storms don't last forever | h.kazutora

chapter thirteen

"I have a dryer, so go ahead and use it. I'll go get you some towel to dry yourself or if you like, you can use the shower first." Rindou said while opening the door of his apartment. After you cried earlier, you tried to leave, but Rindou held your hand and didn't let go.

He offered to walk you home, but you immediately declined as you don't want to go home just yet. He then offered his apartment to at least you could dry clothes and yourself, so you won't catch a cold, and once again, you declined.

But oh boy, he's so persistent, and it's annoying you. He wouldn't let go of your hand, and you both ended up playing tug of war for a few seconds. When you had the opportunity to break free from his grip, you quickly left him. You thought that you already lost him, but when you looked back, he was there, following you around until you lost all patience and agreed to go to his apartment.

You looked around his unit, and It's huge, but has less furniture. It's as if there's no one living there. After a couple of minutes of looking around, Rindou stepped out of his room, carrying some clean towels then handed them to you.

"Do you want some drinks? Coffee? Chocolate? I put some change of clothes inside the bathroom. You can use it while you're drying your uniform." He said as you took the clean towel from his hand.

"Why are you doing this? We're not even friends."

"Yeah. I know," He replied, shrugging his shoulder. "I guess, I can't leave you alone."

You lightly scoffed. "I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you."

"Bullshit." You hissed. 

Rindou then took a step closer and grabbed the towel from your hands. "You're going to catch a cold if you don't dry yourself well." He said and placed the towel above your head then gently rubbing your hair with it.

You lower your head and remain silent while he dries your hair. This is what Kazutora used to do after you took a shower... Your heart felt a sharp sting, as if someone were grasping it hard.

Silence filled the air for while. You wanted to cry, but there were no more tears left. After a while, you finally manage to utter words. "Aren't you going to ask me the whole story?"

"Nah. It's clear that talking about it is still painful for you, so I won't ask for anything more than you're willing to share."

"Hmm... You're not as douchey as I imagine you are."

"And you're not as scary as I imagine you are."

You let out a faint chuckle that sounded bitter. "Since you brought me here, can I stay the night?" you asked, changing the subject.

Rindou choked on air from what you said. "S—Stay... The... Night? Here? You know that you're alone in a man's house, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Why are you stuttering? Are you nervous?"

"What? No? Why am I going to be nervous?"

"I don't know." You replied, shrugging your shoulders. Rindou then averted his gaze and continued to dry your hair.

"Why do you want to stay here? You have a house, right?"

"That's not my house... I don't belong anywhere... The home that I can truly call mine was now gone."

"That's nonsense; your parents are concerned about you."

You lightly chuckled. "Yeah, right. They're just acting concerned to erase the guilt in their head."

"Why are you so negative? It's not the end of the world, y/n."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I may not know what happened, but you were given a chance to change your life now. Why not grab it?"