"No, I don't think she'll like that one." I hear a girl's voice as I push the door open to Ushijima's house. I have a key now, so I can come and go as I please.
"What would she like then?" I hear Ushijima's deep voice come.
"Tadaima." I call out, slipping off my shoes and closing the door.
Ushijima comes into view only a second later and gives me a soft smile.
"You're here." He says, walking towards me and kissing my lips.
"I'm here." I smile up at him when he pulls away.
"Don't...don't get upset okay? But we have guests." He says and takes my hand, pulling me to the dining room where I see Tendou and Hana are sitting at the table.
"Oh." I bite my lip as I look at them. "It's...fine"
"Have a seat, I invited them because Hana knows you better than I do so we're trying to decide on a place to go for our honeymoon." He sits down and I take a seat next to him.
I make eye contact with Hana and she smiles at me awkwardly, looking away after. Tendou waves and I just nod my head in his direction.
"We can go wherever. I wouldn't mind." I shrug and Ushijima frowns, pulling the tablet with various resorts on them away from the other two and putting it between us. "It's not like it's anytime soon."
"Hana said you probably wouldn't like anything forest-y because of bugs. Which I agree, I'd hate to get stung or bitten. I don't want any place that's humid because it makes me feel icky." He says and I giggle at his use of the word 'icky'.
It sounds funny coming from him.
"We don't even have to jump on a plane and go anywhere if you don't want to. We can stay home if you want." I suggest and he shakes his head.
"No, I want to take you somewhere nice. Do you have any places in mind?" He looks up at me and I bite my lip, thinking.
"Oh," My eyes brighten as I look at him. "how about poland? You said you were thinking of going out there right? Let's go to Poland, and we can get a feel of how life is." I say and he sits up straight.
"That's a good idea." He says and begins typing into the search bar. "P-O-L-A-N-D" He mumbles, looking at what comes up.
"You guys want to go to P-Poland?" Hana asks, looking at me with a shocked expression.
"Oh...yeah." I bite my lip, meeting her gaze. "It's just a thought. Nothing is set in stone or anything." I chuckle and she nods.
"That's really far." Tendou says quietly.
"Like Eri said, it's not set in stone. It's just a distant dream as if right now." Ushijima says and then nudges my shoulder. "How about here? This looks pretty." He says showing me a place called Gdańsk.
"Ooh, it kind of reminds me of Venice." I smile.
"We don't have to pick right now. We can wait after graduation to have everything set." He says and I nod.
"Eri, do you want to ride with me to our shoot tomorrow?" Hana speaks up and I look at her, a little shocked.
We haven't done that since I came back from California 3 weeks ago.
"Um, sure." I smile at her.
"Okay, I'll come with the driver in the morning then. Your house? Or..." She bites her lips
"No, I want her to stay here tonight." Ushijima speaks up and I blush.
"Alright, then I'll be here in the morning." She says and I nod.
"Alright, we got to go. I want to finish the moving tonight." Tendou stands up and my eyes widen.
"The moving?" I ask and Hana starts to blush.
"W-We're moving in together. We decided on it a few days ago and Satori has been really excited about it. We're still staying in the dorms right now, but we spend the weekends at home so..." She smiles, shrugging.
"Oh my gosh, congratulations!" I beam at them. "Who's house?" I ask.
"Hers." Tendou says, half pouting. "I wanted her to move into mine because, I'm the man. But she convinced me to move into her house because the lack of parents." He grins, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with moving in with her." I laugh. "It doesn't make you any less manly."
"You're right." He grins, flexing an arm. "Now, we really have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow?" He says and I nod.
"Bye Tendou, love you." Ushijima says, focused on the tablet.
"Love you Wakatosh-Kun!" Tendou pulls Hana out the room, and out the house.
"We should go to bed soon." I look up at Ushijima and he meets my eyes.
"Oh, we're not going to bed." He smirks, standing up and pulling me upstairs.
~
Like promised, Hana picked me up this morning for the shoot. We talked and joked around like we used to, and she apologized a billion times for keeping the secret from me. I reassured a billion times that it was okay.
"Where's Tendou?" I look at her as we pick out the clothes we want to take home.
"I think he's with Ushijima." She glances over at me and I nod.
"Then do you want to come to his house with me? We can all hang out." I suggest and she bites her lip, looking away awkwardly.
"Um...no. That's okay, I have plans." She smiles and I frown. Something is up.
"Sasaki-San!" I hear my agents voice and both Hana and I turn around. She's approaching me with someone in tow.
"Hi Sensei." I smile "And good afternoon..."
"Juan Ramirez." The man says, an accent to his voice.
"Juan-San here is from an agency in Mexico. He came for other business but he wanted to talk to you." My agent says, clearly trying to push down her excitement.
Hana grips onto my arm tightly and my eyes widen in shock.
"Yoroshiku." Juan smiles and I immediately bow.
"Y-Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu." I say quickly and stand up.
