LONGEST CHAPTER EVER. Not even kidding. It took FOREVER to write. So much stuff happens! And I just got RE: COM on Wednesday so I've kinda been distracted. Oh and I was in a car accident so my car is currently totaled.
I'm fine; I was rear-ended so I don't have to pay for anything and the only injuries I suffered were that my back hurt for like 3 weeks. The accident was on November 11th and they said it's probably going to be like another month before I get my car back so I feel like I'm going to fail at life at driving when I finally get it back. And my mom and I are considering trading it in for something new since it's been hit twice now…
Anyway! Sorry this took so long. I always take forever. I wish I had a choice over whether school owned my life or not but I don't so yeah.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any part about the Kingdom Hearts series and I don't own apple or the name iPod, I just own a iPod and copies of the all the KH games and love them.
FRACTURED LOVE: Chapter Eight
Dark Blue
Dark
blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone
in a crowded room
when I'm here with you?
I
said the world could be burning till there's nothing but
dark
blue.
"Sora?" Kairi's voice called out softly, giving a light shove against my shoulder to wake me up.
Blinking my eyes open, I yawned back in reply, "What?"
"I thought of something. Riku can't really miss classes for a few weeks straight so we might run into him on campus, right? I don't think he could have transferred somewhere else already, do you?" Kairi questioned in a worried tone, although it carried the obvious excitement of her discovery.
Pulling the blanket halfway over my face, I replied tiredly, "I dunno, Kairi. But even when he lived with us, I never saw him around campus."
I heard her release a sigh of acknowledgement, "Yeah, I didn't either."
Shoving the blanket back at my waist, I turned over and comforted, "Hey, Riku can take care of himself. And don't worry, he will get in touch with us when he can." 'Although, I don't exactly know how long that's going to take with the Ryou thing…' I thought bitterly, continuing out loud, "He isn't one to leave people hanging like that."
"I hope it's soon…" Letting out one last sigh, she turned and lifted herself off the bed, turning back to me to say, "I guess I need to start getting ready."
Nodding, I answered, "Okay." Remembering my plans to talk to my mom about proposing to Kairi, I called out loudly, "Hey, Kai. I think I'm going to go see Mom during lunch, so I probably won't be home till later."
Popping her head out of the bathroom, she asked curiously, "Okay… Any particular reason why?"
Feeling my face burn in embarrassment, I quickly lied, "I mean, I never see her really. Maybe for like five minutes tops after the games, but that doesn't really count for much. And we still have two weeks till break." Thankfully, Kairi was too distracted in trying to change clothes to notice my blush, if it was noticeable at all.
Pulling on her jeans with her focus towards the ground, she replied, "Yeah. I see what you mean." Her tone sounded a little disappointed, despite her obvious effort to make it sound convincing.
Quickly getting up out of bed, I snuck up on her and quickly grabbed her just as she finished pulling on her shirt. Letting out a small scream in surprise, she turned her head back and sighed in relief. Then, with a slightly aggravated tone, she asked, "Sora, what are you doing? I really need to get ready."
"I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow's completely dedicated to you, birthday girl." I whispered huskily into her ear as I pulled her closer, adding, "And it's our anniversary, too. So don't worry about me going to Mom's house today. Just hang out with Naminè and Olette or Selphie. Or go shopping, I dunno; whatever you want. But I'll be home after class, okay? And then for the next, like, forty something hours I'm your personal slave." Swiftly kissing her on the cheek, I asked softly, "Okay?"
Receiving a peck on the lips and a shove in return, she commanded sarcastically, "Stop being so good at sweet talking." Before closing the bathroom door in my face.
Chuckling, I walked back towards the bed and lazily stretched out across it. "I love getting to sleep in on Mondays!" I announced loudly to myself, smirking once I heard Kairi give a low growl from the bathroom.
"Shut up." She commented grudgingly, swinging open the bathroom door so that the light as well as the sounds from her getting ready would keep me awake for the next twenty something minutes. Giving a smirk of her own satisfaction, she retreated back into the bathroom to continue her process.
