Chapter 20. Confessions
It was a hot, sticky summer day at the University. Rin had put on his nicest t-shirt and cut-off jeans, trying his best to appear as attractive as possible while remaining cool enough for being out in the weather. He grabbed his wallet and headed out to meet the girl down by the waterfront. When he got there, she was waiting for him in a pair of high-waisted jean shorts and a cop tee, hiding her eyes behind large sunglasses and an over sized floppy hat, her nose plastered to her phone as she texted. He couldn't help but to beam excitedly when he saw her looking so cute.
It was their first time actually hanging out totally alone. When he had invited her out the other day, he was practically sweating through his shirt from being so nervous. But of course, she just smiled as sweetly as ever and accepted the invitation rather eagerly.
Today was the day, he told himself repeatedly. He was going to make his move on her. He was going to let her know how he felt about her. The problem was, he didn't even really know how he felt about her himself—he just knew he was drawn to her and he couldn't get enough. She might not have been his typical type, but perhaps he just needed to broaden his horizons and think outside the box. She was beautiful after all, in her own way, but she could be so brash at times. And then, of course, there was Shiemi, who he adored. But he just couldn't get this girl out of his head for some reason.
The two of them strolled the boardwalk, trying new strange foods, and some of the best versions of usual, every day things that usually weren't very amazing—like macaroni and cheese, or shaved ice. Everything was revamped and tickled new tastebuds. She had made sure to repeatedly either buy her own food, or to switch back and forth on who bought what during the day, which Rin thought was really awesome of her.
They walked through a bunch of the shops, trying on random clothing and putting together the most ridiculous outfits, turning it into a haute couture battle of ensemble fails which they modeled like a runway. Some other shop goers got in on the action and applauded the outrageous and bizarre, giving everyone a good laugh. Rin's stomach did a flip every time the girl would pull him in close for a selfie of their worst outfits they managed to throw together. Lime green pant suits with alligator boots, five belts configured to look like an astronaut harness, neon heart sunglasses—don't forget the ugliest handbag they had ever seen. He often found her distracted, smiling at something on her phone, but would get her attention and make her laugh until she almost snorted.
Venturing into some of the oddity shops, they marveled at the strange combinations of animals some taxidermists would stitch together, or the shrunken heads or shark egg sacks that were on display. The two friends laughed their way well into the evening, when the sun threw crimson lights across the sky and the old glass street lamps buzzed on. They sat on the beach eating ice cream as the sun went down, listening to the gentle lap of the waves, talking about their lives rather deeply. Rin found an abandoned towel on the beach and draped it over her legs as a chill rolled in from the water, and scooted in close to her so they could share. She began telling him stories of some of her awful ex-boyfriends, and how terribly they had treated her. He told her how happy he was that she was out of such a situation, and reminded her that she was worth so much more than that heartache.
Things were doing so well between them, and he just couldn't take it anymore. While looking her deep in the eyes, the sun setting ever so perfectly in the back drop, he slowly closed his eyes and leaned in close—only to have her reposition her whole body and swerve out of the way of his incoming face.
"Ouch man, are you serious?" Shima said, sucking air in through his gritted teeth.
Rin slammed his head onto the table in defeat. "Yep."
"Well, what did she say?"
"That she saw me more as a little brother!" Rin whimpered, wincing his eyes closed as tight as he could while his heart broke for a second time, reliving the moments. Raising his head and sniffling, he wiped his nose. "I asked her if there was someone else."
"And?" Shima questioned.
It was a hot, sticky summer day at the University. The girl lounged in her bikini by the pool, large sunglasses and an over sized floppy hat shielding her from the sun, her nose plastered to a book. The door to the large mansion opened, as the tall figure of a dark haired man exited onto the patio, carrying two iced teas in his hands. The girl eyed him from under the safety of her dark glasses, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.
He motioned for her to scoot up on the reclined chair, and he sat behind her, pulling her back almost into his lap. The two were interrupted by her phone chiming, alerting her of a new text. Setting her book down, she opened the message from Rin, where he was asking her if they were still meeting up later that day. The man behind her grumbled lowly about the impending get-together, to which she assured him that there was nothing to worry about.
After all, Rin was more like the carefree, silly little brother she had never had.
