Hinata was sitting in her room and reading a book when she saw a message from her phone. She gently set the book down to check it in the hopes that it was something good. It was from her friend, Haku.
The message said, “Hello, do you want to get some ice cream later today?”
She was already excited. It had been way too long since she had gone out for some ice cream, and she had been feeling a little bored that day.
Also, there was something about Haku that Hinata couldn’t get out of her mind lately. The two of them had been friends for a few years, but in the last few months it was as if she began to see him as more than a friend, but as a crush.
His smile somehow seemed even more radiant and his laugh was even more beautiful. Whenever they went out with their friends, Hinata felt this urge to get closer to him but also this nervousness.
Hinata quickly and eagerly typed back, “Yes! Where do you want to go?”
He sent a message back that said, "How about that place that I mentioned a few days ago? The new one.”
She replied, “Sounds good. What time?”
As Hinata got ready to go out, she realized that Haku had only asked her, not any of their other friends. That was a bit surprising, since she was also friends with his roommate Jugo.
She wondered to herself, Is this a date? Does he like me?
She shook her head and said to herself, “No, I’m probably just overthinking things.”
As she drove over to the place, she could feel her hands shake and butterflies in her stomach. She took a swig of water to settle her nerves, but she was still overwhelmed.
There were a bunch of questions on her mind: Does he like me? What if this goes wrong? What if I make him mad?
She wanted to spend time with him, but she was afraid that something could go wrong. What if Haku wasn’t interested in her? Would they just eat in silence before parting ways? Could they even still be friends or would she hide away in shame?
She hadn’t been on a date in months, not since she and her old boyfriend Naruto broke up. Even now, she remembered how she’d cry herself to sleep, wondering why he left her so suddenly. The heartbreak occasionally gnawed at her whenever she heard his favorite songs on the radio or passed by his favorite ramen shop on her way home from work.
If this time with Haku was another date, she didn’t want to screw it up. She didn’t know if she could handle the possible heartbreak so soon.
She said to herself, “We can just be friends, Hinata. That’s okay.”
But just saying that didn’t put her at ease. She still felt a knot in her stomach as she waited at a red light, and she drummed her fingers along the steering wheel to release some of her pent-up worries.
When she got there, Haku was waiting right next to his car. He had his hair tied in a braid and wore a white and pink dress with sandals, and he wore a bit of blush on his cheeks.
Hinata thought to herself, He’s dressed nicer than I am!
She felt embarrassed to be walking out there in one of her old T-shirts. Still, he didn’t seem to mind it one bit.
He waved at her and said, “Hello, Hinata!”
Hinata’s face flushed as she walked over to him.
She said, “Hello, Haku. That outfit, um, looks nice on you.”
She thought to herself, Don’t be weird…
He said, “Thank you, but you don’t need to be sorry. Your skirt looks nice on you too.”
Her face flushed as she said, “You think so?”
Haku nodded, “Yes, you always look good in purple.”
Hinata fidgeted with her hair as she tried to not stare too much at him. She was trying not to be awkward, but the nervous look on Hinata’s face was plain as day. She felt her cheeks getting warm and flushed while her hands were getting a little sweaty. She wondered to herself why she couldn’t calm down already.
She continued messing with her hair as she said, “Well, let’s head in.”
She worried to herself, Am I being weird?
Haku asked in a concerned tone, “Are you okay, Hinata?”
Hinata lied, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I just had something stuck in my hair.”
Haku still looked worried, “Are you sure you’re okay? We can always wait until later if you’re not doing well.”
She tried to reassure him, “No, I’d love to get some ice cream. I just… have something serious on my mind. I’ll tell you once we sit down.”
“Okay, but if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, let me know. I can always wait.”
Hinata felt her heart slow down and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to ease up. She thought to herself that perhaps she had nothing to worry about.
There was a long line that trailed outside of the store, which wasn’t too much of a surprise. After all, it was a Saturday and it was still pretty new. Hinata took a deep breath as she got in line.
She thought to herself, It’ll be okay.
