The Promise in Your Words

Chapter 4: I'll Keep You Safe

Her

"Okay, I am going to do this. I haven't seen Eiji for five days now. I'm not going to leave here without doing this", I psyched myself outside of the bookstore before deciding to enter. Even as people looked at me strangely for talking to myself I still readied myself mentally for this.
I walked in and saw Eiji at the back of the store. The first time I got here I really wouldn't have been able to find him but now, he stuck out everywhere he was. Nobody shone as brightly as he did, well he shone a bright darkness. He was attractive, like he was pulling you towards him just by being there. He didn't realise it but I did, and it made me jealous to see girls that were still in their teens ogling him from afar as he worked.
I rushed to him, getting ready to pounce and hug him but he noticed me as soon as I was three shelves away from him. He smiled and waved but that was enough to make my legs turn to jelly as I walked to him, much slower now to avoid falling over. His smile made my heart beat like thunder was raging inside my body while my legs warily placed itself as if the floor beneath was covered with raindrops.
Yes, he just had that type of an effect on me.
"Hey, Hana." His voice melted my thoughts away and replaced it with the urge to hold him tightly once more.
"Hey, Eiji." I couldn't stop myself from hugging him tightly, my arms wrapping around his back. I was just about to let go off him when I felt his one arm go around my shoulders. I relaxed completely, my shoulders loosened and let go off whatever tension my whole body had placed on it. His heart played a song for me in the second that Eiji held me and I enjoyed every moment of it.
"Want to go out? After work, I mean", I asked him as a slowly took a step away from his warmth.
Eiji's smile vanished and was replaced by a look that disheartened me immediately. "Sorry, Hana. I can't today. Now that I'm driving again and using my father's car, it needs to get serviced. I made plans to go and do-"
I won't lie. All the excitement and bounce I came into the store with just faded away. I knew I had a sad look on my face although I tried to hide it but I was never that good at hiding how I felt so hiding didn't do much to conceal my disappointment. I shook my head and was about to force a smile out when Eiji suddenly said, "You know what? I'll take the car in tomorrow. Another day more won't kill the car."
I saw him smile again and I felt my heart lifting the spirits that were on their way down. I felt like jumping and trying to touch the really tall ceiling because I felt like I could do it but I settled for skipping and hugging Eiji instead. He laughed and said, "Well, if I had known you would get this excited."
"Thank you, Eiji. What time do you get off from work? Maybe we can go immediately."
Eiji looked at his watch, a shiny black and red analogue watch with silver hands, "I finish in five minutes. Wait for me?"
"Any time."
I couldn't stop from letting a humungous grin stretch across my cheeks as Eiji walked over to the cash registers to assist his colleagues. I walked around and saw the books by Alaan Tyke.
"These are the books that Eiji wrote." I picked up a book labelled 'Soul of Redemption' and realised that this was the book I first saw Eiji reading that one time we met here. Skimming through the pages I found it to be rather interesting and made a mental note to get one of the books sometime in the future.
Eiji came up behind me just as I put the book away. "Like what you read?"
"Yeah, the story seemed interesting but the whole main character actually being a bad guy was quite intense." Well, actually I really found it quite enjoyable and I liked the character. He was intense but looking at Eiji in his tight-fitting black tee, blue jeans and blue backpack, I knew that the character in the book couldn't hold a candle to this man right here.
"Yeah, I thought the character description lacked in areas." Eiji looked at the book as he thought for a bit then continued, "How did you come?"
"I always take a taxi and come here. Unless one of my friends are coming then I come with them too." And so, I just realised that I asked him out, but I had no way for us to get to my destination. Dammit, I could really kick myself now.
"Okay, good."
"Good?" Well, that shocked me.
"Yeah, if you came with your car then it would have been a bit ridiculous for both of us to drive around. Come on, I'll drop you off. Just tell me where we need to go." Eiji started walking towards the parking lot as he dug in his backpack for his keys. Silently, at his side I thanked fate that I still hadn't gotten my license.
"Have you ever been to Little City before?" Hopefully, I waited for him to answer with a no.
"Little City? What's that?"
I smiled as I grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go. You will see."