He wouldn't be buying the jeans he was currently trying on, to say the least.
Everything was great about them. Everything except that the zipper got stuck, and he was alone, and he had no idea what to do. He tried to unzip them, he tried to see if there was a thread in the way that he could move, he even tried to rip the zipper off the pants. Nothing was working.
Kensuke realized the only thing he could do was ask an employee for help. Slightly embarrassed, he left the dressing room - making sure to leave it open just a crack so it wouldn't lock - and searched for help.
The first person he came across who worked at the store was a boy he'd seen around a few times before. His name was Hasekura, and he had a giant crush on Kensuke.
Kensuke didn't know this, of course. He was blissfully unaware of this other boy's feelings, so it wasn't really any trouble to ask him to help get the pants off.
Hasekura felt attacked when he was asked to assist in removing Kensuke's pants. He understood that this kid probably had no idea how he felt about him, so this was not meant to be something more uncomfortable than what it was. That did not make it any less hard to grasp.
Hasekura obliged, and he hesitantly followed Kensuke back to the dressing room after looking around and seeing that the old woman that was his manager was the only other employee in sight.
"So, what happened?" Hasekura asked, wondering how it was Kensuke got stuck in the pants in the first place.
"I, uh, I put on the pants and thought they looked pretty great, but when I went to take them off, the zipper was stuck. I don't think it's a loose thread or anything," he explained. "I just, can't get them off." His voice dropped at the last sentence, realizing for the nth time how weird this situation was.
Hasekura took in a breath before nodding and kneeling in front of Kensuke.
The zipper was really, strangely stuck. Nothing seemed to be caught in it, and Hasekura wondered if the zipper just wanted to mock him. It was a completely absurd idea, a zipper can't choose to get stuck, but it seemed to make more sense than it simply not moving.
Hasekura had started liking Kensuke the first time he saw him. It was on the last day of school, their senior year, at graduation. They had been sitting next to each other, and Hasekura couldn't help but notice how cute the boy was.
He'd had a look of anxiousness writ all over his face, and all Hasekura wanted to do was erase it. He didn't want Kensuke to be worried, or sad, or anything but happy.
A smile looked best on him.
They hadn't exchanged any words on that night, or on the few other occasions they ran into each other. Once was walking down the street, they were on opposite sides, and they locked eye contact but neither of them stopped or made a conscious effort to hold it. The second time was at the grocery store, when they both needed some herbs or seasonings. This made three times seeing each other, and the first to communicate with words.
The zipper, he'd figured out, had gotten bent, and he had to move the solid part around the bent part. Once the zipper was down, Hasekura stood up, doing his best to hide how flustered he was.
Kensuke thanked him, and Hasekura noticed that he was blushing ever-so-slightly. Cute. Everything about Kensuke was cute.
Hasekura turned to walk out of the dressing room, but stopped just before he reached the door and said, only turning his head over his shoulder, "Can you meet me at the register once you're done?"
He was afraid Kensuke would think he'd done something wrong, so he tried to make the request sound welcoming, and not as if it was a demand.
Hasekura watched Kensuke nod and say, "sure," before he exited the small room and walked back to his place at the registers.
*
Once Kensuke was out of the store's clothes and into his own, he walked around the store to get another pair of the same pants he'd tried on (and got stuck in). They were high-waisted skinny jeans, and he felt good in them, and he didn't want the broken zipper on one pair to deter him from getting a different pair.
He retrieved the light-wash pants in his size, and strolled to the check out.
Hasekura watched him approach, greeted him when he stepped up next to the counter. Kensuke gave him the jeans he wanted to buy, and asked, "did you want to talk to me about something?"
"Yea," Hasekura replied. He took in a breath, and with a confident undertone, asked, "Will you go on a date with me?"
Kensuke was surprised at the question, but didn't altogether dismiss it. He'd never dated anyone, never even been asked out. He didn't know why someone as stunning as Hasekura would ask him out. He didn't know if he liked boys, but her certainly found Hasekura more attractive than the general female population at their old school.
Kensuke nodded and said, "I'd love to."
He didn't think much of it, a date wasn't much. It wasn't the promise of a relationship, or anything, really, besides some time. And Kensuke had plenty of time.
