Chapter 19

The weekend came around rather quickly, and Mika and Connor decided to spend the day in town, doing some much needed shopping among other things. It didn't bother Connor much anymore that Mika held his hand in public. They were a couple, and he didn't care what anyone thought of it, even if she was younger than him, and his student. Mika just smiled. She was with the man she loved, and rested her head against his arm lightly, as she looked at her ring once more. Sure it wasn't what it really meant to be, but she didn't care, because she knew that deep down, Connor got it from the bottom of his heart. Stopping by the market, Mika looked around, and smiled back at Connor a few times. "What do you want to have for dinner?" She asked him, and Connor shrugged a little. "Not sure. What looks good today?" He asked.

Mika blushed a bit, and smiled. "How about fish?" She asked, and watched Connor. He just seemed so handsome to her, and she swore she would never get over the feeling that she always got from being around him. "Grilled fish sounds good." He said, and thought about it. "But, wouldn't that bring Arisa around?" He asked. Mika nodded. "That's true." She said, and looked around the market. "I could always make that vegetable dish with soy sauce and sugar that you like." Mika said, and Connor nodded. "Sounds good. Let's get the fish too then." He said, and Mika giggled. "Didn't you just say you didn't want the fish?" She asked, and Connor shrugged. After picking up some groceries, Mika blushed heavily, and turned to look at Connor. "Would you mind if I went ahead to pick up a few personal items?" She asked, and Connor shook his head. "No. You sure you don't want me to go with you?" He asked, and Mika shook her head. "It's alright. I can handle it." She said, still blushing.

"I can take care of it." She said, and Connor smiled. "Ok. How about we meet over there in front of that store?" He asked, and Mika nodded, before kissing him on the cheek. "I'll meet you later ok?" She said, and ran off. As soon as she was out of sight, Mika sighed, and cursed herself for being so embarrassed. As she walked into a nearby lingerie store, she looked around to make sure that Connor wasn't following her, and started to look around. "Can I help you?" She heard one of the store clerks ask, and Mika blushed once more. She explained to the woman that some of her old bras were getting a bit too small for her, and that her sister recommended that particular shop. "I see. You girls grow up so quickly these days." The saleswoman said, and Mika blushed, before nodding. After picking up a few "recommended" articles of undergarments, Mika noticed what looked like a pair of stockings, which seemed to be held up by nothing but just a lace garter of a belt. "Thinking of your boyfriend?" The saleswoman asked, and Mika blushed. "Actually, yes..." She said, and smiled a bit.

Connor looked at his watch. He wondered where Mika was, and was thinking about looking for her, when she came walking up to him. "There you are. I was getting worried." He said, and Mika blushed. "Sorry." She said, and looked up at the store behind them. "Why did you pick here?" Connor asked, and looked at Mika, who shrugged. "I figured that you could see both sides of the street from here." She said, and smiled. "Want to go inside?" She asked, and Connor looked up. It was a bookstore that they were standing in front of, so he wondered what they could look for inside. "Sure. We've got nothing else to do right now." He said, and Mika smiled at him. Her cheeks were still a bit rosy, holding her package close to her, so Connor couldn't see inside.

"Hey, what did you get?" Connor asked, and Mika just smiled at him. "Just some personal items." She said, and Connor nodded, knowing better than to press the issue. As they were looking around the bookstore, Connor and Mika noticed some of the students from the Cherry Blossom Academy, and tried to act as "normal" as possible. It of course, was a little hard to do, since everyone who passed them chuckled and giggled at the rather cute couple. "Let's go back home." Mika said softly, and Connor looked at her. "You ok? I mean, is this getting to you?" He asked, sounding very concerned. "No. It's not that." Mika said, and blushed a little. "There's just some things I want to take care of at home." She said, and looked away shyly.

Connor nodded, and smiled at Mika, who continued to blush. As they were walking home, Connor kept trying to sneak a peek of what was in Mika's bag, only to have her hide it from him. "Won't you tell me what's in there?" He asked, and Mika looked at him shyly. "It's a surprise." She simply told him. Connor could tell that something was bothering Mika, and figured that he would ask her when they got home. It was a short walk back to the Cherry Blossom dormitory, and as they stepped into the elevator, Connor was taken back a little, when Mika suddenly started to kiss him. He felt her take his hand, placing it onto her chest, before the doors slid open, and Mika quickly pulled away from Connor, still holding onto his hand. He could tell she was still as nervous as he was, but yet, there was just something that changed a little.