Title: Two Months of Summer
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Kimi. This is only my take on the story. I changed the appearance and the identities of the characters a little. But mostly it's the same.
Synopsis: Lu Rui Xi sits in her hotel room the day before her graduation from Ying Kai University. She remembers the four two month summer vacations she spent while here with her friends and especially Qian.
Chapter 1 - Julia
Present Day
Rui Xi stood at her balcony that overlooked the hotel pool deck and bar. The people below were having fun. Playing in the pool, splashing each other and laughing. Others sat at the bar with a refreshing drink. She sighed as she moved her long blonde hair from her face that blew with the breeze. She was waiting for Julia. Julia. Her best friend from America. Julia was coming down for her graduation and then they would both be leaving back to America together. And that's what worried Rui Xi the most. She didn't want to leave. She like all her friends and….there was one other person. Yes, that person. The person she loved the most in the world. The person she liked. The person she loved. The person she was in love with. But what could she do? She lied to all of them for four years. Four straight years. She sighed again. There was a loud knock on the door.
"Rachel! It's me Julia!" came a female voice from the other side. Rui Xi smiled and turned toward the door. There was a knock again.
"Rui Xi! Oh." The girl gasped as Rui Xi yanked the door open.
"Julia!" and the two girls hugged.
"Oh my God I haven't seen you in three years I can't believe it. And here you are graduating already" Julia exclaimed pulling in her suitcase as Rui Xi closed the door.
"Yeah, well time flies fast when you're in the company of people you adore."
"Look at you, you're so beautiful." Julia said as she looked over Rui Xi. Rui Xi was now 19. She had long blonde hair that reached just at the top of her waist line. Her eyes were dark chocolate brown and were defined with black eyeliner, mascara, and green eye shadow. Her lips were plump with a nude lipstick. She wore a green tube-top with a denim mini skirt. Her nails were perfectly manicured in a flowery French manicure. She didn't look like the Lu Rui Xi that went to Ying Kai University for the past 4 years. No she was the real and feminine Lu Rei Xi or Rachel as everyone knew her in America. She smiled at her best friend with beautiful white teeth.
"You don't look that bad yourself," Rui Xi commented. "You cut your hair."
"Do you like it?"
"Of course, it's so cute. Makes you look very sophisticated. Perfect for your magazine editor career." Julia had cut her long brown hair into a very sophisticated bob. She changed her style just a bit. Instead of her usual miniskirts, she wore a black silk halter top with a beige above the knee pencil skirt and red sandal heels. Her makeup included matte beige eyeshadow with black eyeliner and mascara, and mocha lipgloss.
"I have to say girlfriend, your little makeover turned out really well." Rui Xi commented.
"Thank you. So how have you been? You didn't tell Shane that I'm coming did you?"
"No Julia, I haven't, I haven't seen any of them since we had to leave campus two weeks ago."
"What? Are you serious? Rachel what's the matter with you? How can you just leave like that? What about John?"
"Julia please. I'm having a hard time already. I have decided to reveal the whole thing to everyone tomorrow and then I'm gonna leave. How do you think I feel right now? I love Qian, and leaving like this is….." Rui Xi sighed deeply and plopped down on her couch. "Besides, everyone went home to see their families before graduation."
"Rachel, honey. Maybe you should rethink this. Maybe you should just go there as the boy pretended to be for the past four years."
"No. No Julia. I have to do this. I have to finally tell them who I am. And besides, they will have to find out soon enough. You and Xiu Yi are pretty serious, and he'll probably be mad at you for keeping this from him."
"You don't have to worry about him. He'll understand. Then why don't you stay here a little longer?"
"I don't know. In a way I want to stay, because I can't bear to leave. But then when I think about it, the hurt that they will feel and….I just can't stay. I feel like I have to leave and never come back. I betrayed them. I lied to them for four years. What kind of a friend am I?"
"Listen, sweety, I'm sure they'll understand. They know you. You are they're friend. You've proven your friendship to them in these years. You've went through a lot together. Think about the first summer when you guys worked together at the creep's mom's inn."
"Creep's?" Rui Xi looked at Julia funny. She knew who she was talking about but it still surprised her that Julia still thought of him that way, even after all this time.
"Sean. Ok I'm sorry. I just can't forget his playboy ways." Rui Xi chuckled.
"Yeah, we had a great time." She said deep in thought.
First summer vacation-3 years ago
"Rui Xi! Let's go play volley ball together!" Sui ran over to her and almost tackled her to the ground.
"Sui Yi, what is wrong with you! Are you trying to hurt him again like you did when you decided to compete in soccer?" Qian yelled as he ran up and pulled Sui Yi off Rui Xi and pulled her closer to him, hovering protectively.
"What? Hurt? RUI XI?" Sui Yi gasped and looked at Rui Xi from head to toe. "Rui Xi are you ok? You're not hurt?"
"No Sui Yi," she laughed. "I'm fine. But to answer your question, no thank you. I'm tired and it's really hot. I want to rest."
"Oh, well then lets all go rest on the hammocks." He suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Rui Xi answered as they walked to the back side of the inn where the pool was.
It was quiet, as the four of them, Rui Xi, Qian, Sui Yi and Si Nan lay in their respective hammocks napping under the trees. The birds chirped in the background as a light breeze cooled them from the sun's heat. Rui Xi opened her eyes and turned her head to look over at Qian who lay in the hammock neck to her's. His eyes were shut and he looked so peaceful. Her heart thumped as she remembered the closeness she felt a while back. How she felt his body heat and his strong arms on her's protecting her. She sighed. If he only knew, she thought. If he only knew the truth about me, would he still be my friend? Would he be mad? Would he forgive me? Could we ever be more? Her heart ached and she sighed again.
"Why are you sighing so heavily?"