Prisoner of Love (fanfic)- Chapter 4!
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Chapter 4: Stepping Out, Stepping In
Ryo worriedly looked over Matsumoto. It has been a couple of days since that incident that happened with Selina. He was real grateful that it was Jun that found her. Although Japan is a peaceful country, it doesn’t mean it does not have it own share of crimes. A disaster have been averted, thanks to Matsumoto. Or was it because of luck? It didn’t appear as luck when those two met. He really believed that the two were going to kill each other sooner or later. Was it fate then? Because fate surely liked to play games. As much as those two were from the beginning. But who was going to win and what cost? Right now, Matsumoto was losing to something and it was keeping him unfocused at work. Before Ryo could even get to talk to him, Ayu and Chri walked in. He headed towards the pair, escorting them to a table. He deposited a kiss to Ayu’s hair. Ayu blushed as Chri smiled. It was unsettling to see them being affectionate so openly but Ryo was not the type of guy to hide things. He decided to get Matsumoto’s attention to serve them.
After their drinks were brought to them, Matsumoto decided to linger by a nearby table. Selina was not with them. Not that he was curious. Maybe just a bit. Specially after he left her.
Chri put her mug down. “That girl better have a GPS attached to her! Or at least we could duct tape a cellphone to her!” She was still upset with Selina. Ayu chuckled while Ryo nodded.
“If she wasn’t too stubborn in the first place, none of this would have happened!” she added. “I mean, what if Matsumoto-san was not there? I shudder to think what could have happened.”
“How is she?” Ayu asked. Ryo was interested on that too. The two were inseparable. He would think that Selina would be here today at least to thank Matsumoto.
Chri sighed. She didn’t know how to break the news. “Well, if we are talking about physically, she’s fine. But...” She looked over to where Matsumoto-san was eagerly cleaning a table all of a sudden. She called out to him. “Matsumoto-san? Can I ask you a queston?”
Good thing she didn’t notice that he was eavesdropping. Well, not technically. He WAS nearby and they were talking in a loud enough voice that he could hear them. “Hai?”
“How was Sel when you left her that night?”
Ah, of course she would tell her friend. But what else does she know?
Jun tried to remember the last time he saw her. Well, not actually seen her but been with her.
They both stood awkwardly before her door. He was facing it while Selina faced his back. Her trembling hand was lightly clutching his shirt. That slight tremor went from her arm, spreading through his back. It was that shaking hand that connected him to her. A very delicate connection between two strangers.
And that’s what they were. Strangers. She did not know him besides that waiter in the cafe that saved her. He did not know her besides the obnoxious girl that got intro trouble on her own. Strangers that were thrown together by a frightening situation. Jun looked down at his hand with the bandage. He breathed, clenched that hand and released it.
They were strangers.
“I am sorry. It wouldn’t look right.” He made, how it would look to imaginary people that was not there, an excuse to leave her. He was scared that she would not let go.
The hand that connected them released his shirt.
He was free.
And yet, he felt no relief.
She did not utter one word until he faced her as she was closing the door.
“Thank you,” was all she said, softly. He did not even see her face.
“Matsumoto-san?” Chri had to repeat herself. Ryo and Ayu looked at him oddly.
Her voice brought him back to the present. Jun cleared his throat. “She looked fine to me, Chri-san.”
“Maybe you’re just being a worry-wort, Chri,” Ayu replied. “It was a stressful situation and she just needs time.”
Chri sighed again. “From what I know from Sel is that she’s been through a lot of stresses before. And you both know her.”
“So what seems to be bothering you, Chri-san?” Ryo inquired.
Chri paused and gathered her thoughts. “Well, as I said before, she looked fine to me. But nowadays, she refuses to go out.” The three looked at her, urged her to continue. “She missed out on all her classes. I have to take her assignments to her. She either has delivery or asks me or another friend to do groceries for her.” Ayu looked worriedly over at Ryo. “Not that we mind but what bothered me the most is that when I asked her to go out, like to a party, she refused!” Chri waved her hands around, indicating this was her main point. “Selina was always the one who I go partying with. She wouldn’t miss one unless she was deathly ill or she had a family emergency! Now, she wouldn’t even go out to meet me!”
Ayu sighed. “I’m not professional therapist but it sounds like Selina might have been traumatized.”
“That girl?” Matsumoto cannot help himself but say those words. Selina didn’t appear to be a girl to be troubled by such a thing.
Ayu gave him a pointed look. “Anyone can be traumatized, Matsumoto-san. Being threatened and cornered might not be as frightening for you but for Selina, it was frightening enough to change the way she lives. She doesn’t want to go outside because she probably fears that another step into the unknown and she would repeat the same experience once more.”
