[T: Tomorrow? At noon? It's a date;-)]
It's a date.
It's a date.
Is it?
Allura had stared at her phone for just a few seconds before responding with something about Takashi's bringing a notebook – she couldn't look at her phone again, and her mind was racing. Not only had Takashi maybe asked her on a date, but she had also texted him back with something completely idiotic. At that point, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to meet at the café the next day, or crawl under a rock and die.
But either way, she maybe had a date tomorrow. The very thought itself was a little foreign; Allura hadn't been allowed to date in high school, and she simply hadn't cared to in college. She had been asked out before, and she had even gone on a few dates that went absolutely nowhere. But she had never dated long-term, and certainly not with a man who had a child.
Granted, the circumstances were completely different, but Takashi did have Katie, and that was the simple truth of the matter.
Then again, and she finally did pick her phone back up, he had put a winky face at the end of his text. Perhaps he was just joking? The expression would've lended itself to that theory. Takashi must have been kidding, obviously. And he was evidently brining Katie along with him, anyway, because he had said We'll be there. She was glad for that fact, too, because it would be nice to have a child's input on plans for a party meant for children.
With all that information, Allura concluded that – going to a café and discussing party plans – simply couldn't have been an invitation for a date.
Right?
She groaned, running a hand through her hair. Her fingers caught on the tangled ends, and she winced, carefully extracting her hand from her mess of a mane. Allura was confused, and definitely a little frustrated, and now her scalp hurt. But on top of that, she didn't even know how she would have felt if it genuinely was a date.
Takashi was cute, there was no denying that. And he was so sweet, and even funny. He showed such concern and love for Katie, and it was admirable that he was still attending college even after everything that had happened to him. He seemed to be a hard worker, and he took Katie shopping with him (even though their choices of meals were not exactly stellar). But he also seemed a bit reserved, and he was more than awkward. But he was also mature, and yet friendly enough to play "Space Lions" with the rest of the class. There were so many good things about him, and she didn't even know him that well yet. At the same time, however, Allura wondered if she even wanted to pursue a relationship – especially with the guardian of one of her students.
Had she been flirting with him? Of course she had. Shiro was fun to talk to; and it was a complete accident when they found themselves talking nearly an hour past the end of the school day. His voice was smooth, and his smile was – well, it was killer. He was a humble man, but he also seemed to be able to make fun of himself. She was certain even her father would like him, and she knew for a fact that Coran would.
Allura leaned back on her couch, pulling her legs up to meet her chest. She had been nursing a cup of tea, almost upset with herself that she had brewed a piping cup of hot liquid when it was still summer. Granted, it tasted delicious, and it certainly helped to soothe her throat (she had never considered that teaching could wear one out so much); but that was Allura – she made rash decisions without thinking of a bigger picture.
Yes, Shiro was essentially the cup of tea. He was wonderful, and he was probably good for her. But maybe he was better for her later. A cup of tea would be far more useful in the winter than in the summer. Perhaps Allura needed to know Takashi better before deciding to pursue anything with him.
Or, he was like the cup of tea, in that he was far too hot. There were so many analogies she could equate between Shiro and a cup of tea.
The young woman suddenly found herself quite alone; it hadn't been but a few months ago that she had decided to get her own apartment and left the large family home she had grown up in. Her old house was only fifteen minutes away, but it felt so much farther on a night like tonight when Allura didn't know what to think about anything. She didn't even know what to think about. And in an effort to save money while she was saving up her initial paychecks, she had opted against cable, insisting that Netflix would suit her just fine; but Allura now felt as if she had already binge-watched everything that she had wanted to. She sat on her couch, her laptop screen shut, holding a cup of tea, utterly alone.
Her lesson plans had already been drafted, and she had a three week advance of specific ideas she wanted to run by her students. Her apartment was clean, her groceries were bought, her laundry was done, and she had absolutely nothing to do.
Allura was a private person. In elementary school, she had made friends, but none of them had followed her to the private school her father enrolled her in later. In the latter school, the students were stuffy and rude, and Allura feared as if she might turn into one if she acquainted herself too closely with them. Granted, she herself was a bit snobbish to begin with, but she hadn't learned that until college, where a world of free thinking had been opened up to her.
She hadn't made many friends there, either, was only able to put names to faces; but she had still enjoyed the higher education. Now, though, Allura wished that she had put herself out there more, had initiated at least one lasting companionship. Then she could call, or Skype, or even just text a friend to get some advice about the dilemma she had since mentally named "The Shiro Situation."
