I Do Not Dream Of Eating Your Pancreas (IWTEYP x Seishun Buta Yarō)

Chapter 13: Heaven On Earth

Sometimes in life, you come across some moments that seem almost too good to be true. You think to yourself, "Do I deserve this? This moment of pure joy?" I can't say whether we always deserve it, but I can tell you that when those moments come, cherish them.

There are a few things I'll never forget. The first book I read, how it felt to read the words of someone else, the wonder and excitement that it filled me with. The first time I had made a friend. And now, the first time I had fallen for someone.

The subject of my affection was still wrapped in my arms, neither of us wanting to let go of the other first. It was almost a contest, an unspoken agreement to see who would loosen their grip first. We may have stayed in that moment forever, had there not been a knock at the door.

Suddenly, we were both aware of reality once again. Both of us blushing, we let go and quickly stood up, I'm not sure who would have been more embarrassed had whoever was at the door decided to barge in instead of knocking. Sakura stood up to answer the door, I stayed seated and hoped the evidence wouldn't be all over my face by the time she opened the door.

"I wasn't sure if you guys would be hungry, so I brought up some snacks." I peeked up, catching a knowing but approving look on the face of Sakura's mother. Now that I was anchored back in reality, I realized I was feeling a bit hungry now.

"Thanks mom, though it is almost lunch time." Sakura had grabbed the plate from her mom, looking back to me. "Have you thought about what you want?" Her mother covered her ears jokingly, which only caused Sakura to blush even more.

"I'll leave you two to it then." She gave me a small wave, with that same knowing look, and left the two of us alone again. Sakura stayed rooted where she was, still holding the plate her mom had brought up.

"I hope you're planning on sharing some of those." That seemed to snap her back to reality. She placed it on the bed, sitting on the other side of the plate. "Sorry, I guess this is taking some getting used to." She reached over, placing her hand on mine.

At the hospital, I never quite understood what Sakura meant by wanting to feel someone else's warmth. But now, with her hand on mine, I started to understand. "You never did way what you wanted." Sakura looked at me, a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Are we still talking about lunch?" She laughed, her fingers now intertwined with mine. "Lunch, life, us. Take your pick." I thought it over. "Today seems like a sweet day, how about we go to Paradise?" Her eyes lit up in excitement.

"You sure you don't want to go there just to see all the cute girls there?" A mischievous smile plastered on her face, with a matching twinkle in her eyes. "Why would I want to do that when I can see the cutest girl right now?" It was almost amusing to see how fast she went from that smug look to being embarrassed.

"You're not just saying that to keep holding my hand, are you?" Her response held a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment. "Hmmm." I tightened my grip a little, and she responded by doing the same. "I guess I do enjoy this, so if saying things let that let's this continue then I guess I'll keep finding new things to say."

The smile she gave me was different from all the rest. It was like I was seeing her for the first time, the Sakura that had always been teasing but never truly revealing herself. I was forever grateful for the chance I had been given, deciding to make the most of this new journey together.

I looked down to the plate that sat between us, still untouched. "It would be a waste to not eat these." Sakura nodded. "I suppose you're right." She picked up one of the forks on the plate, grabbing a piece of one of the cake slices. I had figured she was just taking it for herself, so imagine my surprise as she held the fork up towards me.