[A/N] - Gah! I'm in such a good mood despite my horrible week!
It was just the horrible, study-required, finish-project-at-last-second-even-though-it-was-assigned-weeks-ago kind of weeks. I finished it by the way, AND got a hundred! :D
But right, today was our homecoming game and we won! The first time in YEARS! It was so fun and so exciting and I don't think I'll get my voice back for a while. And once I got home I showered, got into some snuggy pajamas, had a huge slice of Micheal Angelo's pizza, and then decided to write!
So it's finished and now I'm going to go watch a movie and eat some ice cream!
I love my life. (:
Risa woke up with an odd feeling in her stomach. Was it nerves? Gas?
She stretched her long limbs and sat up. She racked her thoughts to find out what was causing her anxiety.
Ah.
She was leaving tomorrow.
She sighed and realized she had woken up alone in the room again.
Then last night crashed into her memory.
'Did that really happen?' she asked herself, pulling the covers up to her chin and looking into space. 'Did he really say he loves me? Did he really kiss me like that?'
She did know whether to feel relieved or nervous that Otani was not in the room. What would they have said to one another? Would it have been weird between them after last night?
Where was he now?
She sat up and got dressed into a long shirt and leggings, clipped in two bobby pins into the hair, and slipped on some flats before looking for her boyfriend.
"Ah, looking for Otani?" asked a voice behind her.
She turned around to see a quirky looking boy with thick glasses.
"Oh, hello! Yes I am, are you one of his friends?"
He nodded, "He told me you might wake up soon and for me to tell you he'll be right back."
"Where'd he go?"
He pushed up his glasses nervously. "He said I shouldn't say…"
Risa tapped her chin and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Where would he go this early in the morning? And not want her to know?
"Is he getting breakfast?"
The boy shook his head and pushed up his glasses again. "I'm sorry miss, but I shouldn't disobey."
Risa huffed and began walking down the hall in search of Otani. The boy made a noise of hesitance, as if debating to stop her or not.
She happened to look in a window she passed by and froze. Otani was hugging Miki.
Dread, anger, betrayal, jealousy, denial, and confusion all crashed down at her at once. She turned to the boy.
"What's he doing hugging her like that?!"
He cringed. "I'm sorry! I don't know!"
She looked back out the window and then at him, her eyes angry and hurt. "Why's he doing that?"
"I can assure you I don't know!"
Storming her way down the stairwell, she raced over to them.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Risa asked Miki angrily.
They looked at her in surprise. Otani's face was guilty and she felt like punching him.
"Koizumi…" he began.
She turned to him, fire burning in her eyes. She clenched her fists, "What's going on?"
"I like Atsushi-kun!"
Shocked, they both turned to Miki who was glaring at Risa.
"I can't just stand here and wait until you two break up. I don't care if my ways are dishonest and sneaky. I'm going to win against you, Koizumi Risa."
Risa's eyes opened wide and then huffed. "Good luck! I've been fighting for this midget for two years! I'm not going to lose to you!"
Suddenly, she leaned in and kissed Otani. His eyes widened.
Risa's heart stopped.
They broke apart and Miki smiled at Otani (whose expression was equal to one of someone witnessing a car crash) and then smirked at Risa.
Her head was bowed, her shoulders tense, and her fists clenched.
"K- K- Koizumi," Otani squeaked, stepping back from Miki, his hands up in defense.
Suddenly, Risa's arm swung back and socked Miki in the face. She fell heavily onto the ground and Otani's jaw dropped.
Scandalized, she looked up at Risa, putting a hand to her swelling cheek.
"Don't you dare kiss my boyfriend in front of my face! You can't win against me if I already have him!"
Miki stood and went to pull Risa's hair. They got into a physical fight and suddenly, Otani pushed himself in between them and grabbed Risa's wrist to keep her from slapping Miki.
"Koizumi, stop!"
They froze and she looked down at him. "Otani…"
He was angry. "Don't act on a whim just because you're angry!"
Shocked, she took a step back. "Wh- What?"
"Miki is having a hard time adjusting to the break up and is confused."
"Why are you defending her?" she asked, hurt.
He dropped her wrist. "Why are you so jealous when I told you just yesterday that I don't have feelings for her, huh? Why don't you take my word and trust me to handle this?"
She took a step away from him and glanced at Miki who smiled wickedly from behind his back. Risa felt tears prickle her eyes.
"I just wanted for you to have the best weekend ever…and she's ruining everything."
"I'm upset!" Miki cried theatrically. "You came at a bad time! This isn't my fault!"
Risa looked at Otani's face, hoping he didn't believe her, but by the angry look still on his face, he did.
Heartbroken, she stumbled backwards and took off running.
