KIRO’S STORY / CHAPTER 27 OF 36
Couple
by hasira · about 7 min read
They made it back to the Ranger.
Barely.
Susie unlocked the truck.
Kiro reached for the passenger door.
Then stopped.
His stomach growled.
Loud.
Susie looked at him.
Kiro looked away.
“No.”
She laughed.
“When did you last eat?”
“Breakfast.”
Susie stared.
Kiro frowned.
“What?”
“You ate breakfast and then nothing?”
“I forgot.”
“How the fuck do you forget food?”
Kiro looked at her.
“When did you eat?”
Susie went quiet.
She opened the driver's door.
“Get in.”
“No.”
“Kiro.”
“When did you eat?”
Susie sighed.
“...Breakfast.”
Kiro pointed at her.
“Exactly.”
“Get in the truck.”
“You're a hypocrite.”
“Get in.”
They were both starving by the time Susie pulled into a gas station.
Kiro stared through the windshield at the bright sign.
“This feels depressing.”
“It's food.”
“It's a gas station.”
“They have hot dogs.”
Kiro looked at her.
“That's not helping.”
Susie turned off the engine.
“You want to keep starving?”
Kiro opened the door.
“Hot dogs suddenly sound incredible.”
They didn't sound incredible.
They looked incredible.
That was different.
Under the bright heat lamps, everything looked strangely perfect.
Until Kiro got close.
He stared at one of the hot dogs turning slowly beneath the glass.
Susie came up beside him.
“That one looks wet.”
“Don't say that.”
“It does.”
“You just ruined it.”
“You were going to eat it anyway.”
“Unfortunately.”
They ordered two.
Kiro added chips.
Susie added something that claimed to be cheese.
Kiro looked at the little plastic cup.
“That's not cheese.”
“It says cheese.”
“So does spray paint if you write it on the can.”
Susie ignored him.
The cashier looked between them while putting everything into a bag.
Older woman.
Tired eyes.
Probably halfway through a shift she already hated.
She smiled slightly.
“You two are cute.”
Kiro froze.
Susie did too.
The cashier looked at them again.
“Nice couple.”
Silence.
Kiro's ears went hot immediately.
Susie's face changed too.
Not much.
Enough.
Neither corrected her.
Neither said thank you either.
Kiro just stared at the card reader like it had suddenly become the most important object in the building.
Susie paid.
The cashier handed them the bag.
“Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Kiro nodded.
That was all he could produce.
They left.
Fast.
Outside, the cold air hit them again.
Kiro walked beside Susie toward the Ranger.
Neither spoke.
The plastic bag rustled between them.
Kiro's face was still warm.
He could feel it.
Susie unlocked the truck.
Kiro reached for the passenger door.
Then stopped.
Susie noticed.
“What?”
Kiro looked at the truck.
Then at her.
Then somewhere else entirely.
“Do we?”
Susie frowned.
“What?”
Kiro rubbed the back of his neck.
“Look like one.”
Susie stared.
Kiro immediately regretted asking.
“The couple thing.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
A pause
Susie looked at him.
Actually looked.
Red plaid shirt.
Messy fur.
Ears still slightly red.
Kiro became more uncomfortable with every second.
“Well?”
Susie smiled a little.
“I don't know.”
“Very useful.”
She leaned against the side of the Ranger.
Kiro waited.
Then Susie shrugged.
“I mean...”
A small smirk.
“If we are, I guess we're supposed to kiss at some point.”
Kiro's expression changed.
Susie's smile faded slightly.
He looked down.
“Oh.”
She tilted her head.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Kiro.”
He rubbed one paw against the other.
“I've never done that.”
Susie blinked.
“Seriously?”
Kiro looked offended.
“Why does everyone say that like I've been secretly running around kissing people?”
“I didn't mean it like that.”
“Sure.”
Susie watched him.
Kiro sighed.
“I've been with people.”
“I know.”
“Three.”
He looked down.
“Boys. Girl.”
A pause.
“But all of it was long distance.”
He gave a weak laugh.
“And all of it crashed into the ground pretty fucking fast, so...”
He shrugged.
“No.”
Susie's expression softened.
“I never kissed anyone.”
Kiro glanced at her.
“Unless we're counting my mom and aunts.”
Susie stared.
Kiro pointed at her immediately.
“I wasn't going to say anything.”
“Your face was.”
Susie laughed.
Kiro smiled.
Then looked down again.
The embarrassment returned.
Susie leaned back against the truck.
“So you never thought about it?”
“About what?”
“Your first kiss.”
Kiro stared at her.
“What kind of question is that?”
“A normal one.”
“Absolutely not.”
Susie smiled.
“Kiro.”
He sighed.
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“I never really imagined it.”
“Really?”
Kiro shifted his weight.
