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"How do I look, Odango?"
I turned around to find Seiya wearing a pair of glasses and making funny faces in the mirror. I chuckle as I put my hands on my hips.
"Not too bad," I bit my tongue. I wanted to tell him he looks handsome, but I refrain from speaking my mind that freely.
I see him forcing a smile and then returning the glasses to the shelf.
"Do you really need glasses?"
"It seems that way, but I refuse to look like Taiki" He's now pouting in the cutest way, his lips curling to the side and his eyes narrowing.
I've gotten to know Seiya Kou pretty well in these past few months, so I know something's up. He has a gloomy mood today that it kinda reminds me of that time he was having a hard time in his musical rehearsals. He called me earlier in the day, asking me if I was able to go with him to the mall, yet he doesn't seem to be looking for something specific, he's just looking around, uninterested, to all sorts of stuff.
Also, he is walking a few steps ahead of me and Seiya always walks by my side.
I feel like stretching my hand to grab his arm, anchoring myself on his elbow so he can slow down. I feel my cheeks getting hot when he puts his hand over mine.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean, Odango?"
"You seem to be upset today."
"I'm not." He rushes to answer. I don't believe a word he says. "Why would I be upset when I am spending the day with you?"
A small chuckle escapes my lips. Seiya's such a tease and he often tells me all sorts of sweet and flirty stuff. My hold on his arms gets stronger, it's my way of telling him he can count on me whenever he's ready to tell me whatever is going on.
It's weird. Again, we have only met each other for a few months but sometimes I feel like I've known him my entire life; so walking like this, arm in arm, doesn't feel weird. Not anymore.
He spends a few minutes looking at some swimming gear.
"We should totally go to the beach soon. Have you ever gone to Chigasaki beach?"
"I haven't but yeah, we should totally hit the beach soon." A hint of a smile tries to appear on his face. "You and me, your friends and we can even invite Yaten and Taiki."
"Did you have a fall out with them?"
"Not really. I'm just…" he sighs. "Homesick? Nostalgic? I don't even know what to call it."
Seiya doesn't talk about his hometown that often, so it kinda startles me for a second but I'm glad he's getting somewhere ready to talk about what's bothering him.
"Is there a reason for you to be homesick?"
"You just don't give up, do you, Odango?" He looks at me with his big shiny deep blue eyes. Sometimes I feel I can see the space and the stars in them. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you gotta promise not to make a big deal of it."
"Deal!" I smile at him, trying to infuse confidence in him.
"Today is, uh, my birthday." He speaks in a low voice and avoids my eye contact. He seems… ashamed? I can't quite put my finger on it, but he has left me speechless.
I stop walking so he's left hanging from my arm. When he turns to stare at me I can't stop myself and I jump on him to give him a hug.
I feel he kinda loses his balance as he tries to catch me mid-air but I manage to tie my arms around his neck and place my head in the curve of his neck and shoulder.
Holding him this close reminds me of the time we went out dancing and the lights went out. I can smell his cologne, just like that evening, and I feel like taking a shameless sniff.
"Odango?" He calls me by the nickname I like everyday a little bit more, but doesn't break our embrace. He's even sliding his hand to the small of my back and I feel my spine tingle.
"Happy birthday," I mutter into his ear. "I wish you would have told me earlier, I'd have planned out a great day for you."
"That's what I meant by not making a big deal out of it" I separate from him just enough to look at him, but both my arms and his stay put. I vaguely think of how we must look like to the rest of the people walking by us at the mall, but before I get too self aware I quickly get distracted by his features and the way he's looking into my eyes and the way his hands seem to be lightly stroking my back.
It's getting harder and harder to deny myself the truth that lingers over my head. I've noticed the way Seiya makes me feel in these past few weeks but I can't bring myself to call it for what it is. It's been ages since I have had a crush like this on someone.
"I know I promised you I wouldn't but it is a big deal!" I finally reply. "A birthday is a way of celebrating your existence and I am so thankful for it. I can't turn a blind eye on it."
For the first time in the whole day, I finally see a genuine smile adorn his face, even reaching his pink cheeks (is he blushing?). Again I get hit by the way his starry eyes gaze at mine and it makes me flutter.
"You're thankful for it?"
