Will I ever // Naegami

Chapter 10 // Summers are hot

———

It was a pleasantly warm day.

Sun rays peeked from behind curtains, illuminating the room. Naegi's room.

It was six in the morning, birds already chirping outside of Naegi's room. Naegi groaned in response to the birds, woken up by their chirping. Naegi sleepily looked toward his phone which was on his bedside table, checking the time. "Why did I have to get up so early? It's the start of Summer break..."

It was the start of Summer break. This day would mark the one and half of a month of freedom all of the students had before they would have to attend school once more.

It was July 20th, the students had wrapped up their first semester of the year.

Naegi dragged himself out of his bed with messy bed hair as always, deciding to get up early and maybe talk to Byakuya a bit.

*

Naegi: Hey
Byakuya: What do you want, Naegi?
Naegi: That was a fast response lol
Naegi: I was wondering if u wanted to meet up w me around 5:30 at the park until abt 7 or 8ish? Idk
Byakuya: Your use of abbreviations gives me second hand embarrassment.
Byakuya: Whether I want to or not, I can't. I need to attend to some personal matters.

*

Naegi frowned.
Personal matters.

This wasn't the first time Byakuya said he couldn't hang out with Naegi because of personal matters. He had texted Byakuya a few times in the past too and Byakuya often said he couldn't do anything with Naegi because of personal matters.

Naegi sighed, laying on his bed as he stared out the window. It was still a nice day, he couldn't let that go to waste.

———

"All alone today?" The local café owner smiled over at Naegi. In Naegi's area, there seemed to be an awful lot of local stores; more there than anywhere else in Tokyo. "Yeah, I had invited someone to come with me but then they got busy with their own plans." Naegi looked down at his shoes with a frown on his face. "Oh, sorry. It's nothing. I'll just get my usual..."

Naegi didn't want to have Byakuya ruin his day, so he tried to make it as cheerful as he could. Naegi had visited some of the other local business as his parents knew quite a few of the store owners. The whole day, all Naegi could think about was Byakuya. He just wished the taller boy was with him.

Naegi shook his head of these thoughts, going to the last place he was going to visit today.

———

Naegi ended up spending the whole day wandering around his local area, finishing the end of the day off sitting by himself on a park bench and watching the sun set.

The wind was calm, a soft breeze blowing by the boy. It was nearly six in the evening, the sunset finishing setting in the sky. Naegi sighed. For the first day of Summer break, he was pretty pathetic to be sitting on a park bench all alone.

Naegi looked up at the sun which was slowly starting to vanish from the sky. It was a beautiful sight, although it wouldn't clear Naegi's thoughts of the other boy. Naegi knew he didn't hate the other boy, but was it that he was annoyed at Byakuya himself? At first Naegi thought it was Byakuya's plans, but maybe it was Byakuya himself. Naegi knew he was being selfish, but he had never been able to hang out with Byakuya outside of their time talking at the train station, apart from the two times Byakuya invited himself into Naegi's home and on Byakuya's birthday.

Naegi smiled to himself. He loved being around Byakuya. Even though Byakuya was stuck up, selfish, sarcastic and picky, he could also be charming, kind, caring, sincere...

Just as Naegi was lost deep in thought, he was snapped out of his thoughts when a certain voice called out to Naegi.

"Naegi." Byakuya had made his way over to the other boy. Naegi was surprised, his current state of mood showing on his face. Byakuya sat down next to the other boy, his arms crossed. Despite Byakuya's cold demeanour as always, Naegi was extremely happy. He loved it when Byakuya would surprise him. Surprises like these were ones he especially liked. "Why did you show up? You said you were too busy, plus I thought you didn't want to hang around people like me..." Naegi awkwardly leaned back onto the park bench, awaiting for an answer from Byakuya. Byakuya blushed ever so slightly, hiding his face with a hand.

"Tch... is it really that hard for you to comprehend?" Byakuya muttered quietly under his breath, his words being caught by the wind. "Anyway, I'm still happy to see you." Naegi leaned on Byakuya's shoulder. Surprisingly enough for Naegi, Byakuya didn't flinch away.

It was nice to sit like this, watching the sun set.

———

...It was a scorching hot day.

Naegi lay flat on his bed, his fan turned up to the highest setting. It was a Thursday now, two weeks past from when Naegi and Byakuya met up. It was the middle of Summer, so it was no surprise that the temperatures would reach a new high around this time of year.

Naegi laid in bed with his thoughts. He was happy to see Byakuya then, but he wasn't sure for what to do today.

Hmm... what could Naegi do?

———

"Hello!" The ice cream store owner greeted Naegi. "Can I just get..."

Naegi decided to get ice cream and sit under shade. "Ah, shade is so nice. Especially when there's a breeze too." Naegi looked down at the river. The sun made the settled water glisten in place. Happy families laughed with each other, going in and out of stores to their content. Naegi may not have been one of these families, but he was still happy.

Another breeze came by.

———

When Naegi got home, he immediately decided to text Byakuya.

*

Naegi: Hey Byakuya :)
Byakuya: What do you want this time, Naegi?
Naegi: Was just saying hi I guess
Naegi: It was a hot day today.
Byakuya: If you think I didn't notice, I have already.
Naegi: I figured, heh
Naegi: So, how was your day?
Byakuya: I spent all of my time inside tending to my own personal matters that I need to sort out.
Naegi: Oh, I went outside and just spent the day trying to cool down
Byakuya: Do whatever you enjoy.
Byakuya: Anyway, I need to go.
Naegi: Bye Byakuya, see you another time
Byakuya: The same to you, Naegi.

*

Naegi's heart skipped a beat. He loved to talk to Byakuya, even through texting. Why did he have to act this way? Naegi out down his phone for the day, going downstairs to help his mother and Komaru with dinner.

———