"Again" (Chapter 4)
Characters:
Inoue Mao and Miura Haruma
Base and Inspired by the song "Again" by Natasha Bedingfield
I’m staring at him, since I saw that expensive shoes, since I saw the M.H. initial on his suitcase, I’m staring at him and probably my mouths open. I blink my eyes a few times and that caught the attention of the person standing next to him, now that person’s looking at me in some creepy way.
“I can’t! I’m with Mao right now, and she’s having some love issues with her boss I need to be with her...” Yuriko said using me as an alibi not to see her boyfriend again. My shoulder tense up. I stare at Yuriko but she’s still busy conversing to her phone. I pull some hair pins off my hair to let some loose strands cover my face while I pretend to be rummaging on my bag.
“Inoue-san....” how I wish it was Yuriko calling me using a very manly voice just to prank me. I look at the owner of the voice slowly and carefully hoping that it wasn’t him, or maybe his talking to another Inoue person in the train. Maybe the person sitting next to me is Inoue as well maybe were relatives.
My mental blabbing stops when he smiles at me actually my brain stop working every time he looks at me. I smiled back because I can’t think of a proper reply.
“Hiroshi-kun I need to go now....I’ll talk to you later...” I can hear Yuriko finishing her conversation with his boyfriend and is probably watching us now.
We’re still looking at each other with smile on our lips. His giving me that genuine smile he has when his looking at me. That smile that he used only when he sees me. If only all of my assumptions are correct. But it’s not. According to Yuriko I looked at him differently because I like him, that I put a different meaning on everything he do because I want him to like me to. But the ugly truth is that in reality the chances of him having a small amount of feelings for me are like the probability of winning a Lotto 64/9 Jackpot. Ah! What am I saying; I’m not even playing lotto!
‘Shibuya Station all passengers exiting the train please.......’
“This is our stop!” I said over energetically while standing up causing to lose my balance. I close my eyes expecting my precious forehead to hit the metal pole inside the train, but.... it didn’t. Slowly I open my eyes; the pole and I are only millimetres apart. That’s when I notice the arms wrapped around me.
“Are okay?” He asked me, now it’s not only the pole I’m millimetres apart with. I gulp before nodding my head. I heard a squealing sound coming from Yuriko.
“Are you sure?” He asked still worried.
“Oh trust me, she’s more than okay!” Yuriko answered with a smirk. As much as I want to stay in his arms I immediately release myself from it. I can no longer bare the scent of his perfume. It’s making my dysfunctional brain all cloudy.
“Come on Yuriko this is our stop!” I said with the weird squeaky voice.
“No it’s not!” Yuriko answered stubbornly with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“Oh good! This is my stop as well” The man I’m trying to escape says before Yuriko and I could even argue.
“What?!” Oh you have got to be kidding me.
“Oh the train stops come on...” he didn’t answer my question instead he assisted me and Yuriko out the train.
“I told you this isn’t our stop” Yuriko whispered to ears before pulling me out of the trains
“Where actually going to Roppongi Hills” I blurted out before I can stop myself.
“Oh Great! My driver is waiting for me here in Shibuya and we’re about to head Roppongi Hills, let me offer you girls a ride.” He flashes a smile, a Superman-saves-the-day kind of smile my head nearly explodes.
-~-~-
I watch as the traffic lights slowly turn from yellow to red and now I can feel the car coming to a full halt. I closed my eyes, my head is throbbing, my stomach is a tight knot, and I can feel the cold sweat running down the side of my face. It’s like I’m back in high school, while waiting for my final marks in Physics, the marks that will say whether I’ll graduate or not. Although right now the situation is different. Back then when I saw my marks I was so relieve seeing that I passed, now no matter how many times I close and open my eyes “HIS” still there 2 feet away from me talking to my best friend animatedly.
A while ago I have this not-so-great-and-very childish-and -unprofessional idea that may be if I poke him with one of the hair pins in my bag he’ll burst like a bubble and be gone forever!
But I didn’t do it, a sudden realization hit me that: (a) it’s impossible -a while ago I was just thinking about physic and now bursting my boss like a bubble? Not so smart Mao! Na ah! (b) He might get hurt and fire me and I’ll be unemployed forever!
I shake my head trying to remove all the unnecessary thoughts.
“Are you okay Mao?” I open my eyes upon hearing his voice.
(c) Don’t just shake your head all of a sudden when your with your boss.....you’ll look stupid.
“Oh she’s just nervous cause yo---” I gave Yuriko a murderous look. She stops and continues her sentence with a cough. Miura-san didn’t seem to notice her talking so it was a relief but still.
“You look pale... are you in pain? Your head didn’t hit the pole in train a while ago is it? Maybe we should go to the hospital first”
“No!” my voice are squeaky I didn’t even recognize it. “I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine! I feel great!” I raise my two shaky thumbs.
He nods his head but worry is still visible in his face...why is he so worried?
His staring straight to my eyes as if searching if I’m really saying the truth if I’m really okay, I’m also staring at him assuring him that I’m fine. As we stare on each other eyes it’s like as if we’re having this unspoken conversation, his expression soften as if getting my message.
He smile, I smiled.
It seems like the world around us cease to exist.
My stomach is a tight knot again but in a good way. My head is no longer throbbing but my heart is, I want to stretch out my arms, to touch his face just to feel that his real, but I’m scared that if I touch him he’ll burst.
Okay Mao you need to stop thinking about bursting and bubbles! No one’s going to burst and just disappear! It’s just ruining the moment!
“Roppongi Hills” The middle aged man who’s driving the car said in a hoarse voice watching us through his rear view mirror.
Awkwardly I looked elsewhere except him, and I can feel that his doing the same.
Thick atmosphere, squealing sound coming from Yuriko, I met his gaze again.
