Lunch was waiting by the time Akane and I stepped into the dining hall. The smell of grilled meat and fresh bread should've been comforting, but the way my chest was still tight, the heat still burning along my skin, it was hard to focus on anything but the memory of her lips on mine.
I'd never thought of Akane like that since I came back—or maybe I had and just buried it deep—but now, walking beside her, I couldn't look at her without seeing it. The sharpness of her eyes when she pinned me. The warmth of her mouth. The way her body felt pressed against mine.
And from the quick, darting glances she kept stealing at me, I knew I wasn't the only one replaying it in my head.
Unfortunately, Mei noticed.
Of course Mei noticed.
The second we sat down, she squinted at us both like a cat watching prey, then leaned across the table with a slow, wicked grin. "Well, well. You two are awfully red in the face. Training, was it?"
