Update!
@ KrisZ: hmm, *tito chooses to miss the hint*
I don't know how you will react after reading this
Anyway, enjoy! BTW, Winter Love is playing in my head when I wrote this especially the last bit..
F.Y.I
Truth VS Falsehood
Chapter 25
December 25 (6.03pm)
Seated on the backseat of the taxi, tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she recalled what her girlfriend had said a while ago.
“I’ll wait!” That wasn’t what she was anticipating for. She thought that Rika would either just silently accept what she had said or maybe grab her and refuse to let her go. This just showed how little she knew about the girl she always thought she knew everything about.
Suki nan yo mada suki nan yo… She picked up the call almost immediately without even a glance at the caller’s name reflected on the screen of the phone. “Hello,” she said rather flatly while wiping the tears off her face so that she would sound normal on the phone.
“Hey why didn’t you pick up my call? Why?” she asked bitterly.
“Sorry Fujimoto,” she murmured. There wasn’t much to say other than apologies.
“It’s ok…” she spoke in a muffled voice.
The girls fell into silence and Yossie could hear Miki gasping in a queer rhythm. This was so unlike Miki. “Are you crying?” Yossie asked. Miki didn’t respond. The silence was growing awkward. “Are you ok?” Yossie asked again, this time round in a much more concerned voice.
“Yossie, Aya doubts my love. Even when I almost died for her, she still thinks that I did it for my pride instead of love.”
“I don’t think she means that. It’s not like her to think of something like that. She knows you love her more than yourself. I know that. She knows that,” Yossie said diplomatically.
“I just feel stupid. All along, I am led on and she just sees me as the replacement for Gocchin. Or maybe she just felt bad to reject me at that time because we were supposed to be ‘best friends’. I feel so dumb.”
“She loves you, Miki. She does.”
Miki fell silent. Now her sobs were audible. Yossie thought, “Life is so unfair. Why doesn’t a crazy lover like Miki receive the love that she ought to get? Why does a lousy lover like me receive so much love? Why can’t she find true happiness?”
Miki mumbled, disrupting her train of thoughts, “Yossie, am I a person hard to complement to?”
Yossie paused, contemplating whether she should tell her the facts or not. She didn’t want to hurt her but as a ‘special friend’, she ought to tell her the truth. Yossie spoke seriously, “Sometimes. Probably you flare up easily at people whose wavelengths are different from yours. Maybe the next time when you are angry at someone, you can either tell yourself, “STOP!” or take a deep, deep breath before you speak. I think it’ll help.”
“It’s over….”
Perplexed that Miki didn’t even make any references to what she had just said about her, Yossie could only make one deduction. “Are you drinking alone?”
“Maybe…”
That meant a yes. “Are you at home or at a pub?” Yossie asked worriedly. It would be dangerous if she was at the latter.
“I don’t know…”
“Hey! Answer me!” Yossie screamed into the phone hoping that it would make her somewhat sober. Miki didn’t respond. In fact, she didn’t hear her sobbing or gasping. That could mean either she was knocked awake or she hung up. Yossie took the phone away from her ears for a second and glanced at the screen and confirmed that Miki had done the latter. She hung up.
She told the driver to head towards their favourite pub. Probably and hopefully, she would be there. Yossie closed her eyes and made a short prayer for her friend. She knew better than anyone else that she was a better friend than lover. Let it remain like this for the time being.
*********
At the pub, Miki shouted, “1 more beer!” Her vision was blurring and she felt around for the bottle of beer and drank it unglamorously. Alcohol was making her dizzy. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to face the person. She couldn’t see clearly but she could discern that that person was a young girl.
“Miki, you are drinking a lot. Stop!” she spoke and attempted to drag her off her chair but she didn’t have the strength to do so.
“Shut up! What do you know?” Miki bellowed. “I am about to, no, I just fell out of love! Young girl like you know nothing!” Miki pushed the younger girl away from her with such might that the younger girl almost fell.
“Miki…”
Miki leaned towards the other girl and spoke slyly, “If you want the best for me, get me another bottle or two.”
