Trouble with love

Part 19 Phone call

The beach day had come to a close, and Nishikata was only a little grateful. 'Only two more days ... How do I confess to her?' Nishikata thought as he looked towards the ceiling in his room. He closed his eyes, trying to think. 'It should be simple, all I have to do is go up to her and say, 'hey, I'm sorry I accused you of teasing me when you confessed to me, I really like you as well and I'm not exactly sure why I acted like that.' He paused and slapped his forehead. 'That's way too casual!' He opened his eyes as he tried to think some more. 'I could get down on my knees and tell her I love her.' He began to imagine it and began slapping his forehead again. 'I can't just let her walk all over me! ... I mean ... she's probably going to anyway ... BUT I CAN'T JUST LET IT HAPPEN!' He let out a sigh. 'Then again ... I might deserve it after what I did.' He slammed his fist onto his bed. 'Why does this have to be so difficult?'

At that moment, his phone began to ring, and he quickly grabbed it and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Nishikata." Takagi-san replied. "I heard that you confessed that we were a couple today in front of a few people."

Nishikata felt a slight sense of achievement. "Yeah, well, I mean we are so-"

"Without asking me."

His sense of achievement was quickly replaced by a feeling of coldness. "I ... thing is ... I didn't have much of a choice."

"I know." Takagi-san replied. "A girl asked you out, and you had to give her an answer. That part's fine, I'm more worried about what you plan to tell your friends after our relationship ends."

"What I ..." Nishikata was at a loss; he knew that she had a point, but it wouldn't be an issue if he managed to make their temporary relationship more permanent, and telling them would have raised more questions than he felt like addressing at the moment. "I ... maybe it won't be as big an issue as you think."

"How do you figure that? Do you plan to somehow extend our temporary relationship? If so, then you'll still have to tell them sooner or later ... unless you plan to become my husband one day."

His face went beet red as he struggled to form words. "Hu ... Hus ... I ..."

Takagi-san let out a laugh. "I bet your face is so red right now."

He began grinding his teeth as he clenched his fist. "Takagi!"

"I'm sorry, I almost forgot the reason I called."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to tell you what I have planned for tomorrow."

"Oh, right." He sat up. "So tell me."

"Well, I was thinking we could go to the park and spend some time together."

"Just ... the park?"

"Yeah, just the two of us, going for a walk, probably doing a contest you think up before sitting under a tree while in each other's embrace, it'll be so romantic."

"R-Romantic?" Nishikata asked as his face turned red again.

"Yeah; just a young couple, enjoying each others company and enjoying being in a relationship."

"A ... relationship?"

"We are a couple, and you seem like you're okay with not hiding it."

'She's not even trying to hide it anymore.' Nishikata thought as he tried to calm himself. 'She knows I like her, and she wants to make this relationship permanent just as much as I do ... and she's giving me the perfect opportunity as well.' "Okay." Nishikata said before he could have second thoughts. "A deals a deal, we're a couple, and tomorrow we'll ... have a ... romantic ... date."

"Wait, you ... you're not fighting this as much as you used to."

"Well ... we used to not be a couple ... and I ... don't want to be a bad boyfriend." There was a long silence from the other end of the line. "Takagi? You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here ... it's just ... more excited about tomorrow now."

"More ... excited?"

"I'd better get ready, we'll meet at the park around noon, okay?"

"I ... okay?"

"Good, see you tomorrow." And with that, she hung up the phone.

Nishikata was frozen, her parting words echoing in his head. "She's ... more excited ..." His heart began racing even more to the point where it felt like it would explode. "I'm ... going to have the perfect chance to ..." He shot up and rushed over to the bathroom. 'DAMN IT!' He turned on the sink faucet to cold, and impatiently waited for it to reach temperature. 'Come on, come on, COME ON!' After what felt like an eternity, the water was finally chilly, and he began splashing it in his face to calm himself down a little. "Okay ... tomorrow ... she wants to have a romantic date, nothing wrong with that." He looked at himself in the mirror as water began to drip from his hair. "But maybe ... I should brush my teeth ... five times ... just to be safe."

Over with Takagi-san, she was still sitting in her room, holding her phone, trying to remain calm. "He ... I just ..." She began to shake a little as she grabbed her chest in an attempt to remain calm. "Maybe tomorrow's finally going to be the day." She laid back on her bed and looked to the ceiling with the biggest blush on her face. "The day that Nishikata and I finally become an official couple."