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Orihime stared at her blurred reflection in the fogged-up bathroom mirror. She raised a hand to swipe at it, her face suddenly becoming clearer. Her long hair was wet and clinging to her body as she exhaled deeply and tried to settle her nerves.
"There's…something I'd like to talk to you about, so next time, do you think you could make some time for me?"
The words Ichigo had spoken to her that day had been echoing in her mind for the last week. She had pondered day after day what it could be that he had wanted to talk about, and she had waited and waited for him to finally reach out to her about it. But when all she had heard was radio silence, she had reluctantly decided to forget about it and had deemed it something not important, convincing herself that that was the reason Ichigo had never brought it up again.
That is until tonight.
It had been 10 minutes since she had received his text message, and all she could do was stare blankly at it. She could feel her face burn up with eager anticipation as she read and re-read it.
Kurosaki Ichigo:
Orihime, it's been a while. I hope you're doing okay, but any chance that you're free tomorrow afternoon? There's something I've been wanting to discuss with you.
She had hastily replied a short greeting before agreeing to see him, they would meet tomorrow afternoon at the coffee shop near her workplace. It suddenly dawned on her that she needed to configure a whole new outfit and she ran out of the bathroom and towards her dresser, almost slipping on the wet tiles. Orihime had rummaged through all three drawers, trying to find something suitable to wear, but had only come up with outfits that she had already worn before.
Tired and hot from all the trying-on clothes and ultimately defeated, she was just about to settle for a yellow sweater and a light blue skirt when she remembered that Riruka was in town for the weekend, and surely, she could help her out. She dialed her phone number and heard the line ring twice before Riruka's voice came through. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT TIME IT IS?" she yelled at her annoyed, and Orihime glanced at the clock, a quarter past 10 p.m.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just have a bit of a problem. Erm...How do I say this?" Orihime apologized, trying to form a coherent sentence to explain why she was calling so late, and Riruka let out an exasperated sigh, "Just spit it out already! I don't have all night and would like to return to bed immediately!" Riruka barked into the phone and Orihime winced, "Right, Sorry! Well, you see…I have to meet Ichigo t-tomorrow for coffee and I have no idea what to wear!" She stammered and could hear Riruka go silent before clearing her throat, "So you're going on a date?" She asked plainly and Orihime's face turned beet red, "Oh no! Or at least I don't think that's what it is…" she trailed off, unsure herself of what it could be defined as, "Well is anyone else going besides you two?" Riruka asked annoyed and Orihime shook her head and said no; Riruka sighed again,
"You idiot, it probably is a date! What exactly did he say?" Riruka questioned, her patience growing thinner by the second, "He said he had something important to discuss with me." Orihime answered as a matter of factly and Riruka's breath caught in her throat, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, "Oh, you idiot.." she trailed off unable to finish her sentence and decided not to spoil it for the clueless auburn haired girl. It was to be expected; Riruka had known of Ichigo's feelings towards Orihime long before he himself had realized them, and she knew that sooner or later, he'd finally muster up the courage to ask her out, but it still didn't lessen the blow.
Regardless, she composed herself as best she could and instructed Orihime to pass by her place a couple of hours before the date because she had a dress she could borrow. Orihime thanked her profusely and apologized three more times before Riruka barked a quick goodbye and hung up.
The next day, as instructed Orihime stopped by Riruka's and almost immediately was tossed the feather-weight fabric as soon as she walked through the door, "Here, try this on." Riruka ordered, her arms crossed against her chest. Orihime examined the fabric in the bathroom and realized that it was a short summer dress. It was white chiffon with small blue embroidered flowers speckled on it. It had thin straps attached to the shoulders and was different from anything she had ever worn or owned. The hemline was slightly ruffled and stopped just above her knees, and unlike her other dresses, this one was form-fitting and was rather flattering in a way she wasn't used to. Sure, Urahara had tricked her once or twice into wearing a revealing outfit, but this one wasn't that; her chest didn't spill over the neckline, nor was it exposing her midsection. Orihime felt strangely confident and beautiful despite it being a simple dress.
When she came out, Riruka's eyes widened for a second before she turned a light shade of pink,
"I thought that this dress could match your hairpins. I made it a while back out of sheer boredom but never really liked how it looked on me." She lied, she had made it with Orihime in mind since the moment she saw the fabric, she was only waiting for an excuse to give it to her.
"I love it! You're really talented, Riruka; I can't believe you made something so beautiful from scratch!" Orihime praised and Riruka rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile. Another hour later and Orihime emerged from her house completely dolled up. Riruka had helped her curl her hair and apply a bit of makeup before sending her off to see the man of their dreams. She watched from her window as people ogled at the auburn-haired beauty walking down the street and smiled; she could cry over her unrequited love later.
Orihime pretended not to feel the stares from the people walking past her. She tried to focus on the fact that she was to meet Ichigo in ten minutes, and she was already cutting it close. She was on a mission, and no matter what, she would be punctual. She gripped her handle bag as she rounded the corner towards the cafe, growing nervous. She breathed in and out deeply as she spotted him sitting at a table by the window, immersed in some book she couldn't make out.
