But it didn't hurt, he wonder why as he felt warm blood rushing from his ears, it trickles down his face and ended up pooling on the hot asphalt.
The guy tried to stand up, but later find that he couldn't even move a finger. The daisy he bought from the florist a while ago lied not far from him, scattering petals leaving the crushed stalk.
Slowly the world was turning to white and black, his consciousness was steadily ebbing away.
He tried to clutch harder to a piece of paper he intended to deliver to a certain someone this morning. But it seemed that he can't give it to that person anymore. And he had worked so hard, to write every words written on it. At this rate he knew that it will never reach that person.
Everything went gradually darker.
Is it the end?
And then, nothingness.
Rin was smiling from ear to ear and it's getting on Gumi's nerve. She tried to get away from the waitress' prying eyes but the girl persistently latched on her back, trying to read the content of her letter. Gumi didn't understand why Rin won't leave her and her letter alone in peace.
"Can you please-?" She raised an eyebrow at the other girl, who finally gave up and took a few steps back.
"Ok, ok. But let me know later, yes?" she grinned. Gumi took off one of her sneaker and made a threatening motion as if she was aiming for Rin's face and the latter scurried away in a hurry.
Gumi sighed in relief. She sat on the kitchen bench before gently pulling the seal away and unfolded the crispt piece of paper. A tiny spring flower she didn't really know the name of fall off the floor from the letter. She picked the flower up and read the content.
For the sweet baker girl.
-The said baker raised one eyebrow.
Okay..this is rather creepy, She thought to herself. Gumi shook away the unpleasant thought and decided to bake some more cheese cake to put up on the display. It's really selling pretty good these days, and Rin always nick some slices for herself leaving little for sale.
Gumi's ears perked up at the chime of their shop bell. It was their break time, so Rin must have forgotten to hang the "closed" sign on the door. She remembered to have very specifically asked her to close the store but evidently Rin wasn't listening. And on top of that, She and Miku was out to try out the newly opened pancake shop just across the street (what a bunch of traitors, she'd thought resentfully). Trying to ignore the slight twinge of annoyance poking her chest, Gumi put away the sandwich she was munching on on the table and left the kitchen for their customer.
"Welcome." She greeted with a smile when she caught the sight of a guy crouching in front of their display counter, looking like he was in deep thought of which sweets he'd like to buy. "Uh..hello." The guy replied back. Gumi recognize the uniform he was wearing and strangely feeling quite nervous to know that this boy was from the high school she attended until not long before. Another strange thing was, the guy looked quite nervous himself. His eyes wondered on the display for some more before he decided to order two slices of banana cake. Gumi got it wrapped neatly and handed him the box that he took in a haste. He was about to take off from the shop but Gumi called out for him.
"Oh, Customer!"
He stopped dead in his track and looked back.
"You forgot the money.." Gumi smiled at him. She couldn't help but felt embarrassed also when he walked back to hand her the money.
"Ano—I'm so sorry." he muttered in embarrassment and quickly left before Gumi could say anything back.
She remembered the letter from yesterday morning and blushed.
"….No, no. it can't be." She muttered to herself.
At that precise time Rin and Miku came back from the back door while chatting loudly. Gumi pushed aside the thought of the letter and decided to knock some sense into Rin's thick skull and stormed angrily to the back door for her.
The guy crushed the already crumpled paper in his fist and sighed heavily.
"This isn't possible at all." He moaned, looking up to the sky while blocking away the piercing sunlight from his eyes. He mounted his bike and tottered away from the bakery, feeling down and disappointed.
He stopped at the riverside bank and carelessly threw his bike to the ground before lying on the fresh tall weeds. The steady sound of rushing water and rustling wind calmed his nerves; he rolled to his side and reached for the paper in his pocket, trying to straighten the crumpled thing and stared at it with another sigh.
"Rin."
"umm?"
Gumi stared at her solemnly and grab her shoulders.
"Will you loosen your tongue already and tell me who kept delivering these letters?"
