A Mark That Lasts Forever

Purity | 淳 section 5

On the last day of the three-day weekend, I wake up to Shun dressing up in denim overalls. I sit up and rub the sleepiness out of my eyes.

"Are you going somewhere?" I ask, watching him wrap his choker around his neck.

"I need to buy some stuff for my project," he answers as he reaches for his earrings.

"You're going shopping?" I confirm.

"Yeah."

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

I can feel myself pouting while I watch him decorate his ears. Why is he leaving so early? Does he need the supplies right away or does he just not want to spend the day with me?

"Can I go with you?" I ask.

He pauses, stammering. When our eyes meet in the mirror, he looks almost panicked.

"I'm kind of in a hurry, so I think I'll go alone," he replies.

"Why are you in a hurry?" I question.

"Um, well," he pauses. "I need to drop some stuff off at my friend's house before she leaves for work, so I don't have a lot of time."

Nothing about the stammering and look on his face communicates to me that he's telling the truth. Where is he really going? Should I try interrogating him more?

"Anyway, I'll be back around one, so let's get lunch together," he says hastily, picking up his wallet on his way to the door.

"Yeah." I sink further into a dark place inside of me.

After Shun closes the door behind him, I let out a sigh. Then another. And another. I feel like sighing will push out the feeling that's making my stomach hurt, but it doesn't. I think it's time I try talking to him again. But what if his reasoning behind the odd behavior is something I don't want to hear?

I'm so confused. How can I go from feeling so confident about his feelings for me to wondering where those feelings went over the course of just a couple of weeks? I can't even pin-point the moment when I might have turned him off of me. None of this makes sense.

I grab my phone off the nightstand and open MeTube, hoping to distract myself from the unsettling feeling. I get halfway through a dance choreography video before a LIME message appears at the top of the screen with Shun's name on it.

Shun
Did you like my friend's photo?

I tense up and don't have a chance to think of a reply before he sends a screenshot of the photo Tomo tagged him in—the one I accidentally liked twice. My name and icon sit next to the heart. In a panic, I exit out of the conversation to check the post again, knowing for sure I had unliked it after that. To my horror, I find the heart still as red as it was the moment that woman bumped into me.

Well, fuck.

Makoto
Yeah I did
Why?

Shun
I was just surprised
You dont even follow him
Or me lol
Were you snooping through my tagged photos? 😏

I feel my body heating up. Why does he have to tease me when I've already been drowning in anxiety induced by him all week? Irked, I choose to insert a bit of sarcasm into my next reply.

Makoto
Ur friend sure likes to post photos of other people's
boyfriends, doesnt he? lol

My message is read right away but it takes a moment for him to respond.

Shun
At least he makes up for the bf who wont post
anything of me lol

I stare down at my phone in shock. So it's true that he's been dissatisfied with me not posting his photos all this time. Maybe that's the real reason he's been growing distant lately. This all started right after I wouldn't let him post that selfie of us after all.