Endlessly, He Said

Tobi showed up every day at my lunch break for two weeks, after that. And for two weeks, we just talked. About everything. About anything. He left every day with a little bit more of my heart. I couldn’t help it. But he didn’t seem to feel the same. It was like he’d locked me in a box labeled ‘friend zone.” Still, I loved the way his eyes would light up when he talked about anime, and music. He was in his own world, narrating for me, showing me a tiny piece of Tobi.
Candy, being Candy, gave me shit constantly. About how I wasn’t doing enough and how I needed to push myself. But I couldn’t. Not yet. It had been way too short an amount of time and I couldn’t do that to the poor kid. Not after what I saw that day. I never wanted to be the reason he held such pain and fear in those beautiful hazel eyes. Besides, I was convinced he was taken. How could an angel like him not be? And yet, I continued to talk to him, avoiding my own problems as much as possible, torturing myself with thoughts of what could never, ever be.
At night, I would go home to Avalon and I would act like a school girl, gushing about how perfect he was to me, and how I wanted him to be mine. She would tease and taunt me, telling me that I should ask him on a date. After hearing it for the five billionth time, I decided, what the hell, the carnival was going on, and I could ask him to go. As friends. I pulled out my phone and stared at it for a good half an hour before shakily typing a message to him.
‘Hey, Tobi? Wanna go the the carnival with me tonight? I’ll pay.’ I texted, hoping dearly he’d say yes. If he didn’t I was going to just give up.
‘Yes!! I wanna go on the Ferris Wheel!’ He texted a moment later.
‘Meet me there in an hour?’ I replied. I got a yes in response and smiled. Sweet.
Bidding Avalon and her friend Bailey a quick farewell, I tossed on a pair of clean black skinny jeans and a green hoodie, making my way to the fairgrounds, where we decided we’d meet. I was nervous, and kept twitching my foot as I sat on the bus, each second bringing me closer to my angel.
He was waiting for me there, by the entrance, all alone in a black hoodie with rainbow trim. I smiled. He was just too cute. Sneaking up behind him, I hugged him around the waist and he squealed, turning to hit me. I laughed as he pouted, saying I’d scared him, and paid for our tickets. As soon as we were in, he ran toward the wheel, but I shook my head.
“Can we do that one last? Like as a grand Finale?”
“Aw Raffie! That’s such a great idea!” He squealed, hugging me. Did he know what that did to me?
“Glad you like it, love.” I replied, blushing, “Want me to win you something?”
His eyes lit up and he looked around for a booth with a stuffed chococat. When he found the toy he wanted, I paid the carni, and got him the toy. He squealed in delight as the man handed him the giant cat, a soft purr escaping his lips.
“Tobi, did you just purr?” I asked, chuckling, “You’re such a Neko!”
He blushed, looking up, a small smile on his face, “No, I’m not.”
“But you’re so cute. I think Nekos are sexy.” I teased, before I could even fabricate an excuse for the flirtatious attitude all of a sudden. I just did it without a second thought.
He smiled, and we went around, playing games and riding rides. I especially liked the roller coaster that went upside down. He held onto me tightly, a blush creeping up his face that made my heart melt. And I knew what I was going to do even before I did it. Buying him a set of blue plastic roses, I led him to the ferris wheel, asking the operator to stop us at the top.
The Wheel started, and he giggled, bouncing lightly around in excitement.
“I hope it stops at the top!” he exclaimed, eyes wide with hope.
I grinned to myself, hoping the operator would follow my request. We sat on the wheel for a long time, almost ten minutes, and I guessed that he wasn’t going to stop after all. But then, the wheel slowed as we crept toward the top. As the cart came to a stop, I turned and looked at Tobi, blushing deeply. It was now, or never.
“Can I tell you something?” I asked.
“Yes, Raffie?” Tobi replied, looking concerned. His eyebrows were pushed together in fear and I smiled lightly. His worried face was too cute. Still, I had to say something before we started moving.
“I.... Tobi I love you.”
He blushed deeply looking up at me, no words left his mouth. He was shocked. I felt horrible. He didn’t feel the same, and I’d probably ruined our friendship by saying that. Biting my lip, I figured, ‘what the hell, he’s already going to hate you’ and decided one kiss would be enough to let me die happily. I leaned down hesitantly, giving him a chance to pull away, and kissed him softly, letting my hand cup his cheek. His arms wrapped around me and he kissed back with force I had never imagined from one so fragile and small. As he pulled away, blushing purple, a flurry of words left his mouth so fast I almost didn’t understand them.
“RaffieILoveYouToo.”