"NO, YOU SHOULD IGNORE IT FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS, YOU KNOW? LET IF SIMMER— YES YOU SHOULD ANSWER IT!"

~☾☘︎︎☽~

"What do I do Aina?" I asked the girl sitting next to me. I had gotten to her house about an hour ago, and I was staring at the contact I made for Iida.

"Just text him! Say you just wanted to save the number!" She exclaimed as if it was obvious. I continued to stare at the contact. "Were you even listening when he talked to you? He was practically declaring his love!"

"Was not!"

"Was too, were you even listening?!" She exclaimed, plunging her spoon into the frozen ice cream.

"Alright. Ok. Woman up. I've got this." I whispered to myself. I typed out a message.

You
5:29
Hey Iida!
I just wanted to text you to make sure I didn't loose your number in my contacts!

I put my phone down and sighed.

"Now we wait." I stabbed my spoon into the blanket-wrapped pint of ice cream in my hands.

"Thank god, I thought you would never do it." Aina sighed, pressing play on the movie we were watching.

"Hey!"

"Well it's true!"

Ding!

"oH my god Aina, what do I do?!" I exclaimed, shying away from my phone and into her.

She groaned, shoving me off.

"Check it, stupid. Is it him?" I hesitantly reached out for my phone, flipping it up.

Unread message from [Iida]

I flipped my phone back down, pressing myself into Aina again.

"It's him!"

"Well answer it!"

"Should I?"

"No, you should ignore it for at least three days, you know? Let it simmer— yes you should answer it!" She exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, fine!" I picked up my phone carefully, as if it were contaminated, pressing the notification.

As I unlocked my phone, I started to panic.

What is he gonna say? Oh god, he hates me doesn't he?

The messenger opened and I read the text.

Iida
5:32
Hello.
I was wondering if perhaps you wanted to get lunch with me tomorrow.
To talk over the interview.

"Aina, he wants to get lunch tomorrow." I breathed out, hand over my mouth.

"For what?" She said, eyes not leaving her ice cream as she scooped another bite.

"To talk about today, what else?!"

"Well say yes!" She exclaimed, finally looking at me.

"I can't," I sighed, putting my hand over my forehead, rubbing my temples, "I have a race that afternoon."

"So get brunch with him or something." My head snapped up and I smiled.

"Aina, you're a genius."

"Well, duh."

You
5:34
I actually have a race tomorrow afternoon at the local track.
Could we maybe do a brunch of sorts?

Iida
5:35
Brunch is wonderful.
10:00 at Cherry Place?

You
5:35
Ten it is.

"He said yes!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist in the air.

"Of course he did, he asked first."

"Why must you ruin this for me?"

(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)/(/)

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, wondering when Iida would get here.

I was at Cherry Place, a local cafe that specialized in cherry flavored things. Creamers, coffees, cakes, icing, ice creams, teas, juices. You name it, and it was there. As a cherry.

I was waiting outside under a cherry tree they had on the sidewalk. I leaned against it as a way to stop myself from fidgeting to much. I had sunglasses on to attempt hiding my identity.

"(L/N) (Y/N)?" Said a high-pitched voice from beside me. I took off my glasses and turned, seeing a teenage girl no older than fourteen standing beside me.

"Yes?"

"Oh. My. God. It's really you! I'm such a big fan!" She exclaimed, holding her hand out to me. I laughed, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Thank you so much! I love meeting fans!" I said. She smiled wider than I thought humanly possible.

"Can I get an autograph? Please?" She pleaded.

"Of course! Where do I sign?" I asked as she dug a pen out of her bag. She handed me a book as well, flipping to a page.

It was a book of inspirational quotes, and the page she flipped to was one of my quotes.

In a world of slow coming thoughts and ideas, read the page, be a fast thinker. Make it to the finish line.

— Racer (L/N) (Y/N) (XXXX—          )

I smiled and grabbed the pen, asking who I should make it out to.

"Arima Ayumi." I wrote a note to Arima, signing my name underneath it.

Arima,
You're going to be great. I just know it. So go into the world and be the great woman I know you can be.
With love,
(L/N) (Y/N)

She took her book back, reading what I had wrote. She seemed to tear up a little bit, concerning me.

"Are you alright?" I asked. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes.

"Can I hug you?" She asked. I kneeled down, holding out my arms.

She ran into them, putting her head on my shoulder.

"I passed." She whispered.

"What was that honey?" I asked her, rubbing her back.

"I passed as a girl." I was confused, what did she mean, was there some kind of test that comes with being a woman? Why was I not told? Then it clicked.

This girl was a trans-woman. I smiled.

"You passed wonderfully dear." She pulled away a few seconds later, rubbing her cheeks.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that I got your autograph."

"Anytime at all Arima. Anytime." She smiled widely, walking away.

"What was that?" Said a stern voice for behind me.

"Oh dear god!" I exclaimed, jumping. "Iida, you scared me."

"I apologize." He said, bowing. "That was not my intention."

"Oh, it's fine, really. You don't have to bow." He straightened up, clearing his throat and gesturing to the café doors.

"Shall we?"

I swallowed hard, nervous. I just confessed my love for this man on live television not even twenty-four hours ago.

"We shall."

Hello!

I got a little carried away with this chapter, but what can I say? Trans rights! Protect trans people!

Over and out my dears.