(FOR CONTEXT: Chapters I, II, III, IV & V happen as you're in your last year of Yumenosaki Academy and you (MC) and Mika are 17. Later that summer you (MC) turn 18 while Mika turns 18 in December the same year. That's when the Christmas Chapters happen, afterwards the next summer you finish your studies, turn 19 and leave for New York at the beginning of September. Mika turns 19 while you're away and afterwards this Chapter takes place in late March.)
You patiently stood in line at the passport control and looked around, feeling slightly drowsy after the long flight. After six months, you were surrounded with kanji letters again instead of the long and fancy English words displayed all over the buildings and billboards in New York.
You checked your phone for any text messages and noticed a small bubble pop-up near the icon of the chat with Mika. You tapped the screen to open the chat and read the last message, "I'm in the waiting lounge. How is it on that side of the airport? lol"
You silently chuckled and replied, "There are two more people ahead of me at the passport control. Then I'll just have to get my luggage and I'll probably be there in about... 10 minutes?" You tapped 'send' and nearly seconds after received a reply, "oh come on~! don't make me wait for so long!"
One more person finished their passport control and the queue moved forward as you typed back a witty reply, "You waited for me for 6 months babe, 10 more minutes shouldn't be a big deal right?". You added a winking emoji and sent the message. This time he left you on seen.
You swiftly slipped your phone in the pocket of the jacket you held and stepped forward as your turn came. The man didn't waste time and got over with all the necessities fast, returning your passport to you and allowing you through towards the inside of the airport.
You entered the room with the baggage conveyor belt and scanned for your own suitcase. As you spotted it, you grabbed its handle and pulled it off the conveyor belt, heading towards the front hall of the airport.
Your shoes tapped in a rapid manner as you pushed through and looked everywhere around in search for that one particular person which you just couldn't spot. You continued forward as to not clog the way for the other people, but within you felt some strange feeling arouse.
He did text you just minutes ago that he was waiting. But now the fact that you were on the spot and couldn't see him distressed you.
Suddenly you felt a shadow hover over you and a somewhat familiar voice sounded, "Excuse me miss, are you by any chance looking for someone?"
Your gaze shifted to meet the charismatic differently-colored eyes of the young man that spoke to you and you jumped into his arms with joy. Mika smiled and pushed back a few strands of your hair that covered your face, cupping it with his hand.
You felt so excited to see him that words seemed insufficient. Completely in another world, you instead rose at the tip of your toes and pressed your lips against his. Amidst the noisy crowd of the airport, it was all you could think about.
Mika returned the kiss without hesitation but didn't let it last long and pulled back a few seconds later, averting his gaze to the side with slight blush decorating his cheeks. He shyly whispered to you, "I'm sorry, I... feel kind of embarrassed to do this in public... I-"
Before he could continue excusing himself you brushed it off with a laugh. "Don't worry honey, it's okay I understand. I just couldn't help myself." You blushed after that statement while Mika laughed in turn.
He took the handle of your suitcase in one hand and your hand in his other one, pulling you at each side towards the exit. "Let's just go home for now, how about it? You can tell me anything you want about the trip and your stay at New York in the meantime."
You smiled wholeheartedly, filled with happiness from head to toe. "Sure! So, remember how I told you about back then in September when I got on the plane..."
***
The earthy path crunched underneath your light steps as you and Mika walked hand-in-hand through the greening and blooming forest. It was around the middle of March and the nature was slowly waking up, the trees filling up with fresh leaves and a multitude of buds.
The weather was warm and sunny, the sun's rays breaking through the trees' growing canopies and caressing your exposed arms and legs.
You wore a pretty white dress with a pattern of gentle yellow blooms and small green leaves drawn next to each one, with short sleeves and one that reached down to your knees. On your feet you had short white sneakers and quite long socks which Mika insisted you to wear as to not get cold.
He on the other hand, wore a somewhat casual attire - a pair of denim jeans and a white comfortable blouson.
A few nights ago as you both got back home to your apartment after an exhausting day at work and snuggled on the couch to rest, Mika suddenly spoke - "Hey, how would you like to go for a walk in the forest this weekend?"
You shot a glance upwards to face him, as you had your head laid on his lap and read a book. "The forest? How come that place all of a sudden?"
"Ah, I don't know I just randomly thought of it. If you don't like it though, we could go someplace else." - he added, this time averting his gaze from you.
You quickly tried to cover yourself up. "No no, the forest doesn't bother me. Sure, we can go for a walk there this weekend. I don't have any other plans." - you looked back at the pages of the book you were reading.
"Ok, great then."
Silence came through and neither of you spoke for a few moments, even though your eyes ran through the lines in the book you couldn't read a single word in it and felt your body heat increase.
Maybe I should ask him anyway.
"Why... why did you ask me out on a date all of a sudden?"
The question caught him slightly off-guard. He cleared his throat but remained staring at the TV.
"I... just thought we should spend more time together. You were away for so long. I don't see it as a selfish gesture, do you?"
He slightly raised his eyebrow at you and you looked aside. He wasn't wrong and at that point you felt stupid for demanding his reasoning. Therefore, now you blindly went alongside him, hands clasped together as you strode through the bright forest.
