Our first date
by Tr-8r810
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Nisekoi. This story is strictly for entertainment purposes and not for profit.
Nisekoi spoilers! This story has spoilers of the ending of Nisekoi.
Depression is a sensitive subject to some people. I by no means want to make light of this touchy subject. Even more, I wouldn't want to trigger anyone into a depression episode. Please read with care.
"Hurry, hurry. He's going to be down at the lobby at any minute!" Onodera thought aloud as she rushed herself to get ready to leave her apartment room.
She looked into a mirror in her bathroom on the way out to make sure her outfit was in order. She adjusted her white laced top and the amber orange jacket. Her light navy skirt was fine as is so there wasn't any problem there, nor was there anything wrong with her brown shoes. She felt that her hair could be arranged better if she worked at it a little longer, but she knew she didn't have time to redo her hairstyle all over again as she already spent enough time on it as is.
She sighed wishing she did something different with her hair today, but her usual hairstyle was all she could do at the moment. Onodera peeked at her phone to see that it was already two minutes after she was supposed to meet up at the lobby. "Ah! Oh no, it can't be that late already!"
She rushed out of the bathroom to grab her purse sitting on the bed as she ran out. She locked her door as quickly as she could and ran down the hallway to the elevator. Pressing the button Onodera felt butterflies in her stomach waiting for the elevator doors to open and started taking in a deep breaths to compose herself.
"Keep it together Kosaki, just think of it as a day out with a friend. Nothing to get worried over or stressed out about." She thought out loud while trying to reassure herself that she could handle this.
'Even though I know it's really a date...' Her short lived composure quickly fell apart as reality sat in, reminding her why she was so anxious.
Onodera's face turned pink from blushing as she hung her head down out of embarrassment. 'Come on, you're not in high school anymore. You shouldn't be getting flustered over the idea of going out with someone anymore.' The young baker thought as she shook her head.
The elevator doors opened in front of her which caught her off guard while she was lost in thought. A man in a dark suit and tie stepped out of the elevator and walked past her. She recognized him as a fellow resident of the apartment complex who lived down the hallway of her room, though they were hardly even acquaintances since their work patterns kept the two quite busy.
Despite that he was still friendly enough, as he walked by he waved his hand giving her a greeting. "Hello neighbor." He added as he went on his way.
"Ah... H-Hi..." Was about all she could muster to say at the moment before quickly walking into the elevator. After the doors closed she made a deep sigh, wishing she didn't react so awkwardly with her neighbor, but didn't dwell on it. She already had enough on her mind.
"Actually, with the way I'm acting I may be mistaken for a high schooler." She said aloud as the elevator started descending.
She then shook her head and slapped the sides of her face trying to motivate herself. "No, I'm not going to let my nerves get the best of me. It's not just about me, this is a big deal for both of us. If I can't be strong for myself I should at least hold in there for-"
Before she could finish, the elevator doors open at the lobby, with a familiar figure in the distance.
Onodera's heart skipped a beat at realizing where she was and at who she saw. Though his back was turned towards the elevator, she didn't need to see his face to know who it was.
"...Alex." His name escaped her lips as she was lost in thought.
She's only known him for a little over two months, but in that time he managed to connect with her in a way no one else could with his selflessness and caring spirit. It didn't even feel that long ago when he first stumbled across the bakery she was working at. Even back then he was trying his best to help her out, albeit she was a complete stranger. Despite his own hardships he always went out of his way to make sure she was okay. Onodera started to feel herself growing an attachment to him as time went on, and eventually even felt that her broken heart was reaching out to love someone again.
Onodera felt her anxiety lighten a little at seeing him waiting for her across the lobby. She then smiled and went to meet him. "Hello Alex." She greeted him as she walked up behind him.
Alex turned around to see her face to face. "Oh, Kosaki. Here you are."
By all appearances Alex looked like your average loner. He was fairly tall as he stood a head taller then Onodera. His rather slim figure was hidden to most people by the charcoal colored jacket he always wore. His short messy hair was as black as a raven.
"Sorry I'm late Alex. I hope you weren't waiting too long for me."
"Oh... uhh, no. I've just been... uhh... watching some of the cars driving by outside. Yeah, that's it." He answered rather dubiously.
Onodera tilted her head at his strange response. She then looked down and noticed that his foot was tapping rapidly on the ground. "Hey, is your leg okay Alex?" She asked.
