21. Mai finds herself getting disappointed on days when she doesn't see him on the way to or from work, even worried after not hearing from him for a while. And she realizes—albeit a little more subtly than she did with Naru as she's a grown woman and not a lovesick teenager—that perhaps she likes the daunting, mercurial bartender almost everyone's scared stiff of. Maybe he is more than just a friend at this point. She mulls the notion over at lunch, staring out the window of her office and ignoring how hot the potsticker is in her mouth. Or possibly she's just lonely and eager for more intimate company.
And she begins to wonder—although she's not wearing her old high school uniform and crouching on the ground with her hands over her conflagrant cheeks as she recognizes a crush—why, oh why, is it she always seems to fall for the type with a disagreeable personality. But Shizuo's not Naru. Even comparing the two of them is shameful. Aside from his short temper, she knows Shizuo's a good person. He's been kind to her. The obvious sort of kindness, not the obscure compassion Naru seems to favor. She enjoys the talks she has with Shizuo, she likes seeing him, she's fascinated by his ability, and she loves spending time with him.
But the last time she told someone she loved him, he doubted her. He asked if it was his twin she liked. Answers like that really throw a girl off her track and leaves her in a deep, dark hole wondering how she got there and how to get out again. She was miserable for weeks after Naru shot her down for the last time before he left for London, and she's in no way impatient to experience the same pain again.
Except Shizuo doesn't have a twin, but he's mentioned a younger brother whom she's never met (at least she doesn't remember meeting, not even in the dream world), so that wouldn't make sense, but she hadn't expected the 'Me or Gene?' question either and it's all so hectic, she just wants to rip her hair out.
She sets the uneaten potsticker back in the take-out box and props her elbows against her desk, threading her fingers through her hair.
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Author's Notes:
Ghost Hunt is owned by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
Durarara! is owned by Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi.