21.) Second Day in Dillard Pt. 2

Stepping back into the chalet Kaya let out a yawn. "The food here is so good, but I think I may have eaten too much." She whined. Toru chuckles, shaking his head. "I told you you were going to get tired after lunch." He teases.

"I don't think it was just lunch though. The horseback riding tour was a bit tiring too." She defended. Toru let out a thoughtful hum. "You've got a point there. It was more involved than I thought it would be." He admitted.

Kaya looked over at Toru with a hopeful look. "I don't suppose that means you'd be cool with a little nap?" She asked hopefully. Toru laughed softly, looking at her with a small smile. "I think a nap would be great. After a shower anyway." He finished

.

Kaya giggled at him. "That goes without saying. We smell like a barn." She laughed, with Toru joining her. "Honestly I wish I'd thought about it before we went to eat. But there were a lot of others who seemed to be outside so far today as well with no shower, so at least it wasn't just us." He laughed.

Kaya laughed as she made her way towards her room. "Have a good nap." She called behind herself. Toru returned the sentiment and watched her go into the room and close the door. "Sleep well my love." He whispered before heading upstairs.

Nearly two hours later, Kaya emerged from her bedroom, her hair freshly brushed and hanging down, she'd put on a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tee shirt, her eyes fresh with a light purple shadow and mascara.

"Been up long?" She asked Toru as she took a seat next to him. "Only about 10 minutes." He told her with a smile. "Harry Potter marathon continues?" He asked, telling himself just because she was wearing makeup didn't mean it was to look extra pretty for him.

Kaya smiled brightly at him. "Only if we can make popcorn." She told him. Toru stood from his place on the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "Now that! I can manage without your having to help." He told her cheerfully.

Kaya laughed softly, moving to get The Prisoner of Azkaban ready while Toru made the popcorn. Just as she settled onto the couch he reentered the room with a large bowl. "I mixed butter and kettle. I don't know if you've ever tried it that way, but it's really good." He told her proudly.

Kaya smiles at him, finding the excited look on his face endearing. "Sounds good. I love both flavors but never mixed then before." She admits. Toru sits the bowl down and starts bounding up the stairs. "Getting the blankets, two seconds." He calls back to a laughing Kaya

.

Returning to the front room with her, Toru stands with his hands on his hips. "What's so funny?" He asks, annoyed. "You looked like a kid excited to show someone their new toy jumping over steps like that." She cackles, trying to get ahold of herself.

Toru pouts at her and crosses his arms. "I just didn't want you waiting to start the movie or be cold." He groused. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was just so cute and funny." Kaya giggled. While trying to calm her laugh she misses Toru's cheeks dusting pink at her remark.

He unfolds her blanket and lays it over her before taking his seat next to her and covering up as well. "Thank you Toru. You're such a sweetheart." Kaya tells him, making herself comfortable on the couch. Toru stops in the middle of placing his blanket over him and stares at her, waiting to see if she would laugh or make some kind of joke, but she didn't. "To you maybe. I'm not always this nice." He told her. "Then I'm a lucky girl." She says with a smile.

Toru thought about earlier in the day, his riding trainer saying the same thing of Kaya for the way he looked at her and wondered if he was looking at her the same way now he did then. When Kaya turned her head to look over at him he quickly looked away and picked up the remote to start the movie then placed the popcorn bowl between the two of them.

For the next couple of hours, the friends sat on the couch, watching the movie just as they had the day before. Only today when they would both reach for popcorn at the same time and accidentally touch hands, Toru would subtly run his finger over Kaya's hand in order to prolong the contact. He also found himself distracted, wishing he could hold her in his arms as they watched the movie, but otherwise finding the time they were spending together perfect.

When the movie went off, Kaya stretched over and used her foot to lightly prod Toru's outer thigh. "So, wanna help me get the chili going?" She asked, flashing him a large smile. "I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I'm willing to try." He enthused. Kaya stands from her spot with a stretch and looks at him. "Bathroom break first, then we meet in the kitchen." She tells him happily before heading towards the downstairs bathroom.

