17 Chapter 16-A Head of Her Hesitation

The gymnasium where the homecoming dance commenced was very dark from the lack of bright, lightly tinted lights.There were couple of cerulean blue lights casting a huge glow on the dance floor,but it wasn't illuminating the room like a sunny day or starry night.Even though it didn't matter as long as Fumiko & Aiyana could see the inside of the room and each other,the minor detail still stuck out like a sore thumb to the girls for a very understandable reason.

It didn't really make any sense to Fumiko nor Aiyana because the color of the lights didn't match their school's homecoming theme,which was The Sun,The Moon,and The Stars.Unless the sky was the unspoken symbol being represented with lights,this minor detail couldn't have been related to the homecoming theme.Which was very unusual for that to be the case because Prosperity Peak was obsessed with symbolism,traditional values,and a sense of unrivaled perfection.

Fumiko and Aiyana simultaneously looked up at the cerulean ceiling lights to stare at them,still unsure if the color of the lights were an intentional choice on the school's part.They were focused on the lights for almost a full minute before deciding staring at the ceiling was an unimportant and trivial matter,walking towards the center of the dance floor before it got too crowded with all the students that would eventually flood in.

The homecoming dance was only in its beginning stages,but Aiyana didn't want to miss a beat or anything that was in store for tonight.In the midst of excitement and anticipation,Aiyana grabbed Fumiko's hand to lead her to the middle of the gym faster.She felt a rush of adrenaline and blood coursing throughout her body,a carefree smile made its way across her face like it always would whenever she was happy about something.An emotion that was never in short supply for someone as upbeat and optimistic as her.

Fumiko could feel Aiyana's excitement through her intense engery,which made a lighthearted yet heartwarming smile of her own appear.She kept up with Aiyana's rapid footsteps until they were at the center of dance floor,the particular area was halfway from the DJ and speaker system.They stood facing each other and inched closer to each other until their faces,chests,and feet aligned perfectly with one another.

Aiyana extented her arms forward to grab Fumiko's hands,but there was a noticeable hesitation in her desire to actually do it.Before Aiyana could become nervous and put her hands down,Fumiko instinctively grabbed her hands and held them firmly.She stared into Aiyana's eyes intensely with a hint of understanding,almost as if she wanted to say her thoughts understood her hesitation yet her actions wanted Aiyana to follow through.Fumiko knew better than almost everyone that Aiyana was never afraid of taking risks and diving into unknown waters without hesitation.

So,what made things different now?

Were some unknown stakes higher?

Was there something worth risking?

Was there something worth losing?

Was there something worth holding onto?

All these questions raced through Fumiko's mind,but she didn't know the answers to any of those questions.She wanted to know the answers to those questions as much as she wanted to know what was going through Aiyana's head in her moment of hesitation.Fumiko didn't want to ask or ruin the night by being invasive,but she didn't want to be unaware of what was going on.

"Nothing good ever comes of being unaware of what you need to know,especially if something is unknowingly at risk."Fumiko thought to herself,having memories of anecdotal evidence to justify her experience with being blissfully ignorant.

Although she wanted uncover the truth,Fumiko ignored what she thought in attempt to just have fun.It was homecoming night,the night she had been waiting to spend with Aiyana.She didn't want to waste it overthinking something that probably wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things.Tonight was their very first homecoming dance and they're getting to experience it together.Letting tonight be a special and memorable night for them was what she needed to keep in mind.

"Hey...do you wanna dance with  me?"Aiyana asked,breaking the silence suddenly and unexpectedly.

Aiyana averted her eyes from Fumiko to the gym floor,not wanting to see if eyes of rejection were looking back at her.Her cheeks were red and puffed up from embarrassment,making her baby face look more childlike in the process.Her arms were drooped behind her back as she fiddled with hands,not really knowing what else to do with them.She let out a combination of a tiny huff and a tiny whimper,not noticing what the noise sounded like.

Aiyana was too excessively focused on the precieved rejection she had just faced and didn't care about anything else at the moment.Part of her felt stupid for even asking Fumiko a question like that and she wished she could take it back.She felt like it was too late to do anything about what she may have done.

"Yes,of course I want to dance with you...I wouldn't want to dance with anyone else but you,Aiyana."Fumiko responded,thinking Aiyana already knew that.Fumiko knew she needed extra reassurance,but there was no reason for Aiyana to think otherwise.No matter what they would have to face or who they had to go against to be with each other,Fumiko would always be there for Aiyana and vice versa...there was no doubt about that from either of their perspectives.

Fumiko reached around Aiyana's back and grabbed both of her arms, placing them on her shoulders.She carefully placed her hands on Aiyana's waist,hoping she was okay with that.Fumiko assumed this was how people usually danced with each other during school dances, specifically slow dances.It wasn't time for the slow dance portion of the homecoming dance yet because the fast-paced music was still playing.

Like any structural school dance with the knowledge of tradition,fast-paced music indicated the beginning of the dance,meduim-paced music suggested the dance as at its peak,and slow-paced music was a sign the dance was about to end soon.

Fumiko decided to just let the fast-pace music fade away along with the allotted time,so her and Aiyana could practice perfecting their slow dance together.She wanted to run the decision by Aiyana before they got deep into practicing,so she could give her own opinion on the matter.

"Would you like to spend this time practicing for the slow dance,Aiyana?"

"Yeah...I don't know how to do the steps the way you do."Aiyana replied,glancing down at her feet to make sure she wasn't stepping on Fumiko's feet.

"Then,just follow my lead."Fumiko instructed,letting out a soft giggle as she proceeded to guide Aiyana carefully through the dance.