Take Me With One Kiss

Ch. 1 - Can We Go Back to the Way We Used to Be?

Ch. 1 - Can We Go Back to the Way We Used to Be? 

When I got off the plane, I was expecting to get on a taxi and be on my way home. But I never expected to see Keith standing in front of me, breathing heavily and looking at me with tired eyes. He walked towards me slowly, almost staggering. I stood frozen with my hand clutching the straps to my bag, ready to strike him if he tried anything. He stopped in front of me, too close to be considered friendly, and just like that, he rested his head on my shoulder.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked, holding onto his shoulders and trying to push him off. It was a fail attempt. Who knew he could be so heavy? I just gave up and tried to walk away. But his grip was strong. 

"Stop moving," he groaned. "I'm dizzy." Then his grip on my shoulders loosened, and  all of his weight fell on me. I staggered back a few steps and caught him by the shoulders again. I looked at him with wild confusion written all over my face, but his eyes were snapped shut.

"Don't tell me you got sick?" I whispered. With his head still resting on my shoulder, he nodded. I pressed my lips together to hold back my laughter. This guy, who never showed emotion, just admitted that he got sick on the plane. Then I remembered the reason why I came to Japan and recomposed myself. I couldn't allow myself to fall for him any more than this.

I bit on my lip. I wanted to just push him off and leave, but was I that heartless? Then again, it wasn't like he had a serious illness. Besides, it was his choice to get on the plane. Why should I care about him? His decision, his responsibility. 

Even though that's what I said, I still brought him home with me. With his arm over and around my shoulder, my hand at his waist, and his head resting on mine, I helped him through the door and lay him down on the sofa. I was breathing heavily as I looked at him, his eyes closed, not even moving. I rubbed my face and sighed in disbelief. This guy had the nerve to fall asleep!

"You," I breathed in, looking to the side at nothing in particular, let go of my breath and looked at him again. "You're just lucky that I still care about you...even if I mean nothing to you."

I took off my leather jacket and threw it over him. Seeing that he won't wake up anytime soon, I scribbled a note and put it in his hand. Then I left. 

Even after living in Japan for two years, it was still a sight for everyone to see me walking to the market. They saw girls who dyed their hair blond walking around the streets all the time, but I guess it was different if they were American. I was starting to consider dying my hair back to its original brown color. 

I grabbed a cart on the way into the supermarket and started to pick up packets of vegeatables, meat, and fish. Then realizing that I was feeding two stomachs, I went back and picked up a couple more packets of each. Growing up with him, I knew that he had a big appetite. I was starting to remember when we were little, how he ate, what he liked to eat, and I immediately pushed the thought away before I started to smile. We were happy as kids, but it didn't mean we were happy as we grew up. And the times that I spent with him were the memories I wanted to erase.

Checking over everything that I needed to prepare for dinner, I thought about him staying at the house with me. Coming out of the airport, he didn't have any luggage with him. I thought that he'd at least want to brush his teeth, shower, and shave. I guess I could buy some clothes for him, too. 

By the time I finished, I had almost a dozen bags and had to take a taxi home. I never really liked to use taxis and preferred to ride a bus, but this was an exception. When I got out of the taxi, I saw that Keith had woken up, and he sat by the doorstep with his hands locked together. At that moment, I was too paranoid to think that he was waiting for me to come back. That was why I ignored him and carried the bags in myself.