"[...] i'm made for a soul-crushing romance, i need someone who won't be ashamed to worship the ground i walk on, because that's how i love, i give myself completely, i love every day as if there could be no tomorrow, i- god, do you know even one gu...
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"i feel sore just looking at you," yn chuckled, bumping into aran with her shoulders.
she just picked him up from volleyball practice, and they were walking to the university. he was fortunate enough to have only one class today, whereas yn had classes until the evening. but at least they started together and could walk together.
"stop," he groaned, pushing her back, and she laughed aloud.
their college volleyball team played a friendly match against another college team. they lost by two points, and their coach was a sore loser. he was a great coach, and everyone liked him, but sometimes he lost his cool after a loss and made them do drills that made their muscles hurt for days.
"come over after i finish my classes, i'll made you something good to eat."
evening classes only took up two days of her schedule, but they always exhausted her. as much as she enjoyed her major and was confident that education would be her career path, the evening classes were a nightmare. the only thing she liked to do in the evenings was relax with friends, maybe go out somewhere, and not listen to her professor, who believed that just because he was a professor and they were still learning, he was so much better than them.
'okay, technically he is, but that is not the point.'
yn hoped that spending time with aran after class would help her get through it.
aran's mouth began to water just thinking about it. sis mother was the one who taught yn how to cook, and every time she offered it (or he politely asked her to), he felt like he was back home. his home was only two and a half hours away, and his mother was waiting for him with open arms, but it was still nice to get a taste of it in tokyo.
"will you give me a massage?" he asked, but yn's expression warned him not to push his luck. "maybe next time?" she shot him another look. "okay, ma'am," he nodded and gave up.
"don't you feel like people are staring more than usual?" yn asked, looking up at her best friend.
she was used to staring since she was a child, it didn't bother her because it was just something other people did. since starting college, she was aware that people were talking about her dating history behind her back, good or bad things, good if they were jealous, bad if they were jealous as well, so she simply ignored it.
"maybe? yeah," he said, but he wasn't the type of person who saw staring as unusual, so both of them had a skewed perspective on the subject. "when do you finish classes?" he asked, despite the fact that he knew that he had already asked this question earlier.
"7pm, you can come pick me up, hm?" aran nodded, he could walk her home for a good meal. that was a fair exchange. "maybe i'll make-" yn stopped, when she noticed her phone lit up with a call. "wait."
"tell me, tell me quick," aran begged, desperate to know what dish yn had in mind, but she had already pressed the green icon on the screen. "yn, tell me," he mouthed.
"hi, mika," yn said, extending her hand to stop Aran from talking.
"did you saw?" mika said through the speaker. it was loud enough that aran could hear it.
"saw what?" she asked, slowing her pace.
"oh my god, where are you now?"
yn knitted her brows and looked at aran, who also seemed confused and slightly stressed because, what could possibly happen? something bad was first thought, but after second thought, mika sounded excited.
"i'm near the west building with aran, why?"
"don't move!"
after the call ended, yn had more questions. mika enjoyed gossiping on the phone, saying it reminded her of that one scene in mean girls. what was so important that mika needed to tell her in person?
mika was running for her life towards them less than three minutes later. as soon as she got close enough, she pushed the university newspaper into yn's hands and leaned her hands on her knees to catch her breath. after that run, she was confident that the next time daishō asked her to run with him, she would agree because her stamina was terrible.
yn looked at the paper in her hands, which only added to her confusion.
"you know that i don't read it."
it wasn't that yn thought the school newspaper was stupid or anything, she appreciated that there were people who took the time to do research on every topic, write articles, and edit them. she was simply aware of everything she could possibly read there due to her engagement in social and academic life on campus, so she wasn't reaching for it.
mika groaned as she turned the newspaper in her hands and tapped one thing on the announcement page ten times.
yn knitted her brows, this was unusual behavior for mika, who was always patient and sweet about everything. to avoid causing her more distress, yn looked at the page.
'to yn, every memory of your sight is weaved into my skin. i pull on the thread, trying to make sense out why it means so much, but my skin starts to fall apart, revealing my insides, with my heart peeking through the ribs. i weave it together again, your sight is sewn into my skin. the golden thread of you is the only thing holding my form together. if i try to pull on it again, my heart will spill, and everyone will know as i stand with tangled moments in my hands. do i pull to untangle and understand, or do i accept the thread embedded in me?'
"oh," aran gasped, looking over her shoulder. he was always a quick reader, while yn needed a moment to process information.
an now she needed much more than just a moment.
"why-" she started, but she knew nothing, so she had no idea what to ask about.
yn felt overwhelmed.
someone poured their heart out, and everyone saw it. everyone could tell she made someone feel more than just casual lust or passing interest. someone was not afraid to let everyone know, even if it was anonymous.
she'd never felt more... seen. how exciting it was to know that someone out there understands that it was the ideal way to confess.
she didn't want to go into detail, the middle of campus wasn't the place for her to read, interpret, and comprehend. she wanted to do it alone, in her own room, with just herself inside. because it was for her.
tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
"someone wrote a piece of poetry for you!" mika exclaimed loudly, startling yn and aran, who were both deep in thought about what they saw before them.
"can i have this?" yn asked, sniffling with her nose and clutching the newspaper so tightly that nothing could rip it from her grasp.
