A Not So Short Walk Home

Accepted

Harumi walked me home that night, and that nights when I realized. Im in love. My cheeks flushed every time his shoulder brushed against mine. I waved him off, and immediately hid my face in my hands. Now what do I do? Do I...say something to him? No! I cant. Ill just, hope it goes away. I went straight to my bed, not bothering to comment on my sister's jokes. I let out a sigh, content with now. 

After a couple months, spring had started, and Harumi and I were preparing for college. I wasnt sure if I had been accepted, but I havent really checked either. I wanted it to be a surprise. Me and Harumi had agreed to meet a couple weeks before we left to find out if we had made it. Now todays that day. Im so nervous, what if I dont make it? I wont be with Harumi for atleast a year then! Oh no. I shouldve had a backup... Whatever, I need to hurry up and leave, ive only got 15 minutes left. 

I spedwalk my way there, not surprised to see Harumi sitting on a bench. "When did you get here?" I chuckled, sitting next to him. "Before you." He teased back. I rolled my eyes sarcastically, and looked at my phone. "So, when do you wanna look?" I asked, putting my phone back down. "Well, we met up to see if we would make it or not, so lets just look now." He responded, and we both reached for our phones, opening our email inboxes. Harumi started laughing, suddenly, and I started laughing too. Laughs of relief. "Im guessing you made it?" I asked, yet nervous he may not have. "No." He replied. "What? Youre joking! Seriously?" My face went pale as I imagined a year without Harumi. "Im joking, chill..." He let out a small laugh, and showed me his accepted application. A sigh of relief instantly came out of me, and I felt myself relax for the first time since I left the house this morning. I felt myself hug him, like I had no control of my actions. "Hey-" He mumbled. I instantly pushed myself back, "Sorry, im not sure why I did that." I felt a flush spread across my cheeks, and I scratched my neck. "Its whatever." He mumbled. "So, what major did you end up choosing?" I peeked at him through the corner of my eye. He looked back at me, confidently saying, "I chose photography." I let out a small laugh, and nodded with approval. "Nice. Kinda expected you would." He swatted my back playfully. "Ow!" I laughed. "Oops, there was a bug." He replied, rubbing his hand on his pants. I looked back at my phone, smiling at the acception letter. "Well, uhm, what should we do now?" I asked, with an awkward smile. "My place?" He said, not bothering to look up from his phone. He stood up, and offered me a hand off the bench. "Sure." I grabbed his hand to help myself up, and brushed my hair back with my fingers.

Once we arrived at his house, I shot my mom a text letting her know where I was. He glanced over my shoulder to look at my phone. "Geez, you mama's boy." He teased, and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. "Shut up, you...uh...whatever." I tried to think of a comeback, but there wasnt really anything to go off of, he never really talked about himself. "Mhm." He hummed, muffling his giggles as I looked down in defeat. "Our first day is next week, huh?" I mumbled to myself, fiddling with the gaming console's controller. "Yup." He responded, messing with console before the TV flickered and showed a menu full of games. "Lets play-" I tried to say, but I got interrupted by my stomach growling. I instinctively covered my stomach with my arms, and blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, um." He turned around to face me, and stared at me. I felt a chill go down my spine. "W-Why are you staring at me?" I twiddled my thumbs, furrowing my brows in confusion. "Do you want something to eat?" He stared down at me with his cold glare, and I avoided eye contact. "Uhm, y-yes please." I mumbled, scratching my head in embarrassment. "Come on." He walked past the couch, towards the kitchen. I looked back, hesitant, but then followed him over. We walked past a thin hallway, where I was able to catch a glance of his room. It looked the same, and his various photos stuck out from the wall. "Wait- But you dont cook..." I realized, and looked at him. I found him rummaging through his cabinets. "Ill just make something... Do you have an apron?" I asked, my view scattering throughout the kitchen. He nodded with a hum, and pointed to the lower cabinet. I pulled out an apron, putting it on and scanning for ingredients. "Anything specific you want?" I looked back at him, only to findmhim staring at me, his eyes wide. He snapped out of it, and tapped his chin in thought. "What can you make?" He asked, waiting for a response. I thought about what I had previously made, "Onigiri, Tteo-" "Thats fine." He stated. I paused, smiling awkwardly. "Huh?" I asked, unsure what he said was fine. "Onigiri is good. Theres some rice in the upper cabinet, and other ingredients are in the fridge. My parents left them there." I peeked at the cabinet, finding it slightly open. I looked through the crack, seeing a pre-made rice packet. My jaw dropped, and I slammed the cabinet shut. "Surely you have a rice cooker..." I stared at him in utter disbelief as he slowly shook his head. "Uhm, lets just order food." I sigh in defeat, pulling out my phone to open the delivery app. "My bad." He smiles awkwardly, and pulls out his wallet. "Ill pay." He flipped through various bills before pulling out a ¥1,000 bill. "Its alright, ill just pay it. Im ordering on my phone anyway." I swatted his hand back, and ordered our usual.  I tossed the apron onto the counter and sat back down on the couch. The photos in his bedroom werent visible from the angle I walked back. "Anyways, lets play Junjiritsu!" I grabbed the controller, and left my phone on the couch's arm rest. "Oh, alright." He sat down next to me, grabbing the other controller. 

