3RD PERSON POV

December 30, 2019

12:00 am

Ocean looked in the mirror she looked at her outfit that Lauren helped pick out through texts. She wore a gray plaid skirt with black tights layered on top of tights that matched her skin tone, a white button-up, a navy blue sweater, black ankle boots, and her glasses. Her mind started to wander to Robert and where he's taking her. She hoped she was dressed correctly because Robert just told her to dress cute and warm. She was warm, but the cute part was entirely subjective

She shook off all the bad thoughts before going into her living room. Just as she picked up her purse, she heard a knock on the door that almost scared her. Ocean let out a sigh before opening the door to reveal Robert. "H- Hi Robert!" 

"Hey O," Robert held out a single red rose out to her. "I got this for you. Sorry, it's not a full bouquet. Y- You l- look really beautiful," A red blush overtook his cheeks as he looked at Ocean's outfit. "Let's go,"

Ocean held the rose in one hand and Robert's hand in the other. The two of them walked down the parking garage and got into Robert's car. "So where are you going to take me?" She asked, looking at Robert

"It's a surprise, but hopefully you like it," Robert focused on the road, trying not to shift his attention to Ocean because he knows he'd probably crash the car or something. "You did say you'd be happy going anywhere, but still," 

After driving for 10 minutes, Robert parked in the parking lot of a building Ocean hasn't seen before. He got out of the car and led Ocean through the doors to reveal an ice rink. There were people on the ice skating around like professionals and other people clinging onto the wall for dear life

The sights of the ice rink made Ocean's stomach churn. She hasn't been ice skating since her friends took to her to an ice rink in highs school. She fell on her butt and accidentally made someone trip over her. It was fun

Robert placed his hand on her cheek. "I've ice skated before. I can help you," He said, giving her a warm smiling before getting the two of them skates. As they put on their skates, Robert reassured Ocean that she won't fall, that he's got her the entire way

The two of them got onto the ice and Ocean started to wobble a bit, she drew in a sharp breath. Robert to chuckle a bit and placed his hands at her waist, he lifted her up just so she was an inch above the ice. He placed her back down slowly, his grip on her not loosening so he can catch her just in case something happens. When Ocean was somewhat stable, Robert led her around the ice, his hand firmly in hers

Robert decided to let go of Ocean's hand for a bit so she can get used to skating without him. He thought it'd all be alright, she was doing fine. Without a warning, he slipped his hand out of hers and started to skate a little slower than her to watch her

Within a moment, Ocean seemingly tripped over nothing and stumbled forward. She tried to catch herself like she normally would without skates, only to fail to do so and face plant onto the cold ice, earning the stares of the other skaters in the rink because of the loud, "GAH!" She let out

Robert winced as he watched Ocean make impact with the ice. He immediately went over to Ocean to help her up. "I'm so sorry. I should've never let go of your hand. Ah. . . I'm sorry," He pushed some of her hair out of the way to see her face

Instead of a sad or pained expression, Ocean was smiling. She burst out laughing after Robert got a good look at her face. Maybe it was the adrenaline causing her to not feel pain or maybe she already got over it, but she didn't seem like she was hurting

Robert stood in shock, he didn't know how she was just laughing after that. He noticed some parts of her face were red because of the fall. He quickly skated her to the nearest exit. He carried her in his arms as he walked to a nearby bench to set her down

"That hurt so much," Ocean laughed, some tears formed and slowly ran down her face. She watched Robert kneel in front of her and help her take her skates off. She noticed his worried expression. "S- Sorry! I shouldn't be laughing right now," She looked away, a blush spread across her cheek

"As long as you're okay," Robert sighed. "Sorry for leaving you," He took his skates off after he finished taking Ocean's off. "I was hoping to go here with you again, but after that. I guess not. I don't want to see you hurt again,"

"Huh? Why are you afraid of me getting hurt? I mean yeah, I understand that part, but that's a part of learning," Ocean zipped up her boots and stood up. She held out a hand for Robert who just finished putting his shoes on. "I'd be happy to come here with you again. Falling down is just part of the fun," She gave him a warm smile

