The usually crowded mall had been somewhat emptied out as the evening and therefore closing time was approaching. People were still scattered on the different floors but it was remarkably fewer than it had been mere hours ago.
I let out a soft breath once the elevator was in sight and I relaxed the grip I had on my bag. It I had been a long day and I was just thinking about getting home at this point. I smiled at my own luck as I pressed the button and the doors opened almost instantly. I moved inside and pressed the button with the number 1 on it. The doors closed after a few seconds and then the elevator started descending but stopped at the next floor. Naturally, my eyes moved to the door to see who would get on and join me in the silence. The first thing I saw was a pair of dark eyes that pierced mine the same second the doors parted. My heart skipped a beat as I couldn't help but notice that they seemed oddly familiar. When the doors were fully opened, the oddly familiarity about the stranger intensified. A tall, young man, probably around my age, stood and was looking at me like I was looking at him. His hair was pitch black, matching his dark grey eyes and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt.
We both looked down as we realized how we were both staring at the other. He stepped inside and the silence quickly turned somewhat awkward. I concentrated on the floor and the doors started closing again, leaving just the two of us in the elevator. As it started descending again, I was praying for it to be quick and not stop at any of the other floors, just so I could escape this silence. It didn't take many seconds before I learned that my prayers wouldn't be answered.
The elevator came to a sudden stop and trembled while creaking. I let out a surprised sound and lost my balance, falling just as the lights went out as well. There was a soft thud as I fell down on my back and my head bumped against the floor.
''Hey! Are you alright?'' The man asked concerned somewhere in the darkness.
I opened my eyes again and cursed because of the slight throbbing in my head now and that it was pitch black in the elevator. I could hear him move the few steps to me and a hand found my shoulder in the darkness. He helped me sit up while I let out a soft groan and just then, the lights flickered. It was the reserve lights that came on, shedding a dim light and pushing the darkness away. It then became very obvious how close we actually were in the elevator. My eyes moved up as the light appeared and he was right there. For a second, all I could do was simply to stare at him. I swallowed thickly and was about to force myself to look away when he suddenly spoke.
''Do I know you from somewhere?'' His question left us to simply stare at each other again.
''We're sorry about the malfunction. Our technicians are currently working on the problem.''
A voice sounded from the speaker and we both looked at it. Without hesitation, he quickly got up and pressed the talk button on the panel. ''Hey, how long is this going to take?''
''This is the first time we've had this problem, so I can't tell you, sir. I'm terribly sorry.''
''Great…'' He muttered and ran a hand through his spiky hair before looking back at me. ''Sorry… Here, give me your hand.'' He reached his hand out to me and I looked up at him. There it was again, that feeling of familiarity. For a second, he frowned slightly as I didn't take his hand and that expression was all I needed.
''You're Kaiji…'' I breathed but then broke into a smile and finally took his hand. ''You're Kaiji Akizuki, aren't you?''
His hand pulled me back up in my feet while he looked at me with a screwed up and surprised expression. ''Do I know you?''
''Oh come on. I know your strongest side was always the physical part but you should be able to use your brain a little here.'' I grinned and poked him just between the eyebrows, like I used to do when we were kids. He blinked a couple of times before seeming to remember who I was and a smile appeared on his face. The same instant, the lights turned back on.
''I'm sorry for the wait but we've got it back up and running now!'' The voice from the speaker was back but no one of us really paid much attention to it.
''You've got to be kidding me…Lena! When did you come back?'' He asked with a smile and the elevator started moving again.
''Three weeks ago.'' I smiled and stroked a few loose curls behind my ear. ''I had never imagined I would run in to you here, of all places!'' My heart was racing almost painfully. There he was, the man that had been my life ten years ago and I was starting to feel like a goofy teenager again. I felt about ridicules about it, it was ten years ago after all, so why was he still affecting me like this?
The elevator dinged as we reached the floor we had to get off on and we both noticed how we were still holding the other's hand like a handshake that had never stopped. We both mumbled sorry while pulling away with an awkward smile and then proceeded to get out of the elevator.
''I can't believe I didn't recognize you.'' He hummed mostly to himself as we walked out and his expression had turned a bit solemn when I looked back up at him. ''Are you back for good now?'' His grey eyes met mine again and it seemed to brighten his expression a bit.
''I came back because my grandmother left me her bookstore, so I've moved into the apartment above it.''
''So that's a yes then?'' He smiled again once I nodded. God, how I loved that smile. ''If you have time, we could catch up over a beer or something?''
''Yeah, that would be great.'' I smiled back, definitively still feeling like a teenager again. I wanted to shake myself. ''We should exchange phone numbers.'' I spoke while finding my phone from my pocket.
