"Ready to go?" he says.
"Yes. Let's go."
Close together, we make our way past the cherry blossom tree. We walk down the path in sync and harmony with only the changes around us to observe. The sprouts rise from the soil, the weather warms up, and the spring finally makes its warm welcome. We're conversing normally, talking about this and that.
"By the way, I saw you and the cast members rehearsing with your costumes on," I smirk.
"You did? That's," he trails off and scratches the back of his neck. I notice that he does it when he's nervous.
"You all looked nice! For medieval characters," I snicker.
"The designer is a first year student, Aiya."
"Really?"
"Yes. She was known in her middle school for being a great designer."
"That's amazing. I'm so happy to hear that for her."
"You remember the literature competition in our first year?"
"What about it?"
"Her passion for designing reminds me of your passion for poetry. Especially when you read it out loud."
Clearing my throat, I fee. weird. As I'm going to thank him, what feels like a whirl in my stomach stops me. That whirl makes me take a second to properly understand. He feels embarrassed since I don't respond.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry. That came off unusual. It wasn't what I'd meant to say. Sorry," he bluntly says.
Stopping at the front gate, I look at him and place a soothing touch on the back of his hand. I remember learning that physical touch calms the racing nerves of the human nervous system. He seems oddly nervous, not his usual demeanor.
"Don't apologize, Wakatoshi. I took a second to think of what you said. I should thank you for that. No one paid attention to my poetry in the past years, even now. From what I saw on the podium, everyone looked like they'd been wanting to leave as soon as the bell rang."
"You should know that's not true. Not entirely."
"How so? It's not like anyone wanted to listen to someone going on and on reading off a paper and then getting an award among the contestants. Especially when that same person goes up there every year."
He shakes his head in disagreement.
"Oh, come on. Who would've honestly preferred sitting and listening over going out to break?" That's the climax, the tension is practically polluting the air.
"I did," he speak firmly, brows furrowing with frustration.
There's a moment of silence that soothes the tension before I tell him to come in so we can go through with our final lesson over two months. Thankfully, no one unexpectedly comes home like last time. We walk in and we both go to get changed into comfortable clothes, the usual.
Ever since I got it, I'm still wearing the necklace Wakatoshi gifted me. I think of it as a gift that mended all that's between us since we were little, something that brings us closer together.
While he's upstairs, I remember my flower bed in the backyard. I leave everything and go to water the flowers.
"Hana?" Wakatoshi searches the kitchen as I'm watering the sprouts. I'm not paying attention fully, though.
He steps forward to the door, and he's going to say something but stops short. Still, I'm fixing the dirt that surrounds the sprouts. After finally making sure they're sitting nicely and are hydrated, I wonder why he stopped in his tracks a second ago. He hasn't said anything. He looks quite shocked at the sight. I don't know if it's the flowerbed, the garden, or even the hills behind. Is there any dirt on my shirt?
YOU ARE READING
Lavender | Wakatoshi Ushijima
Fanfiction'Everything seems to wash away with the tide and it's just two naïve kids staring at each other again, making promises to a future that isn't promised. A world they haven't seen, a life they haven't lived. A journey that's uncertain except for these...