About 20 minutes later, a couple knocks penetrated through the sounds of the video game. I paused the game and opened the door. A young girl, about a year younger, was holding our food. "H-Hello!" She chimed, passing a crooked smile and holding the box out. "I just need your name?" She checked her phone. "Akihiko Shiraishi." I stated, waiting for her approval to grab the box. "Great. Uhm, but one thing." Her voice got quiet as she fiddled her thumbs. "C-Can I have your SNS?" She asked, staring at the floor. "Oh, uh..." I looked back at Harumi, and I noticed him furrowing his brows, trying to get a look at the girl. "Sure? Uhm, I dont use it much though..." I walked to the couch and grabbed my phone, setting the food on the coffee table. We exchanged each other's SNS, and she gracefully casted her farewell. I shut the door and looked at the name she entered. "Ryoma." I whispered to myself. "What was that?" He asked, my gaze catching his. "Oh, uh, delivery girl." I explained. "Well, obviously. But thats not what I meant. Why did you need your phone?" He stared at my phone, and I sat on the opposite side of the coffee table. "She wanted my SNS." A snicker escaped him, and I couldnt help but blush. "What?" I picked up some ramen. "Nothing." He said slyly. I ignored him, and continued eating, the ramen stinging my tongue. "Hot." I said, pulling the ramen away from me, and fanning my tongue with my hand. "Just blow on it." He sighs, and blows gently on my food. "I can blow on it myself." I flicked his forehead, and started blowing on my ramen. He smacked my arm in return, and I let out a small smile. 

Once we were done eating, it was around 11 PM. I leaned back on the couch, sighing with content. "I love ramen." I smiled at him, happy to see him smile back. "Its okay..." He rolled his eyes playfully, and took the dishes to the trash. "When should I leave?" "Now." He joked, sitting back next to me after disposing of our leftovers. "Kidding. Whenever you want, I dont care." He said, as if it was no big deal. "Seriously? Thats okay?" I asked, not wanting to invade his privacy. "Yeah, its fine. Might as well have a sleepover." He couldnt contain his laugh on that one, and covered his face with his arm. "Oh, okay." I nodded slightly, blushing a bit. "Huh? You seriously wanna stay the night?" He struck a hand through his hair. "I mean, if you dont mind?" I twiddled my thumbs, smiling at him. "But wont you miss your mom, you mama's boy!" He teased, laughing and wiping his eyes. "Whatever." I pouted, scrolling through my phone. "Yeah, whatever, you can stay." He shrugged, and I sat next to him.