I gulp down my medicine with a splash of water. Haru's sitting next to me, looking out the window at the wispy clouds floating by.

Well something's clearly wrong. She's looked upset the entire morning, and she hasn't said much either. Her words ring in my head. Make her comfortable around you.

I nudge her with my elbow. "You've been quiet this morning. What's wrong?"

She turns and looks at me with a small smile. "Nothing, I'm just tired."

"Are you sure you're just tired?"

She nods assuringly, "Yeah, don't worry about me."

I dramatically pout, trying to make her laugh. "Are you mad at me?"

But she just shakes her head.

"Are you mad at me because of what I said the other day? How the tattoo was special but you weren't?" I ask, but she doesn't say anything.

I wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Haru-ssi, I didn't mean it. I thought you'd know that I was joking."

A flight attendant approaches me. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you."

"And your wife? Would she like anything?"

"Wife?"

"Yes, the lady sitting next to you?"

"Oh," I chuckle and look down at Haru, expecting her to say something. But instead, she's asleep, her head leaning against my shoulder.

I look back at the flight attendant, opening my mouth to say 'no'. But then I remember something. "Do you have any apple juice?"

She nods, "Yes we do." She pulls out a cold bottle and hands it to me. "Will that be all?"

I nod, "Yes, thank you." The flight attendant walks off, and I place the bottle of juice on the tray in front of Haru.

I look down at her sleeping figure. She looks so peaceful, so delicate. Her thick lashes curl off her big eyes, her face a soft heart shape, and her button nose small. For the first time, I notice a small beauty mark on the very tip of her nose.

"So cute," I whisper to myself, smiling, admiring her features. The golden sun that's pouring through the window makes her look even more delicate, more ethereal. Her skin is the shade of honey, soft and smooth. Her soft pink lips part slightly as she shifts in her seat, getting more comfortable against me.

I don't want to move, don't want to disturb her from her dreams. I tuck a piece of her soft hair behind her ear. I sigh.

Seven weeks. Forty-nine days. One-thousand one-hundred and seventy-six hours.

That's not nearly enough time for someone to catch feelings for a person. Even if you met them every day for seven weeks, that shouldn't happen. That can't happen.

But it did.

It happened to me. It's happening to me. Everything is moving so fast, for me at least. One day I'm dreadfully giving her a tattoo, and the next, I find myself falling in love with her smile. With her laugh. With her everything.

To me it doesn't matter if she doesn't like me back. She probably doesn't. But something in me makes me want to hold her, to protect her from any harm that comes her way. Is it love? I don't know. I'm not smart enough to be able to tell. All I know is that there's something in my heart that beats for her.

No matter how weak it may be.

this chapter was wayyyyyy too short, but i didn't know

how to transition from this scene to the next sooo

oh and btw, prepare yourself for the next one!!