What just happen?
Inoue Mao and Miura Haruma
Base and Inspired by the song "Again" by Natasha Bedingfield
I’m staring at him, since I saw that expensive shoes, since I saw the M.H. initial on his suitcase, I’m staring at him and probably my mouths open. I blink my eyes a few times and that caught the attention of the person standing next to him, now that person’s looking at me in some creepy way.
“I can’t! I’m with Mao right now, and she’s having some love issues with her boss I need to be with her...” Yuriko said using me as an alibi not to see her boyfriend again. My shoulder tense up. I stare at Yuriko but she’s still busy conversing to her phone. I pull some hair pins off my hair to let some loose strands cover my face while I pretend to be rummaging on my bag.
“Inoue-san....” how I wish it was Yuriko calling me using a very manly voice just to prank me. I look at the owner of the voice slowly and carefully hoping that it wasn’t him, or maybe his talking to another Inoue person in the train. Maybe the person sitting next to me is Inoue as well maybe were relatives.
My mental blabbing stops when he smiles at me actually my brain stop working every time he looks at me. I smiled back because I can’t think of a proper reply.
“Hiroshi-kun I need to go now....I’ll talk to you later...” I can hear Yuriko finishing her conversation with his boyfriend and is probably watching us now.
We’re still looking at each other with smile on our lips. His giving me that genuine smile he has when his looking at me. That smile that he used only when he sees me. If only all of my assumptions are correct. But it’s not. According to Yuriko I looked at him differently because I like him, that I put a different meaning on everything he do because I want him to like me to. But the ugly truth is that in reality the chances of him having a small amount of feelings for me are like the probability of winning a Lotto 64/9 Jackpot. Ah! What am I saying; I’m not even playing lotto!
‘Shibuya Station all passengers exiting the train please.......’
“This is our stop!” I said over energetically while standing up causing to lose my balance. I close my eyes expecting my precious forehead to hit the metal pole inside the train, but.... it didn’t. Slowly I open my eyes; the pole and I are only millimetres apart. That’s when I notice the arms wrapped around me.
“Are okay?” He asked me, now it’s not only the pole I’m millimetres apart with. I gulp before nodding my head. I heard a squealing sound coming from Yuriko.
“Are you sure?” He asked still worried.
“Oh trust me, she’s more than okay!” Yuriko answered with a smirk. As much as I want to stay in his arms I immediately release myself from it. I can no longer bare the scent of his perfume. It’s making my dysfunctional brain all cloudy.
“Come on Yuriko this is our stop!” I said with the weird squeaky voice.
“No it’s not!” Yuriko answered stubbornly with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“Oh good! This is my stop as well” The man I’m trying to escape says before Yuriko and I could even argue.
“What?!” Oh you have got to be kidding me.
“Oh the train stops come on...” he didn’t answer my question instead he assisted me and Yuriko out the train.
“I told you this isn’t our stop” Yuriko whispered to ears before pulling me out of the trains
“Where actually going to Roppongi Hills” I blurted out before I can stop myself.
“Oh Great! My driver is waiting for me here in Shibuya and we’re about to head Roppongi Hills, let me offer you girls a ride.” He flashes a smile, a Superman-saves-the-day kind of smile my head nearly explodes.
-~-~-
I watch as the traffic lights slowly turn from yellow to red and now I can feel the car coming to a full halt. I closed my eyes, my head is throbbing, my stomach is a tight knot, and I can feel the cold sweat running down the side of my face. It’s like I’m back in high school, while waiting for my final marks in Physics, the marks that will say whether I’ll graduate or not. Although right now the situation is different. Back then when I saw my marks I was so relieve seeing that I passed, now no matter how many times I close and open my eyes “HIS” still there 2 feet away from me talking to my best friend animatedly.
A while ago I have this not-so-great-and-very childish-and -unprofessional idea that may be if I poke him with one of the hair pins in my bag he’ll burst like a bubble and be gone forever!
But I didn’t do it, a sudden realization hit me that: (a) it’s impossible -a while ago I was just thinking about physic and now bursting my boss like a bubble? Not so smart Mao! Na ah! (b) He might get hurt and fire me and I’ll be unemployed forever!
I shake my head trying to remove all the unnecessary thoughts.
“Are you okay Mao?” I open my eyes upon hearing his voice.
(c) Don’t just shake your head all of a sudden when your with your boss.....you’ll look stupid.
“Oh she’s just nervous cause yo---” I gave Yuriko a murderous look. She stops and continues her sentence with a cough. Miura-san didn’t seem to notice her talking so it was a relief but still.
“You look pale... are you in pain? Your head didn’t hit the pole in train a while ago is it? Maybe we should go to the hospital first”
“No!” my voice are squeaky I didn’t even recognize it. “I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine! I feel great!” I raise my two shaky thumbs.
He nods his head but worry is still visible in his face...why is he so worried?
His staring straight to my eyes as if searching if I’m really saying the truth if I’m really okay, I’m also staring at him assuring him that I’m fine. As we stare on each other eyes it’s like as if we’re having this unspoken conversation, his expression soften as if getting my message.
He smile, I smiled.
It seems like the world around us cease to exist.
My stomach is a tight knot again but in a good way. My head is no longer throbbing but my heart is, I want to stretch out my arms, to touch his face just to feel that his real, but I’m scared that if I touch him he’ll burst.
Okay Mao you need to stop thinking about bursting and bubbles! No one’s going to burst and just disappear! It’s just ruining the moment!
“Roppongi Hills” The middle aged man who’s driving the car said in a hoarse voice watching us through his rear view mirror.
Awkwardly I looked elsewhere except him, and I can feel that his doing the same.
Thick atmosphere, squealing sound coming from Yuriko, I met his gaze again.
What just happen?