The Reservation (Nanami Kento || JJK)

Shelter in Place

What's this? Six new chapters? The rest of the fic all at once? Merry Christmas! This is specifically for @borris2002. Thank you for all the love on this fic. I hope you enjoy the rest of it ;)

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Hours passed on that sofa. Then days. I couldn't get up. Couldn't bring myself to do anything.

Staring at the wall, or my phone, or the door, I waited for something to happen to me. I waited to wake up from the nightmare. I waited for my heart to either scab over enough that I could function again, or for it to burst and finally put me out of my misery.

The ache was bone deep. Every blink, every breath, physically hurt me. I couldn't so much as lift my head or my shoulders without the pain lancing through me.

The most I managed to do after a day was plug in my phone, go to the bathroom, and strip down to my bra and underwear. Then I buried myself under the blankets in my bed to wallow.

An incessant buzzing drew me out of my blanket cave with a startle.

INCOMING CALL FROM: Grandma <3 <3 <3

Not him. My heart sank, and I felt nauseous. But...

Grandma was better than no one.

"Hello?" My voice croaked and rasped. I really needed to drink some water soon... It wasn't like this was the end of the world. Honestly, what was wrong with me? Why was I so hung up on a guy? We'd barely gone out that long... We only did it a handful of times.

"Mae? What's wrong? Why do you sound sick?"

"Because..." I heaved a deep breath. Everything felt like a chore. A mountain to climb. A burden to lift up. "Because..."

My voice quivered. My vision started to blur. It took one question from someone I loved, and I spiraled into another meltdown. I thought I had cried myself out the night he left, but apparently not. Seriously, how did I have any tears left when I was this dehydrated?

"Oh dear... Did you two break up?"

I lifted the blankets up to my chin and bit into them. "Uh huh." It was all I could say through the barely stifled sobs.

"Mae... I am so sorry, sweetheart. I'll make some soup and bring it over in a bit."

"Can I have ice cream instead?"

"No, you need soup, my love. But I can bring something sweet too. When did it happen?"

"I... I don't remember. Yesterday? Or two days... I know it's stupid, but I— I—" I pushed the heel of my palm into my forehead, trying to get a grip on myself.

"It's not stupid. You loved someone, and they betrayed that."

"That's the thing," I said almost hysterically, half laughing and half crying now. "He still loves me. He did it because he was worried I was too close and could get hurt from it. He's worried I'm gonna die like Yu. Something about things happening behind the scenes that he didn't want me part of..."

Grandma didn't say anything for a long moment.

"Grandma? You still there?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, dear, but it sounds like he made the best choice that he could. If he says there are bad things happening, then you need to trust him."

"You're on his side!"

"Yes."

No further explanation. No reasoning. No placations. Just stone cold truth that cut me to the bone.