Longest Day

That’s the problem. I don’t want to make friends. I want you to be my girlfriend.

I’ve been contemplating my words for about 15 minutes now, and Inohara hasn’t returned on the line. I feel a mix of worry and regret while waiting for her.

I might have been impatient to confess to her right away. I like her without a doubt, but I think I’m also being unfair to her. I didn’t even consider how she felt about me. I didn’t want us to start off as friends because I was afraid that it wouldn’t work out like my previous relationship. I think I panicked for a bit.

I think I just messed up everything.

I wince.

“What am I doing?”

“Sorry for the wait.”

She’s back.

I pick up my phone and sit on the floor. I lean on the side of my bed.

“How’s your foot?” I ask.

“It’s a bit red, but I’m applying ice on it now. I also had to clean the broken mug and make coffee again. That mug has been my favorite. It’s a bit difficult to say goodbye to it.”

“Why are you even drinking coffee at this time?”

“Oh, it’s like comfort food. I only drink coffee once a day. I usually drink in the morning, but I was in a rush this morning, so I didn’t get my daily dose of coffee. So I decided to drink tonight.”
It’s strange that we are having a casual conversation like nothing happened.

“Inohara…”

Should I… let it be?

“I’m sorry.”

But I want to hear her answer.

“About what I said…”

“Wait a minute!” she exclaims.
Her voice is so loud that it startles me. Then I hear a beeping sound and a whoosh of air.

“Did you just turn on your AC?” I ask in curiosity.

“I adjusted the temperature. It’s getting hotter.”
I look at the AC in my room.
“Mine is at 24 degrees Celsius. I don’t think it’s that hot today.”

“It is hot.”

“Are you getting flustered again?”
She gasps, then says, “No!”
Her denial is so endearing that it makes me chuckle.

“Stop laughing! You’re so mean!”

Am I just reading too much into the situation?

“I’m sorry. I can’t help. Now, I kind of want to see your face.”

“I’m not showing my face to you. You’re so mean.”

For some reason, my shoulders and chest feel lighter than before. It’s like she makes everything simple and bright. As if the world isn’t as dark as it has always been for me.

“Are you still there?” Inohara asks.

“I am. About what I said a while ago, I’m serious about it.”

“About that—"

“Please listen to me first.”

I cut her sentence. I feel like I can’t contain the words within me. It doesn’t matter anymore what her answer will be. I just need to say everything.

When she goes silent, I continue.

“I like you, Inohara. I might have been aggressive and straightforward with my approach, and I apologize for that. I’m not really good at this kind of thing.”

“The way you said it was indeed a shock. I’ve never had that kind of confession before.”

“Yeah… anyway… will you go out with me?”

She goes silent for a moment. I grip my phone tighter. I can feel my muscles tensing and my heart drumming.

I loosen my grip on my phone. I think she said something, but her voice is low; I barely heard anything.

“What?”

She doesn’t respond.

“Inohara, what did you say?”

“Why do I have to say it again?” she complains. With the way she speaks, I can see an image of her blushing.

“I didn’t hear it.”

“You’re just being mean again.”

“I swear I didn’t hear it.”

“If I get a heart attack, I’m making you pay for my hospital bill.”

I smile and let my body relax.

“Just say it again. Please. Let me hear it.”

“You’re so mean… I said yes. Are you happy now? It’s not like I can say no. With the way you held my hand on the way to the convenience store this morning, there’s no way I can turn you down. That was… so sweet. My heart raced like crazy.”

I smile.

“But I didn’t see you blush at all.”

“I used 150 percent of my brain power to control myself. I think that’s the reason why I feel vulnerable right now. My emotion is at it’s limit already.”

My emotion is also at it's limit right now.

“Can we meet tomorrow? I really want to see you.”

“My shift ends at 9 pm.”

“Okay. See you. Goodnight.”

She says goodnight and hung up. I take a long, slow breath in, then out.

I think I need some coffee right now.

I make some coffee, and I spend the entire night making some designs for my portfolio until 5 in the morning. It’s easy for me to get absorbed with my work, but every now and then, Inohara’s image pops out of my head. I have to stop working and sip some coffee during those moments. After making some designs, I switch to reading the books that I bought and start making notes. I think I spend two hours writing notes before I gave up and crawled into bed.

I want to see her as soon as possible.

All I can think about is Inohara and as a result, I didn’t get to sleep at all. It's also because I drunk three cups of coffee which is a record for me since I only drink coffee three times a week.

Having nothing else to do, I decided to go out for a run.

I need to shake this restlessness away.

I’m doing my best, but I know there is only one way to relieve this feeling. Unfortunately, I have to wait until 9 pm to see Inohara. I've thought of passing by her workplace, but I don’t want to trouble her, so I go back home and take a shower. I get dressed and go out again to eat breakfast.

I also had to clean the broken mug and make coffee again. That mug has been my favorite. It’s a bit difficult to say goodbye it.
I suddenly remember her words when I see the mug on the sink.

“Maybe I should buy her a new one.”

And so I go out, eat breakfast then spend the entire day looking for a mug. I want to buy something that will make Inohara genuinely happy. I have an idea of what kind of mug I want to give her, but the question is, can I find one?

I go through several places and gift shops. I found some things that I think she would also love, but it’s frustrating that I can’t find that one thing that I need. By lunchtime, I stumble upon a café by accident, and pasta is on their menu, so I decided to go in.

The moment I enter, a staff member cheerfully greeted me and lead me to a table. As I walk in, I notice the mug served to one of the customers.

“Excuse me, that mug…” I point at the other table.

“Oh, those are special mugs made by one of the co-owners. You can purchase a mug that you can use every time you come back, but you can also purchase one as a gift. If you are interested, I can give you the list of available mugs for purchase,” the staff answers.

“I’d like to see the list. Thank you.”

I should bring her here some time.
After I eat, I have nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. I found a manga café and spend the rest of the afternoon there. I even got to sleep. By night, I go to Inohara’s workplace, and I get there at 8:15, so I still have to wait.

Few more minutes.

I am somewhat getting impatient, but I have to stay calm. I can’t just go in and distract Inohara. She has responsibilities to fulfill, and I don’t want to be selfish. I stand by the entrance, looking at the sky.

“This has been a long day,” I utter.

“How long have you been waiting?”

I swiftly turn to my side, and Inohara is there. Somehow, it feels like I'm dreaming.

I definitely need more sleep.

“You’re a bit early,” I say calmly, but my heart is in a bit of a panic. Maybe it's because she startled me, or maybe because I suddenly remembered my confession last night. I feel absolutely embarrassed, but I manage to stay composed.

“Actually, I have a weird feeling that you’ll be here early. They allowed me to leave earlier since I always cover for the others’ shifts.”

“I see. Should we eat dinner first?”

“Sure. Actually, I received payment today, so I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“You don’t have to. Let’s go.”

I reach for her hand, and we walk on.

“Is this our first date?” she asks with a timid smile and blushing cheeks.

“I think so. I hope this is fine for you. We’re not even going to a fancy restaurant.”

“We don’t have to go to any of those places. I’m a simple person. We can eat instant ramen at home and I’ll still be happy."

She pauses for a moment then halts from walking.

“Maybe we should do that. Let’s go eat instant ramen in my apartment.”

“What?”

I stare at her confident smile. She looks so proud of her idea, and I’m a bit worried.

Did she just invite me into her apartment? Just the two of us? When we've just started dating? Isn’t she trusting me too much? Does she trust everyone this easily?