Robert grabbed Ocean's hand and stood up. "I guess you're right. Maybe we could take lessons together sometime," He suggested. He walked with her to the front desk to return the skates, still holding her hand

Ocean nodded happily. "That would be awesome," She handed the worker her skates along with Robert. She walked back to the car with him. "So, where to next?" She asked

"Stop asking! It's meant to be a surprise!" Robert huffed as he got into the car. He started it up and typed some stuff into his GPS and started driving once Ocean was in the car. He tapped his fingers on the wheel nervously

Ocean looked out the window at all the passing cars. She knew the area well, yet looking at the scenery made her happy. After spending so much time in a town that doesn't have any large buildings or major cities, being in the city gave her such a wonderful feeling

"You know, driving around with you, it reminded me of when we worked together. Driving to and from work with you was the best part of my day," Robert blushed, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile

Ocean looked at Robert. "I- I," She stuttered, a blush appearing on her face again. "R- Really?" She didn't think that just her presence made an impact on Robert's day. "I really liked it when we'd jam out in the car to some random show tunes," 

The two of them sat in silence, their faces red. Robert parking in a parking garage and let out a cough. "Uh, we're here," He turned the car off and got out of the car. He opened Ocean's door and held her hand to help her out of  her seat

Ocean got out of the car and walked alongside Robert. She looked around and realized she was in Little Tokyo. She used to go here during the summer with her family when her dad wasn't busy. It's where she got her posters and figurines. Also, where she got presents for friends and family as well as her favorite hot chocolate

Robert stopped walking and let go of Ocean's hand. He opened the door to a little cafe nearby, its sweet scent wafted out and into Ocean's face. Robert followed Ocean into the cafe, mentally patting himself on the back for taking her here. He knew she loved this place from conversations he had with her

Ocean gasped, a smile appearing on her face. "I love this place!" She took in the scent of freshly ground coffee and fresh pastries coming out of the oven. "I haven't been here for a while, so thank you for taking me here,"

"Hey, no problem. I remember you talking about this place, so I thought it'd be a good idea to take you here on a first date. Plus it's cold outside and you probably got cold from falling on the ice," Robert rambled. He slapped a hand over his mouth. "S- Sorry for rambling,"

"You can stop apologizing for rambling. I think it's pretty cute," Ocean let out a small laugh. "Come on let's go get some drinks," She lightly tugged Robert towards the register. She ordered a hot chocolate and pulled her wallet out

Robert lightly shoved Ocean's wallet back towards her as he ordered the same thing. He took out his wallet and paid for the order. He tugged Ocean to the side when they were done. "Just cause you have the money, doesn't mean you spend it today. "You don't have to pay for everything you know," He shoved his wallet back into his pocket

"I wanna pay for somethings ya' know. Destroy gender stereotypes, uh, show my appreciation? I don't know. I just want to show that I can pay for things myself or something. Plus, I know how much you get paid and I don't want you to blow your money on me," Ocean sighed. "Just, let me pay for somethings,"

Robert sighed and chuckled. "Alright, alright. I've been covering more shifts to pay for this, but thank you for telling me," He placed his hand on the top of her hair. "I know this is supposed to be a date, but I realized how much your friendship means to me,"

Ocean stifled a laugh as her cheeks grew red. "Jeez Rob, stop with the cheese, my cheeks can't take more blushing," She poked his cheek. She heard their order number being called. She walked off and grabbed her drink

Robert followed her and grabbed his drink. He grabbed her hand and led her outside. "Come on, let's go explore," He took a sip of the hot chocolate. "Oh wow. This is pretty good," He commented as he walked around, letting Ocean take the lead

Ocean pointed towards a small store on the side of the street. "This store is pretty nice. I got one of my favorite jackets here," She walked into the store. She politely greeted the woman behind the counter before heading straight to the back where all the clothes were. "Hey look at this one," She pulled an oversized shirt off the rack

"Isn't that a little too big for you?" Robert teases. He took the shirt from her hand and held it up to her torso. The shirt went all the way to the middle of her thighs, further proving his point. "Though it is cute and I wouldn't mind seeing you in this,"

