Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
•••
Asahi sat in his classroom seat, chin in the palm of his hand, his other hand busy jotting down notes. Although he wasn't one to slack off too much during school, times like these, he found his mind and thought traveling somewhere else.
He huffed a breathe in slight boredom before turning his head to look out the window that was to his left. It was supposed to be a simple glance to just confirm that it was sunny outside.
Instead, his gazed was quickly glued to the short, quiet girl whom he ran into earlier that day. He unconsciously smiled. Thinking about stuff only he would know.
Ideas that made his heart slightly warmer than usual.
•
Later that day, after school, the yellow-orange sun was getting ready to set. The birds soared over the girl's head with easy and heavy precision. The breeze wasn't as strong as yesterday's.
But as the girl stood on the bridge, leaning her chest on the railing; the same one she slipped off of last night; Aiya was a bit too paranoid to even lift herself to sit firmly on the rail.
She didn't even know why she stopped there in the first place.
Maybe she still felt some sort of comfort in the surrounding area. The water, the soft wind, the birds, the trees, the simple, soothing silence of no human being passing by.
Or maybe she had wished the tall, volleyball player would come by and save her from her unadmitted loneliness.
Save her from the void she always found herself drifting to. It was due to her loss in faith.
Growing up, Aiya had a love hate relationship with Faith and Hope. It was only natural for her to believe in such things, but when she was always disappointed in the end, that childhood belief faded.
Faded into an almost nothingness. Almost.
With Asahi's abrupt introduction, the girl began to question her faithfulness in what would be known as her life.
Falling, not expecting to be caught in such a vulnerable moment.
Aiya was never the type to openly admit that she had walls built up around her soul. She's always kept it a secret. Sure, she never allowed people to get to know her closely, but she didn't make it a huge deal, she never liked being rude in order to scare people away.
She'd merely be distant and avoid new people. But even she knew that you could never avoid people whom were meant to be in your life and mind.
Her life pondering thoughts were interrupted by a set of footsteps, ones that seemed a bit familiar and easing.
And the closer the footsteps got, the faster her heart beat. The girl kept her head and eyes down, locked on the current below. She couldn't quite understand why she didn't want to look up at the person approaching.
By the time the steps stopped right next to her, her heart felt as if it was going to beat out of her small fragile body.
But once she heard his voice.
"You're not playing on falling again are you?"
The question was playful but Aiya knew that Asahi was genuinely worried that the girl would try and fall in front of him once again.
Aiya could only feel guilty for his worry. But nonetheless, she turned her head and tilted it up to look straight into his eyes.
With sincere emotions, which she allowed to be visibly seen in her brown eyes, replied with reassurance that hid the uncertainty.
"No, Asahi, not if you're here to catch me."
He didn't want to take it in a bad way, the way she worded it. Did it mean if she were here without him, would she fall without hesitation? He didn't want to believe that.
And the idea of always having to be here with her to catch her every time, didn't seem to bother him. Her mere presence made his heart flutter and he was clueless to the whole event. However, his cluelessness wasn't enough to stop his words.
"Well, looks like I'll have to be here every time, to catch you."
"You'd do that for someone you hardly know?"
"I don't have to hardly know you."
Aiya was left silenced. The string that was pulling her toward Asahi was simply getting too strong for her to resist.
But did she want to risk that?
The simple answer was "not yet". It wasn't a hard no but it led to her shaking her head at Asahi's statement, before turning on her heel to walk off the bridge, to the direction of her home.
The same way they went for Asahi's place.
Of course, Asahi walked to catch up to her, not having to speed up due to his long legs.
"I'll walk you home this time, and don't worry, I checked the weather and there's no thunderstorms any time soon."
He check the weather? She doesn't even check the weather and she was the one scared. The idea of him actually checking just for her popped in her mind, however, she quickly disposed of that thought.
She gave the male a nod, basically saying that she appreciated his gesture.
If he was kind enough to do that for her, maybe she should at least ask how his day was.
"How was volleyball practice today? You're still staying on the team right?"
Asahi's check redden at her asking about something he himself could go on all day about. He raised his hand to the back of his neck to scratch it as he looked at Aiya's eyes beyond her reading glasses.
Which he still found adorable on her.
"It went good. Considering it was my first practice in months. And the first years certainly look promising."
"Yeah? Enough to go to nationals?"
Still walking side by side, Aiya looked at his lips as they pulled to a smile. Asahi's moved his head up, allowing himself to daydream the simple fact that they might have a chance to go to nationals.
Even with the hint of hesitation, he still wanted Aiya to keep believing in him. For if she believed in him, he could then believe in himself as well.
"Enough to even win, Aiya."
A small look of shock filled Aiya's expression. He put so much confidence in the statement, enough to make her follow him even in the end of the world.
She was mind blown at the fact that this huge teddy bear of a man was forcing her to feel so many emotions. And the fact that she herself was willing feeling.
Willing putting her time, trust, and faith into Asahi.
"I'll be sure to be there when you win."
By then, they had arrived to Aiya's apartment complex. With Asahi still silent over her previous words, she took that opportunity to speak again before leaving him at the entrance.
"And I'll be there to cheer you on along the way."
•••
Welp, looks like Aiya is gonna get a chance to meet the team, maybe.
The question isssss.... is Asahi gonna introduced her orrrr is she going to meet them all on her own??
