(Ophelia)
Paper in hand, I scrambled out of the classroom, shoving the list into my jacket. I had the president’s permission, so it wasn’t like I was doing anything too bad. If I ended up being desperate, I could just ask him for a pardon.
See, I learned something in my government classes!
Plus, it helped even more to have the class president himself accompanying me during my little heist.
“Safety in numbers," my parents called it. “Bathroom buddy," said the school.
“Woo-hoo!” Leo cheered as we dashed down the halls, and though I was scared he would alert a bitchy teacher to our presence, I chimed in with a high-pitched whistle.
Right then, we were en route to one of the school’s many patios. The specific one in question held the “Matsuo Gazebo”—as the students so endearingly called it behind the lovebirds’ backs—which was a secret date spot for the upperclassmen if they didn’t want to risk leaving the premises. I had already asked Koharu’s parents for permission to do this, and once they verified that I had no tests or assignments today (and the same for Koharu), they locked the door to the area and gave me the key so that I monopolized access to it.
As if my wish had been granted upon a shooting star, my plans were going exponentially better than expected; Leo and I had not accounted for Mr. Inei’s dumbassery during homeroom, which gave us more than the thirty minutes for which we had allotted to make the patio look like a little chunk of heaven.
Running, inertia propelled me forward as I lugged my backpack with me. It was filled to the brim with gifts and decorations, and I slightly resented the fact that I couldn’t bring anything else without looking incredibly suspicious to my classmates. They probably didn’t think I was strange—yet—so I intended to keep it that way for as long as possible.
I really, really hoped Koharu would like what I had planned for her. She was the sweetest, most affectionate person towards me, and with my uptight attitude, I knew that I didn’t always noticeably reciprocate that. Today, however, in a world of our own, I wanted her to know how I felt about her and the extent to which I did so. It would be a meeting of the hearts under the cool shade of trees and the gazebo as we cuddled and held hands and… Ah, this was going to be such a romantic moment!
Of course, while riding that train of thought, I soon found that I was not adroit enough to prevent myself from slamming into part of the wall while trying to slow down. Ironically, the fact that Leo and I were almost at our destination didn’t hit me until the sheetrock did.
I made a loud grunting noise and then caressed my poor arm, cursing myself a little for not paying attention.
I heard him laughing in the back, and I would have probably smacked him if I wasn’t hurting. “And you say I’m the clumsy one, Fifi.”
“Shut up, Leo!”
He still chuckled as he then asked, “Got the key?”
My eyes widened a little.
Duh! None of this is going to work if we can’t get out there!
To add more to my suffering, I hit my forehead with my palm and then moved my hands down to rummage through my skirt pockets—which I then remembered didn’t even exist.
Why is women’s clothing like this? And now, of all times?
Leo found this hysterical as he placed one hand over his mouth and tried to conceal a series of snickers.
“What’s so…? Oh.”
If I had foregone my rage and looked directly at his other hand, I would have perhaps noticed that he had pulled a keyring from the jacket of his school uniform.
My posture relaxed as I glanced at him, and he tossed me the keys with a smug grin still on his face.
“I thought you’d forget them.”
“Like hell I would!” I stomped. “I’m not forgetting anything when it comes to my girlfriend!”
Fuck. I sound like I’m in middle school.
I must have looked like it, too, because Leo gave a patronizing pat on the head and then flicked my skull.
“Sure, just like how you definitely didn’t forget a rose for her on your one month anniversary and had to go pick one from the school garden.”
Don’t remind me!
Instead of giving the giant the satisfaction of verbal catfighting, I flipped him off and then proceeded to open the door, swinging it open as the crisp spring breeze hit my knees.
Right. Back to the plan!
About an hour later, I was perched atop the stairs of the gazebo with everything around me dormant, waiting for the perfect moment to come into use. I squinted so that I could see an indoor clock through the narrow windows, guessing that it was probably around ten in the morning.
