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Day 2: Rain
She ran as fast as her legs would allow, moving more on instinct in the face of her sight made impossible by the rain pouring down from the sky. She cursed inwardly for not bringing an umbrella, though her thoughts stopped when she saw a bus stop nearby.
“Let's go!”
She looked back, until they finally reached the bus stop and stopped, allowing herself to rest and catch her breath. Nejire looked at the person next to her and couldn't help but smile when she saw how they were still holding hands.
They had left school as they did every day, they used to leave together since their houses were down the same road and they took the same bus. That was their routine, one that she enjoyed every time, because it was when she could be alone with him, with the boy she liked since she saw him.
The first time she saw him was on the bus, sitting all the way in the back, looking out the window with that absent air of anything around him. Nejire still remembered how her gaze returned to him again and again throughout and noticed that he had the same uniform as her, making it clear that they were from the same school. To her good fortune they managed to coincide in the same classroom, although talking to that reserved boy was quite a challenge.
He was too quiet and didn't usually talk to anyone, but eventually teamwork forced him to interact. Nejire wasted no time, she sat down next to her and asked him to be teammates.
“I'm Nejire Hado, you don't have a teammate do you? Let's do it together.”
He simply looked at her for a moment before lowering his gaze and nodding. What was his refusal to talk? She didn't know precisely maybe he didn't really want them to be partners and agreed because he had no choice? He didn't want to relate to anyone?
“What's your name?”
She knew his name, she had heard it several times on the attendance list, but she wanted to hear it from him, she wanted to hear his voice.
“A-Amajiki Tamaki.”
Nejire had thought so many things regarding Tamaki, from him being special to relate to, that he was too reserved or mysterious, but reality hit her hard in the face when she heard him stutter. She couldn't help but smile, suppressing the utter complacency of discovering that he was actually shy, shy enough that he couldn't speak well.
And from that moment on Nejire clung to Tamaki, to be by her side every moment, as her friend and secretly enjoying Amajiki's absolutely adorable blushes, how he used to stutter when he was nervous and how tender he could be. She enjoyed that alone, because she wanted him all to herself, she wasn't willing to share him.
Eventually and on her own initiative, she took him by the hand on some occasions, when they ate together or when they walked together, with the excuse of not getting lost. Since she met him she would have liked to make her feelings clear, but he... was a little slow, too slow, so first of all she wanted to find out if he reciprocated her desires. Could he have feelings for her?
She hoped that was the case... but it had been two years, two years since they were just friends and although she said quite direct comments, he didn't seem to understand them or pretended not to, maybe because he didn't reciprocate and that idea didn't leave her alone, did he have feelings for her? She wanted to hold on to that idea.
That specific day they were leaving the school when the rain came down, Nejire took Tamaki's hand and they ran to the bus stop. Nejire watched as he still held her hand, inwardly rejoicing at the warmth the opposite hand offered her and that, considering his shy personality, his hand was large and manly.
They sat on the benches at the bus stop, waiting patiently. Or at least Tamaki was, because Nejire was tired of being patient. She had waited two years for him and wanted to find out once and for all if he felt something or not. That was her plan that day, she was going to suggest going to the mall and there she would ask him directly, but the rain ruined her plans. Nejire would take what she had and it was that moment, with the two of them at the bus stop, with the rain preventing them from leaving.
She watched him beside her, he was wet enough so his clothes clung to his body, Nejire held her breath at the image that only managed to upset her insides, could she really like him even more than she already did? She loved Amajiki so much, from her shy and insecure personality, something he hated, to how kind and warm he could be when he put his mind to it.
He couldn't take it anymore, he had to.
“I don't think the bus will be here soon,” Tamaki admitted absently.
“Hey Tamaki …” She looked at their clasped hands and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “I want to confess something to you.”
He watched what she was doing with his hand, nervous, his heart restless.
“Tell me.” Had the school forgotten something? It would be hard to get it back.
“I... I have someone I like.”
Tamaki waited for any kind of confession, but that was like an accurate and hard blow. He watched their clasped hands, a gesture that had become normalized between them and that had embarrassed him so much in the beginning... but now he found it necessary, even though he never initiated it.
And the thought of losing the only thing he could get from her overwhelmed him.
“And I wanted to tell him, but…”
“I... I know”
“You know?” Nejire asked excitedly, hopefully.
Tamaki felt a lump in his throat, but she finally managed to release his hand from Nejire's hand.
“And that's why we should stop doing this.” He meant holding hands. “I don't want him to misunderstand things now that they're dating.”
“Dating?” Nejire felt so confused all of a sudden.
“Yeah... I heard him, I really didn't want to.”
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Tamaki had always been a rather insecure and shy person, so when he entered school and was not placed in the same classroom as his only friend, Mirio, he thought he would not be able to make friends. He kept to himself, trying ways to make conversation, but he never tested them. Until he met Nejire, so glowing and kind, that he approached him, and asked him to be classmates.
Tamaki was so embarrassed that time, but so excited that someone like her, who he had seen was popular enough, would get close to someone like him. And he was even more excited when they naturally became friends. She always looked for him with her eyes when they arrived to class and when they discovered that they came on the same transportation, she sat next to him every time, she always stayed by his side.
