You sure you don't wanna hang out today shorty?

I woke up to this message from Danish and couldn't help but to smile at his cuteness. Replying with a thumbs up, I tossed my phone on bed and got up. It was pretty late when I got home yesterday and I didn't see Lily or Zinnia. In a way, I was glad that they were asleep before I came, as I escaped from getting attacked by plaguing with questions. 

After doing my morning routine, I climbed down the stairs to see Sandra and Zinnia on the couch. They were watching T.V, Sandra leaning on Zinnia and Zinnia feeding her toasted bread. 

"Hey!" I said as I went towards them and sat down on the opposite couch.

"Good morning, Elka!" Sandra said, sitting straight. 

"How did your date go, girl?" Zinnia asked, smiling widely. "We heard the door open yesterday but we low-key expected you to go to Danish's."

I laughed. 

"Nah, I couldn't abandon my bed. And the date was good," I said.

"Elaborate please," Zinnia said to which I rolled my eyes. 

"It was G-O-O-D."

"Ugh! I meant descriptive words."

"I said! It was good. We went to the arcade and to a fancy restaurant and then to the park and had a walk."

"Romantic walk!" Zinnia added, making my eyes roll again. 

"Yeah, ok. Romantic walk."

"Did you guys kiss?" Sandra asked to which I smiled and shook my head. 

"But he kissed me on my cheek," I said, placing fingers on my right cheek, recollecting yesterday night's moment. 

"Cheek? He could've kissed a wall!" Zinnia said to which I looked at her with pursed lips. 

Zinnia broke into a chuckle and said, "Just kidding. Take it slow. You have got plenty of time, girl."

I smiled at her and nodded my head.

"When did you come?" I asked Sandra, turning to her.

"Oh, I came yesterday night. The bookstore is temporarily closed due to maintenance so I'm really jobless right now," she said, giggling. 

I could sense the sadness in her words even though she tried to obscure it with a giggle. I looked at Zinnia who patted Sandra's shoulder slightly to lighten her up. 

From what I know about Sandra was that she was a college drop out because of financial difficulties. She lost her mother when she was small and her father was in jail after being caught for illegal drug activities to provide food for his daughter. Being a criminal's child was hard for her as she entered college and with that, meeting financial difficulties gave her no other choice but to quit, even though she was a bright student. She got a job at the bookstore after many attempts and Zinnia met her there, after five months we joined college. 

I wasn't close to Sandra as Lily was, as I saw her just as Zinnia's FWB partner. We used to smile and greet each other and that was it. Not even a casual talk. But the day Zinnia said that the person she trusted after me and Lily was Sandra, I knew Sandra wasn't just a partner to satisfy her sexual needs. She was a special one that Zinnia trusted to be there for her when she was under the weather. And that was why I went to get Sandra the day Lily threw the question, "any other person that could help us?"

Sandra was a girl who just wanted to be independent, no matter what. She was working hard to save up for both her studies and also to pay the bills and debts of her father. In short, Sandra's life was way worse than any of us. Zinnia would be ready to help her but Sandra refused it everytime. In the midst of her hard life, Sandra found time to help Zinnia move on from Amy, which made me like her more and respect her. After getting close to Sandra, at times I wished that Sandra and Zinnia would be more than just friends with benefits. 

"It's fine, you will find a job. You're smart after all. Maybe you can get a job somewhere that actually lets you use your brain," Zinnia said, making Sandra nod and flashed a smile at her. 

"Yeah, don't worry. Everything will be alright. You deserve the best, Sandra," I said. 

"Thank you, Elka."

"Your welcome," I said and looked at Zinnia to which she nodded her head slightly. "Where's Lily?"

"She's in her room."

"Ok. I'll get my coffee now," I said and walked towards the kitchen. 

After taking my coffee mug I went to Lily's room and saw her sitting and folding some clothes of mine and Zinnia on the bed. I tsked by standing at the door, gaining her attention. 

"Haven't I told you that we can do this ourselves?" I asked.

