A Shy Kiss

Chapter 7

Saturday couldn't come closer. You got up a little early to make breakfast for you both: some muffins and some hot chocolate in a thermos. That way it'd be easier to eat in the car. You took a quick shower as the muffins baked, checking the oven every once in a while as you got dressed. You settled on a simple shirt and jeans. No use getting fancy at a fish market. You took the muffins out once they were done and set them on a cooling rack. You grabbed your purse and checked your phone for the time. It was still a little early, so you decided to play with your hair and style it in a braid.

As you were finishing a braid to the side you hear your phone chime. It was a text from Tamaki letting you know he's on his way. You quickly packed a few muffins in a tupperware and got the thermos packed. You snatched up your purse and made your way to the parking lot to wait for him. He showed up soon after and you hopped in ready to go.

"I brought blueberry muffins and some hot chocolate for the road." You mentioned as you put on your seatbelt."

He laughed lightly, remembering the hot chocolate incident. "Thanks." He said as he drove off.

"So how far is the fish market?"

"The closest one is a 40 minute drive, is that okay?"

"Yup! Good thing I brought extra muffins just case." You said with a laugh.  He laughed as well before grabbing a muffin to eat.

"So, what kind of recipe are you thinking of today?"

"Not sure, I usually think of something when I see the ingredients. I get my inspiration from looking at the ingredients available first."

"That's a smart plan. You sound really creative Tamaki."

He clenched the steering wheel a little, nervous about your compliment.

"T-thanks. You too. W-With the baking I mean."

"Aww thank you! I love baking. It's something I bonded with my mom over. She's the real baker of the family. Some of her recipes are so top secret she won't share them with me until I'm married."

At this point Tamaki choked on his muffin in surprise. You tapped his back lightly as he coughed and swallowed the piece of muffin he had in his mouth.

"Are you okay Tamaki???"

"I'm fine." He said weakly. You served him some of the hot chocolate to make it easier to swallow. He drank the hot cocoa before clearing his throat. "I'm okay now, I promise."

"I'm glad, you had me worried for a second." You said with a small laugh.

Tamaki on the other hand was not okay. Just the word 'married' had Tamaki overthinking again. Some good thoughts like life with you, having these talks, cuddling. And some bad thoughts. He wondered if he'd make a good husband for anybody, seeing as how nervous he gets over the smallest things. Or if you would ever even see him as a possible spouse.

"Hey Tamaki?"

"Hmm?"

"This is probably gonna sound stupid, but um...did you actually want to hang out today? I know you can be shy sometimes and I don't want you to feel like I pressured you to hang out or anything."

Instantly his worries were washed away. She was nervous too. He wasn't the only one. This gave him a sense of relief. Like for once he wasn't the odd one out.

"I wanted to hang out with you Y/N. I can be shy, sometimes to the point of embarassing myself. But I wouldn't lie Y/N. I'm glad we can hang out today."

"Oh thank God." You said as you breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried about that."  You really were. After getting so excited about seeing him that one thought crossed your mind and wouldn't leave your mind until now.

"I...like seeing you."

"Me too! You're so easy to talk too. I get nervous meeting new people but with you I feel like I can hold a conversation without feeling drained afterward you know?"

He laughed with a smile at your words. "I feel the same. It's not draining when I talk to you. It's refreshing."

".....as refreshing as a Starbucks refresher?"

He stifled a laugh before full on laughing as he tried to say 'what?' You laughed as you apologized. "I'm sorry that was stupid."

He shook his head as he laughed. "No it was funny."

The rest of the car ride you both kept talking until you reached the market.

You hopped out and could smell the salty breeze of the beach. It was little colder than you had hoped for. You took a look around and saw that the fish market was but a few meters away from the beach. That is definitely fresh fish. But being closer to the beach meant stronger winds. You let a shiver as you grabbed your purse and walked with Tamaki to the first stall.

He examine the fish but couldn't really find inspiration for a dish. You both moved on to the second stall. You couldn't help but shiver again from the wind. You felt the chill creep up from your legs up to your shoulders.

"Are you cold? I should have mentioned it can be a little cold in the morning."

"I'll be okay no worries." You said while forcing a smile, the breeze still turning the tip of your nose cold.

"Here." He gave you his jacket. You slipped it on and relished the warmth of it. The sleeves were a bit long for you though. But you didn't mind. You thanked Tamaki and followed him to the next few stalls.

He couldn't help but smile at seeing you in his jacket. The sleeves were too long for you but it made you look so cute he wanted to hold your hand.

"Hey Mr. Amajiki!" Said one of the vendors.

"Mr. Kim good morning." Answered Tamaki, heading toward his stall.

"Glad to see ya. Caught these 30 minutes ago. Take your pick."

There was an array of seafood spread acoss the stall. A few were spread out over ice, and some were still in buckets of water by your feet.

"....How much for a pair of bass, a pound of shrimp, and a few clams?"

"Tell you what. Since you brought your girlfriend today I'll give you a discount okay?"

You covered your face in the jacket to hide your blushing face. Unfortunately you missed out on Tamaki's reaction. The poor guy was red as a tomato as he stumbled over his words. The vendor laughed at the sight as he bagged up the seafood.

"You two are adorable. Come back next time when my wife is here so she can meet her too!"

Tamaki could only nod as he bid farewell to his friend the vendor. You both walked back to the car and slowly drove back to your place.

'I'm sorry about that, he um, he thought that you were....ya know..."

"It's okay, he seemed happy about it. It means he cares about you Tamaki."

"You don't mind? That he called you....."

"Your girlfriend?" He hit the brake a little hard as you said the magical word, making your purse slip out of your hand and fall to the floor.

"S-Sorry!!" He exclaimed as he focused on the road.

"It's okay, and I don't mind him saying that. It's not an insult or anything."

"You sure?"

"Tamaki, I know you're not good with accepting compliments, but any girl would be lucky to be with you."

He laughed a little at himself. "I doubt that, but thank you."

The rest of the drive was silent, with Tamaki thinking over what you said. Wondering if there was a possible hidden meaning to it.