Trouble with love

Part 18 Beach day part 2

Nishikata was left just staring at the girl in front of him with no idea what to say. 'She just ... asked me out, what the heck am I supposed to do?' He mentally slapped himself. 'Turn her down of course, but how do I do that without sounding like an ass?'

"I'm sorry." The girl began. "It's just ... you see ... I've wanted to ask you out for a few weeks now ... I know it's kinda sudden but ... well ..."

"Looks like someone's got an admirer." Takao teased, causing the girl's face to turn even redder.

"Hey, knock it off." Nishikata said to Takao. 'But what the heck am I supposed to say exactly?' An image of Takagi-san appeared in his head, her face almost glowing as he imagined her smile. 'I guess ... the truth ... but then my friends will know that I'm in a relationship with her! And it's only supposed to be a temporary thing, even if I do want it to be longer.'

"I'm sorry." The girl began. "This probably wasn't the best time to-"

"It's not that!" Nishikata interrupted. "It's just ..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'I need to do this, if I put it off, then things will only get more complicated, and I should give an honest answer. I'll handle what my friends say and ask as it comes.' "The truth is ... you're probably nice and all, but ...  I already have a girlfriend."

Time seemed to stop as Nishikata's friends, as well as the girl in front of him, stared at him in a complete sense of disbelief. 'Well ... I did it.'

"Bull shit!" Takao exclaimed. "You never told us about a girlfriend!"

'Of course he has to say something like that.' "Well ... you see ... the thing is-"

"What's her name?" Takao asked.

Nishikata took another deep breath. "Oh, come on, you should know who it is." The pressure in the air seemed to intensify even more. "It's ... it's Takagi ... she's my girlfriend."

"What!?" Came another familiar voice. It was at this moment that Nishikata began to notice that there were a few other girls behind her, one of which was Takagi-san's friend Sumire. "There's no way, Takagi-chan never told me anything about that, and dropping her honorific doesn't automatically make you two a couple."

'Why does this have to get more complicated?' Nishikata thought as he began to panic more. "Well ... it's the truth."

"Well, we'll just see about that." Sumire walked over to an umbrella that wasn't too far away and pulled what appeared to be a cell phone out of her bag.

"Nishikata?" The girl said, regaining everyone's attention. "You don't have to lie, if you don't want to go out with me then ... just ... just say it."

"It's ... not that." Nishikata began. 'I barely even know you, why are you asking me out in the first place?' "I just ... it's the truth."

"You're just trying to look cool, aren't ya?" Takao said as he walked up and wrapped an arm around Nishikata's shoulder. "But now it's going to blow up in your-"

"WHAT?!" Sumire shouted, catching everyone's attention. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" She slowly began to quiet down, making hearing her a little more difficult.

"Wait a second ... Nishikata ..." Takao couldn't help but look at Nishikata with an expression of fear and disbelief, as Nishikata could help but grin.

"Well." Sumire began as she began walking back. "It's ... true."

Everyone except Nishikata looked at her completely astonished, as Nishikata could help but smile wider. "I ... did tell you."

"Hey!" Hamaguchi said as he grabbed Nishikata's shoulders and turned him to face him. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"It hasn't even been a week." Nishikata replied as he removed Hamaguchi's hands from his shoulders. "It's not like I had the chance or anything."

Hamaguchi let out a long sigh. "I ... guess you have a point there."

Nishikata turned back to the other girl who now had her head down, like she was bowing. "I'M SORRY!" She exclaimed. "I  didn't mean to be so presumptuous!"

"Hey, it's fine, it's just-"

She quickly walked off before he could finish, followed by two of the other girls that were with her.

"So tell us." Nakai began as Nishikata turned back around. "How did you and Takagi-san end up getting together?"

"Oh ... that ..."

"Now that I think about it, didn't you say something about how she confessed to you?" Hamaguchi asked.

'SHIT! Why did I tell him that!'

"Wait a second, when did this happen?" Takao asked. "Nishikata, are you hiding things from us?"

Nishikata began to back up a little as he began to panic. 'I can't tell them that this is the result of me losing a contest, they'd laugh at me, or judge me negatively. But what can I do?'

"Hey, weren't we just talking about lunch?" Came Kimura's voice. They all looked back to see Kimura looking up at them from being partially buried under a pile of sand. "What ever happened to that?"

"Kimura!" Takao exclaimed as he stumbled back a little. "H-how long have you been awake?"

"Oh, I never fell asleep."

"So you just let Takao bury you in a giant pile of sand?" Hamaguchi asked.

"He looked like he was having fun. Now how about that lunch?"

Takao quickly rushed over to help him up before they all began making their way over to the rest area to get something to eat. 'Kimura, you're a lifesaver.' Nishikata though, as he hung back a little. 'As soon as Takagi and I get married, I am totally making you my best man ... wait ... what?'

As he continued walking, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Sumire with a knowing smile. "You know, when I asked, Takagi-chan told me the entire truth about your relationship."

Nishikata didn't understand what she was saying right away, but it soon clicked what she meant. "I ...  oh ..."

"Yeah, so, ... let's just say you owe me."

Nishikata reflexively nodded, causing Sumire to smile and tap his shoulder. "Glad you understand, so make sure Takagi-chan picks me as the bridesmaid for your wedding, okay?"

"What?"

"Glad to see we have an understanding." She walked off and began waving. "I'll see you later!"

Nishikata continued to stand there with a blank look on his face, as everyone had walked off, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 'Why does it feel like this just got more complicated?'