PAY ME LATER (Chapter 7)
“So… ano….”
Tatsuya sit still and quiet on his place, never intends to look at the fidgeting man beside him. Mad, sad, disappointment, happy, hate, grudge, relief… all of those feelings mixed up miserably in his mind, never been able to find a real feeling he got towards the long lost man in front of him.
Akanishi Jin had brought himself away from Japan for good since 6 months ago. Nobody know where he had gone to, not even his best friends, Yamapi and Ryo. And for his friends here, he had long dead on their friend’s list. What kind of friend left the country without words and worst, never contact with them, not even once while he’s away. But for Tatsuya, his anger towards the other man is more flaming than others since Jin has broken his best friend’s fragile heart.
Jin sits uncomfortably on his place. He knows well, when Tatsuya is quiet like this, it’s mean the worst. It’s better to have a nagging and loud Tatsuya than the quiet Tatsuya. He takes off his fedora and fidgeting with it for a while, fingers stammering hard while doing so. He knows he will face the worst from his friends, he has expecting it too well, but now when he faced it in the real life, he doubts himself whether he can face it or not.
Jin startled a bit when Tatsuya heaves a big sigh beside him. The other man, which seems unfamiliar to him, and he still didn’t catch the other’s name since Tatsuya never intends to introduce the other, is sitting at the far end of the bench beside Tatsuya. They seems close, since Tatsuya never sits beside others too close, except for his best friends. But Jin got not time to questioned himself about that. Right now, all he needs to know is how to face tha grumpy Tatsuya.
“When did you come back.?” Tatsuya asked Jin out of nowhere. Even Yuichi who sits beside him jumps a bit due to the sudden question.
Jin sighs in relief. ‘At least he wants to talk with me.’
“Last night. I thought I want to give Pi or Ryo a call before I come here, but…. here you go.!” Jin laughs awkwardly once he said that. When he receives no response from Tatsuya nor his friend, he chose to shut himself up.
When Tatsuya sighs for the second time, Jin has expected a punch or kick from the older man. But what he expected was not coming, yet he received a bitter smile from the other. That smile for Jin, was so fake and full of pain and he prefers to get a punch than seeing that kind of smile from Tatsuya.
“Finally, you’re back.” Tatsuya states that with that smile still pasted on his face. He then leaned back on the bench and gazed upwards, counting the birds flying in the sky, although his mind was flying elsewhere.
“Did you know how you have caused many problems by your hiatus.? 6 months without news, Jin, did you know how worried am I and the others when there were no news from you… at all on top of that. Just what the hell is wrong with you, Jin.? If you don’t need us anymore, then just tell us the truth.”
Jin just hung his head low when he heard that. He got no words to reply the other. It’s all his own faults. Leaving Japan without words and news, he never contacts his friends, not even his best friends. And he never leaves anything for his love one…… and he foremost regrets on that.
“I’m sorry, Tat-chan. It’s not like what you think. You guys are always with me, and I don’t want to even forget my friends here for mere seconds.” Jin paused a bit to heaves a sigh. “It’s just that I need time to be alone. Far away from here. You do know right that my father still insisted for me to take over his company. I don’t want that. I just want to be my self without my father controlling me. So, I decided to take myself away from here for good, without anyone knows. I’m so sorry.”
Tatsuya just looks at the other’s sincere face and he knew, Jin will never lie to him. He might be a little dumb and stubborn, but he will never lie to anyone. That’s the good point of him. Tatsuya then smiles back to Jin. A sincere one this time.
“Daijobu. I understand that. Just don’t leave without words like that again. At least give me a clue about your where about. You know you can trust on me.” Jin smiles back to Tatsuya when he was sure the other had forgiven him.
Jin then looks beside Tatsuya, only to be awarded by a clueless and quite Yuichi, who incredibly had sit still and unmoving along their conversation. Jin raised a brow to him and looks expectantly to Tatsuya.
“Care to tell me who is this, Tat-chan.? We have neglected him for a while now.” Jin snorts a bit when Tatsuya finally realized that Yuichi is still there with them.
“Ah.! I’m so sorry, Nakamaru-kun.!” Yuichi just smiles awkwardly when they finally realized that there is another human being there. He knew it from before, that he’ll easily get ignored by everyone around him. But somehow, being ignored by Tatsuya was surely made him upset.
“Daijobu.. I’m getting used to be ignored.” Jin chuckles when he heard that while Tatsuya still looking flustered for ignoring Yuichi.
“Anyway, I’m Nakamaru Yuichi, Ueda’s friend. Nice to meet you……..”
“Jin…. Akanishi Jin. I’m one of this princess’s best friend.” that surely earned a smack from Tatsuya.
“Stop calling me that. God, I bet it must be Ryo who taught you that. That midget surely wants to get a punch from me one day.” Tatsuya said that furiously making both Yuichi and Jin shivered in horror thinking about what Tatsuya will do to Ryo.
“Anyway, I didn’t know you’ve break up with Ryo and now with this guy. Ryo must be seriously heart broken when he knew you’ve found a replacement for him….” Jin said honestly without losing a beat. Tatsuya choked on his breath while Yuichi blushed furiously while his mouth gaping like a goldfish, trying to utter a word to reveal the truth. But somehow, a part of him wants that to be true.
Tatsuya smacked Jin again with a blush evidenced on his porcelain cheeks. That surely made Jin squealed loudly like a girl since this time, Tatsuya aimed it on his collar bone. Yuichi startled a bit when he heard that scream for Jin. ‘And there I thought it was really from a girl..’
“Itaii..~ Tat-chan is so meanie nowadays. What is that for..?” Jin asked innocently.
