Laying on my Childhood Friend's Lap

"Are you staying up late again?"

It's lunchtime and we're in the multi-purpose classroom. I can feel the gravity of Rin's question as I poke around my bento with my chopsticks.

"No I haven't, you think I have?"

Her reaction feels just like someone questioning their coworkers over who ate the pudding they put in the work fridge. She stares at me, not letting me escape as she continues on.

"When did you go to bed and when did you wake up?"

"Went to bed at 9 and woke up at 5..."

"Seems like something a super disciplined honors student would do."

"Well, there is one person in our grade who fits that description perfectly."

"But Tohru-kun isn't that great at all."

"Because I walk around naked all the time?"

"Hmm, let's see... you went to bed at 2 and you woke up at 6?"

"D-damn, you've got that perfectly."

"Well, I'm your childhood friend after all."

Instead of her usual cocky expression, Rin knits her eyebrows.

"Were you writing?"

Rin stares at me, like she already knows what my answer is going to be. I can't hide anything from her, can I? I sigh and stretch out my arms as I answer.

"Well, you could say that..."

Rin's face becomes a little more cloudy as she hears me say that.

"I see..."

Her soft whisper has a tinge of sorrow in it.

___________________

"...You can use my lap if you want."

Rin suddenly proposes that after we finish eating.

"Huh?"

I'm unable to compute what Rin meant by her statement, as I let out a breath. I look at Rin's face, and I notice a dash of tense bashfulness from her. My mind finally catches up, so I open my mouth.

"Umm... so I can lay my head on your lap?"

"Don't get me wrong, this is just so you aren't so tired for the rest of the day and nothing else. I'm like a kind goddess deciding to help you on a whim."

"Again, you default back to that phrase. Well whatever, I'll just lay down here."

"The floor is hard, you'll hurt your neck."

"For a kind goddess, you sure love to complain a lot."

"Well, whatever."

Her cheeks start to turn red as she looks away.

"You helped me cure my fatigue a bit a while back... so with this, we'll be even."

Rin's words remind my five senses of what happened the other day. My senses explode all at once: As if it were real, I feel a warm and soft sensation all around me. The smell of the familiar scent that reminds me of safety. And on my nose, I feel the light touch of hairs. At once, I can feel my head boiling over as my conscious reasoning starts to crumble.

"So... do you want to do it or not?"

Rin comes closer and hikes up her miniskirt a bit, revealing her cream colored thighs. My ability to refuse her has been blown out the water at this point.

"We-well then..."

With that, Rin begins to spoil me. I carefully position myself as I slowly lay my head on her thigh, like I'm making a house of cards. The very last part of my conscious reasoning wills me to not face her stomach and instead look the other way.

Holy shit...

The sweet scent I smell is a mix of fabric softener and Rin's actual scent. Rin's thin thighs are elastic in the right way, as they feel just like marshmallows. My cheeks become all warm thanks to the heat from her skirt. My heart is speeding up. My whole body is as stiff as it can be.

"Are you feeling tense?"

I hear Rin's voice coming from above. I could feel my heart dreading to respond.

"Well, a bit."

"I see."

I hear her soft voice continue on.

"I'm feeling a bit tense too."

I can feel the embarrassment from her voice. She's so damn cute. As I express that to myself, I can feel myself calming down a bit. Well, Rin starts stroking my head and that calms me down even more.

"Is that... on a whim too?"

"Well, who knows."

Her soft voice reaches my ears the same time she brushes my hair. I can hear the rustling of hair, as the tips of her finger run through my hair. This is the first time that I laid on a girl's lap while having her brush my hair. It's quite pleasant, but I do feel a little tense because this situation is still so foreign to me.

I recall back to when I would stroke Rin's head. The face that Rin would make, I finally understand now. For a while, Rin continues to stroke my hair.

"There, there."

I suddenly hear something come out of Rin's mouth as I feel her hand guiding itself to my chest. Her words of solace continue.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

Ahh...

I can feel my chest stinging, like I've been pricked by a small needle.

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"Really. You should be more considerate."

With that, Rin strokes me head again. Her strokes seem more rough than before.

"Are you feeling less tired now?"

The five minute warning bell rings as Rin asks me that. I don't want this to ever end, so I verbalize my inner thoughts.

"I want to stay like this forever, it's so relaxing."

Rin gives a nonchalant answer as her reply. By itself, her reply was disappointing, but her tone of voice was reassuring.

"Well, if Tohru-kun doesn't mind..."

Rin trails off but starts talking again.

"I wouldn't mind doing this again."

I reflexively gulp.

"That would make me so damn happy."

A sense of relief washes over me, as my lungs let out the breath that I've been holding. I end up staying on Rin's lap right up until class begins.

____________________

Don't overwork yourself.

With those words in mind, I continue to navigate through this unfamiliar way of life. Compared to my own health, I'm more worried about the state of my new work. Despite how fatigued I am, in front of Rin, I act as healthy as possible.

But in the end, I can't deceive Rin at all.

Three days later, spring break is approaching and we're walking home from school.

"Is it alright if I visit your house today Tohru-kun?"

Out of nowhere, I hear Rin ask me that.