Lisa dropped me at my apartment, I told her that Justin seemed fine, we chatted for a bit and yeah he is fine… he also sent me a riel about finances and that is not a good singe, especially when he asked why was I wearing a dress in a picture with my kendo uniform, Justin might be fun to be around but I think he likes the me in the pictures not the normal me, my phone buzzed and I stretched the skin in my cheeks, full of dread that a new finances riel would arrive I unlock my phone M: Hey Rich, what happened today? R: Sorry, I got picked up at work. M: Oh, well, I wanted to tell you in person. Here it comes is the moment I been waiting for, here is the part where he tells me this was all an act, that the past weeks, he has been skimming this joke and everything returns to the way I know it, my heart hammers in my chest as I ee the dots moving M: I was wondering if you would be interested in going to the aquarium this weekend? I blinked at the screen but no matter how much I looked at his words the text doesn’t morph into the scenario I described, it’s just a normal hang out one that if I might add, sounds fun, I love the aquarium, penguins and sea lions are adorable but this also sounds like a date R: I love the aquarium… but is this a friends thing? M: It can be whatever you want it to be, another of those god damn winking emojis, and what do I want it to be? He is letting me have the power, and that never happened. R: What if it’s an intermediate level? Not exactly a date, not exactly just two friends hanging out, M:… so semi-romantic? I can feel the rose color covering my face and creating a layer of blush. R: Yeah, semi-romantic, so maybe PG13. M: XD, does your movie rating analogy include the use of drugs and nudity? I glared at the phone. R: So, you want to see me naked? M: … Can I be honest? R: No!”

“So, Lis-” “Right, how could I forget that time I was named class representative when…” I cut my stake while Justin rambled on and on about his life, so far I think I got maybe three sentences in, this isn’t even the restaurant that we had agree in, during the text exchange I thought we agreed on a pizza parlor in the mall, however when we arrived Justin almost dragged me to a steak house because this is way classier than pizza or so he said he asked me for my name, let me get Rich out and then immediately cut me to introduce himself and his several achievements, which include but are not limited to class rep, debate team leader, full scholarship and masters, and I think I stop listening after that, this is not a good date, well I dint think is a date, considering he has rambled on and on about himself, I took a piece of the stake and chew it while he continued, the only think that came out of my mouth was Eh? Oh? Cool, but enough about me, tell me why you wore a skirt?” I side eye him, “It's not a dress… I practice Kendo." Is that a made-up word? Are you a drag queen?” I think I had enough, one thing is been disrespectful while talking, a very different thing is to disrespect the art I practice “Kendo is a martial art” I spun the knife on my hand and with a precise and quick slice, cute what was left of my food in half, cutting even through the plate, I stood up and threw money in the table “huh? Why are you leaving?” he was genuinely confused with me “Justin this is not going to work, so far you know part of my name and fully disrespected part of my life” “no I didn’t!” I breathe in and ask, “What´s my name and job?” He stumbled for a while but was unable to say Richard Kinly and Teacher, "goodbye, please never call me again,” and before he could say anything, I walked out.

R: Date was a bust. I walked to the arcade in the mall. I was telling Justin how I was interested in going, and he answered, “Wow, really? That’s kind of childish, don’t you think? Who the hell doesn’t like an arcade?!? L: wait, REALY?!?!? R: girl, he called my kendo uniform a drag thing, couldn’t remember my name, and I think I wished for death when he told me about his forth debate tournament I felt rage building up inside me when my foot stepped in the arcade, I slammed my card and money to get an hour of game time, the arcade was not too full so any game was good to go, L: Dude I´m sorry, I thought he was good, damn not even your name?” I sigh and typed R: not your fault he is a jerk, I went to the arcade to blow some steam I turned my head and picked a whack-a-mole machine and started to whack my way through the game by the time it was over I looked at my phone and in horror saw the new message M: Okay… why are you blowing anything at the arcade?” I didn’t text Lisa, I accidentally texted Michel. I need to think of something. R: That wasn’t meant for you. M: Okay, but are you okay? R:… like I said, I’m just blowing some steam I was going to put my phone back into my pocket when I felt someone tapping my shoulder “you don’t look so okay to me” Michel was in front of me, wearing a t-shirt under a red flannel with his bracelet tight against his wrist “why are you here?” he shrugged “needed some art supplies and an anatomy book” he pointed to his bags I inhale and exhale “Lisa got me a blind date” I passed my card through a test your strength game and watched as the sand bag in the shape of a ball descended “was he that bad?” he asked nonchalantly, I hit the sack as hard as I could sending it back with a dry thud and watched as the numbers got higher and higher “Auch… did you picture his face in the ball?” he asked me as the ball returned “No…” I hit it again, and the score rolled higher. “With that one, I did.”  

