stars

twenty

i was sitting on the couch with asuka when the phone rang. i remember standing up and walking over to it, picking it up, greeting the person on the other end of the line and hearing her say my name.

"hey, hajime. it's tooru's sister."

i froze up, nearly dropping the phone. my heart started racing and my breath started increasing and i didn't really know what to do. luckily, she did.

"i know it's been a while, but i found something recently, and it's supposed to be yours."

"wh-what—"

"just, trust me. i'd love it if you came by to my place. if it isn't too much to ask?" her voice sounded hopeful, and i knew she was trying to sound cheerful, but there was a hint of sadness that, to me, was all too easy to detect.

"yeah, you can send me your address. i'll be over tomorrow. what time works for you?"

"how about two?"

"yeah. okay," i nodded, "i'll be there."

"thank you, hajime. it means a lot."

"yeah. no problem."

i put the phone down, and asuka walks over to me, hugging me from behind. "what's up?"

"tooru's sister wants to see me. she says she has something for me," i mumbled, "i'll be out tomorrow. is that okay?"

"of course," she said, placing a soft kiss against my shoulder, "just... be careful. i don't want it to get worse than it is."

"yeah. i'll try for you," i told her, "i really will."