''Ah, yes, of course.'' He mumbled and began feeling his pockets for his phone. A slight frown appeared on his face as the search seemed to be in vain.
''Kaiji, check the pocket on your sweatshirt.'' I watched as his cheeks seemed to redden just a tiny bit before he checked the pocket.
In some way, he didn't seem that much different since the last time I saw him. The broad shoulders and wide chest had only gotten more defined, his facial featured had become more mature and he had also gained some height over the years. Even so, the expressions he wore were identical and the way he smiled hadn't changed either. The years had done him well, without a doubt, but I was beginning to wonder why I hadn't recognized him earlier.
''There.'' He hummed relieved as he found his phone and I couldn't keep a small chuckle back, especially not when he then frowned at me afterwards. We exchanged numbers before the mall announcer reminded everyone that they were closing soon over the speakers.
''I should…''
''Yeah…''
''I'll text you later.'' He smiled softly and I gave him a slight nod while smiling back.
It was then we stood in the odd situation of decided how to say goodbye. We knew each other well enough to hug but then again, it had been so long since we last had seen the other that it would just be awkward. After a silent minute, we both seemed to settle on just waiving while saying goodbye. We both turned around and started walking. The smile on my lips wouldn't leave as I walked, not even as I looked over my shoulder to just catch a glimpse of him before he would be out of sight. For some reason, I was already feeling anxious about the upcoming text from him.
It didn't get better once I got home to my apartment. I turned on the light before putting my bag down on the kitchen table. It was still a bit weird to live here. I knew the place as somewhat dark and having the usual smell that always reminded me of my grandmother, but that was long gone. With the help of some paint and cleaning, the atmosphere had completely changed in here. When you stepped inside, you would be standing in one big room that had a rectangular shape, where the kitchen, dining area and living room were. The kitchen was along the wall next to the door and then came the dining table with six chairs and then the black leather couch. Across from the couch was the TV, mounted on the wall, and next to that was the doorway to a room. In total, there were three rooms and one bathroom. It was way too much space for me and therefore one of the rooms had been made into a guestroom, which was located next to the office, which was next to the TV. On the opposite side of the apartment were my bedroom and the bathroom next to it. Once again, I couldn't really complain about the space as the bedroom was a rather normal size and the little furniture I had filled it out nicely.
Everything was mostly white or black and only a few decorate things actually had color. I was horrible at interior design so I was still grateful that my mom had taken it upon herself to decorate and decide where everything should be. It had turned out rather nice, considering most of these things had been acquired while I was a student and therefore not the most expensive things at all.
I picked my phone from the back and put it down on the sofa table. With a strange feeling in my chest, I watched it while spacing out as I let my thoughts process what had happened today. I had run into Kaiji. That Kaiji. It was like reopening a book that was filled with so many good but also sad memories, all carved into my mind like it was letters on a stone. I could still remember everything like it was yesterday. It didn't feel like ten years had passed at all.
Still starring at the phone, I crossed my arms over my chest just as it vibrated against the wooden table, intensifying the sound and effectively startling me. I let out a small huff and went to pick up the phone. My pulse quickened slightly from anticipation once my hand closed around the phone and I let a finger press the button. The screen lit up and my eyes settled on the name on the screen.
''Mom…'' I sighed and my fanatic pulse slowed down. I let myself fall down on the couch while reading the message and answering it quickly. I put the phone back on the table while staying down on the couch and simply starred at the ceiling.
''No, you can't leave! What am I supposed to do without you? What about us?''
I abruptly sat up and shook my head to forget the unpleasant memories that came creeping from the dark corners of my mind. It was hopeless; I had to do something different to keep my mind of those memories. I pushed myself off the couch and wandered to the kitchen. I wasn't that hungry but preparing food would usually keep me distracted and I was hoping that would be the case today as well.
In reality, nothing helped. I hadn't eaten much and nothing could really occupy me enough. I tried reading but when I found myself reading the same line over and over, I gave up on that as well. I shouldn't be able to react like that just because of an old boyfriend but then again, it felt like such an understatement to call him that. Childhood friends turned into boyfriend and girlfriend at some point, it was difficult to be precise about when because it had just been so natural. There wasn't a person in this world that had known me better than him and somehow, it felt like he still did. We had been each other's first, the most trusted and loyal friends but everything had abruptly ended when my parents decided to move to England. And that was it; the high school sweethearts drifted apart because of distance, time zones and how emotionally hard is was to accept the truth when you could be somewhat in touch with them.
I put the book back down on the table with a sigh and eyed the phone while getting up from the couch. I scoffed faintly, still nothing. My eyes checked the time instead.
