Love at Twenty-Five

Sora woke up groggily after a long, restless night. His body felt completely drained, as if every ounce of his energy had been squeezed out. Yawning endlessly, he reached for his office clothes draped over a chair and hastily threw them on. "Looks like today is going to be another exhausting day..." he muttered with a heavy, drawn-out sigh. Just as he opened his door and stepped out into the hallway, a clattering sound came from the next room. Nanako—his neighbor and coworker—rushed out of her door, looking equally frantic. They bumped into each other for a split second, staring in bewilderment. "Eh... Don't tell me you're running late too?" Nanako's eyes widened. "Yeah, exactly! Hurry up or we'll be late for work!" And so, without another word, the two of them ran for their lives to the office. Another grueling workday had begun. Dusk fell. After a long day of being tortured by work, Sora and Nanako invited each other to their familiar stone bench near the company to blow off some steam. "I feel like this job just isn't right for me," Nanako complained, lightly kicking the toe of her shoe against the ground. "Honestly, it's because of that manager. His attitude is unbearably obnoxious!" Sora quickly waved his hands, trying to comfort her. "There, there..." Riding the wave of her frustration, Nanako blurted out, "If it wasn't for you, I would've quit this place ages ago! I wouldn't have bothered staying!" The atmosphere instantly froze. As soon as the words left her mouth, Nanako realized her slip-up. She immediately slapped both hands over her mouth, her face flushing red all the way to the tips of her ears. Sitting next to her, Sora was just as panicked, looking at her awkwardly. "Wait... wait a minute! I misspoke, that's not what I meant!" Nanako frantically explained, then grew so embarrassed that she buried her face in her hands, not daring to look at Sora. Sora lightly scratched his cheek, zoning out for a moment before his brain could process the information. And then, the corners of his lips curved up into a faint smile. "Alright then," Sora cleared his throat. "To save you the embarrassment, I'll just be straightforward too. The reason I stayed at this company... is also because of you." Though the phrasing sounded a bit awkward, Sora deliberately pushed past his nerves. He took a deep breath, as if gathering all his courage, and gently grasped the hands Nanako was using to cover her face. He hesitated for a beat before speaking up: "Actually... I've liked you for a really long time too, but I never dared to say it. Um... if you aren't seeing anyone, would you go out with me?" Only then did Nanako dare to lower her hands. Her face was still bright red, but a radiant smile graced her lips. She shyly nodded. "Yeah... I'm single too, so I kind of want to see what being in love feels like." Sora smiled happily. But less than three seconds later, Nanako suddenly narrowed her eyes at him and fired back a question, "Wait a second, since when did you start liking me, Sora?" Sora shyly turned his face away and scratched his head. "If we're being exact... I've liked you since we were elementary school students." Nanako burst into crisp laughter. "What? Since elementary school? Oh my god, you're such a lolicon, aren't you?!" "Hold on! I was an elementary schooler back then too, you know!" Sora grimaced in protest. Ignoring his defense, Nanako laughed even harder, cheerfully slapping Sora's shoulder. Seeing her smile so brightly, he could only smile back helplessly. "What about you?" Sora asked in return. "When did you start liking me? And hey, why are we still calling each other by these old nicknames?" "Never mind that, just answer me first!" Nanako cleared her throat and looked away. "Well... it was also since elementary school." Now it was Sora's turn to widen his eyes, caught between laughing and crying. "Then what were you laughing at me for?! You're exactly the same!" Their laughter echoed across the street corner. When they finally calmed down, Nanako rested her chin on her hand, thinking aloud: "Hey, since we like each other, we don't really need to work at the same company anymore. Let's find somewhere else to work." "Sounds good, the pay here is too low anyway," Sora nodded in agreement. "Back then I only stayed because you worked here. Otherwise, I would have quit ages ago. After all, we're both ace employees." "Makes perfect sense! Let's hand in our resignations tomorrow!" The two looked at each other with smug smiles, deciding that the very first thing they would do at work tomorrow was submit their resignation letters. Under the flickering streetlights, they walked home hand in hand. The distance between them was no longer that of two best friends. Though a bit awkward at first, Sora hesitantly spoke up: "Can I hold your hand... bro?" Nanako shot him a sidelong glance. "Why are you calling me that again?" Sora quickly cleared his throat and corrected himself, using a sweeter tone: "May I hold your hand, Nanako?" Nanako smiled gently, willingly offering her hand for him to interlock his fingers with hers. "Of course, Sora." The two happily walked side by side. He led her to a small cake shop. "Know this place? I just found it online. Let's try it out," Sora said. Nanako nudged him playfully. "You're acting all formal again. If you keep using that tone, I'm going to get mad." She looked at him with mischievous eyes that seemed to understand everything. In reality, she had secretly seen him scrolling intensely through his phone all afternoon to find a restaurant, yet here he was playing it cool like he "just found it online." But she didn't expose him; she just laughed cheerfully and squeezed her boyfriend's hand tighter as they stepped into the shop. Sitting opposite each other, Nanako rested her chin on her hand, looking at Sora, and said softly, "I'll be honest. I've always wanted to come eat here with you, Sora. I've wanted to bring the person I love to this shop at least once. And not just this shop, but for everything else too. I've been waiting for this for over a decade. But you just wouldn't say anything." Hearing that, Sora could only helplessly scratch his head and apologize over and over: "I know, I know. It's my fault." "If you know that, then make sure you make it up to me big time!" On the way back, when they were just a few steps away from their apartments, Nanako suddenly asked, "Can I sleep over at your place tonight?" Sora's face instantly turned beet red. Seeing that, Nanako burst into giggles. "Just kidding, I'm just kidding!" But Sora's expression was incredibly serious. "Don't joke around like that. How am I supposed to survive jokes like that? My heart almost stopped beating just now." "Is it really that serious?" "Yes, incredibly serious." Saying that, Sora suddenly took her hand and placed it over his chest. Beneath his shirt, his heart was pounding wildly. "See? I'm telling the truth. It almost stopped completely. Hehe." Nanako quickly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're right, it really almost stopped. But so did mine." With her heart pressed against his chest, he could hear its rhythm so clearly. The rapid pounding of a body overflowing with emotion. Arriving at their doors, right before they opened them to part ways, Nanako still tried to ask one last time, "So you're really not going to let me in?" "No entry!" Sora said firmly. Nanako laughed again, then stepped back and closed her door. But the very second her door clicked shut, her face instantly flushed bright red. She dove straight onto her bed, thrashing around wildly in pure joy. "I did it! It was a success!" Then, her tears began to fall. After more than ten years, she had finally found the courage. I should have confessed sooner. Why was I so stupid? Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Sora was leaning his back against his own door, clutching his wildly beating heart. He slowly slid down to the floor, muttering, "Oh my god... My heart almost burst right out of my chest. That was too dangerous..."