That Summer

Chapter 23

After waking up next to Hiro in his apartment, I felt like there wasn't enough time left in the summer. I wanted to be with him longer. I wanted to stay with him. I still couldn't bring myself to tell him how much I loved him because it just didn't feel like the right time. I recently recovered all my memories and I was just starting to feel some inner peace. Now I had to take care of business in the present. I had to confront my family with my dad's passing. I needed to close this chapter of my life so I could start another one with Hiro. 

"I need to go home." I softly whispered. 

"Five more minutes, mom," Hiro said as he turned to his side and fell back asleep.

"Who's your mom?" I laughed as I hit him with a pillow.

"I'm tired. I need to be awake when I'm with Mirai." He murmured.

"I didn't know you liked to sleep so much." It was funny we had this in common.

"Stop talking, my--go sleep." He reached over and pulled me under the sheets. 

After another two hours of sleeping, Hiro woke up and I told him that I needed to go back to my place. He pouted a little bit but he drove me back to my apartment. If I never moved, Hiro and I could have been dating already. He and I could have been in love for so much longer. Maybe he and I could have been living together. We would be close to each other's family. Things could have been so different. But, then again, I wouldn't have the friends I had now. I wouldn't have some of my favorite memories of Kiku. This had to be fate. Thanks to Hiro, I was able to find the strength to remember my father. Thanks to Haru, I was able to be here and find some kind of healing. None of this would have been possible without Haru.

"Are you grateful that I showed up in your life?" Haru sat down next to me on the couch of our apartment.

"Can you actually read my thoughts?" I elbowed him.

"I'm your pet. Naturally, I can understand you." Haru admitted.

"Didn't we go over this? I don't look down on you." I hugged a pillow.

"I don't mind that you're my master. I enjoy it," he said.

"What about Hana? Isn't she the god you serve?" I let it slip.

"What? What are you talking about?" Haru stood up out of shock.

"I know that Hana is your god. She took me to the greenhouse twice before." I looked up at him.

"She did? Why didn't you say anything?" He started pacing around the room.

"I don't know. She sounded mean. I was worried that she would erase your memory again." I admitted.

"You should have told me." Haru sounded scared and lost his carefree persona.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Are you sure you want to go back?" He became serious and sat next to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't you want to stay here?" Haru asked me seriously.

"Why did you decide to take me on this adventure?" I looked at his silver hair.

"Because it would be fun." He turned his face away from me.

"I don't think you would go to all this trouble just because you wanted to see my facial expressions." I pointed out.

"You'd be surprised," He whispered.

"Did Hana make you do this?" I ask quietly.

"No, it was my idea. You needed this or else your life would continue to be unhappy." Haru admitted quietly.