#15: Mistake
"You'll
never succeed in life because you're lazy, untalented and a slob.
You're whiny, a brat, and nothing but a pain in my butt! I'm so
sick of fighting with you every day that I might just stop coming
here altogether. Why don't you just do everyone a favor and leave
so the rest of the world doesn't have to!"
Usagi's eyes
filled with hurt as she stood there, stunned. Surely not more stunned
than Mamoru, whose words had flowed from him unbidden. He watched her
eyes fill with tears, and he cursed himself inside.
He could never
make it right. He could never say it right. He had meant to say how
much he enjoyed seeing her today. And now he had hurt her.
She
turned, her golden hair flying around her as she dashed from the
Crown, sobbing. His heart wrenched as it pleaded for to her to stop,
though his mouth remained frozen.
He looked into the bottom of his
coffee cup for solace, but only found one lone drop at the bottom.
One dark, black, measly drop. How pathetic – just like him.
Completely black inside and all alone.
"Go after her, you
idiot." He looked up in surprise at Motoki, who smiled. "You can
still fix it. Go after her." Hesitation didn't occur to him.
He
dashed out of the arcade, leaving behind his coat and his paper.
He
ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding. His feet took him, his
heart led, even if his brain didn't understand.
There, in the
rose garden, she sat on a bench, her head in her hands. He could see
her shaking. He reached out to her, put his hands on her shoulders,
and she started in surprise. She was even more surprised when he
reached down and kissed her solidly on the mouth. Not hard, not
needy, just warm.
Her eyes were wide, sparkling with tears. He
knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his, begging her with his
eyes.
"I'm so sorry Usagi; I've made a horrible mistake. I
never meant it – any of it." She began to protest, pulling away
from him, when he kissed her again. Her eyes were wide with shock,
but they slowly closed as she welcomed his kiss. I hope I'm not
making a mistake…