"Oh, come on. It's just some clothes. Come here," she said and patted on her side. 

I walked towards the bed and sat in Indian style near her.

"I slept early yesterday so I didn't get the chance to ask you about your date," she said, keeping the strands of my hair behind my ear.

"Well, I was glad that you did so you wouldn't annoy me," I said and took a sip of coffee. 

"Yeah, you're right from some point. So, how was it, baby?" she asked.

"It was good. We went to an arcade and had a lot of fun playing games. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant and then went to the park."

"Wow. That sounds fun. And it is the first time I'm hearing an arcade date."

"Yeah." I chuckled. "Also, I told him about my phobia," I said, looking at her with tight lips.

"You did?"

I nodded my head. 

"What did he say?"

"He said he was feeling guilty for asking me out when I was fighting this and he apologized. And then I had to say that he was the core reason why I wanted to change. I just felt like I had to tell him, Lily. It felt wrong for me to keep something like this from him. After all, we are dating. And also, I trust him."

Lily smiled. 

"If you trust him, then it's absolutely fine,  Elka. I'm sure he will never disappoint you and help you to overcome that fear."

I returned her a smile and drank my coffee while she took her phone. 

After a few seconds, I asked her, "Did your mom call?"

She looked from her phone and nodded her head. 

"Yeah. Mom is fine but dad is still upset and not talking to me."

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright when the little one comes out."

"Yeah, I hope so. Is Sandra still here?"

"Yeah, she's watching T.V with Zinnia."

"You heard about her?"

"Yeah. I did. And I really wanna help her, Lily. I know she's so broke."

"Me too. I contacted Andrew asking about any part time jobs. He said there is a data entry vacancy in Danish's father's company."

"Really? That's nice, sounds like a good job. Will she get that?" I asked her.

"He said he will talk to his boss, that is, Danish's father," he said.

"Wow. I'm sure Sandra will get that. She's smart, right?"

"Yeah, she is."

Just then my phone rang from upstairs. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the thought of dragging my feet all the way up to my room. 

"Why don't you just carry it with you?" she asked, seeing my reaction. 

"Yeah, I always think about it but then forgets. Let it ring, I'm not gonna go upstairs. I just came down."

Lily let out a small chuckle and shook her head. It stopped ringing for some seconds and rang again to which I groaned. 

"Go on, take the call. It must be some emergency." Lily coerced me. 

"I don't wanna..." I whined.

"Maybe it's Danish," she said to which I stopped my whining and looked at her.

"So?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just said so," she said and pursed her lips. 

What if it's him?

"Uhmm...I'm gonna pee," I said, getting up and walking towards the door. 

"Where are you going? You can use my bathroom," Lily said. 

"Ye-yeah, I know. But I-I prefer mine," I said, smiling timidly. 

Lily bursted out laughing seeing my face and said, "Go on. Pick up the call before he cuts it."

"I just wanna pee!" I exclaimed and ran out of her room and rushed to mine. 

On my bed, my phone was ringing for the third time, flashing the name Dan which I changed from Barb a few days back. To calm my rising heart, I took some deep breaths, cleared my throat and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Shorty!" he screamed, excitement evident in his voice.

"Stop screaming, Dan!" I yelled. 

"Oh, sorry! I was just excited," he giggled to which I smiled. 

"Yeah, I can see that. What makes you this excited?"

"Well, be ready at seven. I'll pick you up."

"Huh? What part of "Give me some rest" you don't understand, Danish Rivera?"

"Oh, Elka! Trust me, you won't regret this. Just be ready, ok? Pretty please with sugar on top?" He pleaded. 

"Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise, duh! Just be ready at seven, ok? Bye, gotta go."

"Dan? Don't you dare hang up on me, Da-"

He cut the call. 

I looked at the screen and said, "I'm dating a complicated freak."

The day went with me, Lily, Zinnia and Sandra having lunch together, talking about many things, teasing me saying Danish's name and having fun. I felt everything coming back to its place after what we all went through. 

