"Hey, Sky. Is it okay to call you Sky?" She was adding a few touches to the storyboard.
I was caught up in my thoughts. She repeated the question to me.
I came to my senses. "Oh, h-hey, what's up?"
She stopped and peered at me. "Can I call you Sky?"
"Okay."
"Hey Sky, since we're finished, you told me you wanted to say something?"
"W-what are you talking about?" My chest ached.
"You know? When we were at the market?"
I stared confusedly at her.
"You told me this: 'Rino? I'll tell you something later after the stuff later, okay?' "
"Ah, yeah. I did tell you that." I scratched my head, sweating from my forehead.
"So, what was it you were going to tell me?" She fixed up her things and put them in a stack.
"I-I . . . wait! I'll get you something—wait!" I ran across the pathway, huffing every couple steps I took. I barged into my house, looking for something. I found it dangling on my desk. As I took it, I made sure to remember my words and just go do it.
I arrived at Rino's house with her looking curious. With flowers behind my back, I struggled to bring out the few words I had left for that day: "I-I think I like you."
I gave her the flowers. She jolted, startled by it all. I could have taken longer than what I hoped for.
It's a good thing I woke up the next day, realizing it all really happened. I struggled to maintain my excitement, hoping I could die—I mean faint—oh wait, I should just take in the happiness—no dying here.
I asked her out. It was the important next step to my confession. She still couldn't understand what was going on. She said "yes". But she was still dumbfounded.
I also don't know how to look at her now. It's extremely difficult telling a new friend you have feelings for her. It was easy considering the short time we had being friends. I could only imagine how difficult it would turn out to be after a couple months or years.
I remember my last crush. She was insanely beautiful and sincere, but it all fell short due to my fear of intimacy.
I tried hard to live a life independent from intimate relationships, but after meeting Rino, it was just difficult spending good-fashioned time in the same room as someone so easy to talk to. I like her as a friend, but if not for the fact that she my ideal girl, I wouldn't have had feelings for her.
Honestly, I've practiced keeping calm during considerably harsh conditions or times when your heart wants to show up on your face. I did so much I looked pretty much stone-faced.
For Rino, however, I didn't fall for her immediately. It was just my heart slowly slipping out as she exceeded my expectations to differ so much as to leave me.
I was ready to have her go. I just didn't think she'd stay.
Thank you Rino. For showing me what it means to have someone, even if it means we'll never see each other again—I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I had to make a joke at least once.
So I'm on my third day. Of being her—oh gosh. I can't say it. My tongue's tied.—girlfriend—oh wait, that isn't right.— I mean—
"Sky. Where's the fruit stand you said you saw?" Rino's dark-blue dress resembled a wing from her belly to the top of her shoulders. She said it was supposed to represent this "rorscyhach test". I feel like I've heard that term before, but I can't quite remember what it's supposed to mean.
"Oh, too late, we passed by it around 10 minutes ago. We walked pretty zigzag remember? So 10 minutes of walking straight back won't work."
"Oh, that's too bad. For my second date, at least something has to happen, right?"
"Rino, the very best date for me is when you and me are doing the things we love best together. That's what I want." I shivered as I said this.
She didn't say anything and dragged me through the streets. I tried to stay calm, and I did.
"Hey, do you know what the 'roryscratchmyback' supposed to mean?" I asked her, wobbling as I wobbled from getting dragged along by a hefty girl.
"I'm so sorry, please forgive me, I wanted the date to go well, but I didn't know how. So I thought running around was the best way."
"Common way perhaps? But we got our own thing, you know? And that's what makes us special." Where in the heavens are these words coming from? . . . I am enlightened.
I still don't know what the "roarshock" supposed to mean.
We were invited to a place, far from our homes and away from solitude.
We were invited to a convention. They arranged a competition for singers and musicians alike.
I still don't know if I should go. She said she was going, and I said "okay". I couldn't say "no".
