Cherry's POV
Since Tadashi told me he was pretending to teach me to see me and I ran away, I haven't seen him. I go to work every day at 6am, I set up the cafe, I study - the twins bought me some new books and I am forever in their debt - I serve customers, I talk to Tonya and Antoni; I live my glum and monotonous life.
But it seems a little more glum and monotonous than before...
Tadashi's POV
I sigh again, leaning against my desk. Hiro's head pops into my view and I give him the side-eye before burying my head in my arms. I feel Hiro poking my arm with a pen and pull my head up to meet his disconcerting eyes, "What do you want Hiro?"
"What's up with you? It's Halloween, you're meant to be happy!"
I groan and get up, drooping towards my bed and collapsing on it in a dramatic way. I sigh again as Hiro starts whining and jumping on top of me.
"Tadashi! It's Halloween! That means you have to be happy and you have to take me trick-or-treating!" I groan again - I almost forgot. My little brother has such a grown up brain, how come he still indulges in little kid activities?
"Ta-da-shi!" he yells over and over in my ear, until I decide I won't get any peace tonight and get up with Hiro squealing and clinging to my shoulders. He tells me to go higher, and momentarily I forget about Cherry and amuse myself jumping up and down and watching Hiro's big head wiggling back and forth laughing hysterically.
"Okay, come on then," I cave, and let my brother drop to the ground and celebrate, "but only for a while - I promised Honey Lemon I'd go to a party at Fred's house."
Hiro mock pouts, then regains his usual cheeky grin and pushes me out our room telling me I'm not allowed to see his costume. I shake my head, laughing fondly, and walk downstairs with my hands in my pockets, mind turning back to Cherry. I step into the kitchen and Aunt Cass asks if I'll have anything before I go out. Shaking my head, I walk to sink into the couch and turn on the TV.
After about ten minutes - way too long to choose a Halloween costume - Hiro bounds down the stairs in a large handmade Rubik's Cube and runs to Aunt Cass who's holding his trick-or-treating bag and smiling warmly at her nephew. I can't help but smile too - this was his secret project over October that I wasn't allowed to see in his side of the room? I mean, it's not like he's failing in his exams, but watching my little brother strut up and down the room like a fashion model I laugh out loud at how such an adult child can still act like a born child!
"Come on then," I move down the steps to the front door and collect my keys and jacket. Hiro whoops and leaps down the stairs, nearly falling over himself in his haste, and pulls open the door and starts tugging on my jacket. I laugh at my impertinent little brother and let myself get dragged along by him, waving to Aunt Cass and promising him home a half hour after dark.
Cherry's POV
I sit at my weathered table and drink in the information tables printed on the thick pages. I hear a repetitive noise close to me and look down to realise that I'd been drumming my pen against the table, slowly but surely making a groove in the wood again. I rub at the mark tiredly, noticing all the other marks and stains and general age; I really can't afford a new one, worst luck as always.
I stare out the window near me and sigh. Tonight's Halloween, and I can see from my flat the children in groups of friends or with guardians rushing from house to house to collect candy and show off their costumes. It looks so fun.
I for once let myself drift off into a faint memory of when I used to dress up and beg my mother to take me to every single house in case the street was skimping on the sweets. I let myself smile as I remember the doors opening and the adults smiling down at me with a bowl of chews and lollipops cooing at how my mom had finally painted a butterfly face on me after me asking a bunch of times.
I haven't done Halloween since I was four - fourteen whole years.
I'm yanked into the present by an enthusiastic knock on my apartment door; a rare trick-or-treater. Grateful for the distraction of my early transition into adulthood I grab my small bowl of candy and go to open the door.
As it swings open I'm met with a short tufty-haired boy in a large Rubik's Cube costume grinning with a slight gap between his teeth. I can't help but grin unabashedly: kids are too cute.
"Trick or treat!" he shouts with a manic grin, and I laugh.
"Now how did you find out that I was handing out candy when my front door is in the middle of an alley?"
The little boy replies, "I ran off from my big brother because he was only taking me to the houses he knew were safe, but they have such boring sweets so I thought I would find my own, and then I saw your string of bat lights and thought I'd take my chances!"
I shake my head and chuckle at the boy as I bend down to offer him the candy and he stuffs his bag greedily.
"You shouldn't've run away from your big brother you know," I tell him as I walk to put the bowl on the table next to my textbook. As it thumps down my dog hears the sound and comes bounding through the room unleashed, and leaps into the boy's skinny restricted arms. I try to take the big dog off of him and he strokes the fluffy animal, mesmerized.
