7 kisses

7th kiss

She stood there, all dressed in a beautiful satin white gown. Her slender figure can be seen, her veil covered most of her face but you can see that she's smiling widely. My best friend is finally going to get married. Just looking at her right now, makes me feel in awe. The guy, her soon-to-be-husband, waited for this moment for a long time, I think he deserve this special moment.

"You may kiss the bride." The preacher said.

Ah, here it is – the awaited kiss.

He removed the veil away from her face. He saw her blushing madly, making him grin. He leaned forward, slowly, and then he placed his lips onto hers. He took hold of her hips and she wrapped her arms around his neck. It must be a magical moment for them who waited for this a long time ago.

They both stared at one another and beamed smiles.

7kisses: The Finale

Everybody applauded as soon the kiss broke. Anna was watching the entire time, Nonoko was sobbing happily. Her boyfriend, Yuu Tobita, patted his girlfriend's back. Anna wore a red cocktail dress, her long fluffy, natural pink hair is tied to a bun. Her eyes glittered as she watched the newlywed couple. Nonoko wore a blue dress with a slit on one side, she was the most emotional one during the wedding. I decided to go with a black strapless dress to match the jewellery which I specifically bought for this occasion.

"Mikan is finally a married woman." Anna said, turning to Nonoko who was sneezing at her handkerchief.

"I never thought that he would actually marry Hyuuga." I told them in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Hotaru that's kind of expected, since you know," Nonoko said, gesturing both of her hands and shoulders. "Natsume has loved Mikan for more than ten years since they were five."

I smiled as I saw Mikan waving frantically at us while she left the church with her husband. Outside the church's doors is a limousine which I sponsored to give them for the wedding, being the bride's maid I was.

"There's only one thing worth waiting for." I said, trying to hide my smile.

Anna tilted her head and asked, "What?"

"Babies." I told them while laughing softly.

They both laughed at my answer. They may be thinking that I'm joking but I'm really serious. I'll be waiting for the arrival of Mikan's babies.

"Guys I have something to tell you," Anna said while flashing a smile. "I'm engaged."

"What?" Nonoko screamed, thinking her ears are playing tricks on her. "Stop lying!"

"It's true!" Anna pouted as she showed her engagement ring to us. It was a simple ring, a huge ruby gem with a few studded diamonds on the side.

I couldn't believe it as well.

"Who's the dude?" I asked, trying to compose myself.

"He's a really famous chef," She said while giggling like a schoolgirl in love. Well, technically, she is in love. "His name is Kokoro Yome but I prefer call him Koko." Ah Kokoro Yome – the new dude that's been appearing lately in many cooking shows as a judge, participant and many more.

"Girl," Nonoko said as she tightly grasped Anna's shoulders. "How long have you been keeping this from us?"

Anna gave out a sheepishly smile, "For about three months." Nonoko massaged her temple, she never thought that little Anna, the most innocent one among the four of us, could actually get herself a man.

"Hotaru," Nonoko said as she turned to me with a serious look. "Looks like you're the only single lady left among us."

I raised a brow. "I don't mind. I'm not interested in love."

That's the truth though; since I was young I perceive love as an annoyance and attachment. Looking back now, love brings suffering then joy first. Take Natsume as an example, he waited for such a long time for the woman he loves. Sorry but I have no intention to suffer like an inconceivable idiot.

The world is now full of instant things and love should be like in my own honest opinion.

Nonoko shook her head at my answer, she probably doesn't agree with me. Most of our opinions often clash with one another – like the time when we're choosing the perfect bouquet to go with Mikan's wedding gown – but that didn't stop us from being friends.

"Let's get going, the reception is about to start." Anna said, trying to ease the tension.

The reception was a lively one – everyone is cheering and clapping their hands for the couple, the couple's colleagues are invited, some of the guest's kids are running recklessly and the music was loud enough to make the deaf hear.

A short video was shown as an introduction for the couple. Pictures of Mikan and Natsume were displayed, making some of the guests giggle and stare at it for a couple of seconds. The next slide showed Mikan's love letter, making her gasp.

Dear Butt-face,

I think you're different from the other boys, I'm starting to like you. Is this what they call l-o-v-e?

From, Mikan Sakura.

Even though her handwriting is crappy and disfigured, you can still read the words she has written for the future husband. You can also clearly see that the letter, itself, is in perfect condition but has small crumple at the left-most edge.

