Friendship, and Feelings that lay dormant

The two stood with their arms resting on the rooftop rails, the sun warm on their faces. Their easy conversation flowed like a river finding its path, the words of old friends reuniting.

"Are your parents back from their trip?" 

Keith asked, gazing at the horizon where the cloudless, porcelain-blue sky met the distant, shimmering ocean. Akira’s smile bloomed, reflected in her eyes which were full of life. 

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"No reason," Keith said, turning back to his bento box. "Just wondering. We should probably head back before the bell rings."

"You're right... Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

"I was supposed to go to the restroom, and eat lunch with my friends, but I got completely sidetracked," 

Akira said, a sheepish, awkward laugh bubbling out of her. A small bead of sweat traced a path down her cheek as she scratched it with a finger.

Keith watched her, a new facet of her personality revealed. It dawned on him how little he truly knew about her. A sudden ache tightened his chest.

So she can laugh awkwardly too. There's so much more to her than I know. I wish there was a way for me to get to know her better. 

A gentle voice broke his train of thought, pulling him back to the sun-drenched rooftop.

"Earth to Keith, are you still with me?"

"Uh… yes, sorry. I got lost in thought."

"Pfft—hahahaha… Dude, you should've seen your face. You looked like a cat begging for its mommy, hahahaha…"

A hot flush crept up Keith’s neck. I forgot how much of a tease she is, he thought, looking away, his face burning.

"No, I didn't," he mumbled.

"Yes, you did, and you looked so cute, too. Hehehehe…" Akira’s laughter followed her as Keith opened the roof door for her.

He followed her down the stairs as she finally regained her composure, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.

Keith, meanwhile, was embarrassed for a new reason, one word replaying in his head like a broken record.

Cute… she said I was cute. How could she say that so easily? She didn't mean it, she's just teasing. Get a grip, man.

Lost in his flustered thoughts, he was brought back by the soft murmur of her voice. She held her hands behind her back, her footsteps light and graceful on the steps.

"Hey, Keith."

"Mhm?"

"Where do you live? I've been kind of wondering, but you don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable."

"It's fine. I live in Kabukichō."

Akira’s eyes widened, a flicker of surprise on her face. "Really? I guess that makes sense when you think about it."

Midway down the stairs, Keith stopped and turned to face her, his gaze locking with hers. 

He inhaled, then exhaled slowly. Reflected in her eyes, he finally found the words he was looking for.

"Uhm, Akira-san, I… I was kind of wondering and uhm, well… would you… would you like to be my friend? Of course, you don't have to, but…"

Akira's laughter, a sound like wind chimes, rang through the stairwell. "Hehehehe… What are you talking about… hehehehehe…"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you goober, hehehehe…"

"Why are you laughing at me then?" Keith asked, his cheeks growing warm again.

"Nothing, forget about it. Look, you and I are already friends as far as I'm concerned, unless you didn't see it that way."

"Well, I just thought you had to ask to be someone's friend. Isn't that how it works?"

"You really are a goober, huh. Listen, Keith," Akira said, her gaze steady. "To me, it doesn't matter whether we met yesterday, today, or maybe even tomorrow."

Keith listened, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and trepidation. The way she spoke, the soft glow on her face, and the graceful strength of her athletic frame—it all made his heart pound a little faster.

"As long as it was you, I'm sure we would have become friends without any kind of friendship ritual or whatever, because even though it was brief, you and I have been through a lot together. So there's no need for you to ask. We're friends, okay… goober." 

She punctuated the last word with a playful tap to his cheek, her smile as dazzling as a sunflower in the midday sun.

Keith offered a small smile in return. "Alright, but please stop calling me that."

"Calling you what? A goo-ber, hahahaha…"

"Yes, that. I'm nowhere close to being naive, and I'm definitely not foolish."

"Why, though? It fits you perfectly, because to me it means cute-kun. My goober-kun."

"In what world does it mean cute? Jeez, you've been teasing me since we left the roof. Haven't you had enough already?"

"Nope, I'm having too much fun. Tee-he-he."

"What are you, a middle schooler?"

"Who knows… maybe I am… Hehehehe…"

Their playful quarrel continued until they reached the second-year floor and parted ways at her classroom.

"I'll see you after school, okay, goober-kun."

Keith blushed and offered a playful scowl. "I told you to… forget it, I'll see you later, I guess."

Akira entered her class, a new light in her step, brighter than it had been all week. Keith walked on, lost in thought, until he reached his own closed classroom door.

He walked to his seat, and sat down sinking into his chair. His face still felt warm as he replayed their conversation in his mind.

So that's all it took for us to become friends. I didn't think it would be so… Well, easy.

His gaze drifted to the sky outside, his thoughts a restless swirl.

I wonder, would she reject me if I asked her out? Wait, what am I even thinking? She's way out of my league… But what if she actually said yes? No, I shouldn't get my hopes up, or else… I'll end up like last time.

A flash of champagne blonde hair and deep blue eyes crossed his mind. A shadow of pain and regret flickered across his face. 

He lowered his head to his desk, reliving the moment his courage had failed him, a confession left unspoken.

As he wallowed, a presence entered the classroom. Sophia, with her champagne blonde hair and blue eyes, walked directly to his desk. She stood before him, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Hello, Kei. It's been a minute. How have you been?"

Keith raised his head. He saw Sophia standing there, a ghost from his past, her elegant smile holding a mirror to a moment he’d long tried to bury. Their reunion had finally, begun.

[To be continued...]