My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 30: Chapter 30 - My Girlfriend ?

The colors of the orange and pink hues illuminated the sky as Sui and Yuiko stood on the little bridge above the flowing river.

His proposal was still floating in the air – Will you marry me? – surprising, spontaneous, but completely genuine.

Yuiko’s golden eyes were filled with unshed tears. Her cheeks were burning red, her tail was puffed in amazement, and her heart was beating so quickly that she thought it would burst any moment soon.

"I... I..."

Sui looked at her with soft compassion.

"You do not need to answer right now. I know that I caught you off guard. I will wait..."

"No." Yuiko’s voice sounded firmer than she expected. She shook her head and let the hot tears run down her cheeks. "I do not... I do not want you to wait."

She sighed and pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm her raging heart. Her voice trembled, loaded with feelings she had suppressed for such a long time.

"Then... let me ask you too."

Sui was surprised.

Yuiko blushed even harder. The tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably, but she did not try to dry them off. The words escaped from her lips, breaking under the pressure of the overwhelming sensations.

"I wanted... I wanted to ask you someday. When I was not so afraid. When I was able to breathe freely just because of thinking about you." A stifled sob got stuck in her throat and was followed by a giggling laughter. "But I cannot wait anymore. I have been waiting for so long."

She approached him and closed the gap between them, seeing the reflection of the sunset in his eyes. Her hand reached for his hand and entwined with his fingers, trembling with tenderness.

"You asked me to be happy. You promised me a lifetime of happiness." Her voice broke, but she continued. "But happiness is not something you get as a gift, Sui. It is not something you give me and I just take it. It is... it is a garden. Something we need to grow together."

She squeezed his hand. Her tears faded and were replaced with radiant, decisive smile that shone in the evening light.

"So I am asking you now. Will you let me grow that garden with you? Through the droughts and the frosts and the beautiful springs?"

His breath was clogged in his throat. He could see moisture in his eyes.

She laughed lightly and wiped her cheek with her free hand. "I cannot take your promise, you know. It will not be fair at all. You made me your word, so I need to make one in return."

Her voice strengthened, becoming steady and unshakable. Golden eyes looked at him with absolute confidence.

"I will spend my life making you happy."

The words floated around the bridge and were taken by the gentle breeze. The river shimmered underneath them; the first stars started appearing in the sky.

Sui looked at her, his heart bursting in his chest. He opened his mouth, closed it and released a breathless laugh that was almost a sob.

"Yuiko..."

She smiled, her tail wagging happily. "I know I am crying. I know I am blushing. I probably look ridiculous." She giggled brightly. "But I meant every word. Every single one."

He drew her into his embrace unexpectedly. She gasped, and then melted into his arms, her tears soaking his shirt while she hugged him tightly.

"You are not ridiculous," he whispered into her hair. "You are... you are everything."

She drew back and looked at him. Her face was glowing with blush, her eyes shining with tears, but her smile was shining even brighter than the sunset behind her.

"Then it is decided," she whispered. "We will be ridiculous together. As long as we live."

He laughed and leaned his forehead gently against hers.

"Together," he agreed.

And standing on that bridge under the painted sky, under the shining stars, with the endless river below them, they embraced each other – two people who stopped being afraid, who allowed their hearts to speak, who made promises to build their future together.

The ordinary days would go on. The walks home, the grocery shopping, the peaceful moments. But now everything changed. Now everything became the start of something extraordinary.

Because they had each other.

And it was more than enough.

Their walk back from the bridge was silent. But unlike the heavy silence before, this silence was a pleasant one, full of words that didn’t need to be said. His hand was still tangled in hers, fingers intertwined as though meant to be that way.

Sui’s heart didn’t slow down after he had blurted that out. Every time he looked at Yuiko, she was looking at him too, until they both had to look away, cheeks pink.

They arrived at her door. The porch lights turned on automatically, bathing them in soft light. Neither pulled away.

"Tonight was..." Yuiko began. She searched for a word.

"Unforgettable?" Sui suggested.

She smiled. "Yeah. That."

