Someday

...

Anaru looks better with her hair down, he decides.

They're sitting across from each other at a table in the café, and Anaru is looking at him funny, probably wondering why he's staring at her. He reaches out and takes a strand of her silky chestnut hair, runs his fingers through it. In response, she just lets out a huff of annoyance, but Yukiatsu smiles when he realizes how far they've come—she used to slap his hand away, not allowing him to touch her at all.

After a while, she snaps, "Yukiatsu, stop being such a flirt."

"What? Maybe I just really like you."

Anaru freezes at that, a blush creeping over her cheeks, then starts shaking her head vehemently. Secretly, Yukiatsu thinks she looks cute when she's embarrassed.

"I don't believe you," she replies, refusing to meet his gaze, playing with the loopy straw of her drink. He sighs—they've had this debate more than once—and looks at his watch. Time to get going. Getting up from the table with coffee in hand, he offers his other hand to her and she takes it hesitantly.

As they leave the cafe, Yukiatsu keeps his fingers entwined with hers, chuckling whenever she tries to pull away. To others, they probably appear as a typical teenage couple, and even he thinks they're aesthetically perfect—she's pretty, he's handsome. But deep down, submerged below all their flirting and teasing and joking, they both can't help but cling to the past, to someone they can't help but long for even though they know it's impossible.

No doubt about it, he likes Anaru. He isn't sure if he loves her, but she has definitely won his rare affections. When he looks at her, he forces himself not to think about Menma, with her long silky hair and sky blue eyes, and tries to like Anaru for who she really is. Not second-best, not merely a replacement. It's only fair to her, after all.

Yukiatsu and Anaru stroll down the street hand in hand, and his gaze is drawn to the young couples passing them on the sidewalk. They all look so happy together, laughing and positively glowing in each other's company, sharing intimate words and maybe even a kiss.

And he can't help but think—

Someday they could be like that too.