The sound of her phone ringing woke up Tsumugi. It wasn’t her alarm, that much was clear. Without lifting her head off the pillow or opening her eyes, Tsumugi felt around for her phone. When she felt the cool metal of the device, she grabbed it and opened her eyes to look at the screen.

 Incoming Call: Gaku Yaotome-san

    Ah, so Gaku was calling her. As she sat up, Tsumugi pressed the ‘Answer’ button. “Hello?” 

    “So I see you’re awake!” Gaku said. There wasn’t any malice in his voice, he sounded as chipper as he usually did when he spoke to her. It was part of the reason she fell for him after all. “Did you forget again?”

    “Forget what, Gaku-san?” Tsumugi wiped some sleep from her eyes.

    “That we planned on hanging out today?”

    “We planned to hang out on the 27th.” She wouldn’t forget the day she planned on confessing to Gaku. She already had her outfit picked out and everything! 

    She wanted that day to be memorable, if he accepted. If he didn’t, Tsumugi wasn’t sure what she would do. Gaku meant a lot to her, as both a crush and as a friend. A rejection would no doubtly result in them no longer being friends. That was the last thing Tsumugi wanted. 

    “Which is today, Tsumugi.” Gaku laughed. Tsumugi looked at the date on her phone. Sure enough, it was the 27th.

    “Gaku-san I’m so sorry!” Tsumugi screamed into her phone as she threw the comforter off and jumped out of bed. She quickly grabbed her clothes and raced to the bathroom for one of her famous 10 Minute Preparations that she had honed since middle school.

    “Don’t worry about it Tsumugi. Meet me at the train station when you’re ready.”

    “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes tops!” 

    “Don’t be late.” 

    “I wouldn’t dream of it!” She quickly hung up the phone and set it down on the bathroom counter. As quickly as she could, she changed into the clothes she had picked out just for this day. A simple, 3 quarters length shirt she bought just for today. The sleeves and the side of the shirt were gray, the front and back were white and there was a light pink stripe going up from the bottom of the shirt and extending to the collar, staining it and the buttons with it’s light rose hue. The shirt was tucked into a light gray pair of shorts that had three sets of ruffles at the back, covering the top part of her bum. The look was completed with a black belt that had a golden buckle. It took her two minutes to get dressed. 

    Tsumugi quickly grabbed a washrag and washed her face, which took a minute in total. She spent 30 seconds brushing her hair and a minute and a half brushing her teeth. The next five minutes were spent applying her makeup. Nothing special, just some BB cream to smooth out her face, eyeshadow, and lipgloss. With a minute left, she dashed into her bedroom and pulled out a set of silver, dangle earrings. On one of the earrings was a treble clef, and the other held a bass clef. She hit the ten minute mark. 

    Tsumugi grabbed a handbag and filled it with her phone, wallet, a compact mirror, the lipgloss she choose to wear that morning, and her powder foundation. She slipped on a pair of pink socks and grabbed her gray ankle boots before dashing down the staircase to the living room.

    “I’m heading out dad!” Tsumugi yelled as she raced to the front door, trying to slip on her shoes at the threshold.

    “Have fun!” Her father called out from his place in the kitchen. “Let me know when you’re on your way home.” 

    “I will!” With an ‘I love you’, Tsumugi raced out the door to the train station. She had bought a can of coffee from a vending machine, deciding that would be a good way to wake up. She didn’t want to look tired when she confesses to Gaku. If, she managed to confess that is. The idea of a rejection still haunted her, she might not even manage to say anything today. The same as every other day she planned on admitting . 

    Tsumugi somehow managed to drown the entire can of coffee as she ran to the train station. She threw away the can of coffee into a nearby trash bin. With the can discarded, she quickened her pace and made a sharp turn to the train station.

 She saw Gaku standing outside the train station, one leg propped against the wall and his phone in hand. 

    “Gaku-san!” Tsumugi called out. Gaku looked up from his phone, a wide smile stitching itself onto his face. The butterflies that were in her stomach spread their wings and began to flutter about. She loved his smile. It was warm, like the sunshine.

    “Hey, you actually made it!” Gaku said, sliding his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. Gaku always looked handsome in his casual clothes, but that may have just been Tsumugi’s bias. Today he wore a pair of dark blue jeans paired with a black, button up hoodie that was left partially unbuttoned, revealing a white, zip up shirt with a high collar. The white shirt was left partially unzipped showing off a dark gray v-neck underneath. A dog tag on a chain hung from his neck, a treble clef engraved into the light, smooth, metal. On his left hand, he wore a black and white checkered ring around his middle finger, and two thin silver bracelets hung on his wrist. On his right wrist sat a black, leather band decorated with gold stars. As if to murder her heart anymore, he even went as far as to paint his nails black. Tsumugi loved it when Gaku painted his nails, and she thought he looked even more attractive with black nail polish.

