A.N.: And hello everyone!! It's finally time to unveil Chapter Five! Ready to get started…?
I know everyone's been looking forward to this entry for the longest time. I have too…I've been having this installment running through my head for some time, so it'll be fun to see how it pans out, and how you all think of it.
72 reviews!! You people are awesome!! Thank you, thank you…without you all I couldn't have gotten this far, especially with this narrative and humor in-check, so thank you all very much for continuing to enjoy and support this. Every single one of your comments are appreciated, I want you to know that.
But man, am I angry…really angry. I bet you've already noticed that my formatting has changed. You can thank FFN for that.
Why?
Because all of OUR formatting is gone. My fellow writer-reviewers, we can no longer use hyphens, letters, or any other marks to break our scenes and Author's (Authoress') Notes up. We are now stuck with the aforementioned underline you see here.
I hope you all are angry now, because I sure am. Go back and check your stories via "Live Preview." You'll get a furious surprise.
This has also affected our profiles too. Now we can only use these lines as separators, since the current coding of the site won't allow our previous formatting.
What does this mean..? This means that the way this fic and others among yourselves were previously arranged, the entire body is now meshed together; I only discovered this last night, and only then when I was on the Home page did I see that FFN announced that they no longer support our previous format.
I've been a member of FFN since 2000-2001…I've seen all these major/minor changes that have gone through the site, and although there have been a many which ticked me off, this one burns me the most.
I've already gone back and fixed the formatting with this fic. After this, I will fix the formatting in Portrait of a Young Woman, followed by my other multi-chaptered stories, and then lastly fix my oneshots and poems.
Altogether (counting stories and poems), I have 18 entries here. And I would have a lot more if I didn't remove my bad/discontinued stories here over time.
So, I hope you see now much this infuriates me, as it will you if it hasn't already. However, I will continue on. As long as FFN doesn't make anymore drastic changes, that is.
And so, without further delay, let's get this chapter going.
Bold: Emphasized words.
Italics: Slightly emphasized words, quotes, flashbacks, and anything else I can think of.
"What Happens After Next?"
By
Malcolm Yuy
Chapter 5: The Fateful Date
I felt like it dropped to the floor.
What's this "it" you ask..?
My jaw.
I felt like my jaw hit the floor.
But maybe I should rewind a bit, and tell you what led me to this…amusing situation.
Well first, I, Roxas Hidou, was opposed to dating women.
That was because of a terrible situation involving me, my then-girlfriend Olette, and one of my best friends in high school named Hayner.
I became cynical of relationships; but I had to admit…
I was getting to the point where I was tired of being lonely, of being single. And I began thinking about my situation.
But before I could really take my time to really get into the matter though, my stupid cousin Sora just HAD to sign me up for MusicVision'sTV dating show called Next.
Got your attention..?
Good. Then let me continue.
So, after finding out about that, I basically wanted to decapitate my cousin and bloodily dismember every one of his limbs for sport. But after I finally caught up to him, we ended up settling our differences. I then agreed to go on the stupid reality show, but my cousin reassured me that I still had to be accepted by the MusicVision first.
And I was.
Which leads to today. After meeting at a requested place, I met the other guys who would try to woo the girl that we might "supposedly" meet. And let me tell you, I was angry when I found out…
That Hayner was one of them. After boarding the bus and reaching our first destination, we picked straws to see who would go first.
I got the short end of the stick.
So as Riku, my cousin's silver-haired, best friend of-a-player, left to be the first on the date, he left the rest of us behind, being; Demyx, a mullet-blond haired, sitar-playing frat brother of mine, Marluxia, a pink-haired guy, and another frat brother of mine in my fraternity…I'm pretty sure it's a fraternity; Hayner, the slick-blond head that I hated; and lastly, me, a dirty-blond colored, spiky-styled guy, sat in the bus…
Where we basically argued amongst one another. But one thing major thing that had occurred that I did not expect was…
Hayner and I settling our differences. After Demyx had returned, and Marluxia had gone in his place, Hayner and I had ending exchanging harsh words to one another.
Only then did I discover that Hayner only went with Olette because he had heard from her that she had broken up with me at the time.