Oh, if he only knew! I wish I could let him know how important is to me. In a matter of months he has become my rock, my confident and my safe place. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive these past few months without him, as he is the only one I've told about how sad and angry Mamoru's lack of contact makes me feel.
Being honest with him is just so easy. He has never ever judged me.
"Yes," I mumble, still hypnotized by the way he is staring at me. "You're amazing and you deserve to be celebrated."
I feel his fingers dancing on my back. The touch is so delicate it makes me reverberate. He smiles when he hears me, chuckling lightly.
He is absolutely unaware of how the sound of his laughter makes my head spin, or the way his flirty words and the way he looks at me makes me shudder within. He's absolutely oblivious to how I try to find all sorts of excuses to be with him or how stupidly I smile against the phone when he called me earlier and he has no idea that I always wear blue whenever we go out because he once told me he liked that color on me.
"So, what should we do?" I ask out loud as I break our embrace so I pace around him. I think faster when I pace. "Oh!"
"What?"
But I just take his hand and start walking, dragging him with me. Luckily we are not that far away.
"Ah, Usagi-chan! It's been a while!"
When we get into the arcade, Motoki promptly greets us, or well, me. He looks down and I notice I am still holding Seiya's hand. I don't really want to but I let go of it.
"Yeah, it has!" When was the last time I had been to the arcade? I can't remember. "Listen, I want to introduce you to my friend, Seiya. We go to school together. Seiya, this is Motoki."
They both nod their heads to each other.
"Well, welcome back. I'll be at the counter for whatever you need. Have fun!"
And oh we do. Seiya wasn't so eager to play at first but when we get to compete with each other at the pump it up dance machine, he lets out his competitive side. Even though I am often a clumsy girl with two left feet, I've been playing at this arcade for years! I know all the tricks and all the songs, so it's not hard to defeat him.
"I thought you were a professional dancer. This is just sad!" I tease him. He looks at the screen dumbfounded by the difference between our scores. "Aren't you tired of losing?"
"Let's go again! I am just warming up, Odango!"
And even though he kinda got the hang of it, he couldn't defeat me. We danced and danced until the day was over and our legs were not able to keep on moving.
I see him trying to find a comfortable position on the high stool from where I am, at the food counter, as I wait for Motoki to put the last touches on my secret request.
"You seem to be good friends." He says as he delivers the small fluffy cake onto my hands and lights up the candles. I nod smiling and when I'm ready, I turn towards Seiya.
I see him flush hard when he hears me singing the happy birthday song as I walk towards him and then the biggest, widest, most beautiful smile I've ever seen draws on his lips. It dazzles me so much, it almost makes me trip
"... Happy birthday to youuuu."
The whole establishment bursts into applause and Seiya squirms mortified but still smiling oh so dreamy when I place the cake in front of him.
"Don't forget to make a wish when you blow off the candles."
He nods and closes his eyes, muttering some words so quietly I can't make anything out of it before he blows the candles. And even though it wasn't my birthday I venture to make a wish as well before the small flames are put out: Please, I wish for Seiya to always be happy, no matter what.
~•~
Once we finish the cake and the arcade closes for the day, he walks me home. My hand is twitching right next to his and I try not to be so obviously flustered.
"I hope you got to have fun."
He grins at the starry sky as he puts his hands into his pockets.
"If you call fun being crushed by you at the dancing machine, sure I did."
"You just need to practice. I know you would get good really fast."
"Oh we're going back to practice, you can bet on it." I chuckle and he quickly joins me. Our laughter merge so well together. "Of course I had fun, Odango, I always have fun with you but you really made today special even though I wasn't in the best of moods. Thank you so much, I really mean it."
"Thank you for choosing to spend your birthday with me."
"I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else."
I take a deep breath so I can control myself against his flirty words. Doesn't he realize how dangerous they are? I want to deflect my agitation with some witty banter but then he pulls one hand out of his pocket and takes my yearning hand in it, sliding his fingers between mine, like it's something we always do.
When we reach my house, I genuinely pout. I don't want to let go. I look up to him and I catch him still staring at the sky. He's drifting back to his nostalgic mood, I can tell.
"Seiya…" I squeeze his hand.
He looks back at me and the only thing I can think to do is to step on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. My lips are left burning and our joint hands press harder together. He stared at me a bit startled and then he grants me another disarming smile.
"So, birthday's wishes do come true."