Unspoken

Happiness is a fragile thing. It comes and goes too easily for many, I guess. It's no exception when it comes to Sora. Say one wrong thing and she breaks so easily. I can't blame her, though – I guess I'd be a whole mix of emotions if I had gone through a bad breakup, too. It's been years since we've spoken, and, yet, here I am sitting next to her, all so sudden. She's trying so hard to put on a front, but I can tell her thoughts are in a tornado of a mess. She's always been so easy to read. Is it the tense lines between her brows? The tug at her lips when she's fighting between a frown and a smile? The way she quivers when she slips his name into the conversation, or maybe even the way she lowers her voice when she says it? Obvious signs, but… it's her eyes. Definitely her eyes – they say it all. She's got the kind of eyes that speak for themselves, the kind that can go on and on telling stories even when she's at a loss for words.

When she notices me staring into her eyes, she shifts her body slightly at an angle – away from me – and averts her gaze towards the ground. She always did this when she was nervous. Not much has changed about her over the years, except that, this time, it seems like she's losing control over her own emotions, which I guess is something she's struggled with from time to time before. Her mouth opens slightly, letting out a sigh, though I could've sworn she was about to say something.

And though I hate to see her like this, and I know it's selfish of me to say, but part of me is glad that she came to me, even after all of these years. It's not that she wants advice. She and I both know she's too stubborn to listen to anyone at a time like this. She forms this little anti-social bubble and floats off into her own world when she's stressed out, which is why it's almost a surprise that she asked for me to spend the evening with her a week after her breakup. I mean, after all of the terrible things I've done to her (okay, not that they were that bad, but I'm not sure how and why she forgave me after accidentally dropping her engagement ring down the sink drain a few years back), I'm surprised she still considers me her best friend.

I can't help but wonder where we would have ended up if she had picked me instead. If it was us, and we had broken up, would she be here today, talking to him instead of me? Would we still be together, from high school until now? Would we be happy? It's not that I still have feelings for her – at least, I'm almost positive I don't, but in a situation like this, you just really can't help but contemplate over something so trivial.

"Tai," she says suddenly, and I snap back into reality. Her head's turned toward mine, but her body is still shifted away. "I… I just— "

"'Don't know what to say,'" I finish for her. Her frown lifts, but only slightly.

"I didn't mean to – "

"'Be such a downer, but I just wanted someone to listen.'"

"Stole my words right from my mouth, " she says softly, smiling just faintly, but the fact that it's there is what matters.

"'Stupid Tai,'" I say in the highest pitched voice I could possibly fake, and she laughs that genuine laugh of hers and I feel butterflies in my stomach, but only because I'm sure it's just nostalgia hitting me, reminding me of how things used to be between us back in high school.

"Yes, stupid Tai," she says after awhile, trying to stifle that sweet laugh of hers. She adds, "Stupid but endlessly amazing Tai."

"Don't forget handsome, and smart, and funny, and, and, and courageous!" I grin, because, as I've said before, happiness is fragile, and it comes just as easily as it goes, and I'm glad that it can be natural with Sora, even after not speaking to each other for so long. She's smiling, but her eyes are fixated onto mine, and I can tell they're trying to figure what my motives are – if I'm judging her, possibly, or if I've got anything holding me back from saying something. The thing with Sora is that she's always uncertain about everything, and the thing with me is that, unless I'm being dumb or slow, I can be pretty hard to read.

So I assure her, "Sora, everything is going to be okay. I know it's hard now but it's not like he left you because of, well, you. Your engagement with him has been dragged out for years because of his career. Maybe you two will work something out eventually. Or maybe not, or maybe you'll find, I don't know, someone else. Or something. Right now, though… " At this point I put my arm over her shoulders, pulling her towards me. "You should just focus on the present. The now. Right now, being all sad and mopey isn't going to get you anywhere. You have… you have me. I mean, I'm pretty awesome, that should be enough to make you forget about the whole thing."

She pushes me away from her playfully, almost causing me to fall off the bench we're sitting on, but then pulls my arm around her again, and smiles. "Of course…" she says softly. "I… I can't help but wonder… How I ended up here. Why I came to this place, and why I'm here now."

I raise my eyebrows. "Go on."

Sora stares off into the distance and leans her head towards mine. "It's almost another new year."

Normally, I'd fight back to stay on topic, but this is her day, and I'm listening.

I feel something cold and icy fall onto my nose, and I look up into the sky as snowflakes begin to fall down. She pulls in closer to me and wraps her arms around my waist, clinging on to me tighter than ever, even though she knows we both need to leave soon. Little flakes drop onto our bodies, sending slight shivers down our spines. Despite the chill in the air, I felt warm inside.

"Yep," I say. "A new year… which means a lot of things are coming to an end, yeah?"

She lifts up her head and looks at me, her eyes securely locking onto mine, as if they are urging for me to take heed in her words. I don't blink for a second. She says in almost a whisper, "The end… The end of many things, but it's… it's also time for new beginnings."

Sora gives me a tight squeeze, and then gets up. I remain sitting, looking up at her and getting lost into her eyes, trying to read her. She puts her hands out towards mine, and I allow her to help me to my feet. "I know I'm in a bad place right now, and I will be for awhile, but it just helps being with someone I care so much about, " she says, still holding my hands. I give them a light squeeze before letting go and moving my hands to her shoulders.

"Get home safely, okay? If you need anything… you'll know where I'll be," I tell her, and she nods her head.

And, before I know it, she's gone.

I didn't ask her if we would see each other again. Something in her eyes told me that I didn't have to worry about that. I smile as I look up into the dark sky, breathing in the crisp air as snowflakes dance past me. I'm happy because I know that she'll be okay, and I'm even happier that she's still the same ole Sora – same ole, wonderful Sora – that will always be my best friend. Her words ring in my ears – "new beginnings" – and I can't help but wonder if there will be new beginnings in store for me, too.

I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until then, I'm happy.

Author's note: I wasn't really sure where I was going with this so this is the result of some really spontaneous writing, haha. I didn't intend to make a sad story but I really wanted to portray how strong Tai's and Sora's friendship is and how there is a connection between the two that is unbreakable (do you guys like how it's open-ended?! Use your imaginations and have Tai and Sora end up together hehehehe!). They're a bit older in this writing which is why Tai doesn't sound as immature and naive as usual (haha). Well, hopefully you all enjoy! It's been awhile since I've written something and, for the most part, I like how this ended, I guess O.O :) Have a wonderful new year, all! I would love to continue this but I know I won't be committed enough to finish a story at this point (too much going on with school!) but maybe someday. Reviews are appreciated! :)