“Actually…I was the part of the group that came up with the letter plan. I’m sorry, Miki…I didn’t know it will have so much implications.”
The girls fell into silence for a moment or two before Miki murmured, “Who am you?”
“Eri.”
“Guess as much. Don’t feel bad. If she sees me as a prideful girl and doubts my love for her all along, this will happen…It’s just a
matter of time…” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. It was unlike Miki to show her weak side to the fellow Rokkie.
“Miki…I’ll bring you home.”
“Don’t! Let me drink to my heart’s content for tonight!” Miki shouted.
Eri grabbed the older girls by her arms and pulled her with as much strength as she could muster despite the older girl’s refusals. This time round, she managed to pull her off the seat. She then literally dragged her out of the rather empty pub. When they were finally out on the streets, she met the former leader who immediately rushed towards Miki and pushed her into the taxi that she came out from. Then, Eri and Yossie entered the taxi at both sides with Miki seated in the middle. It would be safer for her to take the middle seat. Then, the taxi took off and made its way down the beautifully decorated streets. None of them spoke in the whole duration. None of them were in the mood for celebration.
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December 25 (8.11pm)
Aya sat at the window seat of the family restaurant right across her apartment while staring at the clock pendant in her hands. She thought, “If time could go back, I would take back my words. Let her win the battle of words. Why did I say that to hurt her? Why did I make it sound like that is what I think of her all along?” She knew that what she had said was worse than witnessing Miki and Yossie kissed because she knew that Miki was putting up an act to win. But what she said sounded true and Miki probably saw it as the truth.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as the past’s happiness blended with the present’s sorrow. She used to cry because she was touched but now, she was upset and regretful. Even tears had a different meaning now. What was lying ahead of her?
She stared at the pink words on the CD and clenched her fists. She felt like killing herself for ruining everything with her mouth.
Momoiro Kataomoi… To Miki, this was still an unrequited love. She wondered for the hundredth time what the content of the disc was. Was it a recording of her confession? Or was it a recording of her views on her popular song? As much as she wanted to know the content, she didn’t want the painful moment to arrive. It would strike her hard that she was the one who did something stupid that ruined everything.
Her phone rang and the familiar melody of Boogie Train 03 played. She immediately picked up and she didn’t conceal her disappointment when she heard that familiar voice. “Aya! Merry Christmas!” the caller exclaimed. Obviously she didn’t know what had happened to her. Oh well, why would she know anyway?
“Merry Christmas,” she replied flatly.
“I know you’re busy but I just want to ask, are you free on New Year Day?”
“Should be.”
“Great! I take that you’re coming home on New Year Day to spend the day with us!”
“Yes mum.”
“Does Mikitty have time? It’ll be nice if she can come in the afternoon. I will make delicious-”
Aya interrupted, “Mum, she is busy so she won’t come.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as it was so painful to even contemplate the possibility of spending New Year Day together.
“She has work even on New Year Day?”
“Yes…” Aya’s voice trailed off.
Aya, are you ok?” she asked out of concern. Probably her mum had heard her cry. She was bad at concealing that she was crying.
“I’m fine. Miki-tan sends her regards to you! Bye!” Aya spoke chirpily before she hung up. She gazed blankly at her handphone. The theme, wallpaper and handphone strap matched Miki’s. Those things brought back those memories of them browsing through the internet intently in search of a theme they both liked, arguing over which wallpaper to use and which handphone strap to buy. Everything reminded her of Miki. Those days wouldn’t be back, would they?
Even a normal conversation with her mum had Miki in it. She had definitely become an integral part of her life…She asked herself, “The reason why I don’t want to part with her is because I love her or I’m too used to her?”
A family of four walked in and the mother was chiding her children for running down the slippery streets. Then, they took their seats and she asked her children what they would like to have for dinner. Scolding or quarrelling and then getting back with hugs and kisses are the normal cycle. Why couldn’t they follow it? Why was their relationship so fragile?
