Disclaimer : Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue sensei

PIECES OF PARADISE

Chapter 2

It happened six month before my wedding day on my university's reunion party. I brought my fiancé along since she had lots of friends there. One of her best friend was my best friend too. And there, I saw him, Rukawa Kaede, was chatting with his friends, or, to be exact, listening to his friends. Rukawa Kaede, my long time crush before I met my fiancé.

Suddenly he looked at me with his piercing blue eyes. Eyes that made me fall in love with him since the very first time we met. Why I'm not with him? Because we can't be together, cause we're both men. It's just simply like that. So I decided to move on and found my bride.

Let's go back to where we were, ok?!

From those eyes, I realized that I still had a pang of feeling toward him. I took my phone cell, opened my messanger, stared at the name that had written on the display. His profile photo hadn't changed. It still had a photograph of a boy with bangs covered his eyes, holding a ball on his hand, dribbling. It was different from the boy not far from me, a mature man in suit. I was wondering that time if he still used that id. So, I typed,

Hi…

15 minutes later my phone rang.

Hi

So he still used his old id.

Never know that u still use this id after 5 years. Are ur number is still the same too?

When I looked at him, he stared expressionlessly reading my message. That brought me to our match, official or unofficial, and university basketball competition, as partner. Our world together was only basketball, we talked about basketball mostly, because we were from different faculty. After all, we were young and we were falling in love with each other.

Yep, Rukawa Kaede loved me back.

My phone's sound brought me back to present.

Not change at all. Love them to dead

I looked at him and our eyes met for seconds before he listened to his friends again. He was always been like that, aloof. I bet that he was dragged to come here. I chuckled. An idea struck me, so I excused myself to go back to my fiancé and said that I wanted to hunting photos out there. So I picked up my car key and went straight to parking lot. I took my phone again, typed,

Can we talk privately?

Seconds later there was a reply from him.

Why? Why privately?

Yeah, why privately? We were not a couple.

I don't know. For old times' shake?

I knew that answer was make no sense. I felt desperate before a reply came from him.

Where?

Without hesitation I replied that massage.

Parking lot. Basement

30 minutes later he came and directly looked at me in the eyes. So he had not changed after those years. His eyes scrutinized me without he realized. I smiled at him, got into my rented car. But he still stood there.

"Are you coming or what?"

"Where are we going to go?"

His voice sounded suspicious. But I did not give up. So I smiled again.

"Around. Need take pictures here. It's a beautiful place. So?"

He got into my car with hesitation and finally sat on passenger seat without forgot that glaring eyes on me.

Minutes passed and it was so quite. We were too busy with our thought and I was too awkward to initiate a conversation. He was always like that as I recalled our meetings on the old days. I laughed remember those days.

"What can possibly be funny?" he demanded an answer with a frown.

"Nothing. Just remember our days together."

"….."

"You've never change…"

"Everyone's changing. Everyone will change. Even a bit. You just don't see it yet."

I was surprised about how many words that he had just spilled and how deep those words. So he had changed.

"Yeah, you're right."

Silence again. I turned my car to left, focus to find a glimpse of beautiful scenery.

"You are engaged…" It was not a question. It was a statement.

"How...?" I was surprised that he know about my engagement.

"They told me about it." I knew that he referred to his friends on that hall. they were all my university basketball teammates.

"Oh, right."

"Congratulation."

"Thank you. How about you?" I felt my heart beat faster.

"No." he answered my question without looking at me.

"So, still haven't move on?" Somehow, I felt relieved as my lips cracked into unresisted smile.

He glared at me.

"Hahaha, it's a joke, you know. But I will feel very honored if you do."

"I have a girlfriend."

"Oh…"

Silence again. But finally I found the beautiful scenery that I looked for. I stopped the car and took my camera from the back seat and got out of the car. Followed by him. It was a beautiful hill side. Trees grew up filling that place. It was already near the sun to set. The sky's color was blue, purple, and orange. I set my camera, readied to take pictures.

"You still have that hobby."

"What? Ah, yes. It's always refreshed me after working all day long."

"See nature showing its miracle always something that you can't resist."

For the second time that day I was surprised hearing how much words that had just came out from his mouth. He had learned to speak his mind…

I moved the camera from my eyes to look at him clearly. He sounded like he was far from my side. Then there he was, standing facing opposite side of mine, with his arm stretched, faced up, inhaled deep the air around him. I felt like the world kissed him gently that moment. I recalled again our memories, the expressions of his when he saw beautiful scenery in front of his eyes. Even his face was still as blank as ever, I saw a grateful and relaxation hint there. Like that day.

I took my camera on my eyes again, readied to take this rare moment several times. The sun was setting in front of his face. I took different angle of his face, from the right side. There, the first time I saw his smiling face. I captured it before the sun fully hid behind the mountain.

"It's already dark." His face returned blank once again. I smiled. I knew that he didn't want to leave this place so soon. So did I.

"Yes, you're right. Let's go!"

We got into the car and promptly went back to the hall in silence. Despite of being talkative I am, the silent between us never gave me boredom, not even that day.

"Let me walk from there."

"But…."

"Your friends will suspicious on us."

It was true. My closest friends knew about our forbidden affairs. In other way, they were the one who keep me rational. That was why I buried deep my feelings towards Kaede and disappeared…

He opened the car's door and got out, walked. Something was bothering my mind.

"Hey!"

He turned around to look at me, questioning.

"Why… Why'd you agree to go with me?"

"Because I want to." Without turning back, he left me. From that day on, I can't get him off my mind.

T.B.C

is it too long? yeaa, whatever ;p

Please R&R