Silence hung between them. The wind rustled the leaves of the maple tree by her door, scattering a few crimson leaves between them.

He opened and closed his mouth, much like a fish gasping for air.

"Are you alright, Sui?" Yuiko asked, tilting her head.

"I’m great! Super great!" His voice broke. "It’s just that... I was thinking..."

His mind raced but he couldn’t seem to put into words what he wanted to say.

Wait.

He went over the evening once again. On the bridge. He asked her. She cried. She accepted. They hugged. They...

But...

He opened and closed his mouth several times in rapid succession, cheeks flaming red.

"Sui, what is it?"

He let her go—he regretted the action immediately—but raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I asked you to marry me! I promised I would make you happy! You promised to make me happy too! But we... We never..."

She blinked, confused. "We never what?"

He let her go and ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "I asked you to marry me! I promised I would make you happy! You promised to make me happy too! And we never—"

He took a deep breath.

"We never said ’I love you.’"

Her cheeks heated up again.

"And you never said it either!" He exclaimed. "We just... we talked about forever and happiness and gardens, and we agreed to create a life together, but neither of us actually said the—the—"

"Love," she supplied gently.

"Yes! That!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "How did we forget to say that? How did I forget to say that? Who proposes without saying ’I love you’ first?"

Laughter bubbled from her throat and soon, she was giggling. She covered her mouth with her hands.

"It’s not funny! This is a very serious situation!"

"I know, I know." She struggled to contain her laughter, eyes sparkling. "It’s just that you are so flustered. It’s adorable."

"No, I am not adorable. I am mortified."

She stepped closer, laughing becoming a smile on her face. "Sui."

"What?"

"Look at me."

He did. Her golden eyes locked on to his.

"We don’t need to say it," she whispered. "Not yet, at least. I already know. And I think... I think that you know too."

He gulped, hard. "I do. I mean, I think I know... I definitely know. I know that I..."

He felt her finger against his lips, stopping him. "You don’t need to force it. Just let it come to you. When the time is right."

Some of the tension eased off him, allowing him to breathe easier. "You’re right. I’m sorry. I was overthinking."

"That’s what you do best." She smiled, removing her finger from his lips.

They stood together in comfortable silence for a while.

Sui broke it. "So... are we dating now?"

Her ears perked up, and her tail began to move rapidly. "I... I think so? I mean, you proposed to me, so that means we’re at least dating."

"That’s true." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "But just to be sure... are you my girlfriend now? Officially?"

She bit her lip to hold back her smile. "Are you asking me out? Right after you proposed to me?"

"Technically, I proposed to you first, so this is a mere formality." He grinned. "But yes. I am asking. Yuiko, will you be my girlfriend?"

Her tail moved even faster, betraying her calm exterior. She pretended to think about it and tapped her chin in consideration.

"Hmm... I don’t know. That’s a very big commitment, you know."

"Yuiko."

"Alright, alright." She laughed, unable to maintain the act. "Yes. Yes, I will be your girlfriend."

His smile grew wider. "Really?"

"Really." She stepped forward, entwining their hands again. "I have been waiting for you to ask for a long time, but I didn’t realize it."

He squeezed her hands. "I should have said something sooner. I should have said a lot of things sooner."

"Everything happens when it should happen." She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "We are here now. That’s all that matters."

His face flushed red from the kiss, but he wore a smile on it. "So... Can I walk you to school tomorrow?"

"Only if you carry my bag."

"Deal."

She laughed, releasing his hands. "Goodnight, Sui."

"Goodnight, Yuiko."

She turned to her door but paused and looked over her shoulder. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

Her smile was beautiful, eyes full of warmth. "I don’t need to hear the words to know. But when you’re ready... I will be ready to hear them."

His heart filled up with something that seemed to be happiness. "I will remember that."

She vanished behind her door, and he stood there, staring at the closed door for a while. A ridiculous smile covered his face.

Girlfriend, he thought. She’s my girlfriend.

He walked home that night, feeling light-hearted, and the stars shone brighter than ever. They didn’t say the words. Not yet. But somehow, none of them needed to.

Because without saying it, they knew.

And that was enough.