My Crazy First Kiss Part 2

Sora 1403 August 18, 2046

She’s late. Or am I early? We did say we’d meet up at two, right? Yeah, two o’clock at the station. But was, is this station? What If I’m at the wrong station? Oh, I’d never be able to do it then. What if she is here and I just don’t see her? Am I dressed well enough? I feel sweaty. Am I sweating? I remembered to put on deodorant, right? These thoughts and more fill my brain to the brim as I stand there waiting for Iori-chan.

“Don’t stress so much. You’ll be fine.” Tobias-kun had said, rushing me out the door.

“But what if I mess it up?

“Don’t worry. I have total confidence in your ability to mess up exactly how I plan you will.”

“Gee, with friends like you, who needs enemies?”

“Just go, or else you’ll be late.”

“But we aren’t scheduled to meet for an hour yet. Why am I leaving so early?”

“So you aren’t late,” he said before pushing me onto the street. If I weren’t too busy worrying about the date, I’d worry that he’s up to something. That was my last through before the monsoon of worry fell upon me. I stood there worrying about every aspect of myself and the date. What if she doesn’t like the movie? What if she doesn’t like the restaurant afterward? What if-

“Sora-kun!” I hear from behind me. I turn and see Iori-chan striding towards me. She wore a simple dress that shifted from yellow bright enough to make the sun seem dull to a deep blue, like staring into the magnificence of the ocean near her knees. The two colors mixed to form a seafoam green at her waist that melted away my worries like the tide washes away food prints upon the sand. On her head, she wears a straw sun hat decorated with a baby blue bow, the brim waves in the wind along with her shiny hazel hair. I watch as she strides with the grace of an Olympic gymnast towards me. “Sorry, I’m late. You didn’t wait long, did you?” She asks.

“Wha- ah no, I just got here,” I lie. I’ve been here for nearly an hour, but that’s not your fault. I don’t know why Tobias wanted me to leave so early, but he hasn’t steered me wrong yet. “Well, should we go?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says with a pleasant smile. I take her by the hand, and we walk to the theater. As instructed, we head to the middle register. “The fine seats for me and the lady,” I say. I don’t know why but Tobias told me to say that to the middle register. The woman behind the counter nods. “So good for you to join us,” she says, handing us our tickets and concessions. As we identify our seats, I notice that the row behind us is entirely empty. It seems a little odd to me, but we settle in nonetheless. As we do, Iori-chan keeps glancing at her phone. I think about asking her about it but figure it’s none of my business. The room darkens, and the movie begins. I know nothing about the movie, but it appears to be a typical romantic drama. I don’t pay very much attention to it tho. I’m too busy waiting for the right moment. I sit there clenching the arm rails waiting for the right moment. About an hour into the film, I think I see my chance.

I pull off the stretch and reach around trick, drawing her closer to me. The tension between Iori and I builds in tandem with the movie. Finally, the kissing scene at the end is here. I look towards Iori, and she looks up at me. She closes her eyes. This is it. I think as I close mine and lean my head down. My lips are centimeters away from hers when all of a sudden, popcorn rains down from above me. “Stop, no!” I hear a voice from behind us say.

“What the?” I say, launching my head up to see what had happened behind us, but Iori-chan grabs my head to stop me.

“Don’t look at them, don’t worry about them,” she says in a shaky voice

“Yeah, but they rui-” I try to say

“No, they didn’t. It’s fine,” she says persistently as she once again closes her eyes. Okay, whatever I think as I close my eyes again. This time we’re a millimeter away when suddenly. *SHUCK* the theater light turns on, and the moment is indeed ruined. We both quickly straighten as not to draw attention to ourselves.

“Hmm, I uhh… Guess we should leave then.” I say stiffly

“Y-yeah,” she says, agreeing as we stand. I look behind us to see who threw the popcorn. I’m surprised to see the seats behind us are completely empty. I wonder what that was all about, I think as we leave the theater.

Sara 1359 August 18, 2046

“I’m so nervous,” Iori-chan squeals as we step off the train. “Is my dress nice? It isn’t overboard, is it?”

“No, you look dazzling,” I say

“Yes, those colors look most splendid on you,” Kano-chan adds.

“Ohh, but what about the hat?”

“Iori-chan, you look fine. I’m almost scared my brother will faint when he first sees you. So don’t worry, Kano-chan and I will be tailing you the whole way. Just text us what seats you get, and we’ll get the ones behind you. Now go, or else you’ll be late.” I say, almost pushing her.

“Okay, and thanks,” she calls back as she runs off.

“Are you certain that Tetsu-kun will not see through our disguises?” Kano-chan asks.

