Teenage Romance - Or More Than That? (PAUSED)

23: The Gift From Her Prince

Lloyd and Harumi meet up after school in the forest where they used to go together.
"I have a present for you, sweetie."
Lloyd whispered in Harumi's ear.
Harumi is surprised but curious.
"What's it now?"

Flashback

Lloyd woke up on time once. He packed his school things, got ready, and... right! There was something.
He went to his closet and grabbed the box of tickets.
"Today, I'll give her these."
He stowed the box securely in his backpack so that it couldn't break.

Flashback ends

Lloyd stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He took out the box he had in his pocket and held it out in front of his girlfriend.
She carefully takes the box in her delicate hands and slowly opens it.

"Are this -" she begins.
"The tickets to the prom? Yes. It's only 2 months until the end of the school year. I thought as a couple we should go there together. Don't you think so?"
"Of course!"
She turned and hugged him. Lloyd let out a satisfied sigh and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his nose in her hair.

After a few seconds, he let go and took 2 steps back and bowed. "Can I have this dance, MyLady?"
She giggles and curtsies.
"I'd love to, my prince."

He rises again and takes her hand in his, and puts the other on her shoulder blade. After a few minutes of dancing, Harumi asked a question that had been spinning around in her head the whole time.
"Since when can you dance? Moreover: waltz."
"Ever since I endured the agony FOR YOU and asked my mom to show me yesterday."

Flashback

Lloyd's mother was cleaning the kitchen when Lloyd leaned against the door frame. She noticed him.
"Hey darling. What's up?"
"Uhmm. Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Could you teach me..."

He scratches the back of his head in embarrassment and stops talking for a moment.
She turns to him and raises an eyebrow.
He continued. "Could you teach me how to. Uh. How to dance the waltz?"
He said the last part rather quickly, but his mother caught it.

"Do you want to dance with your loved one at sunset?" she asked hopefully.
"Mom! The Prom! Please don't make this more embarrassing than having to ask you here!" He wailed.

After a few hours and a few apologies for stepping on his mother's toes, he got the hang of it.
"Like your father. My feet are used to it. You guys and your big feet." She smiled. "Does it hurt a lot? I don't want to step on Rumi's feet. I don't think she's used to it."

"It does. But you made it through the last 20 minutes without stepping on my feet, so you'll be fine."
She smiled at him reassuringly.
Lloyd sighed and thanked her before going back to his room.
"Did I really just do that? Oh, man. Harumi owes me one."

Flashback ends

Lloyd and Harumi danced in the forest for half an hour until they fell on the grass. Harumi closed her eyes and enjoyed the air.
Lloyd turned his head towards her and smiled.
"Beauty."
He took her hand in his and did the same as Harumi, closing his eyes and enjoying the forest air.

In the evening, both made their way back home. Lloyd suddenly stopped in front of Harumi's driveway.
"Um. honey?"
"Yes?"
"When prom night comes, then... I have to pick you up from here. Your father's going to kill me. I mean, I have to. Thank God there's a hired bus coming by to pick everyone up. No one has to drive. If your dad would have drove us, I wouldn't get there alive."

Harumi laughed.
"Lloydie. My father isn't that bad. He would never hurt you..."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow.
"...when I'm there." She finished her sentence giggling.

"Wow. Very reassuring."
Harumi took a step towards Lloyd so that she was standing directly in front of him. She looked up at him to meet his green eyes.
"I won't let him hurt you. He knows he'd lose me if he did. Yes, it's true, he doesn't like you. But I still have hope. If we end the Gs-War, then he accepts you. Sure."

"I hope you are right." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Good night, babe." He kissed her.
"Good night, sweetie." she replied.
They stepped back again, and Harumi walked the last few meters to the front door while Lloyd also made his way home. It was a full kilometer, but that wasn't what Lloyd would mind.

When he got home, he collapsed onto the sofa. He turned on the TV, but nothing interesting came up. So he turned it off again and got up.
He went to the kitchen to find his mother. "Hey, mom."
He grabbed one of the sandwiches his mother had just made.
"Hey! These are for dinner!" She puts her hands on her hips.

"Hungry, mom."
Misako smiled at her son.
"Ah. I don't know you any other way either."
"See?"
Lloyd smiled.
He sat down on the kitchen counter and finished chewing his bread.

After that, he jumped down and went to the door.
He turned to his mother.
"Ready to eat now?" She nodded.
"DAD! DINNER!"
"I'm coming!" You could hear from the bureau.
Lloyd sat down at the table and waited for his father to sit down as well.

"And? How did your date go?"
"Um."
"How does he know that now?"
Lloyd looked at his mother.
She quickly bit into her sandwich.
"Ah. That would have been clarified then." thought Lloyd.

He turned back to his father. "Good, yes."
"I'm glad. Well. Do you think she, um... she's the right one?" His father continued. "Yes. Do you think she couldn't be just because you and her father don't like each other?" He looked at his father seriously. He swallowed his bite of bread without saying anything. He is just staring at Lloyd.

"Gotcha!"  thought Lloyd.
"Now let's just eat, please, okay?" Lloyd said with his normal tone.
His parents nodded.

"What a day."