The 100th Guy (English - Unedited)

[CHAPTER FIFTEEN] Saying... goodbye.

Chapter Fifteen

Saying the most painful goodbye

Scream. Cheer. Yell. Chant. Applause. Sob. Laugh.

            I could see and hear everything from the stage. Everyone was joyfully singing with us, but not me. Because no matter how I push her away from me, no matter how many times I told myself that I did not love her anymore, my mind would still think about her.

            “I Have Found You! I Have Found You!” The audience shouted in unison. We just ended our song and there were other songs in line to perform for this night but we could not just overlook the request of the fans so we played their request. I was just playing just like how I ought to be. I could see how Heart mouthed, “You’ve got most of the banners!” but I paid no heed of it and just played what should be played. Everyone was singing with us, until the spotlight focused on one certain person. She was closing her eyes and singing just like everyone. It was at the middle part of the audience area, but no matter how far she could be my heart would still recognize her. Even with her eyes closed, I knew too well how my heart skipped a beat when I laid my eyes on her.

            I unconsciously lost rhythm until I stopped playing the guitar. Everyone was wondering what had happened to me, even the whole band stopped the song and all just settled their eyes on me. I put my guitar down and ran towards her, like she was a light in a tunnel and I was unsure if I should follow it or not. But I did follow it. I could not just ignore the light when it was obviously heading me out of the dark. At this point in time, I did not care about everything around me because she was all that I was seeing.

            I was about to go to the audience area when the people I neared to started to run towards me. The security people protected me from them but I really did not care about what shambles were happening. The more I move towards her, the more the people were beginning to just stand on their position and watch what I would do. I was only a few steps away fro her when the people in front of her got out of my way until she was the only one left on that place.

            “I have found you,” I said as I got near her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around her, wondering what was happening. I held my left chest and gripped. I could not breathe again. I could not. And if I lost her this time, if I just let her go this time, I really did not know what to do anymore.

            So I pulled her and embraced her warmly. “I have found you. Please don’t leave. Please,” I almost pleaded. “Betty… or Midori, or whoever you are. Please don’t leave. Don’t make things harder for me. Please.”

            There was silence in the whole place. No one was speaking, no one was shouting, no one was complaining. Or maybe, I just could not hear anything anymore. I just longed to hear her voice in hope of accepting me.

            I held her tighter. I did not want to let her go again. I just want to be with her. My heart jumped out of joy when I felt her arms encircled on me. I was about to close my eyes and feel her warmth when she suddenly pushed me away from her. Then she ran away from me. I could not move and there was no way I could figure out what happened.

            “Maisen, don’t just stand there like an idiot! Go after her!”

            “Follow her and never let her go!”

            “Go run fast! You can do it! You can leave the concert!”

            I glanced at the stage to see my friends smiling at me, almost literally pushing me only if they were close to me. I smiled at them too, thanked them in my mind and ran after them. I did not know what was yet to happen at the concert area, but it did not matter to me. There was one thing to do first before anything.