The clock gently ticked as sweat trickled down the side of Shizuo's face. His breaths grew calmer by the moment as his tense body slowly relaxed. "You got this… it's not anything crazy," he kept reassuring himself.
He was startled by the sound of kids running to leave the class muffled by the sound of the bell and warnings of the teacher. Before long, only the two of them remained, both too embarrassed to move. Misaki quietly got up and stood before Shizuo.
"So… should we get going?" she asked, smiling gently. Shizuo nodded as he hurriedly grabbed his bag. As they left the school, barely a word was said between them. "So… he has finally realized it…" thought Misaki, looking for something to talk about.
"Ahem!" Shizuo cleared his throat.
"Umm, so… OH… by the way, how did you know that I lived alone?" Misaki paused for a second. "I think you told me in the park the other day…" she replied looking at his face, her eyes overflowing with warmth.
"No way she heard that," he thought before meeting her eyes. "No one has been at my place other than Dai," he wondered, as his thoughts felt strangely louder.
He tried to steal a glance at Misaki, but was shocked to see her already staring at him, suppressing a laugh. "NO WAY!! DON'T TELL ME … I SAID THAT OUTLOUD???"
She erupted in to laughter as she watched Shizuo stumble to form a sentence. Once she was done, she gently bumped Shizuo with her elbow. "Don't worry… it's fine," she managed to say, struggling to catch her breath.
The walk seemed to go by in a flash, both too afraid to look at one another. "This is it," murmured Shizuo as they approached the apartment complex. Misaki stood in awe of the gigantic building that sparkled with bright lights.
"This way," Shizuo took the lead quietly. The elevator ride to Shizuo's apartment was filled with nothing but awkward silence. Once the elevator stopped, Shizuo hurriedly stepped off, Misaki following behind.
Shizuo fumbled with his pockets as they approached the door, and in one swift motion, he unlocked the door. He held it open for Misaki, and guided her in.
"Excuse me," she announced, taking her shoes off. Turning on the hallway lights, he walked inside, and put his bag aside. "Please make yourself at home," he said, voice unsteady. She gave a nervous smile before sitting stiffly at the dining table.
"What kind of tea would you prefer?" he asked nervously, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands on the kitchen sink. "Green tea is fine please," she replied swiftly.
Shizuo's lungs were now firing in quick bursts. "Ehem, By the way, your place is very tidy, Shizuo," said Misaki, hoping to clear the awkward air between them.
"Yeah, I cleaned it up recently," he replied in a dull tone. "Oh, is that so," she said, her eyes scanning the room before fixating on something. "Wait, do you play video games, Shizuo?" she said, a hint of excitement accompanying her tone.
"Oh, you noticed the PlayStation? Yeah, I spend most of my time either playing games or watching TV," he said, his voice eager.
"Do you play games, Misaki?" "Oh my God, are you kidding? That's all I basically do," she replied. "What kind of games are you into?" she continued. "I mostly play 2D games, but I don't mind 3D ones either…" he answered, focusing on pouring the tea.
"Have you played Stardew Valley," she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Shizuo's eyes widened at mention of that game. "IT'S MY FAVORITE," he squealed, almost spilling the tea.
"I have so many hours in that game that it's not even funny," he said, his hands trembling as he served the tea. "I have some two-player games too if you want to play later," Shizuo said, pulling a chair next to Misaki. "I would love to," replied Misaki, looking in to Shizuo's eyes with excitement.