Teenage Romance - Or More Than That? (PAUSED)

13: A Future Together?

After school Lloyd and Harumi took a walk.
Well, Lloyd forced her to do it.
He took her hand and started to walk.
Now, they're on a lonely street in the suburban.
"Where are we going?" Harumi asks.
Lloyd smiles. "To a place that is as perfect as you."
Harumi lovingly squeezed his hand in response.

Lloyd walks beside Harumi.
While walking, she comes closer and closer until she snuggles up to his chest. He carefully puts his right arm around her waist.
She smiles at him and he smiles back.
Lloyd stops walking and stops Harumi too.
He puts his hands on her cheek and presses his lips against hers.

Harumi replied. A few seconds passed before they had to stop their kiss because of a lack of air.
Harumi smiles and runs her hand through his blond curls.
As a sign that he likes what she is doing, he takes her hand and presses it even closer to his cheek, leaning his head in her hand and kissing her hand.
"That's the cutest thing he's ever done I think..."
The two stood there in love for ages until Lloyd took her hand and they walked on.

They came to a field. "The place is behind these fields." Lloyd points his finger to the edge of the fields.
Harumi nods.
Side by side they continued walking through the fields.
Some are cornfields, some are grasses and some are flower fields.

In one flower field, Harumi stops.
She kneels and plucks a flower before she sniffs it. She loves the smell.
"This flower looks beautiful!" Harumi says loudly.
No response.
"Lloyd?" Again no response.
She stands up and starts looking around.
"Weird. I'm sure I heard him a few moments ago-"
Suddenly an arm wraps around her belly and pulls her backward. She screams briefly.

"For you, my lady", Lloyd whispers in her ear. In front of her is a large bouquet in Lloyd's other hand. A bouquet with exactly the flowers that Rumi finds so beautiful.
"But... you are more beautiful..." Lloyd kisses her on the cheek from behind.

Harumi couldn't help but let go of a few tears. She turns and throws her arms around his neck. "Thank you! You're way too cute!" She kisses his whole face. Lloyd has to giggle. "Damn this girl is cute..."

After Rumi had let go of his neck, she gratefully accepted the bouquet.
"It's a pity that these flowers will die at some point..."
"Then I'll get you new ones." Lloyd smiles at her. She replies. He takes her hand again and leads her further through the fields, after all, they hadn't reached the place Lloyd wanted to show her yet.

After some minutes they reached the Ende of the fields.
Harumi can see a place with some trees, some flowers, a little stream, a fallen tree, and behind all that a cliff.
"Wow", Harumi whispers. That place is breathtaking. It seems like a scene from a film. "I never knew that this existed. How do you find all that amazing places?"
She looks up at Lloyd.

"Well, you know. I had 18 years time to get to know my area. Also, my father and mother took walks with me and showed me some fantastic places. Especially this place. I loved it since I am 4.
I always climbed up some trees while my parents sat on that fallen tree. This place exists for a long time but still, it looks so wonderful... I'm  coming here when I need to think."

"I understand. I think this place is perfect for thinking."
"That's why we're here."
Harumi looks at Lloyd confused.
"We need to think together."
Because he still holds her hand, he leads her to the fallen tree. They sit down and Harumi immediately snuggles up to him.
He smiles and kisses her head.
"So. What do we need to think about, Greenie?"

"Future."
Harumi stops breathing for a moment.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Did you never wonder what happens after school? I mean. You want to go to a university. I want to find a job. Our ways will be separated..."
"But not completely!" She takes his hands into hers.
"Just-"
"Just the whole morning, afternoon, and even the evening because we need to go home."
"Lloyd, I-"
"You don't need to say anything. I know. That sucks. I want to have you beside me as I do now. I have already a plan for our futu-" Lloyd accidentally tells too much from his thoughts.

Harumi looks up at him.
"What?"
"I mean... I..."
She starts smiling.
"You want ME in YOUR future?"
"Of course. What did you think? That I say goodbye after graduation? Never. I never want to say goodbye."
"Never never?"
"Never never..."
They shared a kiss again.

"With future... do you mean a-"
"Family? Yeah. I know. Sounds weird now maybe but-"
"No! It's not sounding weird, Dear.
It's just. Too early, right?"
"Well, if you think about it: when you finish university we're already 23. I will have a job, hopefully, and maybe even my own apartment. Also, I don't want to have a family too late, you know. And better talk about that now than later, when we're maybe too close. Why too close? Well if you have a different plan, I should know it now." He speaks really fast but Rumi understood every part of it.

"He wants a family with me later. Wow... I... this is my biggest dream..."
"Hey, Lloyd. I don't have another plan. I have exactly the same one. If you mean being married and having kids with a 'family' then yes, I have the same plan. But as you said: we have a lot of time for that. We're 18. Well, you are. I'm in 2 days."
Lloyd smiles. He can't believe that the girl of his dreams wants exactly the same. This has to be planned by destiny...

When the day cooled and the night began, they walked home.
Harumi and Lloyd couldn't split up so he stayed with her. Harumis Parents had nothing against it neither did Lloyds parents. Yes, he is 18 but he still wants to make sure that this is okay for his parents.
Together they went to bed.