As Hinata got in line, she caught a glimpse of Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino walking outside. They were all chatting with each other while carrying ice cream cones with various flavors.
Ino waved and called out, “Hey there, Hinata!”
Hinata waved back, “Hello, Ino! How are you doing?”
She waved back, “I’m doing well.”
Choji said, “You’re in for a treat! This stuff’s really good!”
Ino said, “And it looks like you’re hanging out with Haku.”
She then teased, “Are you two on a date?”
Hinata said, “Um… We just wanted some ice cream.”
“I’ve been craving ice cream for a while now.”
They waved her goodbye, “Have fun!”
“Thanks!”
Hinata was surprised when she saw the inside of the ice cream shop. It was very colorful inside, and even though it was new, it was well-staffed. She could smell the sweet scent of the ice cream and toppings all the way from the door.
The counter was also longer than she had expected, and there were so many flavors that looked good. She was a little surprised that she hadn’t heard about it until Haku mentioned it a couple of days ago.
There was a large sign on the wall listing every flavor of ice cream they had, as well as what types of sundaes they sold. It was a mindblowing variety for such a new local business.
Hinata stared at all of the flavors, trying to find one that she wanted to get. There were classic ones like French Vanilla and chocolate, but also some less common ones yet intriguing ones like S’mores or honey cornbread.
She just couldn’t decide what to get. They all sounded good. She scanned the list over and over, just to try to make a decision. She felt like she could have spent half an hour just trying to decide what to get if there wasn’t a line behind her.
I should have looked up the menu sooner.
Haku noticed her indecision and pointed at the sundae list.
He suggested, “What if we got a banana split? It says we can get any flavors we’d like.”
She asked, “Um, are you sure you want to share?”
Haku nodded.
He said, “I’m also having a tough time deciding what to get. I figure that three flavors would be nice.”
Hinata thought about how cute it would be to share something like that. Once Hinata worked up the nerve to confess her feelings, they could take turns and maybe feed each other bites as they looked into each other’s eyes.
She giggled a little at the thought before sighing.
She thought to herself, Would that even happen?
The line was still long, but little by little, the line ahead of them became smaller and smaller. The only problem was that neither of them could decide what to get for their three flavors.
Hinata looked behind herself and saw that there were still a bunch of people behind them. She hoped she wouldn’t keep them waiting for too long while they made their final decisions.
The person working the counter greeted them enthusiastically, “Hello, how may I help you?”
Haku said, “We’d like a banana split.”
The employee said, “Sure thing! What flavors would you like?”
Haku hesitated for a moment before he pointed at a green tub.
He said, “I’ll have some pistachio, please.”
Hinata tapped her chin in thought as she looked at the rows of ice cream tubs.Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that they had a cinnamon bun flavor in the far corner. It was labeled as a seasonal flavor and was decorated with pieces of a cinnamon bun on top.
She eagerly pointed at it and said, “I’ll take some of the cinnamon bun!”
The employee scooped it out and said, “Good choice! That’s my favorite! What would you like for the last flavor?”
The two of them looked at each other briefly and then said in unison, “French Vanilla.”
The two of them loved French Vanilla ice cream, so it was a no-brainer. Besides, vanilla ice cream would go well with everything. It was a classic for a good reason.
The employee hummed to himself as he scooped out the last scoop and covered it in fudge sauce. Then, he topped it with whipped cream and cherries.
Once their banana split was done, he passed it over to the lady running the register.
Then, they paid and then took a seat by the window, looking out at the parking lot.
Now that they were inside, Hinata noticed all of the flowers that the place had planted right outside. They all appeared to be well cared for, and there was even a little herb garden as well. A couple of fuzzy yellow bees flew among the flowers, and Hinata couldn’t help but see them as adorable.
She pointed at a bush with soft pink flowers and said, “Those are some lovely peonies. Whoever takes care of them does a great job.”
Haku agreed, “They sure do. I want to grow more flowers this summer.”
He laughed, “Well, not too many flowers. I don’t want Jugo to get overwhelmed.”