Alex looked down not noticing that his foot was jittering. "Oh, that. Yeah it does that sometimes when, well you know..." His voice trailed off before he finished.
"Are you nervous?" Onodera asked hitting the hammer on the head.
"U-uhh? Oh no, o-of course not. I'm fine." He said without a hint of conviction.
"Alex..." Onodera looked at him with a worried smile clearly not believing him.
"Yes..." He admitted in a defeated tone. "Was it that obvious?"
She took a step closer to him to speak more clearly. "You know, I'm pretty nervous too."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, so much that earlier I accidentally baked a batch of sweets so hard it could chip a tooth. Last I checked Taylor was trying to sell them as paperweights." Onodera's eyes looked away at bringing up something so humiliating.
There was a pause for a second before she started hearing him chuckling. This made her start giggling at the awkwardness of the moment, though she tried to mask it with her hand.
Alex took a minute before speaking again. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. It's just that, perhaps we should try clearing the air before we do anything else."
"That's fine with me." Onodera agreed while regaining her composure as well.
"It's just that after everything that's happened with you and me a few weeks back, and... when you asked me out, I wanted today to be the best it can be. I'm just not sure what that even is yet, I mean after all this is our... first date." His voice became nothing but a whisper as he finished.
Onodera nodded in agreement. "I-I know. It's a bit frightening. We've spent time together in the past, but... being on a date makes it feel different. Plus It's no secret that we haven't been at our best the last couple of... well, months. Perhaps it's a bit much to expect either of us to be up for a big romantic date."
"Are you... Are you having second thoughts about going out today?" Alex asked in a worried tone as he was concerned about how Onodera felt.
"No, I'm fine. I may be worried, but all new things can be scary at first. But I want to get used to this feeling. I don't want this fear to hold me back from being with those I care about. Especially you."
Alex was taken back by the forwardness of Onodera's words. Although he knew she was emotionally stronger then she looked at first glance, it was still a surprise to hear her speak so directly about her feelings.
She noticed that Alex was staring at her after what she said. "W-what, did I say something wrong? I wasn't too forceful was I?" She asked while fiddling with her hair out of embarrassment.
Alex smiled before responding. "No, nothing like that. You... you sounded so determined and sure about this." His gaze averted from Onodera. "It's just... different to hear that someone appreciates me being here is all."
They both went silent for a moment as Alex's negative thinking showed it's face again. Though her efforts to help Alex cope with his depression were somewhat affective, it was by no means going to miraculously cure him. She knew that she would need to expect him to continue his struggle with it in the future.
Alex shook his head. "Sorry, some old habits die hard I guess. I didn't mean to get into all that again." His head turned aside not wishing her to see him in the eye.
She waited a moment before she began to walk up to him and took a hold of his left hand. "Alex... it's okay, I understand." He was surprised by Onodera's approach and looked back at her. Now having his attention she continued. "I know that it will take some time before the situation with your depression starts to improve. So don't feel bad or be afraid to talk with me about it if you need too. Isn't that what we both agreed too?"
Her question brought back memories from when she first came to his workshop. 'I guess her determination hasn't really changed that much in retrospect. She's just as caring as ever.' A small smile grew on his face thinking about that day.
"Yes, it was. I just... worry if I'll talk about it too much is all. But it's nothing to worry over, It's probably just my nerves talking. I'm still good to go."
She was still concerned about Alex's depressive thoughts, but felt it would be better not to linger on the subject anymore then need be. She smiled before taking her hand back. "So is it okay if we go with our original plan then and... you know, just hang around town for awhile? Maybe we could stop somewhere to eat along the way?"
"Sure, that... sounds great." Alex now felt more comfortable after speaking with Onodera about their plans. "So, uh... shall we get going then?"
"Ah, y-yes." Onodera nodded, now with butterflies in her stomach feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement at the realization of their date about to begin.
The sky was still cloudy from the rainstorm of yesterday, though it was clear enough for the sun to come out at times. Even so the sidewalk, roads and the ground in general was soaked, which had reflections of the world around it in the water. With this in mind the young couple thought it would be a good opportunity to enjoy the pleasant change in weather and take a walk through Nathan park as it was relatively close to the apartment building Onodera lived in.
However as they were walking down the path of trees, it was awkwardly silent. Though they both agreed to take it easy on this first date, neither one could bring themselves to speak up.
