2 friends

The first steps

The rest of the school day passed in a blur for Berry and Tenitsue. They walked back to their lockers, not quite sure how to act around each other now that their feelings were out in the open.
"So..." Tenitsue began, breaking the silence between them as they stood by their lockers. "Um, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Berry responded, closing her locker and facing him. "What is it?"
Tenitsue hesitated for a moment, looking slightly nervous. "Well... I was wondering if you'd want to hang out sometime this weekend."
Berry smiled, a mixture of excitement and nervousness swirling in her stomach. "Yeah, I'd like that," she replied, trying to sound cool and collected.
Tenitsue looked relieved and pleased. "Great," he said, running a hand through his hair. "How does Saturday afternoon sound? We could go get ice cream or something?"

Berry smiled, already feeling a flutter of excitement. "That sounds good," she agreed. "What time were you thinking?"
Tenitsue thought for a moment. "How about 2 pm? I can pick you up if you want."
Berry blushed a little at the offer. "Sure, that would be great," she said, the thought of being alone with him and him picking her up making her heart skip a beat.

Tenitsue grinned, seeming to notice her slight blush. "Alright, it's a date," he said, a hint of teasing in his tone.
Berry laughed, trying to act casual. "Don't get ahead of yourself. It's just ice cream," she retorted, playfully shoving his arm.

As they left the school, they continued talking and making plans for their upcoming date.
"Can you believe we spent so long without telling each other how we felt?" Tenitsue asked, shaking his head.
Berry chuckled. "I know. It feels like everything has changed now, even though we're still the same people we were yesterday."
They walked in comfortable silence for a bit, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, they reached the point where they had to separate.
"I'll see you Saturday, then?" Tenitsue asked, turning to face her.

Berry nodded, a small, excited smile on her face. "Yeah, Saturday. 2 pm, right?"

Tenitsue nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yep. I'll pick you up then."
They stood there for a moment, neither of them quite ready to say goodbye. But finally, Tenitsue  spoke up. "I'd better get going. I have to finish some homework."
Berry laughed. "Oh, the joys of being a responsible student."

Tenitsue smiled as he watched Berry walk away. He felt lighter, almost as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The thought of spending time alone with her on Saturday filled him with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Turning to head home, Tenitsue couldn't help but replay their conversation in his mind. She'd said yes. She wanted to see him again. The realization made his heart race a bit.

As Tenitsue walked home, his thoughts kept wandering back to Berry. What should they talk about on their date? Would it feel awkward at first? What if she regretted saying yes?
He shook his head, trying to banish the doubts and uncertainties. Stop overthinking it, he told himself. She agreed to go out with you. Just enjoy it.

Despite telling himself to stop overthinking, Tenitsue found it hard to push away the worried thoughts. What if they didn't have anything to talk about? What if she got bored or changed her mind?
He knew he was spiralling, but he couldn't help it. His feelings for Berry were strong, and he wanted their date to go well. Maybe I should plan something, or think of some interesting topics to talk about, he thought.

Meanwhile, Berry was having similar thoughts as she walked home. What should she wear on their date? Should she do her hair differently? Would she be able to keep her feelings under control when she was alone with him?
Her heart raced at the prospect of spending time with Tenitsue. Would he hold her hand? Would they kiss? She shook her head slightly, not wanting to get ahead of herself. Just take it one step at a time, she reminded herself.

As soon as Berry got home, she found herself pacing her room. She wanted to call one of her friends and share her excitement, but at the same time, she wanted to keep it to herself, preserve the little secret a bit longer.
She flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. What if he wanted to kiss her? What would she do? Her stomach fluttered at the thought, both anxiety and anticipation battling inside her.

As the initial excitement began to subside, a wave of exhaustion washed over Berry. All the emotional turmoil and overthinking had worn her out, leaving her feeling weary.
She glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was getting late. With a yawn, she got up from the bed, ready to wind down for the night.
Lying down in her bed, she closed her eyes, her mind still swirling with thoughts of Tenitsue and their upcoming date. But exhaustion soon took over, and she drifted off into sleep.

A few blocks away, Tenitsue was going through a similar process. As soon as he got home, he threw himself onto his bed, his thoughts still racing.
He couldn't stop thinking about their date. What if he messed it up? What if they ran out of things to say?
After a while, he too started to feel tired. Looking at the clock, he realized it was late. I should get some sleep, he thought, rolling over in his bed.
Closing his eyes, Tenitsue took a few deep breaths, slowly drifting off into sleep.

chapter 2 : the first steps (936 words)