As Kaya used the restroom and cleaned up to start dinner she thought about breakfast that morning and how it was actually really nice having Toru in the kitchen with her and was happy he had agreed to help out again for dinner. He didn't know much and didn't help with much, but his company was most welcome and she thought it seemed like his eyes lit up with joy as she talked him through the process.

When she came back out to the kitchen she found Toru pulling out the ground beef they'd bought to make the chili with. "Don't forget the Vidalia and that Worcestershire sauce." She reminds him gently. "Right, good point." Toru replies, grabbing the other ingredients. Kaya hums as she pulls out the cutting board and a chef's knife, placing them on the counter.

"Any good with dicing?" She asks, not being surprised when he shakes his head no. "That's ok. While I dice up the onion you can get the other stuff out of the cabinets. Since we're not making it from scratch, this will be pretty simple." She tells him, placing the onion on the board and cutting it in half before removing the skin. She made quick work of dicing the onion as Toru pulled everything from the cabinets, including a pan for the meat and a pot for the chili.

"Go ahead and heat the pan please." Kaya instructed as she finished the last of the onion and brought the cutting board over next to the stove, setting the board down and picking up the bottle of olive oil. "I'm only going to add a little oil to the pan to start the onions a little before we add the meat because I hate when the onions aren't well cooked. "She explained, splashing about a tablespoon of oil into the pan.

Toru watches her from the side, admiring how calm and confident her face is as she begins to prepare their dinner. When Kaya turns to him and smiles he easily returns the gesture, thinking that he was the lucky one and not the other way around.

Kaya took Toru through the steps of making the chili, showing him how to cook the meat and onions together and then explaining to drain the grease from the meat once it was cooked and simply mix it in the pot with the canned beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili seasoning packet, then let it simmer for at least an hour.

"You wanna watch Goblet of Fire while we wait?" Toru asks, wanting something else to keep his mind on, afraid of how in their quiet times all he can think about is how much he wants to kiss and hold her. He still thinks about it while the movies are on, but not constantly since he's still enjoying the movie and the conversation. "Yeah, that could be good. Just have to get up now and then to stir the chili. Shouldn't be a big deal, we can take turns." She suggests.

Toru agrees and watches Kaya take the cutting board, knife, and the pan from the meat and turn on the water and grab some dish soap to wash it. "Let me." He interrupts, placing his hand on hers. "I can do it." Kaya squeaked, her face red. "I know you can, but I want to. You go get the movie ready, I'll just be a minute." He presses.

Seeing his determination, Kaya agress and walks into the front room rather than stay in the kitchen with Toru, her heart pounding in her chest at how close he'd been and the intimate way he'd touched her. She prepared the movie as he asked and tried to calm her heartbeat and breathing.

She thought the weekend would just be them hanging out like back in Athens, but for some reason she can't stop thinking about things she never does. Like the feel of his lips against hers, or what his mouth might taste like.

When Toru entered the room with her Kaya locked eyes with him, her mind going back to how badly she wanted to cuddle with him earlier as they watched the movie. Even now she feels tempted to ask him if he'd like to, but she pushes it down in fear of making him uncomfortable. "Ready then?" She asks breathlessly. Toru gives an affirmative hum and takes his seat back on the couch.

The two went back and forth on who went into the kitchen to stir the chili about every half hour as the movie played. When the end credits started to roll, Kaya stood and stretched. "Can you stir the pot then turn it off to let it start cooling. I was thinking about getting dressed and maybe we could walk around outside a bit after dinner to make room for s'mores." She suggests.

"Sure, I don't mind. I think I'll change as well." He replies, moving to do as she asked. A few minutes later Toru sits at the table, waiting for Kaya. He wears a blue long sleeve pullover shirt and a pair of dark grey pants, his hair freshly brushed. Kaya enters the room, a pair of fleece lined red leggings and a long sleeve dark blue tunic style top on, her hair in a neat bun. "You look nice." Toru told her as she entered.

