Black Water

•3•

I won't deny how wrong I treated him for the next three days. For a lot of it, I just gave him the silent treatment, occasionally eye-daggering him whenever Raya and he would agree on things and such. Raya, the persistent girl she is, when she wasn't at work online would try to warm my icy heart.

"It was a bad argument."

"It doesn't qualify as an argument-"

"Don't pretend you don't feel bad."

Looking Raya up and down while she did my nails she was not budging but neither was I.

"I don't."

"Okay."

Staring up at the ceiling every night normally I would be up because I didn't feel safe. Now all of a sudden I was thinking of Kento. I barely know this man. I don't know a single thing about him. And now it's like he invaded eventually corner of my mind. Ugh! Eventually, on the third day, I got in my wheelchair and rolled out to see Kento up. He was doing something similar to yoga but mostly focusing on breathing. He was shirtless but I kept my eyes on his hair.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"You can say that."

I replied as he rose from his mat, there was a slight glaze of sweat on his shoulders. I didn't dare look at his back as he walked past me to the fridge, that would break my concentration.

"Look..."

Trailing off, this was harder than I thought. Kento didn't rush me, drinking his water down with a towel over his forearm.

"I apologize for how I treated you the other day."

The rain started to fall outside and pieces rolled down the window.

"...If I were you I'd probably done the same-"

"See I don't think so, you have proven yourself a respectable man."

"I wasn't always like this."

My eyes sunk a bit when he said that, he knelt and lifted my hand gently saying.

"It's easy to get caught up in the whys and how things happened. It's just as easy to lose oneself. What you stood for and the identity you used to be..."

Kissing the knuckles, I gasped softly as he finished.

"Once again I don't blame you for how you acted. The last person who will judge you is me."

"...Thanks."

I mumbled Kento pulled away from me with a soft blush on his face realizing what he just did. I was still malfunctioning from the kiss on the knuckles. My guess was he was always this stoic quiet and mysterious guy. Not forward and flirty. Neither was I. Now I was blushing too. Both of us stuttered like we were going to say something but instead turned away from each other and went back to bed. The next morning Raya had gotten her workout out early and came in later to see Kento and me eating breakfast. Together. She could no longer hide her glee.

"My my what's this?"

"Raya come on."

"No you come on Esme, what happened last night?"

Kento kept quiet while he ate his toast and so I answered.

"We talked."

"A talk or like a talk-"

"Moving on. How was your workout?"

"Good. How was yours?"

I couldn't deny a laugh slipping out of me, Kento smiled at seeing me smile, and that only made my face ten times more red. Raya was happy to get a laugh which brightened up her day. Over time Kento started helping in the more personal areas, like my panic attacks or helping the mobility of my legs. Teaching Raya how to give me a massage when he was away restocking the house. Ironically, Raya bought him a computer and he found a job online as well. As usual, all went well, sure excluding the mental breaks, but one hot night caused me to have a migraine. Raya had pulled an all-nighter the previous night, and since Kento had been here for three weeks now he could cover the routines I had now. We were watching TV and the migraine was truly bothering me but the medicine wasn't truly killing it. Rubbing my temples Kento leaned over saying.

"Do you want me to turn the TV off? The access light could be bothering you."

"I guess..."

Mumbling that, he turned the TV off and gently laid me down on the couch. Placing a cool washcloth on my forehead. I could feel his gaze on me the entire time. Breathing slower I said.

"Why did you save me that day?"

It was an abrupt but serious question.

"You needed saving-"

"No why did you? It was a suicide mission with as many monsters were in there."

"The proper term is cursed spirits and it was my job to exorcise them."

Sitting up slightly I pulled the washcloth off. He tried to usher me back down but I wasn't having any of it.

"That's just it. With a job like that people die all the time. Why me? Why come to my house of all places? I know I'm more at work than the average female. I had physical and mental disabilities. I contradict what I say what-"

Pulling me into a tight but comfortable hug he rubbed my back softly before breaking it. He didn't have to say anything. Scoffing I shook my head.

"You can't possibly think I'm that girl-"

"And what if I do? What are you going to do about it?"

"Is that a challenge?"

I asked and he simply crossed his arms.

"You think I won't make your life a living hell-"

"Who are you angry at"

"You know damn well who! I killed them! It was me. And had it been anyone else they would still be alive if it wasn't for me!"

Whimpering my voice broke, I gripped his collar tight almost shaking it.

"They deserved better! Raya does-"

"That's enough speaking for me."

Raya entered the room ready to argue too. Now here I was, spilling my heart out, and yet I couldn't predict what would happen next.