“I was. Scared.”
Ryo nodded. “Selina-san might also think that she was lucky that she was saved this time but it might not be the same for the next. So why even try?”
“Can you please stay? Just for tonight. Please?”
“Is there any way to help her?” Jun suddenly asked. Why did he feel that this somehow was his fault? Why did he feel the need to be bothered with this?
Ayu smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, that’s not my field of expertise. I might ask Ninomiya-sensei at the University Hospital that specializes in psychological studies to see if he has any idea how to treat this.”
“I hope he can help. Because Selina’s social life is suffering!” Chri joked. She softly laughed then turned serious. “But seriously, its not good for her.”
Jun agreed.
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It was dark. The hallways were quiet. It always started like that. And then the footsteps followed. Heavy. Foreboding. Slow at first until the tempo increased. The steps followed her. Everywhere she walked, the sound followed her. It matched her every step, heard her every breath. When she walked, it walked. And when her breath increased, her steps became fast. So did the sound. Selina ran. Ran with all her might. She passed empty classrooms that merged with alleyways. They never said who they were but she knew they followed. The sound of footsteps were the only indication that they followed.
And soon enough, that dead end would appear. She can run no more.
Selina began to scream.
That same scream in her dream woke her up to reality. A scream that died half way when she jolted from her bed. Her shirt was soaked and she panted like she was running for real. It felt all too real for her. So real that she panted and sweat came out from the exertion of running. Selina started having the nightmares a couple of nights after the incident. She tried to go about her normal way of going out to classes or groceries. But everytime she did, even if it was a familiar place to her, Selina could not help but look back. She could not help but feel that someone followed her. She tried to ignore it but eventually became too paranoid and secluded herself into her room. That was when the nightmares started. She felt too silly to talk to anyone about it, fearing they would not understand and just brush her off. So Selina had to deal on her own. And the only solution she could think of was to stay indoors. She knew that it was an imposition for others to bring her homework or do her groceries for her. But until she can find an answer to her fear then she would just deal with it, the best way she can. As she changed her soaked shirt, her doorbell rang. Who could it be? Chri already brought over some food and her homework.
Selina opened the door to a worried Jun.
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They were back to the same situation as the other night. He sat across her from her table. He has not uttered one word except if he could come in. Not seeing any reason to refuse him, Selina let him in. So they sat down around her table and had not said a word for a minute or two. She had not served him tea. She assumed he wouldn’t stay for long. But the visit was surely a surprise. Unable to handle the silence any longer, Selina started.
“What brings you to this side of the world, Matsumoto-san?” she asked in a friendly manner.
Jun was a little bit startled at the sound of her voice. It sounded normal. Tired but normal. Her face was a little bit flushed and there was traces of sweat around her face. It did not appear that she was exercising. Certainly not after that scream. He was going to knock on her door when he heard it. He almost barged in but stopped himself. It wasn’t the sound of someone in danger but someone waking up from a terrible dream. Something he has knowledge of, himself.
“To be honest, I came here to see how you are.” There was no sense in lying.
Selina shrugged. “I am doing fine. How about you?”
He knew she was trying to avoid the topic. “I am fine as well. Been running in marathons lately?”
Selina gave out a derisive snort. “Yeah. Sort of. Its no fun at all.” She was being honest about that. Although there were no pressing matters to attend to, there was something unnerving with him being in her room. It was getting uncomfortable. “I hope Chri didn’t force you to come here to check up on me, did she?” she asked jokingly.
“Nope. No forcing but I did hear something odd the other day so I went to see for myself.” Not that he needed to do that. But the impression that he got from here when they first met contradicted what is happening now. Jun believed in seeing things for himself.
“I do shower every day if that is what you are curious about,” she joked. Selina did not like where this was heading.
Jun decided to do an experiment. “Come on! Dress up and let me treat you to Toma’s place. He said he’ll give me a discount.”
Selina looked uncomfortable but gave him a polite smile. “I would love to but I am not really feeling well today. Maybe another day.” She hoped that worked.
Jun frowned. She didn’t fool him for one minute. Nobody says no to a free meal. Not only that. Even if he offered that he was going with her, she still would not step out of her room. So, it was true. Today, he just wanted to be sure.
“That’s fine. I’ll let Toma know. I won’t take much of your time.” Jun stood up. She appeared to be relieved. When he was at the door, she said something that made him stop.
“I am sorry Matsumoto-san.”
“For what?” he inquired.
“I still haven’t apologized for the way I treated you the first time we met. It was really rude of me.”
She did not have to remind him of that considering a couple of weeks have passed.
“I guess I was just too caught up on winning an argument,” she continued. “It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to start on things.”
“Then treat me sometime then!” he challenged.