''Might as well get ready for bed…'' I mumbled to myself and moved to the bathroom, leaving my phone on the table. I began to undress after turning on the shower so the water could get warm in the meantime.
During the ten years that had passed, I had been in other stable relationships but no matter what, it had never really been the same. I knew you couldn't replace people, let alone someone as important as he was to me, but not one of them could measure up to him.
Jealousy struck me just as I stepped inside the shower and the water ran down my body. How many had he been with since I had left and how long did it take him to move on? I took a sharp breath, nonsense, he wasn't like that. I ducked my head under the water beam and let it wash the unpleasant thoughts and the frown on my face away. Besides, that was all in the past, we were in the past, and that was all there was to it. For some reason, it still made me a bit sad.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself with a clouded mind. My curiosity got the best of me and the first thing I did was to return to my phone. Unlike last time, I stayed calm as I checked but that only lasted until I saw the message icon with his name on it. I broke into a smile and began to read what seemed like a carefully written message. Maybe I wasn't the only one who was thinking so much about this after all. I typed my reply while moving to my bedroom and sent it shortly after. As I started to get dressed to go to bed, his reply came and we quickly settled on a date to meet up and have a beer. Throughout this, the smile on my lips had never faded and even after I had read the last message from him and tried to sleep, it was still there.
Four days later, I was on my way to the bar we had agreed to meet at. It was a lazy, summer Friday and late in the afternoon. I had spent way too much time on deciding what to wear and had finally given somewhat up, going with a nice but still casual summer dress in dark green and a pair of black sandals. I had left my hair down for once and the windless evening seemed to applaud that decision.
The walk there was rather short and I knew I was early once I got there and headed inside. People had already begun to gather and a nice atmosphere was present because of it being a Friday. Everyone was excited for the weekend. I choose a table in the back but you could still see and be seen from the door. The noise wasn't quite as loud there and it seemed a bit more private compared to the rest of the tables. I let out a small sigh as I sat down and found my phone from my bag to check the time.
It was safe to say that it had been a while since I had been this nervous.
I heard the door open on my gaze moved to see who it was. A group of young men entered the bar, all seeming to be in good spirits. My eyes met the brunet who was walking in front of the group but I quickly averted my eyes back down to my hands. Kaiji wouldn't enter with a group so it was safe to assume that he wasn't with them.
''Hey, Lena…''
Or so I thought.
My glance moved from my phone to the voice I easily recognized and met a pair of dark grey eyes. I would have smiled but the slightly solemn expression he wore kept it at bay. I quickly realized why.
''Oh, she's your date? Nice going!'' A short brunet stood next to Kaiji and gave him a short pat on the back before sitting down at the table.
''I told you it's not a date!'' Kaiji groaned before sitting down next to the brunet and across from me. ''I'm sorry. These idiots were going out as well and they don't understand what no means.'' He let out a small sigh while he looked at me.
''That's not a way to talk about your coworkers.'' The brunet I had locked eyes with earlier spoke while taking the seat next to me. ''And if she's not a date, then what is she?'' He asked while moving his eyes from Kaiji to me and began to study me.
''I'm… we're just friends.'' I smiled softly.
''You have a very pretty friend, Kaiji.'' Another brunet I hadn't noticed until now sat down on the other side to me. ''What's your name?'' He smiled gently.
''Wood… I'm Lena Wood.'' I smiled flustered while I felt blood rise to my cheeks.
''That's a nice name. I'm Mizuki Fujisaki.''
''I'm Sora Hirosue!'' The brunet next to Kaiji entered the conversation with his presentation and my glance automatically moved to him.
''And I'm Subaru Ichiyanagi.'' The brunet next to me spoke and I moved my glance once again. I met his piercing eyes once again and it quickly struck me how dominant he seemed to be.
''Nice to meet you all.'' I managed to smile and moved my eyes back to Kaiji. He mouthed the word 'sorry' and he almost looked like he was in pain. I let out a soft chuckle because of how he looked and it seemed to bring him a bit at ease again.
''Let's order!'' Sora exclaimed and almost jumped up from his seat to get the waitress' attention. It worked like a charm and soon everyone sat with a beer in their hand, leaving the table to break into small talk.
Even though I was sure that this would be a fun night; I was still disappointed that me Kaiji couldn't be alone. Not that our conversation would be that much different but it was the whole thought about it that made my heart flutter a bit.
The chatter was involving everyone until we all sat with our second beer and I could begin to feel the blood permanently rise to my cheeks. The noise in the bar had gradually intensified as everyone got more to drink and our table was definitively contributing to it. Sora was discussing something when Subaru turned and looked straight at me. I looked up at him while being in the middle of drinking and put my glass down when he smirked faintly.