Though now I still feel a little…bitter, I guess, I decided to listen to what the guy was telling me. My heart felt like he was telling the truth.
And besides, what would you do if the girl you loved dated your best friend, and told you she broke up with him..?
I can sort-of sympathize with Hayner's situation. A little.
But, we're teetering off from the present.
So.
After we settled our differences, it was Hayner's turn to go. I watched as he left the RV, wishing the guy luck since we patched things up, only…
To have him come back minutes later saying he couldn't go through with meeting the girl. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.
But, he told me good things about the mystery date. And then he told me to go.
So, with nervousness and anticipation building up inside me, I made my way out of the big vehicle. And man, was I glad I did. I was tired of sitting there…literally. I wanted to move.
I walked into the Cultural Arts Center, the town's local museum of the arts. As my eyes darted from object-to-object…
I finally got to where I needed to be.
And now, currently gazing at the girl, I couldn't help but feel mesmerized. I had to struggle just to keep my mouth from dropping over…again.
From my point-of-view, my date was observing a painting on the left wall. From where I was standing, I could only see her profile from her left side.
But what I saw made my heart jump in anticipation, I could tell you that. My sky-colored eyes slowly began trailing from her feet to her face.
She wore dark brown cowgirl boots, followed by medium-blue colored blue jeans. My irises then gazed onto her upper body.
From what I could see at the time, it was a white tank top…or a top with thin straps enclosing her shoulders. Eyeing her shoulders, she had a slim profile, and viewing her left arm, she had three lightly-covered lavender bracelets.
And then, my eyes trailed to her face.
Or, what I could catch of it anyway.
Her hair was blonde like mine, only hers was lighter tint. Her hair reached a little past her shoulders and the nape of her neck, and it was mostly straight.
Yet, it ended in waves. And her hairstyle framed her face beautifully.
What more can I say to describe this girl..? Well, I guess the last features I took in was of course her visage.
I guess we'll start with her lips. They were a very light violet. Her nose was small and rounded, cute and delicate-seeming. And lastly, her eyes…
Were a colorful array of lavender, just like her arm bracelets. Only, these ovals had a hint of the faintest blue as well.
And then she turned her face towards me. And offered a slight smile towards me.
Or at least what I hope was me. Oh boy…
This was one of the reasons I was hesitant to get back in the dating scene again after so long.
Because I had the feeling I would be so damn shy. Crap. I hope I don't make a fool of myself.
So, I did the only thing I could do. I nervously smiled at her from the corner, before slowly walking to meet her. I could also see two of the cameramen off in the distance behind her taping us. It's not like I could forget them, even if I wanted to.
After finally getting to stand right in front of her, I took my right hand and scratched the back of my neck, getting a now-better view of her.
And she seemed to be doing the same to me.
Upon closer inspection, her tank top was actually a shimmering white cami top with a turquoise trim around the edges of her top, with a same-shaded ribbon elegantly tied in the center of her chest.
I then took a look to her right arm. On her wrist she wore a black wristband. At closer inspection, it had the initials R.G. inscribed in a custom, silver graffiti-type font, with two blocks dividing R. and G. from one another. I grinned as I looked back to her, the meaning of the logo in my wristband already inscribed in my head. She just plainly regarded me.
"So, you're a fan of Radiant Garden? They're one of my favorite bands," I mentioned. She smiled as she slightly tilted her head to the side.
"Really? Cool," she said, showing me her beautiful array of pearly whites. I don't care if I'm gushing right now; this girl is just visually amazing. And hearing her voice…
Sent shivers down my spine. She then extended a hand towards mine. "My name's Naminé by the way. Naminé Rasen," the female blonde said. I gently took it and shook it with my left.
"Naminé…that's an extension of wave, right..?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. The girl's smile widened as she continued observing me.
"That's right; not too many people know that." Her smile lessened as she decided to concentrate on me now. "So, what's your name?"
I nervously laughed as I closed my eyes for a second. Only for a second. "My name's Roxas. Roxas Hidou," I answered. She batted her delicate eyelashes at me.
"Roxas. That's a unique name," she said. I slightly chuckled again as I felt the back of my neck again, before retracting my right hand to the side.
"Yeah, I know. I have a little story to tell how I got that name, if you would like to hear it," I stated. Naminé slightly inclined her head.
"Please do." I nodded my head in return.
"Okay, well…originally, when my mother found out she was pregnant with me, she wanted to name me 'Sora'…she said it was because her and my dad found me to be a new horizon for them," I said.
"That's nice. What happened then?" the wavy-haired blonde questioned. I grinned as I continued on with my tale.
"Well, it just so happened that my aunt, my mom's younger sister, was pregnant as well; in fact, she was a little more further along than my mother was. And she found out about the name."
"So let me guess…she took it?" I nodded.
"Yep. And two months before I was born, my cousin was. So, my parents were stuck with no name. And they were really fixated with that name. So, having an 'unknown' feeling about what my name should be at the time, they temporarily labeled me as 'X'…until one day my dad, who for no apparent reason, played a word scrambling game with Sora and X, writing down the results. And he came up with Roxas." I laughed as I shook my head. "And if it wasn't for Sora, I wouldn't be here right now."
So, maybe I should actually be thankful that I got this far, thanks to my talkative, idiot of a cousin…
I'll give him more credit when I get home.
"And why would that be..?" Naminé curiously eyed me; I couldn't help but shake my head again as I looked down toward my feet.
"Because he signed me up for this show…" 'And, inadvertently, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met you.' I kept the last part in my head, inwardly smirking. "But, enough about me. What about you..?" I asked as I crossed my shoulders. I really wanted to know more about this girl. She smiled as she tampered with her fingers, looking away from me and downward towards my chest.
"Well, what do you want to know about me exactly?" Naminé hesitantly looked back up to meet my orbs, viewing me unsurely. My lips widened.
Everything. But, I don't think we have time for that. Besides, I wonder just how much of our conversation will be edited out for the show. It'll be interesting.
So, I just cupped my hand and placed my chin atop of it, thinking for a moment. When a question came to mind, I could feel my eyebrows rise as I looked to the girl.
"Uh, the basics? Like, are you interested in art? I noticed you might be as I walked through here earlier," I replied as I looked around at the assorted paintings, not really taking in anything in particular. Naminé happily inclined her head as my eyes re-diverted their attention back onto her.
"Wow, you're really astute. People would normally just glance that over." She closed her eyes as she gave me a smile, before revealing her irises again. "But yeah, I like Art…I'm an Art major at West Destiny. I hope to become a professional artist someday," Naminé spoke as she clasped her hands behind her back. I knit my hands behind my head as I looked her squarely.
"That's cool. I go to West Destiny too," I said. I nervously felt my heart beat as I saw her eyes graze mine. I was surprised I was doing as I well as I was with this girl.
"Really? What's your major..?" she asked. My grin haphazardly collapsed as I looked off into the distance.
"Eh, Literature…I uh…I want to be a writer someday. I also minor in Language," I replied hesitantly, slowly glancing to her. I saw the blonde's eyebrows rise as she heard my response.
"Oh, that's why you knew the meaning of my name…that's interesting." Naminé's smile faded as her lips calmed into a thin line. "Well, since you said you wanted to know more about me, why don't we move on from here..? There's something I want to show you," she smiled, beckoning her hand towards me, before she turned around to start walking.
I was still a little slow at processing all this. I shook my head before I hastily walked to catch up to her; Naminé was really putting me through my paces.
I just wondered what it is…
"-that you want to show me..?"
"This is what I wanted to show you." Naminé had let me to the auditorium of the Cultural Arts Center; it was primarily a dark room, the seating in stadium layout, with a nice, dark, violet-red carpet covering the area. I saw the AV room through the glass window in the back, before my blue eyes focused upon the bright spotlights that focused upon the hardwood stage that was mostly empty.
Except for a black grand piano. It was the only thing that dotted the space. Which made me wonder…
I wiggled my fingers as I went to eye her, as she went to stand by the big object. "Do you know how to play piano?" The female blonde smiled as her smooth fingers traced what I guess were the piano keys, since I was still standing near the chairs.
