"However, let's drop this topic.. after all we're friends, let's not complicate things." Rei said.
"Yeah Anyway, Rei, truth or dare?" Mina asked.
"Me? Uhh truth." She replied.
"Were you really uncomfortable on getting shipped with Akio?" Mina asked, and now all eyes were on her, including Akio's.
"To be honest, I was never really uncomfortable, and got used to it but since it got Akio upset and I couldn't afford to lose my precious friendship with him so yeah." Rei finished, she felt Akio's gaze at her, when she looked at him, he just sighed and turned his back from them.
Here's the thing, neither Rei nor Akio were awkward with being shipped, but both of them had considerate personalities, so Rei thought Akio felt weird and vice versa.
*Time Skip*
Rei had to wash the dishes after the dinner because she lost in the game, though Akio offered to help her, she just said that it'll be unfair to the other who had won the game.
She just had came after washing the dishes and saw Kira, Mina and Lily chuddling with each other in deep sleep, she clicked a picture of them and looked at the time and it was 1:37 a.m.,
But Akio was nowhere to be seen, she looked around for him and found him gazing at the stars with his headphones on.
"Akio? What are you doing here? Are you not sleepy?" Rei asked as she too a seat beside him on the outdoor couch.
He hitched on hearing a sudden voice.
"Oh right, I remember Akio told me you don't sleep at this hour." She remembered.
"Yeah but it's not like I don't want to sleep but it became so hard to sleep now that- nevermind."
"Why?" Rei asked him.
Asahi looked at her and gave her a faint smile.
"Insomnia.. You forgot about it.. didn't you?" He gently shook his head with a smile which wasn't a happy smile.
"Oh shit- I'm so sorry-" She knocked her head, disappointed in herself for forgetting such a thing.
"It's fine, I don't blame you at all." He said with an understanding smile.
Silence filled the quiet air, so quiet that Rei could hear the music playing on his headphones.
"Do you usually listen to that? Back then you used to dislike that song so much." She chuckled.
"You can hear?" He asked and she nodded.
He looked over to the stars, she was right, he didn't really like that song but he heard her say that she loved it. So now, whenever he thought of her, he put on that song.
"It's just that, back then it was everywhere so I just got tired of hearing it but now I can listen to it peacefully." He replied.
"Right." She said. "I miss the old days so much.. the days when we were close.. time really changes everything, doesn't it?"
He nodded with a faint smile.
"Do you remember how hard it was for me to sleep since we were kids due to my insomnia but for some reason I could easily fall asleep with you near me?" He said.
"Oh yupp I remember that. I wonder if it would work now." rei said.
"You know, I still think of how my mom used to pick you up to play with me and Kira but the real reason was that they found out that you could bring me to sleep." Asahi said with bright eyes as he remembered the old times.
"Yeah they found out during the hid and seek game, I remember how shocked your mom was on seeing you sleep." She said and the both of them chuckled.
Rei's mom knew about Akio's insomnia and had no problem with letting her spend more time with him, both of their parents really admired them together and even joked of marrying them in the future. But as the both of them grew up, they grew distant and Akio got used to staying awake.
Rei was about say something when she felt Akio laying his head on her shoulder, her breath hitched.
"I guess your presence could still bring me to sleep." He whispered. She hummed in response, she was scared to move as she didn't want him to remove his head from her shoulder.
After a silence, his warm hands slowly sneaked into her cold hands, intertwining them softly.
"I really.. like really missed you so much, Rio." He said softly.
She froze as she heard him call her that..
"It's been so long since I've heard someone call me that." She whispered with a smile.
"I'm glad. I'd be disappointed if you told me that someone else had called you the name that I kept for you." He said, playing with her hand.
In a blink of an eye, she saw him get up from her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" She asked but didn't get a reply.
She watched him lean in closer, his hands reached up to her face, holding her steady.
Feeling his warm breath against her lips as it became a huff of smoke because of the nights cold breeze.
He finally placed his lips on hers, savouring the very moment that the both of them had been waiting for.
Overwhelming butterflies flushed over rei's system as this was what she least expected on coming here.
They both were aware that they were not just friends but the lack of communication caused them to grow distant from each other.
She thought how foolish she was to distant herself from him thinking he was uncomfortable but the truth was that the both of them felt the spark that never cooled down.
She felt him doze off on her shoulder while listening to the same nostalgic song and his blush burning brightly than it ever had.
"wait, you shouldn't sleep here, let's go over to your bed." Rei said while caressing his back.
He gently nodded. he had never felt so dozed off in his entire life.
She got him on his make shift bed and got up to get to hers which was on the opposite side.
[The position of their beds: Rei - Lily - Mina - Kira - Akio]
"Wait." Akio whispered in his sleepy voice, he patted on the space beside him, gesturing her to lie down.
"Just for the mean time, let me get more sleepy." He whispered again.
She smiled and lied down beside him, hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much, Kio." She said.
"I always knew that we were never just friends." He said, and she chuckled.