"Are we going somewhere in particular?" - you posed a question, more rhetorical itself but Mika still chuckled and answered with a teasing. "Maybe."
You gazed deep into his eyes which shimmered in the sunlight, attempting to decipher his answer. But when he returned the look, your heart fluttered with no warning.
"What're you looking at?" - he asked, teasingly. It took you about a moment or two before deciding on the reply. "You."
Mika's uplifting laughter rang in your ears. "That's the best you could do?"
"Well what did you expect me to say?"
"Okay, now that's just too many questions."
Mika tugged your hand slightly, enough to shake your balance and catch you in his arms, embracing one around your waist and slightly lifting your chin so your eyes meet his.
"If I were you, I would've said something along the lines of: I'm looking at the man of my dreams who's bathing in sunlight and warmly holding my hand so as to give me comfort..." - as he spoke, his eyes softening as if in a trance, Mika slowly traced your lower lip with his thumb. You felt the desire to kiss him strengthen, slowly building up as you two stood closely pressed against one another.
Though instead, you decided to (at least try to) deepen the tension before and quieted your voice, bringing it to almost a whisper. "Would you... want me to say that to you?"
Mika followed your example and now his voice was barely audible as well. "Sure, you can try."
"I'm looking at a man who patiently waited for my return for two years while maintaining the same affection and passion towards me as before my departure and the way he's looking straight into my soul makes me wanna kiss him so bad."
Mika leaned in and your lips gently touched for a few seconds before he slowly separated them again. You were about to lean into him for another kiss but he had completely turned away and tugged your hand along.
"You asked where we were going, so let me take you there, alright?" - he added a little wink in the end as if to not have you disappointed over the broken kiss.
You added a small 'okay' and obediently followed him all the way to a little meadow amidst the trees. He opened the backpack that hung on his shoulder and took out a blanket and some snacks, spreading the cover on the grass and placing the snacks onto it. He sat down and patted the spot next to him.
You crouched and cozied down, laying your head in his lap. "Is this okay?" - you remembered to ask just in case. Mika did seem to tense up slightly, but he shook his head nevertheless.
He opened one bag of snacks and tried them. "MMm this one's good. Try it." He held one between his fingers and fed it to you. The salty flavor satisfied your senses more than enough and you hummed (I mean, say "MMMM" like Mika did before DON'T TAKE IT IN A CRINGE WAY) in return.
Moments like these with Mika felt so precious that they didn't need words to blur their purity. You two had gotten so comfortable with each other over the past two years that even a glance was sometimes enough, and silence was never awkward.
It felt funny as well that, even though you were both comfortable with the other, it was obvious you were still crushing on each other as well. Sometimes small romantic interactions with him made your heart flutter so much that you felt like it would fly away.
While lost in shallow thoughts, you mindlessly drawled, "Mika~ Do you think we could stay like this forever?"
He coughed, surprised. You looked him in the eye. His mouth hung slightly open, as if he was about to say something.
"Would you like to stay with me like this forever?" - he slowly uttered, expectance lingering at the end of the sentence.
"Would you?" - you asked in return, smiling at him with a mild dose of tease.
Mika's lips curved into a smirk. "As I said before, you sometimes ask too many questions... If you really mean what you said, then I think it's only appropriate to top them off with one more."
He reached behind into the pocket of the backpack he had put next to him and you rose from his lap, kneeling onto the blanket with confusion written all over your face.
But as soon as you saw what he took out, your heart took up a mortifyingly fast pace that clouded your mind.
In his hand was a small black box. Which he opened as he gazed into your eyes in the loveliest way he'd ever had. And that way, revealed a shiny silver ring with a tiny heart-shaped diamond embedded on it.
"I know we're still young and there's a whole life ahead of us." He spoke in a shy manner, although trying to keep eye contact as much as possible. "I don't want to do this quite just yet either. But the fear of losing you is so burdening... after all, you're way too beautiful for anyone to resist you."
You didn't have a mirror to look into, but you could bet a hundred dollars that you probably looked like a ripe tomato at that moment.
"Therefore, I humbly ask if I could reserve you for myself, aka for as long as you'll like to keep this ring with you." - he firmly looked into your eyes. "Y/n, would you like to marry me?"
You stood shocked for a second, as if his words couldn't pierce through your deafening heartbeat. But you heard them, every single one. And you loved them.
Every single one.
Especially including the man who spoke them.
As breathless as you were and unable to say anything, you stormed at him and passionately kissed him, reawakening the previously suppressed desire. His arms wrapped around your waist and he fixated you atop of his, carefully holding you.
You pulled away for a second, feeling guilty for not clarifying things beforehand. "I... do. I want you. A-And need you. And-"
His tender kiss cut you off and you felt his slender fingers gently hold your own. A rather cold sensation spread from the ring finger and moments later something tiny and shiny was decorating it in all its glory.
The same beautiful hands travelled to your face, moving stray strands of hair out of the way. Their owner's gaze fell across himself, to the girl which he deemed more precious than anything he could ever ask for.