Chapter 7: What I think about you...
I laughed a little and looked down. Again, silence fell upon us. We didn't speak, but we were in an understood silence. We knew just what the other was thinking, and that made the silence okay. When we finally reached the park, my new friends began to run around like idiots, tagging each other, or racing. But either way, they were having fun. Roxas and I, however, took the next approach. We had come here to talk.
Automatically, we both approached the sakura tree. Only, instead of sitting on the bench, we took seats in the shade of the tree. We both looked to a spot near the trunk to the tree, and walked over to it. We turned around, not thinking about the other, and sat. Slowly, as I began to lean back, I felt my back against something, and I knew it was him. I hugged my knees, and smiled. We were now sitting back to back alongside the beautiful cherry blossom tree.
"Namine?" He said slowly, as if he had never said it before.
"Yeah?"
"What do you... think of me?"
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't just tell him what I really thought, he'd think it was stupid. But I couldn't help wondering. My mind wandered back to what Kairi, Selphie, and Olette had said. My cheeks got pink again.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yeah. I heard you. I... what do you mean?"
"I don't know how else to ask it." He sounded puzzled.
"Well, do you mean like, the way you look, or like... the way you act, or just... in general?"
"Everything." He said, and he sounded like he was smiling.
"Oh. Everything. Um... tell me where to start." I was trying to stall, thinking of how to say it.
"With the way I look." He said, his voice was cheery.
"Well, you certainly sound very confident."
"Namine, please. You've seen me. Is there any reason not to be?" I laughed, and he did, too.
"No, I guess not." I could tell his smile softened, even though I wasn't looking at him. I was picturing the way he might look right now, when I found that words were drabbling out of my mouth. I must have looked pretty weird, just sitting there telling this boy how I thought he looked, hugging my knees, and staring out. "I think... hm... well, you have a great smile. It's really sweet, and it makes you look soft. I like the way your hair kind of covers your eyes a little, and the way it spirals." I giggled, aware of what I was saying, but almost unaware of his presence. "And they way you use your eyes."
"What do you mean?"
I got quieter. "The way you look at me."
It was silent for a moment. "What about the way I act?"
I smiled softly to myself. "What does this have to do with what we came here to talk about?"
"Just answer the questions. Then you can take your turn." I giggled a bit.
"Okay, okay. Hm... well, you're really sweet, but you know when to be serious. And I haven't really talked to you enough to know for sure, but the way your friends treat you, it seems like you're funny. I know you make me smile."
"And um... in general?"
"I like you a lot. You're really great."
"Thanks." Silence, I didn't know what to ask him. I remember, I kept looking back at him, almost just to see if he was looking at me, and much to my pleasure, I was repeatedly caught.
"Okay! I thought of one!"
He laughed a little. "What is it?"
"What do you think about me?" He laughed. "What? It's a serious question!"
"You just completely ripped that off of me!" I paused, then began to laugh with him.
"Well who cares! Just answer."
"No! There are no repeatsies!"
"Roxas, come on. I just want to know."
"Okay. Well, I guess..."
---
She laughed and stopped looking at me, I didn't know why. I didn't know what to say, but I knew it was alright, because she knew what I was thinking. When we finally got to the park, the others started to run around and have fun, but me and Namine headed straight for the cherry blossom tree. I guess that maybe the reason was that it bloomed so early, but either way, the tree wasn't wilting anytime soon.
Today, I wanted things to be different, special. I knew that the sakura tree, even after only two meetings, had kind of become our spot, something special to us. So, instead of sitting on the bench, we took to the grass next to the tree trunk. Completely by accident, though neither of us cared, we ended up sitting back to back, it was almost better to talk that way, actually. Feeling their presence, but you didn't have to face them.
"Namine?" I asked.
"Yeah?" She responded, but it didn't really seem like she was paying much attention.
"What do you... think of me?" Because I just had to know.
I had to hear what she really thought. If it was anything like mine, then I knew she wouldn't think I was completely stupid. My mind was wandering to things Hayner and the others had told me a while back. If I ever met a girl I really liked, like... REALLY liked, I had to go for it, and keep her near. Because, if I knew any one thing, it would be that she was special. Namine, for instance, was one in a million.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yeah. I heard you. I... what do you mean?"
"I don't know how else to ask it." I said.
"Well, do you mean like, the way you look, or like... the way you act, or just... in general?" She sounded like she was trying to avoid it altogether.
I smiled. "Everything."
"Oh. Everything. Um... tell me where to start." She was trying to hold it back as long as she could, I was trying to get it over with. Like the ice cream the first time we met. It was the instant rush of cold through our already freezing bodies.
"With the way I look." I said, trying to sound happy.
"Well, you certainly sound very confident." She said, jokingly.
"Namine, please. You've seen me. Is there any reason not to be?" We both laughed, I guess I was okay looking. I never really thought about it. I guess the part of 'my best friend Hayner' was just kind of starting to play out. Uh-oh. Not when I'm with her... please.
"No, I guess not." My smile softened with those words. I guess I was okay looking... "I think... hm... well, you have a great smile. It's really sweet, and it makes you look soft. I like the way your hair kind of covers your eyes a little, and the way it spirals." She laughed, or giggled, because it sounded so much sweeter. "And they way you use your eyes."
"What do you mean?" I asked, a little nervous about what she meant.
Her tone softened. "The way you look at me."
It was silent for a moment. "What about the way I act?"
"What does this have to do with what we came here to talk about?"
"Just answer the questions. Then you can take your turn." She laughed, I smiled, knowing I had caused it.
"Okay, okay. Hm... well, you're really sweet, but you know when to be serious. And I haven't really talked to you enough to know for sure, but the way your friends treat you, it seems like you're funny. I know you make me smile."
"And um... in general?" I asked, a little afraid, although I didn't know why.
"I like you a lot. You're really great." My smile was completely lost. I was thankful, so I thanked her. ...Go figure.
"Thanks." Silence, I waited for her to ask something. Every time I looked back at her, her eyes were just drifting away, and I smiled.
"Okay! I thought of one!" She yelled suddenly.
I laughed a little. "What is it?"
"What do you think about me?" I laughed... again. "What? It's a serious question!"
"You just completely ripped that off of me!" She stopped, thinking I guess, and started to laugh, too.
"Well who cares! Just answer."
"No! There are no repeatsies!"
"Roxas, come on. I just want to know."
"Okay. Well, I guess..."
---
Suspense fills the air! What will happen next?!