Kaya blushes at the compliment, thanking him as they make their way into the kitchen to get their bowls, mixing in cheese and crackers before pouring a glass of sweet tea a piece and having a seat at the table. Dinner was spent mostly in silence. While they had experienced several comfortable silences between them, this one was different. It was full of all the things neither would say to the other.

Finishing up, the pair washed the dishes together and cleaned up the kitchen and dining area. After cleanup Toru helped Kaya into a long white coat, before putting on a khaki colored trench coat. Kaya pulled out a pair of red crochet ear muffs with a large crochet rose and placed them over her ears, fastening the button to keep them in place. Toru sucked in a breath at how beautiful she looked before turning and opening the door.

The two walked out and then around the chalet village a bit, pointing out the different things they found interesting, a tree that leaned in a different direction than the others. The way the moon sometimes poked out from all the clouds above them. And a cute raccoon that caught Kaya's attention. After a little while the two turned around to head back towards their chalet.

Both of their cheeks had lighted pink from the cold, their spirits were high after a walk outside, the temptation of one another a little less evident as they enjoyed the walk. "I'll get you in then get the wood to start the fire." Toru tells Kaya when the chalet they were in comes into view just ahead. Kaya gives no response which makes him stop and turn to realize she'd stopped talking.

"Kaya?" He asks softly, seeing her standing with her hands out to the sides, palms facing up and face turned to the sky. "It's snowing!" She let out, in a sing-song voice. "Toru, it's snowing!" She smiles brightly, looking at him. He grins back at her, the excitement spreading to him as well. "Wanna stay out here a bit longer?" He asks.

Kaya's smile grows wider at his suggestion. "Yes please, if you're not too cold or anything." She answered. "No, I'm fine. I'd prefer you put your hands back in your pockets though seeing as you're not wearing gloves and I don't want you to get cold." He scolded lightly. "Ok Hajime." She teases, soliciting a gasp from him.

The pair walks slower back towards the chalet and then circles it as well before heading towards the stairs. "It's sticking. Might not be able to leave tomorrow. Hopefully you don't get sick of me." Kaya jokes as she steps onto the first stair leading to the chalet deck.

Toru catches her by the arm, "Why would you think that?" He asked, offended. Kaya turned to face him. His face was difficult to read, but she was sure he was upset. "I was just kidding." She soothed. "Don't. Please don't do that. I wish you knew how much-" Toru stopped short, willing himself to not continue.

"What is it? This is not the first time I feel like there's something you're not saying." Kaya complained, watching Toru's eyes widen. He steps closer to her, Kaya's neck moving to look up into his face when he does so. Even on that stair, he was taller than her. "Kaya, I…" he trails off.

Kaya waits in silence for him to continue, but he remains silent. "Toru?" She asks after a moment. He moves his face to hers, his lips stopping just an inch away from hers before he looks down at his feet and starts to pull away.

To his surprise, he felt Kaya's hand on the side of his neck, pulling him closer to her. Kaya stands on her toes and locks lips with him. Toru moans happily into the kiss, moving his hand to the side of her head, fingers curling around the back of it to deepen it as he licked her bottom lip.

Kaya parts her lips for him, his tongue cautiously moves into her mouth and Kaya moves hers to press against his, moaning at the taste of him. Kaya came down from her toes and broke the kiss. "Toru." She whispers. "I think, I think I'm falling in love with you." She tells him breathlessly. Toru lets out a small whimper and pecks her lips again before pulling away.

"Kaya, you have no idea how great it is for me to hear you say that. And to kiss you, fuck Kaya, to kiss you." Toru starts before stopping short. "You're? You're rejecting me?" Kaya asked, her voice filled with sadness and her eyes holding back unshed tears.

"What? No! Kaya, I would never reject you. I just, I'm not worthy of you. I know that, yet at the same time I want you to love me so badly. I want us to be together from my own greed, but I know you can do so much better." He chokes out.

Kaya wipes her eyes then takes Toru by the hands. "No one has ever made me feel more seen, more heard, more cared for or thought about, more smart, or even beautiful, than you have. You're not a good man, you're a great man. The kind of man who any woman would be lucky to have. Toru, please. I care for you so much. It hurts me when you talk about yourself as though you're anything less than the wonderful man standing in front of me." She tells him, grey eyes locked into his brown orbs.

