Author's Notes
I'm very sorry for not updating until now. I wasn't really sure about the path this second chapter would take, but I'm happy with the result.
Thank you so much in advance to those who read the first chapter and will read this one as well.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Confession

Chapter II

To Rin, Makoto never looked as tall as that day.

They were supposed to meet at 5pm, but Rin was so nervous he took the train almost 2 hours before, so it was actually 4pm when he arrived at the cinema. To his surprise, Makoto was already there, waiting for him. The brown haired man was standing next to other people about his age, but they all look so small in comparison to him.

"Rin! I'm here!" he said, shaking his arms, like he wasn't the center of attention already.

"Yo." Rin replied, trying to act casual and relaxed. "There's still an hour left."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd arrive so early, but since I've never come here before, I decided to take precautions. I guess I overdid it a little" Makoto said, ashamed.

Damn. Rin was also early. What were they suppose to do for a whole hour?

The thought of it being a date didn't leave him alone. In reality, it wasn't his first date. He had already dated many girls before, so he was pretty experienced in the matter.

So, why were his hands so damn sweaty?

"We could have a drink or something. What about that coffee shop right there." was the only thing Rin managed to say, wishing his nervousness would fade away as soon as possible.

"That's a great idea! Thank you, Rin." Makoto replied, smiling.

They entered the coffee shop. After reading the menu, Makoto ordered a frappuccino and Rin just a glass of water. He already had many things in mind and picking a beverage looked like a lot of trouble in that moment.

"How's Gou doing? We all miss her at Iwatobi." Makoto mentioned, looking for a topic to break the uncomfortable silence.

"She's doing much better, actually. The fever is gone. She should be back tomorrow." Rin said. In that moment, he remembered the conversation he shared with her little sister that morning.

"So you invited him out? FINALLY! I knew those tickets had a purpose!" Gou said. She seemed too happy and cheerful for someone with a cold.

"I invited him because you weren't going to use them and I didn't want them to go to waste. That's all" Rin flustered. It was a relief that she couldn't see his face all red by the phone.

"Yeah, oniichan. I'm sure that's the only reason…" she said, laughing. After a moment in silence, she continued: "You know what? It makes me very happy that you finally managed to ask Makoto-senpai out. He's a very gentle person. I'm sure you'll both have a great time"

It didn't matter how many times Rin denied it. Gou could actually see through him. Apparently, his feelings towards Makoto were pretty obvious. She realized that even before Rin did.

"Rin? Are you alright?" Makoto asked.

Without realizing it, Rin got lost in his own thoughts.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry." he replied, even more embarrassed than before. Like he wasn't nervous enough, Gou's insinuations distracted him completely.

Makoto, who was pretty concerned about Rin's attitude since that phone call, decided it was time to be brave and ask him about it.

"Rin…there's something I've been wanting to ask you since that night you called me. I hope you can give me an honest answer" he said, very serious.

Oh no.

Rin could felt a shiver down his spine. There very few occasions where Makoto looked as serious as in that moment. The young man with beautiful emerald eyes and brown hair was always happy and careless, smiling beautifully and willing to help everyone. But this time, the look on his eyes was different. There were no smiles, he was genuinely concerned about Rin.

"Go on." Rin said. No matter what, Rin must remain calm.

"It's been a while since I feel that something has changed…you've changed." Makoto said.

Rin started sweating cold.

Just like Gou realized everything even before Rin, was it possible that Makoto knew about his true feelings?

"…What do you mean…exactly?" he asked, wishing it was something else.

"To be honest, it's been a while since I feel your attitude has changed, even before that phone call. Specially towards myself…" Makoto said, with sadness in his voice. "I felt like you were avoiding me, you came to practice with us and only talked with the other guys, but not with me…" he continued.

Rin didn't know what to say.

What Makoto said was true. Some weeks ago, Rin finally realized his feelings for Makoto, and that made him feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, so he did everything in his hands to avoid him. During practice, he talked to Haru and the others, but when Makoto approached him, he replied with a few words or made up an excuse to leave. He felt that if he talked to Makoto, his emerald eyes would be able to see through his and discover those feelings that grew stronger day by day. He just couldn't let that happen….at least not in that moment.

What was he supposed to say? If the admitted his behavior, he'd have to give Makoto an explanation and he wasn't ready for that yet. What about denying it? No, Makoto could think he was a liar, and Rin didn't want that either.

"Makoto…" was the only thing he could say at that moment, doubtingly.

Makoto continued.

"That's why I thought something bad happened when you called. But, when you invited me to the movies I was so happy and relieved…Rin doesn't hate me after all, that's what I thought." he said, smiling gently.

Rin felt a big pressure on his chest.

In that moment, he would've given anything to be braver and tell him his true feelings:
Makoto, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, it would be the last thing to cross my mind. I didn't want to hurt you, I was just afraid to tell you the truth. I'm still afraid, I don't want you to think bad about me or look at me in a different way if you find out about how I feel about you. I don't want you to reject me. I don't hate you. Actually, I…

"I don't hate you. I don't have reasons to hate you" he replied, making a supernatural effort to look calm. "It's true that I've been acting different lately, but that's not the reason why".

"Why then?" Makoto asked, genuinely concerned.

Rin sighed. He couldn't lie to Makoto, but he couldn't tell him the truth either. It wasn't the right moment nor the right place to do it.

"I ask you to give me time. The time when I can tell you everything will soon come. Just give me time" Rin said, feeling like his chest could explode anytime.

Makoto, who was always patient and gentle, experienced conflicted emotions for the first time. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he couldn't wait to know. Actually, he didn't want to wait. His heart pounded really hard, like he could tell that what Rin couldn't say at the moment was something really important.

But, he didn't want to push Rin. If he needed time to trust him and tell him everything, he'll wait as long as it was necessary.

Makoto showed Rin his beautiful smile, looking straight to his eyes.

"Of course, Rin. We'll talk about it whenever you want, you can trust me" he said, with his soft and gentle voice. Suddenly, he looked at his watch. "There's only 15 minutes left. We better go now."

Rin felt that his whole face was on flames, so Makoto's comment about the hour was a great escape.

"Yeah. Let's go." he replied.

He could hide his blushing face in the darkness of the cinema…at least for now.