"Good morning, me!" I said to myself, stretching.
Yawning, I slowly got out of bed before checking the time in my phone.
7:15 a.m.
Then, I jumped up about two feet high, my heart pounding, when I read the date.
25 December.
"Wh-- it's Christmas!! Oh- wait- I need to go-" I stumbled and tripped over my own legs, falling headfirst on the floor.
"Ow ow ow ow...." Rubbing my head, I quickly got up, grabbed my jacket, and headed out.
It wasn't just Christmas today.
It was Karma's Birthday!!
"Honey, where-" I heard my mom call from the kitchen, but I was already running out when she did, so I didn't really catch what she said.
I hope she won't be too mad!
Yesterday, I went out shopping with Kayano, but I couldn't find anything for Karma.
Worse still, the outcome was a total disaster.
I stopped and banged my head on a telephone pole to stop myself from remembering what Karma had told me yesterday.
I didn't hear anything. No, I didn't.
A few people were passing by, and all of them were looking at me as if I was crazy. I don't blame them!
I ran all the way to the Gift Shop and stopped at the door, huffing.
As I entered, an old lady greeted me.
"Welcome! How may I help you?" She asked, smiling sweetly.
"Um...it's okay, I'm here to get a gift for my friend."
I started to look around the shop, when the old woman suddenly said, "Rio-chan, could you see to our customer?"
"Sure, Yuko-san! Just a second..."
Suddenly, my classmate Rio Nakamura appeared from behind a bunch of flowers, wiping her face with her shirt sleeve.
"Eh?! It's Nagisa-kun! What's up??" Rio came trotting over.
"Nakamura-san?! What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.
"Oh, I work here part-time! But what, Nagisa-kun? Coming to a gift shop, on Christmas day...? Could it be that Nagisa-kun has a girlfriend?!" Rio's eyes sparkled just like Kayano's! Geez, girls are so scary!!
"U-um..." I suddenly figured that lying to Rio won't do me any good. Rather, the same thing as Kayano would happen again.
So, I let out a deeeep breathe and told Rio about me and Karma, although she's the last person I would want to trust with that information.
At first, Rio was like, 'OMG!!! IT'S BOYS' LOVE!!!' and stuff like 'you must be the uke' and 'Karma-kun would be a great seme' and what not!
When she finally calmed down, she showed me around the shop, and I actually found a couple of good things!
And in the end, my favourite thing was a bright red scarf, the same colour as Karma's hair.
"What do you think?" I asked, holding up the scarf for Rio to see. She grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
And like that, the 'gift' issue was solved.
"Happy Birthday, Karma-kun! This is for you!" I said stiffly, standing in front of my mirror.
Gripping the gift-wrapped scarf tightly, I held it out with a slight bow.
"Ah, geez!! No way, that's so stuck up!" I grumbled to myself, rejecting the pose immediately.
What was I doing?
Practicing.
I was actually practicing how to give my lover a gift on his birthday.
I sighed.
I couldn't believe how pathetic I was. I quickly checked the time.
4:30 p.m.
I was supposed to meet up with Karma in an hour.
I hastily turned to the mirror again.
Taking a deep breathe, I said, "Karma-kun, I wish you a very happy birthday! Here, this is for you. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!"
Although it was kind of formal, that was pretty good for me!
"Okay, I'll go with this! Alright!"
Saying so, I went up to face the final challenge: CLOTHES.
What would Karma wear? Should I keep his tastes in mind? Would I look wierd in a 'bad guy' outfit? What if Karma wears something plain to match me? What if our clothes don't match at all?
Hordes of questions came to my mind all at once. Really, I was very nervous about it!
I shuffled through my clothes until I found a dark blue shirt and a red-and-orange combo jacket, with some baggy jeans.
I tried them on, and they looked pretty good, so I decided to go with it. They weren't really the 'plain' type, and nor were they the 'bad' type, so it was just right!
Then, suddenly, my eyes fell on the dress which Korosensei had brought for me.
And Karma's words came right back.
"Wear it. Next time, I won't be able to resist eating you up."
NO. WAY.
I was NOT going to wear that!! No matter what!!
But...for the heck of it...just for the heck of it...I folded up the dress as much as I could and shoved it into my jacket's inner pocket chamber.
5:05 p.m.
I started out of the door.
"Mom, I'm going!" I called.
