A Diary - Calling For You

The New Nearby

I shook my head in disbelief as I stared at the scene before me. However, when my focus returned to her eyes, they had vanished, replaced by a much-needed wakefulness. "WE'VE BEEN OUTSIDE SHOUTING FOR AN HOUR, AND YOU'RE HERE TAKING A NAP," Anli's voice reverberated with frustration, punctuated by a well-aimed kick to my leg. I winced, half expecting my leg to give out from the force of her kick.

"Seriously, Anli, you need to ease up on the hitting," I exclaimed, my annoyance evident as I stood up with the assistance of Akira, who seemed caught between amusement and concern. 

"WELL, PERHAPS BE MORE MINDFUL OF YOUR SLEEPING HABITS!" She retorted, her voice still carrying the weight of her frustration. With Akira's steady support, the three of us made our way downstairs, the air heavy with the remnants of Anli's scolding.

"What's up with the truck?" I asked Anli and Akira, dropping my arms from their shoulders as we caught snippets of unclear conversation. As we moved closer, the picture became clearer: two folks were unloading cardboard boxes from the truck and hauling them into the house across the street. It seemed like something big was going on, and I couldn't help but wonder what was inside those boxes and who was moving in. The curiosity got the better of all of us as we stood there, quietly observing the activity.

I turned my gaze and noticed a girl, her finger pointing at the sky, seemingly lost in the clouds. It's funny, but I wasn't really a believer in love at first sight until that very moment. "Hey! Do you live around here?" she queried, looking up and addressing me. I'll admit, realizing she caught me gazing at her felt incredibly embarrassing.

"Yeah, he does. Just across the street," Akira interjected, jogging over to us, a grin on his face. "You really didn't have to spill the beans!" I muttered to Akira, a touch mortified.

"Oh, that's nice. By the way, I'm Haramatsu Mihoko. And you?" She looked up, seeking an introduction.

"I'm Kaito—"

"It's Haru Akira! I reside just around the corner, and I'm 16," Akira jumped in, interrupting me in his typical way. Did he really interrupt, or did she just ask him first? Hard to tell.

"Oh, that's great! Same as me," she responded cheerfully. As I observed them, I couldn't deny they made quite a pair, and yet, a twinge of jealousy crept over me witnessing their interaction.

EVENING

Anli and I kept dialling Akira's number, but he remained unresponsive. "Go do your thing," I instructed Anli. Without wasting time, she hurried to his place, only to discover that he wasn't there. Frustrated, we decided to head out for ice cream without him. When we arrived at the ice cream shop, to my surprise, there was Akira, accompanied by Mihoko, both enjoying their ice creams. They hadn't even extended an invitation to us—how rude.

"Is that so?" I murmured with a mixture of disbelief and irritation. Anli glanced at me and began recounting the story, "Yeah, and " My attention was divided between their good time and the uncomfortable sensation that a part of me was missing. It was as if someone had plucked away a piece of my heart.

"Did you notice that?" I turned to Anli, only to realize she had vanished. In a flash, she was already confronting Akira, giving him a piece of her mind in her usual fierce manner. "NEXT TIME, CHECK YOUR PHONE OR I'LL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU," her shouting echoed in the air. This evening turned out a bit chaotic, but the good part was that this evening, we had Mihoko with us.

After savoring our ice creams, we made our way back home. However, as I was about to step inside the house, a sudden realization hit me like a lightning bolt.

SCHOOL PROJECT!

It dawned on me that the assignment was supposed to be a group effort, and I had no alternative but to team up with Anli. I promptly retraced my steps and hurried back to Anli's house. The door swung shut ahead of me as I reached it, necessitating me to dial Anli's number on my phone. Proposing to Anli that we tackle the school assignment as a team, I received an affirmative nod. "Great idea! Let's work on it at my place," she confirmed. Time seemed to drag on indefinitely, to the point where I'd practically taken up residence on her doorstep. At last, the door gave way and swung open, revealing Anli. In my haste, my equilibrium failed me, and I toppled onto my back right on her doormat.

"Uhm, Asahi?" Her raised eyebrow communicated a mix of bemusement and curiosity as I lay sprawled at her doorstep.

Amid the conversation, my thoughts kept gravitating towards Mihoko—I wished she were with me at that moment. Gradually, Anli's voice faded into the background, and I had to make a conscious effort to reengage. "You're still stuck at that?" Anli's voice sounded distant as if coming from afar.

Attempting to refocus, I asked, "Can we postpone this to tomorrow? I'm pretty exhausted right now." Anli's response was immediate, sharp, and loud, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED WE WORK ON IT!! YOU CAN'T JUST BACK OUT NOW!" Her yelling intensified as she started playfully hitting my head.

"I'M SLEEPY, TOMORROW IT IS," I vowed, managing to extricate myself from her friendly onslaught.

The laughter they shared and their ongoing conversations held my sleep hostage throughout the entire night. I found myself gazing out the window, captivated by the moon's serene glow as I sought the embrace of slumber. The moon seemed to convey a hidden message, and the stars twinkled above as if attempting to share a secret with me.

As if they knew something I didn't.

MORNING

The ring of the doorbell jolted me awake, dragging me from the clutches of sleep. With a mixture of yawning and stretching, I ambled towards the front door, feeling a tad disoriented. "Probably the milkman," I muttered, trying to piece together my thoughts. Swinging the door open, I was confronted with the last person I expected to encounter—Mihoko, looking all put together and positively radiating excitement for the day ahead. In a near-automatic reflex, I attempted to flatten my tousled hair, as if that would somehow mask the fact that I had just rolled out of bed. "Morning, neighbor,"

she smiled.