"Oh gosh. This is too much for your wise old man to bear. Let him rest."
"Sure 26-year-old man." I was on the 36th day of my "unindependence". Okay, okay, I'm still independent. It's just now, I'm partnered, I guess? Well, not exactly married, will I be? I really hope I know what I'm doing.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Let's do this!" Looks like someone's excited.
After the convention, we arrived home. We were hoping to find a good place to get our way and have fun alone, but everyone was either watching from 5 meters away or crowding us every so often. I even got to have the feeling of seeing bodyguards blocking fans away from us. It was surprising, really.
I was quite demoralized by the bunch of "no-nos" I'm getting from this.
She was at my house. Our writing session's end was at hand, and my heart kept beating on how to explain myself.
She sitting down, finishing off what she called the most romantic story of all time.
"Can we just be friends?"
"Oh okay," she said quietly. "Don't worry. I-I had a feeling this would happen, but since you asked if we could be friends instead of forever blocking me off. I might be able to take what you just said."
"Ah, t-thanks. . . ."
The night grew cold, or the air con in my room was too strong and needed to be lowered. I notice I never use the air con in my room, unless I get itchy or if room temperature just makes me dizzy instead of calms me down, then air con would be very useful and needed.
Well, she told me she'd cry, and she did. For some reason, even after all that, she walked up to me, sat on my lap, and cried, leaning toward me. She trusts me. I can't let these moments be wasted memories. She's a good friend, lover, and person. I won't let you down, Rino.
I touched down on my keyboard, hoping to get an answer. Why can't I write!? . . . writer's block? You . . . you . . . can go away now.
I can't force this. I need to breathe. Where's my creativity wake-up pills?
Early morning got me kicking at the gym.
"Soon enough, I'ma be huffing like your dad on daughter-protection-service." A veteran commended me, not for my muscles, but for my jokes. That's still good. I think. Should I cry? Yeah, yeah, I think I should.
"Rino told me she needed space for a while. She needed to breathe like I do when I'm pushing weights. That's a bad analogy, isn't it? Whatever, just sign the papers!" The veteran guy laughed again. Hahahaha. That was a bad joke, why did you laugh?
Okay, after finishing my rounds, I got up and walked straight home. It was another fantastically weird day. Rino had urged me to visit the gym at least once.
She was right about it being cozy with its glass windows perfectly showcasing the rainy weather outside. With its air being dampened by humidifiers, my allergies didn't pop out from the intense, rigorous lifting I went through.
The glass windows might have been soundproofed, but that's not where the "music" of the gym came from. They came through the roof and from the roof we felt immensely calm. Intensely relaxing.
It was nice living the life with a few "itches" on the side for guidance.
I got to connect with my fans during a conference nearby. I don't like traveling too far, so I only attended this one for the year. My fans were bummed I could tell.
I never once neglected my writing, even after I got writer's block. I still pushed myself to make ways, whether simple or complex, and "take a beating" for my creativity back. Until I realized, all I had to do was force myself to write.
Rino and me continued working again. It was fun seeing Rino smile. She tried not to smile back, but she couldn't help it.
I had gotten myself to indirectly send letters of my constant love, even if it's not romantic any more. I was very happy for her recovery.
I knew she was very dependable deep down inside, but I hadn't let her get the chance to show it most of the time. I waited for her to show up when I asked her through a letter I sent several weeks after the break. She did, and I was glad she did. I hugged for the first time after it all. I was happy she was back.
We repeated an attempt of incorporating a few new things to our schedule: going outside once in a while to get the stress off our shoulders and talking to each other about certain things.
We tried the entire schedule once. It was rigorous. So we toned it down to a sensible niche. We're not overworking myself now, everyone.
Communicating is going to be a mess. Get me out there someone. Oh, wait, Rino said she'll help. Save me Rino!
I hope we soon reach our mark for our comics, novels, and music. I don't want to end up draining myself to death. So let's not do that, shall we?
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