Whether it was her captivating and overwhelming personality, her kindness, warmth, the glow she emanated in every move she made, how childish or fickle she could be, Tamaki at some point, he didn't know when, was completely captivated by her. So every moment with Nejire he treasured, in that impossible love.
Mirio used to tell him that he should tell her, confess and he might be in for a surprise, but Tamaki was not willing to ruin the friendship he had with Nejire for some meaningless feelings. He preferred to stay by her side like that. And Mirio used to tell him that if he didn't, he might regret it when someone else took her away from him.
Tamaki hadn't thought much about her words, until that day, at break time.
When he was looking for Nejire at break, she had gone to the cafeteria, but break was about to end and she hadn't returned. And as he walked through the hallway that connected the building to the next building, he recognized her blue hair. He approached with a smile, until he saw that she was talking to someone, he tried to back up and get out of there, but he heard him.
“I like you.” The boy in front of her was taller and stockier. “Please come out with me.”
Tamaki was surprised to witness that scene, but he wasn't really surprised by that confession. Nejire was quite popular because of her cheerful and lively personality, she was friendly enough to get along with girls from other classes, she was also part of the student committee, and she had won the beauty contest at the cultural festival a few months ago.
And that made Tamaki wonder again and again why she was hanging out with him, he who was so gloomy and depressing, but he never dared to ask her.
But out of the expected confession, he never expected Nejire's answer.
“I'm sorry, but I'm already seeing someone.”
Was Nejire dating someone? It was an accurate and hard blow straight to his chest, which heaved painfully. He had clung to the time he spent with Nejire, because that was all he could do and even though he knew it was only a matter of time before she was dating someone, that was too soon.
She hadn't said anything to him and the thought of losing her, of seeing her walk away and not being able to do anything, made him want to vomit.
He left there, feeling terrible and when the bell rang for the end of recess, he knew he couldn't stay there, on the roof of the school. He had to face it, or rather, pretend he hadn't heard anything and wait for all that friendship to end. Because even though they were just friends, Nejire took some liberties, like holding his hand, something any man would disapprove of his partner doing and if he felt Tamaki was a danger, which wouldn't make the slightest sense, he would have to walk away.
And he accepted that, determined to wait torturously to get out of Nejire's life.
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Nejire listened to that confession with her mouth open, shocked that he, precisely he witnessed that moment. She had gone to the cafeteria for juice and was intercepted by that boy, whose name she couldn't remember.
“ I apologize for overhearing him, I didn't mean to.”
“It really doesn't matter but...” she was interrupted.
“And I understand if you want me to take my distance, I just want you to be okay.”
“Wait!” Nejire spoke up, cutting off whatever Tamaki was saying, because that was a big misunderstanding.
“I understand, I don't want to be a problem...” But he kept talking, looking at the ground, ignoring whatever she was going to say to him.
Nejire felt his voice drift off into the distance. Did he want to get away? Did he want to stop talking? Of course anyone who heard what she said would think she was really dating someone, she did it with purpose, to get rid of that boy. But she didn't want to get rid of Tamaki.
But wasn't she totally obvious? She flirted with him again and again, complimented him and held his hand, because he didn't understand that she wanted him! Ah but Mirio had warned him.
“If you don't tell him directly, he won't understand.”
Ah, Tamaki was so slow with romantic aspects, and more so because of his great insecurity. And the frustration of him wanting to get away from her, stunned her, so she leaned over, grabbed Tamaki by the face and forced him to look at her.
“Listen to me, I'm not dating anyone!”
He suddenly fell down and watched her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he heard and he did. Did he understand things more? Though if mind couldn't work well because of Nejire's sudden approach.
“But I…”
“Yeah, I said that to get rid of that guy, I'm not dating someone, well yes there is someone I'm interested in…”
“Then you …”
Nejire couldn't take it anymore and kissed him. She pressed her lips against his, unleashing the uncontrollable beating of her heart and feeling like she was going to burst with happiness, tasting those lips she had wanted so much. She turned away after a few moments and saw completely surprised eyes.
“I meant you!” Nejire growled through the noise of the rain but trying to make him understand at once. “When I said I was dating someone I meant you, because I want to date you and I'm not interested in anyone but you”
Tamaki blinked thinking that this was some kind of dream.
“I... Did you like it?”
“Of course, how could I not like you? Ever since the first time I saw you I really liked you.”
And that unleashed the color in Tamaki's face, which glowed incandescently in a crimson lathe, strident, all the way to his ears and he turned away, lowering his gaze, his heart pounding in his ears.
Was it true or some kind of cruel joke in his head? Did Nejire, such an amazing girl, really like someone like him? It was so unlikely... but there she was , confessing and she had kissed him. He could still feel the sweet taste of her lips against his.
“And do you like me?”
Tamaki looked up at her and looked directly into her eyes.
“I-I like you, I like you a lot, but I -.... “
“That's all I need to know!”
Suddenly she moved closer, wrapped her arms around his neck, came close enough to almost sit on his lap and kissed him deeply, her heart excited and elated. The initial kisses were awkward and nervous, but eventually their lips coupled perfectly.
Tamaki felt his body melt before Nejire's mouth, the suffocating warmth and how he was about to faint because it was happening, because she wasn't on top of him, devouring him.
His weak heart yielded to Nejire, and he let himself be carried away on that wave of longing and hope, with the sweet taste of Nejire's faith entering him as the rain continued to pour down, delaying his departure.