This was perfect timing. I could chat with her, show her my little—well, that was an understatement—display, talk a little more, and then, around eleven, we could share the lunch boxes that I had made. (Of course, I had to have some help from my parents so that I didn’t burn down the entire house while daydreaming about Koharu.)
As I kicked around some pebbles and dirt, Leo was scouring the school for Koharu’s classroom. This was probably the only thing we didn’t think through too well; her class during this period was almost on the opposite side of the school, so it was going to be difficult to convince her to walk half a mile to my present spot.
Still, Leo was the perfect person to be doing this for me. He had a… persuasive manner to say the least. (As in, he was an expert at whining and nagging.)
I figured he’d be arriving with a blindfolded Koharu soon enough, so I stood up and dusted off my skirt, approaching the door. Propping myself against the wall, I placed one of my black Converse against it while tapping my toe in impatience and anxiety.
I sincerely hope she likes it…
All these expectations were about to crash onto me like waves encroaching upon a beach. Without realizing it, I had put Koharu on a pedestal to the point her opinion was going to make or break me today. Even though she protested a little against an extravagant gift, I knew that I still could brighten up her day, and I was going to do everything in my power to ensure this was perfect.
This girl… I hoped she knew how much I loved her.
Lost in thoughts of adoration once more, the sound and vibration of someone banging on the nearby door snapped me out of my trance. I stiffened, knowing that it could only be…
“Leo!” I whisper-shouted as we looked at each other through the glass pane in the door.
He gestured behind himself using his thumb, and it was then I noticed the shape of my girlfriend in the hallway, a piece of black cloth sheathing her eyes.
My heartbeat almost stalled, but I acted rationally, taking a deep breath and opening the door so that he could shove her outside.
“Bye, bye!” he yelled before taking off, not even remembering to remove the fabric from Koharu.
Consequently, as she tried stepping into the courtyard, she couldn’t see the ledge of concrete beside the entrance, and she tripped.
“Crap!” she screamed in a high-pitched voice as she began to tumble over.
My first instinct was to catch her despite that sounding suspiciously like a cliche scenario from a comic.
Who cares? I don’t want her to get hurt!
Without hesitation, I raced forward and swooped her up in my arms, stumbling a little bit backwards as I did so.
Phew. She was safe. That was at least a relief.
The way she had landed meant that her back was against my forearm, and without anything on which to rest her head, it leaned back further, causing her blindfold to slip off her bleached blonde hair and onto the dirt beneath us.
It didn’t matter by then if she had it on or not, but it was very much adorable when her eyes bugged out upon realizing who her savior was.
“L-Lia?” she asked in disbelief before shaking her head around.
“What the hell am I saying? Lia!”
Even without the rest of the plan in action, that radiant, snaggletoothed smile from her coupled with her sparkling green eyes already made this idea completely worth it. Her warmth radiated through her uniform, her pant leg brushing against my white and black socks. Every point of contact was emphasized right then, and it was pure bliss as we gazed into each other’s eyes, our faces so close.
I was dazed and elated for a few moments before I noticed that my body was beginning to give out while holding her like this. I hardly had the strength to support myself sometimes, much less another person, so I tripped a little, almost dropping her.
Shit!
Acting on pure reflex and luck, I was fortunate to have caught her once more as I wrapped my other arm around her to keep us upright, straightening us up to reduce the likelihood of another calamity.
However, I was not cognizant of a clicking sound until after it had ceased, and I didn’t even put two and two together until our surroundings instantly changed.
Above us, our attention had been drawn to strings of lights that had been precariously placed along tree branches, lining the walkway to the gazebo. The bulbs were in the shape of hearts and spheres—after all, this wasn’t fucking Christmas—and had little halos around them in shades of pink and red. Some shone like rubies, while others glistened like the white snow that capped the mountains. Of course, the sunlight drowned some of them out, but under the covering of the patio, the romantic lighting still achieved its desired effect.