Onodera found herself peaking at Alex out of the corner of her eye as they were walking. Though she didn't want to stare, she couldn't help but feel a bit beside herself seeing that the man she dearly cared for was going out with her, something she had been dreaming of for a long time. While loss in thought she noticed that Alex looked back in her direction as well, which made the baker blush and turn her face away out of embarrassment.
He noticed that Onodera flinched at making eye contact with him which made him worry. 'Darn it, say something you idiot, this silence is unbearable! I need to lighten the mood for Kosaki's sake, this stress isn't good for her.' He thought.
"Aham... So Kosaki how's everything at the bakery been recently?" Alex asked breaking the tension.
"O-oh, uhh... Works actually been going pretty well, nothing too hectic as of late. It sounds like Tim's arm is all healed up so that's good news. Although... Taylor's been a bit high strung." Onodera paused for a second. "You remember how Tim got a girlfriend recently?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Taylor was pretty upset when she found out right?"
"Right, her name is Vivian. She goes to the same school as Tim dose. Anyway, she's been looking for a part time job recently and Tim suggested she work at the bakery, as we sometimes can be a bit short handed at times, as you know." She added while looking at him with a smile hinting at the time he helped fix the oven. "Taylor however is against it. She doesn't like the idea of Tim's girlfriend in 'her kitchen' as she would put it. But it's not exactly in her hands."
"How so?" Alex asked as they continued down the path covered with fallen leafs.
"Taylor and Tim's father is the one who actually owns the bakery, the one who knows my dad. He's all supportive of Tim and his girlfriend and wants to help her out, so she'll probably end up getting the job. Taylor has tried talking her father out of it, but not much has come of it."
"What about you, do you think she'll work out okay?"
"I'm not really sure, I only met her once a few days ago. She seems nice and is suppose to be a good worker so it might work out fine. I'm just afraid if Taylor will give her a hard time if she does get the job." Onodera sighed. "I just don't want any friction between us at work is all." She added.
"Knowing Taylor she won't let that happen." Onodera turned towards Alex at his response. "She may be mad for a while, but she cares about you, she won't let her personal feelings make the store unpleasant to work at."
Onodera smiled. "Thanks Alex, you're probably right. That does sound like her."
As they continued through the park they suddenly noticed a rather large group of people gathering a few yards in front of them, not exactly the quiet afternoon stroll Alex and Onodera had in mind.
"Oh, what's going on here?" Onodera wondered out loud.
"Here's hoping it's nothing stupid." Alex said in a mildly frustrated tone, as he wasn't overly fond of crowds.
"It looks like they're putting up some stalls like for an event or something. Why don't we take a quick look. It could be interesting."
Alex was surprised by Onodera's curiosity. 'Well, if Kosaki is interested in this, it'll be fine to see what it's about for her at least.'
He nodded as he lead the way further into the park.
As the young couple got closer to the crowd it quickly became apparent what the gathering was for. A large number of fences, stands and cages with animals inside where sectioned around a clearing in the park, mostly of dogs and cats.
"It looks like some kind of pet adoption event." Alex pointed out. "Some of the local animal shelters hold these on occasions, you know to encourage people to adopt a pet when they have too many to take care of."
"Oh I see." As Onodera looked around, it became notably obvious that she was interested in all the animals nearby her. "H-Hey... could we... stay for a few minutes before we keep on going?" She asked not taking her eyes off one of the pens.
Alex could see that Onodera was fixed on seeing all the pets around her. It wasn't that much of a surprise that Onodera got distracted when knowing how much she loved animals. Even though he doesn't have the best relationships with animals, he wouldn't dream of turning Onodera down, especially with that cute look on her face.
"Sure, we're in no rush." He barely managed to get the words out of his mouth before Onodera was off to see a group of puppies a few yards away.
"Thank you~." He heard her yell as she walked off.
A small smiled grew on Alex's face at seeing Onodera as happy as she was. Though He felt a little weird that she was so excited to leave him behind in favor of a bunch of mutts, but he had seen that sparkle in her eyes before when they stoped by a pet store once. She sees to be more at ease and happy when she's with an animal.
"I guess I'll have to stap my game up if I'm to compete with Kosaki's love of animals." Alex jokingly said to himself."
Suddenly a man's voice spoke out beside him. "I'll say. Did you see the way she just left you?"