"What's its name?" he asks.
I gently take her out of his arms - she's getting heavy!
"Bella," I reply, starting to search for her lead, "she's meant to be a guard dog, but apparently she doesn't care if it involves adorable children." I find the lead on the side and clip it onto her collar, and Bella squirms in delight at the prospect of a walk. I laugh at her, and the boy bends down to pet her soft golden fur.
I look at the boy, slightly concerned, then decide. "Right. I'm going to stay with you outside in the street until you find your big brother, okay?"
I fish out my keys and step out and lock the door behind me and Bella, taking a last fleeting look at my textbook. But I know that children's safety is more important than anything so I set off to the main street, checking every so often that the boy is stumbling along in his boxy costume beside me.
We wait in the street for around a half hour, Bella pulling at the leash and the little boy rootling in his candy bag for sustenance; how far could this kid have roamed?
After a while I hear a faint voice shouting, "Hiro! Hiro!"
The little boy starts and presses his lips together, a huge glob of chocolate in his mouth as he looks up at me. I cross my arms and smirk - busted!
I hear steps across the cobblestones and turning round the corner, and I'm shocked to see the boy's big brother...
Tadashi?!
Tadashi sees me and does a double take. "Cherry?" he asks bewildered, and the boy walks to and looks up at him.
"You know who this is?"
Tadashi stares at him. "You do?"
I step forward, my customer face finally finding itself, and Bella notices and assumes her guard stance next to me. "He came to my door trick-or-treating so I told him I'd stay with him until his big brother came back. And it looks like-"
"It's me..." Tadashi finishes my sentence with a small smile. I struggle again to keep my stern face. What is it with this guy? All I can afford to do is nod.
We both stand in silence for a while, not knowing what to say or when it's acceptable to go back. Meanwhile the little boy - Hiro? - keeps darting curious looks between the two of us. It's quite disconcerting.
I finally clap my hands together neatly. "Okay, well, now that Hiro's found you, I'll be off."
I tug on Bella's lead and turn to walk away, but feel a hand on my shoulder. Bella immediately starts growling but it doesn't deter Tadashi - although I do take some inward delight at hearing him gulp and Hiro gasp.
"Please, wait."
I take in a calming breath and turn round to meet Tadashi's face. He looks guilty.
Well, I think, he should feel guilty: he tricked me into thinking he was teaching me; I could've spent all that time teaching myself effectively if I has found a way.
But, oddly... I forgive him.
"Yes?" I reply in a composed voice, and he asks,
"Would you like to come to a party with me tonight?"
"Sure."
Wait. Did I say that? Did I just agree to go to a party with a stranger? What's happening?
Tadashi's eyes widen and a smile plays on his lips. He doesn't move and I don't either, and we just stare into each other's eyes.
It's like I'm mesmerized by these lights breaking out on his beautiful face.
Hiro breaks our gaze by tugging on his brother's jacket and bouncing up and down asking if we're leaving now. I watch Tadashi laugh and pinch Hiro's nose, which Hiro protests loudly and tugs his jacket again, and I check none of them are looking before I smile a little.
Tadashi asks if we can go back to his momentarily to drop Hiro off and I blindly agree. Never mind not knowing where the Hell he lives, apparently I'm going anyway.
After I get my stuff and lock Bella in my apartment (after telling her I'll be fine) we start walking, Hiro in the middle of us holding Tadashi's hand. Every so often I take a glimpse at the tall fit man almost near me, and sometimes he catches it and smiles from the corner of his mouth.
Oh wow. The corner smile.
Tadashi's POV
We walk Hiro home and send him up telling him to tell Aunt Cass I'm going to the party early; he, surprisingly, agrees easily. I wonder about it when I watch him go upstairs until he turns round at the last second and crosses his fingers and points to Cherry, who's politely looking at the inside of the Lucky Cat Cafe through the front window.
What a tiny tactless bastard who knows exactly what I'm thinking.
We set off to Fred's parents' mansion together on my motorbike, her gasping at the speed and holding onto my waist tightly. We get to Fred's place and I knock on the door, turning round to see Cherry staring agape at the mansion. In turn I look up at it too: I forget the last time I realised how big Fred's house is and how rich his parents are.
And how similar his father looks like Stan Lee. That is odd.