All I had to do was pull the blanket completely over my head and I was out again, until Kairi started poking me when she was getting ready to leave. " Sora?" She called out while tugging on the blanket that I had pulled tight over my face.
Sliding it down to my neck, I gave a raised eyebrow and asked curiously, "What?"
Nudging me so that I would move my legs over, she sat on the edge on the bed and gave a small laugh before answering with an, "I love you."
Grinning, I gave a mocking roll of my eyes and joked, "Oh, I see how it is. You wanna be nice now. After I already lost a precious five minutes I could have been sleeping." Looking back to her and seeing her bright smile, I raised my hands to the sides of her face and gently pulled her down to me, sharing a short kiss before I echoed, "I love you too. Have fun in class."
Rolling her eyes and getting off the bed, she answered sarcastically, "Oh, I will." Turning around to close the bedroom door, Kairi waved, "Bye, Sora."
"Bye, Kai." I answered before buying my face in the pillow again, dreading the second alarm that would signal it was time for me to get up.
Eventually having to drag myself out of bed, I felt a little more comfort in the fact that I was only going to see my mom rather than going straight to class after I woke up. Scratching the back of my head as I moved down the stairs towards the parking lot, I frowned at the though, 'Although, this might be worse then going to class…'
Slipping into my car and quickly getting on my way, I was halfway to my Mom's house before I realized that I hadn't turned on the radio yet. Holding my finger over the volume button for a few moments, I furrowed my brow as I realized I really didn't want to listen to anything.
'This is too weird. What's wrong with me?' I gave a confused stare towards the steering wheel, hastily making a left turn. Jabbing the volume in spite of myself, the music quickly faded into garbled words that made no sense in the maelstrom of my thoughts.
'I don't even know what I'm going to say to her. I just said that I was going to lunch so we could talk, but she probably knows it's something serious and I can't lie and say it was nothing now.' Letting out a low growl at my own stupidity, I sighed as I turned onto the street of my mom's house, "But I guess it needs to be said, so I shouldn't blow it off."
Pulling into the driveway, my mom was already waiting at the front door. She opened the glass door as I got out of my car, asking in a worried tone, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing bad," I promised, mustering a small smile as I shut the door to my car and made my way up the stairs of my old house, "But we do need to talk."
"That does absolutely nothing for me except for make me worry more." She answered as she shut the door behind me, mirroring my small smile once she turned around.
Grinning a bit wider, I answered, "Sorry."
Shaking her head and taking a step forward, she asked, "You want something to eat or drink…?"
Walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch, I locked eyes with her and replied, "Nah. Thanks, Mom, but I really should just get this out."
Nodding seriously, she took a seat in the armchair directly across from where I sat, asking curiously, "So what is it, if it's nothing bad?"
"I've been thinking a lot, since Kairi and I had a kinda fight the other day." I started off, glancing off towards the clock that hung over the fireplace as a distraction.
"What was the fight about?" Mom interjected and I made eye contact with her again, letting out a sigh.
'This is exactly the part that I was dreading.' I sulked in my head before answering out loud, "You know about the stuff that went on in sophomore year…Ryou. She hasn't exactly gotten over it."
With a disapproving frown, my mom retorted somewhat angrily, "Of course not, Sora! That's not something you can just forget about--"
"Mom, I know." I quickly cut her off, defending myself, "And I've already told Kairi millions of times that I'd never do anything that she wasn't comfortable with and she knows that. But it's always Kairi that's egging things on, so I think that it's okay, but then she backs out at literally the last second and says it's too much. I know it's obviously not her fault but I can't stand that Ryou is still controlling her life. It's eating away at me."
"Understandable. But even if the Ryou situation is a big contributor to this, are you sure you're not pressuring her? Even indirectly?" She quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.