“That bad, huh?” Michel leaned on a machine as the last attempt at the game appeared and for the last time I hit the ball and watched how it returned to the inside of the machine, “I don’t like people like him, he passed the whole dinner talking about himself, and how good, mature and grandiose he was” I gaged a little when I recounted the evening, of course I had date after Michel but those relationship never lasted, I start to wonder if the problem is actually me, I heard a cheerful alarm and watched as Michel picked something form the door of a crane game, he shoved into my hands a blue lama in an overall “that sounds like it sucks, here you can have Manolo” I looked at the doll and turning it over in my hand “you name it Manolo?” he shrugged “he looked like a Manolo, I believe he works for a construction site and is madly in love with Martha from his office” he pointed at a pink lama in a cardigan, and his improve back story for plane dolls made me smile “well, it’s going to be hard for him becomes Martha is dating Kwami, her boss at the construction site” I pointed at a bull wearing a suit jacket he smiled as we walked through the crane games ally and added to the back story “yeah, but think about it Richard, Kwami gets into a cheating scandal and that brings Manolo and her together” I think for a moment and I like that plot line “and it was orchestrated by Kiko, Marthas best friend, because she knows they deserve each other” we both without skipping a bit sing “they deserve each other Martha and Manolo” like in wicked

I suddenly realized just how physically close we are, and how alone this section of the arcade is; it was only us and the neon light of the machines. “S-so, am… wow, we are kind of alone here,” Michel, ever so observant, said with a red line growing across his face. “Why are you blushing?” I asked playfully, “Well… this kind of looks like a place where teens go to am… make out.” I walked closer and pinned him to a machine. “So you think that my wicked plan was to lure you here with singing?” he swallowed the knot in his throat. “Well… am… when did you become so forward?” I rolled to the side and let him breath “I´m messing with you, sometimes is fun to be the teaser instead of the tease” he breathe a sigh of relief “please don’t do that, I had to use all my self-control to not turn the tables and furiously make out with you like we use to”  I smirked “I´m sure you would have love to” we walked for a moment through the games, playing and just having a good time, “oh so this is who you go and waste your time?”

