⌠ 1 ⌡
For some reason
I wake in the early morning,
almost expecting to hear rain.
That rhythmic sound,
spattering against the window.
Maybe it was a wish.
My body moves, routine.
Clothes.
Teeth.
Phone.
Nothing.
Screen fades after a while.
My reflection flashes.
I can't stand it.
Coffee beans, ground down.
Black liquid. Dirt without sugar.
Then, outside. A gust of heat.
It stings my skin.
I find myself searching
for the same path we walked.
Past the shitty arcade, vines twisting on brick.
Past the park. Zelkova groves.
Past the bridge. No orange, just blue.
A crowd of people, setting up stalls.
Some paper lanterns sway lazily.
I end up on a grassy hill, overlooking the river.
Waves roll in the distance.
The wind blows bits of sand into my mouth.
Sweat beads on my skin.
I almost think I can hear their voices.
Eri's warm giggle.
Yura blurts an insult.
Takeshi doesn't say anything.
But he grins. Always.
I turn.
Some fireflies, flashing,
blinking.
Earlier than normal.
A smile,
at what?
Take my earphones out.
Plug them in.
Hold the volume dial.
Until I can't hear anything else.
⌠ 2 ⌡
When my eyes close,
all I can see is the creases.
Her lips a tight line.
Fixed in place,
her knuckles white,
fingers digging into sleeve.
Eri, I want to say.
Eri. I'm here.
Her voice, always so bright.
"I'm tired."
Her soft footsteps.
Yura's eyes.
That look.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
YOU ARE READING
wingman | Cell Phone Novel
RomanceSakai Keichi has always been the wingman, the shadow helping his best friend chase girls in an empty cycle of double dates and practiced smiles. He lets himself fade into the background. Until he meets a girl who smells of rain, and for the first t...
