IWSBSB 10

Chapter 10

Not just after school, but on the weekends too, Mana started coming over to my place. Sometimes we’d even take Bogie, the dog, for a stroll in the nearby park. The funny thing was, the park was close enough to the high school that we were practically inviting someone to spot us, but she didn’t care one single bit.

”Well, we’re not doing anything sneaky, are we? So it doesn’t matter who sees us, right?” she’d argue with a playful twitch of her lips.

”Even so,” I’d stammered out, feeling my face heat up, “wouldn’t you hate it if someone saw you hanging out with me?”

”Oh, so you hate taking me for a walk, Hiro?” she accused, her voice dropping into a dramatic pout.

”Hate? No, it’s not hate,” I corrected, fumbling over the words.

”Then it’s not a problem, is it?” she chuckled with mischievous delight.

”But what if they start some strange, nasty rumors about us? Wouldn’t that be awful?” I worried, wringing my hands.

”I couldn’t care less! I’d just tell them we’re dating, and that would be the end of it!” she declared, tossing her head.

”Ehh!” I squeaked, entirely taken aback.

She giggled, a little, happy sound, looking entirely too pleased with herself. I couldn’t tell if she was serious or just winding me up, but either way, she was absolutely beaming.

One Saturday in mid-April, just as we were getting ready to head out for our usual walk, the sky decided to weep and a sudden shower began. We had to call the walk off.

”Bogie is named after an old actor, isn’t he? I’d love to see one of his films,” Mana mused, settling herself beside me on the sofa.

So there we were, curled up together, watching Casablanca. Usually, I’m the type who’d watch a movie in absolute silence, but Mana kept chatting away, and I couldn’t just brush her off.

”Is that the actor Bogie is named after? He’s so cool looking,” she whispered, eyes wide at the screen.

”That’s Humphrey Bogart,” I explained.

”Wow! And this actress is stunning! She kind of looks like Yuzuki¹, actually,” Mana observed, tilting her head.

”That’s Ingrid Bergman, and honestly, I thought the same thing,” I confessed.

”So, Yuzuki is your type, Hiro?” she pressed, eyes gleaming.

”It’s not… exactly like that,” I mumbled, trying to hedge my bets.

Then came the famous scene, and Mana sighed dreamily.

”I wish someone would look me in the eye and say, ‘Cheers to your eyes, kid!’” she declared, all theatrical charm.

”I don’t think that would suit me at all,” I replied honestly.

”I bet it would, though!” she insisted.

I took a deep breath and tried my best, aiming for a cool, manly voice. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

”Eh?” she asked, completely missing the reference. Well, so much for becoming Humphrey Bogart in an instant.

”Sacrificing his own feelings just to help the woman he loves reunite with her ex-lover! That’s so incredibly handsome!” That was Mana’s heartfelt review after the film ended.

I turned my head to face her, and she was already looking right at me. Our eyes locked. It was the first time I’d ever seen her eyes this close up. They were beautiful eyes, the kind that could just pull you right in. Absolutely worth raising a glass to.

Feeling totally overwhelmed, I tried to stand up, but my clumsiness got the better of me. I stumbled, sending myself tumbling down and pinning Mana beneath me on the sofa. Our eyes met again, and this time, she simply closed hers. Wait. Was that… a kiss-me-face? As I leaned in, ready to attempt the very first kiss, Mana squirmed right out from under me. She escaped, and then, without another word, she was gone.

Sunday came, and for the first time since April, Mana didn’t show up. I spent the entire day in a cloud of gloom, convinced I’d completely messed things up.

Monday morning, Mana was exactly the same at school—bubbly and normal. But when the usual time for her to come over arrived and passed, I resigned myself to the awful truth: She definitely hates me now. Just as I was about to sink into despair, she finally showed up.

”Hiro, I’m so sorry! My club practice ran late today,” she chirped, acting as if the clumsy incident from Saturday had never happened. She cooked dinner, played with Bogie, and then, perhaps because she was running late, she hurried home. After that, she continued to act perfectly normal, like nothing had changed.

Then came the following Sunday. We were eating lunch when I picked up my glass of milk, held it toward her, and finally spoke.

”Here’s looking at you, kid,” I managed, before taking a nervous sip of milk.

”Eh! You said that before, Hiro! What does it actually mean?” she asked, genuinely confused.

”It means, ‘Cheers to your eyes!’” I declared.

”Doesn’t it literally mean, ‘I’m looking at you’?” she giggled.

”Well, yes, but in the movie, it was a dramatic way of saying, ‘Cheers to your eyes,’ so it’s an interpretive translation.”

”Huh! That person is probably a genius!” she exclaimed.

”I thought so too,” I agreed.

”So, why did you say it to me?” she asked, her tone suddenly softening.

”Because you said you wanted someone to say it to you, remember?” I pointed out.

”I didn’t say it had to be you,” she countered, though she couldn’t hide the delighted smile on her face.

”There’s a movie I really want you to see, Mana. Would you watch it with me?” I asked.

We moved to the living room to watch Roman Holiday—one of my all-time favorite films, which I had seen countless times.

”That actress playing Princess Ann is adorable,” Mana noted.

”That’s Audrey Hepburn. She’s one of my favorite actresses. Doesn’t she look a little bit like you?” I asked, trying to imply that she was my type without actually saying it out loud. Of course, such a clumsy hint wasn’t going to get the job done.

As it turned out, Mana had actually traveled to Italy before, so she kept pointing things out during the movie, such as how you can’t actually eat and drink at the Spanish Steps, and how the Mouth of Truth is free to see. It was charming.

When the credits finally rolled, Mana turned to me, her expression dead serious.

”I want to go to Rome for our honeymoon, and I’ll toss two coins into the Trevi Fountain. So you’re going to have to take me,” she announced.

”Ehh!” I sputtered, completely blindsided.

”Because… I like you, Hiro,” she declared, her eyes sparkling with absolute sincerity.

”W-w-wait. You… you like me?” I managed.

”Is that so?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

”Yeah. Because I don’t just like you. I love you!” I blurted out, finally finding the courage.

”Oh, you! I thought you’d never say things like that!” she playfully chided me.

”I wouldn’t say it to anyone but you, Mana! That’s why… please… w-would you go out with me?” I pleaded, my heart hammering.

”Didn’t I just tell you I want to go to Rome for our honeymoon?” she replied with a winning smile.

”Does that… mean…?”

”It means I plan on marrying you, silly!” she exclaimed, all laughter and light.

”But we’re still just in high school!” I gasped.

”To me, you are my one and only. That’s why I want to throw two coins into the Trevi Fountain—so we can be together forever, just as I wished for.”

”But… but that time before…” I started, thinking back to the clumsy sofa incident.

”I just didn’t want our first kiss to be all clumsy and messy. I wanted it to be romantic, and besides, I wasn’t sure how you truly felt back then.”

”Mana, you’re my first love. Since middle school, even…” I whispered, feeling the weight of the confession lift.

”Well, you’re the first guy, besides my dad, that I’ve ever liked,” she countered, sticking out her tongue in a show of cute, stubborn one-upmanship.

I looked at Mana, who just smiled sweetly and closed her eyes. I gently reached out, cupped her face, and softly pressed my lips to hers.

”We kissed²!” she declared right after, a hint of surprise in her own voice. I thought, Well, that wasn’t very romantic either, but I decided it was best not to say anything and risk her wrath.

We decided to keep our new relationship a secret at school for now. Announcing it would only create more of a spectacle and, quite frankly, invite a whole lot of jealousy.