That night, I fell asleep not realizing that I was still awaiting Keiji's call. By the time it was morning, I could barely remember a thing.
I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand and turned the alarm off. Keiji hadn't called, and he hadn't replied to my text either.
By now, he should've been done with university for the day. The worry in my mind was starting to overflow.
Maybe he stopped texting me on purpose, or maybe something happened to him.
I sighed and stood up, approaching a whole new day of repetition. I walked over to the closet and grabbed today's outfit. I then brushed my teeth and hair, made Akira breakfast, packed my backpack back up, and put my shoes on, all ready to go for university.
I walked outside and followed the same routine that I always do. I headed for the cafe, got my daily hot chocolate, then went straight to university.
I sat in class listening to the same monotone voice of the professor, then went home taking the same path.
I awaited Keiji's call once again, but this time I had less certainty that he would call.
"Akira, I'm home!" I called as I stepped into the house.
"Hi!" I heard her call from the kitchen. I sighed and walked straight to my room. I felt empty and hopeless, just living my life relying on another person to force this made-up serotonin into my body.
As I flopped onto my bed, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped to see notifications. There was nothing there, as usual, but I still spent about a minute staring at the blank screen.
I opened the message chain with Keiji. I sent him a message yesterday, and he still hadn't even seen it. I was starting to worry, but I refused to let myself do anything since it had only been a day.
I typed out a message and hesitated to click 'send'.
From y/n:
Hey, Keiji. Are you doing alright?
As I looked back at the text, I noticed how sad it sounded. Honestly, he wasn't going to read it anyway, so why did I even bother?
And as I sat at my bed, staring at the screen of my phone, another two hours had gone by.
And of course,
No reply.
*two-week time skip*
I was sitting at the kitchen table across from Akira. I made chicken soup for dinner, and we both sat in silence feeding spoonfuls into our mouths.
"Has Akaashi texted back yet?" she asked. I sighed and shook my head. She frowned and I let out a small laugh.
"He's okay. I'm sure he is," I continued. She nodded and stood up to go wash her plate. I followed behind her and then sat back down on the couch.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped through my messages.
From y/n: one week ago:
'Kaashi, how was school today?
From y/n: 6 days ago:
Hey, just wanted to make sure you're okay!
From y/n: 5 days ago:
I miss you :(
From y/n: 4 days ago:
Hellooo :)
From y/n: 3 days ago:
I'm worried, can you please reply at least once?
From y/n: 2 days ago:
I love you
From y/n: yesterday:
so much.
Delivered.
I scrolled through the messages that I had sent. Not a single one had he opened, and it had been more than two weeks.
I really was starting to get worried, and the only thing I could really do to get a hold of him was text... oh! Bokuto! Why didn't I think of that earlier?
With excitement flowing through my body, I scrolled through my contact list and pressed on Bokuto's contact.
From y/n:
Hey, Bokuto! Is Keiji doing alright? He hasn't replied to my messages for a couple of weeks.
I smiled at the text and eagerly waited for a reply.
And just as I sent it, a message popped up, getting my worries and hopes up at the same time.
From owl.boy:
He hasn't told you?
From y/n:
Huh? Told me what?
My heart was racing. Was he supposed to tell me something? Was he in trouble, or did he want to break up? Either way, I was not looking forward to whatever came next.
My fingers trembled as I watched the small typing icon appear from Bokuto's side of the conversation.
From owl.boy:
Y/n. He's gone.
