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Goro Akechi. A man of many talents – he excelled in both athletic and academic subjects, the highest ranked student in the whole college, in fact – and the man who is in possession – albeit unknowingly – of my heart. I have been crushing on him ever since our encounter in the library, in which he caught me in those muscular arms when I accidentally fell off of the ladder. I am such a clutz! But he did not mock me. Instead he examined me, making sure that I was all right.
“Please be more careful in future.” He had told me, but not in a chiding manner. In fact, it sounded as though it stemmed from concern. But that was probably just my imagination.
I would be an absolute fool if I allowed myself to believe for even a moment that my blossoming feelings for him were reciprocated in any way.
After all, he is one year older than me and aeons out of my league. Why would someone so smart and sporty ever glance in my direction? I was boring. Ordinary. I was not delusional. I knew full well that I would have to improve in every aspect of my life in order to capture his heart. An impossible feat!
Yet....was the extraordinary amount of effort I needed to spend on this endeavour worth it in the end? Most definitely, if I had him by my side. Besides being the perfect student, he was heart wrenchingly handsome and everyone felt his allure, regardless of one's gender or sexuality. His hair was always perfectly tidy and his eyes practically sparkled with passion whenever I happened to cross him in the hallway. Unlike most students here, he absolutely revelled in learning; he did not acquire knowledge out of duty but out of a need. A need to expand his mind as much as possible, learning about a whole variety of subjects.
How I knew this, people might wonder, but the answer was perfectly simple. I often lingered outside of his classes whenever possible and always heard him piping up in an excitable tone when the teacher asked a question. No matter how difficult it happened to be, Akechi always knew the answer. I found his intellect highly attractive, I must confess. He had both brains and beauty, a rare combination. And, even though he was mister popular, ace-ing every exam they threw at him, I had never encountered anyone with a negative word to say about him.
You would think that there would be envious college mates of his but no. He was not arrogant in the slightest and, from what I had gathered from conversing with class mates of his, he was the kindest man they had ever met. Helping them with their school work when they were struggling, without asking to be paid in any way for his efforts.
All in all, he was perfect. Yes, I am aware of the saying that no one is as such but he was pretty damn close. Every time I passed him in the hallway, regardless of whether there were other people around, hurrying to their own classes, I felt as though it was just the two of us. That no one else mattered besides the two of us. He oozed confidence whereas I oozed awkwardness. In his presence, I became even more clumsy than usual and spent most of the time focusing on my feet, far too embarrassed to catch his eye. I would usually wait until I was no longer in his line of sight before sneaking a quick glance at him in all his glory. He looked gorgeous no matter what angle you saw him from; owning a side profile that the masses would desperately desire for themselves. Myself included.
I had been so focused on thinking about Akechi and his abundance of amazing qualities that I was not paying proper attention to where I was going and ended up walking straight into the man himself, dropping my pile of school books as I did so.
“I am so sorry!” Akechi apologised profusely, despite the accident being entirely my fault and mine alone.
Before I could vocalise an answer, he bent down in order to retrieve my books, plucking them from the ground and holding them out towards me.
“T-t-there is no need to apologise.” I managed to stutter. “It was my own stupid fault for being so careless. I was in a day dream when I should have been focusing on where I was going and who was in my path.” The words suddenly flowed out of my mouth and I was unable to stop them.
“That must have been one hell of a day dream.” Akechi said, flashing me a grin that rendered me flustered beyond belief.
“Oh...uhhhh....no...it was nothing.” I was waving my arms about like a maniac, trying to counter his comment but failing.
“Hmmm, I see. Well, everyone is entitled to their secrets.” He replied, giving me a wink as he did so, making me feel as though I was about to swoon. “Here.” He added, gesturing towards my books for the second time.
“Sorry!” I said, retrieving them from him.
“Whatever for?” He asked, looking genuinely curious about my apology.
“For walking straight into you as though you did not exist. That was absolutely disgraceful on my part, especially since....” I trailed off, my mind successfully managing to keep my mouth from finishing that sentence.
I would not confess my feelings towards this man. No way!
“Oh, do not worry about it!” He reassured me. “I am already aware of your tendencies. Remember the library incident?”
“Yes, I do!” I squeaked, in shock that he actually remembered. I was not a very memorable person, after all.
“Well, there is no need to repeat the advice I gave you back then, if that is the case. However, I do wish to know: Are you okay? This collision was partly my fault as well, you know. You were day dreaming and I was overexcited to get to my next class. Forgive me?” He asked, extending his bare hand towards me.
“If you will return the favour then of course I will.” I said, taken off guard.
“Well then, it is mutual.” He said, his fingers intertwining with mine.
His fingers were so slender and his skin so soft that I felt a tingle surging through my body as soon as we made contact. I never wanted him to let go!
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
“Argh, I am so late!” Akechi suddenly jumped, loosening his grip on me. “I am so sorry but I need to go! I will get in a whole heap of trouble if I do not. But I look forward to us meeting again. Until next time?” He asked, still smiling.
“Until next time.” I echoed, watching his retreating form with a feeling of wonderment.
What a man! I thought to myself longingly. But I had a reason to celebrate. We had made physical contact again, this time being even more intimate than the last!
I practically skipped to my next class, this realisation resounding around my head. Then all of a sudden, a question – one of utmost importance - popped into my mind:
….Did he like me back?