A Lingering Touch (Junjou Romantica)

[8]

Hiroki wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Sighing, he dumped the rag into the bucket. He used his break from writing to clean everything for the day. This way, he didn't end up in a writing block. It happened a few times before he figured out that doing small errands helped him snap out of it. He settled it into a regular Sunday routine. Something, he rarely did when he lived in the city. The day dragged on anyway. He felt better doing something productive. Areas where he didn't frequent much were left alone. Cutting his cleaning time in half. Although, he wiped down the surfaces in the enclosed rooms. Leaving the windows open to air them out. He left some air fresheners in specific areas.

His laundry dried outside on a clothesline. A week's worth of laundry that he forgot through his kick of inspiration. He might replace the old rope with a newer one when it ripped. The clothespin box remained in the same spot underneath the sink. His grandmother kept certain objects in odd areas. He remembered the spot which held the box weeks ago, he moved it onto the cabinet over the washing machine. Afterwards, he made it a chore to check other hidden spots and he found more objects.

His uncles didn't deeply clean the home as they claimed.

He stood in the kitchen, tapping his slipper onto the hardwood floor. The rice cooker contained a large serving of rice. His thin slices of raw salmon remained in the packing and inside the fridge. A quick meal of salmon donburi. Most of the ingredients remained in the cabinets. He wanted nothing more than to dig in and fill himself up before he took a nap. His stomach growled at the thought of the meal.

Licking his lips, he busied himself with grabbing the soy sauce and shredded seaweed. "Good thing I grabbed some chopped up watermelon on my last grocery trip. That will be a tasty dessert for me."

Once the rice cooker beeped, Hiroki removed a bowl and a small plate from the cabinet. He scooped himself a hefty amount of rice before topping it with the seaweed. Pouring the soy sauce into the smaller place, he placed it on the counter. He fetched the salmon from the fridge and opened the packaging. Then, he arranged everything in the bowl.

Knock. Knock.

"Shit." Hiroki almost dropped his bowl of food and saved it. He pushed it away from the corner before he ran toward the front door. "That better not be any of the neighbors. I'm in no mood for company."

Hiroki kicked off his slippers and put on his sandals. Despite the distance, he didn't want to track dirt back onto the wooden floor. He stopped in front of his shoe cabinet and patted down his hair. Smoothing down his shirt as he inspected the rest of his body. Afterwards, he answered the door. His eyes widened when he saw the familiar goofy smile. Some added wrinkles but still the same man.

Hiroki uttered out. "Uncle Rikei?"

"Hey you little scamp! I heard from Fuyumi that you finally moved into dad's house. It's about time you took on the responsibility. This way the rest of the family can visit you." Rikei rustled Hiroki's hair and held up a plastic bag. "Care for a beer?"

Hiroki didn't hesitate when he responded. "Why not. It's almost four in the afternoon." Hiroki went to the side to give Rikei enough room to walk inside. "Try not to get too drunk. I'm sure my aunt won't pick you up and just leave you here."

Rikei opened the shoe cabinet and grabbed a random pair of slippers. "Well, you love me enough to let me stay here without complaint. You'll let me sleep my buzz off. Anyway, I don't mind sleeping on the hard floor. Just give me a blanket and I'll be fine."

Hiroki scoffed. "I have no choice. You're family. Besides, you will complain about it to my mother. The next communication will be from lectures and counting off my disrespect." He closed the front door and informed his uncle. "Don't eat all my snacks or you will buy them for me." Rikei hurried past the living room and dropped the bag onto the small table. "Are you listening to me?"