within stories, lies the imagination

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Memories- Chapter 3 Posted at 3:34 AM 0 comments (+)

Title: Memories

Chapter Three: Together

Genre: Angst/ Fluff

Rating: PG-13

Author: Sugihara_aiko

Disclaimer: Nothing to disclaim, except that the picture was to be found on the net, and i edited it using photoshop.

Author's Note: Is this considered fiction or non-fiction? Well, that's up to you to guess I supposed :D (Btw, this series won't be very long since it's like very long for each chapter,)

<< CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER FOUR >>

“And then? You’re avoiding him?” Saito asked when we settled down in the Macdonalds- again. I looked elsewhere, avoiding his question. I didn’t really want to tell him what I was feeling, because I myself didn’t know why I am feeling like this.

Lost and helpless. Envious and jealousy. All these negative feelings were engulfing inside me, and my chest started hurting. I grabbed onto the cup of drink Saito have ordered for me, and slowly sipped on it. I looked up and down, making sure that Saito doesn’t take note much of me. But, I feel like my heart was about to explode.

What is this feeling?

“Aiko, are you okay?” Saito said, as he passed me a tissue. I looked up at him, “Tissue?”

“You’re.. crying..” he said. I placed my hands onto my eyes, and the tears flowed down. I took the tissue over, and dried my tears. Why am I crying? Why.. am.. I? My heart was about to break, as I buried my face into my hands, and sob quietly. Saito did nothing, as he sat in front of me, looking at me, waiting for me.

It was weird that I felt at ease when Saito was with me. If he wasn’t there tonight, I probably have break down, or worst- like, suicide or something? I admit, my EQ is too low, and too low for a stupid person like me. No, it’s not that I’m admitting I am stupid, but seriously, my EQ is very low, and my emotions go wrecking up very easily- even by the slightest situation you can find.

I finally cooled down after about ten minutes or so. Saito looked down to his watch on his right wrist.

“Do you want to leave now?” he asked, very careful of every word he had used. I nodded my head slightly, and attempted to get up, when my legs went wobbly. Saito managed to catch me in time, and held onto me by the arms. “Can you walk?”

“Sure,” I mumbled. I didn’t really know what I was doing, just, I felt so weak, and my whole body just didn’t want to listen to what my brain was trying to instruct. Saito just sighed, and held onto me tighter. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll send you home,”

I mumbled a soft ‘thanks,’. I wondered if he heard it, but at that time, I really didn’t think so much about all these small details, because it seemed that my brain was trying hard to absorb a bigger issue over there.

During the journey home, Saito and I didn’t talked much. Of course, he knew the hard times I was going through. My head was lowered all the while, and at a moment, Saito have used his hands to go over my shoulders, and pushed my head onto his shoulders. I rested on his shoulder for the whole journey back home.

Taking out the jacket that he had put over me just now, I walked off, and once again thanked him. Before I pressed the button, Saito have stopped me.

“Aiko, wait,”

I turned around, and that was the first time I saw Saito blushed. “Saito? What’s wrong?”

“Am I not good?” he whispered, but loud enough for me to hear. “Not good?” I repeated after him.

“Is he that irreplaceable? Am I not good to take over him?” he mumbled again. I stoned at my position, as I clenched my fingers into a fist, and bitted my lower lips. “Am I really—“

Before he said finished, the lift came, and I rushed into it. I didn’t want to hear those words. I was afraid. Afraid of getting accepted and got turned away once again. Saito was a great guy- that was assured. But why, why was I escaping from him? Why was I…?

I ran into my room, and locked the door. I didn’t want to face reality. It was so cruel to me. I was wondering, why did God played such a terrible trick on me, making me fall in love, and making me feeling so terrible, and horrible right now?

I looked into my wallet, and searched for the ring. I searched and searched, and I poured almost everything out of my wallet, and that was when I realized it was gone.

The ring.

Was it destiny?

No..No…No.. How could I ever lost something so precious?! It was a mark of us, a mark that both of us did existed before! Now that the symbol was lost, we could never turn back time, and get back the ring right now. I looked myself in the mirror. How pathetic, Aiko. Aiko, how can you so pathetic? I balled my fingers into a fist once again, and punched the mirror.

