[ TWENTY-TWO ] reveal / part three

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"jirou?"

"yeah?"

"did you have fun today?"

jirou glanced over at me, her eyes glowing in the moonlight. it had gotten dark before we knew it, but there was a serenity in the night air, just us and the gentle, autumn wind.

"it was... even better than i could've imagined. i'm glad we're here together," she said.

i draped an arm around her shoulder. the beach was closed, so we sat on a bench facing it, but surprisingly few other carnival attendees passed by. i could hear the faint sounds of the saxophone in the distance, maybe a street performer looking for extra cash.

i was hoping to spend a bit more time with her at the carnival, but i relished in every second that we passed together here. it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing. as long as it was the two of us, i was happy.

i had never seen the beach so deserted. still, there was a sense of calmness to it. i couldn't sense any traces of the usual bustle and crowds at the boardwalk; only the smell of the ocean remained to remind me where i was. the waves were there, and we were here, and we were watching each other through a glass. every time the water crashed against the sand, it sounded like a song.

"you know, i've liked you for a while," i said. "maybe ever since i saw you. i can't believe i got to spend an entire day with you and hold your hand and see you smile. do you know what i mean?"

although i was directly addressing her, i almost felt like i was talking to myself. it seemed like everything that i said here would stay here. my words would be caught in the waves, like a bottle drifting in the water with no destination or purpose. just an impassioned confession lost to the sea.

she didn't answer, but i noticed her smile.

we watched the waves for a while. we watched the stars, and the moon, and the ground, and each other.

"you taught me trust, you know," she said. "that day on my birthday, the way you hugged me. it sounds so small ans trivia but it meant a lot to me. i felt loved. by you and by everyone in our class. that was when i knew, i think."

"knew...?"

"that i loved you."

"what?"

"i thought it was just a stupid crush. it's not."

then she leaned over until our lips were inches apart, and she grabbed my hand tightly.

she kissed me and i kissed her back. everything i had ever wanted was right in front of me. i brought my hand to her cheek and melted into her touch. i might have been her angel, but she was mine, too.

as soon as we pulled away, i was longing for her touch again.

"hey, jirou?" i asked.

"yeah?"

"will you... be my girlfriend?"

"does that mean i get to kiss you again?"

i laughed. "as many times as you want."

she gave me a peck on the cheek, blushing profusely, then checked the time on her phone.

"damn, today really flew by," she said. it was nearly 10 pm, which meant aizawa would be very angry with the both of us if we weren't back at the dorms in fifteen minutes.

"i'm gonna call an uber or something. it's too dark to walk back and it'll be faster by car."

i ordered an uber to pick us up while jirou gathered her things from the bench. we walked closer to the road and waited by the curbside, then got into the car once it arrived.

the driver barely murmured a greeting as we entered the back seat.

jirou pulled out her phone as we drove, furiously typing on it with a smile on her face.

'was she telling someone about the date?'

the thought of her being as excited about i was about our new relationship sent the butterflies in my stomach into orbit.

relationship. girlfriend. jirou. i could call all three of those my own.

she hit send on the message. inexplicably, i felt my own phone buzz from inside my pocket. i reached back to grab it and check my notifications, when i realized i had one new message from "guitarbby 💕."

i looked over at jirou, but she was already staring at me, wide-eyed with her hand over her mouth.

"oh shit."

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