"Aahhg!" Quickly Alex turned towards his left to see his high school buddy and current boss Jess standing next to him. "Jeez, Jess. Don't scare me like that. What are you even doing here, what if Kosaki sees you."
"She seems too busy at the moment to notice." Jess said while pointing at Onodera petting a puppy in the distance. "Beside this is the perfect time for me to speak with you. So, how's the date going? I can't tell too well from the distance I'm at."
"It's... fine so far I guess. I'm just... not sure if I'm doing it right..." Alex nervously answered. "I don't want to blow it on the first date."
"Well Onodera seems to be doing alright, she's not trying to sneak away or anything. So it's already going better then that time Sophia tried setting you up on a date."
Alex groaned. "Ugh... please don't remind me of that disaster. That's the last time I ever try a blind date."
"Relax man, that was a totally different situation, you're much more yourself when you're with Onodera. Plus it's not like she's one of the beast's friends, she wasn't right for you anyway."
Alex scratched his cheek. "Yeah... well it wasn't like I helped make it any better by making a fool of myself." He lamented.
"Well that's exactly why I'm here to help keep an eye out to make sure you don't do or say anything stupid. I'm like your stealth wingman."
Alex gave him a questionable look. "Right... and how exactly are you going to help while following us around like a creep?"
"Don't worry about the details, that's my job. Right now you should be with Onodera and show some interest in what she likes." Jess stated while giving him a push towards his date.
"Hey, Jess! Stop pushing me! You know It's not that I don't like animals, it's that they don't like me."
"Come on, animals don't collectively hate on one person. You've just had a few bad experiences. Just stay calm and smile to show that you're a friend, even your 'animal curse' can't mess this up." He said while giving him a big push to go back to Onodera.
Reluctantly, Alex walked up to the pen Onodera was sitting at. One of the animal shelter workers was speaking with her about the animals they had there today.
"Hey Alex, sorry about running off earlier. I guess I was a little excited." She admitted.
He waved dismissively. "It's no problem. What's going on here?" Alex asked.
"One of the workers was offering to let me get a closer look at one of the puppies."
"They're all good dogs, they just need to find the right home to take care of them." The worker said while she held a labrador puppy that Onodera was petting.
"Oh, he's so cute. I would love to take him home, but the apartment I'm staying at doesn't allow pets. But I'm sure you'll fine a good home soon, isn't that right little guy?" She asked while smiling at the small dog.
(Arf!) the dog made a happy bark at the attention he was getting.
The worker turned her attention towards Alex noticing he was staring at the young dog. "Would you like to pet him too? Don't worry he's a real sweetheart."
"Wah...? I don't..." He turned and saw Onodera's smile inviting him to try while pulling her own hand back. "S-sure, why not?"
As Alex started to reach out, the dog began to look at him with curiosity, losing the cheerfull expression it had with Onodera. He placed his hand on top of the dogs head as he started rubbing it.
Onodera's smile widen at seeing Alex petting the lab. She knew about Alex's checkered past with animals and how it bothered him, so it was nice to see one get along with him for a change of pace.
(CHOMP!)
...for about two seconds...
Alex seemed to have scared the lab for some reason, because as he was petting him the dog quickly bit into his hand at full force. The good news was that because it was just a puppy he didn't break anything in his hand. The bad news however was that he still managed to make a scene with him biting Alex, who did end up bleeding from the accident. After everything calmed down a bit Onodera and Alex left to get his hand taken care of a ways away on a park bench.
"Just hold still, I'm almost done." Onodera said as she was finishing wrapping a bandage around Alex's hand.
"Ow ow. You know, for such a little guy you wouldn't think he'd have such a nasty bite." Alex added while thinking on his continuing bad luck.
"Annnnd, there. That should do it, how does that feel?" Onodera managed to carefully wrap the bandage around his palm and in between his fingers while leaving them uncovered so that he could still easily use them.
"It's great, thanks." He stretched out his fingers to feel the freeness of movement in his hand thanks to Onodera's fine work. "Maybe I should just leave the animal business to you, it's clearly not a good idea for me to be around them."
Onodera pouted. "Come on don't talk like that, I'm sure you'll find one that'll like you eventually. I know the one for you is out there somewhere, you just have to keep searching." She added to reassure him.
"Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence. But I think I'll at least stay out of biting range for the time being."
Onodera giggled at Alex's remark. "That's fair enough, I guess."
