Chasing The Moon

Chapter 53

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No angst. No fluff. Just unfiltered pain /hj

Anyways 😟☝️

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The night air was as crisp as ever, sending sharp chills down my lungs and spine. Kei's hand in mine provided some warmth, but it wasn't until I did a little jog to the car door -like the one you'd do when someone was holding the door for you far away- and slipped inside that I was encouraged to relax. As he dashed to the other side and got in with me, Akteru adjusting the mirror above him.

This time, there were no tense spaces, instead, we both let our shoulders slump together, heads slightly knocking together every time we'd turn a corner. No unnecessary silences, the vacancy filled by the most popular songs blasting on the radio, the occasional head bopping and singing along. Nothing like the same car ride that had happened this morning. Prior to this, one could only assume we were completely different people, on a completely different day. It was absurd how a person's life could change in just one day, and afternoon, an hour even. Our car could crash and in seconds everything would have changed. But no, this was not caused by a tragic accident or a second's worth of life-altering events, but by something as simple as communication, a few tears here and there.

I squinted my eyes at a car's headlights passing next to us, watching as it zoomed opposite the direction we were going. I turned to Kei, who had shifted in his spot to get a comfortable position, while the realization he wasn't wearing his seatbelt crossed my mind. Well, I wasn't either, as neither one of us was sitting in our respective seats but instead collapsed in the middle, letting each other smother the other one. Any day before this, I would have been more prone to keeping them on, just one mistake could be a brutal end to us, but now, as repeatedly smacked legs with Kei in a somewhat battle of strengths, I couldn't help but feel safe.

I had no reason to worry in this car right now, and nothing was going to happen to us tonight. Unless, of course, the Gods think it would seem fit to throw a curveball in my, no- our, direction, per usual.

But they won't.

-

As we turn a corner, Kei and I shared simultaneously confused glances. Akiteru, who had not tried to hide the smirk on his face at all, adjusted the mirror in our directions before coming up to a spot, in what looked like a field, under the only source of light, which was the small crescent moon.

Coming up to a slow pause, he turned around, one arm resting on the passenger seat next to him.

"Alright, hop out."

Once again, we both shared perplexed stares, but even so, we complied, stepping from the car, me right behind him. I turned around and stood a couple of feet away from Akiteru's door, waiting for him to come out. Akiteru, though, had separate plans, as he rolled down his window, giving us a weak peace sign and putting the car into reverse.

"Call me when you're ready for me to pick you up," he stated, and with that, pulled out of the field and out of sight before either one of us could protest or even get a word out. We both stood dazed, staring off at the highway road, as if he was going to come back around, laughing about this being a silly prank.

But he didn't.

I stood staring at the night-struck road and grass by myself now, the cold now striking me harder than before. I wrapped my arms around my waist, regretting the fact I hadn't thrown on at least one more layer.

Kei was searching around us, his already terrible eye's trying to, upon my assumption, not only adjust to the darkness but make out the figure of somewhere that we wouldn't have to stand frozen in the middle of a field. Once I snapped from my stunned silence, he motioned his head towards a bench just a way's away.