Mailroom Palaver

Part 6

The package had arrived.

Amu had gotten to the point where she was nearly convinced that an ulcer was developing in her stomach. Soon her grey hair would be coming in and worry wrinkles would coat her face in places she didn't know wrinkles could exist.

All that washed away once her eyes settled on the small, rectangular box that had finally been delivered.

She gave out a squeal of happiness as she bounced up and down, her cheeks flushing in excitement while her heart thumped against her ribcage.

It had finally arrived, and two days before December, too!

Once dashing back into her apartment, she ripped open the box, watching the pencil-length object encased in a rectangular container flop out.

Grinning, the pinkette dug into the hallway closet for the birthday wrapping paper.

She could hardly contain her excitement as she stuck the bright blue bow on top of the freshly wrapped box that easily fit in both her hands. If she mailed it out by the end of the day, it could easily make it to its destination by December 1st, she figured nervously. If not, then it would just have to be late. She really didn't understand why she was mailing it in the first place, as the gift was for Ikuto.

A part of her just figured that having him get it in the mail would be a little more unsuspected as opposed to her handing it to him in person.

She was on an emotional high for the majority of the day, until a call from her ex-boyfriend broke that trance.

Amu sighed deeply as his name lit up on her phone. She sat at the table, finishing up a letter to her grandma when he called. Her first reaction was to chuck the phone against the wall then drown herself, but, with her teeth gritted, she reached over and pressed 'ignore'.

It's not that she had a problem speaking with him, because she really didn't. The only issue was that he still wasn't over her and having a conversation with him wouldn't exactly help get rid of his lingering feelings. Plus, beginning to converse again would result in a friendship, which would spark hope inside Tadase that their relationship could move on to dating again.

At these thoughts, Amu was able to convince herself that avoiding him was the best choice. She turned back to her letter, picking up her pen once more.

By the time she had finished writing it the sun was setting and her back was in need of a good cracking.

She peered around her apartment, a rush of sadness tingling her insides. Ikuto had returned the other day and took Yoru home. Her home felt so empty without the lazy fur ball rolling through the hallways.

Yawning, Amu glanced out the window, then to the time, deciding she'd drag herself back down to the mailroom to send off her letter.

She exited the elevator and hummed quietly to herself as she wandered over to the mailroom. Her grandma's letter was clutched in one hand, her letter-opener in the other, and Ikuto's present was tucked in the back pocket of her jeans. Only half of the box fit in her pocket, so she pulled her shirt lower to cover the half that was sticking out.

She wasn't too sure why she brought the opener with her, but Ikuto always seemed to need it, so it was almost a habit to take it with her whenever she went to get the mail.

Her stomach flipped happily once entering the nook.

Ikuto's back was towards her, his black, button-up shirt and dark jeans proudly showing off his physique. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he leaned against the counter, writing something down on an envelope. His black violin case lay on the floor at his shoes.

Amu silently crept up behind him and stood on her tip-toes so she could reach her hands around him and cover his eyes, her stomach nearly resting on his back.

"Oh, which midget would feel the need to cover my eyes?" He wondered aloud in an obvious teasing tone.

Dropping her hands from his eyes, Amu swatted the back of his head before moving to stand at the counter beside him. She set her letter on the ledge in front of her and reached across Ikuto's front to borrow one of his stamps.

The lights above them flickered.

"Do you know when they're going to fix the electricity problem?" she asked grumpily.

Ikuto rested a hand on her lower back as he maneuvered behind her to take a stamp off the sheet she took from him. "I wouldn't be surprised if they don't even realize it's a problem," he responded lightly, returning to his previous stance.

His hand gently lifted from her back and Amu swore the goose bumps on her arms were a result of the cold air and nothing else.

They both leaned over the counter, busying themselves with the finishing touches on their letters. Their arms brushed on multiple occasions, though neither of them made a move to put space between them.

