Chapter Thirteen
After an hour of air hockey, the two of them were tied. Neither of them were backing down and letting the other win. That was fine by Hana because she didn't want Tadashi to feel as if he had to go easy on her. There was nothing she disliked more than having people going easy on her because she was a female. It was more fun this way too.
It was down to the last thirty seconds and determination flared within both of them. Tadashi flicked the thin puck with the mallet, but Hana swiftly blocked the goal with her own mallet. Quickly, she returned fire, hitting the puck at an angle so that it could hit the side of the arena. It was a flurry of blocks and hits before there was finally a misstep and the puck slid smoothly into the goal.
"Score!" Hana threw her arms up in the air.
Tadashi hung his head in defeat and laughter spilled out of Hana's mouth. She sidled up to him, giving his broad shoulder a pat. "There, there."
Lifting his head up, his lips formed into a mock pout. There was no sign of remorse on Hana's face, just a playful smile and a twinkle in her eye, and instantly the pout melted off his face.
"Not bad. You got me pretty good. I think I've met a worthy rival." He smiled. Playing air hockey like that was one of the best stress relievers and a great way to loosen up. Also, it had been incredibly fun. It felt as though the ice had broken between them.
"You're not so bad yourself. I wouldn't mind another match with you next time." Next time because this wasn't going to be the last time they hung out like this.
"I'll hold you to that." Already he was looking forward to it, no matter how much he tried to tamp down the excitement. They started for the entrance of the arcade to get back out to the mall, realizing they'd spent about an hour in there. "Was there anything you wanted to go? Anything you wanted to buy?"
"Hmm…" She clasped her hands behind her back and thought for a second. "Not really. Maybe a few shirts, but I want to look around first."
"That sounds like a good idea. Window shopping is always fun."
"Are you looking for anything in particular?"
The space between his eyebrows creased in thought before he shook his head. "To be honest, I don't shop often."
That caught her by surprise. Tadashi was always so well dressed that she thought he went shopping often. But then again, she must've misjudged him. "I guess I'm a bit surprised. You always dress so well so I imagined you liked shopping."
"I don't mind it. I just don't do it often." He chuckled. "Aunt Cass forces us to go with her sometimes. Hiro, of course, hates it with a passion, thinks it's a waste of time."
"That is so like him." Hana laughed. She could imagine it now: Aunt Cass urging the boys to come with her, Hiro with that frowny, pouty face and his arms crossed, and Tadashi being exasperated.
"He's a pretty stubborn kid. I feel for the kid though, shopping takes a lot of time. I used to not want to go, but now I don't mind shopping."
"It's really fun when you go with friends. Or probably with your significant other."
Significant other. Tadashi had been so wrapped up in his head that he didn't actually know if Hana had a significant other. He had just assumed that she was single and had casually asked her to hang out with him. Not that it really mattered because she was her own woman, it shouldn't matter whom she spent her time with even if she had someone in her life already. But at the same time, concern clouded his chest. Maybe it was that Evan guy?
"Do you?" Tadashi blurted out unable to contain the question.
"Do I what?" Confusion danced in her light brown eyes.
"Have someone you're dating?" He felt really stupid for asking.
Hana blinked wildly at the randomness of his question, but she shook her head. "I don't. What about you? I don't have to watch out for a jealous lover, do I?" She was only kidding about the latter question. However, now she was extremely curious about his answer. Why was it so important for her to know? She hadn't the slightest clue.
Tadashi mentally breathed a sigh of relief at her answer, the sudden anxiousness washing away completely. Instead, he chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry, there isn't a jealous girlfriend. You're safe and sound." He winked playfully. Plus, even if there had been one, he would be right there to protect her.
"Thank god. I didn't want to have to use my fighting moves." To emphasis her point, she did a karate chop in the air in fake seriousness and grinned up at him.
The laughter spilled out of him in an instant and his shoulders began shaking up and down as well. The way her grin morphed into a pout and her eyebrows came together in a frown had him laughing even harder to the point he had to briefly stop walking.
"What's so funny?" Her pout deepened and although she wasn't offended, the image of her stomping her foot was practically there.