Ocean rolled her eyes. "I meant for you dummy," She put the shirt back on the rack. She looked at the rest of the clothes on the rack before coming to the very end of it. She found a white shirt with a vaporware sunset printed on it. She showed it to Robert

"This is actually nice," Robert took the shirt from her hands and admired it for a bit. "I should pick something for you!" He went to the next 'aisle' and looked at the rack of clothes. He went tense, wanting to find something cute for Ocean. He saw a cute pink top that was a little bit lacy. He pulled it off of the rack

Ocean rouned the corner with a reversible tiger jacket in her hand. "Hey did you pick anything ye-" She saw a pink lacy cat cut-out bra. "Robert Manion, I would've never guessed you were that kind of person,"

Robert's face went red. He shoved it back onto the rack. "N-NO I'M NOT I SWEAR!" He exclaimed. "I thought it was a regular shirt!"  He looked away from her. His mind began to wander to what Ocean would look like in it

Ocean nudged Robert's arm. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding," She chuckled. "I found you something else" She handed him the tiger jacket. "I think it's your size. You should try it on. It's reversible,"

"Alright, alright," Robert took the jacked from her hands. "Can you hold my cup?" He held out his cup and it was immediately taken from his hands. He took off his jacket and put on the one Ocean handed him. He looked in the nearest mirror. "I actually like this. And it fits!" He admired how it looked. He took it off and looked at the price tag and winced. He put it back on its hanger

"Don't worry. I'm paying for it," Ocean smiled at him. "I think you look really handsome in it," She handed him his cup and took the jacket back. "You know if you can't find anything else," She muttered. "I wouldn't mind getting the bra," She teased

Robert's face went red again. ".  . . Naughty. . ." He muttered with a smirk. He continued to look for something for Ocean to wear. He eventually found a pink suspender skirt layered on a white skirt with sakura blossoms embroidered onto the waistband. He searched some more and found a matching white button-up shirt with sakura blossoms embroidered on the collar. He returned to Ocean and showed it to her

Ocean gasped. "Oooooo. I saw this last time I went here! I thought it was really cute but I had already spent more than I meant to so I didn't get it," She admired it. "I'm gonna go try it on. She was handed the outfit and went to the changing room. After a few minutes, she came out and showed Robert

"Woah, you look adorable!" Robert blushed. "I wouldn't mind seeing you in that every day," He smiled. "Let's go check out, okay?" He smiled and tilted his head towards the cash register

Ocean nodded and went to check out. She placed the clothes on the counter and got her wallet out. She took out her credit card and watched as the cashier calculated their total. The total ended up to be around $65

"I-I'll give you a discount on this!" The cashier said. He began to blush. "I-I see you here often and y-you're always p-polite. And the t-the way you offered to pay for his jacket, e-even though i-it's expensive is admirable," He began to say kind things about her in Japanese, which shocked Ocean. It basically boiled down to him saying, 'You're amazing, cute, and kind' He stopped himself in the middle of a sentence. "S-Sorry! You must be really confused,"

Ocean let out a laugh after she got over her initial shock. In Japanese, she said, "Thank you for the discount, you're very kind," She gave him a smile before handing her card to the cashier. The clothes were bagged and the cashier handed Ocean the bag and returned her credit card. She said goodbye and left with Robert

Robert followed behind her and watched as she walked happily. "You know I gotta agree with that guy. You are pretty cute," He placed his hand on her head. "I love you," He placed a quick kiss on her cheek

Ocean's face went red. "I-I love you too. . ." She stuttered. "SO! Where to next?" She asked, lightly pulling away from Robert's touch. She wasn't uncomfortable or anything, just a little embarrassed

"Let's go get some snack and we can head back to my place," Robert placed his hand in hers. He felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach and he was sure Ocean felt them too

TIME SKIP

7:00 pm

Robert and Ocean walked into his apartment. He had two grocery bags filled with snacks and some drinks. He set them down on the coffee table. He looked in the kitchen. "Hey Jon, I'm back,"

In the kitchen, Jon stood there, his hands on Paislee's shoulders. Their faces were inches apart. When the two noticed Robert, they quickly jumped away from each other. "U-Uh. How did the date do Rob?" He asked