My frown deepening, I answered in a low tone, "I don't think so… I make a few jokes here and there, like about showering together. She always just rolls her eyes about it, though."
"Just because she acts like it's nothing doesn't mean she completely ignores the implications behind it." My mom pointed out, giving an apologetic smile after catching sight of my now frustrated expression.
Letting out a deep sigh, I rested my head against my closed fist and muttered, "Yeah…"
Furrowing her eyebrows again, she questioned in a confused tone, "I thought you said what you wanted to talk about wasn't bad?"
"Well, it wasn't. but you had me explain the fight and now I'm caught up thinking about that." I bit my lip, replaying random clips of conversations with Kairi in my head; trying to decipher which ones, if any, that she seemed as if I were pressuring her.
Leaning forward in the chair she was seated in, my mom further questioned, "So what did you come here to talk about…?"
Opening my mouth, the only word I managed to get out was, "I…" before my mind ceased to function and my face lit up instead.
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she echoed, "You…what?"
"I was…" I babbled, eyes darting wildly across the room out of nervousness before I admitted in a mumble, "…I was thinking about proposing…"
Wearing a bright expression for a split second, she straightened her face and questioned, "Not to sound like I'm disapproving, but you thought about this after and Kairi had a fight?"
"I did, but it's not like that Mom." I replied, expecting her contradiction, "It's not like a desperate attempt for me to fix anything between us. Even though I do want her to trust me, more than anything. But Mom, you should know better than anyone how long I've been in love with Kairi. It may have started off as childhood puppy love, or whatever, but these feelings have been there for as long as I can remember. I know nineteen is a little young for this sort of thing too, but it seems so…right. I mean, in a way it kind of seems like we're already married. How we live together and I guess just how we treat each other; all we need is the official title, really. …I don't know, I'm rambling."
My speech brought back Mom's jubilant expression as well as a spark within her eyes. Watching her in curiosity, she practically jumped out of the chair and moved quickly up the stairs stating, "Wait here."
"Uh…okay." I raised an eyebrow in curiosity, watching her disappear into her room. Hearing her dig around upstairs, I began to tap my feet impatiently against the floor; curiosity keeping me literally on the edge of my seat.
She eventually came back down the stairs, nothing visible in her hands. I gave a confused stare as she returned to the seat across from me. Putting on a serious expression again, she started, "After hearing you say all of that, I feel better. But I still want you to think this over very seriously."
Nodding, I answered sincerely, "Of course."
Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out a black velvet box and I immediately gaped.
"Oh, Mom. No way, that's yours. I couldn't…" I quickly spit out, not allowing her the chance to talk. It was the engagement ring that my Dad had given her and it was probably the closest tie that she had left to him. Just thinking about it made my eyes start to water.
Shaking her head and placing the box in my lap, she explained, "It's so amazing how alike you are to your father, although I'm sure I've only told you a hundred times. But each year you get older, I see more and more of him in you. You and your Dad were practically best friends; I know he wouldn't want this to be any other way. Besides, it would especially thrill me to see that ring on Kairi's finger rather than just seeing a little box collecting dust in my closet."
Feeling her hand on my shoulder, I looked up to her sincere smile and trailed off, "But…"
"No buts. Take it," She paused before winking and finishing, "Or die."
Letting out a laugh, I looked down to the velvet box and back up again to confess, "This really means a lot to me, Mom. And it'll probably mean a lot to Kairi, too. She feels like she's never had a real family; so the fact that you're giving me this to give to her will probably mean more to her then she can ever say. Thank you."
I stood up and outstretched an arm, to which she also stood and hugged me tightly, answering, "She should know that I've basically already considered her my daughter for years now. But you're welcome." Letting go, she glanced at the clock and questioned, "Sora, what time did you say you need to be in class?"
"Two. Why?" I answered absentmindedly as I carefully pocketed the engagement ring.
Nodding towards the clock, she pointed out with an amused smile, "It's one thirty, you probably want to get going."
