𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 [𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳]

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 • 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐱

"Akaashi-san, what do you think about it?"

"Huh?" Keiji's mind wandered as his co-worker told him about her most recent project.

"I mean the approach of the current manga I'm working with."

"Oh, I..." He pushed his glasses up his nose. Nope, he wasn't listening. "I guess it's great."

She giggled and smiled primly. "Thank you, if you say it's great then I believe that it is. After all, it's you Akaashi-san. You're- I- I really admire you a lot." A blush crept across her face. "Oh, excuse me. My shoelace." She bent down and tended to her shoes.

Keiji fixed the sling of his messenger bag on his shoulder and watched. He watched as her fingers worked on the lace and he was then reminded of you. How he never let you tie your own shoes because he'd rather do it himself. It's like he had a sixth sense that he had only for you. Whenever you needed him, he's right there ready to come and heed your call.

"I'm sorry, Akaashi-san." His co-worker called out as she stood up straight, cutting him from his contemplation.

"Oh- Uh, yeah..."

It's a stroke of luck when the cafe they were supposed to have a meeting in was already fully occupied. Now, they had to settle at your favorite place. The aromatic scent of coffee welcomed him and the thought of you automatically sprang to his mind. It had been days since you'd last talked to each other. He messaged you multiple times but you said you were busy. He didn't want to come off as intruding so he gave you space. Space which he'd never thought he'd find very cold and distant.

"I'll get us drinks." His co-worker volunteered as Keiji put his bag down on the table.

"Sure," he sat down. Looking outside, it began raining just like that last time you had last seen each other.

"Here," she placed own two cups on the table and took her seat. "I didn't know what you like so I just got you a latte."

"That's fine, that's fine." He got his cup near his lips. He noticed that she was about to sip her drink and he accidentally asked. "You forgot to add cinnamon?" She tilted her in question.

"Cinnamon?"

He pinched his brows and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I forgot. It was someone else."

It was you. He remembered how you would complain to him at time she forgot to add cinnamon to your coffee.

"Hmm...Akaashi-san

"Yeah, it's fine. It's good. That manga our chief has asked me to help you with, what's it about?" He asked and took a sip of his coffee as he leaned in on his seat.

Keiji tried to listen, initially, trying to keep his mind busy with work, but even that didn't seem to be effective. He's supposed to be jotting down important notes, but his brain was completely elsewhere. Last night was even worse. Did he get a sleep? Of course...not. He turned and twisted all night. His mind was going around in scribbles.

Trying to veer himself from thought of you during a meeting, his eyes lazily wandered to her and noticed that she had a coffee stain right across her lips. He fetched a table napkin and handed it to her. "You have a stain."

She immediately took it from his hand and he watched as she wiped it away. He recalled reaching out for you from across the table just to wipe the stain yet he didn't feel the same compulsion for anyone else. Was it just pure coincidence? Does telepathy every exist? He asked himself this sort of questions but somehow, he had this better knowing, that it's not telepathy nor crazy coincidence, it's him. He wanted to be the one by your side.

"I-I'm sorry. Thank you for pointing that out." She said, but Keiji was still so lost in thoughts.

Flustered, she lit up a little at his focused gaze. She smiled sweetly to him. The kind of smile that could surround anyone with warm white light; a smile that would make it seem like the world just stopped. 

Keiji felt it all and his eyes showed longing. His lips painted the same smile on his face like he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He never thought that he'd finally wake up and everything would finally come to him and everything has new meaning.

In his sight, it was you all along, the one always smiling back at him.

And it felt all too wrong to be seated here spending time with another woman in your favorite place.

"I'm sorry." Without any second thoughts, Keiji stood up.

"Akaashi-san?" She called out to him but he didn't listen.

He ran towards the direction of your university, hoping that he could still catch up to you. Looking at his watch, the rain drops fogged the time, but he didn't care anymore. All he knew was he wanted to get to you as soon as possible. All this time, how dumb of him. He'd never thought that he'd wake up to the thought of loving you.

They've been best friends for a very long time...if he truly loves her, he must've known all along.

He must've hurt you when he said it was a stupid thought, but now the same stupid thought was everything running in his mind over and over as fast as he ran to you.

The things he thought only existed in fiction...in your fiction, were actually his reality all along. He wanted to be the one who wipes away your tears. You were the one whom he always called first whenever he had problems. All this time, he's doing everything so you would remain in his life. How come he hadn't correlate all this things much earlier?

The traffic light stopped him from his tracks and he saw the classmate whom you always told was bothering you from across the street. Perhaps, he wasn't too late. He instantly smiled as soon as he saw you emerged. He was about cross the street, but stopped when he saw your classmate wrapped an arm around you close under his umbrella.

She deserves someone better. Someone who wouldn't take her feelings for granted and someone...who wouldn't overlook her.

Droplets of rain dripped from the tip of his fingers and so were from the strands of his hair. His own words thrown at him like daggers of ice. Keiji stood frozen.