CHIZURU
"Hey," Kazehaya called, jogging up next to us. "There's an indoor pool on the first floor of the hotel. Do you want to sit there while we get some ice? The cool water might help."
"Alright," I said, trying to jerk my wayward thoughts back to reality. I realized my hands and legs were pretty sandy from the volleyball game and then the fall. A dip in the pool would be a good idea before I sat on any hotel furniture.
As we entered the glassed-in enclosure, the air grew even more humid and the scent of chlorine accosted us. A few kids from the other class were lolling about on the steps of the shallow end, and their voices echoed off the hard surfaces of the room. I felt Ryu dipping and grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt as he knelt and deposited me by the pool's edge. Releasing him, I swung my legs over the side and into the cool water. It did make my ankle feel a little better.
Ayane left to look for a responsible adult and Kazehaya went to find some ice. Sawako and Ryu sat on either side of me, our legs dangling in the clear water. I was bummed about the injury and complained about how it was going to ruin the weekend. But it felt good having them with me. And out of all of us, they definitely are the best listeners.
Before long I found myself en route to a clinic with Miss Fujiyama and Ryu. She asked him to come along to help maneuver me from place to place, but I made sure there was no more damsel-carrying, opting to limp along grabbing his arm instead. By the time we finished, the sun was dipping toward the horizon. The doctors had decided it was just a sprain and sent me back with crutches and some mild painkillers.
Back at the hotel, Ryu helped me get out of the taxi and get set up on the crutches while Miss Fujiyama paid the driver. I was a little awkward at first, and Ryu held himself to my snail's pace, ready in case disaster struck. I'd never thought of it before, but he was actually a really patient person. Unlike yours truly.
A few steps inside the hotel Miss Fujiyama excused herself to take care of something untoward she saw going down in the pool enclosure. I headed for the elevators, getting better at the swinging gait with each stride.
"This is kind of fun," I told Ryu.
"You would think so."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I huffed a little. The effort required to move on crutches made it hard to talk normally.
"Nothing." He held the elevator door for me while I hopped and jerked my way inside.
We stopped at my room first but no one answered. "Oh, man. I left the key card in my beach bag. I think Sawako has it."
"Come on. We'll check my room. Maybe everyone's there."
"Oh, yeah. You're rooming with Kazehaya, right?"
We passed too many rooms (the crutches were getting old quickly) before he knocked and opened a door on the opposite side of the hall. He scanned the room briefly while he propped the door for me, but it was as empty as mine had been. I made my way past him in the close entryway and collapsed on one of the beds. Ryu sat on the other.
"Ah, man, I don't have my phone either. Can you message Kazehaya and see where everyone's at?"
He agreed and we soon learned they were having dinner at a place a couple blocks away. "A couple blocks?" I whined. I hate being whiny.
Inspiration struck. "Hey! I know! Let's order room service! I've always wanted to order room service in a hotel. It'll be awesome! We can get one of everything on the menu! Er, do you see a menu?"
He found it on the bureau and we put our heads together like little kids as we decided what to order. Ryu placed the call, listing off our choices while I made enthusiastic interjections ("with soy sauce! Don't forget soy sauce"… "Extra spicy, tell them 'extra spicy!'").
He hung up. "They said thirty minutes."
I bounced on the bed. "This is gonna be so great," I said happily. He directed a fond smile my way.
"Ugh," I said, the bouncing reminding me of the sand in my pants. "I wish I could get back in the room and get cleaned up."
"You want to use our bath?" he asked.
"Nah, I don't have anything to change into."
"Mind if I do?"
"Huh?" I was searching for the TV remote. "Oh, no, go ahead. But help me find the remote first."
He gave it to me and disappeared into the bathroom. I flipped channels until I found a movie worth watching again. Part of me was aware of the sound of running water from behind the bathroom door. When it stopped I heard the splashy noises of someone entering a tub. My face heated. This whole scenario suddenly felt a lot more intimate than all the times he'd taken a bath down the hall at his house.
I did my best to focus on the movie, despite the sounds of someone bathing and then quite obviously exiting the tub. My nerves were strung into a tight little ball, and when he returned wearing a towel I nearly freaked out.
"Ryu! What the heck!" I said, slapping a hand over my eyes.
"Oh. Sorry," he said evenly, apparently not embarrassed in the least. Stupid jock. I heard the sound of him rummaging in his duffel bag, but my closed eyes saw only the afterimage of his toned upper body. What is wrong with me?!
I heard the bathroom door close again and let my hand drop. When he came back—fully clothed, thank goodness—I was watching the movie again. He ducked in the bathroom one more time and came out with a cup of water.
"You should probably take those pain killers now," he advised.
"Right," I said. He waited while I found the bag where I'd dropped it next to the bed and handed me the water. "Thanks," I said, trying to hide the affectionate gratitude bubbling up in me again.
He wandered back toward the bathroom and I heard the hall door close behind him. What's he doing? He returned a few minutes later with a bag of ice and handed it to me. "Oh. Thanks." Geez, I sound like a broken record. I hated being so helpless. But Ryu was taking care of me without any solicitous glances or sappy inquiries. It was the only way I could have stood being waited on so much.
I arranged the ice pack on my ankle, saying, "You're a pretty good nurse, you know?"
A faint smile touched his lips. "Ah, well, I've seen a lot of injuries like yours." Oh, yeah. Sports…makes sense.
He propped a pillow against the other headboard and settled back to watch the movie. When a knock came sometime later, I nearly bounded for the door. "It's here!" I stopped myself mid-bound, the falling ice pack reminding me to stay put. Ryu smirked and tossed a pillow at me as he rose to answer the door. I watched impatiently as he helped the attendant find room on the bureau for several delicious-smelling trays before ushering him out again.
"I'm starving," I declared. He had to be starving too; after all, he was pretty much always hungry. I scooted to one side of the bed and helped arrange the trays between us. We blessed the food and tore into it with gusto.
I finished eating before he did. Patting my stomach, I sat back and watched him moving at his sedate pace. A smile crept over my lips.
He noticed. "What?"
"Nothing," I said, still feeling content. "You eat pretty slow for someone who's always hungry."
He swallowed another bite. "Nobody can keep up with you."
I continued to watch him, his form, his movements all familiar and comforting somehow. And the look he was giving me now…I could read the emotions in it. He was confused by my attention, wondering why I was acting funny, worrying that it was related to my injury, and…something else.
He stopped eating. "Does your foot hurt a lot?" Just as I'd guessed.
"Some," I answered truthfully. "Listen," I began, my voice ringing with humility. "Thanks for everything today, really."
"It's okay. Anyway, you were right," he said, looking up from the scattered remnants of our dinner. "This was fun." He smiled and I smiled back.
Our eyes held. It was a happy, peaceful oasis in a long messy day. My heart hitched.
"Well, that salmon curry was fantastic. You'll have to get your dad to try and make it…"
By the time our friends returned, the painkillers and the food had me back to myself. Nobody said anything about going out exploring—a kindness to me I tried not to think about—and we spent the evening playing cards and laughing about stupid stuff. I even made it through one of Sawako's ghost stories.
I was half-crippled and sticky with sand and salt, but it was one of the happiest nights of my life.