Ugh, Thank God We Finally Got There

                                    

                                          
Cherry's POV 
                          
Tadashi and Honey and Gogo and Wasabi and Fred and I are sat in a clump in the reception of SFIT. Honey is holding my left hand, patting and smoothing the skin on it, and Tadashi is clutching my right hand, his grasp tight - I, for my own peace of mind for once, am letting them.
                          
My fate rests in the news we next receive.
                          
Do I get into SFIT?
                          
Or do I stay a lowly waitress with only pipe dreams for the rest of my life?
                          
We are all silent. I can hear Gogo's bated breath somewhere near my head where she's sat on the wall behind me. Wasabi is next to her absent mindedly rubbing my left shoulder, whether to soothe him or me I don't know. Fred is the same as us, leaning forward from his spot next to Tadashi like he's about to find out lottery numbers.
                          
My lottery numbers.
                          
I bite my lip and feel small beads of perspiration beginning at my hairline. Tadashi must've seen because he taps my cheek for me to look at him and when I do he gives me a big brave smile - and, thankfully, I'm somewhat soothed. 
                          
Professor Callaghan steps into the reception, and upon seeing him all six of us stand up. The Professor spots us and comes up to us, his professional face on as he holds a clipboard. I should have my professional face on as well, but I can't bear the thought of not allowing myself to react and so I face him with my brows knit in worry. I feel a slight rush of air beside me and feel Tadashi's warm familiar hand hover over mine.
                          
I look into Callaghan's serious eyes and take a deep breath. "So," I ask shakily, "what's my results?"
                          
Callaghan clears his throat and looks at his clipboard, and mine and Tadashi's hands grip tighter. 
"Well, despite your lack of past education, I am pleased to tell you that you have passed all exams and the showcase with flying colours, and," he smiles at me, "we at SFIT would be proud to take you on board as our own."
                          
Tadashi whoops and jumps up and down pumping his first in the air, the rest of the gang yells and jumps up and crowds around me - and in the middle of it all I stand rooted to the spot staring at Callaghan. 
                          
I've got into the college of my dreams!
                          
Callaghan smiles at me again, his crow's feet crinkling, and without thinking I reach up and hug him round his broad shoulders to his and everybody else's utter surprise. Once I remember myself I quickly shrink back and instead offer my hand, and he shakes it gratefully.
                          
"Thank you for this amazing opportunity Professor Callaghan, and I will absolutely take this place and make everybody here proud!" I say confidently, and the gang pat my back and express their pride and joy for me. Callaghan nods at us all and walks away, and I turn to everyone. They grin back at me, barely containing their excitement. 
                          
"Would it be totally out of character for me to scream right now?" I ask, and when Honey Lemon encourages me I scream out loud with joy and jump up and down. 
"I did it! I'm in San Fransokyo Institute of Technology!"
"Alright Cherry!" Gogo punches her fist in the air and then into my shoulder, then gets pushed out the way by Wasabi who charges at me to pick me up and envelop me in a huge warm hug. 
"Well done Cherry," he whispers excitedly in my ear, and I grin and let each person join us in a big huddle. Me and Tadashi end up opposite each other looking at each other. After the excitement of the results I don't know how to respond normally to his smile; so without thinking I grab his collar, pull him closer smirking, and kiss him. Shocked but only for a second he leans into it, deepening the kiss by putting one hand behind my head and the other cupping my cheek.
                          
We momentarily forget the others are there, and when we pull apart and smile at each other we're met with widened eyes and exchanged looks. Honey's almost bursting with how much she wants to gush, but I signal to Gogo with my brows and she tells the guys to leave us two alone for a bit. Fred starts strolling to the lab and the others follow, and I take a deep breath to calm myself down before turning to face Tadashi, who was biting his lip and looking like an innocent little puppy. Fighting the urge to swing myself round in glee, I begin in a professional-sounding way:
                          
"Tadashi,"
Then, like a complete fool, I burst into tears. Of joy, of sadness, I don't know at this point; this boy is making me feel things.
                          
I try again, my breath catching a little as I watch him be as confused as I am.
"Tadashi, thank you so much for your help over the past few months. I needed your help, I needed the help of your friends-"
                          
"Our friends," Tadashi quietly interrupts, "they like you, you know. And, uh..." he pauses for a long enough time that I begin to worry about what comes next, and rubs the back of his neck, blushing a little, "... so do I. Like, a lot. More than a lot really, if you, uh, catch my drift."
                          
I grin, the corners of my mouth stretching so wide it hurts, but in a good way. 
After seven months of pretending I had no attraction whatsoever toward this amazing man, then getting to know him closer in every way possible whilst consistently denying my emotions, I confess that I love Tadashi Hamada. I do. 
It's simple now that I've admitted it; I don't know why I made it out to be more complicated than it is in my mind, but it doesn't matter now.
                          
I gently take Tadashi's hand from the back of his neck and place it above my chest, over my heart. I stare up from his hand into his beautiful brown eyes. Those eyes: they have been beside me every step of the way, for every bump in my destination they were there to support me, and I should give them the truth.
                          
"Tadashi," I say, and he stares back into my eyes, "I love you. I know I truly love you. And I know you truly love me too. And... I want us to have the relationship we deserve to have with one another. Please." 
                          
Just a few sentences stringed together, but I find it a little harder to breathe now, anxious of his response until his eyes start watering and he breaks into a smile. 
                          
My chest loosens and I breathe out before he picks me up and swings me round, laughing joyfully. 
He puts me down and is so overcome he kisses me the most passionately I've ever been kissed. He parts it as soon as he starts and blurts out breathlessly:
                          
"I love you too Cherry, so much. I would love nothing more than to be with you." 
                          
I can't stop my innermost emotions flooding and I hug him tightly, the tightest I've ever embraced someone and I'm not even embarrassed. His arms come up to envelop me in a tight safe way I just realised I've missed, and I rest my head on his chest and breathe in his faint smell of him and listen to his heart beat wildly. 
                          
That's how the rest of our friends find us, all gooey and romantic and newly together in a long hug that we both love as much as we know we love each other. 
When we break apart due to Honey Lemon not able to contain her squeals anymore we explain bravely that we're going to start dating whilst holding hands, and then Fred happily suggests we all go to the Lucky Cat cafe for induction celebration and we agree - still holding hands. 
And we walk to the cafe and tell Cass and Hiro about us and eat - still holding hands.
                          
I've never properly held hands with someone before. My hand feels warm and fuzzy and safe inside Tadashi's smooth slightly clammy gentle grasp. As I eat Udon with a fork as I haven't got the grasp of chopsticks yet, I watch in content as Tadashi laughs at Fred's stories and slurps up the noodles expertly, his sloped nose wrinkling a little whenever his teeth hit a bigger chunk of spring onion. I sigh and sink a little more into his shoulder.
                          
I really hope this works out, despite my work.