Labyrinth | ✓

t h i r t i e t h ♂

Freed.

After my recent breakdown, something lifted off my shoulders. This gradually freed me from its dead, heavy weight that had been lingering around me for almost a week. Honestly, I never felt so much freedom before. It was like taking a deep breath of fresh air after a long time of exposure to pollution, clearing some thoughts that clogged inside my brain.

Thinking back at how Rena comforted me, my heart flipped crazily. The way her hand brushed across my back and the way her soft voice echoed inside my ears... it never failed to fuck me up. Butterflies were still roaming around the walls of my intestines, clumping in a group. Despite everything, my lips broadened slightly to form a small smile.

Speaking of her, she was cleaning up the melted popsicle with tissues, and discarded the remains into the plastic bag. Beforehand, she had taken the leftovers out. I tried to help, but she asked me to hold the remaining popsicles. The piercing coldness from the food tingled and numbed my fingers, but that didn't stop me from the warmth Rena had imparted.

However, guilty washed over me when I realized I just wasted almost all the snacks she had bought.

"Sorry." I mumbled out an apology without any questions.

"Hmm, for what?" She looked at me with confused eyes.

"I dropped my popsicle and let yours melted." I answered, looking down.

"Relax, Ed." Rena laughed, while she tied up the plastic. "I understand, but it's j-just popsicles. Nothing t-too big."

Maybe she was genuinely upset, but she tried to hide about it...? I pondered otherwise, but I quickly pushed the question away from my mind. I really have to stop thinking so pessimistically.

When she was finished with everything, I bestowed her the strawberry-flavored popsicle she bought for herself. She unexpectedly held up her hand in front of it, momentarily shaking her head, as if she was refusing it. In spite of her choices, she still kept her small smile intact.

Why is she... rejecting her own food? I wondered, as I tried snapping out of my daze. I thought this is hers...?

"... It's yours, Rena." I insisted despite her denials, still holding the popsicle mid-air. "You should eat this to replace the other popsicle."

"H-how about you take them all?" She suggested without expecting anything. Hearing this, something drastically sank inwardly, as if it was falling freely from a ten-story building. For a second, I thought every of abruptly ceased, but it was proven wrong by Rena's explanation. "...Well, you gotta eat s-something, Ed. It makes you feel a lot better, especially at this time. Trust me, you need it more t-than I do."

I blinked once again, stealing glances between the strawberry popsicle, and the most selfless girl that I ever met in my entire life. It took me a few minutes to consider and abide to her true intentions, and there, I acknowledged her kindness towards me. I looked back at the snack, now all moistened, probably due to the big difference in temperature outside and inside this wrappings.

"Alright then... if you say so." I finally came into an agreement.

...but you really have to care about yourself too... It's more important than I do... I thought, pulling back the popsicle from her. Yeah, she really should start prioritizing herself more than the others. If she was too kind, someone might use her for their own good and break her apart.

Of course, I didn't want that to happen.

Rena sat back down, before she stared at the skies. I sighed faintly, while tearing open the wrappings then pulled out a pink snack, which was thawing. Before drops of the melted popsicle managed to stain the ground, I shoved the food inside my mouth. Since I wasn't ready for what was coming, the coldness zapped through my body, freezing nearly half of my brain. In response, my teeth also chattered.