Orihime walks in, the doorbell rings, and he looks up from his book and, upon realizing that it's her, gets up. She walks over to him and bows; Ichigo seems flustered for a second but quickly regains his composure and bows back. They discuss the small things like work and the weather before ordering their respective drinks. His eyes are soft and full of intrigue; he listens to her babble on about the different kinds of bread and cakes she's learning to make and laughs every so often when she forgets the correct pronunciation for a good few.
At some point they exit the establishment and begin the walk towards the park near her home. They have yet to discuss the reason for the meeting and as much as Orihime tries to suppress her curiosity, she finds herself feeling brave enough to finally ask,
"Kurosaki-kun, can I ask why you wanted to meet me today? You said it was something important."
He stops in his tracks and slowly turns towards her, hands in his pockets, "It seems like I've been dragging this day on, huh?" He admits, smiling softly at her and she wants to melt, "Truth is Inoue, I don't know where to start. I've never been good with words or expressing how I feel, but it has come to my attention that I've been leaving something on the back burner for quite a while now, I guess I just hadn't realized that the stove had ever even been on." Orihime's eyes widen in slow realization. His words are easy enough to decipher, but she still has trouble believing what he's saying, "A-are you…?" She's trying but the words won't form and he sheepishly looks at the ground,
"I like you, Inoue…" the words slip out quietly from his mouth, and despite the light crimson on his face, he meets her eyes with sincerity, "…And I like you more than I could ever like a friend."
All at once, Orihime can hear her heartbeat palpitating rapidly in her ears, and her legs give out; she crouches down, and Ichigo immediately reaches out to her. Before she realizes it, she's crying and concerned he asks her if she's okay. Her face is in her hands as she nods. She's a mess, and he's begun apologizing, saying that he understands if she doesn't feel the same and that it was never his intention to ruin their friendship, but she stops him, "No, Kurosaki-kun, please don't apologize! I just… I'm shocked. I've liked you for so long that you saying this feels like a dream." She confesses sheepishly, her hands still covering her face.
She feels him reach out to touch her, gently removing her hands from her face, his brown eyes searching for her own, "I'm sorry it took me so long." and he smiles apologetically at her and she wants to burst into tears again, "And I'm sorry for making you wait so long as well but if you'd allow me, I'd like to make up for the lost time now." she begins to cry again as he helps her up, still holding her hands as she nods, "I'd love that." and as she smiles at him, he pulls her into him in one swift move, embracing her and she feels like soaring the sky.
She can feel his heartbeat beating rapidly in his chest as he apologizes again and senses when he tenses up as she wraps her arms around his waist before relaxing and tightening his grip on her.
"I should've said something sooner." he confesses sounding disappointed and she nuzzles into him, feeling warm and fuzzy, "Things happened the way they were supposed to but I'm glad that we're on the same page at last." and he squeezes her tightly. They hold each other for a few more seconds before pulling away, looking sheepishly at one another before he offers to walk her home, their hands brushing the whole way down.
It isn't until they're at her doorstep that they say a word to one another again. They linger for a moment unsure of what to say or do. Orihime is the first to speak, "Thank you for today, it was lovely." she bows and he returns the gesture, "Thank you for meeting me. And…Inoue, I know that I can be a bit hard-headed sometimes, and I may struggle with showing that I care, but I promise to do my best to ensure you're happy. Thank you for allowing me into your life more intimately." Orihime doesn't care to understand where her newfound courage has emerged from as she takes a step towards him and takes his hands into her own. He looks at her surprised, and she smiles up at him, "Kurosaki-kun, I, too, promise to make you happy. Thank you." his gaze softens, and finally, he allows himself to give in and pulls her in close, one hand cradling her head into his chest, his chin sitting softly atop her head, and he breathes in the moment deeply. His heart is beating rapidly in his chest but Ichigo can't remember the last time he ever felt such blissful peace. All at once the muscles in his body relax and he feels as if he were holding the sun in his arms. He curses Renji in his mind for being right about his feelings towards Inoue all along. As he holds her and feels her delicate arms around his waist, he wonders if this is what being in love is, the feeling of being completely whole and inexplicably content. Surely, it must be because he can't fathom feeling this way about anyone else; the thought of it being someone else besides Inoue is so foreign his brain can't even form another face in his mind. He feels lucky all at once, realizing she's been feeling this way about him for years despite his painstaking ignorance. Perhaps he always knew on a more subconscious level. Still, the idea that Inoue could ever have feelings for him of all people seemed so far removed from reality that he just never realized that it could ever be a possibility.
They hold each other for a while, both unaware of just how much they had been depriving themselves of one another's embrace. The sun has begun to set, casting everything into a blazing orange. At some point, Ichigo didn't know where he began and Orihime ended. Everything around them was orange, and for the first time in his life, he didn't seem to mind the beaming color.