That had been a bad image to envision because it only served to fuel the hilarity of her joke. Tadashi had to clasp a hand over his mouth to cover his chuckles. Thankfully, that helped and slowly his laughter began dying down except he still had that mirthful shine in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry. I swear I'm not making fun of you." He said once his laughing fit stopped. They began walking again down the mall and he could feel the pull of his abdominal muscles from that good laugh.
"Then what was so funny?"
"What you said just caught me off guard. I didn't imagine you as the type to be a fighter. I thought it was kind of endearing."
"Well, that's true. I'm more of a lover, not a fighter." She smiled and flexed her hand. "I actually don't know any martial arts. Mostly because I play piano." It was crucial for her to take really good care of her hands. She couldn't risk her hands getting injured because her whole future lied in them.
"Because a pianist's hands are extremely important."
"Exactly."
They smiled at each other, but Hana stopped when something caught her eye. On the other side of the walkway, the word 'SALE' was written in large letters on the glass window. That had done it, her legs began to gravitate towards the store and she gestured to Tadashi.
"Let's go in here." When you lived on your own, sales were basically your best friend. Who didn't like sales anyway? And from the looks of it, this store wasn't that bad at all. There was a large selection of stylish shirts and pants, all at a really great price with the sale happening.
Picking out two of the same plaid shirts in two different colours, she lifted them up to her body and smiled at Tadashi. "Which one seems better?"
Tadashi cupped his chin in thought and squinted a little. This was a tough decision since both the colours seemed flattering, but after weighing both options carefully, he pointed to one. "The blue one. I think you'll look nice in this one."
"Perfect. I'll get this one." She grinned, putting the other one away. She had to admit the light blue was really cute and she could hardly wait until she wore this.
With Tadashi's help, she ended up finding two other shirts as well. One was a cute horizontal striped shirt and the other was just a simple yet chic graphic tank top. Then, they went over to the men's side of the store per her request. He insisted that they didn't have to do this for him, but she felt bad for dragging him along into the store so she wanted to at least see if there was something nice for him.
There was so much to look at that she wasn't sure where to start first. Menswear was something she always thought was fun to look at and it was rather visually pleasing. One of her secret dreams was to go shopping with her future boyfriend and dress him up in all kinds of clothes. Suits, button ups, sweaters, dark jeans, you name it. Maybe she looked through magazines way too much. But, who didn't love a guy who dressed well, right?
On the one of the racks, there was a really nice sweater hanging and she grabbed it quickly, using the tips of her toes to reach it. Grasping the hanger securely, she unhooked it and raised it up to the length of Tadashi's upper torso. It was a classic knitted crew neck sweater in light grey, and it had dark brown elbow patches. It was simple, but it was very…him.
"I think this'll look nice on you." She held it up a little higher and tilted her head to the side, trying to imagine him wearing it. "The weather's getting a little chillier too. It's not too thick, but not to light so it's perfect for fall weather."
"I do like the elbow patches on this too." She wasn't wrong. October was slowly coming to an end so the weather was changing from warmer to colder, just as quickly as the leaves were changing colour. Though San Fransokyo didn't get snow that didn't mean the temperature didn't drop. And it wouldn't hurt to add a sweater to his collection of clothes before it got colder. Plus, this did seem like something he would wear and it amazed him how easily she picked it out.
"I'll buy this. I do need a sweater and I really like this one." Tadashi said, smiling sweetly at her as he took the hanger from her gently. The genuinely happy smile that appeared on her face only further affirmed that he had made the right decision.
It was getting late. Due to it being autumn now, the sun was beginning to set sooner and by the time Tadashi and Hana made a round around the mall, the sky was already dyed in pink and orange. It would only be a matter of minutes before the sun fully dipped below the horizon.
"You really didn't have to come with me." Hana said again once they sat down inside the train. Tadashi plopped down next to her and put their shopping bags on his lap to make room for her and the others.
"Don't worry about it. I want to make sure you get home safely." He'd be damned if he just left her so she could wander on home all by herself. Traveling alone at night wasn't safe for anyone, especially a woman, and she was still getting used to the city. He would feel much better knowing she was escorted back and was safe and sound. It was the least he could do for asking her to hang out.
"Thanks, Tadashi. It's really sweet of you." She smiled shyly up at him.
