"I'm taking Tsukushi home."
The way Rui said it was more like a demand than a statement. Akira, Soujiro and I knew it wasn't a very good idea to argue with him when he was in one of his moods. Although he had never raised his voice, hit a person or basically, act like Tsukasa, when Rui is angry, one look from him and that's it. That look was way worst than Tsukasa's bashing up or screams. That eyes of his will penetrate right into your soul making you shiver.
"Right.we're going to be in our usual joint. Want to join us later?" Akira asked putting one arm over Rui's shoulders and I very well know that he was referring to the night club they frequent often, VS.
"We'll see. Give me a call later." Rui said and Akira nodded.
Soujiro approached me and gave me a weak smile. "I'm sorry Tsukushi. That shouldn't have happened." He said softly.
"It's alright Soujiro. You didn't expect that.BUT..."I looked at him seriously. "Maybe you should consider cutting down your playboy ways. One day, either you'll get seriously hurt...."
As I said that, Soujiro looked away from me and for a fleeting second, I saw pain flash in the depth of his eyes. I wondered what or who had caused him that immense pain. Was it Yuki?
"Awww...Tsukushi...if I didn't know you better, I would've thought you had a crush on me." Soujiro winked at me and attempted to make a very lame joke and that was when I knew my comment had went straight to his heart.
"Soujiro..."I tried again but was cut off when Rui and Akira appeared by our side. I saw Soujiro looking really relieved and waved a hasty goodbye while following Akira towards his friend's car.
"He'll never change Tsukushi...unless she comes back." Rui's said softly at my side as I continued to stare at Soujiro even after Akira had driven off.
I looked up at Rui and once again, he had not failed to read my mind. "Yuki shouldn't have fallen in love with him in the first place." I mumbled more to myself than to Rui.
But he heard me. "Soujiro is already in love with Yuki."
"I doubt it. If you love someone, do you go flirting and sleeping with other women? If you love someone, would you push her away?" I asked Rui, feeling my anger raising for no apparent reason. I know I shouldn't be angry at Rui for he hadn't done anything wrong. But I hate it when two of my best friends are hurt or are acting stupid.
Rui kept quiet for a moment and started to walk to his car, taking his keys from the jockey. He opened the passenger side door for me and I got in before hopping into the driver's seat himself. The engine started and soon, we were driving down the streets in silence. After 15 minutes, he still hadn't said a word.
"Loving someone is about sacrificing Tsukushi, if you love that person with all your being, you would do anything in the world to keep him or her from getting hurt. Even if it meant keeping them from yourself." Rui suddenly broke the silence just as we arrived at my apartment.
"Soujiro keeps flirting with women because he feels insecure. He wants and craves for that one love he could never get and for that one night, he can lie to himself and imagine he has it. He never expected Yuki to appear in his life, just as we never expected you to appear in ours. By then, it was too late, he was in too deep and as much as he cares for Yuki, he just didn't want to hurt her."
"Then why can't he stop for Yuki? I'm sure she wouldn't mind his past." I asked Rui.
"Because Tsukushi.Yuki was unlike any other girl he met. She was different and special. In some ways, that frightened Soujiro. He was so afraid of what he was feeling that he pushed the only person he ever loved away. Everyone has a different way of dealing with love Tsukushi.." Rui explained patiently to me and that was when I finally understood Soujiro.
I looked at Rui who was staring out of his car, looking deep in thought. I wondered if he was thinking of Shizuka. Once again, I felt that tug at my heart. Was I really jealous? Why am I feeling this way again? I shook my head as if to clear those feelings away but it didn't help at all. I needed to get away from Rui.
"Urm...thanks for the ride...I'll be going now." I said, putting my hands on the handle but Rui suddenly placed his hands on mine, stopping me.
"Tsukushi...go pack now..."Rui told me.
"Pack now? As in right this moment?!" I asked, feeling my eyes growing bigger.
He nodded and helped me unbuckle my seat belt before following me back to my apartment. I stood in front of him as he settled comfortably on my tattered sofa.
"Rui.you got to be kidding me right? I mean.I can't go now.I haven't applied for leave or even done my chores yet." I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air.
Rui scanned my apartment with his eyes and I groaned inwardly. My apartment was clean and neat because I had cleaned it up earlier when I was waiting for Akira.
Without saying a word, he reached into his pockets and pulled out his handphone and started to punch a few numbers.