Now that Haku had mentioned him, Hinata had a question.
She asked, “Um, speaking of Jugo, why isn’t he here? I thought he had the day off.”
Haku answered in a disappointed tone, “Jugo couldn’t come today since he got called in at the last minute.”
Hinata sighed, “That’s a bummer. He’s been really busy lately, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah. It’s a shame his job’s been so busy. I think it’s been rough for him these days, he’s been frustrated whenever he comes home from work. He had been looking forward to going out all day.
He was okay with letting us go without him, but .”
Hinata noticed that they had a freezer full of ice cream on one of the walls.
She pointed at it and said, “We could get him something from there.”
“Oh, he’ll love that. I might have to see what they have when we’re done.”
The two of them took turns eating, starting with the vanilla ice cream in the center. It had a pleasantly creamy texture and the custardy taste played nicely with the dark chocolate fudge. The warmth of the fudge and the cool ice cream was also a lovely contrast.
Hinata exclaimed, “This is good!”
She took another spoonful on the vanilla ice cream and let it melt on her tongue.
A part of her thought to herself, Now’s your chance…
But she just couldn’t say it, not yet. It was as if the words were stuck inside of her.
Hinata then decided to take a bite of the cinnamon bun ice cream. It was just as good as she expected, and it was almost enough to make her forget about what she wanted to say.
Haku noticed that Hinata looked like she had something really important to say, but was waiting for the right moment. However, she didn’t seem like she was fully comfortable with talking about it just yet.
Haku said, “You said you had something on your mind, right? Don’t worry, I won’t judge.”
Hinata said, “Well, I- There’s something I want to tell you when it was just the two of us, Haku. I, uh… I wanted to tell you for a while, but I just wasn’t sure how you’d react.”
He asked, “What is it?”
Hinata twirled her spoon in the ice cream as she said, “I, um… I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I think about your smile, your laugh, and your kindness. It warms my heart so much.”
She continued, “Like the way you helped me when I was sick last month, or when you comforted me when I went through a break up. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Her free hand fidgeted with her skirt as she said, “But, I like you as more than just a friend. I wish I could spend more time with you and that I could see your smile all of the time. That’s why I wanted to say that, uh…”
Hinata didn’t even need to say another word. Haku knew exactly what she was about to say.
He said, “I love you too, Hinata.”
Hinata’s face flushed a bright red. She stared wide-eyed and she almost dropped her spoon onto the table. She almost couldn’t believe what she just heard. It seemed too perfect to be true.
Haku asked, “Are you okay, Hinata?”
She blinked quickly and muttered, “You do?”
He nodded, “Yes. I actually wondered if I should tell you, but I thought you just saw me as a friend.”
Hinata felt like she got a massive weight off of her chest. All of her worries seemed to instantly vanish the moment he said that. It still almost felt unreal, but she felt wonderful knowing that it was.
She said, “Thank you! I was worried this would go wrong. Especially, you know, after what happened with Naruto.”
Haku understood. It wasn’t easy for Hinata. She had loved him for years, giving him gifts, dancing with him on dates, and even getting into his hobbies like gardening. She said he was the reason she had finally begun to come out of her shell after years of shyness, and he was the first boyfriend she ever had.
Then, he left her all of a sudden for no clear reason.
Hinata had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she said, “Maybe that's why I fell for you. You were there when I needed you the most. I could barely speak for days after he left, and I didn’t want to do anything. But every day you stopped by, giving me food and sitting down with me. I… I can’t thank you enough.”
Haku gently patted her on the shoulder.
As he pulled back, he said, “You’ve done a lot for me too. Remember how you helped me leave my old job at Gato Shipping?”
Hinata shook her head, “Oh, that was nothing. I knew it was making you miserable, so I wanted you to find a better one. That Gato was a jerk, always talking down to you or making you work insane hours. He didn’t deserve you a single bit.”
He said, “What you did wasn’t nothing. You spent so much time helping me out with the job hunt, going out of your way to look up places that were hiring and even driving me to early morning interviews. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be there and hating myself for it.”
