#charnie

it happened while she was reading a magazine on your bed, with your braiding her hair. it was a sleepover that you had organized, a distraction to help her get over Koichi’s rejection. it seemed to be working, at least you thought so. she had rambled for weeks about Koichi, only to ramble for three more weeks about how he so rudely denied her. but now she was quiet here, her soft humming filling the silence as she read the latest celebrity gossip.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and the thing is, I love you.”

you choked on your own spit. “...e-excuse me?”

“I love you, [Name].” Yukako handed you a tissue from your desk. “I’ve realized that I had been deluding myself about Koichi. I just can’t believe that I didn’t see it sooner.”

she said it so simply. and you knew well enough that to her, that was the simple truth. you just can’t wrap your head around it.

“but... why me?”

she continued to skim the article. this was all so casual for her. it felt off but at the same time, it didn’t. yes, she was passionate about everything she did. yes, this declaration didn’t seem characteristic of her. but there were no sirens going off in your head. 

“throughout everything that I’ve gone through, you’ve always been there for me.” you can tell that she was smiling as she talked. “even now. I know that you have an exam on Monday, yet you still chose to be here for me. I love you, [Name]. with everything that I am.”

to be honest, you weren’t sure what to say. Yukako had always been the intense one between the two of you. she also always had to be the one in control. she held a tight grip on anything around her. one wrong move could lead to the worst possible outcome.

as if reading your mind, she continued: “you don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to let you know.”

and that was when it hit you: she was letting you braid her hair. Yukako’s locks were her pride and joy, and here she was, letting you do what you pleased with it. this wasn’t just her stating her feelings, but showing you that she trusted you enough to be in control.