The waitress walked briskly towards her and placed the glass of iced lemon tea on the small round table disrupting her train of thoughts. She took a sip of the drink and its sweetness caused a chill to run down her spine. She murmured to herself, “Too sweet…” She smiled as she realized that it sounded so familiar just like how Miki criticized poorly brewed coffees. Only coffees made by Aya with the exact correct quantities of milk and sugar could induce a smile on her face. The image of Miki taking a sip of the coffee and then shaking her head with a frown surfaced in her mind. How cute that was.
She gazed blankly out of the glass panel. Moisture condensed on the warmer glass panel making it hard to discern what was happening outside. Aya rubbed her fingers on the glass in a circular motion and she could only discern that it was snowing pretty heavily out there. Even with the luxury of warmth, deep inside, her heart felt as though it was freezing. The only person who gave her warmth selflessly with a hug or just simply with her presence was not here. She wondered which option had Miki chose after what she had said. Whatever it was the case, she would stick to the first one using the days to learn how to love properly in a way that the other would know. Even if Miki had given up on their love, she swore that she would only love her from today onwards. No one else.
The familiar Boogie Train 03 played.
denwa mo mada konai YEAH! She picked it up almost instantly. “Hello,” she greeted the caller.
“Aya! Merry Christmas!” she chanted.
“Merry Christmas to you too,” Aya replied rather flatly.
“Do you have time now? I’ve a surprise for you,” she said.
She wasn’t the person Aya wanted to see or speak to now and she felt herself more inclined to find out the content of the disc than the surprise that she had up in her sleeves. “Maki, I’m sorry. I’m busy. I’m…with Miki-tan now.” It hurt to say a lie which should have been the truth.
She was standing right outside the family restaurant Aya was at facing the direction of her apartment under the snow. As she couldn’t conceal her excitement in giving Aya her gift, she walked in circles around the same spot. When she faced the direction of the family restaurant, she could see Aya sitting alone through the small clear region on the glass panel. Her heart sank instantly and the smile on her face vanished. What a liar. “Oh…is it?” Maki questioned.
“Yeah, Miki-tan is calling for me now. Bye!” Aya rushed through her words before she hung up. She was a lousy liar.
Maki clenched the gift that she had for Aya as she watched the girl take a sip of the drink in her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes. She hated seeing Aya lonely and she knew Aya hated loneliness. But then why did Aya reject her company? Why did she lie? She typed a message on her phone in a last attempt to keep her company on Christmas night:
Hey why did you lie?
About a minute later, the reply came. It wrote:
Sorry Maki. I want to be alone tonight. Anyway, I am not sure how to put this to you: the only person whom I love and want to love is Miki-tan. I enjoyed our relationship but that’s it. It’s now just part of the memories. Don’t attempt to revive that dead love.Maki’s heart sank as she read it but she understood what Aya meant by that. She loved Miki and she only wanted to find happiness with her. That was fair. After all she forsook her for the sake of her career. She murmured, “If you can be happy with another person, I’ll let you go, my love. I pray for your happiness, Aya.”
She tapped on the glass panel twice and placed the 2 air tickets with a transparent cover around them to Scotland against the wet glass panel. Then, she placed the tickets on the ground and left. Let her fly with the one she loved most.
Aya saw the familiar girl tap against the glass panel, place something against it and then walk off. She ran out of the restaurant and she was surprised to find a transparent cover with a ribbon around it and 2 air tickets to Scotland in it on the ground that the girl was standing at just now. The girl was nowhere in sight. Inside the cover, there was a note:
You said you want to leave this place. I heard from some people that Scotland is a nice relaxing place and I think it suits you. Ikimasshoi! She thought, “Probably she bought it because she wanted to fly away with me…” She felt warm in her heart for a split second as she was touched by Maki’s actions before the coldness took over again as she remembered the disc that she hadn’t watched. She picked up the gift and held it close to her chest and mumbled, “Thank you Maki. I pray for your happiness too.”
Topic: F.Y.I 29 - Recurring Moments (Read 150652 times)