A ways away Jess was watching the two of them from behind a tree to see how they were doing.
'Still no luck with the animal kingdom it seems... Maybe I shouldn't have tried pushing the issue right now.' While thinking to himself Jess then noticed that despite the mishap, Alex and Onodera were able to have a bit of a quiet moment together.
"But perhaps it isn't all bad, they at least seem to be in good spirits. I just hope it stays that way."
After leaving the park the young couple made their way into town hoping to find a restaurant to have lunch at. Being that it was the weekend the streets were fairly crowded with people as they went through town. Onodera had a restaurant in mind that she frequently visited and wanted to show Alex, who was alright with that plan. While heading there however they came across an old used bookstore that caught both of their attention. Thinking it would be a fun stop on their way they decided to go in.
As they opened the front door a bell rang catching the store owner's attention. "Welcome." The middle aged man greeted at hearing the two potential customers come in.
The store was a fairly good size. Inside it was filled with bookshelves on almost every wall, while other bookshelves were placed beside them making makeshift aisles for more storage. A handful of people were wondering around the store as well, but it was mostly quiet compared to the streets outside.
"I've seen this place a few times when going around town, but there's more here then I expected."Onodera commented. "Reminds me a bit of Jess' music shop."
"Yeah, typically you'll see a lot of pre-owned shops around here try to make the best of what space they have. When new book stores are hard to come by places like this become your best option." Alex explained.
Onodera looked a bit surprised. "I didn't know you were an active reader Alex. Taylor was the only person I knew around here who was that concerned about the availability of literature in town."
"Well, I'm not much of a novel enthusiast, but I do enjoy a good book from time to time."
"I agree. Sometimes all it takes is a good story to help you..." Onodera's voice trailed off at seeing a familiar figure glaring at the two of them from behind one of the bookshelfs. Not quite someone having malicious intent, but still one with a fierce presence, directed mostly towards Alex.
"Uhh... h-hey Alex. On second thought, w-why don't you go ahead and go look at what you want for a bit. I-I was wanting to see if I can find... uhh... some... cook books! Yeah, cook books to help me find some new recipes to work on and stuff."
"Really? Because I don't mind looking with you."
"No, no it's fine. I don't want to bore you. Besides it will only take a few minutes to have it taken care of." She tried reassuring him, to which he reluctantly agreed to and when on to another part of the store. He felt that's something was off, but trusted that Onodera had her reason and played along for now.
After Alex was out of sight Onodera sighed then turned towards the person behind the bookshelf and started walking over to them.
The person noticing Onodera's approach slightly panicked and reached for a book and brought it up to their face trying to hide. But it was too late, Onodera already knew who it was watching them.
Onodera walked up and pulled the book away from the person's face revealing it to be the owner of the bakery she worked for. "Taylor, what do you think you're doing here?" Onodera's voice was a mix between embarrassment and frustration at seeing her own boss spying on her.
"O-oh Onodera, funny who you'll run into at the bookstore, am I right?" Taylor's attempt at humor didn't faze Kosaki who just kept a serious glare at her, knowing that this meeting wasn't by chance.
"...Okay, fine. I was frustrated with all this dumb stuff between Tim and my dad and thought I'd blow off some steam and keep an eye on your date to distract myself. Plus I don't trust that Alex, I never know if he's up to something stupid."
Onodera could sense some hostility towards Alex in Taylor's voice. "Taylor, please, I'm having enough problems calming my nerves down already, don't make this into a scene. If you're referring to the cut on my hand I told you that wasn't his fault. I was the one who made that decision to jump into the fire, not him." Onodera's tone was firm showing her stand on what happened that day was truly an accident.
"Even so, that doesn't mean I have to trust him, especially since he was the one with the... cutting issue." Taylor lowered her voice as she finished to not draw attention to the subject they were discussing.
"Taylor, I don't want to have this conversation again, he's no danger to me or anyone else. He's a normal person like you and me, he's just... going through some difficult times and trying to find a way to handle them. Something we both have in common." Onodera added averting her gaze away from her.
Taylor paused before responding. "Look, I know you like to see the good in people, but I don't want you to get hurt. And I'm not just talking physically, I'm talking about 'here' too." She said while placing a hand over her heart. "Honestly, I don't care how you feel about him, if he takes advantage of you or hurts you after everything you've been through, I'll personally punch out his teeth."