A series of pops followed the electric showcase, distracting us from the blatant, orange extension cord that slithered through the grass. Through some weird mechanics trick by Leo, a plethora of sparklers exploded, two going off simultaneously before the next ones ignited.
My face heated up when I remembered that—no, no—this was supposed to have taken place about twenty minutes from now! I wanted her to get comfortable and settled in so that she could watch it from the gazebo instead of out here, and while the sparklers went off, we would be hugging before kissing at the very end as the sparks fizzled and were replaced by our own! Fuck!
Why the hell did Leo put the trigger on the ground by the entrance? This is all his fault!
But it was still okay! I just had to salvage everything and pretend this was all according to plan when she was inevitably confused in just a minute…
I turned to look at the Koharu as we still embraced each other, and it was as if all my worries evaporated once more.
There was another sublime grin on her face as she stared at the spectacle. The warm lights danced over her tawny skin, imbuing it with a reddish color and stencils of hearts. Actually, it was hard to tell whether or not the color was from her blushing, too, but regardless, she still was very pretty under this lighting.
When she glanced at me, her head was angled such that the bulbs illuminated her irises, making them almost glow from behind. For a moment, it was as if she was the sun, shining and warm for me—the earth that revolved around her.
I scanned her features with an awkward, twitchy grin on my face, too taken aback by both her beauty and the predicament in which I found myself to do much else. When she noticed that, she put a hand to her mouth and giggled before lowering it, giving me a sinister smile as she stared me down.
Finally, upon realizing I was petrified like Sleeping Beauty, she chose to rescue me. Without so much as a warning, she moved forward and kissed me on the lips, holding herself there for longer than a mere peck but still not approaching any risque territory.
It was during times like this that our negligible difference in height allowed her to pamper me like this, and my eyes practically bulged as I collected myself and kissed her back sweetly. I would have said she was teasing me at first, but as we remained connected for a few seconds, I figured she was perhaps more genuine than my impression had led me to believe.
“You did this all for me?” she asked after backing away, and combining the loss of her touch with the sight of her jaunty tooth, I was rather tempted to respond to her with a kiss so that I could feel her once more.
Instead, I nodded to her. “Not without some help…”
She probably knows exactly who helped me without me having to say it.
“...But actually, that’s not everything.”
Her face tensed a little in surprise before she said, “Really?” She then pinched my cheeks, which made me grumble a little. “I said you didn’t have to do much. I was more than happy getting you the chocolates on Valentine’s Day, and I didn’t expect much more than that today.”
“Well—”
“Hold up,” she said, cutting me off with her index finger against my lips. As she came closer to my face, I became a little jittery (in a good way), and in an alluring manner, she whispered, “I never said I was completely opposed to the idea, though.”
She removed her hand from me and let me continue, sparing my heart in the process.
“Well”—I held my hand out to her as if we were newlyweds rather than a high school couple—”would you follow me to the gazebo, then?”
She took my hand and squeezed it gently. That was as good as any verbal response, so I led her down the sidewalk with colorful stones embedded in it, reflecting the lights above us as we stepped out from under the patio to the tree-covered avenue. The arbor-like passage finally gave way to the white stairs of the gazebo.
I made sure that neither of us tripped and fell this time, and when we reached the platform, a teddy bear with a bag thrown over its arm sat atop a picnic blanket in the center. It was one of those cheesy stuffed animals with a heart plushie in front of its stomach, but I knew she enjoyed such obvious displays of affection after our many months of dating.
Again, she tightened her grip on me before I let go of her hand to present the gifts to her. I gingerly picked them up, separating the two items before brandishing them.
“This isn’t much; it’s just some chocolates and hard candies in the bag, and the bear is all yours.”
She took them from me with a soft smile on her face. “Lia…”
Then, it seemed an idea triggered a light bulb in her head, and she placed the plushie on the ground, digging something out of the gift bag.
