The Second Chance I Wasted {k. bokuto x oc}

Ch. 5: Takara (16)

I'm sitting down at a desk, practicing my anatomy sketches. No one is in the room with me, and I have my earbuds in, listening to an R&B playlist, feeling relaxed. The window is cracked open in the classroom, the December air creeping in. It's getting chilly, and I'm annoyed that I left my hoodie in my locker.

I don't notice that I'm shivering until a jacket is draped over my shoulders, the warmth of another person's body still lingering on the cloth. I straighten up, pulling an earbud out and shifting my gaze to my left, knowing she'd be there, like always. She's holding a pack of Oreos for me and a bag of spicy chips for her, like always. There's an attractive smile on her face, like always. Her long brown hair is falling over her right shoulder, like always.

"You looked cold, ba-" she clears her throat, remembering we're at school and there might be people around, "Takara."

I slip my arms through the sleeves and then take the Oreos from her extended hand. "Thank you, for the jacket and for this," I say, holding up the pack and smiling back. 

She takes a seat down next to me and pulls out a textbook and her laptop. "Anything for you. How are the sketches going?"

I give her a bitter laugh. "Let's just say I'm currently wishing I'd taken the art history focus like you did."

Then we're enjoying each other's presence in comfortable silence. The memory plays out like I remember. Her exasperated sighs when the textbook doesn't give her the answer. The small jokes and cheesy lines she says to make me smile and stop scowling at my sketches. The way I feel so content with her a couple feet away from me. When I give up on drawing for the afternoon and stuff the sketchbook in my bag to then scoot my chair over and place my hand over hers. The way she laces her fingers through mine and looks towards the classroom door before kissing my cheek. The way I lean my head on her shoulder and scan over her work, recognizing some of the content from the basics course I take. The way her warm skin feels against mine. The way the classroom looks like a beautiful orange-pink because of the sunset. 

Then...

The way her lips feel against mine. The way my chest swells in excitement. The way my hand rests on her cheek. The way my lips feel empty when the kiss is over as quickly as it started.

And suddenly the memory is altered.

When she pulls back and our eyes are open the scene around us has changed. I'm in a room that strikes unsettling familiarity deep in my bones. Her hands are on my face but it isn't the same. Her hands aren't soft and warm anymore, now they're cold and a bit rough. The touch isn't the same. It's no longer loving and gentle, now harsh and demanding.

"I'm here and you can't change that, Takara," Emiko hisses.

I woke up in a cold sweat, shooting up and breathing heavily. Big hands are on my face and I shriek, pushing the hands away and trying to yell out some type of threat. A deep voice says my name, my reaction only getting worse. I flail my arms around to keep whoever it is away from me, scrambling in the opposite direction the voice came from. In my frantic state, I don't notice the heavy tears falling down my face until they somehow fall in my mouth, the saltiness taking me by surprise, making me shut up and stop moving.

"Takara, sweetie, it's Dad. You're okay. It's Dad." 

I realized Dad's been saying this over and over, it's just then that I can hear him. I'm still breathing hard and looking down at my sheets, reality setting in. I'm at home. I'm in my room. Dad's here. I'm okay. 

"Taka? Dad? What's going on?" Tetsu's voice is frantic and scratchy, it's obvious he's just waking up.

Dad shushes him and I hear footsteps coming closer, then the bed dips. A hand is on my calf over my comforter. I raised my eyes to meet Tetsu's.