Decided to try to pull her thoughts elsewhere, Allura got up, shuffling to her kitchenette to see what she had in her cupboard. She had eaten dinner early that day, and a snack would probably do her nicely (it would at least be better than a stupid cup of tea).
As she rifled through her cabinets, however, the young woman remembered why she usually chose to eat out. All she had was healthy food – granola, kale, quinoa, and enough of those stupid Vitamin Waters to last her through a low-level apocalypse. College had done more than inspired her to think freely; it had somehow convinced Allura that she needed to change her eating habits to those of a more…world-conscious diet.
But as she slammed her cabinet door shut, Allura was certain she would have been able to eat anything processed, packaged, and presented to her in a span of two minutes. She trudged back to her living room, settling down in the exact same spot she had tried to leave just a few moments ago. Sighing loudly, a little annoyed that there was no one there to hear her, Allura picked back up her drink, downing it quickly. It burned a little, but had cooled down enough so that it didn't scald her.
If she were still living at home, she could take a long bath – in a bath, it didn't matter if one's thoughts ran wild. One was supposed to have complete solitude as she bathed. But no, this apartment only had a shower, and it was faulty, at best. Cursing her independent spirit, Allura slipped off the couch and onto the ground, simply lying on the floor. This broke up the monotony, right?
Here was Allura, twenty-three years old, lounging on the ground, her legs still kicked up on the couch. She was a sad sight, really; Takashi would never have asked her on a date if he could see this.
But what was more frightening, however, was the possibility that he would. Maybe he had such low standards that he would've asked out a desperate-looking woman just because he was so desperate himself. Oh, were they going to be those sorts of people? Is this what she had finally become?
Distressed, but not enough to do anything about it, Allura pulled a fuzzy blanket off the couch, pulling it around herself. When caterpillars left their chrysalises, they were supposed to be beautiful butterflies. They weren't supposed to exit as a bigger caterpillar that turned into a couch burrito.
And yet – here she was.
Allura pulled out her phone, making sure that there were no new messages from Takashi. Which there weren't, thankfully. Then switching to her music app, she browsed through her library. Aside from the occasional Katy Perry ballad, Allura had nothing on her phone that a young woman could listen to. Everything was for children – from nursery rhymes turned into songs, to the alphabet song, to little ditties her class could easily memorize. Even the pictures on her phone, mostly just screenshots of Pinterest ideas and the occasional snapshot of her class, were suited for a preschool.
Finally opting to play the only song on her phone (aside from Katy Perry, and "Roar" could easily get old after a while) that could potentially be considered mature. She started it up, falling onto the ground again, her legs kicked up with her back settled on the floor. Allura closed her eyes, letting the song be the only thing on her mind.
"~Sunday, Monday, Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days. The weekend comes, my cycle comes, ready to race to you. These days are ours, happy and free (oh, Happy Days). These days are ours, share them with me (oh, baby).~"
Nope. Allura sat back up, shutting her phone off. Even that song reminded her of children. Which she loved, of course, but the young woman was starting to think that she was losing control of her life. She had never, in the history of her life and romantic life, ever worried about what a man thought about her. Allura knew she was pretty, very pretty, and she was smart, too. Yet, for some odd reason, she couldn't quite be sure as to whether or not Takashi actually asked her on a date. And the questioning that came with it bothered her.
It was because Takashi was different from other people. Not a lot of young men, legal guardian or no, would have wanted to or even would have taken in a family's little girl, no matter how close they were with the family. And yet, Shiro did, and he didn't complain, not even when Allura could tell that he was running himself thin. She was a teacher, five days a week, for about five hours a day; even then, she was getting exhausted with keeping up with the children. She couldn't imagine willingly caring for, feeding, bathing, and housing a child all the time. Especially not when this was a lifelong commitment. The way Takashi acted, he was going to take care of Katie as long as he could.
It was such a noble thing of him to do, and Allura admired him. Yes, that was it. She had never truly admired a man before. She had been attracted to men, of course, and she had appreciated qualities in them; but Allura had never looked at a man like she had looked at Shiro and wondered and marveled as to why he was still doing what he was.
And then, she admired him even more because Takashi honestly had no reason to continue to care for Katie, save that he loved the little girl so much.
Allura smiled at the thought, smiled at the idea that a man with such a great amount of character would want to go on a date with her…
Or didn't.
She might as well go tomorrow to find out for herself.
Allura woke up exceedingly early the next morning, if only to try to tame her wild curls. She found herself in her bathroom for about an hour before she finally settled on a style she liked. The top of her hair was plaited into a French braid, and she had switched to a loose fishtail braid at the base of her neck and down. She pushed a few pins into the folds, ones with gemstones to match the outfit she had planned.
