──── 𝙂𝙊𝙅𝙊 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙈𝙀𝘿 𝙊𝙉 naoko's couch, finding a position to get comfortable. he opened his eyes seeing a ceiling he wasn't familiar with.
he sat up immediately looking around him as naoko dropped a glass from his sudden movement. "jeez i thought you'd be out cold for the rest of the night." she started to pick up the large shards of the broken mug off the floor.
helping naoko pick up some of the glass pieces off the floor he asks, "why am i here?" naoko walked through the kitchen grabbing herself and gojo another mug filled with water.
she sat on the couch, accompanying gojo, "i brought you here, you were so drunk at the dinner party." she explained as gojo rubbed his head, feeling some of the remaining effects of the alcohol in his system. "how long was i sleeping?"
she looked at the watch on her wrist, "three hours. it's two in the morning right now." he nodded his head slowly. "why are you still awake then?" he asked, "couldn't sleep." she said taking a sip of the water from the mug. "something keeping you up at night?" he questioned.
"you could say that..." she mumbled softly, satoru barely hearing her.
it was true. for the past week, she'd been tossing and turning throughout the night. and there was one reason. she was thinking about satoru. she'd bump into him constantly that week. interacting with her ex like nothing happened. and she thought about their interactions while she was supposed to be sleeping.
"you wanna tell me about it?" he asked, and her eyes widened. of course she wasn't going to tell him that she'd been thinking of him. "what-no." a little flustered about what he was asking she stuttered. naoko sighed, "satoru you aren't my boyfriend anymore, i'm not going to tell you everything like i used to."
he nodded his head, understanding what she meant. "how about a friend?" he offered and naoko sighed, "i don't think we're friends."
"why? i thought since we've been in..." he paused as he thought of a word, "contact... we could at least be friends."
"because i don't think we could ever see each other as friends..." she stated, putting an immediate wall between them, "do you think you could ever see me as a friend?" she asked him. "deep down, i don't think i could." he rubbed the back of his neck. naoko nodded, knowing she was right. "that's why i'm setting boundaries, i don't want to fall for you again."
"why?" he questioned carrying their conversation. "because last time i did that you broke me, i don't want to feel that feeling ever again." she confessed, mumbling softly.
"so you're just never going to feel love ever again, for anyone?" he spoke softly, his heart breaking a little when she said that. but she didn't respond. and satoru felt like a piece of shit. he caused all of this. he was the reason she was building up walls like this after he tore them down when they were younger.
"naoko, you're just hurting yourself. it doesn't even have to be me. just don't distance yourself from the people who love you." naoko grew silent. she didn't make eye contact with him, but the space between them grew smaller as gojo moved in, naoko drawing in as well.
he leaned in, maybe the alcohol playing a part in this decision. naoko turned her head away as his lips were a few centimeters away from hers. "i'm sorry." she said softly. getting up from her seat in the couch, distancing herself physically.
he stood up from the couch watching her put her cup in the sink. "no, i shouldn't have." his head laid low, a little bit embarrassed.
she stood by the counter, the awkward silence filling the rooms that connected, "i think i should go to sleep now." she said and gojo lifted his head.
she walked towards the base of the stairs. before going up satoru said softly, "right. i guess good night then, naoko."
"good night." she replied back heading upstairs to her room. as she sat in her bed, she thought about what he said.
'maybe he was right? maybe i just need to stop distancing myself.' she thought to herself as she laid in bed where she eventually fell asleep.