Fred's butler Heathcliff answers the door in his usual suit but with a beaded chain placed with precision round his neck, which I guess was at Fred's request. He nods at me curtly and raises a dainty eyebrow at Cherry, who is still looking up at the house with her mouth open. I go over to the stunned girl and gently move her into the house. Heathcliff closes the door behind us and holds out a hand for our coats, and I give him my cardi before tapping Cherry to shrug off her worn leather jacket.
She's still drinking in all the interior: the huge gilded staircases, the expansive hallway covered in deep red carpet, the wall-length portraits of Fred's family dotted along the halls, the expensive ornaments placed like trophies. I watch her look around and realise this might be the first time she's ever seen anything like this - the place she made Hiro and I wait outside whilst she got her jacket and keys and locked her dog in and switched everything off looked very... run-down. I already guessed that if she didn't go to school and worked every day she mustn't have much money, but seeing where she lives shocked me a little. So this must be even more of a shock for her seeing this.
"Cherry?" I delicately place my hand on her bony upper back and start slowly guiding her to the hum of noise in the main drawing room. She studies every ornament and huge painting we pass, her mouth and eyes a perfect 'O.'
Inside the room it's comfortably warm compared to outside the house, and overrun by people laughing and chatting and eating and drinking. Some of them even doing cool tricks with boards - they must be from Fred's skate club.
Fred himself spots me and excuses himself from the group of people talking with him and runs and hugs me, then blinks at Cherry because he's forgotten who she is. Cherry immediately does her fake smile and shakes his hand professionally.
"How do you do? I'm Cherry; I waited on you and your friends a couple of weeks ago at the Clover Cafe. I came with your friend Tadashi."
Fred thinks hard then shakes his head and smiles goofily, "Nope, sorry, I can't remember you. Though I think I do remember Tadashi talking about a waitress a lot in college..."
My eyes turn into dinner plates and I mouth at Fred to shut up. Oh Beyonce, this sounds bad!
Cherry herself doesn't break her neutral mask, just raises an eyebrow and looks at me. Is it just me or did the room get hotter?
"Oh my Gosh it's Cherry!" I hear Wasabi bound up to us and go in to hug the poor brunette until she sharply steps back with a disgusted and offput look on her face. Wasabi pulls a hurt face for a second before turning to me, "Hey Tadashi! Where did you find her?"
"Probably at the cafe - he might have ventured back there again after that mess last time," Gogo chuckles mockingly as she steps coolly into the conversation with Honey Lemon who's dressed in a light pink blouse and white frothy skirt, contrasting hugely with Gogo's neon green bodysuit with gremlin ears attached to her thicket of black hair.
"Well, any friend of Tadashi's is a friend of ours!" Fred declares, and holds out a large hand for her to take. Hopefully she won't bite it off.
Looking round at the rest of us Cherry hesitates, but seems to accept her fate as she reluctantly takes Fred's hand and gets pulled off to the food table.
I watch her walk slowly away and accidentally land my eyes on her ass. I immediately look away but my brain can't resist thinking - that's a lovely ass.
Honey squeezes my body into a hug, bouncing up and down somehow in her pink heels. "You got her, you got her! Wait," she pulls away and looks at me oddly, "how did you get her?"
I take her hands off my shoulders, "I didn't kidnap her, if that's what you're thinking. Hiro went to her door trick-or-treating and I asked her to the party," I shrug.
The gang stare at me as if I were going to say more.
I sigh. I wish there was more.
Wasabi smiles reassuringly. "Well, maybe tonight you could tell her how you haven't shut up about her for a month?"
I shake my head quickly. "Nope, nope, nope! She doesn't want anything to do with me, seriously! She just wants to be left alone."
Gogo sighs as if I'm deliberately acting stupid.
"Then why did she agree to come here Tadashi?"
Cherry's POV
Hours later I lurk on the edge of the dance floor, quickly and nervously pecking at a lump of cheese on a cocktail stick.
I don't know where anyone I remotely know is; people keep trying to talk to me; people's dancing is getting way too drunk and manic - I want to leave, but I have to stay here until I find Tadashi. He's my ride home - I don't know where the Hell I am.
I hate being here, physically hate it. It's too loud with all the voices clashing and clamouring to be heard over the music, too hot with all the bodies moving on the dance floor.
I've never liked parties, even when I was a child. I want to leave. I could be at home right now curled up with Bella snoring lightly on my lap learning about food populations and their impacts under the light of my cheap flickering lamp.
The only upside of this is I'm getting free food and drink.
I keep sipping my water - every other 18+ is glugging down alcohol like it's their life support but I know I shouldn't drink - and then hear a small but soothing voice next to my ear:
"How are you doing?"
