Takumi

Speak softly.

That's not a command, I promise. It's an expectation, something I look
for hopefully when I am near you. You always speak so softly, like
you don't want anyone to hear your words.

But, we always hear. You are one of those people we can't help but
listen to. Every word you say is some kind of promise, and no matter
how often you break them, I always believe your oaths.

I can't look you in the eye. It always makes me feel vulnerable. I am
naked beneath your gaze, and I feel like you know everything. If I have
any secrets, they are no longer secret from you.

And, even if you never notice, there will always be this girl who will do
anything to follow you; anything to smile at you in adoration; anything
for your eyes to flit across her, despite the fact that you will never see her.

If you brush past me, will you feel our fingers lightly meeting? If
I gently say your name, will you turn to look at me? If I take your
face between my hands and kiss you like a butterfly, will the flowers
that are your lips even know they are being pollinated?

If you never see me again, if you learn to walk right through me,
I won't cry. I won't grieve at all. I will feel blessed, and I will watch
you walk away. I will always know that you are beautiful, and that, once,
long ago, you saw me, and you smiled.