"I'm going to leave you guys to talk." Hana pats my shoulder and walks off.
"I wanted to offer you a deal. I want you to come Mexico with us about a week after High School. We'll match the pay you're getting now, and after 6 months depending on how well you do, we'll be willing to raise it. You're a beautiful young lady, Sasaki. We'd be honored to have you." He grins and I feel like I stopped breathing.
"Sasaki-San, this is a great way to get your name out there. Our company said they'll be willing to continue to support you and help out in any way." Sensei looks at me, anticipation written all over her face.
"We'll also provide housing and meals for the first year out of this two year contract. After that, you'll be making way more than enough to provide for yourself. You'll just have to attend classes to learn Spanish, and if you want to take University classes during the time being as well." Juan beams at me.
This is like...the perfect contract ever. This is like a dream.
"He needs an answer before you leave though." Sensei bites her lip and I blink.
"Today?" I exclaim and Juan laughs.
"Yes, we'll need time to be prepared." He says and I bite the insides of my cheek.
"Cam I make a phone call first?" I ask and he nods.
"Yes, of course. I'll just have a chat with your agent for the time being." He smiles and the two adults walk away.
With shaky hands I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Ushijima's number. I have to tell him before I commit to anything.
"Hello?" He picks up almost immediately. The sound of his voice starts to make me emotional. Am I going to go to Mexico? What are the chances he'll come with me? "Eri, when are you coming home? I miss you." He says and I bite my bottom lip hard, closing my eyes and wiping away the tear that runs down my face.
"H-Hi Wakatoshi." I swallow the lump in my throat and look at the floor. "I'll be home soon. I have some news I have to tell you later." I respond, keeping my voice strong.
"Okay, I'll be here waiting. I love you."
"I love you too." I say softly, hanging up.
Why does life have to be so hard? Why can't decisions like these be easy to make?
After making my decision, and wondering if it was the right one, I say goodbye to Hana and get into the car that's taking me home. The whole way there I can't get Mexico out of my head.
"Wouldn't that be a dream?" I mumble softly, staring out the window.
Soon enough, I find myself standing in front of Ushijima's door. I pull out the business card Juan gave to me and sigh, pushing open the door after unlocking it.
"Tadaima" I call out.
"Living room." Is all I hear in a cold voice.
A frown comes over my face, something is wrong.
I lock the door and slowly walk into the living room, seeing Ushijima sitting on the couch, his arms crossed and his leg bouncing up and down.
"Is everything okay...?" I ask, putting my things down and walking over to him.
"I know what you did." His voice is sour, sharp and makes me freeze in my tracks.
What I did? What did I do?
"Baby, what are you talking about?" I ask, feeling nervous. I don't think I did anything. Does he know about Mexico? Did Hana call him?
"Don't act dumb. Hana just called me and sent me a video." His eyes finally meet mine and they're cold.
So she did tell him.
"Wakatoshi, let me-"
"I can't believe you cheated on me!" He stands up, looking at me angrily. My eyes widen and I gape at him.
"Ch-Cheated?" I ask, confused. Hana told him I cheated? Video? What is going on? "I don't- that's not true."
"Yes it is. I have evidence. Hana told me everything." His fists are clenched and I take a few steps forward, placing my hands on his chest.
"Wakatoshi, I would never cheat on you." I shake my head quickly and he takes a step away from me, making my hands fall to my sides.
"Hana told me." Is all he says and I start to get tears in my eyes.
What the hell is going on? Is this part of the game? Is the dare not over? Or is Hana just trying to singlehandedly ruin my life?
"You're going to believe her over me?" I ask incredulously. "Seriously Wakatoshi?"
"I want you to leave." He crosses his arms and my shoulders fall.
"Let's talk this out. Please. I really don't know what you're talking about." I gulp.
Is this why Hana didn't want to come over?
"What is there to talk about? You cheated on me, Sasaki. I have nothing more than I want to say to you." He says and I can feel my lungs collapsing in on themselves.
"I didn't-" I try to take a deep breath. I push down the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
And now he's calling me by my last name?
"You don't need this anymore." He stomps over to me and grabs my hand, forcing the ring off my finger. He tosses it behind him and my eyes widen again.
"No-" I say in a panic. "Why would you do that?" I try to push past him to find it but he grabs my arm.
"Go pack your things." He says and I slowly turn my head to make eye contact with him.
"Wakatoshi..." I choke out. "At least show me the video. I-I never did any of whatever Hana is saying. I promise I would never do that to you. I love you so much." I reach up and cup his cheeks, his hands shoving into his pockets as he sighs.
"Sasaki, go." He demands and I take a few steps back.
I feel like we just got back to normal, and I'm going to lose him again.
"Okay." I whisper. I let my arms hand at my sides, and I bow. The first of my tears fall onto the floor and I stand up. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
I don't look at him as I turn on my feet, heading up to his room to gather all the things I've slowly accumulated here throughout the months. I hear him following me as I climb the stairs.