She sobbed on a bench in the middle of the campus food court. She wiped her eyes furiously, but the hot angry tears kept coming.
Why was Otani taking her side? Why was he being so nice to someone who liked him? Why didn't he stop to think about how she was feeling?
"Koizumi."
She looked up and saw her midget boyfriend standing in front of her, his arms crossed. He bowed his head. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"You should have listened to me from the beginning."
Risa leapt to her feet.
"I'm not the one at fault here!"
"And I am?" Otani questioned, equally angry.
"Yes!" she fumed, livid, and surprised him. "Why did you defend her kissing you? Why didn't you defend me? I'm your girlfriend!"
His face torn between guilt and anger as he looked down again.
"I didn't want to make her feel left out."
A second of silence went by and he glanced up to see Risa's sickened expression.
"You do have feelings for her, don't you?"
"No, Koizumi, it's not-"
"You like her!" she declared, aghast.
"I don't!"
"You do!"
"Trust me!"
She sat down at that, her knees weak and shaking. Otani was angry. Very, very angry.
"I told you before I don't! Stop doubting me!"
"It's not- I'm not-," she said in a shaky voice.
"Yes you are! You don't trust me!"
Risa's eyes filled with tears. "I do."
"Then started acting like it!"
"I- I'm sorry…"
She looked down at her feet, her heart thumping loudly. She waited for him to cool off for a second. She knew he would sigh, cross his arms, sit down, and then insult her, effectively making her angry.
She just had to wait.
But he surprised her with a soft kiss.
"O- Otani," she breathed when he pulled away.
"Trust me next time, okay?" he muttered, his face pink. "I know it's in your nature to feel jealous, but Miki and I are just friends."
She nodded dumbly. "I'm sorry."
He nodded, "Me too."
They were quiet and Risa marveled in the discovery of their newfound maturity in romance. He would never have kissed her like that during an angry outburst before. He may have punched her in all honesty, saying she was an idiot, but that was in the past it seemed.
He did not punch her.
He had kissed her.
They had apologized and now everything was better.
She looked up into the blue sky and let out a breath while Nobu-chan's voice once again floated into her mind.
"You two are both older, even if you don't act like it."
He had kissed her instead of made fun of her or yell more. He had kissed her. They were definitely showing the signs of maturity…it scared her.
"Now that I think about it… It has been a long time since Maity-sensei's wedding…"
Risa's heart was growing louder by the minute. The day after Maity-sensei's wedding was still imprinted perfectly into Risa's memory, as was Nobu-chan's sneaky voice.
"Let's go have breakfast," Otani suggested and stood. She followed suit silently.
It seemed out of habit that Otani took Risa's hand. Her chest tightened as she remembered her best friend's last words to her.
"Good luck, Risa!"
"I'll be right back. I need to go to pay," Otani said after they had finished eating.
"Okay. Hurry, we don't want to waste time on my last day," Risa reminded him and he shrugged it off with a 'Yeah, yeah, I know'.
She huffed at the lack of emotion he showed at her departure.
"Koizumi-san."
She turned to see Miki standing in front of her table and Risa's mood quickly darkened. There was a nice red mark on her cheek from Risa's punch and it secretly pleased her to no end.
"Do you mind if I sit?" she asked and Risa crossed her arms.
"Well, yes now that you mention it, I do-"
Miki took a seat and sat forward, folding her hands lady-like.
"Hey, I said- !"
"Koizumi, how far have you and Atsushi-kun gone?"
Risa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and anger quickly took its place.
"I don't know what you mean, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! Go away!"
Miki sat back looking at her dubiously. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
"You can't be serious! You are as dumb as you look!"
"Don't insult me in my own house!"
"This isn't a house," she pointed out.
"Regardless! Don't come to me and insult me so blatantly!"
Miki bit back an angry retort and crossed her legs.
"I just came over to find out what I'm competing against."
Risa's eyebrows rose.
"I'm not letting Otani go."
"Oh come on, you two can't be that hard to break up. I mean, how serious can you two be? You still call each other by your last names!"
"So?" Risa retorted, embarrassed. "A lot of people do that!"
"Name one!"
"Even if you manage to break us up," Koizumi said coolly, "there's no way Otani wants to be with you. He told me already and I trust him."
She left it at that and smiled smugly.
"Tell me what base you're on."
"What does that mean?"
Miki looked forward at her determinedly. "I want to know what bases you two have been. You dress like a five year old and have boobs in sight. I can seduce him with my good looks and womanly features and win against you!"
Risa's mouth dropped in shock, her face red as a tomato.
Despite Miki being a horrible competitor having told Risa her entire plan- she knew what cards to play. Obviously, a major factor in Risa's and Otani's relationship was the physical stuff and Miki knew it and was going to take that to her advantage.