"To meet Akabane? Of course, have fun, Nagisa!" Mom cooed from her room. When I returned this morning and explained things to mom (about Karma's birthday), she was all to happy to know that I had gotten so 'close' to Karma.
Guess it won't be a problem to tell her we're dating...
5:25 p.m.
The sun was just setting, and a huge crowd was walking on the streets. Some old people, some kids, some adults, and many couples.
I stood in front of the cake shop where me and Karma were supposed to meet, and looked around in the crowd.
Suddenly, I spotted, among what looked like a million heads, bright, bright red hair.
"Karma-kun!" I cried happily, somewhat relieved to find him. But as soon as he fully came into view, I stopped.
Karma was wearing a black leather jacket, with a black T-shirt and black pants. All the pockets of the jacket were studded with fake diamonds. He even wore a thin golden chain on his neck, and his hair was probably set with gel, because it looked shinier and more stylish than usual.
I could hear a few girls excitedly whispering. When Karma spotted me, he waved and started running towards me, but all I could do was stare at him, mesmerized.
Okay, okay, confession time.
Karma. Was. Looking. HOT.
Someone might even have mistaken him for a model or an actor!!
I gulped as Karma approached me.
And the first thing he did was to give me a tight hug.
"Nagisa-kun!! I haven't seen you all day today!"
And with that, he gave me a big kiss. Thankfully no one noticed us in the crowd! (Except maybe for the girls staring at Karma...)
I just knew my face was absolutely red.
And I messed up my line.
"Ka-Ka-Karma-kun, Merry Birthday and Happy Christmas! H-here's for you a gift!" And I held out the gift.
I couldn't believe I had messed it up that much!!!
I couldn't say anything else, and stood there, flustered, waiting for Karma to say something.
Karma stared at me for a while, (I don't know his expression, since I was looking down) and then, to my surprise, started laughing!
Then he took the scarf from my hands, kissed me on my cheek, and whispered 'Thank you' in my ear.
I could only blush harder, not knowing what to say.
From the corner of my eye, I saw those girls nudging each other excitedly, their wide eyes staring at us. When they saw me looking, all of them turned away, obviously hiding their smiles.
Karma probably saw that, because he said 'Come with me' and we started walking away from the crowd.
After a while, I asked, "Ka...Karma-kun, where are we...?"
That's when I realised where we were.
Karma looked at me and smiled.
"Remember this place?"
How could I forget?!
This was that street, that quiet street where Karma first confessed to me!!
"Wah...Karma-kun...!"
Karma pulled me by my arm and pushed me against the wall, just like last time.
Then, gently kissing my neck, he whispered, "Now no one will disturb us~♡"
I felt as if all the blood in my head had exploded.
"Ka-Karma-kun...o-open my g-gift..." I stammered, feeling Karma's lips brush against my ear.
"Hm? Oh, right..." Karma seemed confused for a second, as if he had forgotten all about the gift. Well, that was not surprising...
Karma slowly took off the tape and then the wrapper, then held up the scarf with his eyebrows way up and his mouth in a half-smile.
"Wow," he muttered, then quickly put the scarf around his neck and grinned like a kid who had got a new toy.
I giggled at his reaction, and without thinking, said, "Karma-kun, you're so cute!"
That made Karma stop grinning at the scarf and turn back at me.
Without any warning, he grabbed my waist, pulled me closer and kissed me. Like, aggressively. And it went on for about two minutes before I had to slap his back to tell him I was suffocating!
Although Karma pulled away, he still held me, and his face was still totally close to mine.
"Saaay, Nagisa-kun," Karma smirked, "I'm cute, huh?"
"N-no, I didn't--" I tried to take it back, but it was too late. I was trapped...
"Let's see how cute I am, shall we?" With that smirk still on his face, Karma went ahead and gave me a loooong kiss again.
I literally shrieked when all of a sudden I felt Karma's hand inside my shirt.
"K-K-K-Karma-kun?!!!" I looked up at Karma, completely bewildered.
"It's time we go one step ahead, Na~gi~sa~kun~♡" Karma grinned, his hand caressing my back.
"E-eh?!" My stomach did a flip-flop when he said that.
Karma kissed my ear, then went down to my neck. I felt sure my heart was going to explode. As Karma's grip grew tighter and he started getting into it, I desperately searched for a way out. I mean, even if no one was around, we were still in the middle of a street, doing all these embarrassing things!!