Frowning and jumping up, I exclaimed, "Gah! Yeah, I really need to go. I'm probably gonna be late. See you later, Mom." I gave a quick hug before rushing towards the door, turning back one last time to add, "Thanks, again."
"Remember to really think about it!" She called out in a serious tone.
"Kay!" I answered before closing the door behind me and unlocking my car, dropping into the drivers seat before speeding off towards campus.
I got there somewhat on time; at least, for my standards. But I was so dazed out for that whole class that it wouldn't have much mattered if I wasn't there at all. Not only did I need to think about what my mom had said but I also needed to decide what the heck I was going to get Kairi for her birthday. Dinner worked for the anniversary part, and I had enough saved up for a pretty decent one.
'I know Kairi almost completely inside and out and I just come up blank for gifts every time. I guess I could always give in and ask Selphie for help…' I frowned at this idea. Selphie would want me to go completely overboard. Even though she's Kairi's best friend, she just didn't understand that Kairi liked simple things rather than outrageous.
To this day, she still asks how much I spent on that necklace that I got for her three years ago, even though I know she would never give it up even if I told her. So I don't.
I smiled at this thought before I realized that everyone else around me was getting up, signaling that class was dismissed. Shoving my stuff into my bag, I quickly made my way towards the door before I hear and exclamation of, "Hey, Sora!"
Turning around to see Roxas walking towards me, I answered, "Yo."
"Hey…" The blonde answered with what seemed to be a forced smile.
Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, I asked, "What's up?"
Shoving his hands in his pockets and walking out the door, he answered in a mutter, "It's about Naminè and Olette."
Following him out the door, I titled my head and questioned further, "What about them? Is Naminè mad that you hang out with Olette a lot since she's your best friend or whatever?"
"Nah, not that. But…ugh. The more I hang out with Olette, I feel like Naminè is the one that's just a friend. Get what I'm saying?" He let a sigh, pausing in front of what I assumed to be his car.
Nodding and biting my lip, I replied, "Yeah. Man, that sucks but you really just have to sit down and figure out who you want as a friend and who you want to be more than that. But even before you do that, you've gotta say something to Naminè. Because if you're hanging out with Olette in their dorm and you end up kissing her…If Naminè walks in, you're not going to be able to be friends at all."
Nodding solemnly, Roxas stated, "I know. I know Naminè is going to end up crying no matter what I do, and that makes me feel like the worst person in the world. I do love her a lot, just maybe not the way I thought I did… And if I make Naminè cry, then Olette will probably be pissed off at me too for hurting her and I'll just completely hate myself for that too. Not to mention I don't know how Naminè and Olette's friendship will hold up through this."
Clicking my tongue and giving a sympathetic wince, I answered, "Oh yeah, ouch. Especially since they're roommates. They're going to have to be around each other, even if they don't want to be."
"Yeah… I really have no clue what to do. I feel like any choice I take ends up with something being horribly wrong." Roxas hung his head low and he slumped backwards against his car.
"I dunno, man, but it's up to you to decide what's wrong. I don't really know what else to tell you." I concluded with a cross of my arms.
Nodding and straightening his posture, the blonde answered, "Yeah, thanks. I guess I should get going." He pulled out his keys and pushed the unlock button on his remote.
"See ya," I turned, heading for my own car.
Before closing his door and driving off, he echoed in a less enthusiastic tone, "See ya…"
'That was…kinda random, but wow.' I commented as I got into my car. Turning the key to start the engine, I realized I still hadn't come up with a gift idea for Kairi. Slapping a hand against my fore head, I muttered, "Crap. Gah, I only have like three more hours for this. Think, think, think…" I tapped my fingers anxiously against the steering wheel.
Heaving a sigh, I thought, 'I guess I could propose, but then Mom will assume I didn't think about it. Which, I mean, I haven't really…'
And then I had my second sort-of-epiphany.
