Chapter 19
19
Haruki - 18 years old
A t the rate my heart is beating, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a heart attack soon. Seeing Bryce again after all these months is scary. We mastered the art of the long-distance relationship. Our scheduled video calls and constant texting are doing what they’re supposed to—keeping our spark alive. But what if it’s awkward now? What if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore? What if we fizzle out?
My glance moves from the exit area to the large screen showing the arrival times, double checking for his flight, when I hear a deep voice calling out to me, followed by a hand on my shoulder. “Haruki, I’m here.” I turn around to see two dreamy blue eyes looking at me. Bryce grins from ear to ear and I can’t help but do the same. My arms immediately reach for his neck as he hugs me and lifts me up, dropping his coat on the floor. “Fuck, I’ve missed you so much, baby.”
“I’ve missed you, too. And I can’t believe you’re here!” The back of my eyes are burning, but I ignore the feeling. I don’t care who sees me crying here. We’re in Tokyo, nobody knows us. And even if they did, I still wouldn’t care. Bryce is in Japan; this moment deserves my tears.
“So how was your Christmas?” he asks while we walk hand in hand to the Narita Airport station so we can catch the train to Shinjuku, where our hotel is.
“It was awesome,” I answer. “We stuffed ourselves with KFC.” Bryce already saw the picture and the explanation I sent him, but he still cocks his eyebrow anyway. “It’s a Japanese thing. I think out of all of the traditions out there, this one is my favorite. My brother’s, too.”
Although my father still works like a dog, our relationship has gotten better with time. Stranger than fiction, I don’t hate working for him. It turns out we make a great team, staging listings with my brother and showcasing them. They even took my advice, and as of now, we also make fancy videos of the places we’re listing.
“Mine was pretty great, too,” he says as we board the Narita Express. “I ended up hanging out with Lily and Cameron yesterday. They both say hi.”
Bryce takes off his hoodie, giving me a glimpse of his rock-hard abs, but my focus goes directly to a tattoo that wasn’t there before. A pink door is inked on the inside of his right forearm. After pulling out a fresh set of clothes from his suitcase, Bryce looks at me. “Oh, man. Now I ruined your Christmas present.” He laughs nervously. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Did you get that for me?” I gasp. This guy is the sweetest .
“This and something else.” Bryce goes to his backpack and takes out a small, blue box. My heart thunders in my chest as he makes his way to the sofa where I’m sitting. “Don’t be nervous, I’m not proposing.” He winks before sitting next to me. “We’re already married, anyway; it beats the purpose.”
“If that’s a keychain, I will murder you.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“It’s not,” he says through his smile. He opens the box and reveals a golden wedding band looped on a chain. “We said no rings when we got married, but it just feels wrong to me. I know we got married on a whim and you don’t want to tell your dad about us just yet. But I’m really serious about us. So, I got this for you. You can wear it like a necklace until we’re ready and it’s finally our time. What do you think?”
I press my mouth onto his, not knowing what to say. Bryce Simmons has exceeded all my expectations. Every day since I returned, in the back of my mind, I always thought that he would leave me. Bryce is a stunner and college is a place where thousands of teenagers have nothing else to do but hang out and hook up, but he proves me wrong, again and again.
“And the tattoo?” I ask, remembering that my Christmas present is two-in-one.
A chuckle escapes his mouth. He’s more nervous about explaining this one than the ring. “Well, I thought we could match—you have Doraemon, so I could have the door. Plus, I always wish that I’m next to you.” Bryce pauses, his hand caressing my cheek. “I fucking love you, Haruki.”
“I love you, too, Bryce. Thank you.” I take the ring out of the box and put it around my neck as a necklace, wearing it like a badge of honor. “Now my present is going to look like shit.” I should have known that he was going to do something like this, over the top and ridiculously adorable.
“What did you get me?” he asks curiously.
“I…I got us tickets to go to Disneyland tomorrow. It’s silly.” I am expecting a disappointed look on his face. I could’ve gotten him anything else other than this. They also have Disneyland in the US. Two, even. Looking at Bryce, I see an expression that I can’t quite make out. Is he disappointed?
“I’ve always wanted to go to Disneyland Tokyo.” Bryce breaks out into a boyish grin.