Slipping on a light coral dress, one with long sleeves and a fitted top that opened into a flowy skirt, Allura looked at herself in the mirror. This was – it was casual, but it could also double as a date dress. And she was already known to wear dresses on a frequent basis; wearing something like this could not be construed as trying too hard.
And to make the outfit just a bit more casual, in case it really wasn't a date and she still looked as if she cared far too much, Allura pulled on a pair of taupe sandals. It brought her outfit together, but not in a planned sort of way. She might have just thrown them on coincidentally, as a last and perhaps even hasty thought.
In truth, she knew she planned this outfit, and it was probably going to be very obvious to Takashi, but she hoped he didn't mind too much. But then, she knew he wasn't like that, that he wouldn't be particularly picky about anything.
Besides, it wasn't even a date.
But then she desperately needed some earrings on. Hurrying back to her bathroom, Allura chose a simple pair of diamond studs. She looked herself over in front of the mirror, deciding that she did look very nice, but also casual enough in the case that this definitely wasn't a date. Nodding, and gently rubbing her face a bit more to make sure that all of her makeup was blended in properly, the young woman set off for the café.
She was thankful for her apartment because it was so close to the school, though she did miss her father's home more than she cared to admit. Her old house had been large, and never with a lack of room. And now, there were moments in which she greatly missed the space. But the wonderful thing about her father, in just one of his many amazing character traits, had informed his daughter that she could store any of her extra stuff in her old home. He didn't want Allura to be overwhelmed with finally having her own place to live, and, as he had reminded her, there was no lack of storage space in his home.
Her father was truly a wonderful man, Allura decided. And she hoped to be like her father one day, both as a teacher and as a parent. Even after her mother had passed away, Allura had never questioned whether or not she was loved. Alfor had provided twice the amount he needed to, had made certain that Allura was a boisterous child; yes, he had been a little strict, as all overprotective fathers were apt to be.
But she knew what his feelings were, and she tried to make a point of thanking him every chance she got.
Coran had also been an integral part of her childhood, but in a different way. He had been a family friend since forever. He and Alfor had been best friends since they were in college together, and Coran had been the first one to offer his condolences, his help, and his company to Allura's family after her mother's death. He had never asked for anything in return; and despite his general goofiness, Allura couldn't have asked for much more.
That, and she was eternally grateful for his help in her classroom. Coran loved children, and they seemed to feel similarly; but he didn't have to visit Allura's classroom as often as he did. And even if he did, he didn't have to learn their names or their personalities.
And yet Coran did.
As Allura drove, she mused over the fact that this was perhaps why she admired Shiro as much as she did. The young woman had only ever been acquainted with gentle male figures in her life, and the young guardian was no exception. The way he handled Katie reminded Allura very much of her own father. And Shiro's playfulness was quite reminiscent of Coran's, the teacher decided.
Shiro was truly a wonderful person, and he was quite worthy of admiration. But still, this wasn't a date, and she figured she shouldn't get her hopes up too much.
Pulling her car into the parking lot of the small café, Allura glanced around, then looked behind her to make sure that she wasn't going to hit anything. Of course, she was a good driver, but there was still a certain sense of anxiety she had while driving. Once, when she had first gotten her license, Allura had been driving (at a completely reasonable and cautious speed) on some town roads. A group of small birds had gathered in one spot on the side of the road; and sensing the oncoming vehicle, had panicked and flown in all direction.
Needless to say, it was hard for Allura to go out and feed the birds near her house for a while; she felt as if she had betrayed all of them for unintentionally mowing down about half their population. On top of that, she feared driving for a while; the young woman had avoided getting back behind the driver's seat for a good month before her father had convinced her to operate a car again. Now, she was a much more careful driver; and she supposed the experience was almost good for her.
Though she did have a hard time eating any sort of poultry afterward; perhaps that experience had contributed to her half-vegetarian kick. Strange.
Slowing her car to a complete halt, Allura parked it, then exited. She pulled at her skirt a bit, smoothing it down, before pulling her bag over her shoulder. She opted to walk into the building without waiting for Shiro and Katie.
Apparently, another great thing about Shiro was that he was punctual. At precisely noon, the door opened; and the young man, his hand clasped with Katie's, walked in. He looked around for a few seconds before spotting Allura at a round table near the back. The young woman waved, feeling almost silly, but she couldn't help it.