I could get a kitten or a puppy since having a pet is kinda like having a kid, in a way. That would test whether we could handle raising a family which tied into the proposing idea, whenever I got around to it. Also, I was pretty sure Kairi had never had a pet so she would probably like it a lot.
'Assuming she doesn't have a phobia of cats or dogs that I've never known about…' I let out a nervous laugh before turning on the radio and backing out of the parking spot. 'So I guess I need to hold off on buying anything until I know what Kairi wants.' I deducted, taking my normal route rather than going the opposite direction towards a shopping center. Smiling a bit, I thought, 'Kind of makes my life easier since Kairi can just pick whatever she wants and I just pay.'
Absentmindedly singing along with the radio, it didn't take long before I was back at the apartment. Knowing it'd be another hour or two before Kairi got home, I turned on the TV and sprawled out across the couch. Leaving whatever the channel was on when I turned on the TV, I pulled the engagement ring from my pocket. Opening the box and pulling the ring out of it, I held it in-between my fingers and examined it closely.
The band was mostly silver with some gold in the center of it that slowly got wider until it the entire band was gold right where the heart-shaped diamond was. Alongside the main diamond, there were also two smaller ones on each side. It was extravagant, and yet simple at the same time.
Safely storing it inside its box and putting it back in my pocket, I closed my eyes and grinned, 'Kairi will like it. But…where am I supposed to hide it until I need it?' I didn't think there would ever be a time where Kairi would ever have to go through my drawers in the dresser but I didn't really feel like taking the chance either. 'Riku's room is too empty now that he's gone…and my coat pocket won't work because I don't know how long I'm going to be carrying it around.'
Tapping my fingers against the couch, I considered, 'I guess I can always keep it at Mom's in my room or something. And I know Mom wouldn't lose it or give anything away like Selphie would.'
Deciding that was probably the best plan, I finally let myself rest and sink into the couch. Flipping through a few channels and finding nothing of interest, I left it on the news and closed my eyes. A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of jingling keys and the lock turning.
Swinging the front door open, she greeted happily, "Hey, Sora."
Blinking and sitting up, I turned my head around and asked tiredly, "…Wha?"
Closing the front door before making her way over to the couch, she loomed over me and repeated, "I said hi. Seriously, Sora, I think you sleep at least four more hours than a normal person." She giggled, placing her purse on the coffee table and taking a seat beside me.
Giving a small smile, I replied with a shrug, "It's possible." As she shifted closer to me, I quickly became paranoid as I remembered the ring just happened to be on the side of me that she was leaning against. Quickly getting up and receiving a confused store for doing so, I lied, "Hold on a sec. It's kinda hot with this jacket on."
Hanging the jacket over a chair, I subtly shoved the box deeper into the pocket before turning around and apologizing, "Sorry."
Still looking confused, she replied, "It's okay." Before she turned around again.
Sneaking behind her, I leaned over the back of the couch and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, asking softly, "Hey, Kai?"
Looking up with an embarrassed smile, she questioned back, "Yes?"
"What do you think about making a little addition to our two person family?" I whispered into her ear, knowing very well what she was going to assume.
Right on cue, her face turned scarlet and she exclaimed, "Sora! I--we--"
Bursting out into laughter, I retracted my arms and walked around the couch, answering with an amused tone, "I was talking about getting a pet, Kairi." Taking my place beside her, I continued with a wink, "Although, I'd like your assumption in a few years, of course."
First letting out a laugh, Kairi exhaled and admitted, "You practically gave me a heart attack with the way you worded it. But yeah, that's really sweet, Sora. I'd love that."
"Good. Then you're going with me to the pet store place tomorrow so you can pick out something. Cat, dog; whatever you want. I don't have an issue with anything and it's your birthday so…have at it." I smiled, relieved at her excitement towards the idea.
With a shy smile, she answered in a sort of murmur, "I've kind of always wanted a kitten."
Nodding along, I answered, "Kitten it is then. Now you just need to go pick out the perfect one and stuff."
