Hanahaki (Short Story)

vi

04•01•2020
Wednesday
4:00pm

A few days have passed since Connelly's death. Violet was rushing to the cemetery where Connelly will be buried. She had an important errand to run, so she had to miss the mass.

While running, she was thinking of "what if?" scenarios.

"What if I noticed that Connelly liked me? What if I didn't get rid of my feelings for him? What if Connelly never liked me in the first place? Would he have survived if any of those scenarios happened?" She couldn't help but to entertain these thoughts.

Due to those thoughts, she couldn't focus during classes or when studying. All she could think of was her best friend.

She was told time and time again that it wasn't her fault, but she still feels guilty about Connelly's death.

After classes, she would have therapy sessions to cope with the guilt and to cope with what she saw.

Her boyfriend, Xylan, has been taking care of Violet for the past days. Being the good boyfriend that he is, he never fails to accompany the girl to her therapy sessions. She is grateful that she has a loving and supportive boyfriend on her side, yet her confession to Xylan triggered his hanahaki to deteriorate. This thought made the guilt and pain haunt her once again.

'It was never your fault.' The voice of Connelly echoed in Violet's head. His voice was soothing and that is what the girl really misses, his voice and... his whole being.

Violet arrived at the cemetery. She walked around, trying to find where his burial place is.

After walking for a while, she saw a bunch of people in one place. She walked towards it, hoping that it was the place. Connelly's parents, relatives, varsity team, classmates, friends, and acquaintances were already there.

She saw a hand waving at her. It was her new friend.

"Hey, Sheena," Violet greeted the brunette.

"Why are you late? You missed the mass!" Sheena whispered.

"I'm sorry. I had an errand to run," she whispered back.

Ever since Xylan and Violet got together, he formally introduced Sheena to her. Sheena was the social butterfly type of girl, so she wasn't awkward around Violet when they first met.

"Where is Xylan? Is he here?" Violet asked.

"Yeah, he is with his teammates," Sheena mentioned. "Hold on, I'll call him."

"Thanks, Sheena," Violet smiled at her.

While waiting, Violet looked around the area. Some people were sitting down on monobloc chairs, while some were lining up to view Connelly one last time.

Violet wanted to go to the coffin, but she wasn't prepared to see him again since the day she saw him in his room.

Suddenly, she felt a hand being intertwined with hers.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Xylan asked her softly.

"Yes please. Thank you, Xy," Violet smiled at her boyfriend.

The two lined up and waited for their turn to view him. Violet was nervous to see her best friend, but Xylan reassured her with a smile.

When it was their turn, Violet hesitated to look, but she gathered up her courage. When she opened her eyes, there he was.

He had such a peaceful look on his face unlike the one she saw in his room, which was filled with torment.

She noticed a light pink color on the part of his chest where the heart is. It was the cherry blossom petal that he suggested to be put inside the coffin with him.

"I hope this made you happy, Conn," she forced a smile, trying to stop the tears threatening to fall. Xylan put his arms on her shoulder to comfort her.

Violet looked at him one last time, reminiscing all her moments with her best friend. When she was done, she looked at Xylan, signaling him to go now. He nodded as a response.

They were the last to view him, and it was time to lower his coffin. This time, Violet didn't hold back and began crying. Sheena, who is beside her, caressed her back.

While she was watching the coffin slowly go down, she was getting mad at herself again for not noticing the signs that he liked her.

She clenched her fist, wanting to punch something, but Xylan grabbed her arm and shook his head. This made Violet relax her hand and take deep breaths to calm down.

The coffin has reached the ground and is now pouring soil over it.

"Maybe someday, I'll see you when the road decides it's time for our paths to cross again," she thought while the coffin was being buried.

Xylan hugged Violet from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.

Violet looked up at the yellow sky where the sun was setting. Her and Connelly always loved watching the sunset together, but now it's only her.

"Rest easy, Connie."

♥︎❀end❀♥︎