The metallic red liquid flowed down from the injuries, and I only stared at the half reflection that could be seen from the cracked mirror. “No more such thing as love, Aiko. From today onwards, you’ll never believe in love, ever, ever again,”

That night, I swear to myself.

But yet, you made me chose to believe it again.

It was weekends again the next day. I decided to take a walk outside after ruining my room’s mirror the previous night. ‘Maybe fresh air helps,’ I thought to myself, as I opened the house’s door, and stepped out. The gentle breeze greeted me, and I slowly wore my shoe, and took a walk out of the neighborhood.

‘Yumi is probably with Takeru-kun now, maybe I shall not disturb her…’ I thought.

Takeru Hizumi. Yumi’s boyfriend. They’ve been together for so long, and I couldn’t even remember when they started going out. I walked around, before I decided to settle down onto one of the seat available.

Thinking back, I’ve really wasted so much time on him that I’ve never really enjoyed life like this. I looked around me, and realized that there have been so many parcels of life passing by me. “Aiko-chan?” a voice called for me, and I turned around.

“Eric-kun!?” I screamed. We looked at each other, before we started screaming, and hugging each other, although we’re on the streets. After hugging and shouting for ages, both of us finally settled down on the bench.

“Eric-kun, it’s really long time no see!”

Eric nodded his head, and laughed.

Kimura Eric- my childhood friend. Few years back, he went overseas to further studies, and we’ve lost contact since then. I can’t believe I’ll meet him back again. “How’s life?” he asked me. I gazed up to the sky, and smiled bitterly. “Great,”

“You’re lying,”

I smiled, and turned back to him, as a mean for him to continue speaking. “Your hand bandage doesn’t tell me that you’re doing great,”

Eric reached out and patted my head. “Aiko-chan, you can rely on me now that I’m back. We’re best friends, ain’t we?”

Eric’s gentleness always made me cry no matter what. I buried my head into his chest, and slowly let out everything that I’ve been through so much. He patted my head through the stories, and keep whispering the same old words over and over again- ‘It’s alright,’

“Aiko-chan, what’s the most important would be your heart, what does your heart really wants,” he commented. I looked up to him with my tear-stained face, and he smiled. “Be well, alright?”

On Monday, I went to school as per normal. Everything was alright, except that Yumi was wondering about my bandaged hand.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Yumi asked repeatedly, treating me like I am a three-year-old kid. I nodded my head time and again, and assured her that I was fine.

We passed by each other like we didn’t know each other at all. Yumi gave the ‘Whatever happened?’ look to me when him and me passed by each other without saying hello. “Aiko, something is definitely wrong going on, now tell me,” Yumi demanded.

I smiled it off. “Yumi, I don’t feel like talking about it, maybe next time when everything is better, alright?”

Yumi rolled her eyes, “Fine,”

Why is it that everything likes to just sway aside? Why does everything like to make me feel so crazy and make me feel like my life is so freaked up?

Why?

On that day, everything seems to be in a haze, and I just couldn’t make up my mind what was I hoping for. When I see him and his girlfriend, my heart was aching so terribly that I know that I couldn’t face the reality. Why was I running away?

Aiko, it’s your entire fault that everything ended up this way. Did you know that if you have confessed one more time, he probably has waited for you? Instead, you went off telling him to chase after her, and there she is, now happily with the boy that you like.

Watanabe Kiriko. Student council board- head of finance and scoring perfect grades. She was like everything to him. What about your promise to me? You said you’ll wait for me, but yet, you just left me hanging here.

I didn’t want a sorry, even if you apologized, would that have cured the hurt that you have given to me?

I swear to myself never to let myself fall in love again. Saito, why did you abruptly step into my life?

Around two weeks later, Saito and I were still not on talking terms. I started revealing everything to Yumi and she was just biting on her bread while she looked at me. “You like him, don’t you?”

“I don’t,” I mumbled, as I stared blankly at the bun on my hand. “You do, Aiko, admit it. There’s nothing wrong in liking someone,”

“There is, for me,” I said, as I stood up, and walked over to the fence. I grabbed onto it before I continued. “What’s the use of me liking someone when I can’t trust in that person at all? What’s the use of getting together if I know I’ll doubt that person...”

