Infinite

In a perfect world, digital or not, I'd just like to give my best friend an unforgettable birthday present. Only thing is, I don't know what could possibly top off an iPhone, an autographed soccer ball from a super star player, and new goggles, among other things. It definitely doesn't help that I'm in love with my best friend, either, and that he hasn't the slightest clue because he's too slow to realize it.

Yeah, I've sort of been a mess lately.

"What should I do, Biyomon? Everyone's got a better gift for Tai than I do. His birthday is tomorrow and I don't know what I'm going to get him," I complained. Sometimes I like to visit the Digital World when there's no one else I can turn to for these matters, especially regarding Tai. I mean, I know I had Mimi and Yolei and all of them, but since it'll be Tai's birthday, I really wanted to keep this extra secret, even if it meant not telling any of my human friends. Why couldn't both worlds be perfect? Why couldn't both worlds, for once, have things go my way? These worlds are just too imperfect for their own good. That's what the problem was.

"You have the crest of love, Sora. You'll find something in your heart that's right for you to do. It's Tai; he'll like anything you give him, expensive or not. Besides, you can give him something more meaningful than something materialistic," Biyomon chirped. Positive as ever, that one.

I smiled. "That's really cheesy, Biyomon. That really is easier said than done, though."

"You don't realize it but you're really good with feelings. You should just tell him how you feel. If someone told me they loved me, I would be really happy! He's really changed you."

I turned red almost instantly. "I don't love him!"

And we laughed because we both know I'm bad at lying.

"Happy birthday, Tai!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as Tai blew out the candles on the cake I baked for him. Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and chocolate sprinkles to go with this chocolate-eyed and chocolate-haired boy. He really was a kid at heart (it definitely showed when he exclaimed we should have a water balloon fight in the middle of the night). I guess some things just never change.

Tai's birthday party was fun – it really was. We had a barbecue, played games, and talked about our past adventures in the Digital World, among other things. It was nice to have the gang back together for a special day. All the while, though, I couldn't help but feel nervous, a little more anxious with each tick, tick, ticking of the clock. As time flew by, we all left one by one until I was the last to go. I knew exactly what was coming.

"Sora, wait," Tai said as I was beginning to walk out the door. I turned around, embarrassed as ever.

"What is it, Tai?" I asked, already knowing why he stopped me. Just act casual. Keep calm and (try to) carry on.

"Why didn't you want me to read the birthday card you gave me in front of everyone? And you, for that matter? Is there some kind of bomb in here that'll go off once I open it?"

I laughed. "No, don't worry about it. I just hope you think it's as special as I do and that I mean every word that I've written in it. Good night, Tai – and happy birthday!"

Dear Tai,

I wanted to give you something special for your birthday – something unforgettable. I'm sorry if this isn't sufficient enough (does the cake make up for it?). I just wanted to let you know that I really care about you and I want to thank you for all that we've gone through. Being the holder of the crest of love isn't easy, but with you, it comes naturally, and at first I was scared of what that meant. Now I know exactly what it means to love someone. If you couldn't tell, this is why I wanted you to read this when everyone was gone. It's okay if you don't feel the same way. Biyomon once told me to love someone else, you must love yourself first. It sounds ridiculous, but it's true, and you helped me achieve that. Thank you, Tai. I hope this doesn't make things awkward… but, like you've said, what's a few raindrops between friends?

Love,

Sora

P.S. If you still don't get it: I like you, a lot.

"Tai, is there a reason why you kicked everyone out of my birthday party and forced them to buy water balloons at the store? I mean, we could have gone with them."

"I read your letter. The birthday card."

"Just now? I wrote that months ago, Tai… Forget about it."

I knew that was a big mistake. Pretending that the birthday card never happened was going really well until now. We haven't spoken of it at all, and this whole time I've just assumed he didn't feel the same way about me. Great, now I'm going to get rejected on my birthday. This is just … this is just wonderful. Biyomon was wrong. He wouldn't be happy to be told he was loved even if he didn't feel the same way. Suddenly, I wanted to hurl. I never knew Tai would have a cold enough heart to do this on someone's birthday. How… how could he? I looked down at my feet, feeling red from embarrassment and I wanted so badly for this moment to be over.

"I wrote you something, too."

I looked up to see him sheepishly shoving a card into my hands. On the front was a badly drawn version of what I assume was Tai and me, holding a sign that said, "Sora's super, awesome, unforgettable birthday," smiling underneath a fancy, cursive, "Happy Birthday, Sora" (we can also assume that Kari wrote out the words while Tai or Agumon probably drew the picture). "Go on," he urged. "Open it. I mean, if you want."

I gave him a suspicious look, and turned over the front page to read what was inside:

Close your eyes.

Was all it said. Short and simple, yet I felt its words take grasp of my heartstrings, making me feel weak in the knees. "Oh!" I flushed. My heart was beginning to pound faster – did it just skip a beat? I looked at Tai, who smiled bashfully and said, "Don't worry, I won't steal your stuff."

I laughed as I closed my eyes.

And he kissed me.

A summer-colored sigh, a warm tickle beneath my toes, fluttering butterflies in my stomach – it was a fairy tale feeling that seemed to freeze time into a state of eternal happiness. I felt infinite.

And I wouldn't have wanted this moment to go away for a second. Not even in an imperfect world, digital or not.

Author's note:

A note on two phrases I used in this story - so I've read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky recently, and watched the film as soon as it came out (it's currently expanding nationwide; luckily it's playing in my area!), and I fell in love with both. The phrase "I felt infinite" is inspired by Perks (you'll see what I mean if you read it). I highly recommend reading the book and catching the movie if you've time. The phrase "summer-colored sigh" I borrowed from Fruits Basket, the manga. I just really liked the sound of it, hahha.

Thanks for reading! I wanted to write something in Sora's point of view. I found it a little harder to write, but that's probably because writing in Tai's PoV is just so darn fun to portray because his personality is so distinct. Hopefully Sora doesn't seem too OoC or anything. Please review :o)!