My head turns and my eyes catch on who else but Tadashi, smiling a little encouragingly with one of his top incisors nibbling lightly on his bottom lip.
I should not be noticing those sorts of things.
I declare to him firmly, "I want to leave. I don't like it here," and he nods in understanding.
"It is kind of overwhelming in here, with all the noise and the heat and how big this place is." He turns to make a parting to leave, but pauses and turns back, looking out at a spare space on the dance floor then back to me. He starts to nibble his lip again.
"Could we, perhaps, and you are completely allowed to say no, it's 100% your choice, and I get if you don't want to, but-"
"I'll dance with you," I blurt out, and as Tadashi slowly breaks into an excited smile at my response my brain asks my mouth why it keeps saying dumb shit tonight.
Tadashi carefully takes my hand and leads me onto the space in the dance floor.
And, like it was planned, the current song comes to an end and... a slow one comes on.
Tadashi looks as terrified as I feel, and he looks over to the DJ's booth to see that tall blonde lady we were with earlier waving and smiling at us with that largely-built black man with dreads, and Tadashi adjusts his cap and rolls his eyes before turning to me. He struggles over what to say to me.
"Uh, I have to - it's, uh, it's a slow dance so, uh, could I...?"
I cut him off by picking up his limp arms and securing them on my waist, and then placing my arms round his neck. I may not have been to a dance in over a decade but I remember the etiquette.
His eyes widen again, but he rearranges his body so it's close to mine as the song suggests. However, he doesn't move his safely placed arms or hands - he's being gentlemanly again. He must stop doing that; it's distracting me, again.
We step in time to the slow music; I force my eyes to go everywhere but in front of me where I know he's looking at me too.
We sway in silence until out the corner of my eye he opens his - from what I remember very soft - mouth.
"Can I ask - why did you agree to come to the party? It seems like you've hated all of it."
I don't know how to answer it, so I just stay silent.
Whew. Saved it.
Tadashi stops moving, causing me to stop as well and look at him with one eyebrow up and my mouth in a set line. He looks back at me, and I detect a hint of concern in his eye.
"Cherry, why do you study so much when you have nowhere to study for?"
I inhale sharply - it's that question. I break my gaze with his questioning eyes and look down.
A force inside me compels me to answer him in at least some way.
"I want to go to SFIT, where you study. I haven't got any qualifications and I want more than waitressing," I glance up and see that he wants to know more, "and that's all I'm saying on that topic."
Tadashi's lip gets bitten quickly again. "I could ask for you if you like?" he offers, but I shake my head quickly.
"My situation is too... private for just anyone to refer me. And I'm not going to tell you why," I add as his face scrunches up in confusion. I don't want to remind myself of the tragicomedy that is my life.
We fall into silence again, and as we obediently start to sway I get struck with a thought: he's never said he likes me.
All the way back when he stopped me before I legged it, he'd asked if I liked him with his eyes wide, but never said he liked me.
That shouldn't bother me, but it does.
I look up at him, him looking down and murmuring the steps so as to not step on my feet, and ask, "Do you like me?"
Tadashi stops again and looks as taken aback as I've felt for the last month. "Huh?"
"You're obviously interested, but you've never said you like me."
I then quickly shrug as if it doesn't bother me, "It doesn't matter what you say; I don't care."
But really, my heart is palpitating in my chest in a way I don't like.
Tadashi steps closer into me and his arms tighten round my waist as if afraid I might bolt. His big brown eyes melt into mine, and I can't help but be melted with them.
"I like you Cherry.
I understand you don't feel the same way, and you've even told me you have no time, but... I just... I thought... it doesn't matter."
He ends the sentence with a weak smile, and whatever connection we had stops as he lets go of me completely.
His eyes convey hurt, and it's too much to bear.
I let go of his neck and push past the people on the floor. I don't care about my ride anymore - I just need to leave before I say or do anything I'll regret.
Tadashi runs behind me to catch up with me, "Cherry!" and I keep running, my unravelling trouser hems catching my tattered shoes every so often and slowing me down so Tadashi gets here closer.
I can find my own way home, I just need to leave.
I reach the hallway but trip over someone's foot in the doorway and flail across the floor into some weird large egg placed the opposite side of the doors. I sit up and dust myself off, then gasp breathlessly as Tadashi catches up and picks me back up.
I struggle to push away from him, repeating quietly and hoarsely, "Stop, please just stop!"
Tadashi lets go of me gently and backs away a little.