"I just can't believe that you don't trust me." I wipe at my face. I stop in front of his door, and I can feel him right behind me. "I turned down an offer from Mexico for you!" The first sob escapes my body and I put my head in my hands. I feel him put a hand in my shoulder but I quickly wretch my body away from him.
"I'll just leave." I wipe at my face, trying to clear my tears. I push the door open. "I'm so-" my words cut off as I take in the sight.
There's candles lit around the room, and a heart made of rose petals on the bed. Fairy lights line his headboard and several pictures of us are hanging by clear string from the ceiling.
I'm being pranked. It was a fucking prank. God, I'm going to kill hi-
"Eri." He breathes out as I turn to him. He's in the door way, on one knee, holding out the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. "Y-You got an offer from an agency in Mexico?" He asks, looking as shocked as I am.
"Wakatoshi what are you doing?" I whisper and he shakes his head as if to rid his thoughts.
"O-Oh." A rose color comes over his cheeks. "I'm proposing, again!" He smiles brightly at me.
"You're the worst." I cover my face with my hands, letting out a shaky breath. "Oh my god, you scared me. I thought we were over. I-I thought you were serious. I-" I burst into tears, laughing.
"I'm sorry baby." He reaches out, tapping the back of my leg and I walk closer to him. "Tendou said it would be funny. It was so hard to not just stop and hold you and hug you and say I was joking. I didn't like seeing you get upset. I didn't think it was funny at all." He frowns and I look at him, laughing once again.
"Stop taking advice from Tendou." I whine and he chuckles, nodding.
"I think that's a good idea." He grins and I wipe all the tears from my face. I reach down, cupping his cheeks and grin at him.
"I told you to not buy a new ring." I whisper quietly, though my smile is reaching beyond my eyes.
"And I told you that I was going to, regardless of what you said." He says, and we both chuckle at that.
"It's indescribable how you make me feel. I didn't believe in soulmates until I fell in love with you. You just- you understand me and I feel like we click. You own a part of me that nobody else could ever take over. It's yours forever and even if I tried, I could never get it back. You're...perfect, in every way. You've taught me so much, and you love me in a way that's so beautiful. I can't imagine a life without you. I'm going to keep you with me for the rest of my life, and every life I live after this. I will never stop loving you. I need you in my life forever. Please be my wife." He sends a soft smile up my way and I nod, grinning down at him.
"Okay." I say quietly, feeling the same happiness I felt when he first proposed. He takes my hand and slips the ring onto my finger.
"Do you like it?" He asks, standing up.
"I love it, Wakatoshi. Thank you." I place my hands on his chest and he grins. He dips his head down to kiss me but right before our lips touch he quickly pulls away.
"I should probably blow out the candles before something happens." He says worriedly and turns from me.
"Right" I laugh, helping him blow out every candle.
Afterwards, we meet in the middle of his room and wrap our arms around each other.
"I just want to marry you right now. Make you mine, officially." He sighs, holding me tightly to him. I reach my hand up and gently begin to play with his hair.
"I can't wait. I seriously can't wait to get married to you. I should have accepted your offer to get eloped in California." I giggle as he leans his forehead against mine.
"Imagine." He responds, closing his eyes. "Man, that would be amazing. Ushijima Eri sounds so beautiful to my ears." A small smile plays on his lips and I chuckle.
"It does, right?" I ask and he nods.
"Hey," He says suddenly and pulls away from me, walking to his nightstand and picking up his phone. "Let's dance."
"Dance?" I raise an eyebrow and he nods, beginning to play a slow song.
"Let's dance." He repeats and puts the music as high as it goes and sets the phone back down.
He wraps his arms around my waist and I wrap mine around his shoulders. We begin to slow dance, and he smiles down at me, placing a long kiss on my lips. I grin as he pulls away and I lay my head on his shoulder. He closes the already small gap between us by pulling my body against his, as we continue to sway to the music.
"This..." He rests his head against mine. "This is how I'm going to hold you at our wedding. When it's time for our dance I'm going to hold you to me just like this, and I'm never going to let go." Just then, he holds me tighter and I smile.
As we embrace each other, swaying to the music for only god knows how long, I can't help but think about how excited I am for the future. Being here, in Ushijima's arms is the only place I want to be.
I can't help but think about the progress we've made as a couple. We started off both not really into each other. Him more than me though, considering it was a dare. I remember how I absolutely dreaded the thought of volleyball because of our first date. I didn't want to run with him after our second date either because I didn't want to tire myself out. But that soon went away, and now I don't care what we do. I'm eager to do whatever he likes, whether it be volleyball or conditioning. I just want to be with him, and I enjoy the time we spend together.
And him. God, he's changed so much. His expression was constantly blank and there wasn't even emotion in his tone. And now...now he's like the opposite with me. He smiles more around me like he promised to all that while ago. He laughs with me and tells me how much he loves me. I feel like it's a part of him that's solely reserved for me.
He makes me so happy. I'm so proud of him.