“I’m positive,” I say, looking at my handy work. I had secured stuff from Sora’s collection of costumes the night before and thought I did a fairly good job of dressing us up. I used baseball caps and sunglasses to hide our hair and faces. We were dressed in non-descriptive street clothes that allowed us to disappear into the crowd. “Ok, now let’s follow behind them,” I say as we tail Iori-chan. Starstruck, just as planned, I think, as they meet up. Part of my plan hitched on Sora being distracted by Iori-chan to really take in his surroundings. We get our tickets once Iori-chan texts us their seat numbers. We mosey into the theater from the opposite side as they do. We take our seats. I have Kano-chan sit on my left directly behind Iori-chan to keep both of them in my line of sight. I tap Iori-chan on the shoulder to let her know we’re in position. Moments before the movie starts, a man in sunglasses slips in and begins making his way down our row. That’s odd? Cutting it kinda close, don’t you think. As he approaches, the lights cut out, and he takes his sunglasses off. No, it can’t be. I think

“Excuse me,” he says in a voice that’s all too familiar as he slips by Kano-chan and me before sitting next to her and behind Sora. It is.

“Tobias-kun?” I whisper. He immediately turns and looks at me. He has to peer in the darkness but eventually sees me.

“Sara-chan?” he asks, confirming my identity.

“What are you doing here?”

“Watching over Sora on his date, what are you doing here?”

“We’re watching Iori-on her date.”

“We? Who’s we?”

“I’m here too.” Kano-chan whispers

“Niǎo-san!” he whispers a bit too loudly. Almost disturbing Sora and Iori-chan. Luckily they seem to fixate on the movie and each other to notice.

“Does Sora know you’re here?” I ask.

“No, he has no idea. What about you? Does Suki-san know you’re here?”

“Yeah, we’re her moral support,” I say.

“Would it not be advantageous to join forces?” Kano-chan asks

“Uhhhhh,” Tobias-kun studders

“It’s fine. We just have to make sure that Sora doesn’t find out.” I say.

“Ok, we’ll follow them together.” Tobias-kun agrees.

“I would still like to enjoy the movie; I’ve never been to one and am thrilled to see one for the first time,” Kano-chan says, eating her popcorn.

Oh yeah, that’s right. Part of the plan was to help Kano-chan experience things she hasn’t yet. Well, then I guess it’s good that Tobias-kun is sitting next to her and not some creep…. WAIT! TOBIAS-KUN IS SITTING NEXT TO A GIRL WATCHING A ROMANTIC MOVIE, AND IT’S NOT ME!!! I stare in horror as I picture my worst fear. What if Kano-chan falls in love with Tobias? Or worse, what if he falls in love with her? No, that’d never happen. I mean, he was staring at me after the comet. He’s just waiting for the right time to confess. Yeah, that’s it. Nothing to worry about. Still, just to be safe, I better keep my eye on them, I think. I watch them throughout the movie and am glad to see nothing happen.

Kano-chan seems captivated by the movie, and Tobias sits frozen for most of it. It’s not till the end that something happens. Kano-chan, who’s been munching away at her popcorn, is so engrossed in the movie that she reaches for her drink. But instead of grabbing her cup, she grabs Tobias’. Wait! No! Don’t do that! That’d be an indirect kiss! Tobias kun and I have shared many indirect kisses like that. He, Sora, and I would often share drinks and such when we were kids, but there’s no way I can let Kano-chan have one during a romantic movie. “Stop, no!” I say too loudly as I reach out for Kano-chan’s hand. As I lean, I knock her popcorn out of her lap and onto Sora and Iori-chan. I look at Tobias-kun’s shocked face “Duck!” he says as he drops to the floor hiding behind the seats. I grab Kano-chan’s arm and do the same. The three of us lay there hiding until the lights flicker on and Sora and Iori-chan leave the theater.

Tobias 1628 August 18, 2046

“What the hell was that?” I ask, looking at Sara. I don’t know why she threw Niǎo-san’s popcorn onto Sora and Suki-san, but it had ruined their kiss… Probably, If I’m being honest, I hadn’t been paying attention to them. I was so hyper-focused on the fact I was watching a romance movie with Niǎo-san that I had spaced out since the movie began.

“Yes, Sara-chan, why did you do that? I was very much enjoying my popped corn.” Niǎo-san chimes in.

“Um, well, you see I… Uhh... Fell asleep. Yeah, I fell asleep and was dreaming of… something I can’t remember now, but then I flung my arm out in my sleep.” she says. I look at her with dead eyes. No way you fell asleep. You never fall asleep during movies.

