CHAPTER 9 - December Decision (2)

[COLD HANDS]

White puffs escaped her mouth as Hayami sat on the front stairs. Despite the drop in temperature this month, staying outside for over half an hour was not a big deal for her. She could manage with only a thin layer of brown coat; there was no need for her to wear a pair of mittens and a scarf.

Then Chiba came out of the building, having just finished returning the props and costumes they had used in the drama festival. Upon seeing her waiting for him, he began creeping up her back with his hands ready.

Although he already knew about her tolerance to the cold, his arms still motioned towards her head slowly until his palms touched both of her cheeks.

She flinched merely because of the sudden contact and not of his freezing touch. Then, turning over her shoulder, she told him, "That's not going to work on me."

He broke into an impish smile. "No harm in trying."

Afterward, they headed into the forest path to climb down the mountain. There they talked about the class play they did earlier. They praised Hazama for her mad skills in writing the script and Sugino for his hidden gift in acting, which made it more entertaining for the audience.

When they had fallen silent, Hayami caught her companion rubbing his hands together and blowing on them simultaneously. "You should have worn gloves," she pointed.

"I forgot this morning." He wrapped his arms around himself as his lips quivered. "You are lucky that you can handle the cold."

She, then, pulled out two hot packs from her bag. Whilst handing them to him, she said "Here", which he took with a shaky smile.

"Thanks," he uttered, thanking the heavens for an angel like her.

Upon shoving the hot packs, together with his hands, inside his pockets, a question crossed his mind – "There is no need for you to have these, right?"

"My mother insisted I bring them."

A few moments later, she saw him let out a satisfied sigh as the warmth gradually seeped into his palms. With this, a corner of her mouth tugged up.

"That nice?" she asked.

He hummed.

Since he was not anymore distracted from the cold, he could now catch the fog coming out of his mouth. He took a peek on his left and saw the same white fumes from her. Then his gaze traveled to her slender hands. He wondered if they were also cold as his hands had been.

"Maybe I should bring them every day. In case you forget again," she said.

"Your hands will work too," he replied half-jokingly.

She turned her head away to hide her flustered face. "Don't get your hopes up," she blurted out while maintaining her monotone.

He chuckled, knowing what she meant.

They still have to come to terms with their feelings for each other. Even though they have been hanging out outside school and they were closer to each other than with their other classmates, their relationship was not official yet.

That's why there were boundaries that they couldn't cross. For some reason, he wasn't sure when to settle this 'thing' between them.

When she had faced forward, she was back to her usual self. After taking several steps, she said, "If you ask for it, I might do it."

His mouth fell open as his head cocked towards her. He, then, cleared his throat.

"Someday."

She smiled bleakly with a soft hum. Like him, she was thinking that although they have been wanting to, they knew that now was not the right time.