The Night Felt Still

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Moonlight danced on my ceiling in silhouettes, suggesting the presence of the swaying tree branches outside my window. I couldn't help but think the petals looked like raindrops as a couple fell from the branches prematurely in the strong wind. In two days would be The Rain of Sakura Petals. I hadn't mentioned it to him, but I was hoping to take Okuyasu on a walk through the forest on Sunday. My head has been spinning with the anticipation of the day ever since Thursday.

It was supposed to be a simple day, just a beautiful walk with a beautiful person. The thought of confessing under the petals had crossed my mind, but I knew I'd be too scared to do it. Still, whether or not I might have followed through on that idea wasn't up to me to find out anymore. The opportunity had been unexpectedly seized as Okuyasu blurted out his feelings at lunch that Thursday.

It was quite sudden; I nearly choked on an octopus-shaped sausage which in hindsight, would have been a really embarrassing way to die. 'Died Choking on a Sausage in a Gay Panic!' sounds terrible without context. It was simply said, being Okuyasu. A quick "Hey, I think I might like you;" followed by a large spectacle from our table, which luckily consisted only of Yukako and Koichi during that particular period.

Either way, I dragged him into the bathroom with the fantasy of pinning him to the wall and making out. We ended up with a lot of me angrily shaking his shoulders for not telling me sooner, followed by what was probably the most aggressive word vomit of cheesy love poetry in history and a very long hug. He'd come over that afternoon, and what I thought once again would be a heavily romantic moment turned into a juvenile session of flustered Nintendo playing and a kiss on the cheek.

I pressed my fingers to that cheek now, my face burning with the memory of the feeling. It was quick, but so warm. I don't know why we had so much trouble sinking into those deep fantasies I had at night, but I was perfectly fine with the way things were. The one thing I was worried about, which thankly never happened, was the awkward tension in the aftermath of confession. After all, we were both completely new to this. But I'd spent over a year and a half with him, and in that time we'd managed to make it feel like a lifetime. In the end I was just giddy and constantly stumbling due to blind love.

The sakura petals...they'd be the way I could finally pull off my big rom-com gesture. A date: our first date could be spent under petals like falling snow. It'd be unforgettably beautiful. And maybe then, I'd finally get that first kiss. I got butterflies just thinking about that. Those warm lips would be on mine. I'd get to really feel what they felt like. Maybe they were soft. And I wonder what he'd taste like...

My stream of lustful consciousness was interrupted by a quiet, barely audible tapping on my window. I felt my heart skip a beat in fear as I shot up in bed. It couldn't be the branches. That was the unmistakable sound of fingers on glass which sent shivers running down my spine as I ran a finger through my hair, quietly bracing for a fight. I had a sudden flash of unparalleled panic. His face appeared in my mind for the first time in weeks. It had been months since the death of Yoshikage Kira, and I still thought about him when I closed my eyes some nights. The half a month in the hospital afterwards was a nightmare, but I pulled through in spite of my mom's and Okuyasu's overdramatic claims.

Unable to sit in anticipation any longer, I flung open my curtain and instantly my mood changed as I was met with the sight of a very bloody Okuyasu. I shoved open the window, dragging him inside in one swift motion. "Holy shit, what happened?" I asked as he panted, slouched over on the floor. I kneeled down beside him, quickly taking to fixing him up with Crazy Diamond. He lifted his head, offering a weak smile before his face dropped again into a distraught look.

"Sorry if I woke you up, some guys jumped me outside my house when I was releasing a slug back into the garden. It got in through a crack in the wall."

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