Obviously Me

Chapter 7: I Love You

"Flying? That's what you're scared of?" Ozzie asks.

I nod, my uncle's name echoing in my mind.

"You don't have to come with me, if that's what's bothering you."

"But I want to," I say. "I want to be with you. We haven't even seen each other since thirteen years ago! Now that we're dating, I don't want to be apart from you. And now you have to go to Italy for the Army."

"Come with me then!" He smiles. "Look, we'll be together if you come. If you don't, I'll FaceTime you. I'll Skype you. I'll text you every thirty seconds. We'll call each other. Yeah, there's a time change, but we can work with it."

I don't say anything back.

"Either way, we can still communicate. If you don't come with me, we can still talk. If you do -"

"If I do go, we can do so much more than talk, Ozzie." I lay my head on his chest. I can hear his heartbeat - it's fast. He's nervous. Probably just as much as I am.

"Mirai," he sighs. "This is your choice. Don't let me influence you, ok?"

"Ok," I murmur. "Ok . . ."

Ozzie fingers through my hair. His heartbeat slows.

I relax, closing my eyes. "How often will you come home?"

"Once a month, for a week."

"Just a week?"

"Yeah."

"I don't even live with you. I really need to quit freaking out. God, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. You're human, Mi, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"I'll miss you if I don't go."

"I know. I'll miss you too. It's even harder to leave, now knowing that I found my best friend from my childhood. And I love her."

I smile. "It's just the flying part . . ."

"I understand, Mirai. It's ok."

I sit up. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Because I love you." Ozzie's gaze shifted to my lips, then back to my eyes.

Before I know it, we're kissing.

---

I get up at 7am on Monday to get ready for work. I left Ozzie's house Sunday morning.

I put on a Nirvana t-shirt (don't judge), skinny jeans, and black flats. My hair is naturally straight, so I leave it as it is. I put on a little blush and I'm out the door.

Just as I expected, Pam is waiting at the front door of Yum-Yum Cakes with her arms crossed. She huffs over to my car when I pull up.

"Seriously?" she growls. "Work skipper."

"I was at Ozzie's house," I say.

"Oh my God." Her attitude changes completely. "What happened over there?" Pam grins.

"Nothing," I reply. "Let's go inside. It's cold out here."

"You know you can tell me, Mirai," she says, unlocking the glass door. "I'm like your sister."

Nope. She is not like my sister. She is like an annoying friend, whom I do not like to be seen around. I have no idea why my brother married her.

"Nothing happened," I insist. I sit down on a stool and start writing in bubble letters on the chalkboard.

~9 days till Halloween! Get your tasty Halloween cupcakes today! Remember, we cater~

"Oh . . . I really doubt that." Pam flips the sign from Sorry, we're closed to We're open.

"Stop bothering me about it, Pam. Do I hide things from you?"

"Yes."

"Exactly. Do you think I'll tell you if . . . that . . . happened?"

"Probably not." She shrugs and starts putting chairs beside tables. "But I thought it would be worth a shot."

I roll my eyes and start making a fresh batch of cupcakes.

Yum-Yum Cakes opens at 9. Not too many customers start coming in till 10 or later, so Pam and I play Hangman on napkins.

The jingle of the bell on the door startles both of us.

"I need two hundred cupcakes by Halloween night," a large man says. "My wife is throwing a party and I'm in charge of food."

"Stewart, take a deep breath," I say. "It's gonna be ok."

He collapses in a chair. "You sure?"

"Positive." Pam gives him a bottle of water. "We'll have that done, Stew."

"You guys are the best. Gotta run." Stewart jumps up and sprints out of the shop.

"He's crazy," my sister-in-law mumbles, sitting back down on a stool. "He really needs meds."

"Shut up." I look back at the napkin. "It's your move."

---

At noon, Yum-Yum Cakes is getting full. We're rushing around, giving cupcakes to people. Pam is running the register and I'm attempting to give people cupcakes. I don't have very good social skills (I'm awkward), so I'm trying to keep calm.

Then Ozzie walks in.

He's in full uniform. Boots and suit and all.

"Is that him?" Pam hisses.

"Yes," I say. "Hi, Ozzie!"

"Hey," Ozzie says. "May I come behind the forbidden counter?"

"OF COURSE," Pam blurts before I can even open my mouth. "YOU ARE WELCOME ANY TIME, OSWALD."

"Sergeant Davis," I say, trying to keep from smiling too big.

"You're dating a sergeant?" Pam squints. "This is even better. Oh God, this is even BETTER."

Ozzie wraps his arm around me and kisses the side of my forehead. "Have you decided yet, Mi?"

"I'm getting there," I reply. "I'm leaning toward going."

"Awesome."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Pam demands.

Ozzie winces.

"I might go with him to Italy, Pam," I say slowly.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE," Pam says. "I WILL BE LONELY."

"You'll be fine," I insist.

"HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE?"

"Six months, maybe?" I say.

Ozzie nods. "Right. But we'll visit and stuff, so . . ."

"Please don't get married and have babies over there," Pam says, calming down. "Ok?"

"Why would we do that?" I ask.

"Just saying." She shrugs. "Ozzie, why are you here? You are disrupting the shop with your tallness."

Ozzie gives me a kiss. "I'll see you later, mmm?"

"Yeah." I smile. "Bye."

"Bye, baby." Ozzie kisses me again, nods at Pam, and walks out of the shop.

"He's so freaking tall, man!" Pam shakes her head. She leans over the counter. "Who can I help next?"