Lily being upset because of her pregnancy, Zinnia's heartbreak and me dealing with my phobia. Everything was hard for everyone and after days, we were liberated. And in the midst of our fun time, my eyes either went to the clock that hung on the wall of our living or to my phone screen to check whether it was 7 p.m. 

»»---------------------►

"Where are you going?" asked Lily, seeing me in boyfriend's shirt and jeans along with my helmet. 

"Danish is taking me somewhere. He will be here at 7 p.m. But it's..." I trailed off, looking at the clock that read 7:12. 

"It's ok. He will be here," Lily said, smiling widely. 

"What's with that smile?" I asked with one eyebrow up.

"Nothing." She shook her head.

"No, tell me. What is it?" I enquired again. 

"Remember when I asked you whether you won't get bored when me and Zinnia go out for dates?" she asked me, making me think for sometime before nodding my head. "Look how karma hit me! You're going for a date while I'm here, all bored," she said to which I laughed, making her also join me. 

"Oh, so you're bored? Where are they?" I asked. 

Lily pointed towards Zinnia's closed door and I nodded my head. Just then, Danish called me,  telling me he's outside and to come fast. I bid goodbye to Lily before stepping out of the house and walking towards Danish. 

"I told you not to-"

"Baby, later. Now we can go or else we are gonna be late," he said, taking the helmet from my hands and putting it on my head in a hurry. 

"Wait wait wait. Did you just call me baby?" I asked with a cringe. 

"Yeah. So what? You're my girlfriend now. Get in, baby," he said. 

"I'm not your baby. Only Lily has the permission to call me that." I scowled. 

He sighed in defeat and said, "Ok Elka Alastair. I'll not call you unless you give me permission. Now will ya?" he asked.

"Yeah, ok. Better." I said and swung my legs over his bike and we rode off. 

After approximately 20 minutes, we arrived at an exhibition center that had people walking towards its entrance in a hurry. Danish parked the bike and we walked towards the entrance, him ignoring my questions and keeping a smile on his lips. 

"Danish, what are we doing here?" I asked, stopping him by standing in front him. 

He sighed before saying, "Won't you let me give you a surprise? Have some patience and wait till we enter the complex."

He took my hands in his and started to walk again. After entering, I stood in front of him again with my hands on hips. 

"Now what?" I asked.

Danish flashed a smile before spinning me around and pointed towards a poster, making my eyes follow his point. My eyes instantly lit up as it landed on a poster of 'Your Name'. It was an anime orchestra concert. Danish brought me to a freaking anime orchestra concert. It was my dream to attend a concert and I remember mentioning this to Danish once. But I didn't expect that he would surprise me with one.

"You said you like anime, right?" he asked from behind. 

I turned around to face him and smiled before nodding my head. 

"Yeah, I do."

"Yeah, so I got to know there's this concert taking place and I immediately booked two tickets. Now, can we? I think it's gonna start," he said, looking at the massive opened door that welcomed people. 

I nodded my head and entered the stage with Danish following me. 

"There," he said, pointing to two seats in the left corner and we settled there in no time.

The stage was dark, only a few lights of yellow LEDs flashing. It had an aesthetic look with the orchestra and singers marshalled. Still, I couldn't believe that I was sitting here to witness Yojiro Noda's masterpiece. 

"This is like the best anime ever," I said, looking straight at the stage that had my eyes hooked on the trailer of Your Name projecting on screen.

"Makoto Shinkai is a genius. This is my favorite among Kotonoha no Niwa, Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru and Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo. You know, Kimi no Nawa was nominated for Oscars but unfortunately Boss Baby won. But still, this one cannot be forgotten and it will never. The ending part is..." I trailed off as I looked at Danish who was looking at me. And his eyes resembled that of a lost puppy. 

"What?" I asked.

"I can't understand a word you're saying, Elka."

I laughed at him to which he continued, "I don't know anything about anime. I haven't even watched any. I came here because you like it and that's it. Stop teaching me Korean."