The train stopped briefly at another stop and a few people got on and off. The vacant seat next to her only lasted about a few seconds before someone else occupied it. Instinctively, she scouted a little to her other side – where Tadashi was sitting at the moment – and she pressed her side closer to him. Their sides of their thighs and shoulders pressed together, and Tadashi eased his muscles a little to let her get comfortable.
God, Hana hadn't been this close to him since their little shelf incident in the café a few weeks ago. However, that had only been a span of several seconds whereas this…this would last at least a while. They still had quite a bit of stops to go before they had to get off, which meant she'd be pressed against him like this until then. Not that she was complaining; he was really warm and she felt it right down to her toes. But most importantly, she felt safe.
The train ride to her apartment was quiet, but it was a comfortable kind of quiet. No words needed to be exchanged between them because they were both content with being each other's presence. It felt natural too, that although they are able to talk to each other, they are also able to just bask in the serenity together.
Soon enough it was time to get off, much to her dismay. Biting back the sigh, she followed him towards the exit and waited until the train came to a complete stop.
"Watch your step." Tadashi offered her the hand that wasn't holding the shopping bags. His grip was strong and he steadily helped her off the last step.
The sky was painted a gradient of blues with some stars littered about and the moon had finally replaced the sun, shining brightly in the night sky. Today had been a really great day and it was rather depressing that it was already coming to a close.
Together they walked down the sidewalk that lead to her apartment complex and unconsciously, he walked along the side that was beside the road.
"It's not that far, thankfully." This time with her as the guide since he'd never been to her place before. The only other person that knew where she lived and had been there was Angela.
"It's nice that you live close to the café. And SFAM isn't that far either, right?"
"Yeah. SFAM is about a half an hour away by transit. Thank god I live near the bus and train stop." She said, shifting her purse strap up onto her shoulder. "Makes my life a little easier getting to work too."
"That's really convenient."
A few minutes later, her apartment complex came into view. It wasn't that tall, the building only having three floors, and it wasn't too shabby. The outside may look a little worn and rustic, but the inside was up to date, having been fully renovated a few years back. The rent was a decent price for a one room apartment and the inside of her home was decently spacious.
"Thank you for walking me home. I really appreciate it." Hana said sweetly, taking her shopping bag from him. "And for carrying my stuff."
He smiled kindly. "It was my pleasure. Thanks for hanging out with me."
"No problem, I had a lot of fun today. It was a nice change after that long week." The chilly night air nipped at her cheeks and the tip of her nose, and she tried to fight the shiver.
"You have no idea." He chuckled softly and ushered her inside. "It's getting cold, you should get inside."
"Alright. Text me when you get home safely, okay? Goodnight, Tadashi."
"Night, Hana."
She waved and held her electronic door opener to the little device by the complex's entrance. As soon as she was on the other side of the glass, she turned to give Tadashi another wave. The taller boy grinned at her and waved back with his free hand, watching her as she scurried towards the elevator. Once he was sure she was inside the elevator, he waited a minute longer before he turned to walk back to the train station.
He hadn't strolled more than a few feet before a voice shouted, "Tadashi!"
Turning around again, he looked up when the same voice that belonged to Hana said 'up here!'. Sure enough, there she was, leaning out her window and waving at him. His face split into a toothy grin and he lifted his hand to wave at her one last time before finally making his way home.
Hana watched him until he disappeared into the night and then she closed her window as not to let all the warm air out of her home. Fifteen minutes passed and there was a "ping!" from her phone.
[New message from Tadashi Hamada.]
'I got home just now. Goodnight and sweet dreams, Hana :)'
And the "not so date" date has come to an end. Don't fret, it won't be the last! I know that things are starting off really slow between them, but I wanted to be as realistic as possible. Hopefully that's working out :'D I'm a real fan of those relationships that are gradual.
I can't remember if I mentioned this last chapter, but SFAM stands for "San Franskyoko Institute of Fine Arts and Music." It took me a while to find an acronym that could work like SFIT.
Big thank you as always to all of those that favourited, followed, and reviewed. Special thanks to the reviewers; I love reading all your thoughts and it makes me happy that you guys are loving the relationship between Hana and Tadashi. Thank you so much, you guys really motivate me!
~Mari