“That’s for being a moron, Bakanishi.! Who the hell put that thought of me being with that midget in your head.?” the tone Tatsuya used this time seriously made Yuichi and Jin think that the informer of that rumors will be dead for sure for less than half an hour from now. And the same thought creeps onto their minds, how could a guy looking pretty and innocent like him could be this scary and threatening?
“Ano…. Yamapi did. Because he said you guys are always together and act like an item.” that surely pour the oil on top of the burning flame. But this time, it’s not only Tatsuya who is furious, but also the devastating Yuichi. ‘An item..?!’
While Jin just looks from the furious Tatsuya to the frown Yuichi. He made a conclusion then, Yuichi is so into Tatsuya right now. He grins widely on that. But then when he felt the dark aura emitted from Tatsuya, he shivered again.
‘Yamapi is so dead..~’
@__@
“Sorry about earlier. Our private time is being interrupted by that baka.”
Yuichi just smiled widely on that, his heart flowering with joy when he heard that from Tatsuya. Somehow, being with Tatsuya made him acting more like a high school teenager who is with his crush. And he knew he may look dumb like that.
“No, it’s okay. It’s fun to meet your friend, he’s funny….. and dumb a bit should I add.” they both laughed together at that. Yuichi had to admit, meeting with Jin was like meeting with a long lost friend than a stranger. That guy was seriously friendly and easy to fit together with. They only knew each other’s name and the next five minutes, they were laughing together like a best friend.
“Sorry about that. Jin may look matured on his appearances, but his attitude was seriously the opposite. He can be childish sometimes, but he is the best friend anyone will ever get. His sincerity and honesty was really what made him outstanding from others.” Yuichi admired Jin even more when he heard that from Tatsuya. And that seriously made him curious about what was the drama before about?
“Anyway, I didn’t mean to be such a pain, but I was just curious about your conversation earlier. About his hiatus?” Yuichi stuttered a bit on his sentence, trying to find a proper word so that the other is not feeling offence by his words.
Tatsuya smiles at that. He had expected that question from Yuichi. Whoever will ask that when they saw a drama was held in front of them. Curiosity always kills the cat.
He then stopped dead on his track, expecting Yuichi to follow his track. His mind fled somewhere else as he remembered back the curiosity he showed to his sister back then. Yuichi, realized that he is walking alone, turned his way around to found Tatsuya looks immensely onto him. Yuichi who is also frozen on his spot, gazed back onto those beautiful orbs, trying to read what is running on the other’s trails of thought, though he felt a bit disturbed by those stares.
“Ano, Ueda-chan. It’s okay if you don’t want to answer me. I didn’t force you to do so.” Yuichi approached Tatsuya and held the other’s shoulder lightly, trying to wake the other up.
Tatsuya startled a bit when he sensed the touch Yuichi gave him. Although it was just a light and soft pat, but he could feel the warm aura the other emitted onto him. Somehow, he felt secured and safe when he is with Yuichi, and he didn’t want those warm to leave him. The same warm his sister gave him.
“Ahah.. Sorry, Yuichi-kun… I was lost in my thought a while back then.” Tatsuya laughed a bit, trying to get rid of the thought about Yuichi back then.
Yuichi startled a bit when he heard Tatsuya called him by his first name. But he could not sustain his thought that Tatsuya was acting weird sometimes. He’ll always dozed off in his thought, and have this pathetic looking eyes and fake smile when he was caught doing so. And he’ll always apologize for something that he shouldn’t feel sorry for.
“Tatsuya, you know you could always lean on me when you felt like to. I’ll always be here with you, if not by your side, maybe in your heart.” Tatsuya looks back into Yuichi’s eyes, and all he read there were sincerity and cares.
“I know I’m still new in your life. I knew nothing about you, about your past life. So, please, let me find a way into your heart, to understand you more. I’m not forcing you to tell me all about your life. In fact, I don’t want to know about them, because I know it will only make your heart bleeding more. The least I could do is to lighten up your life back. Back to where you have left them.” Yuichi said without losing a beat and he could feel the other stiffened a bit by his words.
Their surrounding was silent and the only thing moving are the things that the breeze has hit. Tatsuya’s soft copper hair danced together with Yuichi’s short black hair, forming a movement while their eyes are still locking to each other.
“I’m sorry if I’m not honest enough with you, Yuichi-kun. But truth to be told, I feel secured and safe when I’m with you. You remind me to someone. Someone important in my life.” Tatsuya could catched a smile crept onto Yuichi’s face as he continue.
“Someday, I’ll tell you, Yuichi-kun. I promised you.” Tatsuya sealed his promise with an assuring smile on his face.
There, behind the bushes near them, a figure heard their conversation unbeknownst to both Yuichi and Tatsuya. As he watches the two figures walk away together happily, he could hear his heart break into pieces seeing their intimate conversation before.
Ryo slungs his bag behind and walked away casually from there, together with his frantic heart, trying to find a reason why Tatsuya didn’t choose him instead. He knew Tatsuya very well that he can clearly see how different Tatsuya is when he is with that guy. When Ryo confessed to Tatsuya about a year ago, the other declined it softly, saying that he’s not ready for that kind of relationship. He can accept that since he understands very well, when Tatsuya said that, he meant that he’s not ready to love Ryo back. Since that, they’ve become best friend and when Yuichi arrived, Ryo knew, Tatsuya had found his one. Ryo heaves a big sigh, trying to coax his miserable heart.
‘I hope he can make you happy, Tatsuya. I’ll always love you.’
A/N : I'm super duper sorry for the late update..! I'm so busy right now since I've to work full time and rarely got my off day.... especially during this Chinese New Year, I need to work more. geez...~ I'm really tired right now.. so I stealed my time to update my long abandoned fic....
I hope you guys will enjoy this super short chap..... *sigh* and comments are always love..! #^__^#