"Natsume-san," A girl asked from the crowd. "How long have you been in love with your wife?"

He smirked at that question, making Mikan giggle softly. "Since I was five and now that I'm twenty-two, it's been a massive of eighteen years."

Everyone in the crowd cheered and laughed. They knew they're suited for each other and that they belong with one another, nobody can break the relationship they were sharing. They're the ideal couple, everyone thought. I gave out a sigh of relief for no particular reason at all.

"Hotaru," Nonoko said as she turned to me with a serious look. "Looks like you're the only single lady left among us."

I clenched my fists, to be honest I was bothered with Nonoko's words. Even though I don't believe much on love, I still want to have my own family. I sighed. I think I need to calm myself down.

I stood from my seat and went to the balcony. I watched the swaying trees outside, it was breezy making the leaves fall down but I like it that way. From the farthest corner of the balcony, I heard a clatter of glassware. I decided to check it out just in case.

Beside the half broken glassware is a man drinking booze straight from the bottle. He didn't mind that I was watching him, he continued drinking. He was sitting on the cold marbled floor, he leaned his back on the wall. He has a soft, blonde hair and azure-coloured eyes. If he was sombre enough, he must have looked good today. I wonder, what broke his spirits?

"Hey," I called, trying to get his attention away from his drink.

He turned to me and spoke, "What do you want? Can't you see I'm veeeeeery busy?" He lifted the bottle up, proudly showing it to me. Yes, he was completely drunk all right.

He took another gulp from the bottle as I continued to stare at him.

"Didn't your parents tell you that it's rude to stare?" He asked, raising one brow at me.

"Didn't your parents tell you that it's rude to be grumpy on a wedding day?" I asked back, making him flinch a bit. I gritted my teeth in frustration at him.

"Ah yes," He muttered as he put down the bottle. "It's a wedding day after all." Then he started to sob madly, making me take a step back. Soon he started to weep, he kept on rubbing his eyes but the tears wouldn't stop at all. I felt pity for him, what made him this depressed?

I knelt beside him and patted his head. He stopped crying and looked at me. "Are you trying to comfort me?" He asked.

I gave out a fake cough. "Even though I don't know what's making you sad, I'll try to ease your pain since this is such a joyous occasion for my best friend, I can't afford someone to rupture the happiness.." I tried to avoid his awkward stares.

"The woman I loved," He started whilst spinning the empty bottle around. "She's already married."

Mikan?

"For five years I have continued to love her and support her from behind," He continued as he sniffed, I just hope his snots doesn't get to my clothes. "I love her for so long."

I sighed, "I think you should give up."

"Why?"

"Because her husband has loved her for eighteen years, comparing your years with his – there's such a huge gap," I explained, hoping he'll get my point. "I think Natsume deserves her better than you."

He scoffed and tried to muster a smile, "Maybe that's for the best." He leaned his head on my shoulders making me blush a little. He stared at me and I stared down at him. Our eyes have met, making me turn the other way.

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked as he leaned at the wall once more, making me loosen up a bit.

"Hotaru, Hotaru Imai. You?"

He smiled, "Ruka Nogi." Then he went towards me and placed a kiss on my lips, making me flustered.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" I shouted as I kept a distance away from him. Oh how I started to hate him, how dare he stole my first kiss? I've been preserving it for my husband-to-be.

"A greeting." He said while flashing a smile. I noticed a small hint of pink under his eyes but I decided to ignore it, it's probably because he was drunk. Soon he started to close his eyes and doze off.

I guess I'm too naive at these kinds of situations. I gritted my teeth in frustration; I hope I don't end up like Mikan.

Hotaru never knew that just because of her first kiss, she's going to receive more kisses from him.

"Hey Natsume," I called. I still cannot believe the fact that he's beside me, lying on the bed. "We kissed for seven times already."

He snickered softly and beamed a smile. He even flicked his fingers on my forehead, causing me to pout. "You should stop counting now," He said as he ran his fingers through my hair tips. "From now on I'll give you countless of kisses." He quickly snatched a kiss away from me making me feel that I was cheated.

"That's unfair," I cried as I snatch a kiss from him. "I should be the one who'll be giving you kisses."

From today onwards, I'll be looking forward to Natsume's kisses – good night kisses, good morning kisses and even the playful kisses.

The End