Tonight, Tonight

Tonight, Tonight

“Man, this place is great at night!”

Miki Miura walks ahead of me as we trek through the park, the full moon shining down upon us, bathing the park in an unearthly glow. I must admit, it’s very nice, if not a bit creepy.

We continue to walk to our usual spot: a large oak tree off in the corner; nice and somewhat secluded from the rest of the usually busy park. For the last month, this is how we’ve spent every Saturday: we come down from Yamaku to have lunch in the town, we go for a jog around the park, and we sit at our tree and just talk. There’s never any particular topic; we just chat like old friends, talking about whatever comes to mind at the time.

It’s been an interesting month. At the very least, I’m glad I turned down Emi to go running at night with Miki. It’s certainly been less “boot camp” and more “relative fun”. In fact, I’ve really been enjoying our runs lately. Plus, my heart’s getting stronger.

My mind turns to the girl sitting next to me. The lapse in our conversation gives me some time to think about what she means to me. I never thought I’d fall for a girl like Miki, but I must admit: she’s certainly grown on me. That cute way she closes her eyes when she smiles, the way she’s always encouraging me to push myself to my limit... And her smile, it has this way of just lighting up everything around her.

She shoots me one of her famous smiles; a small, almost caring smile that makes me break out in a big grin. “Whatcha thinkin’ about, Hisao? Got your mind in the gutter again?”

I feel my cheeks redden. “N-not exactly, no.” I grin at her. “Just thinking about a girl.”

Her smile turns into a cheshire grin. “Oh, really? And who would that be?” She scoots a bit closer.

“W-well, I dunno if you know her, to be honest...” I feel my resolve quickly drop away. I’m certain of it now: I love her. I just need to figure out the best way to say it.

“I’m sure I don’t then.” She sighs, almost wistfully.

Okay, now I HAVE to. But how do I say it? And what do I say? What if she says no? Why are women so damn complicated!?

I can’t let this settle on my mind, though. It’s just going to tear me apart until I tell her.

“Hey, Miki.” I almost whisper.

“Hm?” She looks at me quizzically, the moon making her dark hair almost glow. Damn, she’s beautiful.

And there goes my nerve.

“I-I l-l-love...”

Come on, champ. You’ve got this.

“I love the trees around here. They’re so pretty.”

I wonder if I can punch myself without her noticing. She rolls her eyes and says “Yeah, they are. I love it around here. Especially in the fall.” We go on about the trees and park for a bit as I try to gather my courage again.

Some time passes, and I feel like I’m ready to try again. “Miki, I gotta tell you something. I... I-I l... l-love... love running with you. It’s great!” Damn it, you thick-headed moron, get it right!

She looks at me with that look again. It’s this curious smirk she has. I have no idea what’s going through her head right now, much less mine. “Yeah, it’s a real blast”, she says, almost sarcastically.

Some more time goes by, with the both of us sitting in the most uncomfortable silence ever. “We should be heading back” she says, moving to get up from her spot.

“Wait, Miki, hang on.”

She sighs loudly. “What is it? You’ve been acting so weird tonight, what’s up?”

Now or never, Nakai. “Miki, I wanted to tell you... I really care about you, and you’re probably the best friend I have around here, except... Well hell, I don’t know if I want to be just your friend anymore, and it’s kinda weird in my head, but every time I see y-”

I stop abruptly as she grabs my collar, pulling me in, our noses almost touching. She has that smile on her face, and a tear in her eye. She whispers to me, in a low, yet happy tone.

“Shut up and kiss me, you gaylord.”

She presses her lips to mine, wrapping her arms around my torso and holding me close. She’s so warm... My mind goes blank as our lips part and crash together again, a full month of tension unraveling at once.

When we finally break for air, she looks me straight in the eye, and tells me, “You really suck at this confession thing, y’know?”

“Can you blame me, Miki? You’re so beautiful, you make me nervous.” She blushes a deep crimson.

“S-shut up and come on, gaylord! It’s getting cold.” Miki’s good hand finds mine, and we walk together back toward Yamaku. I haven’t been this happy since that fateful day in the snow.

And no matter what happens from now on, whatever happens to the both of us, I think I’m gonna be okay. As long as Miki’s by my side, I can do anything.

(Named after and somewhat inspired by Tonight, Tonight, by the Smashing Pumpkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY342ZN3stU)