You're All I Need - Nishimura Riki

Chapter 42 : The Birthday

"So, why did you bring me here?" I ask him. Looking at the playground, so many memories flood my mind. However, the most special one to me was my first kiss.

"Uh, I wanted to bring you to the place where everything became official. Where..." he says. His cheeks get red and he looks down at the ground. He plays with his fingers nervously.

"Where we kissed for the first time," I say. His smile grows and he keeps his face down.

I pull him in for a hug, allowing him to relax. When he pulls away, he drags me over to the swing set. We sit down and swing together.

"Uh, I got something for you too," he says, reaching in the bag he is carrying around today. He pulls out a small-ish box wrapped in red wrapping paper. He hands it to me. It's pretty heavy, so I'm careful not to drop it. I study the wrapping paper.

"Wow, you wrapped this really good. It looks perfect," I comment. "I almost don't want to unwrap it."

"I learned last Christmas because my mom taught me. It's actually really fun to wrap gifts," he says, letting out a small giggle. I stare into his eyes with a loving smile, eventually making him flustered again. "Okay, just open the present."

I open it carefully, revealing a small snow globe. Taking it out of the wrapper completely, I see that instead of a house on the inside like usual, there's two people kissing.

"Awww, where did you find this?" I ask Ni-ki.

"Actually, I... I had it made specifically for you. The people represent us," he says, pointing at the people in the snow globe.

I lock eyes with Ni-ki, and everything seems to stop. He smiles seeing me smiling and he moves closer to me. His lips are about to meet mine until my phone starts buzzing in my pocket.

I pick my phone up, seeing my dad calling me but I decline it.

"Who was that?" Ni-ki asks me.

"Um... that was my dad." Ni-ki's eyes get big when I say that.

"And you declined his call? Why?"

"Because I'm with you right now, Ni-ki. I'll call him back later, it's okay," I reassure him.

"But... it's your dad. I can be put on hold. I know how much you miss him." His gaze softens as he talks about my dad.

"No, I want to be here with you right now. It'll be fine."

"I just don't want to be the reason you don't get to talk to your dad," he says apologetically.

"No, you're not. I made the decision to decline the call, not you. Don't worry about it," I tell him. He looks at me and smiles. "Thank you again for my present."

"You're welcome, love."

"L-love?" I ask, shocked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable? I... I can take it back if-"

"No! I, I like it," I admit and look over to him. He laughs shyly and looks down to hide his blush.

"Okay, I'll call you that from now on," he says.

"Just not in front of Jay, he'll probably kill you," I say. He laughs.

"Okay, I won't. It's a nickname for when it's just us then," he says and tucks some hair behind my ear. He stares at me, a small smile growing on his face.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that..." I ask.

"You're so beautiful..." he says. "I really could look at you all day."