“These look good, Kusotori.”
“The batch you made looks nice, can I try one?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Our cupcakes were just about finished. Calli took out her batch and mine along with it. We baked 12 batches each, and they were looking exquisite. Just like Calli with the outfit she was wearing.
“Calli, can you hold this in front of the baker, I'm going to get the camera.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“I need to preserve this moment. Especially, I don't know when you will wear that again.”
“Why is this skirt so short?”
“I should have asked you to wear my uniform.”
“Never.”
Calli was wearing a maid outfit similar to mine. She looks very delicious. I mean, the cupcakes look very delicious. When I was going for the camera, she was getting prepared to take some pictures. Given her dismissive attitude, she is supportive without questioning it much. Reason being, that I was the one who is asking. I left the kitchen and headed into our bedroom for my phone to take the pictures. It was on the bedside table. When I returned, she had the cupcakes ready. Her face was red.
“Hurry up and take the pictures, Kusotori.”
“I know, I know.”
I teasingly took a video instead of doing what I was supposed to do.
“Well, you have enough?”
“Gosh Calli, you're so impatient.”
“I’m just kindly asking you to, uhhh, whatever.”
“There and save. Now, let me take the pictures now.”
“Wait, you weren't doing that?”
“Humu, humu, humu.”
“Ku-so-to-riii?”
“Yes, Calli. That face, I love it. Just like that. Wow, you got the pose down.”
I took a bunch of pictures of her and me afterwards with the cupcakes. Various poses along with eating poses as well. Calli took the phone from me and checked the quality of them. Scrolling through the pictures, Calli had a distasteful look in her eyes, but she was still smiling. I heard two taps being made on the phone before she gave it back to me. Something was missing. The video I took of her was now gone. I was saddened by my loss.
***
“Why would she do something like that?”
“You and her have been dating for a while now, things like this should be common.”
“It is but, sometimes, I don't get her, you know?”
“Yet you've come to single old me for advice.”
It was night time. I was in my usual clothes, in a bar with my sensei, Death-sensei. We were sitting on some stools in front of the bar counter, facing the different variety of liquor, wine and other alcoholic beverages. He taught me many things in life. I am death, but life is a problem we all have to deal with. No matter how much pain in the ass it is, every undying person has to deal with it. I came to the bar with Death-sensei to talk to him about that, but the liquor kicked in and was spitting about my love life as a rapper would instead. If you are looking for a clue on how it is going, I wasn't making sense of the mundane nature of my question.
“Talking about your love life, aren't you really to seal the deal?”
“Seal the deal? Is that some surface world language you're using? What do you mean by that?”
“My my, do I have to spell it out for you?”
He did, in fact, not spell it out for me. But instead, he decided to show some gestures.
“This? You understand now?”
He placed his index finger and thumb finger together. He then used his ring finger on his other hand and put it through that hole he made.
“Is that some kind of innuendo? It would be better if you just say it.”
He sighed and just said it.
“Aren't you going to marry Kiara?”
I spat out the drink that I was about to swallow. My ears heard something unbelievable.
“Marry? Kiara?”
“You make it sound like it's the end of the world. Yes, marry her. You both have been together for who knows long. Like, sealing the deal, get it now? - wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Kiara and I have been together for a very long time. But we haven't talked about getting a permanent memento for our love. It didn't cross my mind at any moment I could think of.
I comforted Death-sensei about the origin of such a question.
“Why would you ask me that question? Did Kiara ask you to?”
He gave me a yes-no response with an indifferent expression.
“The origin doesn't really matter. It came from my own curiosity.”
“Is it the first one on the other? choose one.”
He began losing his cool vibe and gave off a geeky aura.
“Look, look, look here, Calli. I am just wondering, that's why, ok?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and took another sip of my favourite wine, Death’s embrace.
I looked beyond him and spotted a couple getting wasted with another person with them. Their manners were poor, but at least they weren't shouting. The ones in the relationship were a male and female with the ‘another’ person being a female. They looked close as he wrapped his arm around the girl, making his manly presence known. The sad girl on the sidelines didn't express much of what they were doing. She slowly drank her water and let it be.
But the unexpected happened.
I overheard their conversation a bit with the man speaking first to the sad-looking girl.
“Babe, she said she is willing to join us. So what do you say? You're gonna let me hit y'all both tonight?”
The girl looked at the other girl with overflowing lustful interest in her eyes. Accompanying her eyes, down below, she was rubbing her legs together.
“Let's take her, I can't bear to wait any longer.”
I faced away from them and continued sipping the wine in front of me. Moments later, behind me was chatter and strange squealing noises from multiple people leaving the bar.
“Looks like she wasn't sad after all.”
“Death-sensei, you and I had the same impression. To think those people had that kinda relationship.”
“Love comes in all shapes and sizes. You'll be surprised to know what other types of relationships there are in this world.”
Swirling around the wine in my hand, I thought back to the first question he had asked me with my eyes closed.
Marry Kiara?
Marry Kusotori?
A Phoenix?
Hmm
With how forward I have been recently, making a jump like that is…
Hmm
It wouldn't be a bad idea, but we haven't talked about this before. I assumed she would…
Hmm
This is a hard one.
“You don't have to give me an answer now. When you're ready, you can tell me if you feel like it.”
“Hmm…”
“Calli, Underworld to Calliope Mori? Hellooo?”
I addressed him suddenly.
“Death-sensei?”
“Yes!?”
I didn't face him when I responded. My eyes were still closed.
“I don't think our relationship needs any ‘sealing the deal’.”
“Is that so?”
“We are happy as we are right now. If we want to solidify it, then it is both our decisions to make. I can't offhandedly give you an answer. If I did, that would count as a form of betrayal of sorts.”
“Don’t worry. I completely understand.”
Thus, leaving this topic concluded.
“It was fun talking to you for a while. I think it's getting really late. I'm going to go home, and sleep? yeah.”
I rose from my seat and said later to Sensei for the night.
“Wait, I forgot to ask you something.”
He stopped me in my tracks.
“I'm just wondering…”
What is with these wondering questions?
“Let's say if, Kiara…
Kusotori?
“Asked you to, I don't know, marry…”
“...”
“Her? Would you decline her proposal?”
“...”
“...”
“If it did happen. This is just a hypothetical situation. It being a reality will be jarring since I'm the most masculine of the two. The brute, I would say.”
“Sooo?”
“Sooo, my response is unknown to me. I don't know how I would react if that hypothetical situation became reality.”
“I see.”
He turned around his seat and didn't say anything else. I left the bar feeling like someone invaded my private life.
When walking home, the thought of her proposing to me fills me with discomfort. But not my entire being is opposed to it.
“What happened to me?”
Over these few months, something changed inside me, for the better or the worst. I can't cross-examine myself.
“Ahhh, my head hurts.”
I drank way more than I used to today. The Sleepy Reaper is arriving earlier than usual.