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yes, folks! its that time once again. *nods*
today is my birthday.
finally legal? oh definitely!
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Chapter Twenty Seven
He kept staring at it with a frown, unsure of what I was doing. Finally, he held out his hand and shook mine. "Hai. Friends."
I lean forward and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. For the other day, I mean. You didn't have to help me, you know. But thanks anyway."
He suddenly breaks into a smile as he looks at me, his dimples appearing. His head slightly leans forward, his eyes lighting up, his cheeks flushing pink as he looks down. I couldn't help but smile back as I look away. Damn, but his smile just gets me every time! He didn't know it but his smile not only elicits sighs and screams, it also makes girls faint in an instant. All he had to do was flash that smile and - BAM!! He could have any girl he wanted. Heck, he could even get away with murder!
I could feel my heart beating fast as the image of his smile ran around my mind. What a beautiful, incredibly disarming smile... But I quickly shook my head and erased the thoughts as fast as it appeared in my mind. Idiot! So what if he has a cute smile? It doesn't mean anything! Stop daydreaming and wake up!! Better watch out because he's your friend now!
Oh yeah...
Way to bring me back to earth and into reality. Thanks conscience.
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Several days passed by, and Emiko was still listless. She became quiet, mostly spending her time studying or working at the bakeshop. I saw her less, and when I did, she would either be sleeping or crying herself to sleep.
I would sometimes try to cheer her up, and I would find myself watching movies with her. We would do our usual sleepovers, pulling a marathon of romance movies and dramas. We cried our way through “Taiyou no Uta” (the movie, starring YUI and Tsukamoto Takashi), One Liter of Tears, Hana Yori Dango - even A Walk To Remember yet we would somehow end up watching Arashi's stuff as well - from movies and music videos to DVDs and TV shows. Whenever that happened, she would start crying again.
One day, I gave up. "That's it!" I muttered, jumping up from the bed. I knew I had to do something. Whatever it was, I knew I had to find a way to get them back together. Not only was the whole thing so frustrating to see, but the whole-movie-cycle was making me miserable as well. "Come on! Let's go!"
"Hey! Where are we going? The movie's not finished yet!" Emiko screamed as I dragged her out of the room and into the car.
"I can't take it anymore!" I mutter as we hit the road. "You have got to stop this!! I know you're better than this!"
"Hanari, what the heck are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you and Satoshi. This has gone on long enough. You two need to sort this out because I've had enough! I can't stand this anymore so I'm taking you to see him. Just go and talk to him. Whatever it is - I don't care! Just go and sort it out. Trust me, it'll make us all feel better."
"I can't. I don't know what to say." Her voice became quiet. "Hey! Maybe you could coach me! You're good with words! What do you think I should say?"
"Uh..." Oh, crap. I did not expect that. Lie! "Just say how you really feel." Yeah, right. Like that will work. "Do you love him?"
"I don't know. Maybe..."
"Emiko!" I growl.
"Alright, alright!" She raises her palms up at me. "I do, I do! I'm in love with Ohno Satoshi!!"
I nodded. "Then that's all I need to hear."
Several phone calls, one speeding ticket and an hour later, We sped off towards the train station on the other side of town. We park the car and rush quickly inside, buying tickets even if we weren't gonna get on.
As soon as we get past the gate and rush towards the stairs, a guy stopped in front of us. He shoved a microphone towards Emiko. "It's your turn to sing!"
"Eh?" Of course, not wanting to be rude, she just had to take the microphone. "You have to sing!" He urged her enthusiastically.
"Oh screw this." I grabbed the microphone from her and shoved her towards the upper end. "Go! Go after him! I'll take care of this."
Next thing I knew, the sounds of "Kitto Daijoubou" filled out of the guy's radio. I wasn't sure if he was some crazy, homeless guy hanging around the station (are they even allowed?) but then again, maybe I was too.
I give him a horrified glare but the guy just smiles back at me, nodding his head. At this point, a small crowd had formed, mostly young people, waiting for me to sing. Oh God, let this be as less humiliating as I could remember. I hope there's no one here I know, I mentally pray.
In the end, I just sang to the best of my abilities, swaying my hips and waving a hand in the air. Never mind if it earned me a few smirks from other people walking by. The way I figure it, no one knows me anyway so who cares?
