Storm

Confess

She grinned and waved, looking towards her right as she walked with her mom.

"So how was your sleepover honey?" her mother inquired, walking across the paved roads on a familiar route home.

"It was...amazing" she watched the door to the residence close.

"Amazing hmm? What part of it? Spending time with your boyfriend, or the sleepover part?" she teased lightly.

"Both" Takagi replied with a content sigh and an eased smile.

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Watching her walk off, he felt a sense of relief, but a pang to his heart.

Spending so much time with her was nice, and while wasn't the biggest fan of her leaving, he needed some time to reconcile with his mind.

He stared at the door a little longer, processing the whole thing. 

In one night he had discovered his feelings for Takagi. Feelings that had been present for years.

But now he had a body of feelings, and nowhere to bury them.

Even so, why would he want to bury those feelings? They were far from dead, so to speak. They had just recently surfaced. 

Yet still, a cloud of doubt lingered in his head. It roamed his feelings and every daydream he had of Takagi.

"She probably doesn't even like me."

Walking up the stairs, and entering his room, he flopped onto his bed burying his face in his pillow.

'So I know how I feel. But how will tell her? 

What if she doesn't accept those feelings? 

What if she's disgusted with me? 

What if we stop being friends because of that?'

He rolled over to his ceiling. 

"I like you" the words rolled off his tounge. He just wanted to say it. To get it out of his system. To maybe see what it would be like to say it to her face.

But at that moment, he hadn't said it to her face. That didn't stop her from hearing the words though.

*Several minutes earlier*

She and her mother continued to talk, walking gracefully towards their destination.

Stopping in her tracks, Takagi patted her bag. 

'Ahhh. I forgot my PE clothes in his room.'

"Forget something?" her mother asked in a questioning tone, watching her daughter pat her bag.

"Yea, I forgot some of my PE clothes in Nishikata's room. Can I go and get it before we go any further?"

"Of course honey, I'll be waiting at the candy shop until you return. Now, hurry along" she smiled, ushering her daughter off so they could get home in time for dinner.

Takagi smiled, walking briskly back to his house. She couldn't wait to see his reaction we she was at his front door.

She knocked, and was answered not by him, but by his mother.

"Oh hello dear, did you forget something?" Mrs. Nishikata smiled and opened the door, peeking out.

"Yes Mrs. Nishikata. I forgot my PE clothes with Nishikata. May I go up and get it?"

"Of course dear!" she replied, opening the door fully and letting Takagi inside.

Taking off her shoes, she hurried up the stairs and arrived at her door.

She held a hand up to his door to knock, but was stopped halfway when she heard talking.

It was faint behind the door, but she heard it.

"I like you."

Her mind began to race as she processed the sentence. He, confessed his feelings?

Now, Takagi had known that Nishikata had feelings for her, but she had also known that he hadn't realized those feelings for her.

So, on the off chance that he hadn't realized those feelings and he was confessing, could it be that he liked someone else.

No way, of course not, she had known Nishikata for quite some time now and if liked anyone she would have known.

But the doubt still lingered in her mind, as her hand hovered over the door to knock still paused in the motion.

'Does he like someone else?'