The Night of Decisions

I look over and she grab my hand. She is wearing a pink dress shirt with a black pencil skirt. Her long blonde hair put up in a messy bun glissaded when the light would hit it.

“Hey where are we even going?” I said confused still not knowing what is happening.

“We are going to restaurant my co-worker mentioned to me!” she said excited.

I didn’t know what restraint she was talking about but I didn’t care. I was so excited the girl I loved so long on a date with me I couldn’t believe it. It felt like only seconds when I heard her say

“Here we are!”

I stood there with confusion

“a cat café is where we are eating?”

I accidently blurted out she looks at me disappointed as if to tell me she was really wanting to come here.

“Umm we can go the café if you want. I was just expecting something different.”

I tell her trying to cheer her up. She explains the reason she chooses this place was because her co-worker said this was the perfect place for friends to hangout. I sigh and think to myself

“So, she still thinks of us as friends of course.”

I open the door for her and we enter the building. Cats everywhere and the music was mellow the smell of coffee and cake lingered in the room. We are greeted by a gentlemen wear cat ears I try to hold back my laughter when he says

“Welcome to meow shop. Let meow show you to your table.”

We follow him over to the table and we sit down when a cat jumps onto the table meowing at Aiko.

“Oh my gosh this cat is tots’ cutes”

she starts to pet her and plays with her. While she does that, I ask the server if we can just have one cup of black coffee and a coffee with 3 cream 10 sugar he nods and goes off to grab the coffee.

“Hey who said I wanted 3creams 10 sugar?” she says looking like if I did something wrong.

“Oh, I’m sorry I guess 5 years can change a person’s sense of what they like huh.”

I said trying to apologize but I see her blush and says

“Well, I didn’t expect you to remember after all these years.”

I start to wonder to myself

“Oh gosh she might think I’m like obsessed with her especially remembering her order from 5 years ago!”

I try to change the subject to something different. Anything to change the mood that’s in the air right now

“So…I remember that you said you finish schooling at Kyoto university. How was that?”

I said with a smile on my face

“I don’t remember mentioning that I went to Kyoto university?”

she says confused. I panic and start to think again

“Great now I look like a obsessed stalker. Kill me now.”

She looks over and tells me

“I did go there and I graduation fairly recently with a degree in chemistry”

“that’s fantastic I guess it must have been hard.” I say with relief.

“It was but I got my job at sweet lure and I’m so happy now.” She says with a smile on her face.

I start to relax a bit more and say

“That is the perfect job for a former gal like you. Don’t you think?”

she smiles and says

“of course, senpai! I know you wouldn’t expect anything less from me.”

I start to remise with her and that’s when the server comes back with the coffee for us.

“Thank you very much for waiting.” He says putting down the coffees.

“Would you like to place a order now or do you need time?”

Aiko looks over to me and then looks at the server and says

“What type of cake do you have here?”

he starts to list off all the cakes flavors. After he was done, she asks him for red velvet cake and a double chocolate cake.

“Thank you very much.”

I say sounding somewhat timid.

“No prob I know you are low on funds especially as you have to move out.” She says with such confidence and then asks, “why do you have to move out anyways?”

I start to explain how my landlord has been trying to get a higher paying cliental to live in his apartment complex and drove out everyone by increasing the price of the apartments. She looks over to me with a concerned face as if I told her I was homeless. Well at this point I’m not far from it. Just when I’m about to tell her that I’ll be ok our cakes arrive and the server leaves them there for us to eat it.

“it’s kind of hard to eat with so many cats here isn’t it?”

I say hoping to get a chuckle from her. It failed she still looks concerned so I come right out with it

“Hey, I swear I’ll be fine it’s not the first time I must look for a new place. Ill land on my feet.”

She starts to tell me why she is concerned

“I know you will but… I can’t help but worry you always worried about me senpai.”

She starts to pick at the food but doesn’t eat any.

“Hey Aiko, why not drop the senpai stuff I’m just hiroto you’ve known me long enough”

I try to comfort her so she can cheer up. She looks up at me and says

“h-hiroto I do have a question for you. It’s the whole reason why we came out in the first place.”

I nod my head because I’m still processing that she called me by my first name after so long.

“Ah yes you did mention you wanted to ask me something tonight, didn’t you?” I say in the most serious tone I can.

she smiles and looks up from her plate leans over the table to me and say

“You promise you will hear me out right?” I look at her straight in the eyes and say, “of course I will Aiko.”

She lets out a happy sound and says confidently

“Hiroto Takahashi, will you move in with me!”