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Arisu doubted that he would ever find someone (dating wise) and he accepted it awhile ago.
He thought that he would be alone for the rest of his life even if he had his friends. It made him upset, the thought of not having anyone to love everyday and every night, but he knew he accepted it because that was the truth.
Or so he thought.
He thought like that for awhile until you came along and made him feel that love that he hadn't felt before.
You were like a gift that was waiting for him on Christmas morning and he loved every bit of it - every bit of you.
You and Arisu met one day at Karube's bar. It was nighttime and you had walked in wanting a drink after a long day. Arisu was the first person who you made eye contact with. You gave him a smile, he gave a hesitant one back before you went to sit down.
"What would you like to drink?" The bartender, now one of you good friends Kaurbe, asked you.
"Surprise me," you smiled. "I'm okay with anything."
The request was unusual but Karube nodded and went to make your drink. That was when you turned to Arisu and Chota, eyeing their drinks before asking, "What'd you guys get?"
Arisu froze in the moment but Chota answered right away. "Whiskey. It's really good, maybe Karube will make you something like that."
"Uh, me too." Arisu said. "Whiskey, that's also my drink."
"Well.. you guys ruined the surprise drink, but here it is." Karube slid it over.
The drink was a light pink color, making your eyes light up and a smile appearing on your face. You eagerly took a sip of the drink, it went down smoothly. "Wow, this is amazing! Thank you so much for the surprise drink."
"Of course," he chuckled lowly. "Have you been here before?"
"Nope. It's my first time," you said. "I just moved here, actually."
"Ah, nice!" Chota chimed in. "This is the best bar you'll ever find."
As the night went on, you were talking up a storm with the others. Arisu, on the other hand, was quiet but he was eyeing you the whole time - he was interested but he didn't want to make it obvious (although you noticed him looking at you from the corner of your eye, but you didn't say anything). You wanted to speak to the man but you didn't know if he wanted to talk to you. Plus, Arisu seemed awkward but that didn't bother you as you were awkward sometimes too.
Chota and Karube left for a moment, though, making it your chance to speak to Arisu.
"Hey, I never got your name," you turned to him after a few moments. "What is it?"
Arisu was like a deer in headlights before he turned to you, clearing his throat. "Arisu. What's yours?"
"I'm y/n," you smiled warmly. "How long have you three been friends for?"
"Since forever," Arisu responded. "We met in school and stayed friends since."
"That's sweet," you nodded, taking a small sip of your drink. "You know, I actually wanted to talk to you since I walked in here."
"Really? Me?" He was stunned, not expecting those words to escape your mouth.
"Yeah," you toyed with the straw that rested in your glass, trying to think of what to say. "You were the first person I noticed in here, you also looked at me, so I wanted to say hi at least. But, now I've talked to your friends and now I'm talking to you. Is that weird?"
You were worried at the sudden rambling that poured from your mouth - you hoped that Arisu wasn't weirded out by anything.
"Oh no, it's not weird! I'm just.. an awkward person," he scratched the back of his neck, making eye contact with you for a moment. "I wanted to speak to you too but wasn't sure how to initiate the conversation, thank you for doing it for me."
And that was the first time you spoke to Arisu. You ended up getting each others phone numbers and promised to stay in touch, and you did so.
As you and Arisu talked more, you ended up going on a first date. It was terrifying and you didn't know what to wear, but Arisu reassured you that he didn't mind what you wore. So with that, you decided to wear something a little bit fancy, but not too much. You prepared everything and got yourself together before going to meet Arisu.
It wasn't anything like a dinner date, but a picnic.
"You look amazing," Arisu smiled. "I didn't know what to wear so I was kind of glad you were struggling to pick an oufit- Wait.. that sounds bad."
You laughed, bringing him in for a hug. "I get it. You look amazing as well."
The date was amazing, of course, and you couldn't imagine being on this first date with anyone else. You were so thankful for Arisu and how he made you feel. He was like the sunshine on a cool day, making you feel warm and comfortable. He was like when you got your favorite dessert, or when you got a present you'd been hoping to get for a while - he was everything to you. Even if you two only ended up as just friends, you'd be grateful because Arisu was a delightful person to be around.
The next few dates were great too. You'd gone to the arcade, went over to his house, and he went to your house.
Right now, you were on another date and sitting in your car.
You just gotten back from doing something, but everything felt different to you - that feeling when you have a crush. Oh, it had been a long time since you had a crush. You thought these feelings were false but they weren't because Arisu was the reason for them. You had fallen for your best friend and you weren't sure what to do, but you knew you couldn't keep it in any longer because it would break you.
"Arisu," you suddenly said. "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course," he said. "What's up?"
You took a deep breath - here we go.
"When I met you, I wanted to be friends with you because.. well, you're a great person and super funny," you started. "Then we got to know each other more once we got each other's phone numbers and began hanging out. Now we are on our.. I don't even know the number, but it's another date and over time.."
You sighed before continuing. "Over time, I started getting this feeling in my stomach. At first I thought I was nervous over other things, but then I realized those feelings weren't stress but were instead.. butterflies? Is that a good way to put it? Anyway, I got this butterfly feeling. I wondered for a moment 'what could this be?' and then I realized, these feelings were for you. You've been making me so happy ever since we met and now I have feelings for you. Romantic feelings, of course. If you don't feel the same way that's fine. I just needed to let this all out."
You finally looked over at Arisu, who was looking at you with a look on his face. "You mean that?"
You nodded. "Yes."
There was a few seconds of silence before he looked at you again. "Can I kiss you?"
"Yes," you breathed out. "Yes, you can."
Arisu carefully reached for you, cupping your face as he brought his face close to yours, then connecting your lips. His lips were soft and he was gentle when holding you. He wasn't rough but it was passionate, like you could understand his feelings through a simple kiss. You smiled in the middle of the kiss once you realized - he had those same feelings for you, or at least you hoped this kiss meant something. He noticed your smile and quickly pulled away.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm perfect," you smiled. "Does this mean you like me too?"
"I've always liked you," he confessed. "I knew there was something about you since day one. You interested me too. I wanted to get to know you but I didn't know what to say. The others were there and I didn't want to make a fool of myself, but now? I'm happy. I want to be with you."
"I want to be with you too, Arisu."
"Can I kiss you again?" He simply asked, you nodded.
The first 'I love you' was said by Arisu. Although you thought it'd be you saying it first, you were surprised when he said it to you.
You and Arisu were in his kitchen, laughing and making jokes.
"Don't burn the potatoes, Ryohei!" You joked.
"Ryohei? Oh my God," he covered his face out of embarrassment, yet a smile was still on his face. "That's scary when you say it."
"You're too cute." You said, pecking him on the cheek.
"Oh, I love you-"
Arisu's eyes widened once you looked at him, he was shocked and nervous about your reaction, but you broke out into a smile - a few tears almost escaping your lips.
"I love you too, Arisu," you stood on your toes and help his face gently, giving him a kiss on the lips. "So much."
Moving in was the best decision of your life, too.
You loved decorating every room with him and you loved the way you set up your room. Arisu decided you needed a computer too because he wanted to have a partner to play with, of course you agreed because, well - it was Arisu.
"Come on, babe!" He cheered. "Yes! You got him!"
"Yay, we did it!" You clapped, reaching over and kissing him quickly. "Next round?"
"Yes!"
So, if Arisu was ever asked to define love, he would simply describe you and your love story, because no love is ever bigger than yours.