We were watching a movie at my parent's house. Otani and I had decided on a new horror movie that had just came out. It was an American film and I thought that the subtitles would distract me from the blood that the movie had in it. But I was very wrong, and very freaked out, but when I turned to Otani to snuggle into him, Otani was looking around the room like someone was going to hop out of a doorway. It was clear the he didn't know what was going on in the movie and he had no idea that I was about to jump under the table. I momentarily forgot about the movie to watch him.

"What is the matter with you?" I glared at him as he looked behind the couch.

"I'm just making sure that no one's going to attack me."

I rolled my eyes. He had serious issues with my brother. Otani always thought that he was going to hit him. "Nothing's going to happen to you. My family likes you."

"That's what they want you to believe."

What the hell? "Are you going to kiss me?"

Otani's face turned a nice shade of red, "What?! We're in your mother's house."

This was the least of our problems. The screaming from the background wasn't holding my attention as it once was. I was now focused on my boyfriend taking this prime opportunity to worry about imaginary people when we could be making out on the couch. And this did piss me off because when it came to kissing him only seemed to do it when I was… easier to reach. This hadn't been the moment I had been planning to bring this up, but what the hell.

"So," I glared. "I figured you would want to kiss now that we're sitting down and you don't have to worry about me height."

He was completely clueless and clearly wasn't hearing me, "We're in your mother's house. I can't kiss you now." He repeated.

I didn't know what he was going on about, "What are you talking about. Why not? What's the big deal?"

He looked at me as if I were dumb, "What if someone walks in on us?"

"I don't see anyone in here besides the two of us. Come to think of it, we're the only ones in the house. What are you worried about?"

"I don't want you parent's to think that we mess around while we watch a movie."



I was obviously not the only one who had issues today, "Otani, we're dating. I think they know that we kiss and stuff."

He looked like he was about to have a heart attack, "We do not do other stuff," he denied.

The funny thing was that he was lying to me. To the one he did stuff with. I could swear that he thought the house had ears. We were the only ones in the house. This was making my head hurt, but it was also taking me away from what was bothering me.

"Otani, why don't you kiss me when we're standing?" When I thought about that it sounded wrong somehow but I didn't know how else to put it.

It had me blushing, and I really didn't know why. Come to think of it I couldn't think of how I had gotten to snuggling to the kissing issue.

Otani stopped in his quest to find the invisible brother and turned to me with a look that said I was nuts. "What are you talking about?"

Of course he wouldn't know what I was talking about. Silly me thinking that my boyfriend actually listened to what I had to say. My face transformed into something, non-pleasant I was sure.

"You kiss me while we're sitting. You kiss me while we're on stairs. You kiss me while we're laying down-"

He turned white. "Hey!"

Oh, for the love of…! "There isn't anyone around to hear you! The plant isn't going to walk over and attack you for touching me! What is your problem today?!"

He paused, "I could ask you the same thing."

I didn't want to ask but I had to, "Does my height bother you that much?"

He blushed, "I just… I don't know. I just don't like it when I have to reach up to kiss you," he admitted sheepishly.

It was better then what I was expecting from him. "You know that it doesn't matter right. It doesn't matter what people think."

He squawked, "I know that!"



"Well then, can you get over the height thing? I'm not asking you for a whole lot here. I just want you to kiss me every once in awhile while we're standing around or something. I hate having to look for stairs or something while we're out together."

That caught him off guard, "You do that?"

I threw up my hands in frustration, "You're telling me that you don't notice anymore? The only time you even look at me as if you want to kiss me is when I'm shorter then you are."

He gave me a look, "Are you going to carry a stool around with you?" he growled.

What the hell? "Did you just insult yourself?" I couldn't believe it but he actually had.

"People stare when we kiss in public and I have to reach up just to get to you."

That sounded so not right. I was momentarily side tracked while I tried to think of why, and then I thought about the argument in general. It was pretty stupid when I thought about it because Otani and I both really didn't think much of public displays of affection. When I thought about it this was really stupid…

But it was something that I wasn't going to let go.

"I don't care about your height."

Otani blushed, "Neither do I, most of the time, but even your family thinks it's weird that we're together!"

"My family is weird!" This really bothered him. I never realized how much.

Otani turned his head down so he couldn't look at me. "It's not funny. I just think sometimes that you would be better off with someone who is better for you."

"By better for me you mean someone who's taller than me. This didn't always bother you this much."

"It's just strange." Otani sank into the couch like he wanted to be forgotten.

I wasn't going to let my boyfriend be forgotten. I loved Otani because of who he was not because he was short. I was more worried about him then I was angry at this point. It almost seemed like he was more worried about what people thought of me for dating him then the other way around.

I figured this had something to do with the people who made fun of him when I helped out on Mimi's photo shoots. Whenever Otani came around they always ragged on him because 

he was so much shorter than me, but it wasn't a big deal. I wasn't the only woman in the industry that dated someone shorter than they were. I hung out with models. They were all taller. It wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a joke.

"Otani I don't care if it's strange to other people. It's perfect to us and that's all that matters. I don't care what people think."

Otani looked like he wanted to let it go but couldn't, "You could do better than me. You hang out with glamorous people all day. I'm studying to be a teacher."

"I could never do better then you."

Otani really looked at me for the first time all night, "You really don't care that you could be dating a model or something?" he said in wonder.

I gave him a look that would have peeled paint because we were talking about glamorous people and one of them was being ripped into on the movie that neither of us was watching. "You could be dating someone who's shorter than me. Hell you could be dating someone more glamorous then me. Mimi still wants you."

For the first time Otani didn't look so depressed, "Mimi can keep dreaming. I only want you."

Finally. "Good because I only want you."

For the first time all night he leaned up to kiss me and the sounds of more screaming were drowned out. Although, the sound of a car door opening did have Otani jumping behind the couch.

I flopped back on to the couch and cringed at the TV. When my brother walked through the door he waved at Otani sitting right in view of anyone walking into the living room because the back of the couch faced the door ways and he headed upstairs. My brother could care less if an elephant was living in the house. He spent too much time with his head in the clouds.

I was feeling particularly put out with Otani, "Why don't we go up to my room," I said because I felt cruel.

"No!" the voice squeaked behind the couch.



We didn't accomplish much that night. Although I did have to clean a scrape Otani got when he feel off the couch when my parents came home. But when we were out a week later and had just gotten out of a particularly romantic movie, he did kiss me. No stools or anything.