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It was cold, but that didn’t stop the many people in Japan from going to the lantern festival. Nor did it stop Sara and Joe from going either. It was just them for the night, Ryoko having gone with her own boyfriend. Which, was fine with Sara and Joe; they did love to spend time together, just the two of them. Especially since, well, they had crushes on each other. Though, that wasn’t common knowledge.
So, around nine o’clock, Joe met Sara at the front entrance to the festival, undoubtedly blushing when he saw her in that cute purple kimono, patterned with sakura blossoms. It complimented her eyes and her hair. Upon the thought of her hair, he took the time to look it over, finding it pulled together the look perfectly in a braided bun. He was taken out of his thoughts by Sara tugging on his hand, saying she wanted to go watch the dancers. The contact on his hand made him blush. With a curt nod and a laugh, he followed her, admittedly disappointed when she let go of his hand.
As they watched the dancers perform, Joe found that he couldn’t pay attention to them. The only thing- or rather person he could focus on was Sara and the way her eyes twinkled in amazement as she watched on. And when she caught him staring, Joe quickly looked away, embarrassed. Seeming to ignore how he had been staring at her, Sara began to speak of the dancers excitedly, telling him how when she was a little girl, she’d wanted to do ballet. But of course, she was content with kendo as well. Joe laughed and agreed that he thought she was better-suited for kendo as well. However, that didn’t stop him from imagining how good she may look in some sort of fancy outfit like that; clothes skin-tight and beautiful, but of course only complimenting her own grace and beauty.
Sara turned back to watch the rest of the dance with a little giggle that nearly set Joe’s face aflame. Sara was so cute…. But her looks weren’t just what he liked about her. He liked how caring she was and how she was always one to lead others, while still being care-free and funny. He especially liked how she was so patient with him, even when he screwed up. All in all, Joe was completely enamoured with his best friend, and at this point, he wasn’t even ashamed of it. Should he be? Probably.
Soon, they moved on to other activities before the main event started. They ate, caught goldfish, shot guns at targets and bought cute masks. All in all, it was a great time that made wonderful memories. Eventually, the lighting of the lanterns came and Sara and Joe each got their own lantern and sharpie. The main point of this was to wish for something and send the light off, the wish supposedly coming true once all was complete. And Joe may or may not have written Sara’s name, though he refused to show her when she asked what he wrote. He wondered what she wished for.
After lighting the lanterns, Sara and Joe headed off to where everyone else stood to send them off over the sea. Joe threw in a lazy joke about that probably not being good for the environment but Sara didn’t think it was funny so he didn’t say anything more. There was a countdown and everyone released their lanterns. The dark sky was lit with orange and yellow lights. As they grew further off in the distance, they looked like little stars. It was truly a sight to behold. However, Joe found it awkward how couples were sharing kisses and it seemed to be more romantic than anything. Still, he was glad he was there with his best friend.
The festival ended and Sara took Joe’s hand as they weaved through the crowd towards the entrance, not wanting to get separated. He liked it. And, even better, she didn’t let go as they walked home, much to his enjoyment. The walk back was quiet, neither one wanting to break the spell the lanterns had put them under.
At Sara’s doorstep, they still didn’t say anything, just gazed at each other under the yellowish porch light. Finally, Joe took the first step, leaning down a little. What he was going for was a hug, but what he got instead was a kiss. It was held for a few seconds before Joe practically flew back, apologizing profusely. Sara laughed, called him cute, and said there was nothing to be sorry for; she liked it. Joe admitted that he liked it, too.
Back to staring at each other.
Sara turned to her door and stepped inside. “Goodnight, Joe,” she said with a glance back at him.
Joe smiled. “Goodnight, Sara.”
And, in that final moment of the night, Joe promised himself that future kisses were no longer going to be accidental.