Beyond the sea 4

 Hizashi made the mistake of sighing dreamily a few times during coffee break the next morning. His friend pounced almost immediately.

"You <i>did</i> meet someone!"

He blinked back to focus and waved his hands around to shush Nemuri, who was crowing loudly with delight. "Be quiet! Or everyone'll hear."

"You can't tell me you didn't see her. You're <i>blushing</i>."

He grimaced and placed his palms on his cheeks. "Maybe I'm just sweaty."

"Nah." Nemuri sat back and took a sip from her mug. "I told you, you can't fool me. Now spill - what's she like? Where did you meet, at the club? <i>Please</i> tell me it wasn't the club this time."

"It wasn't the club this time." He opened his laptop to start work again, using it as a shield to duck behind.

She didn't mind; she walked over by his side. "Then what's she like, huh? Besides having drop-dead gorgeous eyes you can't stop daydreaming about." She giggled wickedly. "Or have you moved on to other parts now?"

"<i>Nem</i>," he whined plaintively. "Quit it."

"You haven't shown interest in anybody in ages." She rolled her eyes. "I just want to know how she managed to get your attention. What's she like? C'mon."

"Look, I don't know that much about her yet, okay? I dunno. I'm nervous."


"Yeah, you should be. Your other choices weren't so hot." She nodded thoughtfully.

"Hey!"

"Just calling it like it is. You don't have that great a track record. You're <i>sure</i> you don't want some help?"

Hizashi eyed her warily over his computer screen. "Like what?"

"Oh! I could tail you guys on your date -"

"Nope."

"You didn't let me -"

"Nope."

"Hi<i>zashi -!</i>"

"N-o. Noooo. Nuh uh, no way, de nada, yer not followin' us around. Anyway, it's not a date. I just asked to see her again."

"Are you going to get to know each other?"

He shrugged, closed his laptop and stood up. "Yeah, of course."

"And ask to see her again?"

"Hopefully."

"Then it's a date!"

Another professor walking by the arts department stuck their head in his office door. "Hey, did I hear someone's got a date?"

"Toshi!"

"Oh dear fuck, no." The music teacher proceeded to bang his forehead on the wall nearest him.

Toshinori was the director of their department, a skeletal, tall man that had sunken eyes and dangling strips of blond hair swinging on the sides of his face. All in all an insanely nice guy, but if he knew, soon the entire campus would. He was a bit of a romantic and couldn't help himself whenever a colleague started dating.

"Are you going out for coffee first? Or dinner?"

"Uh." Hizashi scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Nnnneither..? I sorta just agreed to meeting her on the beach."

"Perhaps you could bring some food, then," the tall man suggested with a smile. "It wouldn't hurt now, would it?"

Hizashi thought that was a great idea.

He went out that evening and purchased a variety of meals from his favorite surf and turf restaurant along with a bottle of nice wine. This night he not only built a much neater fire with stones lining the pit, but staked down a blanket big enough for two.

And he waited.

It wasn't long before he saw a head bobbing in the water nearby.

He waved happily. "Hey!"

Elly swam closer, her eyes bright with a smile on her face that was pure happiness. Hizashi's heart beat rapidly at the thought that it was from seeing him.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"I was so nervous," he admitted with a laugh. "Thought you might decide not to show!"

"Aw," she said softly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Uh. I dunno? You're really pretty, an' I haven't had much luck with, ummmm..." He hesitated to say <i>dates</i> since he wasn't sure if she saw this as one. So instead he gestured grandly at his setup. "I brought some food, if you haven't eaten yet. It's from a local place, all kinds of stuff. I didn't know what you liked so I think I may have bought too much."

Elly eyed the beach with longing. "I - I wish I could, but I can't get out of the water right now."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, turning in the act of pulling out the bottle of wine. "Can I ask why? Is it okay?"

"Yeah, it's..." She inhaled, letting air out in a long, shaky sigh. "If you scoop out an area like, maybe this big -" she showed him with her arms outstretched, "by the shore so it fills up I'll show you. That's as close as I can get."