Serendipity

X - Mikansei (未完成) Silhouette

 It was a mild Tuesday afternoon, remnants of winter were still present in the early transition into spring. The air was cold yet the sun was warm. Blossom buds began to form along the barren branches of the naked trees. Squirrels pranced around after awaking from their long slumber, stretching their limbs every so often.

 The Sugisaki household was quiet, the parents off at work, the children out with friends, leaving only Nene and Yousuke to occupy the home. They laid on the couch in nothing but t-shirts and sweats as they watched t.v. His head rested on her thighs as she played with his hair, twirling it with her fingers.

"This feels nice," commented Nene.

 Wittingly, Yousuke replied, "Thanks; I use conditioner when I'm washing my hair."

"That, too, but just this -- sitting around, alone in the house with nothing to do -- this feels nice. Don't you think?" He nodded. "Yeah, it does. If only it could be like this most of the time." He gently whispered underneath his breath, "But it feels like something's not right."

"What was that? Did you say something, Yousuke?" Her keen sense of hearing had picked up with outward thought. He sighed, lifting his head from her lap to sit upright.

"It's just... I..." His cheeks and ears were turning a bashful pink.

 She giggled. "Why? What's wrong? You know you can tell me any thing, it's only between the two of us, go ahead." She lovingly wrapped her arms around him, laying the side of her head on his shoulder. 

 Taking in a deep breath, he said, "Nene, I don't think this is going to work out. At least, not for much longer." 

She cocked her head back, her smile dropped. "You're joking right? This isn't funny. You know I don't like these kinds of things, Yousuke-kun." His stare was silent, unwavering. The look of dread manifested through her eyes. "What do you mean? Did I do something wrong."

 Shaking his head, "No. This... this doesn't feel 'right', if that makes sense."

 Nene's hands fell from his shoulders, her eyes bewildered.

"I only came here to have a place to stay while I attended university. Nothing of this sort was ever in my plans. Falling for you... wasn't..."

"Yousuke..."

"But I did... and I don't know why. Maybe because I was lonely and didn't have anyone to be around - who knows. And to be honest, I don't know why you fell for me either. There were times where I had thoughts that you were only using me as an emotional cushion to break your fall when things didn't work out between you and that guy."

 She immediately hugged Yousuke, as a means to try to comfort him. The side of her head rested on his chest. His heartbeats slow and steady.

"Yousuke. How can you think like that?! I've never used people like that, and I certainly didn't use you."

"How can I know you're telling the truth? Can you really, truly, honestly tell me in an objective manner that I was not just an object for comfort? Can you say you truly love me or had feelings for me if you did not go through the experience of being cheated on?"

"That's not the point, Yousuke. It's in the past. All that matters now is that I love you."

Yousuke removed himself from her embrace and snapped, "That's exactly the point!" Nene was shaken, afraid, and vulnerable. Her eyes were sad, unable to raise her head to look at Yousuke in the face. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"When I first came here", continued Yousuke, now in a calm demeanor, "you wouldn't even give me the light of day. I know I was a stranger in your home, and you never once treated me like anything other than a stranger."