365 Days

16

"I will." Langa assured him and Reki nodded, waving goodbye and running off the school property. As Reki made a sharp turn, he stopped, seeing Shiro in front of him.

"Shiro? What the hell are you doing here?" Reki asked, trying to steady his breathing, like after a jump scare in a horror movie. Shiro smiled, shrugging. "Would you believe me if I told you I was in the neighborhood?" He said, with a dorky smile that stayed plastered on his face, even after all that time apart.

"No." Reki said annoyed and with a dull tone in his voice. Shiro chuckled and grabbed Reki's hand, pulling him down the sidewalk. As Shiro dragged the redhead, causing him to run clumsily behind him, Reki began to feel warm, even though the January afternoon air was cold as ice. It had been a long time since Shiro had held his hand like this, or more accurately, at all, and it was a little unnerving. It somehow still felt completely soft, even after all the sports he did in elementary and middle school and it brought back every memory of the two of them holding hands, from the first time Reki cried in front of Shiro to the time when Shiro woke up in the hospital with a broken leg and he reached for Reki's hand before doing anything else.

"Where are we going?" Reki called out and Shiro only laughed, keeping Reki in the dark as the turned and ran down a crosswalk, onto the other side of the street, and running up hill, toward the direction they came from. It was weird, having absolutely no control with a friend, because he would normally make decisions with Langa, but not with Shiro. In fact, when it came to his relationship with Shiro, Reki couldn't remember ever being in control; the day he took initiative was the day their friendship ended, so a part of him did worry that they would get back into their childhood long melody-like pattern. Reki began to furrow his eyebrows in discomfort, slowing down, and making Shiro stop with him.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked, with his smile fading into a frown, matching Reki's sad expression. Reki looked at his shoes, seeing how neat his laces were, wondering why his love life couldn't be as simple as tying his laces into a neat bow. He opened his mouth, tasting the dryness, up the tip of his tongue. "I'm just a little confused, with us trying to be friends again." Reki said, looking up at Shiro and the brunette nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I know." Reki said, clearly taking Shiro by surprise, considering, that up until recently, he had been living in anguish and hated Shiro as a result. "You don't though..." Shiro mumbled, loud enough for Reki to hear as he gripped onto the redhead's hand. Reki glared at Shiro, rubbing his thumb against Shiro's knuckles. They stayed there for a moment, maybe two, in a wretched silence filled by the Okinawa ambiance.

"I was there through most of our lives, but that doesn't make up for the last three years. And I hate that. I mean... I loved you, really did. I still do." He said, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes and Reki held his breath at the word still. "I can love you as much as I want but none of that can make up for it. But what I can do is celebrate with you." Shiro softly smiled, and Reki tilted his head in confusion.

"Celebrate?" Reki repeated, trying to figure out what the hell Shiro was on about now. Shiro nodded, letting Reki's hand go and putting it on his head, slowly getting entangled in Reki's wavy hair. Reki felt Shiro's hand on his head and he knew what it felt like, but it felt odd, as if it landed the wrong way, or as if it were never there at all. As Reki pondered to himself, he looked at Shiro, who had a kind smile, the one he fell in love with. If there was a smile that could've made Reki dizzy for hours on end, it was definitely Shiro's current one.

"Reki, you're spacing out again." Shiro said, shaking Reki's head lightly, with his hand still in his hair. I'm the one spacing out? Jeez, it's been a while since I've heard that one. Reki thought to himself, forcing himself to pay attention again. "Anyways, I was saying that I'm gonna celebrate your birthday. It just passed right?" Shiro said and Reki chuckled.