"Well I can't. I promised him I won't tell you." Is what Gumi could make out from between of Rin's munching noises. She groaned in desperation. "Why are you like this, seriously!" Rin stared at her smudgely. "Well I promised him I won't tell him on you, that's why." the bob haired girl said in defense. "I scarcely remember you ever kept the promises you made with me before!" Gumi cried. Rin got away from more of Gumi's nagging at the sound of the chime, smiling widely at the customers coming inside and welcomed them a little bit too cheerfully.
"Two piece of shortcakes coming right up!" Rin bounced happily and Gumi sighed at the sight. She turned her back and took something out of her pocket and smile. It was the flower she got from that mysterious someone, that she has pressed and framed, because it's such a shame to let them wither away. It always send a warm feeling gushing down her chest everytime she looked at it. She didn't even know who this person is, but it's always really nice to get flowers from anyone. She gave it another affectionate stroke of her thumb around the petals before putting it back into her pocket. It feels like she's carrying around a little piece of spring with her and it put her in such a good mood despite the desperation to know who the sender was.
It's that boy again.
He came by everytime Rin and Miku wasn't around, order two piece of banana cake slice and scurry away as fast as he could. This time Gumi didn't let him, though.
"Ano-" she called out and the guy hastily turn to her.
Gumi gave a shy smile and asked him if he wanted to have a cup of coffee before he leave.
"It's on the house. Oh..uhm..as a thanks for always buying our cake."
Len's throat went dry at the request and he let himself being led by the baker girl to a seat by the window. She smiled at him, rather awkwardly, and promise him she would be back soon with his coffee.
"Thank you." He muttered, trying hard to meet Gumi's smiling eyes.
That Rin! He mentally cursed, without any doubt that the sister of his had already gave away his little secret.
What do I do now… Len was at lost of what to say to Gumi. What if she wanted to confront him and asked what he meant by the occasional letters and flowers? Even Len himself knows that he behaved like a stalker. What if she's...disgusted of him?
Len couldn't live with that thought.
He looked so miserable that Gumi couldn't help but giggle at his expression. She placed a cup of warm coffee in front of him and bow a little, before going back to stand behind the counter.
The baker girl smiled shyly as Len widened his eyes, staring at the tiny flowers he picked up on the riverside are now glued to decorate the coffee cup.
"Gumi,"
"Hmm?"
"I'm just wondering if you've lost interest in finding out who the mysterious hentai stalker of yours is?" Rin asked her that evening. It's been a good three weeks and the boy didn't return even once to their shop. Gumi shook her head and smiled. "No." she answered plainly.
"Why?" asked Rin. "I'll tell you now if you ask!" She said, "It's so hard to keep my mouth shut the entire time...I'm really tired of it. I'll tell him on you now."
"Save it, Rin." Gumi gave her a wave of her hands, and giggled at Rin's questioning look. She thrust a piece of paper to Rin's nose and gestured her to read it.
Rin stared incredulously at it and widened her eyes with surprise.
"He left it on the door step when I open up the store this morning." Gumi explained helpfully. She smiled at the memory of Len running away after putting the letter on the door, not realizing that Gumi was watching him all the time.
She gathers her belongings before turning to Rin and told her to lock up good. "Don't forget the key!" She told her again.
"And really…there's no need to call your own brother a hentai stalker." Gumi's laugh mixed with the doorbell chime when she closed the door.
"So finally you got the guts to tell her already." Rin flung one arm onto her big brother's back. Len removed his earphone and looked away from his computer screen to face Rin, and buried his face in his palm. "I'm so nervous I'm gunna die." He sobbed so pitifully that it grossed Rin out. "You'll be fine!" Rin pat Len's back airily and left Len to deal with himself.
Len took out the letter he wrote that evening and sighed. There's a big chance that he won't be able to utter a word when he met Gumi so he wrote what he wanted to say in a letter.
Len couldn't fall asleep at all that night and he got up early to pick some flower in the florist. He always brought Gumi whatever pretty flowers that was there at the riverside but today is a special occasion so he pick up a bouquet of daisy.
Placing the flower carefully at the basket he pedaled away to the shop, feeling fresh air caressing his face and he found himself looking up to the brilliant blue sky, smiling broadly for the first time in months.
***