Laughing at me, she then wrapped her arms around me and mumbled softly, "Thank you."
Shrugging and returning the embrace, I replied, "It's your birthday and our anniversary so I want it to be special. Oh, speaking of, I have a place for dinner in mind as well."
Pulling backwards, Kairi frowned and stared into her lap, muttering, "You really spoil me. Like, a lot."
Leaning downward, I answered sincerely, "Because you deserve it." Kissing her and pressing her backwards, I broke away with my eyes locked on hers as I commanded, "And I don't want to hear other wise."
Letting out a sigh, she smiled with her eyes closed and answered, "Fine." Leaning back in and kissing her a few more times, she broke away and sighed again, stating sheepishly, "I should probably get started on dinner before we're both starving to death."
Sitting up straight, I offered enthusiastically, "I'll help you!"
Smiling, she scratched the back of her head and replied, "O-okay." Getting up off the couch, I turned around and scooped Kairi into my arms. At this, Kairi scoffed playfully, "Hey, not necessary."
"I know, but I wanted to." I grinned as I placed her on her feet, keeping my hands atop her shoulders.
Staring back at me for a minute or so, Kairi turned away and whined, "Sora, cut it out. You're making me blush like crazy."
Returning my hands to my sides, I replied in a chuckle, "Sorry." I quickly switched my attention towards the food we started preparing although I gave Kairi the occasional side glance.
It was pretty much a daily occurrence, but apparently Kairi never seemed to notice until tonight since she was doing her own side glancing towards me. Every time she made eye contact with me, her cheeks let up and she hastily went back to whatever she was doing. Since Kairi had primarily done most of the cooking, this dinner actually turned out to be decent despite how I was constantly slowing her down with my flirting as well as my errors with the food.
All though dinner as well as while she was getting ready for bed, she talked about what kind of cat she wanted. How it would look, how it would act; everything. She was like a kid on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa.
Laughing a bit, I slipped under the blankets and commented, "Wow, I'm glad I thought of such a good idea for once. But don't you wanna, you know, sleep?" I turned over to her with a smirk.
Giving an embarrassed smile, she answered, "Sorry."
I kissed her and shook my head, "It's fine. Besides, I just realized tomorrow is the one day out of the week we actually have class together so that works out nicely."
"Mhm," She gave a small nod before scooting closer to me, intertwining her legs with me and muttering in an embarrassed tone, "It's cold…"
Swiftly pulling her closer so that was she was closely pressed against me, I cocked an eyebrow and stated, "Somehow, I don't believe that."
Smirking, she admitted, "Okay, you caught me. Kind of. I am a little cold."
Rolling my eyes at her unnecessary defense, I kissed her forehead and murmured, "Night, Kai."
"Night, Sora." She echoed sweetly before nestling her head against my chest.
Immediately closing her eyes, I smiled to myself at how cute her seemingly sleeping form was. Reaching upward and running a hand through her crimson hair without really thinking about it, she peeked an eye open at me in curiosity. "Sorry, couldn't help it." I admitted in a laugh, she shaking her head at me in amusement before closing her eyes again. Combing my fingers through her hair a few more times, I eventually fell asleep.
When the alarm went off the next morning, I quickly whined, "Ah, don't move; it's cold."
Squinting her eyes, Kairi repeated my words from the previous night mockingly, "Somehow, I don't believe that. Especially you, Mr. Upcoming-Star-of-the-Hockey-Team."
"Aw, fine. Be that way. But anyway," I quickly sat up, leaning over her and whispering, "Happy birthday and anniversary."
Between kisses, she answered, "Thank you." Then breaking away from me, she asked in a laugh, "Did you ask me out on my birthday so you'd only have one date to remember?"
Rolling my eyes, I answered sarcastically, "Yeah, of course." Thinking about the day I asked her out, I let out an embarrassed laugh and continued, "But seriously, do you know how hard that was? Kissing you and walking away without seeing your reaction was one thing. Straight out confessing to you, I felt like I was gonna die or something." I laughed again, thinking about how all of the anxiety wasn't necessary at all.
