Review Replies are posted as reviews.
III
Life Isn't Enough
Chapter Three: Phone Call
III
The week went by so slowly that I often found myself staring at the ceiling in my pajamas, hoping to sleep for the next forty-eight hours. Kairi, who seemed to have been avoiding me, met up with me by the mall in order to shop for a few hours. During that time, I remembered Riku's words and agreed to become her boyfriend, finding only subtle pleasure in her squeal of excitement and the throttling she called a hug.
Having made our relationship official, we spent our first moments of "togetherness" wandering through the mall and visiting all manner of store. Unlike most girls, Kairi was open to perusing my favorite stores in addition to her own, and we didn't buy only clothes and makeup. A future with her looked brighter, and I knew Riku would be happy to hear it.
"How is she, anyway?" he asked later that night when I was sprawled across my bed, phone glued to my ear. I still remember that night clearly, so clearly it seems like it was only yesterday that it happened. His voice was so close, even with the slight static and muffling, and I could almost imagine him next to me, propped up on one arm and smirking at me. His eyes would sparkle in that uniquely Riku way as we discussed Kairi and video games and the high score I had before he utterly killed it. When I closed my eyes, the image was so real that I thought I could reach out and touch him. I even knew what he'd feel like.
"Sora!"
"Wha—? Sorry, Riku. What were you saying?"
"I asked you about Kairi. Is she doing okay? Not still upset about the little mishap in January?"
I smiled as I recalled the "mishap" that had been a calculated maneuver resulting in Kairi nearly gluing her underwear on. Fortunately, she'd figured it out when it got stuck on her leg and had stormed to Riku's house in a towel, screaming, rolling pin in her hand and murder in her eyes. Thus the unsightly bruise on Riku's forehead that hadn't gone away for quite some time. "I think she's forgotten all about it," I lied. It would be funny to see him come home expecting her to act natural. "When are you coming home, Riku?"
His laugh was a relief, seeming almost to erase the expanse of ocean between us. "Tomorrow, Sora. I already told you that."
"That's too long," I groaned, turning over and burying my face in the pillow. He was laughing again, and I grinned into the fabric, listening to the consoling words. They didn't have much effect—he was still very far away, and I was still worried, but at least there was only a day left. Only one.
"I'll be thinking of you," he said more quietly, a strange tenderness in his voice. "Bye."
"Bye. See you tomorrow."
Click.
III
It was difficult to sleep that night, and I'm still not sure how I managed it. I kept imagining the moment when Riku arrived and we could all go home for the last week of summer. Sure, school looming in the near future didn't look bright, but at least I had Kairi and Riku.
I had a dream that night, but I didn't recall it completely that morning. The only thing I could remember was waking up while saying, "Okay," and whispering it with some sort of reverence. For a while I frowned up at the ceiling, trying to puzzle it out, but the dream lingered temptingly on the edges of my consciousness, slyly slipping away just before I could fully remember it.
Then it dawned on me. Riku was arriving at the airport today, having left at nine thirty yesterday. Feeling ecstasy put a smile on my face, I bounded out of bed and down the stairs, shouting to Mom that I'd be at Riku's. "All right, honey," she replied from the kitchen. "Just don't stay too long, or I'll worry about you."
The morning breeze brushed against my face, bringing me further into awareness, and ruffled the white shirt and denim shorts I'd pulled on in the record timing of less than a minute. Usually I took longer because I stopped to doodle or talk to Riku.
I ran down the sidewalk, sandals slapping against the concrete, and stopped at the large house at the end of the block. Stifling my impatience in the interest of courtesy, I rang the bell and waited, scratching the back of my leg with one sandal. Mr. Yume answered with his tie slightly tilted, so at first I thought someone had died before I realized it was just morning and Riku's parents had not yet collected themselves.
"Sorry, dear, don't mind the mess," Mrs. Yume told me, gesturing to a slightly wrinkled dishtowel. The Yumes lived in a state of constant perfection. She was just finishing up, an apron thrown over the flowery yellow dress she'd picked out. After all, this time she was coming with us to the airport. It was apparent that she regretted not going last time.
I sat down with Mr. Yume while he sipped at his coffee, devoting one eye to the paper and keeping the other on me. He hadn't yet put in his contacts, so the aquamarine was rimmed with a subtle gold color and an impressive shine. Mrs. Yume could be heard humming in the background as I chatted innocently about school and Riku and the news and Riku and the weather and gee, why don't we go get Riku?
"He's not due at the airport for another…" Mr. Yume glanced at his watch. "Five minutes." Just as he said so, I heard the phone ring in the background. Mrs. Yume wiped her hands on the dishtowel in transit and quickly picked up the receiver.
"Five minutes?" I repeated, as he knew I would. "We need to be there!"
He sat back, having clearly decided to let my false distress run its course, and then laughed in a way similar to Riku. "We'll be on our way soon, Sora. Once everyone's ready."
This directed my eyes to Mrs. Yume hopefully, but my heart leapt up in my throat when I saw her usually pink face so white. She turned a helpless expression on me, and then on her husband, and let out a small, heartbroken sound. In what seemed to be slow motion, the phone slipped from her hand and clattered against the floor.