"You twit, it's Japanese not Korean."

"See? I don't even know the language," he said which made me laugh more. 

Just then the lights went off and only the lights from the stage were emitting in the enormous hall. 

"Ok. It begins."

The conductor swings his baton and a drum beat echoes through the hall. After two more beats followed by the swing of the baton, piano, guitar, flute, violin, harp, cello and double bass began to do their magic, elevating the atmosphere, taking us into another colorful and enchanting world. 

Mou Sukoshi Dake De Ii Ato Sukoshi Dake De Ii Mou Sukoshi Dake De Ii Kara

Mou Sukoshi Dake De Ii Ato Sukoshi Dake De Ii

Mou Sukoshi Dake Kuttsuiteiyou Ka

Bokura Taimufuraiyaa Toki O Kakeagaru Kuraimaa

Toki No Kakurenbo Hagurekko Wa Mou Iya Nanda

Ureshikute Naku Nowa Kanashikute Warau Nowa

Kimi No Kokoro Ga Kimi O Oikoshitanda Yo

There! He started to sing. Radwimps started to sing the song that made me smile unknowingly. The song, the beat, the lyrics that were shown on screen with English translation made me tear up. 

The sorrowful gust of wind that blew right between you and me

Where did it find the loneliness it carried on the breeze?

Looking up at the sky after shedding a stream of tears

I could see for miles of blue, it's never been so clear

I clutched on the arms of my chair as the song played on. It was a feeling that couldn't be described. I was feeling mixed emotions of happiness, sadness, excitement and love. I was feeling love at that moment. The song was making me feel that but I knew better. I knew that the guy sitting next to me was the core reason for the feeling that was burgeoning in me. The feeling that I had been scared of.

A grip on my hand made me turn my face to the right and see Danish smiling at me. He took my clenched hand in his and looked straight into my eyes. I didn't hesitate to look back at him, without blinking. His perfect face was more gorgeous with the yellow split light. I took my time, taking in his features that made me lose track of day and time. I wondered what was going on in his mind, whether he was also feeling the same as me and thinking the same as me. 

After letting a few seconds pass, I looked straight whilst he also did the same. I rested my head on his shoulder as the song played on, our hands intertwined all along. I felt him inhaling my hair, taking in the coconut scent of my shampoo which made me smile. I had never imagined myself in a scenario like this, a scenario that was romantic as hell and that too with a guy that any girl would dream to be with. 

»»---------------------►

After an hour, with two more songs from the movie, the concert ended and we got out of the complex. We rode in silence, my hands around him and me leaning as close as I could. I couldn't put my finger on the fact that it was the night wind that made the hair on my skin stand up, or is it him that had this effect on me.

We reached my home and I got off. I took my helmet and stood near him.

"Ok, shorty. See you-"

Danish got cut off with my lips on his. It was a peck but still, it had the power that made him freeze for some seconds. I looked down at my feet and fiddled with my fingers. My face was crimson and was burning because of the skinship we just had.

"Elka..." he dimmed.

"I wanna pee. Bye," I said and ran away from him. 

I didn't look back once but just ran straight to my house, opened the door and slammed it. Before Lily or Zinnia could ask me anything, I rushed to my room and locked the door. My chest heaved up and down as I leaned on the door. I still felt my face burning along with my hands shaking and knees buckling. Before I came in contact with the floor, I pushed myself into bed. I rolled over and looked at the ceiling. 

I never knew I had this fire inside me. I was so overwhelmed and didn't think twice about the peck. That concert made me do this for which I was 37% grateful and the rest 63% drowning me in embarrassment. 

Taking deep breaths, I tried to control my heart that would burst out anytime soon. I shut my eyes tightly and asked myself, 

"You said you wanna pee? Fuck you, Elka!"

Futari no aida toorisugita kaze wa doko kara sabishisa o hakondekita no
Naitari shita sono ato no sora wa yake ni sukitootteitari shitanda