When I Turned the Television On

When I Turned The Television On.

| Alice Midorikawa |

I watch Renn and Aiden gawk at Seth's car interior with widened eyes.
I laugh and randomly glance at the rearview mirror.
My eyes meet Nathaniel's, making me freeze in place.
He smiles at me while I smile back casually.

We're in good terms now.

"Oh um, Nathaniel... do you like anyone, as of the moment?"

I ask him teasingly, knowing the answer to my question already.

"Oh, he's got Ms. Mary."

We all laugh out loud at Renn's comment while Nathaniel scoffs.

"You know Nathan... you should get someone special. You can't just stay single forever because of m--"

Nathan quickly covers Seth's mouth.

"Seth Paver. Please, do not say anything."

I laugh at Nathaniel while Renn and Aiden look at each other with confused expressions on their faces.

--

We step out of the car as Nathaniel parks.

"West Salmon University! The weekend seemed so long, huh?"
"Yeah, it sure did."

We all stretch before we head up the steps
Just then, all of Seth's fans rush to him and beg for his autograph and pictures.
I glance at Nathaniel, waiting for him to scold the students.
He senses my stare and looks my way.

"Hey, aren't you going to shoo them off?"

He grins and looks at Seth.

"Not this time. It's his moment to shine."

I smile convincingly and make my way to Seth.

"Seth, I'll meet you inside--"
"Wait for me, please?"

I look at him hesitatingly and end up nodding my head.

"Oh, okay."

I search for Renn and Aiden in the crowd but they are nowhere to be found.
I sigh and sit on the bench beside Nathaniel.

"Seth must be working really hard now..."

Nathaniel faces me.

"Yeah. He's very into it, he even stays up late, right?"
"How do you know?"
"Uh..."

Awkward silence.

The crowd starts to move away from Seth when a group of reporters and interviewers arrive, grabbing the opportunity to interview him this time.

"Nathaniel?"
"Hm?"
"Shouldn't you...?"
"Nah, give him some time."
"I see."

I stand up towards the people and watch Seth from afar as he answers all their questions.
I decide to move closer when I hear a woman ask a question that catches my attention.

"Have you been dating anyone recently, Seth?"

All the people quiet down as they wait for his reply.
He catches a glimpse of me and smirks.
I shake my head vigorously when he suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me close to him.

"I can proudly say that I am dating her."

Everyone gasps when the woman asks another question.

"What is your proof that both of you are really dating?"
"Evidence? Seriously?"

No reply.
Seth looks at me mischievously.

"What do you say, Alice? You wanna do it?"
"Huh? Do wh-what?"
"This."

In a blink of an eye, Seth swiftly places his lips against mine, making my heart skip a beat.
The nervousness I feel slowly vanishes as I kiss Seth back.
The people start whispering to one another when someone starts clapping.

"Congratulations, you two."

Nathaniel?

Renn and Aiden joins in with him.

"Yeah! You guys rock! See that, they're both my friends and I love them!! WOOOHOOO"
"Congrats to the both of you! We are proud!"

Unexpectedly, everyone else starts clapping along with them.
Seth's fangirls all shoot glares at me while they applaud.

"Whatever makes Seth happy, I'm happy."
"Yeah... even if it means having a girlfriend. HUHUHU"

They cry and smile at the same time, cheering and congratulating us.

It's true.

It's really happening.

This time, it really is for real.

Seth and I...

We are officially dating.