Hanako woke up the morning of July tenth with the same sense of dread she always felt on this particular day after the accident which had claimed both her parents' lives. She squeezed her eyes shut, as though willing the date to disappear from the calendar completely. No such luck. Getting herself up out of bed, she padded quietly down the hall to the kitchen, bracing herself for whatever her fiancé Hisao had done for her. Despite her protestations, he always insisted on doing something for her on her birthday.
She walked into the kitchen to find him cooking breakfast. French toast. She smiled slightly, touched that he remembered that french toast and eggs was her favorite breakfast. She stood there for a few moments, wondering if he would notice her, but her seemed far too engrossed in cooking. Hanako cleared her throat to grab his attention, and Hisao jumped as though he'd been electrocuted."H-Hanako? How long have you been standing there?" He looked down at the eggs he'd dropped and sighed, then began to clean up the mess.
"I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to startle you!" She walked over to help him clean up, but Hisao shook his head.
"You don't have to help me, it's your birth- I mean, I made some tea for you, go have a cup while I make breakfast." He hoped Hanako would overlook his little slip up. To his relied, she stood there a moment thinking, then nodded and poured some tea into one of the teacups which had been set out, then took a seat at the dining room table.
Hisao continued to cook as Hanako gazed out the window, sipping her tea slowly. After a few minutes, he set down two plates on the table, one in front of Hanako. "Th-thank you, Hisao, it looks really good," she gave him a small smile, blushing.
"You're welcome, dear," he kissed her forehead gently and took his seat across from her. They ate in silence for a while, then Hisao made a satisfied noise and leaned back in his seat. "Any plans for today?" he asked, trying to be tactful."N-no," Hanako shook her head. "I w-was just going to read for a little bit…Lilly's supposed to come over l-later today…"
"Wait, before you do…" He got up and left the room, as she stared questioningly after him. He came back promptly, a small present in his hand.
"Hisao, you d-didn't have to get me anything," she protested, staring at the parcel."But I did, and I think you'll like it," he smiled, proffering the present to her. She took it hesitantly, and unwrapped it neatly to reveal a book. The Great Gatsby. Though she had read this book many times in Yamaku's library, she didn't have her own copy.
"Th-thank you, Hisao," Hanako smiled a bit, blushing some. "It's wonderful.""I'm glad you like it." He took her free hand and kissed it, thankful that Lilly knew what sort of books Hanako liked. "When is Lilly supposed to be here?"
"O-Oh, yes, she's supposed t-to be over around three." She looked at the wall clock. 10:30. "I sh-should probably clean the house…""Nonsense, the house is practically spotless. You go read, and I'll clean up here," Hisao smiled warmly at her, and kissed her left cheek.
"A-Are you sure?" Hanako looked uncertain. She hated inconveniencing people, especially on this day, and making him clean up the breakfast dishes alone made her feel guilty, but Hisao stood his ground.
"Yes, go on, it's no trouble to me," he reassured her, already gathering the dishes to be washed. "Please, Hanako, go enjoy your new book.""O-Okay…" she smiled at him, and got up from her seat, still clutching her book. She gave him a small peck on his cheek, "Th-thank you, Hisao…I l-love you…"
"I love you, too, Hanako." He wrapped his arms around her small frame, and kissed her softly. "Now go read, before Lilly shows up."
"Y-yes," Hanako gave him a small smile, and headed to the study to enjoy The Great Gatsby. Between her librarian assistant job at Yamaku, and spending time with Hisao and Lilly, she didn't have the time to read as often as she liked, and was looking forward to some quiet time by herself.
Hisao looked at the dirty dishes he had to clean and sighed. He was almost starting to regret refusing her help, but it was her birthday, even if she didn't want to acknowledge it. He began to do the dishes, thinking of the plans he made for the evening.