This could be a date, an actual one, and it was just a little exciting.
Katie had her backpack in her arms, holding it safely against her chest. Shiro led her to where the teacher was, helping her sit down in one of the chairs. Allura smiled, not even surprised with how sweet he was acting without even paying any real mind to Allura yet. Of course, the two had made eye contact and had acknowledged each other's presence, but Katie was certainly the center of attention.
As soon as she was seated, the little girl unzipped her backpack, pulling out a notebook and handing it to Shiro. He took it, gratefully, and opened it up to a blank page. Also inside her backpack, Katie had her little green lion. She took it out, very carefully, and placed it on the table.
Honestly, Allura thought to herself, she was truly surprised that the children had reacted so positively to the stuffed toys. They had been cute, sure, but they had also been an impulse buy; and it had just so happened that all the children had picked different colors that matched a few of the lions. The speeches she had prepared for the students had been off-the-cuff; but she was starting to realize that she had been correct about her analyses. The kids truly were wonderful, and they were sweet, and they were so attached to the stuffed animals. She really was so relieved, and very happy.
"So…how're you two doing today?" Allura asked; she'd wait a few minutes before going up to order her drink. It seemed as if Shiro agreed with her thought process, because he stayed put as well.
The young man smiled, and he flashed one of his winning grins that nearly made Allura lose her train of thought. "We're doing great," he answered, and looking over at Katie, he added, "Right?"
"Yeah…" the little girl replied, still playing with her lion. She bounced it on the table, as if pretending it were walking around. She didn't look up, but there was still a small smile playing on her features.
"Alright, so, I wanted to talk about a party. Now, I really did enjoy the 'space animals' theme; but I'm not entirely sure how we can achieve that. Did you have any more ideas with that?" Out of her purse, she procured a notebook, as well, setting it on the table. Attached to the notebook was a pink gel pen, and Allura uncapped it, ready to jot down some thoughts that either party had. She smiled encouragingly, and Katie finally put down her lion; it appeared as if the little girl had been paying attention, but her curiosity had only now been piqued.
Thinking, and making a soft humming noise while doing so, Shiro answered, "Well, we could get a lot of the same decorations that you used to do your classroom up with, and then we can…I don't know, find some animals masks and stuff for the kids to play with?" It was painfully evident that Takashi was not a party planner by trade, but Allura still wrote down the ideas, nodding.
"Yes, the decorations are easy to find everywhere. My father's basement is quite large, and we could use that so we didn't have to figure out how to string things up outside…I like animal masks, that's a good idea. What about the food?"
"Animal crackers," Katie piped up, sliding her lion close and then cradling it.
"Wonderful idea, Katie!" Allura exclaimed, scribbling it onto the paper. After that, she wrote down a few more things, such as star-shaped cookies, and cupcakes with frosting to look like lions. Just a small start was good enough for her, but she was certainly eager for any input. "And…we can think of some games, too. And then…" She made a small note to herself to make goody-bags for each of the children, but she certainly didn't want Katie to know about that yet. It was going to be as much a surprise to her as it would be to the other children.
Shiro watched, and there was still a small smile playing on his features, though he said nothing. He penned a few things as well, then kept his gaze on Allura. She didn't notice at first, too absorbed in trying to figure out if "Star, Star, COMET!" could be an appropriate substitution for "Duck, Duck, Goose." Figuring that it would, or she'd come back to it later, the young woman finally looked up, and she caught Takashi's gaze.
It was very silent for a few moments, with the two adults staring at each other, neither sure of what to actually say. Katie was absentmindedly playing with her toy, not too interested in the ideas anymore, especially not when the topic of food had passed. But she did notice the silence, and she looked up, confused.
Clearing his throat, Takashi tried to switch the conversation to something else. But he obviously struggled, because no words left his mouth for a good while. Finally, though, Allura smiled lightly, and she drew her notebook closer to her.
"Ah, anyway, I think that we could do something…and, you know-"
"I do know," he answered, finding his voice in a cheeky answer.
"-maybe I can find a cool space soundtrack to play in the background-" she offered, writing that down. As of now, the party sounded terrible, honestly. With just a few sweet snack ideas, terrible music, a lame knock-off of a game, and less-than-exciting prop ideas, Allura was starting to think that she had bit off more than she could chew. Noting her worried expression, Takashi reached across the table, putting his hand over hers.
His expression, his still-there smile, was genuine; and his hand, while a little rough, was warm and comforting. Allura found herself wanting him to stay there, wanting him to be bolder than just a comforting pat on the arm.