"Who are you calling?" I asked, my gut feeling telling me that whatever he was going to do, I wasn't going to like it. Once again, he ignored my question.
"Hello? Ms.Akio?" He said into the phone and my eyes widened. I lunged forward, trying to grab the phone out from his hand but he stood up and since he was so much taller than I was, I couldn't reach the phone and he held me by my shoulders with one hand.
"This is Hanazawa Rui here." I could here Ms.Akio almost purring over the other line and I gave up trying to grab the phone out from Rui's hand. "I'm calling on behalf of Makino Tsukushi. She and I have to go off somewhere to settle some important matter. We'll be back in a month's time."
What! One whole month?! Where on earth were we going?! Rui's neck looked extremely inviting for me to strangle at this very moment.
"Of Course...thank you Ms.Akio...I won't forget your kindness. Goodbye."
With that, Rui ended the call and placed his handphone back in his pockets and gave me a satisfied smile.
"There. All settled. Now go and pack." He said but I stood my ground and folded my arms over my chest and glared at him.
"You had no right to do that Rui..."I told him.
"You got that wrong Tsukushi...as a friend who cares so deeply for you.it is my right to make sure you don't work yourself to death." Rui replied softly and my arms dropped to my sides. I wasn't expecting that. I expected a laugh or a snide remark. Not something so...sweet.
"You know what...I think I'll just go pack for you..." He headed towards my bedroom when I didn't say a word. I followed him quickly and saw him placing my clothes in one of the duffle bags he found under my bed. Fast worker he is.
"Would you like me to pack your underwear for you too?" Rui turned to me, holding one pair of my jeans.
"NO!" I shirked out loud, feeling myself turn bright red. "I mean...I can do it...you go sit in the hall..."I pushed him out of my room and closed the door, but not before I saw him laughing.
I rushed around my room, stuffing random items in my bag (Which wasn't a lot). When I was done, I zipped my bag and looked in the mirror, running my fingers thru my long hair.
*Knock Knock*
"Tsukushi...are you done?" Rui called from the other side.
"COMING!" I called back, looking at my reflection one last time and realized that ever since the incident with Tsukasa, my smile was genuine.
The way Rui said it was more like a demand than a statement. Akira, Soujiro and I knew it wasn't a very good idea to argue with him when he was in one of his moods. Although he had never raised his voice, hit a person or basically, act like Tsukasa, when Rui is angry, one look from him and that's it. That look was way worst than Tsukasa's bashing up or screams. That eyes of his will penetrate right into your soul making you shiver.
"Right.we're going to be in our usual joint. Want to join us later?" Akira asked putting one arm over Rui's shoulders and I very well know that he was referring to the night club they frequent often, VS.
"We'll see. Give me a call later." Rui said and Akira nodded.
Soujiro approached me and gave me a weak smile. "I'm sorry Tsukushi. That shouldn't have happened." He said softly.
"It's alright Soujiro. You didn't expect that.BUT..."I looked at him seriously. "Maybe you should consider cutting down your playboy ways. One day, either you'll get seriously hurt...."
As I said that, Soujiro looked away from me and for a fleeting second, I saw pain flash in the depth of his eyes. I wondered what or who had caused him that immense pain. Was it Yuki?
"Awww...Tsukushi...if I didn't know you better, I would've thought you had a crush on me." Soujiro winked at me and attempted to make a very lame joke and that was when I knew my comment had went straight to his heart.
"Soujiro..."I tried again but was cut off when Rui and Akira appeared by our side. I saw Soujiro looking really relieved and waved a hasty goodbye while following Akira towards his friend's car.
"He'll never change Tsukushi...unless she comes back." Rui's said softly at my side as I continued to stare at Soujiro even after Akira had driven off.
I looked up at Rui and once again, he had not failed to read my mind. "Yuki shouldn't have fallen in love with him in the first place." I mumbled more to myself than to Rui.
But he heard me. "Soujiro is already in love with Yuki."
"I doubt it. If you love someone, do you go flirting and sleeping with other women? If you love someone, would you push her away?" I asked Rui, feeling my anger raising for no apparent reason. I know I shouldn't be angry at Rui for he hadn't done anything wrong. But I hate it when two of my best friends are hurt or are acting stupid.
