Chapter 2

Going to Kazuki's

The glass door slid behind her. The cool grass tickled her bare feet. The sun had set and the pale moon rose over the horizon. Little sparkles of light smiled down at her. She felt the summer wind dance around her. She closed her eyes. His rejection left her empty and hurt, but she didn’t want him to feel guilty so she continued to be friends with him. After a while, she learned to suppress her unrequited feelings and let it out when she was alone.

            Gazing at the stars, she speculated. Why haven’t I gotten over him yet? She wondered. Three years. Most of her friends were happy in some relationship or another. She was among a few that were single and unhappy about it. What made me love him so passionately? So passionately that I can’t let him go?

            A tune floated and interrupted her thoughts. She recognized it and dashed to the porch. Checking the caller id, she saw his name flash across the narrow screen. I hesitated and decided it would be better to answer.

            “H-hello?”

            “Hino-chan?” his clear voice rang in her ear.

            “Yes?”

            “Hey,” he said, voice almost void of emotion. “Are you doing anything next week?”

            It’s fine, she thought. Calm down. He’s only asking as a friend. “N-no, I’m not. Why?” She wished her heart would listen to her mind. Stop beating so fast!

            “Well, my friend Hihara Kazuki, a third-year, invited me to stay with him for a while at his house. It’s about a half hour drive from here. You can come if you want. You can invite a friend too. How about Fuyuumi-chan?”

            “Sure,” she answered, brightening at the thought of seeing her best friend. “She was going to stay with me on Thursday, but I’m pretty sure she can come.”

            “Great,” he said. “We can go Monday morning and get back Thursday night. Sound good?”

            “Sounds great. See you then.”

            “Good night.” Then the line went dead. She stared at the screen. She felt some surprise at how calm she felt after that. She gazed back at the stars. They looked brighter than before. All there is to do is to wait…

 

            “So Fuyuumi-chan couldn’t come?”

            Kahoko shook her head. It was Monday morning and the rapidly rising sun smiling so brightly. “Her mother went to Kyoto on a business trip and took her with her.”

            “I see,” he said, turning and not sounding the least interested. “Well, let’s get going.” Not sure where to go, she followed him down the street. They carried their bags across their shoulders. Most of the way was awkward silence again. He pulled out his iPod, fingers moving in patterns as she recognized as positions on the violin. She just gazed around her, surveying the surroundings that became less and less familiar.

Then he stopped, so suddenly that she walked right into him. The force of the impact knocked her over. Balance toppled, she fell backwards. He quickly reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, steadying her. With an effortless pull, he held her to his chest. Whatever breath she had left was forced out of her as her body hit his. She gazed up at him, catching his dark tawny eyes. Her startled heart started to work overtime, beating so fast it quickened her already breathless gasps.

“Careful,” he murmured, still holding her to him and lips so close to her face. If she hadn’t been so close, that sound would’ve been lost. Averting her eyes, she sincerely hoped he hadn’t noticed her hyperventilating.

She managed to nod, sharply aware of their closeness, his warmth. His body was tense. He smelled really good, too. His light blue shirt was so thin she could feel the muscles under them. There was a loud screech. She tore her eyes away from his face to see a large bus pull up. Feeling stupid, she realized that they were going to ride a bus to this Kazuki’s house.

As the bus door opened, many people filed out. A few men glanced at them curiously while some women giggled and pointed. She then felt his hand fall abruptly down her back. Glancing at him, he was blushing slightly. He must’ve noticed the glances. As they sat down next to each other, he turned his iPod on again. A moment later, an elderly woman took the spot he had vacated for her. She smiled at the older woman as the bus drove on.

“Hey, look at him!” Kahoko turned to see a girl, not much older than her, pointing excitedly at Len’s tall form.

“I know!” her friend squealed. “He’s so hot!”

She felt a twinge of an unknown feeling. She glanced at him. He was standing next to her, dark tawny eyes closed. His pale hand gripped the handle dangling from the top rail. If he had heard the girls’ remarks, he was very good at hiding it. Glancing back at the girls, she was a little annoyed to see that they were still glancing at him hopefully.

Something cold touched her ear, causing her to start. It was Len, leaning towards her. His hand put a rounded white-gray earphone into her ear.

“Listen,” he said. His lips curved into the widest smile she had seen on his face. To others, it would be normal-looking. To her, it was forced and awkward. Nevertheless, it made her heart jump and thump uncomfortably.

She closed her honey eyes.  It was the violin piece Ave Maria by Schubert. A smile spread across her face. This song brought back so many memories.

“You recognize it, don’t you?” his voice whispered into her other ear.

She nodded, eyes still closed in order to enjoy the music.

There was a pause then, “You noticed those girls.”

She opened her eyes. At first, all she could see was a wave of azure hair. Something sweet wafted into her nose. It was like lavender.

“Don’t mind them,” his voice continued to breathe in her ear. He straightened with a ghost of a smirk on his now stoic face. It took a moment to understand what had happened, then she realized how close he had been. Blushing, she turned away. The two girls caught her eye. They were gaping at her then one looked away.

As the scenery flew by, she listened to each of his songs. No more words were exchanged between the two. The elderly lady left and he sat next to her. She forced herself to concentrate on the music as a distraction against her awareness of him, only inches away. When Ave Maria played again, her fingers moved, in time with the song, as she remembered how that song had brought her to him.

 

Author's Note

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