Unspoken Droplets

6.

Under the noisy umbrella drumming by the busy drops of rain, another day went by without her appearance, the skies groomed again with noisy clouds and shivering wind bringing along the rain until the following day.
When hope was at brink of losing, his mind was already making up for another immense loss, he stalked over to the bridge again.
He rolled his eyes over the shed and there she finally was, after days. In an office uniform, smoking. It couldn't get any happier, he decided.

Maybe, I can talk this through, he kept thinking, possible hope emerged from a spark before slowly stepping under the roof. He shut his umbrella, looking at her.
"Looks like work got you busy after all?" He slipped out words without thinking.
She didn't even spare to look at him.
"Yeah, kind of". She thoughtlessly replied. Her words were no wonder, empty. Her eyes were escaping his face any how.

Akio took the seat placing beside his bag gently.
"I was bound to bow before her, there was no other choice" she suddenly uttered, much to his surprise. She came straight to the point of this awkwardness like she read what he came here for.
Nothing left to reply with, he just let eyes roll down.
"I knew you would come today, just like you did every time, waiting for me" she uttered in absolute confidence, just the way not needed.
"I know I am no one to ask, but why were you there?" He managed to put up the longing request even though what Hina already told him, his desire was to listen from herself.

Not a single word for the next few seconds, she took her sweet time to prepare before she answered.
"I have a younger brother here. Alot younger than you, his name is Takeshi. He is suffering from amnesia so he is hospitalized.
I came to Tokyo two years ago, way before Takeshi was transfered to here. I came for a job, so that I could walk on my own.
After roaming for days, I finally got a job in a business company, one that your friend's father own.
My hardworking always resulted in impressing my seniors until one night, in a office party. Everyone was present, so was your friend, that's when I met her"
Akio silently listened to everything.

" The next thing I realized was that your friend, framed me in an atrocious scene with my senior.
Clearly, such immense company cannot risk their reputation for a scum woman like me. They suspended me for weeks until the case gets low. The suspension ended week ago, but till now I am suffering the punishment. I just couldn't gather enough courage to tolerate those rumors and behaviours in my office.
That's why, Everyday I get ready as usual but never make it to the office.
Its not like I never tried, for the sake of my brother's treatment I managed to appear in my office. But those glaring eyes and rumouring whispers was just too unbearable. So I appeared to Hina instead, to beg for my freedom again. To put my head before her."
All said so at ease, putting a rock on her heart, this explanation was necessary after all, maybe she considered the same too. Her eyes focused down at the ground, and then towards the dripping roof. Her smile was nowhere to be found.
Akio wanted to comfort her right instant, her fallen smile was just too intolerable. He should've been pissed over Hina right now, however anger never arrived, it was Tanaka that occupied his head now, nothing more or less. What was this feeling? A desire, a firm wish to protect her. A desire to perish away all her troubles just to observe a true bright smile on her face again, that he observed only while they were spending memorable time together. Not a single word spared from his lip at the moment, what should he say that could even comfort her?.
She turned towards him with a curious look.
"Is it true what those girls said? I want to know"
He knew it coming, there was no escape from it and there was no reason to hide  anymore so he was prepared for it. 

"It all happened months ago, I was much more like Hina, involved in bullying and teasing others with another friend of mine. Daisuke.  We three enjoyed our time living like that but never thought of crossing the line; until a girl of a junior class caught up to us. We were treating her just the same as others until one day it all crossed the line. After school, Hina called her to accompany us in her class. I don't know how is all took such an awful turn but that girl somehow sneak in a hammer to take revenge on us. She managed to hit my fiend but there was no match against two of them. They beat her to the ground, made her bleed while I got involved in stopping them. Everything was so quick and before we realized, the teachers rushed and  saw the girl bleeding unconscious and me holding the hammer. That was the last day of our friendship and me enjoying school life." he had no intension of proving himself innocent, never had any, nor now neither the time when he was blamed.
  Everything went so disturbingly quiet all of a sudden except only the rain, which too started slowing down.
"Looks like we both live with similar pain" that's everything she said with a smile. There grew an understanding, both had discovered each other truly at this moment but she bared no signs of showing any sympathy towards him cause she had a strong believe that she was in a much worse shape and he felt it too, lurking in her face.

Her hand reached the bag, ready to leave.

Anything that he could want now would be stopping her somehow, at no cost he wanted her gone at this time.
"W-Wait!" He stammeringly tried to halt her. She looked back.
"Why should I?". 
"Maybe, y-you can share some of those chocolates. I am quiet hungry you know" he had to say something to stop her, it all went without any thinking.
She chuckled out.
This was stupid, but effective at least. He got to see her smile again and hear a whisper from her calling him "stupid". Dropping her bag to the bench, she pulled out a bar of almond chocolate forwarding it towards him. He gently accepted it, his hand acting with awkwardness.
How stupid could I be? Chocolates?, really? His mind kept on hitting himself. She gladly pulled out one for herself as well. At least he managed to enlighten her mood a bit but it was just too awkward and embarrassing.
The time was limited till the bar completes, so he was slowing it as much possible.
The rain began decreasing fast, hardly any drops left to fall. Leaves threw down the remaining drops too.
He wanted to ask for something, as she was about to leave again, who knows when would she return?. The next day was a holiday, maybe it could prove to be a good chance.
"Tanaka-san?"
She turned to him eagerly.
"Can I take you out, tomorrow?"
Her eyes widen a bit,  heart pounding unstably.
"Tomorrow?" She gently asked.
"Yeah, tomorrow"
"Are you sure you wanna go out with this old lady? You know, I quiet older than you"
"Only if you want, I would like to."
More than his words, his confident and honest look effected her much enough to turn her cheeks a bit red.
"And, you're not that older, I can tell".
She smiled out.
She stood up taking her bag. Sliding the bag around her shoulder.

She softly assigned an address, for them to unite there and left after that. He just kept nodding.

"Tomorrow, I hope it does not rain".