Chapter 4: The Kiss

As a relationship begins to blossom between Quinn and Darien, the story begins to deepen, as we find out more about the mysterious Akira. (Don't forget to check the foot notes!)

 

My heart hammered in my chest, and my mind raced, even as Quinn broke the kiss. He smiled at me, and his face was tinted slightly red.

 

“Quinn... I-I-... Uh...” I stuttered, not able to form words. My brain had so many thoughts running through it that it was impossible to say anything. I took a deep breath, looked at Quinn, and laughed nervously.

 

“I didn't know that you were...” I trailed off, not knowing how to word what he wanted to say. Quinn chuckled softly. His eyes were filled with joy, and it made Darien smile even wider.

 

“Well, I've never really had the pleasure of meeting someone like you. I've never had an interest in anyone,” he said, cheeks reddening a little more. “I guess it doesn't really matter what I am,” he continued, “But I know that I have feelings for you.”

 

My face burned, and I knew that it was a infinitely more red than he. I looked down to my hands, thumbs twiddling, unsure of what to do next. I finally looked back up at him, and I noticed that his aura had taken on an even warmer tone than before. I blushed deeper.

 

“I adore you, Darien,” he said, looking down to his feet. Something about the way he said it sounded familiar. “I hope that isn't a little... forward,” he finished.

 

“It isn't,” I assured him, stepping toward him. More flashes of the kissing couple. “Quinn,” I began, “Do you see those, too?” I asked, hoping that I wasn't the only one.

 

“The boy?” He asked. I sighed in relief. “Sora?” I looked up at him, confused.

 

“Sora?” That must have been the perspective from which I was seeing Akira. I supposed it made sense.

 

I quickly explained my part of the visions, and he confirmed that he had been in the reverse position. So, for some reason, I was seeing from Sora's eyes, and Quinn from Akira's. I had a few suspicions, but I wasn't worried about them right now. We would figure things out with time.

 

“I think it may be time for us to head home,” Quinn said, looking at his cell phone for the time. “9 o'clock,” he said, answering my question again.

 

“Are you reading my mind again?” I asked, laughing.

 

“No, I am just good at reading your expressions.”

 

“Oh, okay,” I said, blushing at how obvious I was.

 

We began to walk out of the park, side by side, the night becoming more chilly. His aura engulfed me again, which was not surprising. I felt his hand slowly slip around mine, squeezing it tight. He looked over at me and smiled.

 

On the way home, we held hands, listening to the soft music playing in the background. The trip went too fast, and before I knew it, we were pulling into my driveway. Quinn and myself climbed out, and he walked me up to the door. I noticed that my mom was looking out of the second floor window again, then she pulled the curtain closed, moving away. I was thankful that she had given me my privacy.

 

“Well,” Quinn started, looking at me, standing just outside the door, “I guess I should be going.” I didn't want him to go, but I knew that it was a must. We would see each other again very soon, if not tomorrow. As if on cue, Quinn asked: “So, would you like to go and hang out tomorrow, too?”

 

I smiled, and took both of his hands into mine. I leaned forward, and touched my lips to his, holding them there for a few brief moments. I closed my eyes and my heart pounded, just as it had been all night. I heard a car, but I ignored it. I was ignoring everything but the feel of Quinn's lips on mine.

 

“I'll take that as a yes?” he asked after I had broken the kiss. I nodded and chuckled softly. I released his hands, and he walked to his car. “Good night, Darien,” he said, smile still plastered on his face. He never ceased to smile around me, and that thought reassured me that this was something beyond amazing.

 

As I watched his car pull out of the driveway, another one pulled right into its spot. I didn't recognize the vehicle, but I surely recognized who was driving it.

 

“Like my new ride?” Riku said, stepping out and grinning. 2009 Monte Carlo. Just like mine, but newer.

 

“You trying to make me jealous?” I asked, laughing as he walked up to me.

 

“Well, you know, that kiss you just had with Quinn made me pretty jealous,” he snickered. Apparently, the expression on my face was too amusing for him to just look at. He had to double over in laughter. I remembered hearing the car, but I never thought that it would be Riku trying to spy on my date.