It wasn't long before a set of footsteps fumbled down the hallway, joining them in the mailroom in no time at all.

"O-oh, good evening, Hinamori-san!" Seiichiro greeted with an admiring smile and a nervous hitch in his voice. "And Tsukiyomi-san."

Seiichiro having a major crush on Amu was no secret between the residents of the apartment building.

As the new arrival rummaged through his mailbox, rambling on about how the electricity was on the fritz again, Amu and Ikuto shared a secret smile. They seemed to lean in closer to each other to lower their voices for only their ears to hear.

"He's a charmer," Ikuto murmured with a wink.

Once realizing what he was encouraging, Amu blushed as her eyes widened in alarm, "N-no way!"

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled, nonetheless. "I've already had my fill of overly-sensitive boyfriends, but thanks anyway."

This seemed to pique Ikuto's interest as he arched an eyebrow and bumped his shoulder against hers, "Ah, yes, and how is dear Tadase these days?"

She tried not to shoot daggers at him, "He's as clingy as ever."

"I thought you guys broke up."

"We did."

Ikuto hummed as a sly smirk grew on his face, nodding once to show he understood what her situation was. It made Amu frown. He had never mentioned having a girlfriend and she didn't think he was gay. She knew so much about him yet at the same time he was a complete mystery.

Seiichiro seemed to finish checking his mail and bid them farewell, sneaking another shy smile at Amu before he hurried off, clearly trying to hide the deep blush that was quickly spreading across his cheeks.

The pinkette laughed softly at his cuteness. She shook her head, smiling to herself as she turned to make her way over to the outgoing postbox. She stopped walking once recognizing the figure at the door.

Instantly leaping to hide behind Ikuto, Amu's wide-eyed gaze peered over his shoulder, watching the blond-haired boy press a few numbers on the intercom outside the front doors.

Ikuto pretended not to notice Amu's odd behavior. However, once she grabbed onto the back of his shirt and turned him so that he was facing the doorway, keeping her out of view, he forced himself not to laugh after recognizing the blond visitor.

"Why is Tadase here?" he asked coyly, tilting his head back and to the side so he could peer over his shoulder at her.

Amu shook her head quickly, fists still tightly gripping his shirt, "I don't know! He called me earlier but I didn't pick up." Her honey-colored eyes were wide as she peered around Ikuto once again.

Tadase must have been dialing the numbers to her apartment, as he seemed to not be getting an answer. He continued to press buttons, his ruby-red eyes glancing into the lobby.

Plastering herself to the wall that enclosed the mailroom, the pinkette gripped her grandma's letter tightly in one hand with half her mind focused on the small gift in her back pocket.

"Ikuto, could you go…sh-shoo him away?" She asked in a loud whisper.

Ikuto arched a brow, depositing his letter into the outgoing mailbox.

"I don't know the guy."

"Doesn't matter! Just…toss him into the garden."

"…Right."

"Ikuto!" Amu pleaded, her eyes wide in desperation.

Their gazes met- Ikuto's unimpressed one mixing with her worried one.

Finally, he sighed, nudged his violin case closer to her, and started walking towards the door. "You owe me."

While the two boys were conversing at volumes too low for Amu to hear, she slowly crawled over to the outgoing mail box and deposited her grandmother's letter along with Ikuto's birthday gift. A surge of excitement flipped through her stomach as she bit back a smile. It was a silly gift, but a part of her hoped it would remind him of how they first met.

The pinkette smiled softly at the memory and heard the lobby door close, bringing her back to her previous panicking state.

Ikuto rounded the corner into the mailroom with a noticeable smile tugging at his lips.

After sending a suspicious look his way, Amu peered around the wall to see Tadase no longer there.

"Wh-what did you say?" she asked quickly, her eyes wide as she jumped up to her feet.

Reaching down to gather up his violin, Ikuto slung the strap around his shoulder and made his way towards the staircase, the same sneaky smile on his face.

"You'll never know."