"Hey there stranger."
A soft voice called out to him in broken English, causing Ken to turn around. He saw the smiling face of Ai looking at him warmly.
Ken couldn't help but grin in response, swiftly standing up and taking the woman into his embrace. The two hugged for a while before he planted a kiss on her lips.
"Hello beautiful." He replied in Japanese.
They were in a busy little cafe not far from FIT which was there designated meeting place. The two had come here frequently while Ken was helping Ai settle into NYC.
"How was your first week of College?" Ken asked, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Mmm, it was okay. I'm still struggling a little to understand the lectures, so I need to keep improving my English." Ai replied, looking a little uncomfortable.
Although she had been learning for quite some time, the lecturers would often speak quickly, not stopping for any international students. Of course the resources would be online afterwards, but this was not common practice for Japanese students.
Ken had been helping Ai by only speaking English while together for the past few months, but it was still a gradual process. In fact, he thought that she was even more cute while trying to speak English to him.
"Just keep trying, I believe in you." He said with a sweet smile.
The two had breakfast and decided to roam the city. Despite arriving earlier together, they had yet to go sightseeing as they were busy moving Ai into the dorms.
"Where did you want to go?"
"I hear Centural parku is very much nice." Ai stammered.
A grin pulled at the corner of Ken's lips, but he didn't tease her. He softly corrected her pronunciation and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Speaking a new language took a lot of guts, Ken didn't want her to get discouraged.
The two arrived at Central park and marveled at the greenery. Having seen some parts of the city, it was bizarre to see such a large area like this right in the middle of everything.
There were people jogging and others walking their dogs, but it just added to the harmonious atmosphere that the two were experiencing.
However, the two looked a little mismatched. While Ai was always fashionable, Ken had grown quite fond of his Columbia tracksuit which he now wore everywhere and anywhere.
Eventually, they ended up at Shakespeare Garden, a romantic place filled with flowers and cobblestone paths. Ai's eyes lit up as she took in the view, her beautiful features intermixing with the scenery.
Ken felt a strange warmth overcome him as he gazed at her visage against the backdrop of the garden. His mind turned blank, save for a yearning which tugged at his heart incessantly.
'I want this girl to be my wife…'
Ken flinched, not expecting the thought to flash into his mind. For a moment he was too stunned to move, too busy trying to understand where such a thought had come from.
He had never thought about marriage before. In fact, the only thing that had been on his mind was baseball, even before he regressed. So why was this thought appearing right now?
But even as he was trying to wrap his head around it, the thought took hold, its roots digging deeper into his heart until it had a stranglehold.
"What's wrong?" Ai asked, her once smiling face turning concerned.
"Ah… Nothing." Ken replied, swallowing down the feelings that seemed ready to burst. For the first time in a long while, he felt some embarrassment and uncertainty in front of Ai.
But it seemed that these words were not enough to satisfy her as she walked forward and grabbed Ken by the hand. Her soft blue eyes locked onto him, filled with a mix of care and stubbornness that he had come to know and love.
"Tell me what's wrong." She said, this time in Japanese.
Ken's heart skipped a beat. His anxiety peaked reared its head, threatening to overwhelm him. The woman he loved was right in front of him, so why was he feeling so stifled?
Was he afraid of rejection?
They had already decided to chase their dreams together, so wouldn't marriage be something that they would eventually do down the line?
Feeling her gaze upon him, Ken squirmed slightly.
"I just had a thought… We just started college and will be super busy, I don't want to make things any more—"
"Just say it." Ai said, her hands tightening on his own. He saw a flash of uncertainty behind her gaze, as if she was bracing for some bad news that he might divulge in the next moment.
He felt a sharp pain in his heart as he saw this, prompting him to quickly make the decision to tell her the truth. The last thing he needed was to hurt Ai because of a misunderstanding.
"I…"
However, when Ken opened his mouth, the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. His face reddened, and it took all of his willpower not to shy away from the beautiful woman in front of him.
Swallowing hard, Ken's face turned determined. "I want to marry you."
The words seemed to echo in Shakespeare Garden, causing some passersby to turn their gaze with question. Thankfully the words were in Japanese, so they failed to understand the true meaning of the words.
Ken felt Ai flinch, yet her expression was frozen. For a few silent moments, Ken believed that she was going to reject him on the spot, causing him to slip into despair.
But before he could try and take back his words to salvage his feelings, Ai's face turned bright red and tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She suddenly surged forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his chest.
Ken blinked a few times in confusion, not knowing what to do.