I threw the microphone at the guy after the song ended and ran up the stairs. I caught up to Emiko, who was searching around the platform.
We scan around and quickly spot him. "There!" I pointed towards the left side of the platform.
She stopped as soon as she saw him. "What's wrong? He's right there!! Let's go!!" I tug her hand.
For some reason, her feet stop moving so I had to drag her towards him. Eventually, her feet caught on and we started running again. We were almost there, only to be blocked by a huge crowd standing in our way. Oh no! The late night rush had just arrived.
The crowd swallowed us. Men in suits swarmed the place, like bees. We push our way through the crowd, fighting to get in.
"It's useless!" I yell. "Let's go back!"
"No!!" She yells back. "I'm not giving up without a fight!! He went through the trouble to be my secret admirer. Now, it's my turn." She shoves several people away from our path. "Move!!"
The train arrives and people start to move. We got caught in the madness, Emiko tripping and me falling over her. No one heard us scream as we land on our butts.
When we finally got up, the train had was already closing its doors. We rush to Ohno, who was about to board.
"Satoshi!!" She yelled. "Satoshi!! Wait!!"
Unfortunately, he doesn't see nor hear her as his earphones block the sound.
The doors close on her as she gets to him. She reaches out her hand but its too late. Ohno was already on the train.
"Satoshi-kun! Can you hear me? I'm in love with you!! I love you!!" She shouts through the door.
The sound of the train moving masks her voice. I watch as it moves, until it disappears from our sight.
Emiko tries to go after it but I stop her. "Forget it." I say. "It already left."
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We sat on a bench, near the platform. It was chilly outside, the cold air sweeping into the tracks.
"I'm sorry." Because it was all I could say.
"Don't be. You were right." She sighs. "Maybe we were never meant for each other. I was right not to say yes. It never would've worked out anyway."
"Don't say that." I turn around. "Look, I may not believe in love and all this romantic crap but you and Ohno, I really think you guys are meant for each other. I mean, yeah, sure, you guys had a fight but every couple has that. It's normal but its no reason to break up over. Maybe there's still a chance for you guys. He is, after all, your secret admirer. He went through all that trouble to court you. If that's not liking you, I don't know what is..."
"Just let it go Hanari. It's over. Look, the train even left, taking my chance along with it."
We became quiet for a moment. I move my vision across the platform. I watch as a girl gets off the train on the other side, a guy holding her hand. It was weird, but it reminded me of what happened recently.
"Well, if its any consolation, Seiji kissed me." The words suddenly leave my mouth. I don't know why I just said that...
"Eh?!" Emiko snaps out of her sulking.
"Uh, yeah." The silence was making me crazy, but then so was what happened. "It happened a few days ago, after we went out for dinner and...yeah."
"Huh." She crosses her arms on her chest. "I was expecting happiness and excitement but I'm guessing that's not how you feel, is it?"
I didn't answer. My eyes keep staring at the floor. "Nino and I kissed."
"What?" She shakes her head. "I can't hear you."
"Nino and I kissed. Twice." We both gasp at the same time.
"HE KISSED YOU?? OHMYGOD!!" She shrieked. "You like him, don't you?? I knew it!!" She jumps out of the bench, clapping happily.
"Sssshhh!" I try covering her mouth. "Keep it down. It's not like that, you know. Besides, he gave me the death spell."
"Ah, sou ka? Well, at least one of us is getting together with someone...wait, he WHAT?!" She stumbles back beside me. "What happened? I thought he really liked you...oh, I'm so, so sorry." She pats my shoulder.
I sigh and lean back against the bench. "How did it become like this?" I wonder out loud. "It wasn't suppose to be like this. We were just two ordinary girls from Tokyo and suddenly, we meet two famous guys and now, everything's gone completely upside down!"
"I feel like we're in a drama or something..."
"Yeah..." I twitch as I reply. "I can just see the commercial now: this week's movie is 'Shibuya: A Love Story', starring Hiroyuta Emiko and Ohno Satoshi! The plot: famous idol and ordinary girl fall for each other amidst the bustling streets of Shibuya but fate keeps them apart!" I swoon beside her. "Arashi will sing the theme song while Koda Kumi will sing the ending song." I pretend to hold a microphone, singing and dancing in front of her.
"Eh? Why Koda Kumi?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I just said the first name that popped into my head..."
"Otsuka Ai is better. Prettier too."
I raise an eyebrow but quickly lower it down. For some reason, I had the strangest feeling of deja vu. I felt like I dreamt about this whole thing before, except Emiko and I were at the airport and I was the one chasing Nino.
We sat there for another hour before deciding to go home. As we hit the street, we stop by a convenience store to grab some snacks.
"Hey! Isn't that Nino?" Emiko nudges me.
"Where?" I lift my head up to see him outside the store, standing alone. I raise my hand and was about to say hello when suddenly, a girl comes out from nowhere, grabs his face and presses her lips against his.
The hand drops as I stand there helplessly. The girl is tall, her long hair swaying past her waist. She slides an arm around him, making sure to grab his butt. My face turns to an expression of disgust as people pass by, gasping in shock at their public display of "affection".
I wanted to yell at them to get a room but thought better of it as they continued making out in public. The girl eventually pulls away, wiping his lips with her thumbs. "Last night was great." She says, giggling. "Let's do it again some time~" She brushes a hand coyly against his shoulder before leaving.
Why aren't you moving?? Get out and walk away - now!! My mind is telling me something but I couldn't understand it.
A hand touches my shoulder. "That is the reason why we broke up." Emiko says from behind me.
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Okay, don't panic.
OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD...
Okay, just breathe. Breathe in, breathe out...okay, that's good...repeat once more...
Well, he was never yours to begin with anyway...
Shut up! You know its not like that! Besides, I don't like him that way!! He's just a friend now.
You didn't lose anything. There was never anything there anyway. At least now you know the truth.
Hey, look on the bright side - at least now you know he's not gay like you thought before.
Maybe the tabloid was right. Maybe he is a playboy. Second to Jun, am I right?
The good thing is, your heart is still intact. Of course, it would be really stupid if you did give it to him, just like the last time...
Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!
The water splashed against my face. The cold temperature was like a slap across it, reminding me of my place, who I was and snapping me back into reality.
I hear a soft knock on the door. "Hanari, are you okay?" Emiko's voice softly wanders against the small opening.
"Yeah," I manage to say. This is a dream, right? Because it feels like I've just walked into a nightmare.
I lift my head up and stare at myself in the mirror. "Yeah, you look like...something..." I shake my head as I climb into the bathtub. I sit in the corner, leaning my head against the wall. Good thing it was empty.
The door opens, and then closes again. "I'm sorry."
"Why? It's not your fault." I glare at the wall.
"I guess I should've told you. I'm really sorry." Emiko sat at the edge of the tub.
"So why did you guys break up anyway? Is it because he cheated on you with her? If he did - "
"No, no. It's not like that at all." She shakes her head. She then lifts her head up and starts the story from the beginning: how she and Ohno were spending less time together; how Ohno introduced her to his family; how his mother hated her from first sight and didn't dare hide it; how they were caught by his manager a few weeks back and how he got reprimanded; how they were suppose to meet a few nights ago but he didn't show up; how she waited for him while it was raining and found him a couple of hours later in a bar, with that girl I saw; how they had their arms around each other, the girl whispering in his ear, her hands on his -
"Okay - I get the picture." I cover my ears with my hands. Apparently, it wasn't my heart that was breaking here - it was hers.
"So who is she?" I ask. I really didn't want to know but I knew my conscience wouldn't let me sleep unless I found out.
"Honestly? I don't know. Last I checked, I was still his...wait, I'm not even his girlfriend, am I?" She laughs nervously. "I'm assuming she's Nino's...you know."
I nodded. His girlfriend, his koibito, his lover, his special someone, his significant other, his mistress, his queried, his...whatever.
The door suddenly slams open, interrupting us. "Where is she??" A voice boomed.
"She's in the bathtub!" My sister, Rina, yells.
"What the...? What are you two doing here?" I demand.
"We came here for this." Hoshiro pulls out a newspaper from behind him and opens it to show me.
"...EH?!" My eyes bulged as I stared at the paper. Oh dear Lord, this isn't happening...
Rina closes the door and locks it. "Congratulations! This is an intervention."
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she really wasn't suppose to appear but i had no other choice. people were asking about her and i just...how do you explain something like her [whoever she is...]? personally? i'd rather just leave it alone but well, you know fangirls...
well, its midnight so i decided to post this anyway, as a birthday gift to everyone so i hope you all like!
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