Hiatus

Prologue

"So i-is it not normal?" I hesitantly said.

A few seconds of silence filled the spacious office until...

"Personally, it's rather strange for a person to not bond or even try to bond with other people. Though I still am not in the position to judge.", my therapist replied, with a rather harsh, serious tone.

The room was once again filled with silence.

She continued "Take a moment to reflect. Let your mind be still. Use this time to analyze yourself."

That person is my therapist. Kushida Ruko. A prodigy therapist that is seriously objective. A strange person if you ask me. As a therapist, wouldn't it be contradicting to rehabilitate people, while suffering from borderline depression yourself? Or at least, that's what I would be saying if I actually knew her deeply.

I looked around the room more and noticed that I wasn't particularly comfortable with the atmosphere. Her certificates and shiny plaques are found everywhere. Her tables are filled with important documents of her patients. The vibe was off. I feel like I am suffocating. I could almost vomit at any given moment. It's not about the cleanliness nor the orderliness of the room that's making me feel queasy, not even my therapist, but rather myself. I am uncomfortable with unfamiliar, peculiar, and rather, strange places. It hits a nerve that I undoubtedly despise.

"Akari-san, if you don't mind" she interrupts, "Are you done reflecting now? We're almost done with the session."

"Yeah. I'm okay. Im going now", I blandly replied.

"Take care Akari.", she mouthed.

I finally headed out of Kushida-sensei's office. I still feel a little bit uneasy coming out from her office. I wobble along the corridor as I make my way to the exit. I feel tired even though all I did was sit in a chair for an hour and a half. I feel exhausted. I didn't eat that day.

I finally made it outside the building. The scorching sun is almost burning my skin. Out of curiosity, I pulled my phone to check the temperature.

"39°C?! That's enough to fry a fish!", I embarrassingly shouted. People started staring and I just ran away. What a pathetic person I am. Doing embarrassing things and not owning up to it.

I continued running until I bumped into a young man, and we both fell down.

"Oh God ouch ouch!", he said.

I quickly apologized and bowed, and continued running. I finally reached my house and I rushed to my room. I turn on the fan. I unknowingly have slept for an unknown amount of time.