Out of Nowhere (Rindou x reader)

Chapter 36: The Way You Felt

"You look like you're frowning even more. I miss your smile, (y/n)."

—~—

Third Person POV

Rindo heard shouting.

That was the first noticeable thing during his walk to (y/n)'s apartment. He already figured that his girlfriend was way too excited to text him if she got home, so he opted to visit instead. He'll just wait for her if she isn't there, he concluded.

However, the closer he got, the louder the screaming became. It was intense considering he could hear it down the long walkway before even reaching the door. Of course he was worried. Considering that it may as well be coming from (y/n)'s apartment, he couldn't help but wonder if she's alright.

"You gave Maya everything— everything— she's ever wanted!"

The tall, blonde male halted in his tracks, his feet planted onto the floor and he didn't bother to reach to knock on the door, 'Ah... she finally broke, huh?'

Rindo pressed his lips together in a fine, thin line. What was he supposed to do? Should he wait it out and comfort her when everything calms down? Or should he respect her privacy and leave while he still can? This wasn't his battle to fight, after all.

After a lot of thinking, he chose the former. The blonde simply leaned back onto the wall near the door and placed his hands in his pockets. The back of his head rested behind him as he closed his eyes— arduously listening to his girlfriend speak her mind.

'What to do...?' He thought and subconsciously furrowed his brows in discontent.

It frustrated him when he saw her submit to her parents' disapproval back when they weren't even dating, now it frustrated him even more that he didn't know how to comfort her when she needed him the most.

When they had their fight so long ago, it really got him thinking that maybe he was weaker than he thought, and yet, (y/n) was able to get him through that. That he shouldn't quietly live under his brother's power, and instead, create a separate reputation as his own person. It was a slap in the face that he was the coward all along. A painful realization that— ironically as it was— made him fall for her harder than he could ever imagine.

But could he say the same for her? If anything, their fight would only make her feel worse after all he said. Calling her the coward for shrinking away at any time she felt insecure over her passion. The way she saw her so-called 'talent' separate from her sister and made it known to her peers that she likes to design clothes through hard work and dedication. Unlike him where he strived to prove himself at any chance he could get, he berated her for choosing the easy way out and not proving herself better than her sister.

Rindo sighed in exasperation, 'For having such similar situations, we surely chose different paths...'

As he was left in his own thoughts, the younger Haitani picked up a novel sound and his head slightly tilted towards its directions. He opened his eyes to be met with a confused Maya walking his direction and he unknowingly took a sharp intake of breath.

"Rin nii-san!" The little girl exclaimed after recognizing who it was and immediately quickened her pace. A little bit too fast that it may cause suspicion, the tall boy hurriedly straightened himself off the wall and approached her before she could get any closer.

"Hey, kid," the violet-eyed teen feigned a quick grin to mask the apprehension he felt and nonchalantly walked closer.

"Are you staying long? Can you teach me how to play poker?" Maya, without missing a beat, shot question after question in excitement. Meanwhile, Rindo needed to make sure that Maya gets out of there before she could hear her older sister's yelling.