"Why do you always push me away?" he asks in a tone which makes my chest tighten considerably. "Why do you always have that mask on?"
Sharply sniffing, I respond back angrily, "Because I have enough issues without getting tangled up in more!"
He fires back, barely letting me recover. "But what if I don't bring any problems? What if I bring you more help and happiness and a release from constant work you set yourself? You must be clever and innovative enough to apply and get into SFIT yourself, so why not be happy whilst doing it?!"
Silence.
I look up at him with my breath catching slightly, trying to control myself. His eyes are glistening; his breathing is erratic and loud.
I don't say anything, so he continues in a quieter and more controlled voice, and I am forced by some nature within myself to listen.
"I could be in your life only when you want," he barters. "Whenever you need tutoring, whenever you need to use the Internet, whenever you need a rest, whenever you need to stop thinking for a while, whenever you need someone to do other jobs for you while you study, whenever you need anything that'll help you achieve what you want - that's when I could be there.
I'll only be there when you say yes. I'll respect you and your boundaries. I just-" his eyes look up to the ceiling and then into mine, boring into my aching soul:
"I just want to be near you and not hurt you, and I really hope you want it too. Because I can't get you out of my head, Cherry Riegan."
More silence.
I continue to breathe with staggered breaths.
This boy wants to help me in any way I want.
He respects me.
He wants to be with me as long as I want him to.
This boy is perfect.
I want to have time for perfect.
I don't know what to say.
Apart from what I want to say.
Tadashi is watching me closely, still regaining a normal state himself.
I take one last big sniff and stand up opposite him. I know the party's still going on, but with the beating of my ears and heart I can barely hear it.
I place a hand on Tadashi's chest and the other on his cheek, for the first time touching him and finding how he feels - he feels warm and soft, which is a comfort somehow.
He looks at me confused, and I gulp.
"I like you Tadashi. And that's why you can be in my life whenever I want. And," I pause while he lets out a huge breath and smiles unabashedly at me, and I step in a little closer, "I want you in it right now - if you please."
Tadashi's eyes crinkle, and he leans down and softly nudges my lips with his.
I take the opportunity to kiss him, better than I did before, properly this time, and he smiles on my lips and deepens the kiss. I move my hand from his chest to his waist and keep my other hand cradling his cheek, pulling him even closer to me - I don't know what's come over me, but I'm not complaining. He's not either as he moves his arms, placing his hands over each of mine.
He kisses very well.
And for the first time in quite a while, I can feel myself lifting off the ground.
After a while I remember myself and slowly pull myself away, and he pulls away rather reluctantly. His cheeks are rosy.
"So... do you want me to ride you home?" he asks, and I nod curtly like we just exchanged polite conversation and not an out-of-order kiss.
Tadashi goes back inside the room to tell the others he's leaving and I try and find the butler about our jackets - he seems very fed up with his job. I pick up mine in my right hand and his in my left hand, and look back and forth between them. Mine looks so tatty and informal and old and cheap compared to his shiny one.
I sigh and look up to the high painted hall ceiling decorated with another big crystal chandelier - how do people with this much money leave people like me to their own devices?
Tadashi rushes in and grabs his jacket before putting it on and thanking the butler for opening the door for us. We walk outside and I step onto the back of his motorcycle. He steps onto the front and starts up the engine and we speed off, me holding onto his waist.
He has a nicely built waist.
I can't believe I just let myself think that.
Tadashi's POV
We get to the alley her apartment is in, and she warily slides off and hands the extra helmet to me. She turns to open the door and I ask,
"So, what's going to happen next between us?"
She pauses. I can see her struggling underneath her mask, her mouth twitching like crazy.
"I don't know," she admits, "I need to sort out my thoughts first."
I nod. I understand, I really do, at least to the extent she would have me believe about her.
I place the extra helmet on the handlebar and hover my foot above the starter pedal. "Well, if you need anything, you have my number."
"I'll call you when I need to," she concedes and I nod again, smiling reassuringly. I don't know when that will be, but I trust her to call when she needs me.
I really will make an effort not to irritate or interrupt her, because whatever she's doing, I have a feeling most of her life has been leading up to it.
I thank her for the night and make sure she gets inside properly, then drive off. When I get inside Hiro is all over me, asking if anything happened, but I lie to him and say nothing did.
I want to keep this night all for myself.
I change into my pyjamas and lie in my bed, reliving the conversations between us: the look on her face when I told her I'd respect her fully; the taste of her lips when she was kissing me softly, but with so much warmth and desperation it pained me.
I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. Anything.