The 20th century's greatest scientist, Albert Einstein, postulated that time is relative. Trying to understand this can be pretty hard until you put it into simpler terms like this: "Putting your hand on a hot stove for a minute feels like an hour but spending time with the girl you love for an hour feels like a minute", then it becomes easy to understand.
Whenever I hang out with Rin, it's like time itself chugs an energy drink and runs full force. Today's date at the cat cafe is no exception.
"Shit, my phone is dying."
It's 4 pm. I notice the warning signals on my phone telling me my battery is low.
"I guess I took too many pictures."
Rin puts her hand on her hips and sighs.
"It's fulfilled its duty, can't complain about that."
"You're the one who shouldn't be complaining, Tohru-kun."
"Oops, let that one slip out."
"Don't stick out your tongue and let out a cute laugh. It's so gross."
"You're too harsh!"
"You're so helpless..."
With that, Rin reaches into her shoulder bag.
"I have a charger on me. You want to use it?"
"Oh really!? Give me the power!"
"You sound like you're going to take over the world."
"The fight against those shitty sub-humans will be epic!"
Rin takes a pastel pink pouch out of her shoulder bag. Seeing that pouch, a jolt of electricity runs through my mind.
"Here."
"..."
"Something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing."
Even I don't understand myself. It's just that I feel something strange welling up inside me. It's a nostalgic feeling that has a hold of my chest, like if circuits are scattered all over my body. I felt this exact feeling some time before too...
"You don't need to be worried."
I can't really explain it to her and small talk would kind of be awkward here, so I just let the situation pass.
"Okay then..."
Her reaction is just like an air cooler blowing out warm air, as she knits her eyebrows in suspicion. As my phone charges, we take another lap around the cafe.Just like slurping the last strand of ramen in a bowl, we indulge ourselves in the fluffiness again.
"It's about time we get going."
"Yeah, you're right."
My stomach is telling me it's craving food and sending SYP messages throughout my body.
Something Yummy Please, that's what SYP is short for.
"It's about time too."
"So that means you heard it."
"I know about when your stomach starts growling."
"What the heck, that's amazing."
We pay the bill and leave the cat cafe behind us. The sun is settling, as it paints a tingling neon across the downtown district. As I fill my lungs with air, I turn to Rin to ask her something.
"What do you want to eat?"
"I want to eat at MDs."
"A quiz huh... You want a McDonalds teriyaki burger?"
"Correct. I guess I should give you a reward."
"Do you even have anything else on you?"
As we continue our meaningless banter, we enter McDonald's. The oily scent coming from the bags is as vivid as ever, as I grow more hungry.
"Did you also get a teriyaki set, Tohru-kun?"
"Of course!"
"Alright, I'll pay."
"It's fine, I can do it."
I take hold of Rin's hand as she tries to reach for her purse.
"I can't let you pay for this. I mean, you already paid back at the cat cafe..."
"No, I should be saying sorry. My taste buds have been enjoying themselves whenever you're around and I just want to repay you back any way I can."
Up until now, Rin has been treating me with her homemade bento. Paying for a date like this is cheap in comparison. That's what I wanted to convey to her.
"Oh, I see..."
However, she doesn't look fully satisfied
"Anyways, I can pay for it. Just think of it as me paying you back for everything you've done for me."
As I say that, I feel an itching sensation creeping up form my chest. I start scratching my cheek as my speech becomes faster and faster.
"Thanks for everything."
I purse my lips and hand my redden face down in embarrassment.
"I should be thanking you..."
Rin whispers that out happily.
____________________
We take a seat at a table. We indulge ourselves in the exquisite harmony of the teriyaki burger sandwiched between the toasted buns. I lift up my head and an angel comes into my view. That being, this is all figurative since I don't want to start a commotion on whether or not these teriyaki burgers are laced with hallucinogenic ingredients.
With a bright smile, Rin stuffs her cheeks as if she hasn't eaten in days. The burger becomes completely devoured and an expression of divine happiness appears on her face with each bite.
"You really do love that, huh."
With that, Rin takes a sip of her oolong tea. With a lovely smile on her face, she opens her mouth.
"Well of course, I love it so much."
It feels like somehow stabbed my heart with a toothpick. It's like my head conveniently converted her phrase into something else. Her light smile while staring at me saying "I love it" will forever be engraved.
That single phrase is a magical spell with destructive powers that runs through my head down to my toes. As I stiffen, Rin looks at me with confusion as she tilts her head, before she comes to an understanding herself.
"I was talking about the teriyaki burger!"
Her ears are dyed a bright crimson as her voice goes shrill.
"I-I-I know."
I try to calm my beating heart. I think of an elementary school romance comedy in my head.
"So, umm..."
Rin composes herself again and points with her index finger as if she's saying she wants to whisper something in my ear. My heart still hasn't settled down, but I bring my head closer towards Rin.
"Of course, I love you too, Tohru-kun."
My ear is under attack, being bombarded with heavy explosives. I'm worried my heart will collapse on me. I'm absolutely sure my heart stopped for just a moment. We've been together for a long time already, but the fact that we're dating still hasn't hit me. She really did express her love to me outright.
"..."
"..."
There's an awkward silence. Both of us are blushing like crazy.
"I-I'm getting a refill, what about you Rin?"
"S-sure, I'm running low myself."
We change topics like we had it all planned out. This is our synchronization as childhood friends, well lovers now.
"Let me pay for the refills."
"No, it's fine. You don't need to worry."
"I can't let you pay for everything."
She puts on a strong, serious tone. My senses are telling me I shouldn't interfere with her. I should know, given I spent 10 years with her.
"...Sure, I'll let you treat me just this once."
"Thank you so much."
With a nod, Rin takes her wallet out of her pouch. Her wallet is a double folded, pastel pink wallet. A flash runs through my brain.
"Tohru-kun, you're Syrup's saviour after all."
I recall her words at the cat cafe.
"I have a charger on me. You want to use it?"
I remember when Rin took out her pink pouch. And now her pink wallet. I feel something welling up in me. It's a faint memory, something that would fade away if I tried grasping for it.
The dripping rain that soaked me to the core, that sopping wet cardboard box and the kitten the size of a phone crying out for dear life.
Covering the kitten was a pastel pink umbrella.
"Tohru-kun?"
Rin looks at me with confusion as I haven't moved an inch.
"This might be a strange question all of a sudden but..."
I take a breath to calm myself down. I throw my question at her, even though my thoughts aren't coherent yet.
"Did you perhaps give Syrup your umbrella that time, Rin?"
With that, Rin halts completely.