i swear , my teammates must be playing some kind of prank on me. they’re the ones who put the idea in my head in the first place. she keeps looking at you , man. she waits after practice — nobody does that unless they’re into you. she’s popular. you’re , like , japan’s baseball prodigy. makes sense.
no. it didn’t make sense. not to me.
@wa7chme was out of my league in every possible way. she was confident , outgoing , and everyone liked her. she knew how to talk to people , how to command a room without even trying. and me ? i was just the quiet exchange student who barely spoke up in class unless called on. i kept my head down , focused on baseball , and spent more time in the batting cages than at parties.
but she kept showing up. kept waiting for me after practice , leaning against the fence with that easygoing grin , throwing her arm around my shoulders like we’d known each other forever. kept laughing at my awkward jokes in class , sitting next to me when she didn’t have to , always looking at me like — like i wasn’t just some kid from another country trying to fit in.
so when she asked me out — actually asked me out — i think my brain shut down for a solid five seconds. i stood there like an idiot , gripping the straps of my baseball bag so tight my knuckles turned white. i ran through a thousand different ways to say , are you sure ? but all i managed was a stunned , “ me ? ”
she rolled her eyes , like she expected that answer. “ no , the guy behind you , ” she teased. “ yes , you , ohtani. so ? are you free friday ? ” i don’t even remember what i said. i think i nodded. or maybe stammered something embarrassing. either way , it must’ve been enough , because now —
at the county fair , standing in line for the ferris wheel , the smell of popcorn and fried dough thick in the summer air. the sky is deep blue , just on the edge of turning dark , and the lights from the rides flicker against liv’s skin , making her look even prettier than usual.
i steal a glance at her as we step into the cart , but she catches me , smirking as she flops down on the seat next to me. “ you nervous ? ” she asks , bumping her shoulder against mine. yeah , i want to say. because i don’t get how this is real. instead , i shake my head , forcing a smirk of my own. “ i’m fine. ”
she narrows her eyes playfully. “ liar. ” i chuckle under my breath. maybe i am. my heart is racing , not because of the height or the way the ferris wheel creaks as it lifts us higher — but because she’s right here , sitting so close our knees touch , looking at me like she’s known me forever.
