Green Light (GeminiFourth AU)

Chapter 6

♊4️⃣

Fast forward to that night, I was holed up in my room, sitting formally on my heels on top of my bed.

Man, the episode of Buddhist Prayer Rangers: Monkman was totally awesome. It must be the screenwriter's talent. The direction wasn't bad either. It's a pity the sets look so cheap---can't they do something about that?

My stiff posture as I mulled over this point didn't actually have anything to do with Monkman. In front of me lay an open cellphone. Its screen displayed a newly arrived text message, and I was staring down at the words.

The sender was Gemini. I hadn't gotten a text from him in a long time, not since way back when he'd forced me to exchange cellphone numbers with him. Just getting the message was a surprise, but its contents were shocking enough to make me sit up and withdraw from reality.

'Do you really want to go out with me?'

What the hell was this? When I first read it, I had no clue what he was talking about. It was after I unthinkingly muttered "Out where?" that I finally realized he was referring to our conversation after school. I thought Gemini would just let a joke like that slide, but he'd taken it seriously instead.

I knew he was a really serious guy, but I didn't think he could be this idiotically serious. What was I supposed to do? I could reply 'That was a joke, you moron,' but it pissed me off to reassure him like that. ('Oh, okay, I get it!' he'd answer with a laugh.)

"What's he gonna do if I mean it?"

Suddenly I was curious. I picked up my phone, and after wrestling with my thoughts for a while, I started typing.

'What would you do if I said yes? I know you don't want to go out with me, so quit sending me self-important text messages.'

Okay, that should do it. I read it over twice and hit send. Gemini's response was quick, and said about what I'd thought it would.

'Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know whether you were serious or playing a joke on me.'

'Like I could joke about something like that! I'm dead serious.'

When I actually typed that, it seemed realistic it grossed me out a little, but whatever. Sending..

'Okay, got it.'

Oh, you got it now, do you? Wait, got what? Don't send such a noncommittal response! I fumed. How am I supposed to answer this??

The phone fell silent as I struggled over how to respond.

I wonder if Gemini's waitinh for me to answer him? But the only possible response to a message like that was, 'What do you mean? Got what?' Eventually I just texted him expressing that sentiment, and then waited for his answer.

An hout later, I still hadn't gotten another text from him.

Did he go to sleep? Was he in the bath? Or was just ignoring me? I was in anguish before my cell finally chirped.

'I mean let's go out.'

I see, so that's how he's playing. He wants to go out...wait, what?

"WHAT?!" I was so shocked that I screeched loudly enough to make myself choke, and started coughing.

Calm down, Fourth. You have to think this through carefully and rationally. There must be some kind of mistake here. Otherwise, there's no way he'd be reacting like you'd just confessed your love for him.

Man, my whole body was breaking out in a cold sweat. Wait, why as my face getting red? And my heart was pounding, even. It was almost like I as happy that...No, uh-uh, no way.

'You're a moron.'

I was shaken, my fingers were practically stabbing letters as I typed.

'Why? Don't tell me you think I'm kidding you?'

'Yep.'

'Fourth, is it okay if I call you?'

My whole body froze so quickly you could practicallh hear ice cracking. Is he seriously going to call me? Does he intend to make me listen to gis pleasant voice at a time like this?

I paused.

Nope, no way, forget it. Judt forger it. What the hell am I supposed to say now?

While I was holding my head in anguish, my cellphone started playing a different melody than before. It as the ending theme to Monkman. I'd set it as my ringtone. That bastard, he called me without waiting for an answer?

While my thumb was hovering over the 'talk' button in uncertainty, the song eventually ended, only to be replaced by the incoming text melody.

'Why won't you answer the phone? Is this a bad time?

'Forget it. I'm too embarrassed to pick up.'

I agonized quite a bit before hitting send, and then immediately regretted doing it. I sounded just like a naive, innocent little girl!

'Okay, I'll tell you this in a text then. I wasn't joking before. I really want to go out with you, Fourth.'

'Look, stop kidding around already. You really are an idiot, aren't you?'

'You won't believe me no matter what?'

'More like no normal person would buy that.'

'Should the two of us go out on a date, then?'

"Why?!" Before I realized it, I was questionning him out loud. This was bad---I had no idea what was going on. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all.

'We should really talk about this in person anyway, right? So let's go on a date to celebrate the beginning of our relationship.'

Gemini's latest text was kicking me while I was down. Somehow, I had the feeling he was missing the point, but I didn't have enough composure to say that. My head had started to feel hot and I was dizzy. While I was dealing with that. Gemini texted me to say he was going to go take a bath, and decided the time and place for the date without me before I could recover. In the end, I'd let Gemini's momentum steamroll me, and I hadn't been able to pin down his true motives.

"What the heck is going on?" I mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. No answer came to me. Was Gemini serious? And anyway, wasn't he dating Becky? No matter how I looked at it, I could only assume he was teasing me. The one thing that bugged me was would a guy that straight-laced really go to the trouble of setting me up?

If anything, it was easier to believe he'd said those things out of sympathy than out of a desire to tease me. That would be more in line with his. I personality. I felt the pain in my heart you get when you didn't expect your lottery ticket to win, but you had just a little hope for it, so you were kinda let down when it lost.

"How softheated can he get?"

I laid down face-up on the bed and closed my eyes.

But depending on how you look at it, this could be my chance. I might be able to get the only possible dirt on this nice, handsome, perfecr guy. If Gemini was gay, it'd do some hefty social damage to someone as popular as he is.

I imagined Gemini on the verge of tears, and grinned. But there was something I didn't realize at the time---namely, that if the rumor spread that Gemini was gay, the moment they thought he was dating me, they'd think I was gay too. But by the time I realized this critical oversight with a cry of horror, it was the day of the date. I was already on the train and just five minutes from our meeting place, so it was too late to cancel. I stood there dumbly, all the blood draining from my face.

Man, I'm an idiot.

TBC