-In 2023, not all parents hold their children to traditional standards for love and marriage, but modern lifestyles are still not always accepted. Especially not when your younger sibling is getting married first and your parents are practically jum...
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At exactly the same time, Hinata and your parents approach your table. He takes the seat beside you while your parents pull out the two right across from you.
"Ah, Y/N, there you are," your dad smiles at you as he sits down. "Feels good to sit."
"You've been sitting the whole time," your mother sighs. "We were only standing for about ten minutes talking to Fuyuko's parents," she then shakes her head.
"Mr. Daichi, did you get any of hor d'oeuvres?" Faye asks with an innocent grin.
"Not yet. Do they have anything good?" he replies as he looks at her plate.
"Mhm, a lot. You should go try something!" she beams. "I'll come too. I could go for fourths."
As the two of them stand up and begin to walk off, your mother looks down at your plate. She looks as though she's just about to make some kind of snarky comment before noticing the man at your side.
"Oh, are you Sawamua's friend?" she then asks him. "Hinata, right?"
"Please," he smiles kindly. "Call me Shoyo."
Kotonoha nods as the two of them start to talk. When you look over at her she lifts her eyebrows in approval at the conversation already going well.
"So glad you accepted my daughter as your date," your mother then says, immediately catching your attention. "Without even meeting her, no less!"
"Well, actually," he begins before you interrupt purposefully this time.
"Actually we met before. Well, not really, but Sawamura talked about Shoyo here so much I feel like I really have met him before," you lie, earning an odd look from Hinata.
"Yeah..." he responds disjointedly.
"Well, it's all for Sawamura," you laugh awkwardly.
Just then, a few of Sawamura's other friends sit down at the table and unintentionally break up the awkward conversation.
"Hey Mrs. D!" Tanaka grins as he sits down beside your mom. "Lookin' fine as hell tonight."
"Oh, you," she flirts back, much to your confusion. You look over at Kotonoha and see her cringe just as hard as you do.
When the other guys sit down, Hinata begins to talk to them which makes your shoulders finally relax. Even though you've still got your mom to deal with, at least you've diffused the awkwardness.
After you safely survive the reception, you and your friends head back to Fuyuko's private room to change for the after-party.
Your mother comes in to say her goodbye to everyone, which takes way too long for your liking, but when she leaves, a small smile grows across your face.
"You did it, Y/N, you survived the wedding," Faye teases.
"Now onto the best part. Drinking," you grin.
"That's what I love about you, Y/N," Kotonoha shakes her head as she slides her black bodycon cocktail dress over her body.
"What?" you and Faye both ask curiously.
"You've got your priorities straight," she grins. "Now c'mon and finish up so we can take some shots and forget about our blind dates that aren't actually blind at all."
After you finish putting on the bright red dress you had picked out that day you went shopping with Fuyuko, you and your friends walk out of the room.
Since the after-party is at the same venue, you don't need to wait up for Fuyuko before walking out. In fact, the three of you step straight up to the bar and take your first set of shots before she even makes her appearance.
The three of you have a great time as you always do, just yourselves. But once you all start to get drunk, the two of them begin to gang up on you.
"You've gotta talk to him sometime," Faye shrugs. "It's kinda now or never."
"Yeah, I know, but I'm drunk. Shit, Faye, I can't talk to him when I'm like this," you say before hiccupping.
"You've been ignoring him for most of the night," Kotonoha sighs. "It's kinda not cool. Especially if you actually do like him. Come on. Just go say hi."
When you see the two of them share the same smirk, you know that isn't what their full intention is. But, nonetheless, you can't really protest when they both begin to guide you in Hinata's direction.
"Hey!" Faye calls out to Sawamura's group of friends. "How's it goin' guys?" she then asks as she purposefully places you next to Hinata.
While the group begins their idle chatter about the wedding, you look over at Hinata and smile stupidly. Why did you have to drink so much? You grumble to yourself.
"Hey, is now a good time to talk?" Hinata whispers so quietly you can hardly hear him over the music.
"Yeah, let's go," you nod as you grab him by the arm. If you're going to do this, you're definitely not going to do it in front of everybody else.
When you get to the opposite side of the room, you take a seat at the bar. You're not sure how much longer you could stand up and stare at him anyway. He looks so handsome all dressed up it makes you dizzy even without alcohol.
"I've got a lot of thoughts about this date," you admit to him.
"I'm sure you do," he gulps. "Good things, right?"
"They're mixed," you hum with a shrug of your shoulders.
"Can you explain 'em? Maybe I can help sort it all out," he offers.
"Are you not drunk?" you ask, a bit confused as to why he'd willingly offer that.
"A bit, but I want to figure out why you've been ignoring me all night. I don't know what I did to make you mad at me," he explains.
"I'm not mad," you begin vaguely. "It's just... I thought we had something."
"We do. I mean, I think we do. What's the problem with that?" he continues to ask curiously.
"Then why are you hear? You didn't know your date was going to be me, right? So why would you agree if you liked me?" you ask.
"Cause, Y/N, Sawamura asked me a long time ago. It was right around the time we met, actually. I didn't know if I was ever going to even see you again. And once I promised I wasn't going to go back on it. But if something was to happen, I was going to tell the girl, my, uh, date, that I was talking to something else. I wasn't cutting you out or anything, Y/N. I promise."
"Shit," you grumble as you put your hands to your head. "You're so right. That's such a perfectly reasonable explanation. I'm so stupid. I'm sorry, Shoyo," you shake your head. "I shouldn't have presumed something so bad."
"It's alright," he smiles back at you. "So, can we move on now then?"
"I'd love that," you nod.
"Care to dance?" he hums, holding out his hand for you to take.
