Akira stiffened beside me. He turned to me fully, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
I took his hand before he could say anything, and it was still cold as ever. "I'm not going to back out."
He blew out a breath and cracked a smile. "That's good to know."
"But…" I paused. My heart hammered in my chest. This was it. The moment of truth.
"It's okay. Tell me." Akira squeezed my hand before he brushed away strands of hair from my face.
I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes. Gods, please let it be the truth. Then a wet cold something grazed my face ever so lightly. When I opened my eyes, Akira had a sheepish smile. His cheeks and ears pinkened.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. You look so beautiful."
"You finally did it." I touched the spot in my forehead, a smile blooming into my chest, bravery running through my veins.
Akira chuckled. "I should have done it sooner."
"You know what you said to your friends the other day," I started as I tapped my other foot.
He nodded. "What about it?"
I gulped and forced the words out. "Is it true?"
It took a moment before realization dawned on him. His jaw went slack. He tried to close it again as a frown started to form.
"I…Reiko-senpai…I—about that." He scratched his head and sighed.
My stomach plummeted, and then my heartbeat slowed. A sharp ache began to prick at my chest. It was like my world was about to fall apart in front of me. No! I shook my head and breathed in, reminding myself that I was going to be fine no matter the outcome. I promised myself. I was going to be fine. We were going to be all right.
"I understand." I looked down and sniffed.
"No," Akira said too quickly, his tone becoming urgent. "It's not what you're thinking. I…I was going to tell you." He took my hand again. "Please look at me."
Lifting my head, seeing his panicked expression, I bit my lips. "What are you going to tell me?"
"You beat me to it, and it surprised the hell out of me." He chuckled humorlessly and then swallowed.
Anticipation began to build up inside me like the bubbles of a churned bottle of soda. It was going to pop any moment now. I crossed my fingers and began to pray, realizing I had been praying a lot these days.
"Reiko-senpai, I know that the thing between us is—"
"Megumi? Is that you?" A man's loud voice snagged both of our attention.
We whipped our head to the direction where the sound came from and found a girl in a purple dress at least two to three meters away from us. Scanning the area, I found the source of the voice much further than us. An ordinary-looking guy with two girls in fancy dresses in tow began to approach.
"Whoa! Kawashita? Is that you?" The guy yelled, his eyes widening.
Akira groaned and leaned into my ears. "I promise I'll answer you later, senpai."
"Is that your ex-girlfriend?" I whispered back as I eyed the girl with matching glittery eyeshadow which made her eyes bigger. I clenched my jaw. She was even prettier than Nanami.
"Megu." The guy tapped her in the shoulders. "Your ex-boyfriend is here!"
"Well, she's indeed pretty." I tilted my head towards Akira.
His brows shot up, and his lips curled. "Don't be jealous. She might be pretty, but you're beautiful. You're a goddess, Reiko-senpai"
"I'm not jealous," I hissed, scowling despite my cheeks reddening. His compliment was not missed.
"She's ancient history." Akira brought my hand to his lips and pressed a long wet kiss.
I gawked at him, but he kept his amused smile, never taking his eyes off of me. Someone cleared his throat, and the spell broke. The newcomers were right behind us.
The guy whistled. "Though he's with someone else."
"Ignore him. He's a jerk," Akira said.
"They can hear you." My eyes widened, and I came closer to him.
He only smirked and brought my hand to his coat pocket. "I said it, so he could hear it."
"You've changed, Kawashita." The guy laughed so hard it rang in my ears, and then he regarded me. "Your girlfriend's huge."
"I'm tall, aren't I?" I turned to them, smiled, and cocked my head. "I'm 176 centimeters. How about you?"
The guy's smile faltered. Akira chuckled, tugging at my hand. "Why don't we go in?"
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" A melodic soft voice spoke.
We turned, and it was his ex-girlfriend.