I bet she’s gonna stuff all the chocolates in her mouth at once.
Contrary to my expectations, she pulled out a blue Jolly Rancher and unwrapped it. When she didn’t immediately toss it into her mouth, I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
“What’s up?”
“Open your mouth,” she demanded, pushing the treat towards me.
“It’s your candy, though.”
She shrugged a little, not backing down. “And I can do what I want with it. Here comes the airplane,” she joked, and I let my jaw slack some.
When she pressed the candy between my lips and into my mouth, she added, “Now, keep it open.”
I hummed a little in protest but did as she said, still utterly confused by her actions. Then, she slowly approached me with a smirk on her face, her eyes falling shut as she got so close that her breaths tickled my cheeks.
What the hell are you thinking, Koko?
Startled, I remained in place as our lips connected once more and… oh. I figured out what she was trying to do when she finally slid her tongue into my mouth.
This was a rather… intimate way of sharing the candy—that was for sure. A blissful tingling on my lips, the taste of raspberries filled our mouths as we clumsily kissed for a while, and I brought my hands up to her face to steady her as we probably violated at least ten school rules alone with this gesture.
After a while, the candy, which was a pale imitation of what it was merely a minute ago, slipped into her mouth, and—fuck—she backed away as she started coughing on it, nearly choking.
I patted her back a little, asking as she calmed down, “Are you okay?”
Panting a little, she gave me a hand symbol before laughing.
How in the world is this funny?
“Stick your tongue out,” she then instructed, and although I was a little wary, my brain was so fried by that kiss that I immediately complied.
Did you learn this all from a drama or something?
In return, she stuck hers out. It was funny how we looked like toddlers teasing each other.
“Is mine blue, too?” she asked.
At that, I couldn’t help but giggle, and while keeping my tongue on display, I tried telling her, “It sure is!”
From then, we devolved into a chorus of laughter as I fell onto her and hugged her. I nuzzled her neck with my jaw.
When the mood became more serious, avoiding her eyes, I finally said, “Koko, all jokes aside, I just want you to know that I really care about you—even if I don’t show it often—and I hope you’re enjoying all this so far. That’s what all this is about. Even if you bitched about the idea last week.”
She held me closer, probably smiling. “You don’t know how happy this makes me, and you know, I care for you, too, Lia.”
Quietly, we remained like this for a few moments until she chided, “I know you bought me that plushie, but you’ll still be my favorite when it comes to cuddling and hugging.”
Likely red in the face, I snuggled with her even more, though we broke apart temporarily to sit on the ground and continue.
There were such things as comfortable silences, and this was certainly one of them, I figured, as we laid on each other without any other thoughts or worries in the world.
And although I had worried about my plans being ruined earlier, it seemed as if everything had immediately gotten back on track, and this… this was perfect.
Nothing can ruin this.
As if I jinxed it, though, there was a loud banging on the entrance to the yard, and a security guard yelled, “What are you hooligans doing there? Do I have to report some more students for truancy?”
“Shit,” Koharu whispered in my ear. I internally echoed her sentiment.
Both of us tensed up, thinking we were going to face the wrath of the staff, but an even louder sound emerged from the inside of the school as a distraction.
“What? Who’s lighting sparklers inside the building?” The man swivelled his head so that his beady eyes were now just out of my view. “Leo Ramirez! Stop doing that right now! That’s dangerous!”
As if Koharu and I had been entirely forgotten, the officer ran off to deal with the more immediate threat. I sat there, puzzled. I had only brought enough sparklers today to line the sidewalk…
So I started counting.
Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…?
It was then I noticed that two of my twenty sparklers were missing, and I quickly explained what had happened to Koharu, who had been more confused than me.
And just like that, the two of us became giggly messes in each other’s arms as we finally laid back on the blanket.
What had I been saying to myself before?
I stupidly grinned.
Right, nothing could ruin this moment that we were sharing—not even the security officers.
Thank god for Leo’s chaos.
