Where the Flowers Bloom

Chapter 1

There are a lot of ways to interpret love. For things, people, or even something that does not exist. None of these bring you pain. You want something because it removes that pain. Yet, I can't bring myself to stop loving the person who is responsible for this suffocating feeling.

-

Shu Yamino is a highschooler, known for his beauty and brains plus his ability to lead groups very well.

Luca Kaneshiro, A childhood friend of Shu who he has been with ever since they were toddlers. He's from Australia and moved in the neighborhood where coincidentally, Shu lived at.

Luca decided to go to the schools where Shu went, is it because he wanted to be with him?

-

"Sorry. I can't say the same."

"I see, thank you for your time. I'll get going."

Shu rejects another person's feelings. It's countless, it just keeps happening. Rejection, over and over again and it is all he can ever do.

Luca runs to Shu, who was standing alone at the hallway with his head down.

"Shuuu!" Luca shouts from across the hallway.

Shu looked behind him as soon as he hears the familiar voice, 

"Luca?? What are you doing here, school ended an hour ago."

"Sorry, sorry! I wondered around the school looking for you!"

"Seriously? What for?"

"No reason! Just wanted to go home with you!"

Shu's heart flutters.

He lets out a sigh,  "Alright. Let's go home? "

"Sure but what were you doing alone here? Is something up?" Luca asked.

"Nothing important."

Luca knew something was bothering him but he decides to not push it.

"If you say so. Anyways, let's go!" Luca says with a big smile on his face.

Shu yelped, "Ah, wait-!"

..

Luca drags Shu down the street where they both lived, with kids playing and birds flying around, it was a really calm neighborhood.

"We're here!" Luca beamed.

Luca rattles his keys and opens the gate and invites Shu into his home.

As they go up, Shu could hear the upbeat music playing near Luca's room. Is this the type of music he's interested in?

They entered Luca's room and Shu was greeted with a white wall with cute lions, as he might describe them. It had a yellowish color scheme to it.

"Your rooms nice!"

"You like it? I spent my time working on it! I'm glad on how it turned out!"

Shu likes it when Luca overshares.

To start a conversation, he says; 

"Oh right Luca, have you done the paper due in two days?"

"No? I'm pushing it to the last minute!" Luca said beaming.

Shu froze. He knew that Luca is a procrastinator but he didn't expect him to still be, in college.

"You should work on it, I'll help."

"You will? That's great! Thank you so much!!"

His bright attitude, Shu couldn't help but feel drawn into it.

..

While working on Luca's paper, Shu stared at him with soft eyes. He noticed that Luca liked to play with his pen when he was focused and the amusing design of his tattoos. Of course he noticed it before but right now, he is fixated on nothing else but Luca's physical features. 

"Shu? What's up?"

Luca's voice brought Shu back to his senses. Startled, he stammered;

"Nothing, sorry. Need help?"

"Hey, I asked first."

Shu didn't know what to feel about Luca's straight-forward questioning. It's happened to him before and Luca's demeanor always leads Shu to actually speaking up.

But now, Shu hesitated. He can't be honest now, can he?

"It's really nothing. Back to the paper, yeah?"  Shu said, hoping to steer the conversation a different way.

".. Sure." Luca said with a stern voice. He was worried, he really was. But seriously, he knows best that he can't push Shu.

..

The paper was finally done and Shu went home, it was just a couple blocks away.

It was eerie around that time, with only street lights guiding him. It was.. silent.

As soon as Shu opens the door, he drops onto the sofa.

Who knew that silence would make him feel so uneasy? He starts using this time to ponder his recent thoughts.

..

Shu admired Luca's company. He found himself calm whenever listening to Luca rant about his current interests, from games to hobbies. 

Simple interactions such Luca running to Shu with concern or asking if something was bothering him made Shu realized that what he was feeling wasn't what a friend should be feeling. Love that was always given to him by so many people, he was finally given a chance to be the one to feel what it was like to love someone. 

Really a frustrating moment for Shu, he didn't know how to confront any of these.

He didn't want to think about it anymore, he doesn't want to burden Luca with this. It feels somewhat selfish.

Shu slowly gets up and gets ready to sleep.

..

As time passed by, Shu started to notice a few changes with himself. He started to notice small things that Luca did that he was never able to notice before, like how Luca would doodle on his notebook when he loses focus and what hairstyle he prefers. Minor things, yet every one of these 'small things' was what made him fall even harder. 

But this just brings up a new problem, how will he convey his feelings? To just tell Luca is an absurd idea, he doesn't want to ruin what they have. He's been confessed to a thousand times but now it was his turn, he was scared.

And recently, he has been feeling a sharp pain in his chest.