Rui kept quiet for a moment and started to walk to his car, taking his keys from the jockey. He opened the passenger side door for me and I got in before hopping into the driver's seat himself. The engine started and soon, we were driving down the streets in silence. After 15 minutes, he still hadn't said a word.
"Loving someone is about sacrificing Tsukushi, if you love that person with all your being, you would do anything in the world to keep him or her from getting hurt. Even if it meant keeping them from yourself." Rui suddenly broke the silence just as we arrived at my apartment.
"Soujiro keeps flirting with women because he feels insecure. He wants and craves for that one love he could never get and for that one night, he can lie to himself and imagine he has it. He never expected Yuki to appear in his life, just as we never expected you to appear in ours. By then, it was too late, he was in too deep and as much as he cares for Yuki, he just didn't want to hurt her."
"Then why can't he stop for Yuki? I'm sure she wouldn't mind his past." I asked Rui.
"Because Tsukushi.Yuki was unlike any other girl he met. She was different and special. In some ways, that frightened Soujiro. He was so afraid of what he was feeling that he pushed the only person he ever loved away. Everyone has a different way of dealing with love Tsukushi.." Rui explained patiently to me and that was when I finally understood Soujiro.
I looked at Rui who was staring out of his car, looking deep in thought. I wondered if he was thinking of Shizuka. Once again, I felt that tug at my heart. Was I really jealous? Why am I feeling this way again? I shook my head as if to clear those feelings away but it didn't help at all. I needed to get away from Rui.
"Urm...thanks for the ride...I'll be going now." I said, putting my hands on the handle but Rui suddenly placed his hands on mine, stopping me.
"Tsukushi...go pack now..."Rui told me.
"Pack now? As in right this moment?!" I asked, feeling my eyes growing bigger.
He nodded and helped me unbuckle my seat belt before following me back to my apartment. I stood in front of him as he settled comfortably on my tattered sofa.
"Rui.you got to be kidding me right? I mean.I can't go now.I haven't applied for leave or even done my chores yet." I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air.
Rui scanned my apartment with his eyes and I groaned inwardly. My apartment was clean and neat because I had cleaned it up earlier when I was waiting for Akira.
Without saying a word, he reached into his pockets and pulled out his handphone and started to punch a few numbers.
"Who are you calling?" I asked, my gut feeling telling me that whatever he was going to do, I wasn't going to like it. Once again, he ignored my question.
"Hello? Ms.Akio?" He said into the phone and my eyes widened. I lunged forward, trying to grab the phone out from his hand but he stood up and since he was so much taller than I was, I couldn't reach the phone and he held me by my shoulders with one hand.
"This is Hanazawa Rui here." I could here Ms.Akio almost purring over the other line and I gave up trying to grab the phone out from Rui's hand. "I'm calling on behalf of Makino Tsukushi. She and I have to go off somewhere to settle some important matter. We'll be back in a month's time."
What! One whole month?! Where on earth were we going?! Rui's neck looked extremely inviting for me to strangle at this very moment.
"Of Course...thank you Ms.Akio...I won't forget your kindness. Goodbye."
With that, Rui ended the call and placed his handphone back in his pockets and gave me a satisfied smile.
"There. All settled. Now go and pack." He said but I stood my ground and folded my arms over my chest and glared at him.
"You had no right to do that Rui..."I told him.
"You got that wrong Tsukushi...as a friend who cares so deeply for you.it is my right to make sure you don't work yourself to death." Rui replied softly and my arms dropped to my sides. I wasn't expecting that. I expected a laugh or a snide remark. Not something so...sweet.
"You know what...I think I'll just go pack for you..." He headed towards my bedroom when I didn't say a word. I followed him quickly and saw him placing my clothes in one of the duffle bags he found under my bed. Fast worker he is.
"Would you like me to pack your underwear for you too?" Rui turned to me, holding one pair of my jeans.
"NO!" I shirked out loud, feeling myself turn bright red. "I mean...I can do it...you go sit in the hall..."I pushed him out of my room and closed the door, but not before I saw him laughing.
I rushed around my room, stuffing random items in my bag (Which wasn't a lot). When I was done, I zipped my bag and looked in the mirror, running my fingers thru my long hair.
*Knock Knock*
"Tsukushi...are you done?" Rui called from the other side.
"COMING!" I called back, looking at my reflection one last time and realized that ever since the incident with Tsukasa, my smile was genuine.