Definitely NOT a Cinderella Story
"Hey…" he said, his usually cold face, cracking a smile which for some reason made my heart pound.
How could this be…?
How is this even possible…?
HIM!
"I-Imanoyama…?" I gasped.
I felt the ground beneath my feet drop as I experienced within my head a sense of falling into a bottomless pit, never to return back.
He smiled.
I felt my face grow warm as he took a step toward me, kneeled lightly and taking my hand in his, lightly grazed his lips against it.
"As cute as always," he said with a smile.
Imanoyama…?
Imanoyama is PP?
How…?
How did it end up like this?
URGH!
Chapter XIV
A Fairytale Night
"Y-you..?" I gasped, unable to believe what I was seeing.
He neared me and leaning forward said, "You look amazing tonight Miyu . . ."
I felt my cheeks flush and my head was buzzing.
He pulled out from his pocket what appeared to be an elegant cerulean hue mask of some sort and before I could even breathe, he gently placed it over my eyes. The mask covered most of my face, only letting gaps for my eyes and my lips.
"But let's see what he sees . . ."
That caught me off-guard.
"Wh-what . . .?" I asked.
Just then, as I was still staring into those sharp eyes, which for some reason seemed tender to me at the moment, I heard his voice.
"Cindy . . . ?"
Suddenly my ears blocked out every other sound inside the room, which I must say was enough to tear away anybody's eardrums. It was only my heart's steady beats that I was able to hear for a few seconds.
Imanoyama had vanished among the crowds but I felt him behind me.
I slowly turned to meet his nervous russet eyes.
"Hi . . . ?" he breathed, an anxious smile breaking along his lips.
My voice was barely a whisper so much so that even I was not able to recognize it, "Kanata . . . ?"
He chuckled nervously as he scratched his head going, "So I take it that you know me . . . ?"
So he doesn't know I'm Miyu . . . ?
I nodded lightly.
He smiled and it was at that second that I truly appreciated his infamous title of being the school's "heartthrob" and fully accepted that he deserved the title.
"Hi Cindy . . ." he said, his stunning smile still in place which only magnified his looks even more, not to mention that he was wearing a navy-blue suit which went really well with his handsome face and lean body.
"Hi . . ."
We were walking along the school grounds and I kept thinking as to how he was still not figuring out that I am Miyu.
"But let's see what he sees . . ."
So maybe that was what Imanoyama meant . . . what he sees . . .
"Why Cindy . . . ?"
His voice brought me back to earth.
"Sorry . . . ?"
He scratched his head again lightly and asked, "Why the name 'Cindy'?"
I didn't know an answer but unbelievably, I found myself answering to him, "when I was a kid and still believed in fairytales, Cinderella was my all-time favorite . . ."
He nodded, understanding.
My heart was beating uncontrollably as I stared at him, the most handsome and smart guy at school, spending quality time with someone like me . . .
The most popular 'Popular' with the dorkiest 'dork' . . .
"Why PP . . . ?" I asked, "What does it mean . . . ?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment and I saw shades of crimson suddenly appearing along his cheeks as he muttered under his breath, "Pumpkin Prince . . ."
I stopped in my tracks and blinked.
"Pumpkin . . . ?"
"Prince," he finished, obviously embarrassed, "that was my mom's nickname for me . . ."
I couldn't help but giggle.
He also laughed nervously but said, "But don't tell anyone this, okay . . . ? Nobody at school knows . . ."
"Even Kijoyu . . . ?" I asked.
"Even Akane doesn't know . . ."
I smiled.
I'm special . . . ?
"Do you wanna dance?"
I breathed out as the cold shower hit my face. I shivered as the icy liquid slowly crawled along my already cold skin. I sighed having finally being able to breathe freely again.
I came out of the shower, dressed in my night clothes, rubbing my towel against my wet hair. I checked my mobile and was a little surprised not only by the dozen messages but also that the time was now already 2AM.
I dropped on my bed, not caring in the slightest that I was dampening my cot. I smiled as I saw that all dozen messages were from him.
I knew that a blush crept to my cheeks as I remembered his touch, the way he gently held me in his arms as we waltzed under the moonlit sky to the rhythm of their own heartbeats.
I closed my eyes, remembering how he had stopped suddenly.
"Cindy…"
His whisper…
How I wish I never had to run away from him…
Especially when he had leaned forward…
…For our first kiss…
I opened my eyes, reliving on how close he had come… how he had gently placed his hand on my warm cheek…
"Where have you been all this while…?"
She hadn't been able to answer him as she totally lost her voice. He had slowly leaned toward me, freezing me to the ground. His breathing had been steady but I was able to feel his heart beat.
It had felt comfortable.
I opened my mobile.
"Cindy, where are you?"
"Hey… reply…"
I switched off my mobile and closed my eyes.
It had been pretty close. She could vaguely remember his trying to gently take off that mask that Imanoyama had given her.
"Kanata…" I whispered under my breath.
It was official…
The guy is PP.
He's Pumpkin Prince.
Is it possible…?
Is there even the faintest possibility that he's MY Prince?
With that thought, I managed to sleep with a goofy smile on my face.
The next day at school came as a total shock.
My eyes widened as I walked to my locker, awfully aware of all the posters that was either on the ground or pasted to the walls.
CINDY? PLEASE RESPOND. CALL ME.
-Kanata
With a red face, I managed to push away the posters that were stuck to my locker, all with a vague picture of me from last night. Thankfully, even I wasn't able to recognize myself in that picture.
I slowly walked to my class, my heart thumping hard.
"Oh my god… who is this girl that Saionji's all over?"
"Dude… I remember seeing her last night…"
"…she was hot…"
Okay… that's not me… I screamed in my head as I ran towards my class, almost recklessly.
What is he trying to do!
Kanata…?
PP…?
I breathed heavily as I sat down at my class, perspiration running along my forehead.
My friends gleefully surrounded me at once.
"Did you take a look at those flyers?" Santa asked, grinning.
"You must've created one hell of an impression on him Miyu…" Nanami whispered, sniggering.
"He seems desperate to find you," Christine added smiling.
"This is nothing," Aya said in a hurried whisper.
I was already steaming with embarrassment.
But what came next was totally unexpected.
"Wait till you listen to what he has planned," she continued.
But before any of us could ask her about it, there was static on the radio followed by the school's RJ's introduction.
"Yo everybody at Heiomachi High!" his voice boomed along every class, every corridor at school, "there's a special someone at the station today and it's our very own Soccer captain… and should I add, the Prince of our school… Kanata Saionji...!"
I knew that I was going to get a heart-attack today.
"What the hell is he trying to do?" I asked in a whisper as my friends and every one of my classmates waited silently, to listen to the most popular guy at school make his first ever public announcement.
"Hey there…"
I didn't know why but his controlled and warm voice managed to make my heart race.
"Cindy… Where are you?"
"Kanata…" his name escaped my lips before I could stop myself.
"After seeing you last night, I just can't stay away from you… I want you by my side…"
The entire school held silence.
"You made my heart race… I know that sounds cliché but there's no other way I could put it. You made me feel things that never thought was possible… well, heck I never thought that I'd ever voice out my feelings through a Radio… but here I am doing it… for you…
"Cindy… Please… I'm waiting for you…"
A tear escaped my eyes.
All my friends turned to face me.
A million thoughts were rushing through my mind.
But top on the list was my sudden urge to dash through the school and hug that idiot brunet senseless.
"Kanata…"
To be Continued