"Yeah, I do. My parents taught me how to play when I was little. Though, I admit, I didn't like learning how to play at first. I found it cumbersome. But I enjoy it now. Playing is one of my favorite pastimes." Naminé then sat herself at the instrument, flexing her hands. She then beckoned her right hand towards me again. "Come join me." I slightly bent my head forward as I followed her instruction, and moved over towards her. Once I came in sight of the piano bench, the blonde smiled her white dents again as she padded a space beside her.
I felt my Adam's apple bob in my throat as I felt my heart constrict again…and I think I could myself perspire on my forehead.
Man, the energy, the vibe, whatever I was feeling with this girl…was making me more nervous than ever. I laughed in my head as I approached her.
It's only been about what…twenty minutes with this girl, and already my body was physically reacting from just being around her.
If this doesn't spell out attracted to you, then maybe you need to get your head examined…
And maybe I need to reexamine myself. Maybe…
I should actually listen to my blockhead of a cousin more often…
Pssh, as if. We'll just have to see how this pans out, don't we..?
In other words: even though I've only known this girl for a short time, I already had an inkling that I wanted something more with her.
I really, really, REALLY don't want to screw this up.
I slowly inhaled some air as I sat beside Naminé, remaining calm. She grinned at me with not only her lips, but with her eyes as well. "Listen to this." She then began lacing her fingers onto the keys, and a fast-paced melody began sounding in the air. As I concentrated my ears upon the sound, I felt my eyes narrow as I couldn't recognize the song.
At least at first. But when I did, I widened my eyes in shock.
She was playing one of Radiant Garden's songs. Not were only the keys for playing the piano part pretty complex, but this song was also one of my favorites from their latest album Seconds to Stardust, entitled "Uncertainty." My ovals relaxed as a smile appeared on my face. She then began singing the first verse.
"You see all the confidence I display,
But I never let the façade fade away
Towering over me like remnants of dust
My heart cannot stand anymore of this fuss, and now
All I want is to let you inside
But I'm so afraid, trying to hide
All the truth from the lies
My insides spiral
A pain-wrenching ache that is hard to get out and now
And do you know what I want to say?
Through all the memories, the torture, all the decay
I think that I'm about to break
And I do not know how much more I can take"
Naminé's voice then rested as she started looping part of the melody around as she smiled at me. I slightly chuckled as I calmed my eyes. "No frickin' way," I said as I just heard her sing beautifully a part that's rapped by Squall "Leon" Leonheart. She just giggled at me.
"Well, am I just going to keep on looping the song forever, or is someone going to sing the chorus?" she asked, happily looking into my eyes. I blushed as I managed to point a figure at myself.
"Me..? You're kidding," I replied as I struggled to look down at white and black notes, and away from the girl's face. Naminé caught my attention again as my ears perked up on her words.
"But you know I can't finish the song without another voice," she said in a singsong tune. And her saying that got to me.
Lest I forget, I'm on a reality show, and though in "reality," the girl would probably forgive me if I bowed out, in this type of dating, I'd probably be Nexted.
And to tell you the truth, I just felt embarrassed. I love music. I really do. I love to sing too.
But I'm afraid to do it in front of other people…not to mention…
Feeling these cameras on me, hundreds, maybe thousands of people would be watching me humiliate myself later on national TV.
But I looked up at Naminé's light-colored irises. And right then and there, I decided…
To hell with embarrassment. I liked this girl, and I'll be damned if I lose this opportunity to be with a great girl from what I've seen so far…just because I didn't want to make a fool of myself...though hilariously, that's the thing I've been trying to prevent all along.
So I sucked in a breath, and closed my eyes as I succumbed to Naminé's desires. "Fine. Prompt me up." I swear I could feel the girl smile as I began training my ears, waiting for the beginning of the chorus to loop back around. And when it finally did, I felt my cheesy grin erupt as I nervously began to sing the key part that was covered by Cloud Strife.
"Can you save me?
I'm drowning
In this sea of uncertainty,
The waves are hasting, coming to get me
Please help me
Please take my hand"
My eyes had opened halfway through the chorus, and as I finished it, I looked to my right, and saw Naminé smiling. I nervously smiled at her as she continued playing the song, playing a small interlude in-between the chorus and the second verse. She then nodded to me as the second verse came. After all, this part was covered by Cloud too, and since I was taking his "place," it was my turn to go. I inhaled a short breath before I began singing again.
