I know this is late...better late than never, I suppose. We’ll see how many other prompts I get to...
*cracks neck* *cracks knuckles* (fingers hover over the keyboard) *cracks neck again from tilting head too far in one direction in absolute confusion*
Ok...how in the world do I do this again????
“All right, next term: cereblum.”
“Wait a second. Did you say ‘cerebellum’ or ‘cerebrum’? I couldn’t tell.”
Checking the flashcard, Orihime giggled nervously as she wiped away a smudge of flour as she replied, “Technically neither one, but I can now say that it actually says ‘cerebrum’. So, what is that?”
Heaving a deep sigh, Orihime could easily imagine her boyfriend leaning back in his study chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he said in a bland tone, “Both the cerebellum and cerebrum are parts of the brain, but the cerebrum is the largest part and responsible for handling our most basic yet important functions.”
Adjusting the grip of her cell phone between her ear and shoulder, Orihime asked calmly, “Such as?”
“Speech, movement, sight, thought and sensory process as well as memory storage.”
“I see,” said Orihime with a cheeky grin while doing her best to keep her voice even, “so when I forgot to call you on your birthday, it was because there was some sort of blockage or overload in my cerebellum, right?”
For just a brief moment after she heard Ichigo’s long exhalation, Orihime was positive that she had somehow said the worst thing she possibly could have in these circumstances and now Ichigo was considering how best to end the conversation without offending her. Then she heard a low sound over the phone and it caused this strange reaction within her where the weight in the pit of her stomach immediately vanished, but then resettled on her heart. Ichigo’s laugh was a beautiful sound and she could easily imagine the slight smile on his lips while he raked his fingers through his hair, but like most things when it comes imagining something and actually seeing it in person, there is no comparison.
“No, that was you just actually living your life, getting ready for those job interviews and not worrying about a silly detail like a birthday that comes every year whether you want it to or not,” Ichigo said with a slight yawn.
Gripping the phone, Orihime’s chided firmly yet calmly, “Ichigo, I’m serious. Please don’t talk about yourself that way. If you had never been born, I...well, you know. You being alive and able to celebrate another year of living is important to me and a lot of other people, so please...”
“Hey, hey now...” Ichigo began before seeming to think better of whatever he had been about to say and sighed as he said instead, “It was a dumb thing to say. I’m sorry, Orihime. I won’t bring it up again if it upsets you that much.”
Shaking her head even though she knew somewhere in the back of her mind that Ichigo really couldn’t see her at the moment, Orihime replied, “No, it’s not the story itself because it really is rather silly that I was so sure the interviews would go perfectly and then afterwards I would be completely free to give you the perfect birthday celebration that I didn’t count on the fact that the people might want me to start right away and totally wreck my plans. What I’m worried about is that you still seem to fall into that rut of not realizing just how special and wonderful you are and that you are someone worth celebrating.”
Another pause before Ichigo said slowly, “Thanks, Orihime.”
“For what?”
“Not giving up on me. Calling me out rather than saying nice things that you think will make me feel better.”
Swallowing as best she could around the lump in her throat, Orihime did her best to keep her voice calm as she said sweetly, “I love you, Ichigo.”
“Love you too. Talk to you soon.”
“All right.”
Switching off her lamp and stretching herself out on her futon, it wasn’t until Orihime finally drifted off to sleep that her grip on her cell phone loosened slightly.
