Days After You's

Chapter 33 - Plan Approach

Approaching a woman is a foreign thing to me. All my life I've never done anything called approaches such as asking for numbers, sending messages to ask women out on dates and the like. So when I realized my feelings for Stella, I really had no clue what to do next.

All I know—because me and Stella have been living together for a year and more— I don't need to start the approach from zero and I just move on to the next stage. In the next stage that's where the problem lies. I don't have any idea to do it.

It's been more than an hour since I looked at articles one and the other until I decided to start planning a date from what I've learned from there. On my computer in the study room, I started looking for good spots for a first date, what we could do and so on.

It feels kind of weird, we're married and I'm just thinking about the first date now, but it's better than me to regret doing nothing.

I struggled in front of the computer to gather things I could take my idea to the point that a knock on the door made me raise my head. Knowing who was behind it, I quickly closed the browser that was opening some of the articles and kept the new notes I typed.

"Come in," I said.

The doorknob turned and following after that was Stella's face looking into the room, because it was too late she had changed into her pajamas and braided her hair, "Luiz, I brought you biscuits and tea, maybe you need a snack overtime."

"Okay," I replied, though I was obviously not overtime working at all. My eyes followed the figure of Stella coming into my desk.

"I put it here, yes" Stella put the cup of tea and the small plate of biscuits in front of me.

"Yes," I replied again, but seeing that he wasn't thinking about staying, I went back to talking, "Sit down and eat with me, Stella."

"Oh," Stella hugged the tray and looked at me for a moment, "Alright..."

I leaned back on the chair and watched Stella clingy, "You got time next week?"

"Ah next week? Saturday or sunday?

"Where is it."

"Mr..." Stella put a hand on her chin and tilted her head, she held in that position for almost a minute before chuckling, "Of course Luiz. I always have plenty of free time."

I ignored my heartbeat which started to rise and put on a relaxed face unaffected by anything. The next words I should speak with as much natural as possible, so I shouldn't seem nervous.

"Then, what if we go out to eat? Picnic maybe? Refreshing as well. The doctor would advise me to do that once in a while."

"Oh yes," Stella clapped her hands, "You have to do a lot of refreshing so as not to stress and fall again. About a picnic or something, I'll go where you go, Luiz."

"So you want to...?" My toot. It felt like there was a flower blooming inside me.

Stella nodded, smiling sweetly, "Yes of course, it will be exciting."

My cheeks felt a little warm because of the sight in front of me, "OK...Next saturday then."

Stella again lowered her head while picking up a biscuit and dipping it in tea. When she realized that the tea was for me and not hers, she laughed again. I think that voice is slowly starting to become my favorite.

"Hehe, sorry Luiz, I reflex."

I just smiled and mimicked what he was doing until at last the biscuits slipped on the plate.

"So where are we going next Saturday?" Stella asked as we both went out of the study room. That question sounds a little friendly as if we've been planning a date together before.

Stella clapped her hands, "Oh I can't wait then."

So we plan to go shopping together for some purposes later. Key word planning. Which means that something is new and has not happened, which in this case is suitable to describe our plans for some time to come.

How not, suddenly, the next day my father held a meeting to be able to present and start his new business idea for the company and as a result we were all in the board of directors so super busy for more than a full week to carry it out.

"Luiz," call dad when me and the rest of the board just walked out of the boardroom. I stopped and turned around.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just I see you're not so energetic these days. Any problems at home? How were you with Stella all this time?"

I was eager to answer that he was the culprit of the problem so I couldn't spend a long time at home lately, but I held back by finally just shaking his head, "Nothing. We're fine, I'm just a little tired."

"Oh, good then. Don't push yourself too hard but do your job well, Luiz. This project has to work."

"Good, Dad."

Almost every day I have to be late at the office until dawn and have to come back at eight in the morning. There is no time at home other than to go home to shower and change clothes.

"Luiz, let me go shopping and get everything ready. So when you have some free time, we can just leave. Just write down what you need and I'll look for it. I'm sure after all the trouble in the office passed, we could go free in the end" Stella said after I pushed back our plans for the third time. I'm not nice to him because of his purpose I want to make him feel good with me. But Stella's speech thus became my motivation for going through the next week.

And guess what? The next weekend came, I had time to spare but the rain was pouring like a storm all over the city from morning to night.

"Ck. Why is it suddenly raining like this, when yesterday the sky was bright," I grumbled softly as I looked out the window with the tip of my mouth bent down.

So bad was the mood that stuck out of me that night, Stella even felt the need to try to persuade me.

"Luiz, don't be moody. I've cooked your favorite egg noodles and katsu. And we don't need to go out for refreshing, by putting the right music, we can still imagine being out in the open."

"...It won't be the same" I answered with a frown. Instead it just clouded my mood like the sky out there. Imagine that despair until you have to fantasize just to feel you have been to the vacation spot.

Stella's brows linked worriedly, "We can't do anything but wait then."

"..."

"Luiz, we can still go next week. Don't add to the burden of your mind with this. It's the same lie that you're stressed."

I sighed, "Okay..."

If there's a positive side I can take, then, it was me who could still spend time with Stella at home for almost a full day even though I had to be willing to watch the drama played by Stella the Damian's favorite actor. Hearing Stella sigh in admiration as Damian appeared on the screen was the last thing I wanted to do now but this was better than nothing.

"Huh.." I sighed for the umpteenth time today. I have to be patient. Next week, I will be able to make my date plans with Stella pending and give her a memory she will never be able to forget in exchange for this delay.

When I was encouraging myself like that, I was sure of my thoughts, but one thing that was beyond my calculations was that I could not predict the weather and if it turned out to be cloudy weather and heavy rain like a storm that flushed the entire city would also remain durable for two weeks forwards.

Uh...Is there anything I did that made the sky hate me?