"I'm suffering,
I never ever thought I could lose my grip (lose my grip)
I sift through this ocean
Through storm-colored eyes and swallowing devotion
And can you see me?
Watch me as I fall (Watch me as I fall)
I need you to save me
For I'm drowning
In a sea so far away
Clinging to memories of yesterday"
As I was reciting the second verse, I felt more confidence reach me as I smiled. I turned, looking down towards Naminé's hands as they traced the melody out on the piano's keyboard, before looking to her face. I slightly blushed as I caught her eyes, but I slowly feel it fade away as she gave me an encouraging smile. I faintly nodded as I finished the verse, and, with only a second to spare, I went to sing the chorus again.
"And can you save me?
I'm drowning
In this sea of uncertainty,
The waves are hasting, coming to get me
Please help me
Please take my hand"
I could feel anticipation build up as we were about to head to the bridge. In this part of the song, both Cloud and Leon's voices harmonized together, so it made me wonder…
How my voice and Naminé's would mesh together. Well…I was about to find out. After I finished singing the chorus, I immediately began switching to the bridge.
"And do you see me (Do you see me)?
Struggling (Struggling)?
Treading water,
Never felt farther under
And I wish I…
And I wish I…
And I wish I…
Could help you understand"
We looked to each other as we sang together there, my eyes catching her lavender ones within the auditorium. For feeling as nervous as hell a few minutes ago, I felt a lot calmer now. I could imagine the electric guitars and the drums sync with the piano as Naminé played another interlude linking the bridge with the chorus. And as the chorus came back around, it was time to finish the song, together.
"Can you save me?
For I'm drowning
In this sea of uncertainty (uncertainty)
The waves are coming,
My time is coming
Please help me…
Please take my hand…
Take my hand…
Please take my...hand"
Naminé then played the last keys of the songs, before her two fingers trailed off of the piano keys. I felt my heart faintly beat as silence came into the room.
Man, was I beat. I was glad that that was over. But still...
As I looked to Naminé, I couldn't help but think to myself…
I need to stop being such a pansy so often.
The female blonde smiled unsurely at me from under her beautiful bangs, before sweeping them to the side with a flip of her hair. She revealed to me her pearly whites as she began to speak.
"So, what did you think of that?" I managed a grin as I thought back the moment we shared only a few seconds ago.
"I thought that was amazing," I responded. Her smile only widened as she looked to me.
"Good, I'm glad. You have a nice voice by the way," she said, catching me off-guard with that compliment. I could feel my cheeks slightly redden from the praise.
"Oh, uh, thanks. You do too," I grasped to say. And then I noticed something…
I was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her. And sitting really close to her like this was really starting to get to me. And why did I just begin noticing now that we were really close..?
I'm paranoid.
I mentally sighed as Naminé's smile faded. "So, you ready to go? I don't know about you Roxas, but all that singing and playing has made me hungry. I think I could use a bite," she stated. She smiled as she closed her ovals. "How about you..?"
My eyes slightly widened as I couldn't help but notice the proximity of our faces. And for some reason, I could see a little version of my annoying best friend pop in my mind.
"Well, if you need something to bite, you can bite me…" I heard him say mockingly in a cheap imitation of my voice. I shook my head as I got the guy out of my mind.
Stupid Axel. And stupid me for thinking that perverted thought.
Anyways, I was glad she had closed her irises for a second. "Yeah, I'd like that. Let's go," I said. Naminé revealed her orbs as she nodded her head, before turning to the side of the bench to get off. I followed her suit, turning in the opposite direction as I got off the piano bench. I sighed tiredly, but also in relief.
I just hope the rest of our date isn't THIS exhausting, 'cause I'm telling you, in the lyrics of Leon Leonheart…
I don't know how much I can take before I melt into a pool of putty.
It felt much better outside; the light-blue of the skies, the swirling white clouds…it was nice.
For the next part of our date, Naminé had chosen for us to eat at Elena's Brick-Oven Pizzeria. Coincidentally and conveniently, it was located across the street from the Cultural Arts Center.
When we had gone in, the hostess, a young woman with blonde hair like us, asked us where we'd like to sit. And thankfully, from being tired of being inside, Naminé had chosen that we sit outside.
