The young teenager's fingers twisted and turned around each other, her sleek nails sliding across the porcelain skin of her hands. Her breathing was coming out in short breaths, her eyes trained hard onto the green grass she stood on. Every so often, a pink petal would float down to the ground, gingerly touching it and reminding Mami exactly of why she was here today.
From beside her, her older friend stood leaned against the very cherry blossom tree that was shedding its lovely petals. She filed her nails, blowing on them every so often to blow off the nail shavings the clipper would leave. After a few more seconds, she snapped the clippers shut, shoving them into her jean pockets and pushing herself off of the tree.
The older girl moved closer to her friend, coming to stand in front of the distressed blonde. She laid her hand on the shoulder, the girl's brown eyes staring up at her and filled with worry. Her friend gave her a small and reassuring smile, attempting to make her feel a bit better.
"It'll be okay, Mami. I know that she'll show up," she attempted to reassure. Mami sighed softly, hanging her head and looking away from the older brunette. Her long blonde locks fell over her shoulders, her messy looking bangs shadowing her eyes.
"What if you're wrong, Haruna? What if she doesn't show up? What if she hates me? What if she doesn't even like women? What if--" Mami's sentence was cut short when she felt a stinging pain fly through her face. Her head snapped up, her eyes wide as she looked at her friend who was now standing a bit away from her, her hands crossed over her chest as she gave Mami a disapproving look.
"I'm sorry about doing that, Mami, but you were losing it. I had to snap you back," Haruna apologized. She let her stance soften, a familiar reassuring smile taking over her features again. The shorter brunette moved closer to her blonde friend again, laying a hand on her shoulder once more. "Stop thinking so negatively."
"But, Haruna..."
"I will not have any buts about this, Mami," Haruna replied sternly, ending Mami's sentence abruptly once again. "Don't you remember who you are?"
"It doesn't matter..."
"Yes it does!" Mami glowered at her controlling loudmouth friend. Haruna always did have a habit of constantly interrupting her friends when they were attempting to be negative. She simply didn't like such negative and nasty words leaving the mouths of people she cared so much for. "You're the Mami Sasazaki. You're the fearless guitar queen who doesn't back down from anything. Anyone would be ecstatic to have your affections."
"Haruna..."
"If this girl doesn't appreciate your affections then she's an idiot," Haruna continued to ramble, still not letting Mami get a word in edgewise. Mami sighed softly, her head hanging itself again. Everything Haruna was saying was true, people did really admire Mami. But if this girl didn't... If she was the one person who didn't... Mami didn't want to face rejection. "If she rejects you then it just means she isn't good enough for you. It means you can do better than her."
"I don't want to do better than her," Mami grumbled. The blonde didn't want to be with anyone else except for the hyper active bassist she had met last year. She had had her eye on this seemingly childish student since the first time they had met last year when they were first year students. She never had the courage to approach her though; she never even had the courage to really talk to her before.
"I know that, Mami. And I also know that this girl won't reject you. She'll love your offer, I just know it."
Mami sniffled softly. She was thankful for Haruna's encouragements, but what if Haruna really was wrong? What if this girl really did reject her? Mami had never really dated anyone. She had been asked out plenty of times but no one ever intrigued her enough. The only one who ever did was that spunky brunette who so gracefully danced across the stage even with her bass. Mami had always been amazed by Tomomi's skills even if the squeaky voiced brunette had always claimed to be just a beginner.
"Oh! Here she comes!" Haruna shouted suddenly. Mami didn't have a chance to look up by herself because just after Haruna had shouted, she could feel the brunette's hands cup her face, forcing the two girls to look eye to eye. "Good luck."
After she had said her last encouragement, Haruna patted Mami's cheek lightly before sprinting off across the grass. She slid in smoothly next to her own girlfriend on the bench, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulders and placing a kiss on her. The two girls separated and gave Mami a thumb's up. If Mami weren't so nervous, she might have laughed at their silly antics.
Mami looked around and she could instantly notice the familiar bassist walking down the pathway with small pink petals scattered over it. Her eyes and her head turned every which way, obviously looking for the café Mami had specified in her note. It might have been childish really, but Mami couldn't figure out another way to do it. She certainly couldn't ask Tomomi face to face to meet her here, so she had slipped a note into Tomomi's locker and asked the student to come meet her outside of a specific neko café.
Mami wondered if Tomomi would know it was her by their meeting place. The blonde knew that Tomomi probably didn't though. The two girls didn't know each other well enough for Tomomi to know how in love Mami was with cats, but the blonde could hope. She was surprised to even see Tomomi had shown up at all though, she really didn't think Tomomi would bother to listen to the letter.
The blonde's heartbeat began to quicken as Tomomi neared closer and closer to her. She could see the way Tomomi's eyes began to sparkle, having set themselves on the specific café. Mami's heartbeat quickened even more to the point where the overly nervous blonde was sure her heart was going to jump out of her chest. She saw Tomomi wave enthusiastically to her before the bassist made her way over.
