Chasing Pavements (Hara Kazuya)

twenty-three

"Sis, do you have everything?!"

"I do, Kae."

"Chizuru, do you have your lucky towel with you?!"

"Yes, I do, dad."

What a stressful morning this was, not only did she have her family running around the house preparing everything to go and see her final third year game, but they also had the Hara family at the door. Chizuru felt nervous herself but she didn't need to have this much already first thing in the morning of a Saturday when the game is going to be in the afternoon.

She had already checked her bag three times and drew various lucky letters and stuck them to her wall before she went to bed the day before and maybe also put some in her bag, she even jogged after having breakfast and now she was already preparing herself to go an hour before she needed to. Because that's how nervous Kazetani Chizuru can get before a game, especially finals' game and her last.

The many voices heard from down stairs made her heart thump even louder in her chest, she covered herself with her covers while bringing her knees up to her chest. She already talked to her mother this morning and desperately wished for luck from up there in where the woman was. Chizuru looked towards the door when hearing a low knock.

The ace hesitantly stood up from her bed but with the covers around her still, she twisted the door knob and peeked her head through the door, when her eyes lay upon Hara she instantly sighed in relief and opened the door wider for him to pass through.

"You seem quite relieved to see me." He chuckled and Chizuru went back to sit on her bed, back to the same position as before while the lavender haired male sat beside her. "Seems like you want to turn anti-social?"

"I am just too nervous..." She murmurs and sighs, her hand placed upon her heart as she tries to calm it down for the millionth time now.

"My family is excited to see their future daughter-in-law's last game."

"That doesn't calm me down!" She blurts out flustered and throws herself down on her bed, covering now her face and entire body as she internally screams. Her heart was racing so much that she almost didn't want to go to the goddamn thing, but this was her last game and so she had to. When was the last time she ever felt this nervous? Ah... around middle school?

"Chizuru."

Hara's close voice made her peel from under the covers and looked to see as if he was above her... well, he was. A blush coated her cheeks in the slightest before she sat herself up with a quiet sigh as her fingers gripped the covers over her body.

"Calm down for a bit, no need to be so nervous." His voice calmed her heart down a bit and she felt relieved for that to happen. The perks of having the person you love being there for you, huh — oh, shut it.

She hesitantly looked up into his eyes and looked away slightly. "... Let me do something." She murmured and gently brushed asides the bags that covered his maroon coloured eyes, she found herself smiling when staring into them and placed her hands upon his cheeks before dropping them onto her lap. "Can you say that again?" Hara grabbed her hands and placed them on either sides of him as he smiled.

"I love you."

The blush that was upon her cheeks had now spread across her face like wildfire and her heart was beating loudly and fast inside her rib cage when hearing those words from the male who still stared down at her with his kind smile. It seemed as if her voice had gotten caught in her throat and struggled to come out, Hara taking notice of that leaned in slowly.

When Chizuru felt lips attaching themselves to her forehead, she smiled once again and closed her eyes to enjoy the warm feeling that had now manifested itself in her chest. When Hara pulled away in the slightest, the ace had wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest with a wide smile lined on her lips.