"I don't want to hurt you, so I'll try to see myself more through your eyes than my own." He tells her, moving his hand to her face to help wipe her tears. "Does this mean I can call you my girlfriend?" He asks hopefully. Kaya laughs abruptly and looks back at him.

"I don't know. I think most people kiss at least more than once before they make it official." She teases. Toru groans and pulls her against him, pressing their lips together again. He is surprised by Kaya quickly licking his bottom lip, but opens his mouth to her anyway so he could savor the taste of her tongue.

Kaya presses her tongue firmly against Toru's, pulling his body closer to her own. The sound of her moan reaching his ears made Toru begin to stiffen in his pants so he pulled away and broke the kiss, moving his hand to Kaya's face instead, tracing his thumb along her cheek. "Let's get in before we freeze." He tells her.

Kaya agrees, turning to go up the stairs and wait by the door. Toru opens the door for her then kisses the top of her head. "Go on in, I'm just gonna grab the wood for the fire." He tells her. Kaya locks eyes with him and gives a gentle smile before she walks in. Once inside Toru closes the door behind her and lets out an exasperated sigh before moving to the wood pile.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed in frustration. This is no time to be getting hard, you." He scowled, looking at his pants. "What are you trying to do? Ruin everything? She said she's falling for me. Me! And you're just what, gonna pop up and cloud my thoughts? Slow the fuck down. This is Kaya, she deserves more respect than that. So what if it's been nothing but the hand for months. I won't let you ruin this night damnit!" He fought against his own urges before collecting some wood.

Meanwhile Kaya had gone into the bathroom and was now looking at herself in the mirror collecting her thoughts. 'That had to be his dick that I felt, right? The only thing he grabbed before our walk was the room key and his wallet which he put in his back pocket. It's not like I can judge him for being turned on from our kiss. I feel like I need a change of underwear, I've never been so turned on in my life. What the hell is wrong with me? This is new, it's not the time to go all the way. Besides if I want to be able to cum I have to do it myself anyway. It sucks sex can get a man off but not a woman.' she sighed in frustration.

Hearing Toru come back inside, Kaya moves away from the mirror and removes her jacket, hanging it up, then goes out to the front to see him just finishing piling up wood in the fireplace. "Hey, need help?" She asks. "Could you go get the marshmallows and stuff?" He asks, taking some newspaper and lighting it on fire. "Sure!" She replies, walking away. Toru starts the fire then takes a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep focused on anything other than that kiss and all the ways he felt during it.

Kaya sits down next to him on the floor near the fire, the warmth on her skin more than welcome after being out in the snow. Toru turns to her and gives an easy smile. "Earlier when I asked about you being my girlfriend, I'm sorry for trying to rush it. I should at least take you on a real date first then ask properly. So, Kaya, may I take you to dinner for an official date on Monday?" He asks sincerely.

Kaya studies him for a moment, thinking over his question and reasoning. "Does that mean I can't kiss you the rest of tonight or tomorrow?" She asks. Toru chuckles nervously at the question, mentally reminding his dick not to get hard. Deciding to be honest, he let out a defeated sigh. "You mean the world to me Kaya. If you're actually willing to give me a chance I want to do this the right way.

"Kissing you was amazing and I for sure want to kiss you again. But I don't like how quick my body was to… react. I already struggled to keep my hands to myself around you, more so since coming here, and now it's taking way more mental energy then I care to admit to you to keep my baser urges in check and not do everything in my power to seduce you. Therefore, I think maybe it's best to hold off on kissing." He concluded, hating himself for denying her.

When he looks over at her, her expression was blank and she seemed to be deep in thought. "Toru." She starts, meeting his eyes. "Is it that you feel it's wrong to be affected the way you were so early on, or that you are trying to do things the so-called right way?" She asks, her tone somewhat offended. "Wrong? No, I get why it happened, I just want to treat you with more respect than that because I feel you deserve it." He tells her quickly.