"Hello, Mami!" Tomomi greeted her happily.
"H-hello, Tomomi..." Mami cursed herself for stuttering. She never stuttered but look at her now; it was going to give her away! Tomomi did notice the stutter but she chose to brush it off, not thinking anything about it.
"Ah, Mami, I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. Might you know who it is?" When she said her words, Tomomi reached into the pocket of the blazer she was wearing, pulling out a folded piece of paper that Mami knew was her note. Before Tomomi could open it though, Mami spoke softly.
"I-I do know who it is..." Why did she say that? She didn't know if she could go through with this anymore. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating, she was beyond nervous now.
"Oh? You do?" Tomomi asked surprised. She slipped the paper back into her pocket, smiling at Mami. "Are they here?"
"Yes..." Tomomi pursed her lips together, trying to decide if Mami was messing with her or not. Her friends had told her not to come to this and that it might just be a trap to embarrass her but Tomomi didn't listen. She was beginning to have second thoughts with the way Mami was acting. Mami was the only one in the general area; at least the only one alone.
"Will you tell me where they are?" Tomomi asked, shifting her feet nervously. Mami coughed lightly, her head bowing itself again.
"It's... It's..." Mami couldn't get out the words. It felt like something was lodged in her throat, blocking her voice from coming out and forming the words that were screaming in her mind. She was second guessing herself. She wanted to confess her feelings to Tomomi but maybe she didn't have the courage to. Maybe this was just a mistake.
Tomomi chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. She took a few steps back, her other hand's grip on her purse handle tightening. She was just going to leave before things got even weirder. She was going to leave before Mami or anyone else had a chance to embarrass her; she really should have just listened to her friends and not came.
"I think I'm just going to go... It's been nice seeing you, Mami," Tomomi told her. Mami's head snapped up, her eyes widening when she saw the bassist turning to leave. Impulsively, Mami's hand shot out and grabbed onto Tomomi's wrist. The brunette girl turned around, raising an eyebrow at Mami's actions.
"Please don't leave yet," Mami croaked out. She cleared her throat, dropping Tomomi's wrist. Her hands came to settle in front of her, picking at a stray string on the cashmere sweater she wore. Both of the girls were oddly covered up for a day in April, but it was also an oddly cold day out today. It seemed like the perfect day though. The way the wind swept over the area due to the cold was forcing more petals off of the trees, it made the area look that much more beautiful and even more romantic. Today was the perfect day for a romantic confession... If only Mami could gain the courage to actually say it.
The blonde's eyes snapped over to her friend only to see that they had changed positions. Now Rina had her arm around Haruna, the older girl's head laid on her girlfriend's shoulder. Rina continued placing small kisses on Haruna's head as the older girl looked over at her. Haruna raised her hands, moving them in a pushing motion to silently tell Mami to go through with it and tell Tomomi.
Mami sighed softly, her attention back on the clearly nervous and worried brunette in front of her. She gulped softly, taking in a deep breath. Now or never. She had to confess now or she never word. She had to remember Haruna's words. She was Mami Sasazaki. She was fearless and brave, she could definitely confess to her crush! She had to remember that. Taking another deep breath, Mami spoke.
"I really like you, Tomomi. Please would you go out on a date with me?" Mami had said her words quickly, her body moving down into a bow as her heartbeat quickened to speeds that Mami thought were impossible to reach. Her breathing was shaky and her body wasn't doing much better.
"Eh?" The soft, squeaky sound was all that Tomomi could think of to make. She was caught completely off guard. Her mind was still processing everything that was going on and was still trying to figure out what exactly was going on right now.
When Mami was met with silence, she began to panic. Tomomi was going to reject her, she just knew it! She knew Tomomi wouldn't like her. Haruna was wrong; she shouldn't have listened to that loudmouth. She shouldn't have ever bothered with this.
"I'm sorry, Tomomi..." Mami apologized lowly. Mami had come out of the bowing position she had put herself in, her hands now pressed against her chest. She could feel her heart beating against her palms and she could feel the tears in her eyes. She was about to cry. The Mami Sasazaki was about. The fearless and brace girl who simply didn't do tears was really about to cry.
She didn't want to be rejected by her one love.
Mami was going to leave when she felt Tomomi reached up, lacing a hand with one of Mami's and pulling it away from the blonde's chest. Mami looked at Tomomi, blinking away the tears as Tomomi gave her a gentle smile.
"Don't go," Tomomi said softly. Mami sniffled, fighting back the tears. Tomomi reached out and grabbed Mami's other hand, the two girls now entwined with each other.
"Tomomi?" Mami asked. Tomomi took a deep breath, tears beginning to sparkle in her own eyes.
"I've admired you since I met you, Mami. You're so strong and brave. You're pretty and you're down to earth, you're the type of girl that anyone could ever want in their lives. And I'm shocked."
