It's back to work on Sunday. I have to force myself out from under the warm covers of Shun's bed so that I can go back to my freezing cold room and get dressed. Just as I'm about to leave the house, a LIME notification pops up on my phone. I'm almost shocked to see who it's from.
Eriko
Hi Makoto. Long time no speak
I just heard u and Koki are entering the
competition separately
What happened?
Koki wont tell me anything
I stand frozen, just staring down at the screen. I have to admit I feel a little relieved I'm not the only one Koki is leaving in the dark.
Eriko
I know its probably too late to enter
together but can u pls talk to him?
Hes trying to come up with a new dance
but its not going well
Ive never seen him so stressed before
Makoto
Hey Eriko. Sorry about Koki.
I tried talking to him but he wont listen
Theres nothing i can do
Tell him he can stick with the old choreo
I already have a new one
Eriko
What happened? Can u tell me that much?
Otherwise I wont know how to talk to
him about it
Makoto
I dont think I can. Sorry.
Eriko
This makes no sense
It wasnt long ago that u were the only
person he talked about
I dont know what to do
Makoto
I wish i could help but honestly i dont
know either
Its probably better we wait for him to come
around
If he doesnt then he doesnt
Eriko
But he said ur his best friend
Im gonna keep nagging him until he talks
to u so when he does pls listen ok?
I stare down at her messages, only feeling worse. He called me his best friend? He thought that highly of me and still chose to completely abandon me because of Shun?
I'm startled by a knock on my door. Opening it, I find Shun on the other side, looking up at me cautiously.
"Are you going now?" he asks.
"Yeah."
I feel bad just leaving him standing there, but I can't bring myself to say much else. It's like every drop of positivity has been sucked out of me again. I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulder.
"Can I go with you?"
I look back at him, unsure if I heard him right.
"You want to come with me?" I ask.
"I want to see your dance," he says with a shy smile.
I rub the back of my neck, trying to imagine what it would be like having Shun at the studio with me.
"I haven't perfected it yet, though," I say.
"Well, I thought maybe I could help out somehow," he says hopefully. "I know I'm not a professional or anything, but maybe I can give you some feedback."
He has a point. I haven't had anyone around to give me a second opinion this time. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have Shun at least tell me if my choreo looks good or not.
"I've been watching a lot of dance competitions on MeTube lately," he adds with a shy smile. "So I think I can kind of tell now what judges usually like."
"You've been watching dance videos?"
"Yeah." He nods. "I wanted to get a feel for it before I see your performance."
A pang forms in my chest. Why is he so cute?
"Okay." I smile. "Let's leave in ten."
YOU ARE READING
A Mark That Lasts Forever
RomanceAll Makoto wants is to enjoy his new life in Tokyo, but his gay roommate Shun has other things in mind. Despite wishing his nightmarish roommate away, Makoto does his best to tolerate him until learning he might not be the person he's making himself...
