SHORT STORIES{collection]

HAVE I DIED????

                                        

Sonoda Gin gathers fruit at her local grocery store just off the east coast of Japan. She hums a soft tune to herself as she adds several plump peaches and a few crimson cherries to her basket. After paying the cashier, she leaves the store with a huge smile on her face. Her bag of fruit swings above cobble stoned streets as she makes her way through the city.

This is her first day off in weeks. Nothing is going to ruin it. Not even that huge blister that's starting to swell on the back of her heel. Why? Because her fiancé, Kasamatsu, waits for her at their spot underneath the cherry tree. It was there just two years ago that she first spotted him. He was running late for a job interview and came dashing around the corner. His broad chest slammed into Sonoda and sent her strawberry smoothie flying out of her thin hands.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

Sonoda glanced down at her new white trainers, now covered in bits of strawberry gunk.

"It's fine," she shook her head and smiled at him.

He ran the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead, "Do you know where I could find this place?" he shows her an address scrawled in blue ink across the back page of a bus timetable.

Sonoda knew the location well, she passed the building on her way to work every morning. It was some kind of computer company, perhaps specialising in software development or something. So Sonoda, being the helpful person she was, offered him directions. The only problem was that she gave him directions to a nearby pet store instead. Whether it was a mistake or not is still a matter up for debate.

This misinformation led to an intriguing conversation twenty minutes later. Upon spotting the same girl who mislead him and caused him to miss his interview, Kasamatsu thought it appropriate to give her a taste of his mind. But when he lay his eyes on her for the second time, he caught something he must have missed before.

It wasn't long before the two fell madly in love with each other. The following year, Kasamatsu knelt down on one knee and presented Sonoda with the biggest diamond ring she had ever seen.

She glances at the ring on her finger, remembering the moment with fondness in her heart.

Heat from the blazing sun beckons a pink glow to roast on the apples of her cheeks. A stream of direct sunlight blinds her. She shuts her eyes and lets the light dance on her lids, casting flares of red and gold that paint Kasamatsu's face. His pinkish lips, although merging into the buttery hue of his chin, smiles back at her.

She hasn't laid eyes on the real Kasamatsu in over four weeks. He has been in Italy with his family. Sonoda always wanted to go herself and Kasamatsu's mother was even kind enough to invite her along. However, the invitation was declined. Sonoda's father had fallen ill and she needed to stay home and take care of him. She spent the last few weeks tending to his every need. Some days were good, others weren't.