We turn and see Justin walking angrily towards us, he loosen his tie and his face looks redder, one whiff of his sent told me that he had been drinking heavily “okay I can see why it didn’t work” Michel said, I nod and was forcibly shoved to the side and taped Michel on the chest “The hell is your problem?” Michel asked and let his bags fall to the ground “You are!” Justin barked “I cannot believe someone like him is wasting his time with a waste of air such as yourself” a few weeks ago I would have agreed with him, is something interesting to consider that hadn’t Michel not been showing his changing in mind set and behavior I could have actually agreed with him “Oh because let me guess, you think you are better because your payroll is six figures and are wearing a horrible imitation suit?” is this what some people wish for? Two guys fighting over me, well more like fighting about me, in any case I need to stop this, I push them away and put myself in the middle “okay, Justin you are really drunk, and believe me you probably will regret it” I saw him pushing the inside of his cheek with his tongue “you better leave Riky alone, you hear me!” he stomped out escorted by the staff of the arcade and now as it´s becoming normal with me and Michel are anywhere we are asked to leave too, “God he is a jerk, also did he called you Riky?” I exhale loudly, “he got close… who am I kidding, he was a jerk.” We sit at a bench, and I notice Michel trembling. “What´s up with you?” he steadied himself and looked at me. “I… I treat you like him, didn’t I?” I blink for a second as he said that, not like him, he at the very least knew my name, but he did tend to disregard me and my interests, so similar “hey come on you didn’t change my name” “Rich…” I sigh and put my hand on his thigh “Look, you were indeed mean and disrespectful and a jerk” he looked at me and hanged his head “but” he looked back at me with the slightest of hope in his eyes “… even if I would like to say I still hate you just like I did back then, I… I don’t that much” his head spring back up “Really?” he said with an idiot´s grin on his face “I would say my hate level is at ninety five percent” he placed his hand over mine “hey is not a hundred I think I´ll take that as a complement” I feel my hearth drumming in my chest, I’m not sure if he realize that he did something that I thought was impossible for the him in the past, no matter what, he would let me fight my way out of situations as he told me why would I fight for you? But I found it cute that he did fight for me in this situation. I lined up and kissed him on the cheek, and he looked like he was stunned.

“Michel?” I waved my hand in front of his face, be he was still frozen in place with flared cheeks, I snapped my fingers in front of him “ju-hu earth to Michel!” but he said noting still in his unmoving state “can you at least close your mouth? I’m afraid an insect will get inside it” he slowly turned to me still with his mouth open looking a little bit like Kayako from the grudge franchise “is this the part where you do the death rattle, kill me and drag me to hell?” “Y-Y-You-you-ki-kiiii-kissed me?” I needed to use all of my composure to maintain my poker face as I have never heard him stumble that much in my life, and I was ready to tease him for it “in the cheek, which by the way is really soft, what´s your skin care routine?” he buffed and gestured in disbelief, “do not change the topic! That did happen, and this is not one of those dreams I have sometimes?” “Oh, so you dream about me kissing you?” he swallowed. “No, I don’t!... I… I have to go!” he stood up, picked up his things, and sprinted out of sight. “Hey!” I called him out, and he turned and covered his face to hide the blush underneath. “Are we still going to the aquarium?” “Yeah! I would love to!” he yelled and descended the stairs. Well, I´ll be damn, that was equal parts cute and concerning. I am amazed at how easy it was for him to lose his composure and how I managed to kiss him, but maybe I pushed too far. Well, I can see how things go on the date.

Once back at my apartment, I saw how Mika was looking at me and judging me with her dog eyes. “What?” she stomped on the ground. “I didn’t do anything!” I told her as I brought her food she lowered her face and ate her food, still narrowing her eyes at me “Mika, look, I do believe he has change for the better” she growled almost as she understood that dumb Waked joke, “okay I’m sorry, but I think that maybe he has grown, he even fought for me… wait why am I justifying this to you?” she lifted her head and stoked her tongue at me, so after that I went to bed and remembered that Michel did said that he has dreamed about me, but I think I stopped dreaming about him when I stopped taking my medications, I wonder what did he actually dream about, I took my phone and texted him R: Hey you up? He sent me a GIF of a knight holding a shield. R: … is that a, yes? M: I am, so are you not done tormenting me? I chuckled and quickly typed R: Tormenting? I believe by the color of your face that you enjoyed what happened. Michel sent me a sticker of a dog covering its mouth. M: Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t; you would have to do it again to have a definitive answer. R: Wow, look at you knowing the scientific method works. M: Don’t sass me, Sir. Sassalot R: Okay, we can talk about your dreams if you want a change of topics. M: Look, it's not what you think, they are… PG-13 I narrow my eyes and type R: so, there’s alcohol and nudity? M: … I have to go and bury my head in the ground. R: Okay, okay, I will stop now, but hey, that’s fine if you have them… maybe I did have them too. M: Maybe we can compare notes about them at the aquarium.