Kaya hums thoughtfully, her eyes still locked with Toru's. "I don't think it's fair for you to say what is or isn't the right way to go about things. It's not like we just met. I get the reasoning behind dating, but we've already gotten to know one another past the point of what a few dates would tell us. There's no right or wrong way, every couple is different.

"It should be mutually agreed what is and isn't ok. I agree that we shouldn't just jump right into everything all at once, no matter how much our bodies scream at us to do so. But even that, you can't just determine for yourself when it might be ok to even think about us doing more. I get a say too. I really care for you and I'd like us to be together, but I need you to know that I expect to be treated like an equal partner, not some delicate flower." She ended.

Toru stares at her in silence, her telling him she'd also been turned on not missing him. "You're right. I'm being selfish by demanding you go along with all the things I want and I'm sorry. I promise you that I'll endeavor to give you all the respect you deserve as an equal partner. Will you please promise as my partner that you'll always let me know when I'm being an ass and not realizing it in the future?" He asks.

Seeing her face break into a smile makes Toru's heart pound. "Those sound like couple promises." Kaya teases. "You're right. Will you allow me to officially call you my girlfriend and I your boyfriend?" He asks. "I'd really like that." She responds with a grin. Toru leans over and places a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling back. "Time to make s'mores with my girlfriend." He enthuses, taking two of the metal skewers for marshmallows from next to the fireplace and handing one to Kaya.

"I have such a thoughtful boyfriend." Kaya gushed, placing two marshmallows on her skewer. The couple sit in front of the fireplace happily flirting and roasting their marshmallows. Kaya teases Toru about lighting the entire marshmallow on fire before eating it, until he convinces her to try it. They ate their s'mores with large happy smiles and talked for well over an hour before getting ready for bed.

The couple met back in the front room after getting changed and completing their bedtime routine. "Kaya, before we go to bed, there's something I've been trying to get up the nerve for." Toru began. Kaya felt her heart start to race, worrying that he might say something difficult. "Earlier, you were vulnerable enough to tell me you're falling for me. We're equal partners, so it's only fair I be just as vulnerable with you. I love you Kaya. I love you so much and I'm so happy you're starting to feel the same way."

Kaya stares at him with her mouth open, he was in love with her and she thought he maybe didn't even like her back. Suddenly the times he nearly told her all came to mind and she realizes what it was he was about to say. As far as she could tell, he's loved her for some time, possibly even at Thanksgiving. "Toru, thank you for telling me. I, I didn't know." She tells him, a single tear falling from her eye.

"Oh no, I've made you feel weird." He lets out, worried. "No, not at all. I feel honored. I just can't believe I didn't notice, now that you've said it, it makes sense." She confides. "I do feel a little bad I'm not there yet though." She tells him saddened. "Don't be. I was convinced you'd never feel anything more than friendship for me. I know you don't like me talking down about myself so I won't, but I was ready to just be happy that." He tells her.

Kaya shakes her head and places her hand against his cheek. "I really hope being together will help you start to feel your worth. I'm a little afraid, but I also look forward to falling in love with you. You deserve to be loved, Toru." She soothes before stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his wait. Toru starts to cry as he holds on tighter to her, enjoying her scent and the warmth of her between his arms.

A few minutes later his crying subsides and Kaya looks up at him before wiping his tears away. "Can I kiss you goodnight?" He asks. Kaya pulls him down to her and connects their lips. They both moan into the kiss and Kaya stands on her toes while Toru bends over more and pulls her into him. Toru moved to take a breath and Kaya let out a small whimper, causing Toru to stiffen at how much she wanted his lips.

Toru gently pushed her away. "I'm sorry beautiful, I'm getting too excited again." He complains, trying not to look at her so he wouldn't keep going. "Yeah, me too. We should try to get some sleep." Kaya tells him. "Right after my cold shower I will." He tells her, turning to head upstairs. Kaya watches him walk away, she had been trying to work up the nerve to ask him to sleep in her room, but knew it was best he go upstairs. "Goodnight." She calls after him just as he reaches the bathroom door. "Goodnight." He calls back.