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7:31 P.M. / Sunday, August 5th
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Earlier in the day, I had received a text from Mina. She taught me a bit more about the language of flowers and what some of the more popular flowers mean. Her knowledge of all the different flowers honestly shocked me. I didn't take her as the person who could be so deep into something that takes a lot of research and studying, but she obviously proved me wrong. But, as our conversation was about to end, she abruptly said...
"wait i have an idea!! ill come by ur house later i want to show u something!" said her text.
She sent that text around noon, so seven hours had already passed and I was starting to get anxious. One side of my brain told me that it was probably just something about flowers since we were talking about them before she said that, but the other side was busy overthinking as per usual. So, I tried shutting my brain off by going and talking to my sister, Yuuko. After a while of that, I lied on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling and spacing out. It was pretty relaxing, actually. My baby sister was asleep, so I didn't have to worry about being woken up by crying and Yuuko was in her room working on summer homework. I basically had the whole living room to myself, which never happens. But, as I was basking in my newfound living room freedom, the doorbell rang... six times.
I groaned and lifted myself from my couch, basically dragging myself over to the door. There was a part of me that was happy about hearing the doorbell ring, though. Even if I was enjoying the short-lived freedom I had, I subconsciously became slightly happier when the bell went off.
Reaching the door, I twisted the handle and slowly opened it. To my surprise, there was no one standing on the outside. I scratched my head and peeked outside... slowly. Before I could even look around, a hand placed itself firmly on my shoulder.
"Surprise!" shouted Mina from around the corner. I let out a loud gasp in response and suddenly lost all my balance. For a second, the world seemed to move in slow motion as my back slammed right into the doorframe. After the impact, I sat on the floor, rubbing where my back took the hit.
"Ow..." I muttered.
Mina stuck out her hands towards me with an extremely worried face. "A-ah, are you okay?" she asked.
I nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm fine. You just scared me a bit there,"
"Sorry about that..." she apologized. "But, it was pretty funny, right?" Then, she outstretched her hand, offering to help me up.
I smiled and grabbed her hand with mine. "I have to admit, it was a little funny. Even if you almost broke my back," I said as she lifted me up.
"I didn't almost break your back! It would've taken a lot more force to do that," she said. Both of us laughed for a few seconds afterward. While we were laughing, my heart felt warm and nice. It was a feeling that was kinda nostalgic, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why I recognized this feeling... But, after a few more seconds, we stopped laughing.
"Well, anyways, what did you want to show me?" I asked. "You seemed pretty excited about it,"
"Oh, right! That!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "We're gonna go climb a hill! Put on your hiking boots, buddy!"
I stared at her with a blank expression.
'She didn't say what I think she just said, did she?' I thought. 'Climb a hill? Why the hell would we do that?! Hiking boots?! I don't even have any! All I have is tennis shoes!'
"Y-you said 'Prime a grill', right?" I asked before chuckling nervously.
She tilted her head to the side, confused. "Prime a grill? What? No, I said climb a hill!"
Then, a wave of anxiety washed over me. "S-seriously...?"
...
......
.........
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8:19 P.M. / Sunday, August 5th
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Before I knew it, I was following Mina up a hill that was a few minutes from my house.
"How did I end up here...?" I mumbled.
Mina took a glance behind her to check up on me and smiled. "C'mon! Pick up the pace! Not much further to go now!" she exclaimed.
Even though I was basically suffering from walking up this seemingly never-ending hill, a part of me was feeling enjoyment from it. I couldn't tell if I was just a masochist or there was something else that was bringing me enjoyment. Honestly, the answer is pretty obvious if you think about it. But, as a confused teen, the actual answer seemed like the least likely scenario.
Eventually, I noticed Mina come to a stop up ahead. A relieved smile grew on my face as I realized we were at the top. I arrived next to her at the top and fell to my knees, looking down at the ground. As I looked down, I noticed something. The top of this hill was filled with Hydrangeas.
"Woah... These are..." I whispered, taking breaths between each word.
Mina placed her hands on her hips and looked down at me. "Wow, you're really out of shape, aren't you?" she asked with a chuckle.
"I don't get out very much..." I said, feeling like I lost somehow. I was used to people commenting on my physical abilities and saying they're below average. But, when she said that it hurt a bit more than it usually did. I didn't think much of it at the time.
Mina sighed with a smile. "Well, anyways... You should really look up,"
After finally catching my breath, I slowly lifted my head. "Look up? What is-"
Bright. Very very bright. My eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light and I saw what Mina was wanting me to see. A view overlooking the whole city of Musutafu. Every street, every building, every little detail... It was all in full view, bursting with color and life. I was speechless. Never in my life had I experienced such a burst of color this bright. It felt... strangely warm.
"This is one of my favorite spots in this city," said Mina, looking out into the distance. "I come here when I wanna calm myself down... or just take in the amazing view, I guess,"
Somehow, even though I was so fixated on the city, I still heard her words. "I... I don't even know what to say..." I muttered.
She smirked. "Hmm... Maybe a little 'Thank you.' would be fine..." she said sarcastically.
"Yeah... Thank you," I said, still entranced by the view. "Thanks for bringing me up here,"
"H-huh?" stuttered Mina. "I didn't expect you to actually thank me..."
A short moment of silence passed.
"Well," I spoke up. "I've never seen something this beautiful before... I've been cooped up in my house for as long as I can remember, so this kind of view is completely foreign to me..." Then, I turned to face her, with a huge smile on my face. "So, thank you, Mina,"
She stared at me for a few seconds, seemingly shocked by what I said. But, soon after, her face mellowed out. She slowly closed her eyes and gradually opened them back up, this time with a smile on her face.
"I'm glad I chose you, [F/N]," she said.
...
"What?" I asked, scratching the top of my head. "What do you mean by that?"
Then, she just giggled and turned to overlook the hill again. "Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it,"
I could've pressed her to explain what she meant, but before I could, I was already entranced by something else. Mina, staring off into the night with a smile on her face. Wind blowing through her fluffy curly hair, moving it around ever so slightly. The lights from the city, bright enough to cast a slight glow on her, making her brighter than she already was.
She noticed me staring in her direction and tilted her head. "What's wrong?" she asked.
I blinked a few times before shaking my head. "O-oh, it's nothing! Don't worry about it," Then, I turned my view back to the city.
I'm not sure if it was because of the amazing view or Mina herself, but being on that hill made me entirely forget about Mina's deadline... even if for only a few minutes. It felt so natural, us hanging out. It felt like we had already known each other for years before. If only we met sooner, maybe I wouldn't have been so scared of getting closer to her. But, at that moment, that didn't matter. We were both having the time of our lives. This seemingly eternal moment with her... sadly wouldn't last forever, though.
-End of August 5th-