55 Silly! What Are You Thinking?

Kyoya pursed his lips. He went silent, trying to gather his thoughts and calm the brewing storm in his heart. His eyes fell on their intertwined hands.

Shouko had already said that she would trust him, but he was still feeling unsettled.

A human heart was always like that. Once fear began to shake its core, it's inevitable to stop doubt from spreading.

He just didn't want her to look at him in disappointment.

"Silly! What are you thinking?"

Shouko's slightly higher voice startling him. Kyoya looked at her confusedly. Her cheeks puffed up as she glared at him.

"You're so silly! Worrying like that."

Kyoya was dumbfounded. He quickly added, "It's not that I want to worry but..."

"I've said it before, right? That no matter what, I would listen to you first before jumping on conclusions. She could say everything she wants. Anyone else can say everything they want but, they won't succeed. If I don't trust my own husband, who else should I trust?"

Shouko continued to nag without giving him any chance to interrupt. It was obvious she wasn't happy to see him looking so down.

"Don't be too worrywart, alright? I'm not so easy to be deceived, okay?"

Kyoya was caught in a daze. He blinked his eyes a few times before slowly, his lips curved up. Then, a series of laughter came out of his mouth. His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laugh.

"What..." Shouko was baffled seeing his reaction. "Why did you laugh?"

Kyoya laughed again, it sounded so pleasant to the ears. He pulled her even closer to him as he wrapped her in a tight hug. Shouko blankly stared at the night sky behind his shoulders.

"Okay, okay. I will listen to you," Kyoya's voice was muffled against her shoulders, vibrating from the happiness he tried to suppress. The warmth of his breath fell on one side of her face. "Thank you, wife. I'm so glad to have you."

In an instant, Shouko felt her heart began beating loudly. She blushed again.

"Humph! You'd better listen to me. Don't think much about that woman," Shouko grumbled albeit she was bashful. Her small fist lightly hit his chest, further tickling his heart.

Kyoya's smile widened. A part of the weight within him had been unloaded by just telling her his worry.

"You said that you won't jump into conclusions," He ran his hand through her long hair, hooking her dark lock with his fingers. The tips lightly scratched his hand. "So, I'd hold onto your promise. Because... I still have a lot to tell and show you."

As he spoke, his voice turned quieter and quieter, until Shouko almost couldn't tell what he was saying.

Each of his words brought a sense of loneliness. The feeling was different from the time they shared when he was telling her about his bleak childhood.

At that time, there was anger accompanied his words but, right now, he sounded so much like he was afraid to lose something he held dear to him.

Shouko blinked her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that suddenly brimmed around her lower lids. She nestled closer to him, both of her hands were wrapping around his waist.

"Alright. I'll wait until you're ready to tell me everything. So, don't be afraid, okay?"

The answer to her question was a kiss against her temple. The heat exuded from the kiss diffused into her heart.

The warm feeling made her smiled sweetly despite her eyes were stung by tears.

The husband and wife left the lake as the night grew colder. Kyoya tightly hugged Shouko as they walked, he was unwilling to let her feel the cold. Shouko let out a series of giggles, she just let the man did whatever he wanted.

"Kyoya?"

He hummed softly, looking at her side profile. She was eyeing at the moon, awe and wonder gleamed in her crystal-clear gaze.

He had always thought that his dear wife viewed the world differently than him. Sometimes, he was intrigued to see how beautiful the world was through her lenses.

"This place is so majestic, so enchanting," Her soft voice got carried away by the wind. The end of her dark locks fluttered above her waist as the breeze blew past by. "I couldn't possibly get bored by its view. I was thinking did one of my books is based on this place? The night view is always exceptional here."

Kyoya nodded with a smile. "You wrote Aiko and the Moon after you first came here."

Shouko was startled. She turned to look at him. "What? Really?"

Kyoya nodded again, affirming his answer. His smile was tinged with longing and reminiscence as the old memory resurfaced in his mind. He unconsciously tightened his arm around her waist.

"Although the first time you've been here and drafted the book was five years ago, you only published Aiko and the Moon last year," Sadness flickered in his eyes yet it flashed away so fast until Shouko couldn't even see it.

Kyoya recomposed himself, he widened his smile in an attempt to hide the lingering sorrow. "You said you wanted to give the best for the book so you released the other books first. Only last year you agreed to publish Aiko and the Moon after drafting it countless times."

Shouko could only nod as she listened to Kyoya's story. Even though she didn't remember anything about it, she recalled that when she read the said book, it brought out a different kind of feeling compared to the four books before it. The way she wrote it was different too.

Happiness and grief. Two contradictory emotions came to her mind as she read the book.

Shouko was confused with herself. Why did she feel that way?

"I must really love this place if I acted that way," Ignoring the faint heartache that started creeping within her, Shouko spoke again. "Seeing how beautiful this place is, I would be silly to not fall in love with it," She laughed, the back of her hand lightly knocked her own forehead.

Kyoya silently smiled. The words he wanted to say were swallowed back down in his throat.

You loved it here because... This place only held beautiful memories of all of us.

The light in his eyes dimmed. If Shouko saw how he was at this moment, she could only see regret in them.

Fortunately, she was so focused on the moon hanging above the sky.

"Wife."

Kyoya paused his step, making Shouko stopped with him too. He still firmly held her in his arms as if he was unwilling to be apart from her even for a second.

Before she could ask him anything, he continued in a low voice.

"Do you want to go to the places where you got your inspirations?"

Shouko's eyes widened. The two brown orbs were filled with surprise and confusion before anticipation replaced them.

"Really?" Shouko covered her mouth, she almost thought she had misheard him. "Do you know about them?"

The first book, Aiko and the Sea was based on the little orphan Momo's fascination toward the vast sea near the orphanage she lived. All of the illustrations of the scenery were guided by the photos she took when she visited the orphanage.

As for the rest of the books, Shouko tried finding her old notes but she couldn't find them. She had a habit of jotting down everything and keeping them safe so it was confusing at first when she found nothing.

Since she was still feeling awkward with the employees in the Rosy Mansion, she was reluctant to ask them about the notes. Even to Kyoya, she didn't mention anything.

To hear him saying that, she was so elated until she had to suppress her giddiness.

Under her happy stare, Kyoya smiled and calmly nodded his head. "Whenever we have free time, I'll bring you there. All of the places are within the country."

And all of them were special to you.

"Alright! It's a promise then!" Shouko excitedly moved her right hand toward his direction, showing her pinky finger to Kyoya. "Let's pinky promise!"

Kyoya stifled a laugh. As he saw her pinky finger was waiting to be locked with his, another memory came to his mind.

It was supposed to be a happy and funny one but only sorrow spread within him.

As he hid the grief from showing in his eyes, Kyoya raised his hand and hooked his pinky finger with hers. Their wedding rings sparkled under the moonlight, they appeared even more dazzling than the stars twinkling above them.