    “Of course I would!” Tsumugi smiled. She hoped than in her attempt to reach Gaku at the train station on time didn’t leave her looking like a mess. “You look really nice Gaku-san!” 

    “You do too. Not to say that you don’t always look pretty.” Gaku said, scratching the back of his neck and turned his head to the right. If she wasn’t mistaken, she swore Gaku was blushing. Tsumugi felt her heart skip a beat. “So, where do you wanna go?” 

    “H-how about the aquarium?” Tsumugi suggested. “They just recently got a new exhibit.” 

    “Aquarium it is!” Gaku held out his arm for Tsumugi, and she promptly wrapped her arm around his. Gaku lead her into the train station and Tsumugi felt her face heating up. Gaku had been unusually tactile lately, he liked to have some sort of physical contact with her when she was in his presence. On most days he would wrap his arm around her shoulder as he lead her through town. One time he even rested his head on her while they were watching a movie in the theater. The memory still made her heart race. 

    With her arm wrapped around Gaku’s, Tsumugi had perfect faith that she could confess her true feelings.

 *-*-* 

    Gaku wished their time at the aquarium could have been longer. Tsumugi looked so happy, watching all the fish fly about in their tanks. She was always so cute when she was happy, but Gaku would take it to the grave that his heart began to race a million miles an hour when Tsumugi got startled by a shark that passed them by. He could still feel the spot where she had gripped onto his arm for protection. He did feel kinda bad about laughing though, but it was as funny as it was cute.

    The sun was finally setting, officially announcing the end of their day. Tsumugi had looked so beat from walking around, so Gaku wasn’t surprised when she began to doze off on the train. His mind sounded like a broken record when he thought that her sleeping face was cute. He wondered what she would say if she had found out about how highly Gaku had thought of her. He’d been fond of her since they first met, but it wasn’t anything romantic at the start. He, Ryu, Tenn, and almost everyone they knew who met the little blonde thought she was cute. 

    It was through their everyday encounters that caused the seed in his heart to bloom. The hours they spent in cafe’s, talking about everything under the sun. The late night texts when neither could sleep, talking about their hidden desires. There was one thing that he always dreamed of saying, but never did. ‘I love you.’ 

    Tsumugi’s head bobbed with the motion of the train as she finally fell asleep. They had a few more minutes until they reached their stop, so Gaku figured he could be selfish just once, and rested her head on his shoulder. Her hair smelled sweet, like strawberries and cream. 

    Oh how Gaku wished their stop never came, so the two of them could run away together. They could get a little house, maybe a dog or a cat and live out the rest of their lives together. That sounded like a dream, a dream he wanted so desperately to be reality, once he gathered the courage to make it so. 

*-*-*

    With the sun finally at rest, and the streetlights beginning to illuminate the sidewalks with the help of the moon, Tsumugi realized she still hadn’t told Gaku about her feelings. She walked beside him, close to the buildings, her hands clutching onto the strap of her purse like a lifeline. If she dropped her hands, then maybe she could… 

    No, there’s no way Gaku would want to hold her hand. Escorting her like a princess is one thing, but holding hands is out of the question. Besides, she still has to tell him how she feels, but that was a lot harder than the movies made it seem. Her pace slowed down, and she was no longer walking beside Gaku, but instead behind him. 

    Gaku turned around, watching as Tsumugi’s face flustered. They had finally reached the street her house was on. It was now or never, never again would Gaku find the perfect opportunity to confess. 

    He turned around fully and smiled. “I’m sorry, but I can’t wait any longer.” 

    Gaku stepped closer, his face slowly gaining a pink color, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Tsumugi’s eyes widened as her heartbeat increased. Could it be… that he felt the same way? 

    “I love you, Tsumugi.” Gaku stood up tall. 

    “You don’t have to return my feelings but-” 

    “I love you too!” Tsumugi’s mouth began moving on it’s own, saying the words she kept under lock and key. “All the time we spend together, the good and the bad, it’s a bitter-sweet mix. I'm gonna treasure every second of it." 

    It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Tsumugi smiled at Gaku, whose face was turning redder by the second. He hid his mouth behind his hand, most likely trying to hide a smile that reached his eyes. 

    “Then it looks like I’ll be in your care.” Gaku said, his face returning to its normal color. He smiled at her, a smile full of teeth and gums, but it was a smile of pure ecstasy. 

    “Please take care of me.” Tsumugi said, taking her hand and intertwining it with Gaku’s. His hands where large and rough, but Tsumugi’s own tiny hands fit into his like a puzzle piece. Hand in hand, Gaku lead Tsumugi back to her house, making arrangements for their first, proper, date as a couple.

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