𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢

𝑶𝒓𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 (7)

Shit...

How long did I cry for? Probably for a while.

I was sure no one wanted to cry in front of the girl they liked.
But here I was, crying buckets. Sigh*

"Are you alright now? Can you talk? I'm sorry I can't give you a hug...." Nana said with concern as her shoulders drooped by the end of her statement.

Shit. I felt like crying again.
Nope. Enough crying.

"It's fine. I'm okay. Thanks." I said, wiping the last of my tears. For now. Hopefully.

"So.... I'll start. I..... I'm... Ah! As I thought it's not easy! Wait a moment." Nana's statement stuttered maybe because she couldn't decide on the right words.

She took a deep breath as if to prepare herself and continued, "Okay. So as you know, three years ago I died. But for some reason, my soul couldn't pass on and I've returned here."

"......L-like... the vengeful spirits who seek revenge?" I asked even though I knew Nana would never do something like that.
I don't know why I asked that. My mind wasn't working right.

Nana gave me the stink eye then sighed.
"Seriously Kou-chan, you think I'm a vengeful soul?"

"No," I replied immediately.

"Of course, I'm not! But tell me the truth. What did you think I was when I first appeared?"

Ah. What should I say? Well, she asked for the truth. Sigh* Okay.

"At first, I thought you were a part of my memory. Then when your visits became more frequent, I assumed I was hallucinating..... But after sometime, I thought maybe not?... I don't know... I wasn't sure..." I spoke, not sure whether to meet her eyes or not. In the end, I choose to look at the sky which displayed a beautiful orange hue.

"Wait. Why didn't you ask me anything?" Nana asked as I turned to find her looking at me with her eyebrows scrunched.

Baffled, I retorted, "W-why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I-it... T-that!" She stammered and then sighed.

"Maybe it's because I got greedy...... I must've nurtured the foolish notion that I could be with you... Even if it's just a little bit longer..." Her voice was but a whisper from her lips carrying a sad smile.

"I guess... It's the same for me..." As if to match her tone, my words flowed out in the same manner and perhaps with a similar expression on my face.

"Hehe. Love makes you do all kinds of things, eh, Kou-chan?" She giggled and laid down on the grass.

I did the same beside her and said, "Yeah, it does."

We stayed like that silent for a while, gazing at the sky as the sun was setting painting the sky red.

Then breaking the silence, I said, "Then as your soul couldn't pass on, there must be a reason, right? Do you have any idea?"

Nana raised her hand towards the setting sun. The last rays of the sun passed through her translucent palm. I stared at it as if possessed until she spoke up.

"I think I do."

I turned to look at her and asked, "What is it?"

"I have a few regrets." Saying so, she closed her fist and brought her hand down then looked straight into my eyes.

The narrow distance between us made it easier for me to catch sight of her eyes reflecting the hues of sunset.

Beautiful.
I thought I forgot how to breathe...

Nana smiled dazzlingly making her look more ethereal and parted her lips, "Would you help me fulfil my wishes, my dear Kou-chan?"

This feeling of being bewitched. It had been some time since I felt it last.

"Yes, I will," I answered as if under a spell.