The Little Things
- - -
One
"KAIRI!"
"What??" Kairi turned but didn't have enough time to respond. A very hyper Selphie pounced on her.
"What the heck?! I can't feel any bones in my body… thanks…"
"I haven't seen you in years! Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Selphie… it's only been six months… and yes, of course I'm happy to see you." The girls tried to stand up. Kairi sort of lost balance on her way up, but luckily her friend Riku was there to catch her before she fell.
"Thank you, Riku…"
Okay, Kairi had to admit, once Riku went through puberty and started to grow his hair out and get those muscles, he wasn't too bad looking. She was actually starting to develop a small crush on him.
And it was obvious how much Riku liked Kairi. He was the type to put it all out there and make it known. Everybody thought they were dating, and every girl wished to be Kairi. Kairi accepted this praise but was a little embarrassed about it. She never denied anybody's claims, just walked away shyly with her face covered because she was blushing severely.
"When are you two going to make it official?" Tifa slammed her hands on the armrests of her chair, giving Kairi and Riku a very disturbing glare. She couldn't hold it and started laughing.
"How about right now?" Riku then got down on his knee and grabbed Kairi's hand. Her eyes widened. A bunch of "aww's" came from the girls, but Kairi was just too shocked to say anything. Was he…
"Be my girlfriend, Kairi."
Kairi was frozen. She knew this day would come; it was freaking obvious. However, she just wasn't able to respond. It was about thirty seconds until Tifa decided to interrupt.
"Oh, SWEET JESUS! Yes Riku, she will be your girlfriend!"
Of course Kairi didn't deny; her face was extremely red. Riku looked at her for approval. She nodded slowly, unsure of what the heck just happened.
"O-okay then…"
- - -
So that night Riku took her to one of the finest and most expensive restaurants on Destiny Islands. It was a beautiful setting with flowers and dimmed lights, a candle in the middle of each table which were all separated far enough for the couple to have the most privacy possible, and gorgeous jungle designs on the wall. There was also an aquarium in the back, which Riku had reserved especially for Kairi because he knew of her love for the ocean and its inhabitants.
"Here you are," said the waiter. "What may I get you to drink?"
Before Kairi spoke, Riku answered for her. "Wait, I know this. She would like some water, no ice but a little touch of lemon to it… and I would like a coke. Thanks."
He knew so much about her. It was amazing. That was exactly what she wanted. She nodded and just sat there quietly. The waiter gave them their menus and walked away.
"Amazing, huh?" Riku asked, giving off that gorgeous smile he was notorious for.
"Y-yeah… you were right…" Kairi giggled, keeping her eyes on the menu.
Eventually she looked up next to her and just stared at all the fish swimming around. It reminded her of the ocean that she saw everyday and she just loved looking at it.
They ordered their food and probably waited for about five minutes until it came. The service was so quick at this restaurant, which also added to the expense because it was so convenient. Kairi couldn't believe Riku would bring her here, but then again it was expected since he was kind of rich.
However, that's not the reason she fell for him. Even though the rich are always looked down upon, Riku never really gave off the 'snobby' kind of attitude. He was nice to everyone and would even help out people in need. He paid attention to the details and had an excellent memory. He was almost too perfect.
"Kairi, your phone is vibrating." Riku pointed.
"It's Sora… should I answer it?"
"Hmm, if you want to."
Kairi paused for a moment, but then put her phone away. "It would be rude. I'll just call him later."
Her phone vibrated again, but it was just voicemail. Kairi ignored it and continued to eat. After they were done, Riku took her hand and they headed over to the ocean next to the restaurant and just walked along the beach.
"Look, Riku! The moon is orange! It's really pretty…"
"I know…"
When she looked at him, she noticed he never did look at the moon, but he had his eyes on her the entire time. It was a very cliché moment, but Kairi loved it. However, once she saw him trying to move closer, her shyness took over and she just moved away but still kept her hand locked with his.
"I like it when your face goes red. It's cute."
That didn't help the situation at all. She tried to hide her face with her other hand, but Riku gently pulled her hand away and got in front of her. That's when Kairi's eyes were stuck on his, kind of like a trance. As he moved closer, she became a little more lightheaded. But instead of kissing her, he pulled her right into a big hug. Surprised, Kairi just stood there like an idiot.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I've just waited for this for so long…"
"R-really?"
"Mhm. It's like… a dream come true for me… you know, because I dream about you all the time…" She could hear Riku's tone getting lower as he moved in about three inches from her face and closed his eyes. Kairi was shaking a little bit but for some reason she couldn't deny him this time.
And so he kissed her.
--
School the next day was a huge wake-up call. Everybody knew that they were officially dating. Some people came up to Kairi and just worshipped her. Others stared in disgust, but either way they were all jealous of her. And somehow, she liked it.
"Hey Kairi… did you get my call last night?" Sora asked.
"Oh! I did… but I was… busy…" Riku came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her whispering 'good morning' in her ear. Sora sighed and looked back at his laptop.
Being in college, Kairi figured all the drama would go away, but boy was she wrong. She had a feeling that her other best friend, Sora, had feelings for her as well and it made her kind of uncomfortable to be around him while Riku was with her. Ever since Riku started to show even the smallest signs of liking her, Sora has been a little distant to both of them. He wasn't talking to them as much and rarely called Kairi anymore. It made her worry.
"How was the date?" Tifa asked eagerly once Kairi was separated from Riku because he had to go to class.
"It was… great." Since Sora was around, she really didn't want to give too much detail, but Tifa insisted on it, and soon Selphie and her other friend Namine joined in wanting to know everything.
"Well… he took me to Doves and we walked on the beach together…"
"He took you to Doves??" They were shocked. "We're jealous!!"
Every now and then, Sora would look up and then back at his screen. Kairi didn't want him to hate her. She really wanted things to go back to the way they were in high school when none of this was a problem. Sora was always sweet and never forgot her birthday. He always opened the door for her and helped her with her math homework. If she was crying on the phone he would be over at her house in a second. He was a great friend and she hated seeing him down like this.
"Sora, want to eat lunch with me?" Kairi asked.
"What? Oh…" He thought for a moment, but then shook his head. "No, sorry. I need to do my homework. It's due in an hour…"
She had a feeling at first that he was lying, but then remembered that they had the same class in an hour and she wasn't done with her homework either.
"Crap!"
Riku came back from class early and sat down in the chair next to Kairi. However, she was an extreme workaholic and was trying to get her homework done. He decided to let her be and started talking to Wakka.
"What? You two? Dating? Ya man… get 'er done!"
"No no no… it's definitely not like that." Riku denied as he laughed. "Kairi is an awesome girl."
"I'm only joking, man. Kairi is pretty cool." Wakka said.
"Come on Kairi, it's time to go to class." Sora said, shutting his laptop and packing up. Kairi was just finishing up the last question. "HA! Done!"
"Hey baby, let me walk you." Riku said, holding out his hand to help her stand up. Seeing this, Sora decided to go on ahead. He waved to the group very unenthusiastically and headed down the stairs. Kairi and Riku took the elevator.
"Take my jacket." Riku said as he put it around her. It was a little windy when they got outside and he knew how cold Kairi could get, even if it wasn't cold at all. She thanked him and took his hand. Soon they were in front of her class. Everybody that walked past them either glared or thought it was completely romantic. However, Riku's eyes were glued on hers. He kissed her and waved.
Kairi was on top of the world.
--