He continued, “And that’s not the only thing you’ve done for me, either. You also taught me how to grow flowers, you fixed some of my broken jewelry. Most importantly, you helped me find myself in my worst moments. Honestly, I can’t thank you enough for everything.”
Hinata had no words. Instead, she pushed the banana split to the side and leaned in to hug him. He patted her on the back and felt her heartbeat as it slowed down. When Hinata pulled back, she looked very relieved that everything went well in the end.
Then, she started eating the ice cream again before it melted. She made a bit of a mess since it wasgetting soft, but she wasn’t worried. It was still pretty good, and there were still plenty of crunchy peanuts and pistachios, which still gave a nice contrast to the soft ice cream.
Haku grabbed a napkin as he said, “There’s some fudge sauce on your lips.”
Hinata was about to say, “Oops,” and wipe it off.
However, Haku gently wiped it off for her and then kissed her. It was a little peck, but Hinata’s cheeks still flushed a soft pink. Then, she gave him a little peck back.
A young man nearby teasingly said, “Look at those two lovebirds. Guess you must have found someone special, eh, Haku?
The lady sitting next to him shouted, “Suigetsu! You can’t tease them like that, you idiot! Besides, we’re on a date, too.”
Haku gave Suigetsu an annoyed look for embarrassing Hinata.
Suigetsu realized his mistake and apologized to Hinata, “Sorry for teasing you, miss. I hope he treats you right.”
Hinata looked over and saw that this Suigetsu guy was splitting a pink milkshake with the girl at his table. He appeared to be roughly the same age as her and Haku, with pale blue hair and a purple tank top. She had never seen him before, but he clearly knew Haku.
She reassured him, “No, it’s okay. I’m just a little shy.”
Hinata wondered to herself if Haku had mentioned him before, but she wasn’t sure.
She asked, “Are you friends with Haku?”
Suigetsu said, “Yeah, we go back a long way. We used to be classmates at Hidden Mist High. I hadn’t seen him a bit. I’m glad it looks like he’s doing well.”
Then, he gestured to his date and said, “Oh, and her name’s Karin.”
Haku asked, “How are you two doing, anyways?”
Suigetsu answered, “Ah, not bad. Got a steady job, and Karin’s heading back to medical school.”
“Nice! You’ve been working hard, haven’t you?”
“I sure have! I’ve been wanting to do this for years!”
The four of them chatted about life and everything that had happened since they last spoke. They talked about Karin’s challenging studies, Suigetsu’s new job, and even how Haku and Jugo managed to finally get their air conditioner fixed. They talked and laughed in between bites of ice cream, and little by little they polished their food off.
Karin and Hinata felt a lot more at ease than they were earlier, and they were even amazed that they both knew Jugo as well. They gave each other their numbers so they could stay in touch.
Once everyone had finished their food, Karin and Suigetsu stood up.
He said, “It was fun catching up with you, Haku. See you around!”
“You too! And good luck with med school, Karin!”
Karin thanked him back before she and her boyfriend walked back out.
Soon afterwards, Hinata and Haku got ready to leave, since they had also finished off their banana split. But first, Hinata grabbed three pints of ice cream from the freeze, one cinnamon bun, one rocky road, and one pistachio. She set them down at the register.
Haku offered to pay, but Hinata shook her head as she placed her card on the reader.
She said, “No, it’s okay. You already gave me a treat.”
Once she was done paying, she took out the cinnamon bun ice cream and handed the rest of the ice cream to Haku.
She said, “Here you go. I got some pistachio, just for you. The rocky road is for Jugo since he couldn’t come.
Haku asked, “Are you sure?”
Hinata said, “I couldn’t resist. You deserve it.”
Haku patted Hinata on the head.
He said, “You’re too sweet, Hinata. I couldn’t ask for a better person to love me.”
She said, “Neither could I.”
The two of them held hands as they walked out, and they felt very content to just rest. Hinata’s hands were soft, smooth, and warm, and Haku didn’t want to let go. After all, there was nothing better than spending time with her.