“Oh, Sara, did you not enjoy the movie? I found it most exciting. Like when the girl found out the boy only had 15 minutes left to live. But when she found him on the roof, he still encouraged her to sing her heart out. That made my heart feel like it would stop.” Niǎo-san says, patting her chest.

“Y-yeah, I’ve already read the manga, and it hit way harder, so I just fell asleep, hehe.” I still don’t buy her story, but at the very least, she didn’t ruin it for Niǎo-san, so I guess it’s not worth staying mad about.

‘Well, ok,” I say, “But we need to get moving. They’re going to a restaurant next, and we wanna make sure we can get a table where we can see them.”

“Oh, they aren’t going to the restaurant. They’re going to the park.” Niǎo-san says.

“What? How do you know?” I ask.

“Iori-chan texted me,” she says, holding up her phone. I take a look and confirm for myself.

“Ok, then let’s head to the park,” I say, leading the girls out of the theater. Once we get to the park, I look around but don’t see them. “I don’t see them anywhere?”

“I cannot locate them either,” Niǎo-san says while standing on a bench.

“We should split up. The first one to find them tells the others.” Sara-chan says, “I’ll go this way.” she says, running off to my left.

“I shall head in this direction,” Niǎo-san declares as she sprints to my right.

“Wai- ahh fine,” I say, heading straight ahead. I look around but see no sign of Suki-san or Sora.

I’m about to give up when I spot Niǎo-san surrounded by three sketchy-looking guys. “Ahh crap, this again,” I mutter as I think of what to do. It was one thing to save Sara-chan from one guy yesterday, but can I do it against three? Wait a minute; this is my chance! Sara-chan said that Niǎo-san liked the bold American type; now, here’s my chance. I just have to go over there and get her away, easy as pie. I think as I hustle over to the group surrounding Niǎo-san.

“Aww, come on, you don't have to be so mean to us,” one of them says.

“Oh, she’s playing really hard to get; I think you need to be more forceful,” another jeers.

“No, I don't think she does,” I say, stepping in between them.

“And who the hell are you supposed to be, tough guy?” the leader says, getting in my face.

“Her boyfriend,” I declare, grabbing her hand. “Ya got a problem with that?” I stand there matching his energy. A voice in my head says that we should just walk away, but it’s squashed by another calling to make them back down. We stare each other down for a moment, and I’m starting to think it’ll end in a fight when Niǎo-san speaks up.

“No darling, don’t fight them. You can’t exhaust yourself just before your kung-fu competition tomorrow. You have to defend your championship status,” she says as she clings to me. Her embrace sends a shock down my spine, and my whole body locks up. Despite her stale delivery, the guys seem to believe her as they walk, muttering about how dirty foreigners take all the women.

“Looks like they left. Thank you for your help Gokegwa-kun, I wasn’t sure what to do about them,” she says, pulling away. As she does, I take a huge breath. I’d been so shocked by her latching onto me like that I’d forgotten to breathe for a moment.

“Y-yeah, no problem,” I manage to say.

“It was a good idea to deceive them. When I first saw you, I thought you were going to fight, and I thought ‘oh no, if Gokegwa-kun fights them, then we may not find Iori-chan and Tetsu-kun in time,’ but then you took my hand and played the part of my boyfriend, and I realized you had other intentions.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure it was gonna work for a moment.”

“Yes, but then I realized that I could make you look even more macho by playing the part of the concerned girlfriend like in the American movies. I must say it wasn’t an all-around unpleasant experience.”

She said more macho. SHE THOUGHT I LOOKED MACHO! I can hardly contain my joy while Niǎo-san checks her buzzing phone.

“Ohh, it seems Sara-chan has found them. Hurry to the bridge,” Niǎo-san says before darting away.

“Niǎo-san, the bridge is the other way!”I call, and she immediately turns and runs back to me.

“I don’t know the way, quickly lead me,” she says eagerly. Lead her? Does she mean? I don't hesitate for a moment. I grab her hand again and begin to pull her towards the bridge. Even though it’s a fair distance, she doesn’t try to let go of my hand at all. She grasps it and holds it tightly as we rush.

We get close to the bridge and see Sara-chan hiding in the bushes.

“Is that them?” I ask, kneeling down beside her

“I believe so. That dress matches the one Iori-chan was wearing, but I can’t tell because they’re so far away.”

“Oh, I have something for that,” I say, pulling out binoculars. I look through, and indeed it’s Suki-san and Sora walking along a bridge looking out over the ocean.” Yeah, that- ah” I nearly jump when I pull the binoculars down and see Niǎo-san has snuck up to be right beside me.