Which brings us to where we are now; or, should I say, I.
We sat on the front patio, at an umbrella-table near the small black fence that rectangled the area. The floor had light-squared tiles, and though the table was plastic and white, the umbrella that shaded us was colored in red and white. I was currently eyeing my menu after we had recently ordered our drinks.
"Anything catching your eye..?" Naminé's voice rang through the air as I read one of the items under Pasta. I cocked an eyebrow as I lowered the folded object a little to get a peek of her.
"I don't know…what about you..? Found something?" I asked in return, a slight smile on my face. I gotta admit; I was a bit curious. The girl grinned as she looked at me.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to get the Black Olive Salad. I was also thinking on getting a pizza, but I decided to back down…unless, you wouldn't mind sharing with me, that is," Naminé answered. My smile deepened as I gazed at her.
"I can't see why not. What toppings do you want?" Naminé gave me an appreciative smile, before cupping her left hand near her mouth. One of her fingers traced her lips as she thought upon the matter. Seriously…
I thought it was cute. And no, I'm not insensitive; since when did we guys get the stereotype that we can't be so?
I blushed at the thought, blinking my eyes as I tried to whisk it away. I gave my full attention to her as she parted her lips to talk.
"Well, I like pepperoni and sausage…is that okay with you?" She questioned. I closed my orbs as I gave her an honest answer.
"I like pepperoni…but not sausage." I slid open my irises as I viewed hers again. Naminé's once cupped hand was now to the side, as she had her elbows up on the table. She wiggled a finger, and I chuckled mentally, pondering whether-or-not she knew she was doing it. The light-blonde managed a soft reverse-frown as she observed me.
"Well then, why don't we order half pepperoni, half pepperoni and sausage..?" I faintly nodded my head, returning her expression with a pleasant one.
"That'll work." She smiled as she took a sip of her drink, a glass of ice water spiced with lemon through a white straw.
"Good." I then followed by taking a sip of my pink lemonade…don't judge me.
A person, who I was guessing our server from the way they were dressed, came up and smiled as they approached us. "Hey guys. Ready to order..?" Naminé and I shared a glance before looking back up to the waiter.
"I'll have a Black Olive Salad."
"Sound's good," the waiter said, as he took a pencil out of his spiky red hair, jotting down the details on small, yellow notepad. He then smirked as he looked to me, and I returned the said smirk with one of my own. Let's just say…
I sorta personally know the guy. "And what will you have, punk?" he said. I just rolled my eyes at him.
"I'll have the garlic knots, and for the lady and I…" I blushed as I quickly glimpsed Naminé before looking back to him. "We'll have a medium-sized, half pepperoni and half pepperoni and sausage," I told him. He nodded his head as he wrote the order down.
"And the crust…?"
"Thick."
"What style, Bastion or Traverse..?"
"Bastion."
"And do you want dipping sauce with the knots?"
"Yes."
"And how much are you going to tip me..?"
"It depends on how much— ugh, shut up Reno," I said, embarrassed that the waiter won our little playing game. The now-identified server just laughed as he shook his head.
"That's zero to one." He then penciled all the details down, before looking back to us. "Well, I'll place the order in, and then I'll come back when it's ready. You two have fun." Reno then turned his back to us, about to leave, when apparently something popped into his head. He turned back around to face me. "Oh, and Roxas, could you tell that idiot brother of mine that I said 'hey'..?" The spiky redhead asked. I smiled as I inclined my head at him.
"Sure. I'll tell Axel," I replied. Reno smiled back.
"Thanks man, 'preciate it." His smile then disappeared. "I'll get those orders in now. Later." The tall brother of Axel then left the table, leaving me and Naminé to ourselves…and the camera crew. Yeah, don't think I didn't just up and forget them.
Naminé mused at me as she crossed her fingers. "Who's Axel..?" she inquired. I turned to look back to her.
"He's my best friend. And that was his older brother Reno; he's a Senior at West Destiny," I explained. The blonde nodded her head in understanding.
"Cool." She then took another sip of her water before she spoke to me again. "So, tell me Roxas, what do you think of this date so far..?" Naminé slowly asked. I could feel the heat creep up in my cheeks as I took in the question.