''How do you two know each other?'' His voice was quiet and I quickly noticed that he was making sure that the others wouldn't overhear us.
''We grew up together.'' I answered while turning a bit so I could face him.
He had his elbow on the table se he could lean his chin against his hand. His eyes sharply studied my face while the smirk was still present on his lips. ''For how long?''
''Well, I moved with my parent's to England when we were fifteen. I haven't seen him since so it was quite surprising to run into him in an elevator.'' I laughed faintly as I remembered the odd meeting.
''You've known each other for quite a while then…'' He hummed and took a sip of his beer.
''Yeah, I guess we have.'' My eyes fell down on the table.
''Did you ever date?'' I slowly looked back up at him, expecting his expression to be different but it was the same as before.
''I…'' I started but had to swallow to get myself to continue with hesitation. ''Before I moved we were…'' I trailed off and watched as his smirk widened a bit.
''Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I'm only asking because Kaiji once mentioned his first love, who was also his childhood friend, so I was simply looking for adding a face to that person.'' His smirk turned into a charming but slightly arrogant smile, as if he was used to women being mesmerized by it. ''But it looks like I just did that.'' He chuckled and reached for his beer to take another sip.
I stayed quiet while looking at him drinking his beer. Kaiji and Sora was getting loud about something but I couldn't make out the words. All I could focus on was what Subaru had just told me. Had Kaiji really mentioned me to his friends? I felt my heart flutter again but before I could space out completely, Subaru spoke to me again.
''You're as pretty as he said.''
I wasn't sure when he had done it but he was definitively sitting closer to me now. I looked back up at him again. A voice in my mind screamed at me to change the subject to prevent more questioning from him. I took a quick breath while taking a second to find a good subject. The voice subdued when I found one.
''Okay, I have a question. You're all pretty fancily dressed, what is your job exactly?''
Subaru's eyes moved from me to Kaiji with raised eyebrows. ''You haven't told her?''
''Told her what?'' Kaiji asked slightly confused and moved his glance from Subaru to me.
''What your job is.''
The whole table fell quiet until Sora decided to enlighten me.
''We're bodyguards.''
''What?'' I breathed and let my glance move to Kaiji. ''You're a bodyguard?''
''It's not a big deal. A job is a job.'' He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
''It is a big deal! You're willing to give up your life for someone else, how can that not be a big deal?''
''It's not. The people I protect are important so don't worry about it.'' He frowned slightly at me and I pressed my lips together in frustration.
I crossed my hands over my chest and began to pout instead.
''Oh come on, you're too old to pull that move on me.'' Kaiji sighed but a slight smile still appeared on his lips.
''Are you saying I've lost my charm?''
''Don't be an idiot.'' He smiled and leaned forwards so he could flick my forehead with a slight chuckle.
''Ow!'' I groaned ad continued to pout. ''You meanie.'' I tried to hold back laughter but I failed miserably and it quickly came bursting out. It ended with us both laughing like we did when we were teenagers.
''It's really easy to tell that you guys grew up together.'' Mizuki softly smiled from his seat while watching us.
I felt my cheeks redden a bit while I tried to stop myself from laughing. Once I had calmed down, we all returned to having one big conversation together for the rest of the evening. It lasted until Mizuki was the first one to notice the rest of us how late it had gotten and everyone agreed on calling it a night. After we had paid for our drinks and said our goodbyes outside, Kaiji turned to look at me.
''Let me walk you home.''
''It's fine. It's not that far-''
''It's two in the morning. I'm not letting you walk home on your own, end of discussion.'' He crossed his arms over his chest while looking at me and I knew he wouldn't budge now.
''Okay. Thank you.'' I let out a small huff and smiled.
He flashed me a pleased smile and then we started to walk. The air was still somewhat warm and a soft and pleasant silence shortly settled between us until Kaiji spoke.
''I'm sorry the idiots decided to join us. I told them to stay away but they never listen.'' Kaiji sighed and hung his head a bit while scratching his neck.
''It's alright. You have some nice friends.'' I smiled and looked up at him.
''You really haven't changed at all…'' He mumbled and our eyes met as his large hand ruffled my hair.
''Hey, hey! Don't ruin my hair, idiot.'' I laughed while trying to push his hand away.
''Don't call me an idiot, you klutz.''
''I'll call you whatever I want!'' I laughed and ran a few steps ahead of him. When I looked over my shoulder to flash him a grin, I was met by his kind eyes and gentle smile. My heart softly fluttered in my chest and I took a sharp breath. Then, in the same second, he started running and I let out a childish scream while laughing. We completely forgot about the people around us, surely sleeping, as we ran through the streets while yelling and acting as kids.
Honestly, the night couldn't have gone any better…
