His Daughter || Ran Haitani

13 / you

<same day - 10:39 am>

My eyes were swollen, and I had small trouble breathing as I drank water bit by bit. My heart was thumping loudly against my chest as I quivered underneath Ran's eyes.

I couldn't see him in the eyes. All I could do was press my knees against my chest, huddling at the corner of the sofa.

We were now in my old room, sitting on the two couches, facing across each other with the small coffee table separating us from just arm's reach.

"Are you feeling better now?" His voice was soothing, but his eyes weren't. Ran had his elbows on his knees, leaning slightly as he stared at me.

"Kinda..." I breathed out, taking a breath in before exhaling out, feeling a sudden weight lift off my shoulders.

"I think I can properly answer your questions..."

Ran nodded, encouraging me to start once I was ready. I heard him take a breath in, then out.

"Tell me whenever you're ready," He said.

"First of all, have you forgotten me up until now?" I resisted the lingering hurt tone to escape from my lips, my eyes weren't connecting with his. I couldn't, if I would I'd be a crying mess again.

"Yes." He nodded, "That time at the supermarket, I thought that was the first time I'd ever met you, but after listening to your mother speak about the past, I've come to remember, but there are still missing pieces. I'd like you to fill them."

I understood, nodding my head, "Then your questions?"

I'll answer them no matter how trivial they may be but how sensitive they are, depends.

"I want to know what our relationship was before this..." He gestured between us, waving his hands as if he didn't know what he was doing. "...contract. Or before we became working adults, "

"Before the contract, when we were younger..." I swallowed, "Well, we weren't that close back in junior high but later on for some reason, we got closer. I don't know the reason, we just became friends all of a sudden in high school."

He nodded. I guess that was satisfactory enough.

"What did your mother mean when I suddenly stopped visiting after I got a girlfriend? She even said you looked depressed."

I pursed my lips.

I didn't want to answer his question. For him, it may not be as sensitive as it would have been for me. But, I did say that I'll answer his questions. I just don't think I'll be able to answer that today.

Ran immediately noticed my silence, swallowing before clearing his throat. "Sorry, I guess that hit a point..."

"Then, did you ever like anyone? That I didn't know anything about back then?"

I blinked my eyes, "Uh, no." I paused, puffing my cheeks, my eyebrows creasing. Yes, I did like someone and it's the freaking person sitting in front of me.

"Oh," He sounded a bit dejected. I wonder why.

Oh, never mind. I just remembered the time he confessed to me and I embarrassingly ran away because of the shock that I felt.

Now that I remember it, after realizing what I did, I immediately ran back to where he was but he wasn't there anymore. And now that I think about it, it was during that time that we started to become distant.

'I won't be surprised if he's lost his interest in me...'

"Ahem. I noticed that picture frame over there," He pointed to a frame. My face heated up when it was a picture of me during prom night... with his arm around my waist, and my face was a tomato.

"Uh... You don't remember?"

He shook his head.

My feelings were crushed, my heart hurting immensely when he answered. I couldn't believe he had forgotten about it, but needless to say, I'd also like to forget about that night.

'Prom night... was also the day that he confessed...'

I looked back to the picture, seeing the forced smile on his face, his hand around my waist gripping tightly while I was unaware. It was supposed to be a happy event for the both of us but I guess I messed it up.

"Prom... I'm guessing that was one of your memorable moments back then huh?" His voice was quiet, his gritting was almost unheard of, but I caught it. I sucked a deep breath.

"In a way, I guess... I just feel sorry for the guy that came to me and confessed." I caught his attention, his eyes trained on me with anticipation. "My embarrassment caused him to think otherwise, but in reality I also liked him..."

"I hoped to see him one day and tell him that I'm willing to love him again..."

I deliberately told him what I wanted to do back then. I don't know if he remembers about that part of our prom night, but I do hope that he does. And for him to know that I still love him.

Ran had a contemplating look, his hands entwined as he nodded his head to my claim.

"That makes both of us then..."

My eyes blinked, watching Ran lift his head as a deep red covered his face until his ears, a hand covering half his face while his averting eyes looked at anything besides me.

"Let's give Reina a proper family,"