Onodera sighed knowing it was pointless to convince her otherwise. "Well can I ask you to refrain from attacking him while he hasn't done anything? I don't want him to consistently be looking over his shoulder worrying if you're going to assault him."
Taylor rolled her eyes. "Come on, you know I wouldn't jump the gun about something as serious as this, right?"
"Do I!?" Onodera asked clearly flustered.
"Don't worry about it, look I'll try to stay out of sight better alright? Just know that if you need anything from me I'll be in ear shot." After these words Taylor gave Kosaki a peace sign and quickly left the book store, though Onodera wouldn't say it was very comforting to know that Taylor was now watching over her like a hawk.
Onodera sighed for a moment then lightly slapped her cheeks to wake herself up and remember what she was doing. 'Come on Kosaki, try not to worry about it. There's no way I'll change her mind once she gets going, that's just how she is. But I should be willing to act that same and not let her ruin this day for me.'
After this she started walking off to look from Alex again, hoping Taylor wouldn't do anything stupid. As she walked through the store she found her date in a corner looking through a book. While walking up to him she noticed that the book he was reading look... strangely familiar. But not something she's seen recently, perhaps more like from a few years ago or so.
"Hey, sorry for the wait."
"O-oh you're back already?" Alex seemed nervous as he quickly closed the book he was reading.
Onodera took a peak again at the book in Alex's hand, standing closer she was able to recognize it. "Wait, isn't that a manga? I haven't seen one of those since I've moved here, I didn't know you read any."
"W-well, yeah... I guess it never came up." His tone was soft spoken and without any eye contact, obviously showing that he was uncomfortable. "It's just... a little embarrassing to talk about, I suppose..."
"Embarrassing? I don't follow, how so?" She asked confused by his statement.
He turned towards the shelf that he got the Manga from earlier, which also had a number of other volumes in it. "Back then I knew about manga but never really looked into reading any, at least it was like that until I was in high school, then I took a quick liking to it. They were fun to read because of how different it was from everything I was used to seeing while growing up. Plus, I was interested in parts of Japanese culture around that time, you know, mostly because of my dad, so it was kind of an introduction for me when it came to things from Japan. I was too embarrassed to discuss it with my class mates at the time. They didn't seem to care much for the subject. So I mostly kept it to myself, besides Sophia I didn't talk about it much with anyone."
"Oh... I-I see. But what about your parents, I thought you said your dad was Japanese?"
"My... my dad never really talked much about that side of his family, and still doesn't. Mom said she was only in Japan for a few years when she was growing up, so she doesn't have too much to tell me even when she'd tried to. So, I don't know, it felt like this was my introduction to a part of myself that I didn't know much of, and I found it all by myself." He paused for a second to think. "I don't know, maybe I'm just being too emotional about it."
Onodera gave a weak smile and stepped up beside him. "It sounds to me like this is something personal to you. I don't think it's anything to be embarrassed about."
"Thanks..." He sighed with a feeling of relief from hearing her words.
She held out her hand. "Could I take a look?"
Alex looked at the book in his hand for a second, then handed it over to her.
She took a look at the book's title which read: "The misadventures of Tokiko-chan". By appearance in looked like a wacky high school slice of life series.
"Tokiko's non-average school life." Onodera said in her mother tongue with a smile on her face, she then turned her attention back to Alex. "That's what it was called back in Japan in my school days. I was pretty hooked on it back then."
Alex stood in silence while staring back at her.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I just realized that I've never heard you speak in Japanese before."
"Oh, I guess you're right." She said placing a hand to her lips. "It probably sounded kind of weird hearing me speak in a different language."
"No, it just... sounded really cute is all..." his voice could barely be heard as he finished speaking.
Onodera's face instantly turned red at his comment. "Y-Y-You think it sounded what!?"
"Uh, er, I should, uh, go pay for this! Yeah, that's right. I'll be right back!" He said as he quickly took the book from her hand and left to check out.
Onodera was left alone for a few minutes feeling a mixture of being flustered, confused and flattered at the same time.
Onodera and Alex had left the book store behind and continued towards the restaurant. But as they were walking down the street they found themselves again having a hard time picking up the conversation, Alex in particular was more quiet then usual. Onodera thought that he may have been embarrassed from what he said at the book store earlier, but as time went on it seemed to be something more then that.