“It is most serendipitous that you foresaw to bring binoculars. Will you please allow me to look through them as well?” Niǎo-san asks as she stares into my eyes. Even though I’ve taken the time to admire her in class, I’ve never had the good fortune to do this closely.

“Y-yeah” is all I can manage, handing her the binoculars. She takes them eagerly and looks through. I take another moment to marvel at her beauty before Sara-chan jabs me in the ribs.

“What?” I ask, turning to her, annoyed.

“Don’t get so close to her. You look like you’re going to try something.”

“What? Like I’d do something like that, especially while you’re here.”

“Don’t worry, Sara-chan, GoKegwa-kun is fine where he is. By the way, GoKegwa-kun, can you read Tetsu-kun’s lips?”

“Yeah, maybe if I could see them, but I know you wanna keep looking, so it’s fine.”

“Not a problem,” Niǎo-san says, sliding the binoculars over so that I can slide my right eye into the left lens.

Is this for real? I think. I can’t believe this. A chance to lay cheek to cheek with Niǎo-san. Can I take it? Is it too bold? How can I- My thought are cut off as Sara-chan reaches past me and harshly snatches the binoculars from Niǎo-san.

“Hey, why’d yo-” I begin to say, but Sara-chan cuts me off.

“Sorry, Kano-chan, but if Tobias-kun and I look then, we’ll be more likely to see what he’s saying.” Sara-chan places the binoculars on her face just as Niǎo-san had, leaving an opening for one of my eyes. I missed my chance, I think, as I lean over, placing my cheek against Sara-chan’s. I peek over at Niǎo-san. Even out of the corner of my eye, it’s clear that she’s disappointed. Is it because she can’t see Sora and Suki-san, or is it because she missed her chance to be cheek to cheek with me? I wonder as Sara-chan speaks.”

“Ok um… He’s being expressive… Something about how he’s bad at… planning… Tobias-kun, you seeing anything else?” I switch my focus from Niǎo-san to Sora. Sara-chan and I move in sync to keep the focus on Sora despite his pacing around the bridge. Half the time, he’s faced away from us, so we can’t see, but I’m getting the gist either way.

“I don’t know what he’s doing. Yesterday we determined the bridge was too windy for the first kiss, so why’s he stopp-”

“OH WOW,” Niǎo-san says as we all see it. I scarcely believe my eyes as we watch.

Sora 1646 August 18, 2046

“So, how did you like the movie?” I asked as we walked through the park. Tobias had scouted out 3 or 4 good places to initiate the first kiss, but my mind is such a mess I can’t think of any of them.

“I liked it. It kept with the source material. Hard to believe the author made it just after finishing his harem rom-com.” Iori-chan says. Come on, think. What would be a good spot? It has to be well placed. It has to be perfect, like in the movies and manga. “Babe, are you okay?” Iori-chan asks. I recuperate my thoughts and realize they were so muddled that I’ve stopped walking.

“What, oh yeah, I’m fine, just… lost in thought,” I say, playing it off.

“Are you sure? You’ve seemed distracted all day.”

“Yeah, yeah just…Actually, no, I’m not.” I say, disavowing my demeanor of control. “I’ve been stressing about our first kiss all day. I should’ve done it the other day when I ran back to you. It would’ve been the perfect storybook ending that everyone always talks about.” I pace around the bridge walking from one rail to the other, walking by Iori-chan with each lap. “Everyone says that it’s supposed to be this magical moment that you remember for the rest of your life, and I know that this is your first, so I want to make it as special as I can b-” I’m cut off when Iori-chan pounces on me as I turn around to walk by again. She grabs my head and pulls me close. I’m so startled that I don’t even close my eyes. I just stare at her closed eyelids. We stay like that for what seems like an eternity and moment all at once. When she finally pulls away, I’m enthralled.

“A first kiss with the one I love. What could be more magical or more special than that?” she asks.

I’m at a loss for words. I open my mouth to speak, but she just places a finger upon my lips. “Shhhh. You put yourself through so much today trying to give me the perfect kiss. I appreciate your effort, but I don’t need perfect, especially if it takes such an overwhelming toll on you.”

“But if I don’t try, how wi-” I begin to say, but she hushes me again.

“I’m not asking you to stop trying, silly. Just pace yourself. You shouldn’t be working yourself to the bone just to make me smile. I promise I won’t run off just because you take it easy for a day.” She smiles, and again the right words elude me. I try to think of something clever to say, but only one phrase comes to mind. The more I think, the clearer and louder it echoes in my mind. So I peer into her swirling cinnamon-brown eyes and say it.

“I love you.” I lean down, and this time I feel her jump a little as if I took her by surprise. Now, this is a first kiss I’ll remember. I think as we stand on the bridge embracing.