Strawberry Milk [COMPLETED]

❧Chapter Twenty-Five

Hajime, I hope you accept my feelings.

I bring the wrinkled, lemon scented (Emi's idea) envelope filled with my love letter to my lips, giving it a hopeful kiss. I had stayed up all night writing it while letting time slip away.

Although I was frustratingly tired and a little bit cranky, finding the time to deliver the letter to Hajime was the one thing keeping me awake with my heart pounding.

I had decided on giving Hajime his letter during lunch when our group of friends sat down to eat. The two of us typically went off on our own away from the group just before the break ended, just to get a chance to talk one on one. I'd ask him then.

Actually, I was starting to panic about that. If they weren't already, my feelings would be made 1000% clear as soon as Hajime saw the letter. I mean, the heart sticker sealing the flap was pretty obvious. So what if when Hajime saw it, he started to get uncomfortable or something? What if he actually didn't want to pursue a relationship with me? What if I was moving too fast with the confession? What if it completely threw off our friendship?

Yeah, like making out in a bakery is something all platonic friends like to do. That's totally normal, Ichigo, nothing romantic about that.

 It was now or never. If anything, the way he kissed and held me the other day was proof enough that there was something very special between us. I wanted to be honest with my feelings, and I wrote this letter putting every ounce of them into it. There was no point in turning back now.

Besides, the new Ichigo was always going to be honest with her feelings. She had nothing to fear.

But, oh my lord, what if he actually did reject me?

That would be just a little walk away from all our friends during lunch. That would be awkward as hell. We'd have to walk back together in uncomfortable silence and try and rejoin the conversation in such a horrible atmosphere.

Stop thinking about all the possible outcomes and this will be 10 times easier!

I shake the thoughts away and try to think of the positives. That was all I needed to focus on -- how much I was in love with Hajime. And I was VERY much in love with him. From the first time I saw him, it was an instant cupid's arrow through the raggedy little maiden heart in my chest. That intense feeling had yet to go away.

Sometimes it was painful, sometimes it felt good, and sometimes it was just so inconvenient. 

But it was beautiful all the same. I didn't regret it, and I never wanted it to go away.

"Whew..."

I suck in a breath as I start to feel my eyes getting hot. I couldn't cry here.

Definitely not here.

I was in the school's locker room, for goodness sake.

It was mid-afternoon, the period right before our lunch break, and I was currently changing back into my school uniform after gym class. This was one of the times I regretted being so into sports -- I was all over the basketball court today, and though I won a lot of attention from my classmates, I was still a nasty puddle of sweat afterwards. Deodorant always failed me and my clothes. 

How typical that I was musty right before my confession!

"Maybe some perfume will help.." I reach inside my locker and grab the envelope and my uniform, pulling them out and setting them down on the bench behind me. I turn and start to take off my uniform, grimacing as the sweat soaked clothes are pulled away from my sticky skin.

As I'm getting dressed, however, I feel eyes on me and turn in just enough time to see Kotoko scoffing as she reaches down and snatches my letter from the bench. I reach to grab it back from her, but she dodges me swiftly. My fists ball up automatically, and it took everything in me not to bite her head off without being a "lady" and using my words first.