"You're shocked?" Mami asked softly in surprise.
"Extremely. You're the girl who could get anyone you wanted, male or female. Everyone would fall for you in an instant and yet... You're choosing me. The student that no one notices. The student that people only like because she's the class clown. You could do so much better than me..."
Tomomi's ramble was cut off when Mami took her hands away, moving them up to cup her face. Tomomi's words had given Mami a shot of courage. Mami could feel in Tomomi's words that the bassist must like her back if she was saying all of this, and that gave Mami courage. Mami licked her dried lips, taking a deep breath as she took a few steps closer, bringing their bodies closer together.
"I don't want anyone but you," Mami said softly. Tomomi got a bright smile on her face before she giggled softly and stepped away from Mami.
"You're so corny, Mami," Tomomi said through her giggles. Mami chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck in just as nervous of a gesture. "But I like it."
"Y-you mean it?" Mami asked surprised. Tomomi nodded in affirmation.
"Mami, I like you. I like you a lot. I've always wanted you to notice me but I never thought that you would, you never seemed like the type of girl to be interested in dating."
"To be honest, I'm not," Mami said. She could see the way Tomomi's expression fell a bit. "But that was in the past. I don't really want to date anyone but you; you just make me gravitate towards you for some reason."
"Guess that means I'm special, huh?" Tomomi said flashing her a grin. The two girls fell into a silence, neither one of them sure of what to say. Tomomi was more surprised by Mami's silence then anything; she didn't know that Mami could be a quiet person. She could never remember a time before this when Mami didn't have anything to say.
"Would you-would you mind giving me your number so I can take you out some time?" Mami asked finally in an effort to break the silence. She didn't want this falling down after she had only just gotten the courage to try. Mami looked up cautiously at Tomomi as the bassist grabbed her hands again.
"Why don't you just take me on a date right now?" Tomomi asked her in a gentle voice. Mami was taken aback by the suggestion. Tomomi was moving a bit fast, but Mami didn't particularly mind it.
"W-would you mind?" Mami stuttered. She didn't mind her stutter as much anymore since Tomomi didn't mind it. If Tomomi didn't mind her odd behaviors then she wouldn't mind them anymore.
"Well it was my suggestion, silly. Of course I wouldn't mind!" Tomomi said happily. Mami gulped softly, nodding her head. She wished she could be as enthusiastic as Tomomi was, and she really did want to be. The butterflies swarming around in her stomach though were making it hard for her to be that enthusiastic, or to even so much as speak in a normal volume.
"Well then..." Mami began. She pushed herself closer to Tomomi, gripping the bassist's hands tightly. "Would you go out on a date with me right now, Tomomi?"
"I would love to, Mami," Tomomi responded softly. Mami smiled, feeling the tears of happiness come to her. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around Tomomi, bringing her in for a hug. The bassist giggled softly and wrapped her arms around Mami as well.
"Thank you," Mami whispered to her. Mami kept her embrace on Tomomi, not wanting to let her go. The two girls stayed like that for a few seconds before Mami felt a hand tapping on her back.
"Could you let me go?" Tomomi asked her.
"Oh!" Mami said suddenly and released her grip on Tomomi. She stepped away from the blonde, chuckling nervously. She hadn't realized how long she had been holding Tomomi for, she had been too wrapped up in the fact that she was indeed holding the brunette like she had so longed to.
"Shall we go?" Mami asked her, trying not to let things get too awkward. Tomomi nodded in agreement, stepping towards Mami and lacing a hand with Mami's again.
"But first..." Tomomi said but trailed off. Mami turned to her with a confused expression. "You know, I usually only kiss after the first date but..."
"But what?" Mami asked when Tomomi failed to finish her sentence. Tomomi giggled, leaning in and giving Mami a quick and spontaneous kiss on the lips. The blonde's body froze, her eyes widening as her mind tried to process what was going on. She didn't have long before she heard a very familiar voice.
"Go, Mami!" The blonde's head snapped in the direction her friends were sitting in just in time to see Rina wrap her arms around a now standing Haruna's waist, Haruna clearly being the one who shouted. Rina pulled Haruna down onto her lap, the older girl laughing before giving Mami another thumbs up.
"Y-your friends are here?!" Tomomi squeaked out, noticing the two girls sitting a ways away from them. Mami sighed softly, nodding her head in defeat.
"They came for moral support," Mami admitted. "I'm so sorry about their behavior." Tomomi giggled, tightening her grip on Mami's hand and giving the blonde a kiss on the cheek now.
"I think that was sweet of them," Tomomi admitted. Mami smiled at her comment, happy that it seemed like Tomomi would get along well with her friends. Tomomi giggled at the smile Mami had given her before giving her a tug and pulling her towards the neko café across the street.
Mami couldn't help but to keep smiling as she got drug along. Finally the girl she had long admired was hers.
