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Smiling meant she wanted something: That I learned from dating her. I unlocked the door to our apartment, and slipped off my coat upon entrance. The fresh linen scent invited us both to the living room. "Sanji, this is nice," Nami said, grabbing a blanket to wrap around her small frame.
"Sure is," I agreed with a smile before scanning the room for anymore spiders. I made Usopp kill them all when we worked on the renovations, but spiders are masters of hiding.
I noticed a few boxes in the corner of the room. Many of which Usopp and I brought up alone [Nami wouldn't risk ruining her freshly manicured nails.]
"Sanji-san, can we go shopping after looking at our classes?" Nami asked, freeing me from my thoughts. Nami had a vast array of Spring clothes. Thin, loose fabrics that wouldn't help in Autumn [still, she was set on selling them around campus.]
"Of course! I've been thinking about getting us matching sweaters," we both smiled at each other.
Nami pulled herself from the couch, dragging around like a corpse. She hadn't helped furnish the apartment, bring in boxes , or pick loose change out of the car-seats for gas money.
"Are you alright?" I asked, full of pent-up suspicion.
"Sanji..." She dragged my name and leant against the wall. I ran over to help her stay steady before rushing her into the kitchen. Nami hunched over the sink, and puked up food I hadn't seen her eaten.
"Nami!"
"Please, just pick me up something from the pharmacy."
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We walked to campus after that. I tried to stop Nami, but she kept insisting that she was fine.
Me and Nami enrolled for different majors. I wanted to be a culinary chef and own a restaurant one day. Nami invested in business, claiming she'd be great working in a bank. After she gave up babysitting, I wasn't sure what she had next.
Starting our relationship, we joked about her robbing a bank, and us running away together with all the world's money. Eventually, we decided we needed real careers, but I'm sure Nami still held on to that dream.
We split up twenty minutes ago, and agreed to meet outside the school; Nami didn't feel like walking, but insisted I not follow her.
I looked down at my schedule again, with only one class left. Robin suggested I take a language class, so I opted for Japanese. I let my eyes wander toward my phone, before reality set in. Dashing obscured my vision, but the hallway should be clear, it doesn't matter. Realizing they weren't, I hit someone head on, abruptly falling to the ground.
The person shifted around, bringing himself to his feet. His muscles flexed with every movement, captivating my eyes. He was quick to stand, sighing as he extended his arm. "Watch where you're going," he said in gruff tone. Trembling ever slightly, I took his hand and was brought to my feet. Sorry slipped through somewhere, before I rushed past him.
Some emotion, hard to reach but impossible to ignore, wanted him. Wanted to see him, again.
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Outside the school, I finally met up with Nami. She stood slightly off balance, yawning ever now and then. Still, she took my hand with a smile, and we took to the streets in without a word about it. "I took some stuff with me and made mad cash selling it," Nami said with a smile, holding up the money for reference.
"That's great Nami-swan! You didn't tell them those Louboutins I bought you were real, right?" I asked, still content and grinning like an idoit. Nami uttered an awkward laugh and avoided eye contact. "Nami?" We stopped on a corner as traffic went by.
"Sanji, you know me," Nami smiled. Well, I shouldn't have expected different. "But, I'm a little worried," she changed the subject.
"Is something wrong?" I was confused and now a little worried. Did she take the pregnancy test?
"My period hasn't come for three months, Sanji, you didn't use a condom the last time," there was frustration in her voice, and we stopped holding hands.
"Nami, maybe you're a little paranoid. Wait until you take the pregnancy test," I squeezed her hand a little.
"Yeah, got it."
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We bounced around from store to store in search of a grey winter coat. Not just any — that wouldn't please Nami. No, she needed a rare luxury one, with real fur and brass buttons. Nami claimed all her friends [Robin] had one, and she didn't want to feel left out without her own. Agreeing, I helped her search by going to the all designer stores I knew. Our results were non-existent, but at least I had foot pain to remind me I was never alone.
"I'm going in there for a bit," Nami said off, pointing at a lingerie store. I could feel my cheeks getting warm as my eyes met the curvy models in the windows.
"I'm coming it too!" I announced. Nami chuckled, placing a hand on my cheek with a soft grin.
"Sanji, you know this one is for men too, right? They let you try on the lingere and walk around the shop with it, and you don't–"
"I'll wait," I state blankly. Nami waved me a goodbye before she disappeared into the store. I shivered at the thought of seeing anymore male lingerie.
That birthday present from Nojiko left many scars.
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I looked around for a sweater, spotting a store with new Winter arrivals. After spotting two [for me and Nami], I was compelled to buy them.
"Sanji, remember, different brands have different sizes. Try everything on before you buy," Nami warned me once. Remembering that , I waltzed into the changing rooms to give my sweater a try.
You can go into any, right? I looked for one that wasn't in use, stumbling on a stall in the back. My hands, sweaty, grabbed onto the door's handle. Pushing myself inside, I realized too late that this stall was occupied too.
The guy from earlier shouldn't have seen me again. The chances of us ever crossing paths should've been so low, they were practically impossible. Yet, standing before me was that guy.
Tan, tall and muscular. His abs flexed as he slipped out of a white shirt. The desire to reach out and feel his stomach washed over me like a tsunami.
"Hey, I'm still in here. Think you could get out?" His silky voice asked. Frozen, my eyes darted to the door, before I made a hasty escape.
What happened now, Nami can never know about.
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