"Pretty good," Robert said, he felt Ocean lift his arm up and wrap it around her shoulders. He pat her head with a warm smile before running his hand through her hair until his hand rested on her shoulder

"Hey, Jon. Hi Paislee," Ocean waved at the two. "I fell on my face, but overall it was a pretty good time. If we, uh interrupted something, I could just go to my place." She nudged Robert's side, signaling him that they should definitely get doing

"P- Please," Paislee muttered. She covered her face in embarrassment. She felt Jon's hand being placed on her shoulder

Robert picked the grocery bags back up and swiftly walked out of the house with Ocean. He felt bad for just interrupting what those two were doing. He reached his car and got in. He started driving when she was inside his car

Ocean texted a bunch of people. She congratulated Paislee, she was texting her parents about the date, she texted Mariah about her tour and about the date, and she was texting her cousin about her French homework

Robert focused on the road. In his head, he debated if he should tell Ocean that he loves her more than anything in this world. On one hand, it could be too soon and she'd reject him. But on the other hand, it really seemed like she really liked him. He gripped the steering wheel hard. "There is actually one more place I want to take you,"

"Huh? Where?" Ocean asked. She turned off her phone and set it down on her lap. She tilted her head as she looked in Robert's direction. She noticed the look on his face, it was the same look he had when he picked her up for the date

"It's a surprise," Robert smirked. He started to drive to the park he went to after Ocean told him she was going to date Mariah. But that memory didn't matter anymore. He no longer felt the sadness he felt back then

The two of them got to the park. Robert found a parking spot that allowed them to see the city from another angle. They got out and sat on the hood of his car. The two of them started to take out the snacks and the soda they got. He thought it was odd that there was a marble in the bottle. He took note of everything they bought. Strawberry mochi, chocolate-covered bamboo shoots, seaweed flavored potato chips, taiyaki, and a bunch of other snacks that he never knew existed

"How do you even open this anyway?" Robert held the marble soda in his hand. "Why a marble anyway?" He examined the bottle, he remembered it when he lived in Japan for a year but he was never allowed to have it

Ocean took the plastic seal off and removed the cap to take the opener. She placed the opener in the hole and pressed down on it to release the marble. She took the opener and stuffed it in her pocket. "The marble helps preserve the carbonation. Do you want me to do it for you?" She asked

"I got this," Robert said as he unwrapped the seal. He almost dropped the opener before finally pushing down and releasing the marble. He showed Ocean. "Look, I did it," He smiled and took a sip of it

Ocean giggled before opening one of the taiyaki. She put the packaging back into the bag before taking a bite. It was full of red bean paste. "I missed this," She sighed happily. "Do you wanna try some?" She held the fish-shaped cake towards him

Robert took a bite and smiled. "I haven't tasted this since I lived in Japan," He took another sip of his ramune. He stared out into the city

"Huh? You lived in Japan?" Ocean turned to him with a shocked look. She wondered why Robert never told her about this

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July 19, 2002

During a summer festival. . .

"Kairi, Kairi you can stop crying now. Your mama is here now. . ." A woman said as she tried to comfort her daughter who was having a random fit. She was only 4 years old, which was expected

In the midst of her breakdown, the girl dropped her favorite toy. It was a tiny brown bear with a blue shirt. She was too distracted by her tears to notice

A 9-year-old boy with brown curly hair walked by with his family. He watched as the little girl drop the bear. He picked it up and headed after the woman holding the girl without the knowledge of his parents

The woman and her husband sat down on the nearest bench. The woman kept trying to calm her. The husband tried to calm her but ended up making her cry even more

The little boy approached the woman. He showed her the bear. He didn't understand Japanese nor spoke it, so he just spoke 1 word. "Bear," He held it towards her. "Bear," He spoke again

"Oh, thank you so much," Emma took the bear from the boy's hand and handed it to her daughter. The girl stopped crying and hugged the bear. Emma gasped. "Thank you, she finally stopped crying," She smiled

The boy nodded and turned around. "Mum?" He called out. He thought his mom followed him. He looked around and didn't see his mom anywhere. He started to tear up. He was still a kid, after all, surrounded by strangers

