The 100th Guy (English - Unedited)

[CHAPTER SEVENTEEN] Just like the first time...

Chapter Seventeen

Just like the first time, it’s happy

“Don’t play games with me, please. Are you saying the truth?”

            Avril’s nod crumbled my world into pieces. I could not believe my ears. The joy that I should be feeling now that I already saw Midori all shattered. “She does not want you to see her like that,” he said. “She’s hiding from you. But I know for long that she’s not running away from what she does not want. But she’s running away from what she’s afraid she wants.” He sighed and sat on the chair. “I know how she would be happy with you. I know how much she likes you, Maisen. So please. Go to her.” I nodded at Avril and approached the stairs when he called me again, “Third room on the left of the aisle, beside the the music room. Once you held her in your hands, never hurt her, never let her go. Please.”

            I nodded at Avril. Even without him telling that, I already knew what I should do. I had waited for this moment for long and now that I already had it in my hands, there was no way I could give it up. As the popular line said, “For every one reason of letting her go, there are hundreds of reasons why you held her that long.”  I tried to move on and forget her but deep inside my heart, I knew I was really waiting for her. And now that the moment that I had been waiting for had come, there was no more reason to run away from it.

            I slowly opened the door of her room when I got there. I found her seated at her bed, looking at me, though I knew her eyes was looking at no direction.

            “Avril…” she mistakened. “Avril, what did he say? Did he already leave?”

            I came to her slowly and sat beside her. I lifted my hand and tried to touch her face. Slowly. And when I did, a tear just escaper her eye.

            “Avril... you’re freaking me out. Did he already leave?” She hoved my hand when I did not answer. “Why are you not answering! Did he already leave?”

            I squeezed her hand and had the courage to finally say, “Midori…” Her surprise was evident in her eyes when she heard my voice. And her tears started to gush no matter how hard she prevents them from coming out. “I miss you.”

            “W-Who are you?” she asked, wreaking much more pain in my heart.

            “Maisen,” I said in a steady voice. “If you can’t remember me, I’m Maisen.”

            “Why are you here?” she asked pretending to be strong. She even looked at me,  acting as if everything was fine. But I knew well, even though we only met for a few times, I knew well that she was suffering. And I knew she wanted to hide it from me.

            “Because you’re here,” I honestly said in a calm tone. “Midori, if you only know how hard it is to find someone who doesn’t want to show up. I kept finding you in every way I can, but you kept hiding, running away from me. And it drives me crazy everytime I think I can never see you again. Just because of a woman I only saw a few times I’m going crazy.”

            “D-Do you already know?” Her voice was shaking; her question pertained to her sickness. Yes, I already know. I knew that she was fighting brain cancer. I knew that she could not see already. I knew that her sickness was slowly eating her hearing capabilities. Avril told me everything, all the reasons that frightened her to know me more.