NoV: Sorry it's been awhile. I've been preoccupied with things…..
Bisho: What things? I've been going crazy with anticipation.
NoV: (evil eye) Without further ado, here's Kuki's life three months later.
BTW, I decided, since I used an Australian song for #4 that I would use a Japanese song for Kuki! YAII! It is copyright of Utada Hikaru and is called Distance.
Kuki lay in bed, light filtering through her window. She knew she had to get up and go to work, but she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking.
What has happened to my life?
Though it weighs on my mind, I can't ask
Tired
of swimming to you, I fall silent
Though I want to see you, I'm
pushed by invisible waves
And I find myself even further away
Had it been a mistake to dump Wally? No. She had done that because she didn't love him the same way anymore. Staying together would only make things worse.
So, why did she still feel so badly?
Still, the biggest mistake had been dating the person she broke up with Wally for: Nigel. Talk about complete opposites! Everytime they sat down to eat, he had been all, "Please, Kuki, do you have to eat so fast?" Or "Kuki, can't you at least try to use your napkin?"
That fling, if you could call it that, only lasted for about two weeks.
After that, she had felt empty. So, in an attempt to fill the void, she had started up a job in addition to going to college. So far, she had worked all day, fallen into bed at night, and woken up, depressed.
Keep it going, baby, so it doesn't stop
If you
don't feel the same, then tell me
Though I don't believe in
forcing things
It's alright to try, if it's just a little
She decided to do something that she had been fighting ever since the break-up. She picked up the phone and dialed her seven favorite numbers. 555-1234.
Three rings, and, "Hello?"
Kuki gasped. She really hadn't been ready.
"Hello?" the voice said again.
"Um…..Wally….." Kuki said softly.
"Yeah? Who's this?" he replied.
"I-it's…..numbah three…." Immediately, she felt childish for saying that. They hadn't used their numbahs for years.
"Numbah…..three?" he whispered.
"Kuki," she verified.
I wanna be with you now
Together, let's shrink
this distance
If we do it now, we can make it
We can start
over, though we can't become one
I wanna be with you now
Someday,
even this distance
Will become something we can embrace
We can
start sooner, I wanna be with you after all
"Kuki…."
"So…." She stammered for a thought. "How have you been….doing?"
His voice cracked, "Okay…."
"Um….yeah, me too," she said.
There were a few moments of silence before Kuki ventured, "Well, remember how I said that one day we could get back together?"
"………yeah."
"We need to talk…..can you meet me somewhere?" she asked, silently begging that he would comply.
"Uh…..sure. Anything you want."
You can be hurt this
much, by just a single word
But you'll teach me about loneliness
Kuki wondered how she could have ever given up what they had together. Now, she was prepared to make it all up to him.
"Tonight…..can you meet me at 'our place'?" she said. Surely, he remembered what had become "Their Place."
"Um…..okay," he answered. "Where would that be?"
Kuki's jaw dropped. Maybe she had been wrong.
"Just kidding," he added before she could become upset. "I know that The Grille is our place, Kuki."
Kuki sighed in relief. He still cared.
When you can't protect it, keep on trying,
baby
Though it isn't how I promised it would be, trust me
Though
I don't believe in forcing things
It's alright to try, if I'm with
you
"Seven o'clock?"
"Seven o'clock," he confirmed. "See you there."
"Bye……" Kuki hung up the phone and sighed. "Time to go to work."
&()
Kuki was exhausted by the end of the day. After working until noon, she had had to run to the university to make it by 12:15 for her American history class. Then, she had to rush over to a building on the opposite end of the campus for her English composition class.
Arriving at her apartment at five p.m., she didn't have much time to shower and get ready.
She turned on the shower water, testing it to make sure she got the right temperature. Her cat scampered out of the room, frightened by the sounds of water running. Kuki stepped into the warm shower, and shed the impurities of the day.
I wanna be with you now
Together, let's gaze at
this distance
If we do it now, we can make it
We can start
over, I want to put it into words
After applying make-up and putting on her favorite pink and green dress, Kuki left her home at 6:35, giving herself just enough time to make it to the restaurant, which was on the south side of town.
Kuki walked into The Grille, pausing by the hostess station. She peered around at the tables in her sight, to see if she Wally had gotten there first.
He sat alone at a two-person table, looking out the window.
Kuki informed the hostess on duty, and smiled as she made her way toward him.
When he noticed her, Wally smiled back. But it was a sort of melancholy smile, Kuki noticed dejectedly.
Before sitting down, Kuki immediately hugged her former boyfriend around the neck. "Oh, so good to see you, Wally!"
He blushed. Something about the way she said his name always embarrassed him.
"Uh, hey Kuki," he murmured, giving her a little squeeze.
Kuki sat down and looked across the table at him. "What have you been doing with yourself?" she wondered. She wanted so much for this to work. If they got back together, everything would be wonderful again!
I wanna be with you now
Along the way, even
this distance
Will become something we can embrace
We should
stay together, I wanna be with you after all
"There's something important I have to tell you……that I've been meaning to tell you for awhile," Wally said, slightly off of the subject.
"I'm all ears," Kuki replied, giggly.
Wally sighed, his shoulders seeming to become heavier and heavier. He reached into his pocket.
Kuki's brain went into overdrive immediately. What's he doing? Is he about to propose to me? We're not even back together yet, are we? He's not even down on his knees! He's doing it all wrong! But, still…..if he asks me, I'll say yes! How could I refuse him? He looks so cute, all nervous and fidgety….
But Wally didn't produce a ring box. Instead he showed her a piece of folded paper, which at one time had had a seal that was now broken.
Kuki looked from Wally to the paper, confused, and a bit miffed. She was about to ask him what this was all about, when he beat her to the punch.
"I got drafted."
... I wanna be with you now
Coz I know this
can't be forever
We can start over, just you and me
I wanna be
with you now
Kuki was speechless. How could this happen? Never in the deepest recesses of her mind had she ever thought that something like this could befall someone close to her.
The tears began to flow down her face like a faucet. She tried to make words, but they all got caught in her throat.
Wally reached a hand over to stop her tears. He wiped a few of them away with his sleeve. "Now, you can't do that," he teased. "If you cry, then I'm gonna cry and then everybody's gonna stare at us!" His face softened. "But, no worries. It's not so bad! I'll be fine. I think I'm tough enough for the army, eh?"
Kuki weakly nodded.
Wally reached into his pocket, once again. This time, he did pull out a ring box. He opened it, dazzling Kuki with the diamond inside. He slowly moved from his chair to the floor.
"Will you marry me?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.
Kuki couldn't stop her tears this time, as she joined him on the floor, hugging him tightly. "Okay," she said.
Coz I know this can't be forever
We should stay
together, just you and me
I wanna be with you ? ...
NoV: You like? I could continue if you want! If not, I think this ending is okay too. Til nexties!