But all of a sudden, as if my protests had somehow reached him, Karma stopped and looked at me. My face was probably looking like a tomato, because Karma chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Nagisa-kun, I'll get to the good part when we go to the hotel~"
"H-H-Hotel?!!" I almost shrieked. What the hell did he just say?!
Karma looked at me like I was the dumbest person in the world and said, "Duh. I love you. You love me. We're dating. It's Christmas. We even made the whole plan, remember?"
I just stared at him blankly. Karma? And me?? In one hotel room??? On Christmas???? With Karma fully intending to...?
I gulped and looked at Karma. Yes, he was definitely intending to do it.
"Karma-kun...?" I asked softly.
"Yeah?" Karma asked back.
"Can we...skip the hotel part ple--"
"No." Karma's smirk was back again as he pinned me to the wall once more. "It's very important for us to go~"
"B-but...y-you see..." I started making some excuse when Karma kissed me again.
"You don't wanna go?" he asked, as if giving me a choice. As if!
"N-no...I...want to go..." I muttered, because I knew if I said I didn't, Karma would readily do it then and there.
Karma pulled himself straight up and laughed. "It's settled then!" Then, he brought his face close to mine again and whispered, "So now, it's my turn to give you a gift."
"H-huh?" I looked at him, puzzled. Karma had brought a present for me too?
Karma just reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, grinning.
"Here," he said, and opened the box.
My mouth fell open as the box revealed a gold ring, with a tiny diamond in the middle.
Karma bent down on his knees, kissed my left hand, and slid it in my ring finger.
"Nagisa-kun, I love you." Karma said, smiling up at me. And my heart probably exploded a million times right then.
"I...I love you too, Karma-kun!" I managed to answer, my voice cracking.
Karma chuckled.
"So, Nagisa-kun, would you stay with me forever?" Karma asked, gripping my hand a bit tighter.
I don't know if I said or thought 'Yes', because my eyes were starting to tear up out of happiness, awe, embarrassment and bewilderment, but Karma stood up again and kissed me.
I don't know how long he kissed me, but it practically felt like years. When he finally pulled apart, he tugged my hand and said, "Let's go," before I could even catch my breath.
"B-but Karma-kun," I gasped, "how did you buy that ring...?"
"Hm? Oh, I've been doing part-time jobs after school!" Karma grinned.
I remembered him running off home alone. So that explains it...
We stopped in front of a building, and I looked up to see the words 'Rossiette Hotel' stuck in big, scarlet letters at the top. I gulped and looked at Karma, who was grinning at me.
Bending down, Karma kissed my cheek and whispered, "Get ready."
I would've probably fainted then if a voice didn't catch my attention.
"Eeeeh, Nagisa-kun, and Karma-kun too?!!" I jerked up and spun my head around, and found Rio and Okuda coming up from behind.
I heard Karma make an exhasperated sigh beside me, but in the next moment, he smiled and said, "What's up, Nakamura and Okuda?"
Rio giggled.
She came up to us and nudged Karma's arm. "So, so~? Did you get to the hanky panky part yet, Karma-kun~?"
I almost coughed up blood at that.
RIO!!!
Karma looked at me, trying to figure out if I told her or if she figured it out. Seeing my reaction, he smirked.
"Yeah, well, I would've been at it by now if two certain people hadn't shown up unnecessarily." He gave Rio a 'look'.
Rio all of a sudden somehow got an urge to become evil, and loudly said, "Well, how 'bout you have a drink with us? Kayano and Rinka are on their way."
Karma raised an eyebrow and glared at Rio, a look like, 'What the hell was that?' and was probably about to say something, when Kayano suddenly called to us.
"Rio-chaaan! Oh, Nagisa-kun and Karma-kun are here too!" Kayano jogged up to us, and right behind her Hayami followed.
"They're gonna join us tonight!" Rio announced. "Right, Nagisa-kun?" She asked, wrapping her arms around me and then giving Karma a 'look' too.
Karma glared at her, then at me, then back at her, and I could literally feel a murderous aura all around us.
To keep both sides happy, I broke the tension, saying, "W-Well, ten minutes won't hurt. We can join them for ten minutes, right, Karma-kun?"
Rio pouted a bit, but said, "Okay," and Karma still looked at Rio like he was choosing the worst way to kill her, but gave a slight nod anyway. I sighed.
We went into Rossiette Hotel, where I learnt that Rio was an important person there, because she was the daughter of a close friend of the hotel manager.