Giggling, Kairi cooed, "Aw. Well, I was so confused after you kissed me I didn't even know if it actually happened."
Furrowing my brow, I joked, "Wow, I really sucked that bad?"
"No!" Kairi let out even more giggles, shoving me as she got up from the bed and pointed out, "We should start getting ready. Oh, I'll give you your present before we leave though since you already told me what mine was last night."
Raising an eyebrow in interest, I sat up and replied, "Okay. In that case, you can have the bathroom first."
Shooting me a 'you-can't-be-serious' look even though she laughed, she collected her clothes and walked past me, "Um, thanks?"
After she closed the bathroom door, I called back enthusiastically, "You're welcome!" Getting clothes and tossing them on the nightstand, I crawled back under the blankets and closed my eyes as I wanted for Kairi to be done with her shower.
Just as I was comfortable enough to fall asleep again, I heard the sound of the shower cut off and yawned, "Damn."
Kairi exiting the bathroom with dripping hair and a handful of hair products, she waved a hand at me to signal me to get up. Groaning and throwing the warm covers off, I dropped out of bed and stumbled into the brightly lit bathroom after retrieving my clothes off the nightstand. As I showered and got dressed, I wondered what Kairi had possibly gotten me.
Exiting the bathroom I found her sitting on the bed and twiddling her thumbs, a bright blue box sitting in front of her. Noticing me and lifting her head, she widened her eyes and pushed the box in my direction, "Not to be mean but this may be a part of your Christmas present unless I get a call about that job."
"That's fine," I answered absentmindedly as I lifted the box off the bed and held it in front of me. Ripping off the paper, I saw the distinct apple logo and the word 'iPod' on the box. Blinking in surprise, I exclaimed, "Wow, Kai! Thanks!"
Giving an embarrassed smile and scratching the back of her head, she answered, "You always forget your CDS going back and forth so I figured you'd like it…"
Laughing and placing the box on top of the dresser so that I could mess with it later, I replied, "Definitely! C'mon, let's go to class and get it over with so you can go get your present." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and eased her upwards.
Sighing, she pointed out, "I hope you now I'm not going to be able to focus at all during class."
Pulling her in the direction of the front door and handing her school stuff off the kitchen counter to her, I rolled my eyes, "You'll survive. It's just one day."
And she kept her word, being very fidgety all during class and practically jumped out of the car when I pulled into a parking spot at the pet store. Grabbing onto her shoulders, I pointed out in a laugh, "Hey, you're gonna have to slow down unless you wanna get hit by a car or something."
"Sorry." She answered in a quiet tone for what I felt like was the thousandth time today, now tapping her fingers against each other as she tried to hold all of her energy in.
She rushing through the sliding glass doors, I followed along behind her as she found the area where they kept all the cats. Finally pausing at a kennel on the bottom, I lowered myself beside her and asked, "Which one ya looking at?" Inside the kennel, there was an orange tabby, a black and white spotted one, a gray tabby and one that was completely black.
Poking a finger through the metal bars, she answered, "The black one." That same kitten she was watching immediately walked over to her finger and sniffed it, then reached out with one paw and tapped her finger before jumping backwards.
Both of us letting out a laugh, I commented, "Cute. So, definitely that one, then?"
Still wagging her fingers in front of the kitten and not looking at me, she nodded enthusiastically, "Mhm."
"Kay. Well, we need to get a bag of food and a litter box at least for now. We can come back later this week and you can get nine thousand toys or whatever. So I'll get the kitten if you'll go get the stuff. And just get those like temporary, pre-made travel litter box things they have instead of getting one of those huge bags."
Nodding again and standing up, she stood on her tip toes and kissed my cheek, whispering excitedly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" With that, she rushed off and I glanced around for an employee.
Finding one, I inquired, "Uh, sir, I was wondering if I could get that black kitten over there?"