“Let me prove it to you,” that familiar voice was heard, and Aiko has immediately turned around, and realized Yumi was nowhere to be seen. Right behind her, was Saito. “You..” I mumbled, before I turned around.

“You heard?” I stammered, as I felt Saito walking towards me.

“Yeah,” he replied, his footsteps getting nearer and nearer. Then, I felt his hands wrapping around my waist as my heart started to pump hard and fast. “I know for now you haven’t forget about him, but I will be here to make sure that you’ll forget about him,”

Tears welled in my eyes, and I controlled them from dripping down.

“It’s okay if you don’t trust me, because I’ll prove it to you through my actions that I will not be like him, I’ll prove it to you that, my love for you is so much stronger and real than his,”

They fell. All along, I have always kept all my feelings all bottled up inside of me, not wanting anyone to know how weak I was, not wanting anyone to know that I was such a weakling. With his simple words, he made me crumbled down, and poured out all my overwhelmed emotions within me.

I turned around and his eyes locked into mine. I cried out loud as I lied onto his shoulders.

“It’s alright,” Eric’s voice echoed inside my head, and I smiled. “Thank you, Eric..”

It was that day, that everything changed my life.

Saito and I officially become a couple the following day. Yumi saw us coming in together, and a smirked lingered on her face throughout the day. I pounced onto her, and keep repeating thank you to her over and over again. Without her, I didn’t dare to face my own feelings bravely.

While going for my lunch break with Saito, I saw him and her girlfriend once again. Saito patted on my head, and I looked up. His assurance made me feel relaxed, and slowly, I started to notice him lesser and lesser, until my eyes only had Saito.

That was when I fall deeply in love with him.

The third year in high school, was always the change in everybody’s life. Yumi soon broke up with her boyfriend, and went into depression mode. I tried cheering her up, and although she smiled, I know deep down, she still feel the hurt left. “I understand your feelings,”

“You won’t Aiko, you won’t” Yumi said, her head buried down, her voice was hoarse and unclear.

I looked away. “Why won’t I understand? I been through much more hectic than yours,”

“Aiko! Over here!” Saito called for me. I looked over to Yumi, and she signaled me to go over to Saito, and that she’s fine been alone. Hesitantly, I walked over to Saito, and we walked out of the school gate together. “How’s Kumiko-san?” Saito asked me as we walked home, with our hands interlocked together.

“She still doesn’t seemed to get over that Takeru broke up with her,”

“Why did they break up anyway?”

“No idea,”

“Anyway, our one month anniversary is coming soon!” Saito exclaimed, with his face lit up. “Yeap!” I exclaimed as I looked at him. His face was decorated with a blush as he turned away and started to mumble, “What would you like for the present,”

I smiled and giggled unconsciously. “As long as it’s Saito that gives it to me, I’ll like it,”

Saito smiled, and grabbed my hand tighter. “Don’t forget what you’ve said,”

I slumped onto my bed as I gazed at the ceiling of my wall. Few months back, I was still fighting with myself on accepting the fact that my ex-boyfriend have a girlfriend. Few weeks back, I was still fighting with myself whether to accept Saito as my boyfriend.

Everything seemed to be happening so fast that I can’t catch my pace. In another few more days, it’s our one-month anniversary. Saito didn’t seemed to mind that I still looked at him sometimes, but ever since I become Saito’s girlfriend, I have looked at him so much lesser.

Was that because Saito is with me?

I giggled as I grabbed my pillow and sniffed onto it. I hugged it as I thought back on the times when Saito first hold my hand and how he blushed- so amusingly cute.

I smiled. Saito have lit up my life ever since I left him. Saito have always been there for me. What should I get for him for our anniversary?

I wanted to get something special for him, so I started digging my cupboard. Then, an item struck me, and I widened my eyes, and the thought of the gift disappeared from my mind.

“I think this suited you, so I bought it,”

His voice echoed inside my head. Why? Why this time when I starting to forget him, and this necklace came ruining everything?

Labels: Memories