TRUST ME | Brothers Conflict | ✔

05

I didn't see him anymore after that, which shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. Perhaps, the universe had finally understood that making us meet at every turn wasn't going to lead anywhere.

Hopefully, he wasn't thinking of me as his newest stalker anymore after eight days of respite. It was frustrating to have your intentions misinterpreted, even when the person who had the wrong idea didn't matter.

Because, in the end, Kaname didn't matter.

"I have this feeling that I have been banned from the temple grounds, albeit unofficially," I explained, shrugging slightly. "I wouldn't want to give off the wrong impression."

"What did you do?" Sakura asked me, her glasses reflecting the light that fell through the windows.

"Ah." I scratched my head, shrugging again.

"Your stupid grin won't fool me," she deadpanned, but her lips had curled up into a smile as well.

"I didn't do anything."

She sighed before slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she warned. Studying her back as she left the office building, I wondered what Sakura wouldn't do. Although we were friends, I didn't know much about her life out of the office. As Sakura seemed to prefer things that way, I refrained from asking personal questions.

"Is that a wildcard to do anything I like?"

If I had been given a wildcard to do anything I wanted to, I wasn't using the privilege well. When I left the office, the sun was starting to set, colouring the clouds red against the indigo sky.

People ventured out of the office buildings that lined the street, filling the streets.

Usually, I left before the sidewalks grew crowded with office ladies balancing on high heels, men in fancy suits, brawny kids and someone on a skateboard causing a ruckus.

Dodging a couple of kids, I stepped right in the path of the skateboard.

"Look where you're going, bitch!"

Dumbfounded, I looked at the boy on the skateboard who soon disappeared into the crowd. At the first possible turn, I left the main road, wondering whether it was a good idea to venture into the narrow alleys after the sun had set.

Probably not, I judged, avoiding a group of teenagers hanging around in one of the alleys, the tips of their cigarettes looking like fireflies.

As I went deeper into the maze of little streets, the noise of the city grew fainter. From the far distance, I could hear sirens and a barking dog. Closer was the hushed chattering of the group of teenagers. Above my head, billboards lined the alley, buzzing with static. One of the lights illuminating a billboard flickered, casting sharp shadows on the walls around me.

Humming a song under my breath to fill the unsettling silence, I sauntered through the alley. Although a part of me wanted to pick up speed, I didn't want to draw any attention to me.

"What do you mean; you won't see me again?" The source of the shrill voice was close. Carefully, I peeked around the corner of the alley, wondering whether I should turn around. A woman was gesturing wildly, pointing an accusing finger at a man. "If you think I'll let you pull such a stunt on me, you're wrong."

The golden embroidery on the man's ceremonial clothing reflected the light of a single streetlight hanging from an apartment building. Although he looked like a feudal Lord, he leaned against the railing of a fire-escape. The casual way his upper body was hanging over the rusty steel reminded me of the teenagers I had seen earlier.