She was also worried because she now had Taylor on her tail. She couldn't see Taylor as of now, but that only made her worry more. Due to the awkward silence they were both in, Taylor might think that Alex did something wrong which could lead to one of her outbursts if things didn't improve soon.
"Hey, Alex about earlier-" She stopped when seeing the uncomfortably serious expression on his face. His attention was fixed behind them, though he couldn't look clearly over his shoulder. "A-Alex, what's wrong?" Onodera was curious as to what he was fixated on.
"Uh, oh... sorry. It's just... don't look, but I've noticed that a car has been following us since we left the book store. It could be nothing but it's making me a little nervous."
Onodera felt a bit anxious as her heart started to race hearing this. "W-what are you thinking? Like it's some kind of mugger or something?"
"I'm not sure, it's a black car with tinted windows, so I can't see who the driver is. But they've been hanging around ever corner we've turned down."
Onodera took a deep breath. "So what now?"
"I don't like us being this close to the road, let's turn down this alley coming up and see if they'll move on or not."
Onodera nodded as they quickly walked down the alley entrance. They got a fair distance from the street but close enough for Alex to see if they were still being followed. The car in question slowly creeped down by, much slower then it should be going down this street.
"Something definitely seems off with that drivers behavior." Onodera noticed. "But whatever their problem is they didn't seem to pay attention to us down here."
"And if my memory is correct, this alley should lead us to the street your restaurant was at. By then whoever was in that car will probably be long gone." He said as they started walking further down the alley.
There was quite a bit of space down the alleyway, only about wide enough for one car to drive down. Besides that it was mostly filled with dumpsters and a number of back entryways to stores. For that reason there wasn't anyone around as they walked.
Back at the beginning of the alleyway Taylor noticed that the two turned down here about a minute ago for some reason.
"Just what is that Alex thinking? This is just some dirty old road, why is he going this way? Maybe he got wind of me following Onodera around and is trying to ditch me. Well, if that emo jerk thinks he'll lose me that easily he has another thing coming!"
"Hold it!" Taylor heard someone call out to her. She looked towards the voice's owner to find Jess coming up behind her.
"You must be Taylor, am I correct?"
"Wh- yeah, but who the heck are you? And how do you know my name?"
"The name's Jess. I'm a friend of Alex and sort of his boss. He's talked about someone with your description a few times before, plus he says you hate his guts so I had a pretty good idea it was you."
'How charming, another lout to deal with.' Taylor thought. Already being in a bad mood to begin with, the last thing she felt like doing was having to deal with one of Alex's friends.
"Uh Huh...and just what exactly are you doing here then?" She asked.
"I'm guessing the same reason you're here. I'm keeping an eye on Alex and giving emotional support on his date hoping it turns out okay."
"Well good for you, but I'm just here to make sure Onodera is alright. How her date plays out is between them, but Alex better mind his behavior if he knows what's good for him."
"Huh... you really don't trust him do you?"
"I don't get how you can. He's always so quiet and impossible to get a read on what he's thinking. One minute he's here the next he disappears without a word. How do you trust someone like that? Plus he's... emotionally impulsive." Taylor's voice which started off cynical soften to something resembling concern. "That day when he had that blow up... it was like someone turned on a switch that made him break down in rage. I know the subject we were talking about was upsetting, but to react so intensely..." She paused for a moment. "Do you think that makes me wrong to worry about him, to want to watch over her and make sure she's alright?"
"I don't know, his illness is new to all of us. But what I do know is that he's my friend and despite everything he's the same person I knew growing up. I wished I would've noticed that something was off earlier, but what's been done is done. I can't undo or remove the depression that's cursed him for so long, but I can do my best to be a good friend to him now. He needs to want to get better if he'll ever fully recover from his illness." He turned towards the alley to try following them. With his face away looking down the path he continued. "Onodera helped to show him that. She means so much to him, probably more then I'll ever know. That's why he's been so worried about today, he wants Onodera to know how important she is to him. That's why I'm here, to help him keep a calm head."
He turned his attention back to Taylor. "I won't pretend to know what Onodera thinks, but I would hope she feels that this day is as important as Alex does. If she does, shouldn't you as her friend be rooting her on so that she'll find some happiness too?" Jess then faced forward again and went down the alley looking for the couple.
"H-hey wait!" Taylor followed closely behind him, thinking on his words as she ran.