 

Mom then flung open the door, expecting to see myself and Quinn. Her eyes were filled with excitement, but when she saw Riku, it faded slightly. She loved Riku like a son, but it was apparent that she wanted to meet Quinn.

 

“Hello, Riku,” she said, disappointment fading from her face to restrain from hurting his feelings. She turned to me and asked: “How did your date go?”

 

“Well,” I said, my face flushing, “I guess you can call it a date now, if that's what you mean.” Her eyes lit up, and a smile spread over her face.

 

“I am glad that you had a good time, then,” she said. She turned and walked back into the house, beginning to go up the stairs. Riku and I walked through the door as she turned and called down the stairs: “Riku, you can stay the night if you'd like.”

 

“Thanks, Mom,” he said without skipping a beat. By this point, he had become family to me, and my mother, too. We kicked our shoes off at the door, and headed up to my room, Riku teasing the whole way up the stairs.

 

“So, what happened?” Riku asked, throwing himself down on my bed, spreading out, taking up all the available space. I explained to him everything that happened during the date, including the visions, and the fact that Quinn was seeing a “Sora”.

 

“Sounds pretty complicated to me,” he said, sitting up against the headboard of my bed. “I mean, why would you both be seeing this stuff?” he asked, shaking his head and closing his eyes.

 

“I don't know,” I told him, honestly. I swiveled around a few times in the desk chair I was sitting in, then stopped and pulled my legs up into the chair, resting my chin on my knees. I sighed, still thinking about everything that had happened tonight. “He is coming over tomorrow,” I said, zoning out a tad. I smiled in what I assumed what a dazed way, and I suddenly felt a pillow smack me in the face.

 

“Hello? I asked why,” Riku laughed.

 

“I don't know,” I replied, throwing the pillow back. “I guess he wants to talk about everything.”

 

“Okay then. Just be sure to keep me updated,” he said, rolling over. “Good night.”

 

“Really, Riku?” I asked in disbelief. “You don't think you're getting my bed, do you?” This had been ritualistic for some time now. For quite a few years, I had given Riku my bed since he was the guest. For about the past 5 years, however, we had fought over it.

 

I walked over to the bed where Riku still rested, and snatched the pillow from under his head. He grabbed another one, and a we started beating each other with them.

 

“Come on, Dare!” he said, “A pillow fight? Fight like a man!” We laughed and eventually, I claimed the bed. I pushed him down onto the floor, sending us both into more peels of laughter.

 

“Take the pull out bed,” I told him, motioning to the small couch against the wall. “You think it's more comfortable, anyway,” I said, laughing.

 

“Yeah, you're right,” he shrugged, walking over to the wall, still chuckling. He pulled tossed the cushions off, and over at me, catching me off guard. I was ready for a second wave of attacks, but he was pulling out the bed to get settled for the night.

 

“Night, bro,” he said, clicking off the lamp near the couch. I saw him crawl under the blankets, and rememebered that we had bought that just because he stayed over so often. I chuckled again before saying “good night” and drifting to sleep myself.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Sora,” I head a voice say through the darkness of sleep. “You are doing so well,” it continued, as the black faded, and colors began to take over. Everything was blurry, but there was someone just in front of me.

 

“Thank you.” I felt my mouth moving, and it was me that was talking, but it wasn't my voice. They weren't my thoughts, and it seemed as though I couldn't control what I was doing. It was like I was just there for the “show”. Things began to become more clear, and I began to see the face I recognized as Akira's.

 

I couldn't turn to look around myself, but from what I could tell, Sora and Akira were sitting in a Japanese style building. A few beautiful kimono were on display in the dim, lantern-lit room. “An okiya^*?” I thought to myself. It was unmistakable that this was a geisha"^** house. I smelled incense and expensive perfumes; the kind that smelled so good that they would put you in a trance.

 

I was very familiar with the Japanese culture, and had always felt drawn to it, so naturally, I knew what this place was. Though, part of this didn't make sense. Two men in the living quarters of geisha? It was unacceptable for men to be with the geisha, save for when the geisha were hired as entertainment.

 

“I am sure that everything will go well,” Akira said, and Sora's eyes began to blur from tears. Sora smiled, and bowed slightly. Seeing these events unfold from this perspective was certainly disorienting.