"Hey, this is gonna be so much fun. I think the kids will love it just because you thought of them."
"You think so?" Allura asked, and she never could remember sounding so unsure of herself. But this – this desire to not let anyone down, was a little stressful. The parents were one thing; there was always the possibility that she would disappoint the parents, but the students were another subject entirely. They were children, and they deserved the best, because they didn't expect much from anything.
She squeezed his hand in return, as if needing his confidence to regenerate her own.
Takashi nodded, and his expression softened even more. "Don't worry about it. As long as you throw a party, and you think about the other kids and what they like to do, there's no way they won't like it? Right, Katie?"
Without missing a beat, the little girl replied with a short, "I like apple juice."
"…exactly. Just figure out the kids' favorite things. You already know their favorite colors and hobbies," he reminded her, "so just pick a food, or a drink, or a game, and go from there. Trust me, they're going to appreciate it if you just put in the effort. I know Katie would," he tacked onto the end, sending a loving glance over at the small child that had since refocused her attention back to her toy lion.
He was trying so hard to be encouraging, to compliment the teacher, and she found herself smiling. "Thank you so much, Shiro."
Hesitating at the nickname, then chuckling, he responded, "Anytime. And – please, if you need anything, let me know. I wanna help. And, remember, I have Fridays off."
It was then that Allura decided that she was going to capitalize on that – not only did she want his help, but she also wouldn't mind getting to see him for an extended period of time at least one day every week. "Sure, then. I'd really appreciate your help, too. If – if you wanted to come in on Fridays, and then we can talk about things, and make plans – I'd really appreciate it. You don't have to, of course, but – but if you want to-"
"I'd love to," he cut her off. "I can come in, and I can help out with your class, too, if that's alright. I mean, Katie's already there, and the other kids are so great, and you're there, too-"
"And that makes a difference?" Allura asked, laughing, finally regaining control of the conversation. She had let Takashi be the more confident entity for far too long, and she was glad to have the ball back in her court. To her surprise, though, Takashi didn't stammer out of the situation.
"Of course it does. I'd be affronted it if those kids didn't have their teacher in the room. Mass chaos, Allura."
On top of her laugh, she snorted, and he followed with a chuckle. "I've noticed that you're a little cheekier on the weekends," she noted, and Takashi shrugged.
"When I don't have class, I'm an absolute delight. You know, when I'm not crying over my biology papers."
"Well, I suppose you'll have to show the class how fun you can be. I do need another victim for our sing-along time."
"Sign me up. Every Friday, eight o'clock, right on the dot, I'm there to sing. As long as I get a nametag. You know, to be the official teacher's helper and whatnot." He leaned back a bit, but not enough to distance himself from Allura. She nodded, perhaps a bit too quickly, and relaxed her shoulders. She had been tense for far too long, perhaps her whole life, and Shiro was definitely starting to help her loosen up. He and the children were good for her; and these people were genuinely brightening up her life more than she had considered they would before the schoolyear started.
"Well, then, I guess it'll be our standing date."
"You look beautiful, by the way."
She paused, then shook her head. "I was going for a casual look."
Still unsure as to whether this was actually a date or not, Allura decided not to approach the topic. She didn't want to make the situation tense, and she didn't want to weigh down the light-hearted mood. Besides, they were both smiling, and she had at least started her ideas for her party. And it was going to be good. They were all going to have fun, and she was going to have fun.
"We should get our drinks-" Allura suggested, and Takashi nodded, obviously agreeing with her. And yet, neither of them got up, neither even moved from their spots. Both were thinking the same thing; they didn't want to leave the sweet quiet of this moment.
Abandoning the attention she was paying to her lion for just a few seconds, Katie finally glanced up, and she looked between the two adults, the ones who were back to simply staring at each other. Sighing softly, then stopping to actually look at the two, the little girl noticed something that neither of them had yet.
That being, of course, that Allura hadn't let go of his hand.
A.N.: So I'm really so humbled by all the sweet feedback! I really appreciate this! All the sweet comments have made my day way too many times! Quick thing, though: I think I'm starting to get into a better school schedule, so I should be able to update a bit more regularly. That being said, school will take priority, so when I have some essays coming up (like I did this week), I won't be able to focus on the story. Thanks for all the patience!
I got my quote from M. Yourcenar – "Since man, fragment of the universe, is governed by the same laws that preside over the heavens, it is by no means absurd to search there above for the themes of our lives, for those frigid sympathies that participate in our achievements as well as our blunderings." I think it's a little fitting. Again, thanks so much, everyone!
