Unrequited Love
On the day of the party,
Abe was finding it hard to settle down as he waited for his friends to arrive.
Six-thirty PM and the sun was already down on a snowy Saturday evening;
Outside, sparks of orange, red, and yellow flitted from the horizon,
And a waterfall of frozen frost rained down on his head
As he sprinted outside the house to greet the figures trudging forward.
Seven-forty PM and the majority of the baseball team, plus a variety of his classmates
Were situated inside the cozy home, laughing and talking,
Eating snacks and drinking sodas, waiting for
Just two more people.
"I bet I can give it to you. Whatever you want."
He hadn't intended to take Tajima seriously,
But even so, for the past five days since that declaration,
Abe had actually been holding onto a small bit of hope.
If only the two would show up now.
"Abe, what're you doing?" Sakaeguchi called from the porch,
"Come inside, it's freezing out here!"
He grinned sheepishly, and started up the steps,
Sighed, "Yeah, I guess";
Eight-fifteen PM,
And the sounds of two bicycles screeching to a halt outside the fence
Almost went unheard,
But Abe couldn't miss the loud, cheerful voice that came next;
Tajima.
And that means...
He sprinted past the crowd of people,
Through the door,
Down the steps,
And almost collided into the blond-haired boy in front of him.
Mihashi.
That flushing face, that normally jittery demeanor, those eyes that usually avoided him -
They were all gone.
Cheeks rosy from the cold, hands held behind his back,
Mihashi opened his mouth and said, loudly and confidently,
"Happy birthday, Abe-kun!"
For a second, he stepped back in complete and utter shock,
Staring at the person in front of him that resembled his unrequited love -
Same hair, same eyes, but...Mihashi? -
Then a hand shoved him forward,
Tajima's voice whispering, "I told you",
And into the small body that was, for once, not trembling or flailing.
"Happy birthday..." Mihashi gasped out again,
His arms pulling Abe close to complete and utter warmth,
And before the catcher even had time to register it,
Soft but cold lips met his.
Soft but cold...
Mihashi's...
Abe slowly closed his eyes,
Returning the kiss with a tilt of his head,
His own arms pulling the pitcher closer...
Mihashi.