"We're almost at last base, so don't waste your time," Risa tried to squeak out in a convincing tone.
Why did she say that?
Miki looked up and smiled. "Hello, Atsushi-kun!"
Risa turned around to see Otani walking toward them cautiously.
"Are you two fighting again?"
"No, no," Miki assured. "Just having a conversation…something interesting too."
"Is that so?" Otani asked, looking at Koizumi who managed to pull off a natural expression.
Risa stood and Otani said goodbye to Miki. She couldn't help but notice how kind he was to her.
Right, she was getting to the bottom of this.
They were in a department store when Risa turned to Otani and casually asked him.
"Otani, why are you so nice to Miki-san?"
He slid a hanger down the rack and looked at the shirt behind it.
"Am I? I haven't noticed."
She pretended to interested in a watch as she really watched his expressions.
"Yes you are."
"Hmm," he mused, leaving it at that. Risa huffed and turned to him.
"Look, if you say you don't have feelings for her, then I believe you, but why do you treat her so special?"
He sighed and put down the shirt on the hanger.
"Miki is Yuicchi's sibling."
She gasped. "Really? I had no idea!"
"Yuicchi knows Miki likes me and also that I don't have mutual feelings, but he told me before of her past relationships with guys. He said she has had bad relationships and wants me to be good to her, even if I don't like her."
Koizumi took a second to mull over this new information.
Yuicchi, Otani's roommate, was Miki's brother. If Otani was mean to Miki, Yuicchi would be mad.
It made sense.
"Oh…I see…"
He glanced over at her.
"Does that make you feel better?"
She guiltily nodded. "I didn't know why you treated her so nicely when you were rejecting her."
He huffed and crossed his arms.
"I told you to have more faith in me."
Risa's heart seemed to swell with the reassurance he offered.
"I do! I trust Otani-sensei!"
She leapt forward and gave him a big hug.
"Ack! Koizumi! Let go!"
"My sensei is so tiny!"
"Who's sensei?!"
"Your too short to be a teacher!"
"You gotta deathwish?!"
Releasing him, she cackled loudly and he grumbled angrily, but then smiled at seeing her grinning face.
She really did trust him.
"Are you going to miss me?"
Otani looked over at his girlfriend who was perched at the edge of his bed, looking at him with big eager brown eyes. His face reddened and nodded.
"Really?" she asked, smiling widely.
"Shut up, I said it once didn't I? Don't be so desperate."
She huffed. "I'm just happy."
Otani stood up and turned off his television set.
"Are you ready to sleep?" he asked her and her heart skipped a beat.
"Eh...mm...I guess."
"What kinda answer is that?"
He turned off the light. She heard him crawl into bed and then settle in for a good night sleep.
"Otani?"
"Mm?"
Her heart was beating loud and hard.
"You can sleep up here tonight," she managed to say without her voice cracking.
It was quiet and he didn't respond. She didn't hear him move, speak, or even breath for that matter. Suddenly, she felt a familiar emotion, but one she hadn't felt in a long time...
Rejection.
She cleared her throat. "Ah, ahaha, nevermind."
She rolled over and closed her eyes tight, hoping sleep would come quickly. She felt tears itch in her eyes and rubbed them furiously. She didn't want to cry in front of him over this.
Suddenly, she felt the sheets rip back and a heavy pressure slide in next to her. Her breath caught as an arm was placed across her torso.
"Thank you," he murmured and she could hear the extreme embarrassment in his voice. The heat coming from his face and neck was unbearable and the muscles in Risa's stomach tightened strangely.
One wrong move, one wrong comment, one wrong noise could set the tone for the rest of their relationship when it came to this sort of thing. If one of them said something funny, it could seriously embarrass and hurt the other for a long. And they weren't the type of people that would bring it up again.
They stayed like that, rigid and unmoving, waiting for their hearts to slow. Then, very slowly, they wiggled into a position more comfotable; Otani had an arm curled under his head, the other draped across her stomach. Risa was curled in a ball, her back pressed up against Otani's body in a new and different way.
In this position, height did not matter and for that, Risa felt as if they weren't completely wrong in choosing one another.
She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight, Otani," she said in a soft voice.
"Night, I'll see you in the morning. We'll eat before you leave."
It seemed as if he had just stabbed a needle into Risa's growing happiness and reality came crashing down on her.
She was leaving tomorrow.
[A/N] - Wahh! I can't wait for the next couple of chapters. (: I should be a fun write!
If you didn't catch it- the words in italics were quotes from Nobu-chan's appearance in the prolouge.
Thanks for reading! Reviews are extremely appreciated!
