The cat is out of the bag

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

The sound of the alarm woke me up. I checked my phone, and the time was 4:30 a.m. I knew I didn't have to get up this early, but I wanted to make sure I had enough time to prepare. After all, I had to arrive at the animal shelter before Yuki today. "Please wish me luck!" I say this as I stare at my cat plushie.

I brushed my teeth, got dressed, and packed my backpack with the letter and the mouse toy Rika and Hikaru had given me. This is Bowtie's special "thank you" gift. She'll be the one responsible for "delivering" the letter to Yuki today, after all! Before I forgot, I wrote a note for my parents, telling them I was going to the animal shelter early, and I went downstairs to the kitchen. To my surprise, dad was still here. He usually leaves the house around 5 a.m. to go to the tv station.

"Morning, Akio! What are you doing up so early?" he said, looking at me confused.

"Morning, dad! Today is a big day for me, so I had to wake up early!" I said this while searching for my cereal.

"Ohhh! Sounds exciting! Tell me more!" he said.

"Well, in an hour or two, I'm going to confess to my crush!" I said as I sat down, putting the cereal in my bowl.

"My son is growing up so fast!" he said as he wiped the non-existent tears from his eyes.

"You're so dramatic, dad! Aren't you late for work? It's like 5:30 right now," I said, looking at my phone.

"Not today! It's my day off. My body is so used to waking up at this hour that it is impossible for me to sleep past 5:00 am," he explained.

We both sat down at the table as I continued to pour milk on my cereal. My dad offered the best advice he could give me. He told me that no matter Yuki's answer, I must respect her decision and not hold a grudge against her. I assured him I was mature enough to accept rejection and that I was prepared for either scenario.

"Akio... Is it too late to have the talk? You know... about the birds and the bees?" My dad asked shyly.

"DAAAD!!!" I covered my ears, and I rushed out of the kitchen, trying my best not to wake up mom!

After that incident, I got dressed and made my way outside. It was still a little dark outside, and the cold morning air felt really nice! I have arrived at 6 a.m. in front of the animal shelter. Satoru was waiting for me inside. I greeted him and made my way to the part of the building where the cats were. I took a deep breath and started preparing.

In under 30 minutes, I managed to clean up all the litter boxes, reorganize the cat toys, and put my letter next to Bowtie. I was inspecting the area one last time, and I started waiting for Yuki to arrive. I hope she feels the same way about me as I do about her! Bowtie meowed at me, and I took it as a sign of encouragement! "Wish me luck, little one!"

It was around 7 a.m. when Yuki arrived at the animal shelter. She was surprised to find me taking care of the cats so early in the morning, but she didn't find it suspicious yet. I smiled and greeted her. Then I suggested we feed the cats in order to start the day.

"Oh, you're talking about my phobia? Yes, I told you I'm better now!" I smiled, but deep down, I knew it was because of the letter. I was way too distracted to be scared of cats right now.

As we got close to Bowtie's bowl, I pretended to move to a different spot to feed another cat instead. Yuki didn't think anything of it and approached Bowtie.

"What's… this? Do you have something for me, Bowtie?" Yuki said, examining the letter.

"It's a letter... for me...?" Yuki seemed confused as she read the words on the envelope.

"R-Really?" I said, trying to calm down my trembling voice. She then started to read it out loud:

Dear Yuki,

Bowtie here! I'm going to tell you a short story about a boy you already know:

Hey, Yuki! Akio, here! I just wanted you to know that I like you! I've liked you for a long time, actually! You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, inside and out. You are my dream girl, and I think about you all the time. Your smile brightens up my day; you make my heart beat faster; you make me nervous but also excited. You make me feel things I've never felt before. You are amazing, Yuki! And I want to be more than just your friend. I want to be your boyfriend!

And I hope you can see past my fear of cats and see the real Akio. I promise I'll treat you right and make you the happiest girl in the world!

I'll be waiting for your answer,

Akio (& Bowtie)

Yuki stopped reading. She put the letter close to her chest and closed her eyes. She then turned around, ran towards me, and hugged me with a strength ten times bigger than her small stature. Who would've thought that a tiny girl like her had such a strong grip?

"Y-Y-Yuki" I said.

"The answer is yes! It's YES! I want to be your girlfriend!" Yuki replied while still hugging me.

We held each other for a little while, feeling our hearts beat in sync. As I looked into her eyes, I began to smile because I could see the same passion reflecting back to me.