We sat at a table, and I had only seen the drinks that sat in front of us on the TV, in shows where princely families were interviewed!
And we were minors...
But no one cared about that except for me, it seemed, and I was even forced to have a few glasses.
"Nagisa-kun, have another glass!" Rio cheerfully poured another glass for me, while Karma pulled me closer to him. Now, I had never touched alcohol before, so I did not know I was bad with it.
I remember gulping down about three glasses.
And that's it.
Then blackout.
The next thing I knew was that I was sitting in bed in the morning, Karma was sleeping beside me, and both of us were stark naked.
It took me a few seconds to react.
"WHAAAA--?!!" I shrieked and fell out of the bed. Karma groaned.
"Nagisa-kun, so noisy..." he yawned, and scratching his head, slowly sat up.
"Ka-Ka-Karma-kun, what--?!!" I stammered and tried to back away, but Karma grabbed my arm and pulled me back on the bed. Then, he pulled the sheets over us, and pouted at me.
"K-Karma-kun?"
"You're horrible."
"E-eeh?!" I blinked at Karma. What?!
"You got drunk. Then passed out."
"I...did?" Oh. Oops.
Karma sighed. "Well, we didn't go all the way, that is, but we did do some stuff, at least."
"S-stuff?" I didn't know what to think about that...
Karma pointed towards my chest.
I looked down to find red marks all over my chest and stomach!!
And they are Karma's--
"Karma-kun!!" I cried, flustered.
Karma grinned. "Nagisa-kun, it seemed I was the one with lots of stuff to do in my mind, but I guess I was wrong, considering you carrying around that dress in you jacket!"
Oh.
Shoot.
That dress. KARMA SAW IT!!!
Why did I take it with me again?!! Wait, it wasn't the time to think about that!!
"I-It's not like that, Karma-kun!!" I started.
"Then how is it?" Karma asked, smirking. He pinned my down on the bed and got on top of me, and we were face-to-face.
"I-it's just--" I started to explain something, I don't know what, but Karma cut me off with his kiss.
We kissed for a long time, then Karma's lips went down to my neck.
"Say, Nagisa-kun," he whispered, "wanna continue?"
I didn't know what to say to that.
"B-but, Karma-kun, it's morning..." was all I could come up with.
Karma blinked, then chuckled, then started laughing.
Then he kissed me again, his tongue inspecting every part of my mouth.
Finally, he pulled apart and sat up.
"Get dressed, Nagisa-kun," Karma smiled, "We've gotta go somewhere."
Within the next five minutes, me and Karma were out of the hotel, with Karma holding my hand and pulling me.
"U-um, Karma-kun, where are we going?" I tried asking Karma where we were headed sevearal times, but he didn't say anything.
Also, apparently Rio and the others also got drunk and left while yelling nonsensical stuff.
I wonder how Karma could stay sober...
We made a few turns and entered a narrow, grassy path. It was a part of a park or something. At the end of it, there was a long staircase. Not a staircase, actually. Just bricks kept one after the other along a small, rocky hill.
We climbed up the bricks. I wanted to try asking Karma about it again, but stopped when we reached the top.
A cool, gentle breeze carrassed my face. The hill was indeed a part of a park. It was small, but high enough to give a great veiw of a few miles ahead, and the clear sky just looked totally majestic from there. I stared at the scene in awe for a few seconds, and then looked at Karma, who was looking at me.
I started to say something, when Karma suddenly grabbed my waist and pulled me up.
"Today," he whispered, "is the first day with you as my bride."
Karma held up my hand and kissed the ring, making me blush harder than ever once again.
"Karma-kun..."
"Mmhm."
Karma gently kissed me, then said, "Nagisa-kun, you'll stay with me forever, right?"
"I...will..." that was all I could say as a reply before Karma's lips met mine again.
Oh well, we didn't do most of the 'this and that' we were supposed to do yesterday, but we ended up more lovey dovey than ever in the end!
Our first Christmas was already the greatest ever, and I smiled as I thought about having it every year from now on. Rather, it would be everyday with Karma here!!
♡~END~♡
Author's Note!
Hey guys!! I'm so, so, so, sooooo, SOOOO sorry about the unbelievably late update!!! Thank you all so much for bearing with me!!! My phone broke, and by the time it was fixed, my exams started, then I forgot to install the app again.... once again, I'm sorry!!! But, like always, I hope you enjoyed the story!!♡ See you Next time!!