 

Akira smiled, and his eyes burned brightly. I felt Quinn's presense here. It felt as though this was something between us, not these two boys stuck in an okiya. Sora looked into Akira's emerald-colored eyes, trying to hold back his feelings.

 

“I know,” Sora said, voice breaking slightly. Sora wiped his eyes, and my vision was cleared. I would have gasped, had I the abiliy to. There, shimmering around Akira, was Quinn's aura. That silvery-metallic swirling and mixing around, tinted with a warm tone, just as Quinn's was.

 

“Sora,” I heard an elderly voice call, “Your guest should be leaving soon. You know we do not allow men in this okiya in this hour of the night.”

 

“Yes, okaa-san***," Sora called, turning to the sliding paper door, then turning back to Akira.

 

“I believe in you, Sora,” I heard him say as he stood, smiling gently. He walked over and kissed Sora gently on the lips. His eyes fluttered closed, surprised by this, but pleased.

 

“I am sorry,” he said, face reddening. “I must go.” He then slipped out of the sliding door, and bowed the the beautifully aged woman that was waiting just outside.

 

“Good evening, Akira,” she said, bowing politely as he passed her by. She walked into the room, sliding the door shut behind her. She moved to where Sora was. She was dressed in a breathtakingly beautiful kimono, colored and designed with Autumn in mind. Her straight, black hair billowed down her back, tied loosely with a ribbon.

 

“My Sora,” she said, smiling, “We break all of the rules for you, don't we?” Her words were kind, and it seemed as though she thought of Sora as a son. “My boy, the geisha,” she shook her head.

 

Women were the geisha, and it was men that purchased their services. Never in history had there been a record of a male geisha, and for one to accomplish such a thing would have been nearly impossible. The grace and beauty of a woman were an absolute need, and apparently, Sora had those things.

 

“However, some rules cannot be broken. Do not be overcome with emotion,” the woman said quietly, looking down. “A geisha can not love, Sora. It is not our place to have such feelings.” My vision began to blur again, and Sora sat on his knees, hands resting on them. His eyes closed, and I felt the tears burning his cheeks. He shook, and cried without making a sound. “We are works of art for all to see,” she said, after a few moments. “We can not love,” she stressed again.

 

My vision began to darken again. I struggled to hold onto the image, and keep listening to the conversation, but I felt control returning to me. The smell of the perfumes and incense left me, and the smell of my own room returned.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

I opened my eyes, and glanced toward the window, and there, sitting on the windowsill, I saw something strange. I gasped and reached over to turn on the lamp next to my bed.

 

“What? What is it?” Riku half-yelled, half-whispered, startled by the light and my sudden gasp. I was sitting straight up in my bed, staring at the window.

 

“Nothing,” I said, watching the last of the metallic sparks fall from where I had just seen Quinn sitting. “I just thought I saw something.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* Okiya is a Japanese word which means “geisha house”.

** Geisha literally means “Person of art”. These women were hired to entertain by dancing, singing, and playing instruments. Despite popular belief, geisha were not prostitutes. They entertained with out the need of sexuality.

*** Okaa-san is the mother of the okiya. She “owns” the geisha that live there, and she gains most of the profit from their dealings.

Author's Note

If there are any inconsistencies , just let me know so I can fix the book! Also, any grammatical errors or spelling errors are possible, so keep your eyes peeled!

Reviews

[Aiden- Aiko- Kiyomi]

Gay book! lol. Not gay at all. In fact, I was absorbed in it... well, this chapter was very... unique and special to me... the Okiya and everything. Its wonderful I loved it.

[Orahemae December]

hey babe. lol. u had a perspective change when you talk about Riku spending the night. you went from first to third and back again. just thought i'd let you know. but other than that Yes i have read your "gay book" and yes i do love it!! lol.

[Sseoni]

Aw, this was an awesome chapter! I loved it! Especially the use of all of the Japanese names and words! So cool! I just love the name Akira! It's such an awesome name! Okay, back to the reviewing! Lol! I didn't see any grammatical errors or anything wrong at all. I really liked all of the details, descriptions, and emotions displayed. Comical, dramatic, and very entertaining! I can't wait to read more! :D