“Yeah.”
He looked toward the gas station windows.
“I guess...”
A pause.
“I thought about being with someone.”
“Like actually being with them.”
“Going places.”
“Sleeping next to them.”
“Stupid shit.”
He rubbed his paw over his arm.
“But kissing specifically?”
Kiro shook his head.
“No.”
His voice got quieter.
“I think every time I got close to imagining anything physical, my brain just went...”
He made small motion with his paw.
“Nope.”
Susie watched him.
Kiro gave a weak smile.
“Very romantic.”
She didn't laugh.
Instead:
“Kiro.”
He looked at her.
Susie had moved closer.
Not much.
Just enough that he noticed.
His heart picked up immediately.
“What?”
She didn't answer.
Another small step.
Kiro went still.
Susie's face went close now.
Close enough that he understood.
Finally.
His eyes dropped to her mouth.
Then back to her eyes.
“Oh.”
Susie's expression softened.
She gave him a second.
Kiro could have moved.
He didn't.
Susie leaned in.
Slowly.
Her eyes closed.
Kiro's stayed open.
At first.
Her lips touched his.
Everything inside him stopped.
No thoughts.
No clever comment.
No panic exactly.
Warm.
Soft.
Real.
Susie stayed there for only a moment.
Then started to pull back.
Kiro moved before he thought about it.
His paw caught lightly against her sleeve.
Susie stopped.
Opened her eyes.
Kiro looked terrified.
Not of her.
Of himself.
Of the fact that he wanted her to continue.
He swallowed.
“Don't.”
Susie's eyes stayed on his.
“Don't what?”
Kiro's face burned.
“Don't stop.”
Susie looked at him for half a second.
Then kissed him again.
This time Kiro knew it was coming.
Still didn't know what to do.
His shoulders were stiff.
His paws awkward.
One stayed against her sleeve.
The other hovered uselessly beside him.
Then slowly settled against her side.
Susie didn't rush him.
Didn't try to make it anything more than it was.
Kiro's eyes finally closed.
His shoulders loosened.
The gas station disappeared.
The highway noise disappeared.
Everything became small.
Warm breath.
Her paw resting lightly against his chest.
Her lips against his.
The faint smell of coffee still caught in her jacket.
Kiro forgot about the awful hot dogs in the bag between them.
Forgot about the concert.
Forgot about everything.
For him, it lasted forever.
Maybe three minutes.
Maybe five.
Maybe ten.
He had no fucking idea.
In reality, probably nowhere near that long.
Time wasn't useful anymore.
Eventually Susie pulled back.
Slowly.
Kiro didn't move.
His eyes stayed closed for another second.
Then opened.
Susie was right there.
Watching him.
Kiro stared back.
His entire head felt hot.
His ears especially.
His heart was beating fast.
But normal.
Not dangerous.
Not panic.
Just...
Fast.
His paws were shaking slightly.
Not enough for Susie to see.
Enough for him to feel.
Neither spoke.
Susie smiled.
Small.
“You okay?”
Kiro opened mouth.
Nothing.
Tried again.
“...I think so.”
Susie's smile grew.
Kiro looked away immediately.
“Don't.”
“What?”
“Look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know.”
Susie did.
Kiro touched his mouth.
Like he needed to check something.
Susie noticed.
“Was that bad?”
Kiro looked at her so fast it almost hurt.
“No.”
Too fast.
Susie's eyebrows rose.
Kiro's face got even hotter.
“No. It wasn't bad.”
A pause.
“It was...”
He stopped.
Susie waited.
Kiro stared at the pavement.
“I don't know.”
“Good review.”
“Shut up.”
She laughed.
Kiro looked down at her again.
Still stunned.
Still processing.
Susie picked up the food bag from where she'd placed it against the truck.
Then glanced toward the gas pumps.
“Oh.”
Kiro blinked.
“What?”
“I still need gas.”
He stared.
Susie opened the passenger door.
“Get in.”
Kiro didn't move.
She looked at him.
“Kiro.”
“...What?”
“The truck.”
“Oh.”
He climbed in.
Slowly.
Like he'd forgotten how.
Susie handed him the food bag.
“Hold this.”
Kiro took it.
“Okay.”
She closed the door.
Then walked toward the gas station.
Kiro sat completely still.
The truck was quiet.
The tiny cowboy ghost hanging from the mirror stared at him.
Kiro stared back.
His lips still felt warm.
He slowly touched them again.
Then looked at the ghost.
“What the fuck just happened?”
The ghost offered no useful answer.
Kiro leaned back in the seat.
A smile slowly appeared.
He covered his face with both paws.
“Fuck.”
Outside, Susie walked back toward the store to pay for the gas.
Kiro stayed exactly where she left him.
Still holding two terrible hot dogs.
Still smiling.