✔️ Body and Mind 3

From the Distance

Yuzuru practically fell into his hotel room, just to find Nyx and Emily quickly switching the channel the second they noticed him.

-What were you watching?! Was that her?!

Both girls exchanged a nervous look and then looked behind Yuzuru as Nathan, Kihira, and Shoma made their way in as well.

-Answer me! Is she here? Is she nominated for the Nobel?

-Y-Yes....

Emily said and noticed that the carpet is suddenly way more interesting to look at.

-Why didn't you tell me, Em?

She stayed quiet, but Nyx hurried with an answer.

-She is engaged, Yuzu. We didn't want you to be sad.

-That doesn't matter that she is engaged! I can still cheer for her, no? ---- At least from the distance...

He added and hated that his voice did betray him a little bit there at the end.
Yuzuru dodged Nyx's worried gaze and sat down on the floor, staring at the large plasma TV, and asked them to switch the channel back.
Emily did as requested, while Nyx quickly texted Javi if he could come over as well.
Just in case their friend would end up with a nervous breakdown or something.

It didn't take long and Javi came into the room as well, exchanging a worried look with both Nyx and Emily. And if Yuzuru saw it too, he didn't acknowledge it.
He merely nodded at his friend and then again tilted his head backwards, staring at the TV still from the floor.

The guests began to fill the concert hall at the background tones of classical music from a live orchestra. The camera was switching from one group of guests to another until they finally got to Anya and her friends. An Indian girl he didn't recognize and David who he saw in the article where their engagement was mentioned.
But he didn't linger on them. Yuzuru's eyes were fixed solely on the stunning beauty of Anya in the blue dress and her long braid hanging over her shoulder.
Her eyes seemed even bigger thanks to the mascara prolonging her eyelashes, but he could still see the faint circles under her eyes that she was probably trying to hide and when she failed to suppress a yawn, it only confirmed that she must have been really tired.
And even with the obvious jet lag, she was still the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

His friends were sitting spread around the room, watching him staring at the girl on TV with a dazzled look in his eyes. All three girls were wondering if ever any guy looked at them the same way.
Both Nathan and Javi were thinking that he probably wants to shag her because she really did look absolutely fantastic. And only Shoma was nervously eyeing the bed and wondering if it would be too rude if he would lie down and took a nap.

Yuzuru thought about her parents. Wondering if they are as proud of her as he was.
Then Anya bumped into another guest and her face lit up as she recognized her friend and they quickly hugged and began to chat just before the camera switched to a different corner of the room.
But all Yuzuru could still see was just Anya's happy face and remembering all the times she smiled at him like that.
When he gave her the Jane Eyre book and she rolled on the bed? Or when she finished her lecture that she was dreading so much? Nah, this was just her genuine smile she gave whoever she really liked.
And Yuzuru began to wonder when did she start to smile at him like that.
Was it when she came to pick him up at TCC? Or before that, when he walked her home because she missed her bus stop? No. She was giving him that smile long before that. She smiled like that at him already when he was coming over every evening to visit Rachel.
And even though that smile was way shorter, immediately suppressed by her consciousness, she still never managed to hide it completely on time.
The realization that it was already six years ago since she smiled at him like that for the first time hitting him hard.