Selina looked at him. Was he grinning?
“I’m not good with apologies but food usually works. So what do you say?” Jun didn’t know if she would rise to the bait. Again, she surprised him.
“Sure.”
It was sincere. Jun felt it in her words. This girl cannot even take one step out of her room and yet she can make such a promise.
She didn’t know how she would accomplish it. Maybe she can cook for him? Not that she had cooked for someone else before. That might work since he really didn’t specify anything.
They both said their goodbyes. Unlike the last time they parted, both had a smile on their faces.
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After that, Matsumoto intermittently dropped by Selina’s place from time to time. He brought her her assignments or food or anything that she might need. Sometimes he dropped by for no reason at all. But he continuously tested to see if she would try going out with him. Except for outside her door, Selina did not take one step at all. Otherwise, she acted like a normal self. It was such a pity to see her this way. It seem like she was purposely caged herself in. It was definitely one way to protect yourself from harm. But at the same time, one missed on the joy of being out there, of experiencing life. Even if pain was part of being alive.
They talked about his work, why he continues to work there and stuff related to that. He learned that she was easy to talk to and very inquisitive. He didn’t doubt that she was smart but open minded as well. At the same time, she was somewhat naive about the ways of the world. Selina did not talk much about herself except that she was the only daughter. Her father owned some kind of business while her mother was deceased. She often laughed fondly on how protective her father was of his only daughter and how he worried about her going to a foreign country to study. Obviously, she had not mentioned regarding that one incident. She still refused to talk about it, even with Jun. She also avoided any talk of going out. This was fine for a couple of weeks but if she didn’t address it soon, it would get any worse. Maybe even consume her. It was easy to see outside but always hard to see inside one’s self.
Selina had just finished writing her paper when Jun decided to ask her once more. “Ne, do you remember your promise?” he gently started.
She stood up, going to her sink. Selina had no inclination to where this conversation was leading to. “Hmmm? What about it?”
Jun needed to be careful about this or she would end this before anything had a chance to start.
“Well, Toma is still waiting for me to drop by so I was wondering if you’d like to go out tonight to eat?”
She was getting some tea cups from her cupboard. As soon as she heard the words of going out, the cups fell out of her hands. Selina immediately bent down to gather the pieces. Jun went and assisted her.
“I can’t,” she replied as they picked up the pieces.
“Why not?”
“Matsumoto-san, just don’t. I can’t.” Both of them put the broken pieces in her trash.
“I don’t think you’re like a fragile tea cup. You’re not broken. You can’t be defeated like this.” Jun didn’t know what he was saying all of a sudden. But with all those weeks just watching her shut herself in, it didn’t sit with him well. All his frustrations came bubbling out to the surface. Before she could say another word to sway him, Jun suddenly grabbed her wrist. He made her put on her shoes and without any reason why, he dragged her outside of her room, outside her dorm unto the streets. Selina was too confused to even protest.
Before they knew it, both of them were running with Jun clutching her wrist with his hand. Selina kept looking at his back and then focusing on that hand that was holding her wrist so tight. Why? Why would he do this? It baffled her as to why Jun would go to such lengths to bring her out. It really didn’t affect her that bad. Sure, she missed out on the parties but she was able to have lots more of sleep. Sure, she missed her friends but they can always drop by to visit her. It wasn’t so bad, right?
Jun suddenly stopped that made Selina bump to his back. When he was trying to catch his breath, she took a peek from behind. They were in front of a worn down building. Before she could ask another question, they went inside the building and up a flight of stairs. This lead to in front of a door that Jun knocked on. A man with a stern face opened appeared on the other side.
“Ah, Matsumoto. Long time no see.” The man was clearly a friend of Matsumoto, Selina deduced.
Jun smiled and bowed. “Yes it had been Aniki. Hope you have been well.”
The man looked at Selina, giving her an appraising look. Even in this confusing situation, she refused to back down. A little bit shaky, she puffed out her chest. It elicited a smug grin on the man’s face.
“Was this the girl you mentioned to me, MatsuJun?” Jun nodded. “She doesn’t look too scared to me. Guts is what she has. But we’ll wipe that pretentious habit soon enough.” The man chuckled and turned away as he let them in.
All this time, Jun was still holding her wrist. Selina tugged at it to get his attention. She conveyed a message with her eyes.
“Why do you care so much?” she asked.
“I just can’t leave you alone,” he seem to answer back.
He tugged on her wrist once more as they both stepped through the doors.
Chapter end notes: Hope this wasn’t too short but wanted to go a little bit more slower. Sorry for the delay in update. Real life is still crazy.So where did Jun take Selina? Will she stay or not? Tune in to the next chapter! As always, comments and feedback are love!