I also wondered what she thought of it also. My cheeks tingled rose as I looked to her. "I like being with you, if that's what you mean. I admit, you put me in some embarrassing spots-" and to this I could swear that she blushed "-but I've really enjoyed it so far," I finished. She sighed in relief as she looked to me.
It looks like I'm finally beginning to see another side to this girl. A side that maybe isn't so confident about everything.
And I like it. It makes me feel close to her. And during this entire activity, I've had no idea of what she's thought of me so far.
Until now.
"That's great, because I've really liked being with you too. The other guys were a… bit weird," she stated, managing to get a laugh. I shared that laugh with her.
"And how…" We both shook our heads as we looked away from each other for a moment. We stopped laughing, and I sighed as I began calming down. It seems I've been calming down a lot lately.
But then again, I've been struggling this entire time only because I've been around a fantastic girl…and the good thing is, it's getting easier.
But I still like the fact that I can still my heart pour out to the rest of my body. This emotion was…exciting. I then looked up to her as I heard her voice speak again.
"You know, I may not look like it…but I'm very inexperienced when it comes to these things," I heard Naminé say. I widened my blue orbs in shock as stared at her. I bet my mouth was gaped open again. She scoffed as she viewed my expression. "I know, funny right..?" I shook my head as I clamped my mouth shut.
"You're kidding," I replied. She shook her head at me.
"I wish I was. To tell you the truth Roxas, I wasn't very confident growing up. I was actually…really shy. I guess you could say I was a bookworm. Of course I had my crushes; doesn't everybody…? But I was too timid to do anything about it…that was, until my cousin got me to thinking. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be the person you see now," Naminé said.
My eyes widened as I raised my eyebrows. "Wow, I never would've guessed." I slightly chuckled before letting out the next sentence, my dimples reddening all-the-while. "I'm glad you're more confident now Naminé; you're a very beautiful girl, inside and out." I averted my orbs to the table, because I admit, I was afraid of what she would say. She dissipated my fears though as my ears picked up on her words.
"Thank you. I'm glad you said that." I looked up to see her smile at me, and I felt my heart beat in a flush of light. I struggled to return a smile.
"You're welcome." Silence then enveloped us for a moment, before I felt compelled to ask the next question. "What did you feel the need to tell me this…? You didn't have to you know," I said. Naminé gave me a wistful smile.
"I know, but I wanted to…there's just something about you. I feel I can…confide in you. Am I right?" she asked, almost hesitantly. I gave her a reassuring smile, along with a nod. "Great. What about you? Do you feel you can confide in me…?"
And this was the one big question that got me thinking. Confiding was the big thing that cost me my last relationship.
But then again, Naminé ISN'T Olette, so this scenario is totally different…and with the way I feel…
"I don't know. I want to. Believe me Naminé, I do," I squeaked out. Concern showed in the girl's lavender ovals as she observed me. She slightly widened her irises at me.
"What do you mean..?" I sighed before I began taking in a few breaths.
Apparently, this issue still affected me. My main problem was now coming full circle.
My breath became ragged as I tried my best to get my next words into the open. "Let's just say that in the past…I…I had an experience that freshly lingers in my mind," I said. I looked away depressingly as I still thought about it.
"Was it really bad..? If you don't want to, you don't have to talk about it. I shouldn't have asked you that question," Naminé stated. I could feel her gaze leave me, and I glanced upwards to see how she felt. She looked sad. I felt my heart ache.
"No, it's alright. I know we haven't known each other that long Naminé, but you told me you confide in me. And I want to confide in you," I sentenced, causing her to look back to me. I slightly smiled, glad that I had now gotten her attention. "You see, I've never really had much experience with dating either. But, I DID have one girlfriend in high school. And I really liked her. I almost thought I loved her too." I glimpsed to a window of the restaurant for a moment before continuing my speech. "But, she cheated on me, and let's just say…it left a scar on me. However…" I wiggled a finger, as I hesitantly looked into her eyes.
Naminé seemed uncertain, waiting for what I was going to say next. I fought to give her a reassuring smile as I glanced to her right hand, the hand with the Radiant Garden wristband, laying flat upon the table. I then slowly moved my left hand to touch hers.
