Chapter 41.

                                    

                                          
THE NEW KATSUKI.
                          
As he lay on top of her, using one hand he pulled her closer almost crushing her against him and with the other, he cupped her bright red cheek. In a leasurely slow pace, he moved closer while his gaze flickered back and forth from her eyes to her lips as if he couldn't quite decide which one was more attractive and deserved more attention. His lips parted a little when he leaned down to kiss her.


                          
Their lips almost brushed and would have collided if Kyoko had caught hold of her senses only a second later. She shouted, "get off!"
                          
Ren jerked his head back with a snap and blinked, almost with surprise.
                          
"I'm not someone who'll screw around with you."
                          
In a flash, he was off of her. What am I doing? The question burned in his mind when Kyoko's voice shook him back to the reality. He wondered since when he became so weak that he just gave into his temptations. Was he really about to kiss Kyoko, knowing that it could very well destroy what they already had? If she hadn't stopped him, would he have been able to stop himself? The answers made him shudder.
                          
Kyoko sighed with relief when she succeeded in stopping Ren before it was too late. She picked herself up as well. It took her a moment to realize but she finally understood what Ren was trying to do. Katsuki never let himself be alone with Mizuki because he feared he wouldn't be able to control himself. In this improv though, he actually was alone with her in an empty apartment, so his temptations took over. She was the one who was supposed to stop him because even if Mizuki loved him with all her heart, she would never let him touch her while he was still engaged to her cousin, Misao.
                          
But still, though it was just acting, Kyoko's heart was pounding like a jackhammer because Ren had gone too far, even if he was in character. As Mizuki, she was supposed to stop him but she couldn't help but wonder if he really would've kissed her if she hadn't stopped him.
                          
What am I thinking? Why wouldn't I stop him? Kyoko shook her head vigorously to stop herself from overthinking about the little accident. Because, that's all it was, an unfortunate accident.
                          
Ren sat up. He didn't even remember when Katsuki disappeared from his mind and he became himself again. This was the first time it happened to him. The reason why he started acting in the first place was because he was able to completely lose his past as Kyon, and become somebody else entirely. He loved acting because it made him forget. However, for the first time, the opposite happened. He was Katsuki until he reached out to help Mizuki before they fell, but the moment Kyoko was pressed against his body, he forgot all about acting. He was not Katsuki anymore but himself. He found this fact so funny that a laugh bubbled out from his throat. He pressed the palm to his mouth to suppress it. He was able to drown out the sound, but his body still shook from the silent fits of laughter rising inside him.
                          
After Kyoko sat up beside him, she turned her head to look at him but was shocked to see him shaking. His face was down and his whole body quivered like a withered as if he was sobbing silently.
                          
"Um... Sir?" She hesitantly held out her hand to touch him but she drew it back.
                          
Ren withdrew his hand from his mouth and looked up only to reveal his wide grin. Kyoko was completely stunned and confused to see him trying to suppress a laugh. The moment their eyes met, the following thought popped in his mind, so this is what people mean when they say they're lost in love! And he ended up laughing all over again. Holding his stomach, he rolled on the ground but his howling cackles didn't subside. "I'm sorry... It's just..." He tried to explain but hardly managed to say a couple words through his wheezing.