Rather than answering me, he questioned back, "Was that your girlfriend that was just over there looking at it?"
Blinking and trying my hardest not to raise an eyebrow at the guy, I answered with a scratch of my head, "Yeah. It's her birthday and our anniversary."
Walking over to the area where the cats are kept, he commented, "Looks like she likes your gift."
Giving a bit of a nervous laugh, I replied, "Heh, yeah."
Opening the kennel door, picking up the kitten, and locking the door back, he handed it to me and explained, "There you go. The cashier at the front of will ring the price up with whatever you get."
Trying to keep the kitten from wriggling out of my hands, I answered, "Thanks." Looking up to see Kairi carrying a pretty big load of stuff, I questioned with a wince as the kitten lightly bit my finger, "Hey, wanna trade? It's biting me and trying to escape."
Laughing and putting her stuff down in front of me, she held out her hands and replied, "Sure."
"There you go," I gently passed it to her before grabbing the things off the floor and started heading towards the cash register, "Got everything we need, right?"
"Right." Kairi echoed, then started talking with the cash register lady about the kitten as we approached her, I making the occasional short answer as I pulled out my ATM card and paid for everything.
On the way home, I thought out loud, "Guess we can't really go out for dinner, can we?"
"We could…but we probably shouldn't leave the kitten alone already. It's already probably already going to be scared enough being a new place." I heard Kairi answer as I eased to a stop at a light.
"That's what I was thinking. Um, well I guess I could try cooking myself again. But like something easier; I was thinking spaghetti, probably?" I improvised for my slightly ruined plans, adding, "And I could always break out some candles or something."
Giggling at the last part, she answered, "Okay, sounds good. But I will help if I smell something burning."
"Psh, you wouldn't notice with that kitten to distract you." I retorted, turning to smirk at her.
"Possibly true." She admitted, looking down and petting the kitten's head.
The kitten currently kind of confused, making circles in Kairi's lap and occasionally letting out a distressed mew to which Kairi would coo that it was almost home. When we did get home, it was just as energetic and hyper as it was in the pet store; zipping in and out of rooms at the speed of light as I set things up for dinner.
Putting the spaghetti in the water, I asked curiously, "Hey, Kai, do you have a name for it yet?"
"Midnight." She called back from the living room.
Nodding to myself, I replied as I dug through the cabinets for candles, "Nice."
After finding them, putting them on the table, lighting them, and finishing dinner, I managed to pull Kairi away from the kitten to come and sit with me. Shrugging, I commented, "It's not exactly the fanciest candlelit dinner ever, but it works."
With a bright smile, she shook her head, "No, it's perfect." Pausing, she let out a small laugh and corrected, "Well, I haven't tried your cooking yet. But I bet it's good! It smells good."
Laughing, I rolled my eyes and answered sarcastically, "Well, thanks, Kairi."
Wrapping some around her fork and popping it into her mouth, she completed, "It is good! Try some."
Giving a doubting look at my plate, I mirrored her actions and raised my eyebrows in surprise, "Hey, not bad."
"Told you so." She stuck her tongue out at me before she started eating again.
Smiling, I kept quiet as did she for the rest of dinner. When we were both finished, Kairi spoke quietly, "Thanks a lot, Sora. Today was perfect."
"Perfect, huh?" I repeated, thinking of the engagement ring in my pocket. 'I know Mom told me to think about it… but saying something like 'Then will you make mine perfect?' or something like that right now just seems like the best opportunity I'm gonna get.' I thought, my heartbeat rapidly increasing as I stuck my hand in my pocket and felt the velvet box. Standing up out of my chair and almost tripping over Midnight, I let out a nervous laugh and instantly lost my nerve. Picking up my plate and hers from the table, I finished with a grin, "I'm glad."
Walking into the kitchen, I sighed to myself, 'Damn. God knows when I'll feel good enough to even consider attempting to do it again. I guess at least Mom gets her wish this way.'
