Chasing The Moon

Chapter 54

~~~~~

I quickly shut the door behind me, a draft of wind blowing my hair and jacket around before I sighed at the warmth of the house. At least it had only started snowing once we stepped out of the car, or else my entire night would have been ruined. I definitely have some type of hatred towards the snow, even if it is just a simple force of nature.

I turned around, leaning on the door frame. It was almost comforting, but there was something off about the room, an unnecessary silence as if everyone had disappeared. I peeked my eyes open, the first thing my attention was brought to was Kei, who was standing in front of me. Yet, he wasn't moving, like something in front of him was keeping him from doing so.

I moved next to him, meeting his gaze, which was focused on Akiteru in front of us. For a quick second, I wasn't sure as to why everyone was uneasy until my eyes flickered to the suitcase next to him. A strong force of confusion washed through me, even though I knew exactly what was going on, I didn't want to accept it.

He looked almost shameful, lips pursed together, though as he was about to speak, Kei interrupted him.

"You have to go back to college?" he asked, slipping his hands in the jacket he still had on, a slight tremble to his voice and motions.

Akiteru sighed, letting his head fall before moving over to us, taking the suitcase with him. My eyes consistently drifted over to Kei, who had a cold look on his face. I know he doesn't get along with Aki too well, but he's still his brother, so this was definitely not going to be easy on him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I was going to tell you sooner but...the timing just wasn't right," he placed a hand on my shoulder, a wave of guilt momentarily washing over me, "But, it's okay. I trust that you guys are going to be fine without me, and I'm still only a call away."

He moved over to the door, my heart sinking with every creak of the frames on the floor. As he opened it, he turned back to face me.

"Hey Tadashi, I know I should have told you sooner, but I'm really glad you're okay. I'll take content in knowing you're happy while I'm away, so keep smiling okay? Not just for me, but yourself."

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat as he walked out, another strong wind that swept through the door hitting my cheeks until he shut it and everything went silent again. We all stared at the door like it was something we had never seen before, like it had just magically appeared in front of us. I resisted the urge to follow, ignoring in twitch in my legs begging me to chase after him. 

Yet, there was no doubt Kei was also thinking the same thing I was as he dashed towards the door, my body following right behind him before I knew what I was doing. We trudged through the snow that crunched under our feet, thickening by the second, a blizzard of white making it hard to see anything in front of me. I kept moving forward aimlessly until I could make out the somewhat dark figure of Akiteru and the car.

"Akiteru! Wait," I shouted, grabbing his arm to twist him around, "Please, please be careful. Drive safe okay? I can't-"

I grabbed his hands, cupping them in mine.

"Please drive carefully."

Although it was dark, and the flurries of snow obstructed my view, I could see the faint smile across his lips.

"I'll be okay Tadashi. Don't stress for me."

I vigorously nodded back, the situation -and the cold- forcing tears to build up in my eyes. I started backing away, partly expecting Kei to follow me, but it seemed he had his own last words to say to him. I dashed for the house so I could leave the cold, my nervousness slightly settled, leaving whatever they needed to talk about remain private.