When you love someone, you take into account their faults, and the errors of their past, but you don't count it against them. You do not judge them by them by their mistakes, and instead look on the positive side of things: the things they learned and the way they matured due to what they had done wrong in the past.

When you love someone - really love someone - you will learn patience. Hope that they will finally one day feel for you the way you feel for them grows within you. Hope that they one you love will finally admit to loving you after hours, days, weeks, months, even years of lies, grows within you.

Perhaps I was being selfish by not admitting my true feeling for her. I could see her everyday without any wandering eyes searching for other men. She waited beside me patiently. I guess the reason why she was so reluctant for me to leave and join Matt in America was because she believed that if I left, her waiting for me would have been in vain. Although that was the last thing I wanted her to believe, how could I break it to her that I lied to her and hurt her so many months ago? She would have hated me.

Matt's band made it big in the United States. He says he could not have done it without me. I smiled at that. I should have felt happier upon hearing that little admittance, but the fact that Sora and I were thousands of miles apart made my happiness sort of… limited…

Matt did hear about what happened after the concert when Sora ran away after he asked her to marry him. He and I were both very angry with each other at first. He was of course angry at me for somehow making Sora fall in love with me, therefore embarrassing him during his concert, and I was mad at him for even thinking about being mad at me after he carelessly told me of his other affairs whilst he was still with her.

In the end though, he apologized to me and to Sora face-to-face. He admitted that he wasn't even sure if he could remain loyal and faithful to Sora during their marriage while he toured. He had the true blood of a rock artist. He loved his women. He did admit though that he really cared deeply for her in a way that could have possibly been love, but he realized that it was wrong to possibly love someone and sleep with someone else at the same time.

Sora apologized for embarrassing him in front of his audience at that concert. She apologized for not telling him anything sooner. She also apologized and admitted that she had just recently figured that she wasn't in love with him. She loved him, but only as a friend.

I apologized too. I told Matt in private that I had feelings for Sora for the longest time, but I couldn't tell her because there was the conflict with him and her, and the fact that I screwed up badly during senior year.

"You know Tai, you should just admit it anyway. Sora's one special girl in case you haven't figured that out before. You're gonna regret this in the long run you know?" Matt said.

"You have no idea how much I'm already regretting it Matt, but if I tell her, then what?" I asked.

"Then what Tai? Then what! Then you'll be with her, and if I wasn't always surrounded by beautiful women, I would beat the living shit out of you out of jealousy for stealing my girl," he laughed at this. "You've gotta understand man. Life's not gonna wait for you, or throw opportunities like every so often…"

We all really matured that summer… We matured enough to even apologize to each other in person about all our hidden secrets.

That was also the same summer Matt left for America. It was only a couple months after that he asked me to join him.

I lived in America for a year. I lived in my own apartment in New York. I sent my completed songs to Matt every now and then, and sometimes, when the loneliness was too much to bear, I traveled with his band.

I still kept in contact with Sora. I called her almost daily. She told me constantly that since I left, she had more time for her work so she could raise enough money for her next semester's tuition. She wouldn't allow me to help her cause by sending the money that I earned for writing Matt's songs, and let me tell you, it was a bit more than enough in order for me to buy a nice home in a nice neighborhood in New York City.

That's what I love so much about Sora: The fact that even if she did have the easy way out of her predicament, she wouldn't take it. She wanted to work the hardest for herself so she could prove to those around her who didn't believe she could do whatever she wanted, wrong.

My telephone rang randomly one day, not that something like that was unusual, it just always surprised me every now and then. I picked it up without even checking the caller ID.

"Hey, Tai Kamiya here," I said over the receiver.

"Hey Tai. It's Sora," a woman's voice said on the other line.

"Hey Sora. What's up? How are you?" I asked.

"Pissed."

"Uh oh…"

"Taichi Kamiya, do you have any idea what today - or tomorrow is due to the time difference there?" she asked angrily.

I was dumb founded. "Uhh…"

"Taichi Kamiya… It's my twentieth birthday. Did forget already? You've only been in America for about a year, and you already forgot your best friends birthday? I cannot believe you!"

I was in for it… Matt's music label company told him that they were going to create a new CD to be released in a couple of months, but they needed more new songs for it. I had been extremely busy racking my head for more lyrics… I couldn't believe that I forgot it was Sora's birthday.

"I called you at 12 a.m. New York time on your birthday because you asked me to… I was waiting for you to call me today…" she said in a softer voice.

I was only half-listening to her that time. I heard someone at my door but they hadn't knocked, so I walked towards it to stare through the peep hole…

"Sora?" I asked her through the phone.

"Yes?"

"Wh-What are you doing outside of my apartment?" I asked her, continuing to speak through the receiver, and opening the door at the same time.

Sora stood at my door step looking slightly flustered. "I... I… Umm… I'm guessing you haven't checked your called ID," she said, giving me a weak smile.

I looked down at the wireless phone I was holding, and checked the called ID: Matt Ishida. "Matt…? I don't get it," I replied completely confused now.

"Tai, I'm borrowing one of Matt's phones. He gave me a plane ticket to see you as soon as he got a temporary passport for me, for my birthday… He said you really wanted to see me… But I'm guessing not seeing as you even forgot my birthday!" she exclaimed.

I put my hands on her back and escorted her inside my apartment. I caught eye contact with one of my nosey neighbors as they 'tsked' at me and shook their head before walking back inside their own home.

"Sora… I… I'm so sorry… Matt's music label, well they needed these new songs, and I've been at it all month trying to make a new song… But I've really been all out of material ever since I-" I stopped myself there. I couldn't admit that I believed I got writers' block since I left Japan and Sora.

Sora stared at me intently. "Ever since what Tai…?" she asked quietly.

"Uhh… Well…-"

She walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me. "I've missed you so much Tai!" she said.

I returned the embrace. "I've missed you too Sora…" I admitted.

She let go of me and turned around. "Umm… Tai…?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah? What is it Sora?"

"That's not the only reason why I'm here. I… I don't really mind that you didn't call me today seeing as I'm not even in Japan for you to contact me. I… I just really want an answer Tai. Please? For my birthday?"

"Answer? What are you…?"

"Tai…" she said. Her voiced was laced in sadness.

Before I could respond, she turned back around to face me. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me.