That made her huff.
She quickly turned around, so that she was half sprawled over his chest and looked directly into his eyes. Jim stared back, smiling widely. He could clearly see her face now!
Miya, however, was surprised.
Her mouth opened to form a perfect "O", and she pressed it with both her hands.
"But n.o.body likes my face!" She complained.
Jim frowned back.
"It"s very pretty. Haven"t I told you before?"
"No!"
"I have."
"No, you haven"t. Are you lying to me now?"
"No, I remember calling you adorable once. You accused me of calling you ugly."
"Oh. That, yes! When you were making that joke…"
She somehow lost track.
Miya clutched at Jimmy"s shirt for support, feeling like she would slide down to the floor if she didn"t. Also, she needed to hold onto something to keep matching Jimmy"s eyes. For the umpteenth time, she looked at his face and admired its perfection.
"Jimmy?" she said quietly.
Jim looked back. He was lost in her gaze too, and the smile on his lips broadened goofily when she took his name.
"Yes?" he asked.
"You"re very cute."
"Thank you!"
The young master"s voice was so cheerful, and his grin was so wide, Miya couldn"t help but laugh out loud. She slanted her head and playfully kissed his cheek. Then she pulled over again and placed her chin on his chest.
Jimmy blushed furiously. Miya smiled.
"And I love your nose!" she complimented with all her heart, "It"s so small and cute! Very perfect."
Jimmy turned scarlet.
"R-Really? Thank you."
"Can I smack it?"
"What?"
"Can I smack it?"
"My nose?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because it"s pretty!"
"You"re too violent!"
Jimmy held her hand as she raised it to reach his nose, while still grabbing at his chest. His other hand was placed safely around her waist.
Miya tried to move up his body, but the young master"s hold on her hand and waist both, was too strong. When she couldn"t reach his nose, she sulked indignantly. Meanwhile Jim groaned out in agitation.
All her activity had visibly stimulated his body.
"Quiet down!" he scolded, "You"re causing disturbance again!"
"What disturbance? I want your nose!"
"No! Stop – Stop moving! It"s – It"s the thing. Miya – hush!"
Miya scowled while glaring into his eyes. And then, she felt him against her.
Her jaw dropped.
"H-How – It"s here again!" she squealed.
"Yes, I know! Quiet, quiet. It will go away," Jimmy a.s.sured.
Miya nodded in utmost belief.
"Why is it here, but Jimmy?"
"Because you moved."
"It"s here every time a girl moves?"
"Of course not!"
"Then?"
"M-Most times around you. It"s weird, Miya. Your eyes, your voice – one time, you were glaring very scarily at me, but you were pressed against my chest – then too."
It was Miya"s turn to blush.
Her face turned a fiery red, and she immediately hid her face in his chest.
"Pervert!" she complained.
"I"m thinking of seeing a psychiatrist soon. Is that okay?"
Jim"s question was said in such an obvious tone, it made Miya look up at him again, despite herself.
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"Because it"s weird," Jim answered back, "It has never happened before."
"Um… isn"t it normal?"
"I don"t know. You think so?"
"I don"t know too."
Silence pervaded between them, and both of them blushed.
Miya however, was the one more drunk. And thereby, was the one with more courage tonight.
"Jimmy?" she said after a while.
"Yes?"
"Are you a virgin?"
"No! H- How – Why would you think that? My f-first time was when I turned 26. M-Miya – are you one? A virgin, I mean."
Miya pouted, then huffed again.
"And where would my child come from, then?"
"Oh, Ben. Yeah."
"Yep."
Silence again.
"Miya?"
"Yes?"
"Do you feel weird looking at me too?"
"Weird, like?"
"Heart and stomach. All one. Very weird."
"Hm… I don"t know. Jimmy, do you know, your face looks like the moon? I love the moon."
"Really?" Jim"s face brightened up.
"I"ve told you before, haven"t I?"
"Yes!"
"Hmm."
"Miya?"
"Jimmy?"
"You said you love my face. What else?"
"What else?"
"About me! Do you like…?"
"Oh… your smile. It"s too beautiful. Jimmy, you should smile more!"
"Really? I love your smile too! What else?"
"My head hurts… what were we talking about before, Jimmy? Father… Your father, or mine?"
"I don"t know. Yours, I think?"
"Hmm… not mine. Jimmy?"
"Yeah?"
"Your disturbance settled, I think."
Jim frowned at her words, but then understood what she was talking about. He almost gasped at the realization too. The stirring feeling below his waist had subsided!
The young master blushed.
Miya beamed too.
"So cute," she complimented airily, when the young master shoved her head against his chest again so that she would stop looking into his eyes. His heart was somehow beating faster, and his ears had turned red.
"Why won"t you simply say you like me?" he asked indignantly, his heart rocking in his chest.
Miya froze at his words. His hand was still against the back of her head.
"I – It"s not like that.." Her voice was a whisper.
"Don"t lie."
"I"m not lying."
"Then you don"t like me?"
"Th-That"s not tr-true…"
"You do like me then?"
"N-No, it"s ���"
"Miya?"
"Y-Yes?"
"You"re stupid."
"You are too!"
"No, I"m C.E.O."
"Then say you like me."
Miya regretted her words immediately.
She was about to refute them, when Jim tightened his hold around her waist and smirked rather c.o.c.kily.
"Sometimes," he whispered in a merry voice, "I really, really do."
Miya pouted.
Then reaching out, she quickly smacked his nose.