Meanwhile
Onodera and Alex had gone down a number of corners but found themselves out of the alleyway and back onto another street. At first glance it looked about the same as any other street, but Onodera noticed that something seemed off the more she looked around. The lighting was somewhat poor due to the tall buildings cramping so close together blocking the sunlight. A number of buildings had iron fences over their windows some of which were broken with shattered glass beneath them. This uneasy feeling was only made worse when she looked to Alex who had a worried expression on his face.
"Alex... does something about this street feel off to you, or is it just me?"
"No, it's not you. We must've taken a wrong turn down that alleyway, this isn't the friendliest part of town. We should head back right no-"
Suddenly a voice called out from behind the two of them. "Well if it isn't the beast's lapdog!" A man said in a sarcastic tone.
Both Alex and Onodera were surprised by a group of men walking up to them from up the street. Alex stood in front of Onodera in response to seeing one of the men. He was a known delinquent back at Alex's school who was constantly getting into fights and harassing people. He also had a number of scars on the right side of his face along with part of his ear missing.
"It's been a while, hasn't it... Alex right?" The men said looking down at Alex as he stood a good head taller then him. Just by looking at him you could tell that he was far stronger then Alex. He was no athlete by any means but his natural strength was more then enough to overpower Alex, meaning it would be unlikely the two of them could outrun him at this moment.
"Y-Yeah, not since graduation I'd say." Alex was nervous knowing that Onodera was in danger alongside him, but he spoke as firm as he could to not let them intimidate him.
At this point one of the other men had cut off the alleyway the two of them took to get here, meaning they were now boxed in. The man wasn't a brawler like the other was but he similarly had a bad reputation for being a cheat and a con man. Not likely to be the kind of person to walk up and punch you, but definitely someone you wouldn't want to have your back turned towards in case he would stab it. Alex didn't know who the third man was, but judging by his company he wasn't likely the most upstanding person.
The man in front of them began to speak up again. "Speaking of which, that was the last time I've seen the Beast too. Tell me, is she still running around ruining people's faces, or was that a one time thing?" The man said looking him dead in the eye, his voice sounding like he was holding back a great deal of anger.
Onodera quickly turned to Alex with a surprised look. She knew that Alex's childhood friend had a bit of a "reputation", but she didn't think much about what that really meant. Sophia may have been the one to make a number of enemies, but without her around, who was left with her stigma in town.
Author's Notes: Hello again readers, It's been a while.
Ever since I finished "Sweet Love" I've always wanted to continue Onodera and Alex's story, but I had a major issue with motivation to keep going. After a long break I'm here to continue where I left off.
I wanted to mention that this is not part 2 I talked about in the end of my last chapter, this is a side story that takes place in between the two main parts. As such, a good amount is dedicated to building up the next part. Unfortunately this also means I haven't quite gotten Onodera back to Japan yet, so she's still the only main character from the original series.
So starting this story I came face to face with my writing kryptonite... character descriptions. This is something I haven't had much experience with and hope to improve in. Alex's description is something I feel bad for not giving much information on in the original story.
When planning the events that would take place in the couple's date I had a number of ideas to use but had to cut back to keep the story on track. Some ideas sounded fun but didn't offer much besides that, so instead I focused on events that were either character focused or world building, hopefully to avoid falling into a sea of fluff.
The date Alex and Jess spoke about is mostly to explain that Alex dose have a little dating experience but also isn't confident because of it, which is why Jess is there for moral support. This isn't foreshadowing of Alex having an ex or anything like that, it was more of Sophia's doing in the first place, showing that she had good intentions for her friends but poorly executed on her part.
One scene I personally liked was Onodera speaking in Japanese to Alex. It's something I didn't have many opportunities to do before so it was fun to play with the idea, being that they've just started dating a little moment like this was nice to have. The idea of having two languages written in one is definitely going to be something I'll need to practice with as I continue the story.
Taylor also returns and continues to be an interesting character to write. She's always been a bit skeptical towards Alex but with the news about his depression she finds herself unsure of how to feel about these developments. She doesn't outright think he's a bad person but also doesn't fully trust him given their history. I like it because it shows how Alex's depression effects other people besides him and Onodera.
I was originally planning on only making this story one chapter but soon found out that it was going to be much bigger then I was expecting, so I'm working to do it in parts now, there may be about 2 or 3 in total. (I haven't worked out all the details yet.)