Plain: Book 2

Reminded to Live

I thought it wouldn't be a problem. I had gotten a full night's rest, but exhaustion still weighed down like a heavy pack on my back. After checking my phone to see that twenty minutes had passed, I decided that if I wasn't asleep in ten more minutes, I'd go back to the others and dig out an assignment.

Naru got to me before then.

"You know that's my bed, right?"

Yes, because my cot was still folded up in the van from my previous plans, but I had been too lazy and grumpy to get it. Besides, I liked how his smelled. It smelled like him: musky sage and tea leaves.

"You like how it smells, don't you?"

I whapped him in the face with the pillow, which of course left him nonplussed. "Did you come here for a reason?" I asked.

"Yes. I was wondering if you wanted to get ice cream with me."

"...really?"

"My treat."

I bounced up like a happy puppy.

"You mean like a date?" I squeaked, all grouchy intentions of snubbing him gone.

One of his rare smiles poked into his cheeks, one that reached his eyes. He thought I was cute. "Impromptu."

"Yay!" I threw my hands into the air. "And you'll hold my hand?"

He rolled his eyes. "Really, Mai, you're like a five year old. Are you coming or not?"

"Heck yeah!" I jumped off his cot, then hesitated. "What about the case? Won't they need you here?"

"Nothing's likely to happen until night with you and Masako out of the building," he said mildly. "Besides, I need to trust them to survive without my presence while I'm on an ice cream run."

I nudged him forward. "Then walk, you said you'd hold my hand."

"No I didn't."

"But you're going to, because you love me and right now you think I'm cute."

"Sure, how intuitive of you. Mush mush."

I did so, happily, tying on a red jacket to my waist in case the spring weather turned cold. I loved ice cream above all other treats. Not to mention the idea of getting out of this stifling old building where the smell of ancient antiseptics couldn't coil up my gut made my knees weak with relief (not like I'd duck out now, though, I had face to save).

At first I trotted to the van, but Naru went past it, reminding me that he didn't have a license. I almost smacked myself. It was just my knee-jerk reaction to think Naru could do anything worth mentioning. Though, for all I knew, he did have a license. It wasn't like the old hospital was out of the way of anything. An old, comfortable suburb hugged its grounds and parking lot.

"There's a shopping district a few blocks from here," he said, pointing past the parking lot and into said suburb. "I hope you don't mind a bit of a walk."

Most of it would be crossing the hospital grounds anyways. "Nope!"

"Ah, and before I forget," he took a hand out of his pocket and twined his fingers in mine. I squealed in my throat and squeezed.

It didn't take too long for me to start thinking this was just a little too good to be true. The hot balloon in my chest deflated ever so slightly.

"Naru, is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" As we stepped off the front lawn and into the cracked and weed infested parking lot, his black shoe scuffed against the last black remains of winter's frost.