"So! Kei! Who's this girl you've been lusting after then? We gonna get to see her any time soon?"
"Look, I've told you before, she's already got someone." Kei sighed, collecting up his books and stuffing them into his bag. "I've never even spoken to her. I just…I see her around from time to time." Yuu stared blankly at his companion, he shook his head lightly and stood up. "Go out and get her! You're never gonna know if it'll work if you don't try, right?" He smiled, "That's how I met Rei."
Kei froze, he said it. Her name. The girl he couldn't get. "R-Right, but still…she's way out of my league. She has a boyfriend anyway…" Following Yuu, Kei slung his bag over his shoulder as the two left the lecture hall.
"When has that ever stopped you before? Where's the Kei Amakura I know?" Yuu rolled his eyes, "Quit being chicken and let her know you exist! Go on, go with my bless- ah! Rei!" Waving to him from a distance was a tall, short haired girl. She wore a pair of tight black pants and a long baggy blue sweater that fell just over her right shoulder. Revealing her milky white skin, like porcelain. "There she is! I'm one lucky guy, just look at her!" Yuu grinned, signalling goodbye to Kei as he began the walk over to his girlfriend. Kei nodded goodbye and sighed. "You have no idea." He mumbled, watching the two walk off hand in hand.
Waking up in a cold sweat, Kei rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Just when I thought the nightmares were over…" He laughed slightly to himself. Standing up and stretching. "I need to stop falling asleep during the day…" He yawned, turning around to face the shelf above the couch. On his shelf, sitting perfectly in its frame was a photo of himself, his niece Mio, Miku Hinasaki; his old friends little sister, and standing behind them, beside him with a perfectly placed smile was Rei Kurosawa. He sighed softly, staring longingly at the picture. "Rei…"
"Uncle Kei?" Mio opened the living room door with a smile. "Miku's here, we'll be upstairs if you need us. She's helping me study for the entrance exam." Kei nodded with a smile "Alright." Mio waved to him and led Miku up the stairs. The two giggled to one another, Kei knew they would spend majority of the time watching tv instead of studying. "Kei?" A familiar voice called from the hallway - Rei. "I thought we could go over some of these articles? I really need your help meeting this deadline."
"A-ah! Yeah, sure. Take a seat…" Kei fumbled for a minute before taking a seat. Much to his surprise, she chose the seat next to his. He sat there for a moment, examining her every movement. She really was just as beautiful close up. The faint smell of her perfume lingered around them, it was the rose one he and Mio had bought her for christmas. He smiled to himself at the fact she was wearing it. "Something wrong?" She blinked, staring blankly at him.
"Oh, its nothing. I just noticed you're wearing the rosette perfume." He chuckled.
"Oh that? Its my favourite, its so sweet. They weren't kidding when they said 'True Love is Rosette'!" Rei smiled.
"True love…?"
"The name of the perfume is True Love by Rosette. Or did you forget?" She laughed, pulling various papers from her bag.
"Oh…yeah…" Kei sighed, watching her spread the papers and notebooks about his table. Rei wasn't the most organized of people, she sort of...scattered them. If Miku had been down at the time she would've flipped. Kei laughed softly to himself at the thought. "Wow, they've got you doing a lot for this article, haven't they?" He rubbed the back of his head with a yawn. His mind was still racing over that dream. Why did he have to think of it now? He'd all but almost forgotten the 'crush' he had on her. They were barely adults back then, still growing up. He was sure he had gotten over it.
But somehow, his mind always came back to Rei. No matter what it was he was doing, he always thought of her. Every single day. Sometimes it was just little things, like picking up a book and being reminded that its her favourite author. Or, flicking through the television and seeing an ad or singer he knew she liked. Resorting in him thinking about her some more.
But they were just friends, it was normal to think about friends a lot, right? Except, he didn't think about his other friends anywhere near as much. And even when he did, it was never like Rei. He'd think of her in a cute outfit, he'd think of her smile and blush to himself at the mere thought, he'd think about that time he walked down the hall and overheard her singing in the shower, he'd be reminded of just how sweet her voice was.
Kei shook his head, he couldn't think of all that, not right now, not when she was right next to him. Stop it Kei, just...stop it. He gave himself a tap on the forhead, a sort of 'wake up call'. Right, he thought, I'll ask her if she remembers. with that in mind, he spun round to face her, she was still making a mess of the coffee table with all of her notes and photographs.
"Rei, Do you remember anything about college?" Kei looked down at the papers on the desk, fidgeting in his seat. Rei blinked, tilted her head and gave him a suspiscious look; "No, Why?" She answered, putting her notebook down and turning her entire body around to face him.
"Oh, It's nothing. I just rememberd, you met Yuu in college, right?" He sat up and flashed her a faint, albeit fake, smile. "It's just...Funny how we never met during that time..."
Rei laughed, "I guess so," She paused, collecting up her notes. "What makes you think of all this so suddenly?" Kei thought carefully about his answer, he couldn't just say Oh nothing really, just had a horrible dream that reminded me of how I pined after you and you never once noticed me. He sighed softly, "Nothing really. Just, ignore me. I'm just thinking out loud I guess." He smiled again, "Just saw an old picture of us when we were in college, just before you and him got together. It got me thinking thats all." He chuckled, handing her the negatives she had braught over.
"Fair enough." Putting the negatives back in her folder, Rei went back to collecting up her notes. "I suppose it is a little funny. I mean, he never really mentioned you. But I guess we never really spoke about friends or classes when we were together..." She sighed softly, brushing her hair over her ear, away from her face. Kei leant in closer, just a little. Noticing her eyes begin to glisten. He peered closer, watching a single tear fall gently over her cheek. "Hey," He pulled the long sleeve of his hoody over his hand and wiped the tear from her cheek. "Don't cry." He moved his hand along her cheek, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "Or do I have to get Miku to lecture you on why pretty girls shouldn't cry?" He laughed. She smiled up at him.
"Thankyou, Kei." She sat up, tilting her head just a little. Still smiling, her face grew closer. Kei panicked, why was she getting closer? He didn't reject it however, she was still getting closer, the smile remaining intact, if not getting bigger. "Ah-ha!" She laughed, leaning over him and pulling a small book from the arm of the couch.
Ah... Kei sighed. "I thought so!" She beamed, "I didn't know you liked this book!" Flicking through the pages with delight, any hint of sadness had been wiped from her face. "The butterfly man." She giggled, "It's my favourite book, I didn't know you liked it too..."
"Yeah well...I like butterflies, I was drawn to it."
"Seems we have a lot in common, Kei. Seperated at birth?" She laughed again. Oh god. He thought, It's like music. He shook is head, friends don't think that about other friends. Its ridiculous! Who thinks someone's laugh is like a beautiful melody?
Although, to Kei. It really was. Her voice alone was enough to make him smile to himself, he'd get butterflies in his stomach at the sound of her saying his name, Stop it Kei. Stop it.
"Ah!" Rei paused, looking up at the clock. "Is that the time? Ah!" She stood up, quickly grabbing her jacket and bag. "I..I'm so sorry, I forgot I have an interview...Oh..ah, Will you take care of these for me? Dont tell Miku I left them in such a state..." She laughed. "Anyway!" She leant down, wrapping her arms around Kei and giving him a gentle squeeze. "Thankyou." She smiled, "I'll let myself out...Sorry again! Ah-eh...Wish me luck!"
"Good luck." Kei smiled, waving goodbye and watching her walk away.
Watching her walk away...just like before. He sighed softly. It'll never change.