Love Me Bitterly Loath Me Sweetly

Chapter 28 *Decision* Ichigo

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Finally, some time after five in the morning, my thoughts slowed, and I fell asleep.

I smelt coffee. It took me a few seconds to piece together why that aroma was wafting through my bungalow. When the answer registered, I sat uptight and leaped out of bed.

Nel went home just after our conversation, with Uryu yesterday, and Chad crashed the night at my house.

He was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, smoking, using my one good mug as an ashtray. The television was on-news channel show, an old man telling the weather report, with a young lady in her thirties talking about sports-and two styroform cups sat on the glass table.

"Oh, good morning, Ichigo. That one on the right's yours," he said, turning briefly toward me. "I don't know what you prefer over the past few years, so I got you an Americano."

I blinked, sensing the bitterness in his voice, and signed. "Not you too, Chad." I wrinkle my nose against the cigarette smoke. I crossed the room and opened a window. "Everyone went along with their lives, and I did the same."

"It's you who neglected everything that was important to you and decided to stay in Tokyo."

I scowled, looked at the clock. "Is that the time?"

"Yeah, the coffee might be a bit cold. I didn't know whether to wake you."

"I have a tight schedule today," I said, reaching for my coffee. It was warm enough. I took a slug gratefully.

"When are you planning to come back?"

Then I stared at my cup. "Hang on. So Uryu meant that yesterday when he apologised for inviting you." I scoffed. "I should've known."

"Apparently, he needs someone who can get through you." He said.

I wanted to be cross, but suddenly I was really hungry.

He followed my gaze. "Oh. I ate those." He blew a smoke ring into the center of the room. "You don't have anything much in your fridge, and this doesn't feel like home."

The Chad of this morning was such a different character from the guy I knew from our school days. He became more straightforward. "I know that, but..." I trailed off.

"It's about Orihime-San. Isn't it?"

"You don't have to remind me of her!" My voice emerged strangled and unrecognizable.

"I know that's been bothering you for a while, but you need to move on, Ichigo."

"And what makes you think I haven't?" The words emerged in a bitter little laugh.

He took a breath. "I don't know what your history with Inoue-San is, but you can't ignore Karakura City because of her. It's where you grew up, it's where your family lives, and it's where your Kurosaki empire is. You're born to take your company to new heights and you know damn well that it's not gonna happen here in this city."

These words took several seconds to filter down into a form I could understand. Chad was looking at me intently. I rubbed at my hair. "You're right..." I walked back into my bedroom to get dressed. Talking with Chad had made one thing clear: it was about me and not about her.