"…I'm over it now. And in a way, I'm glad it happened. Because if it didn't…I wouldn't of met you," I said, my cheeks blushing. I waited with anticipation to see how the blonde would react. And I felt the warmth in my heart spread when I saw her smile. I felt her lace her fingers with mine.
"Well, I'm sorry you had to go through that Roxas." I simply shook my head, and as I looked to her violet-blue orbs, I slightly chuckled.
"Thanks, but don't worry about it Naminé. I'm not."
"Whew. I'm glad those cameras are off me."
And I was glad they were; even though I had become more relaxed around them, I was still relieved to no longer have someone's eye on me.
I twisted my key as I unlocked the door to my dorm. After doing such, I smiled as I placed my hands in my pockets. I walked into the mini-kitchen, which I thought would be empty…
Only to see my cousin and my best friend standing there, giving me the weirdest looks I've seen…them give me. I cocked an eyebrow at them.
"Why are you guys looking at me like that..?" I stood there for a moment, eyeing them curiously.
That was, until Sora took his hands and started shaking my shoulders furiously. I felt like I was going to faint from all the shaking.
"Come on cous', tell us how it went down! Did you meet the date? How did Riku do? Details, details, DETAILS!!" he shouted. I screamed my lungs off.
"Can you stop shaking me first?! Damn," I angrily replied as my brunet-haired relative suddenly let me go. I turned to catch a breath, before looking to Axel. He laughed at my expense.
"Man, I thought you had gone crazy for a second Rox…you were ACTUALLY smiling. Did I see you smile? I thought I saw you smile," he noted.
I just shook my head at the flamed-haired guy. "Shut up Axel," I stated plainly. I then went to go rummage a Coke from the fridge. I smirked as I found a can, before I popped it open and took a swig. I then looked to my friends as Axel crossed his arms.
"So you aren't going to tell us anything about the date, anything at all?" I just shook my head.
"Not right now I'm not. I'm beat," I answered. I glimpsed my eyes towards them. And as I noticed the look in both Sora's and Axel's orbs, I smirked.
"But I will tell you one thing…it was an experience I'll never forget."
So, how did Roxas' date with Naminé end..? Did he make it to the finale, and get asked for a second date? Did he get offered munny? If so, how much was it, and how much did the date last? Did he "take the munny and run," or did he ask Naminé for another outing..? All this and more will be answered in the exciting conclusion of What Happens After Next?!
Man, was that an exciting entry to write. It still gets me, since I'm wondering what you all will think of this…I hope you all enjoyed it. I also hope you see that Roxas is more serious in this one because the situation he's in warrants him so…but at least he's still making jokes at his own expense…and his two friends as always.
Roxas finally met Naminé. And it seems he REALLY likes her. In the final chapter, we'll see how their date wraps up. Also, we'll get to see what happened with the other guys (Riku, Demyx, Marluxia, and enough of Hayner). It'll still be in Roxas' point-of-view, so don't worry fans!!
And "Uncertainty?" Well, I wrote that song for this fic. Personally, when I was first thinking about this entry, I thought that the first part of the date would consist of Roxas and Naminé observing paintings and Naminé asking Roxas what he thought of them…but as you can see, as I began writing the dialogue, the story went into a completely different direction. I then got the idea of their "duet" from creating the Radiant Garden wristband that Naminé wears…I personally equate Radiant Garden to Linkin Park…BEFORE "Minutes to Midnight" came out.
I also got the idea of Reno from another fic…I can't remember quite what it was about…I think in that one Naminé liked Axel…or something or other. But in that one, he was the owner of a restaurant…in this one he works under Elena, if you guys get the Turks reference, which I hope you do.
I basically framed the Cultural Arts Center and Elena's Brick-Oven Pizzeria after actual places in the town where my university is located. Near the University of West Georgia, there's a restaurant called Parelli's Brick-Oven Pizzeria, and across is the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center. The architecture of the Cultural Arts Center reminds me of Twilight Town…it's mainly composed of light brown brick, even though West Destiny isn't in Twilight Town.
Well, as always my fellow readers and writers, may you like this chapter, and please, read and review. 'Till next time, au revoir!!- Malcolm Yuy