"Do you speak English? You can stay with us until your mom shows up," Emma suggests. "Hayato-kun, can you notify festival staff about a lost boy?" She asks her husband in Japanese. Her husband, Hayato nodded. He stood up and walked off

"Hm?" Emma saw her daughter reaching out towards the boy. "I think my Kiari likes you. What's your name?" She asked

The boy turned to the woman. "Robert. . ." He still had tears in his eyes. He approached the woman and looked at her daughter. He saw her blue eyes peering at him. He held out a finger and felt the girl's hand wrap around his finger. He lightly gasped and smiled

After a few minutes, the girl's dad came back with Robert's mom and sisters. "Robert! Don't run off like that!" His mother said, going to her knees and hugging him. "I was worried sick!" She teared up a bit

"Sorry mum," Robert apologized and looked down. He felt a small hand tugging the hem of his shirt. He saw the girl holding onto his pants. "Mum, she's cute!" He looking at his mom and then back to Kairi

"May I get a picture with your daughter and my son?" Robert's mom asked Kairi's mom. She thought it was adorable. When she got approval, she took a picture with her camera and so did Kairi's mom

After the parents talked for a bit, "Time to go Kairi," Emma told her as Hayato picked her up. Kairi and Robert immediately started to tear up. "Sorry, Kairi. Maybe you'll see him again,"

"We're going to be back here tomorrow, maybe we'll see you guys back here tomorrow," Robert's mom held her son's hand. "I can pay for your food here as a thank you for watching over my son,"

"We will see you tomorrow then," Emma smiled

For the next few weeks, Robert and Kairi spent hours together, around the festival, around the park, around the city. One day, their time was cut short

"I'm sorry Rob, we need to go. We need to pack up for our flight tomorrow," Robert's mom picked him up and pat his back. "Sorry, we need to go," She told Kairi's mom

Emma nodded. "Thank you for making my daughter so happy," She picked Kairi up. "Time to go," She handed her to Hayato

"Mum, will Kairi go with us?" Robert asks, he looked at his new friend with a sad look, like he did every time their time together would end

"No, we're going home remember?" Robert's mom reminded him. It took Robert a few minutes to process it before crying his eyes out

The two finally parted ways 

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"I never told anyone about it because it was sorta a sad experience towards the end. My mum said I met some and after I realized I'd never see her again, I cried for hours," Robert sighed. He took out his phone. He searched through his pictures and pulled up a picture of his family photo album. Placed in the middle of the page was a pic of Robert with a little girl next to him

Ocean's eyes widened. "B-But that's me. While I lived in Japan. I have this picture in a photo album," She pointed at the girl stood beside him. "Wait, that's you?" She looked between him and the photo. "

"Kairi. . .?" Robert's voice shook. "But, your name is Ocean. YOUR ID SAYS OCEAN," He shouted, making Ocean flinch a bit. "I-I'm sorry," He didn't like seeing the scared look on her face when he yelled

"My name was changed when I moved to the US for pronunciation reasons. I never told anyone because I didn't think it was important. I mean, it's legally not my name anymore. My dad calls me that sometimes and my mom barely calls me that," Ocean sighed. "I don't really recall much back then, but from what my mother told me, you just immediately cheered me up,"

Robert wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I knew your presence just felt familiar," He cried. "Just seeing her I wanted to protect her and see her grow up. I always wondered how she grew up," He pulled away from Ocean and looked at her. "And now I do,"

Ocean smiled lightly. "Thanks for bringing me so much joy in one day. And for my bear. That bear got me through tough times as a kid," She hugged him once again and rested her chin on Robert's shoulder

"I found my way back to you. And I never want to leave your side," Robert pulled from the hug and held Ocean's hands. He faced her. "Will you always stay by my side?" He looked at her with sad eyes

"Of course. The earth will have to split in two for me to ever leave you," Ocean told him. "I love you, Robert. You have been one of my best friends since I got to LA and I am so thankful you are in my life. So never question if I'm gonna leave you. Okay?"

Robert nodded and hugged her tight. "I love you too. . ." He muttered