Chapter 3

I've noticed since the beginning, the most obvious and the most not.

First, it was what gave him away. Then, what didn't make sense to me at all.

The tallness in his height. The back of his hair long. And...

My eyes search Ryoma's golden ones.

The weariness in and underneath his eyes.

Ryoma walks away from his seat at the dining table and steps out of the kitchen.

Conflicted, confused, I lower my head as I drop my eyes back down atop the table and sit back down in my seat whilst resting atop my lap, my purse.

At the sound of ink meeting paper, I raise my head slightly.

Across from me I find Ryoma sitting down in his seat, writing on a piece of paper with a ballpoint pen in his left hand. When he gets done, I watch him as he turns the paper around and slide it towards me.

Leaning forward in my seat, I read..

One. I have to stay at least three feet away from Ryoma at all times.

Two. I cannot be loud.

Three. I cannot step one foot out of the house.

Four. I cannot answer the door for absolutely no one.

Five. I cannot answer the house phone when it rings.

Six. I have to leave him alone when he is working at home.

And at the very bottom, a drawn line.

It's set of rules I must follow if I'm going to be living with him under his roof from now on.

In other words, a contract.

I dare to ask Ryoma something like that of a favor from him, "May I add something?"

Ryoma simply holds his gaze at me.

Only through the act of him twirling once the pen in his hand until the end of it faces me does he answer, and I rise from my seat to take the pen from him. When I sit back down, I add more to the list.

Seven. I have to clean the house and do the laundry.

Eight. I have to cook the meals and prepare the snacks.

Nine. Ryoma has to take me to the store at least once every week.

Ten. Ryoma has to take me to the library at least once every week.

And below the line Ryoma drew I draw another.

Then do I turn the paper back around, place the pen atop it, and slide it across the table towards Ryoma.

"I'm only trying to be fair. When I leave, I have no other way of repaying you other than the little things I can do here and there, which is to clean and cook. Also, the library..is the only place I can think of for me to find any answers. Don't worry, I promise you I won't do anything funny. As you already know I have no place to go, and the only person I can trust is you."

"How do you know you can trust me? Because you know a little about my life from a book or two?"

"Actually, I don't. But. I want to believe that I can. Because I don't know what else I should do besides that."

For as long as I can remember not once have I gotten overly emotional in front of others neither myself, but suddenly, tears begin to prick at the corners of my eyes.

I bite, almost chew the inside of my lip.

Crying, out of all times, now.

I force myself to prevent any tears from falling, turning my head to one side and blinking more than a few times.

Immediately after as if Ryoma had possibly seen through my ruse, the sound of scribbling reverberates from across the kitchen.

The moment I hear Ryoma place the pen atop the paper and slide the paper towards me once more, I am willfully able to face him like before; I don't bother to hide my face, and I pick up the pen to write my signature on the line Ryoma drew. When I get done Ryoma picks up the contract to place it likely in a safe place somewhere in the house. And to my surprise it doesn't take long for Ryoma to come back into the kitchen, "Put your shoes on and follow me."

…

Sitting in the passenger's seat of Ryoma's car, I tie my hair into a high ponytail with a scrunchie I pull out of my purse.

Resting my hands back down atop my lap, I examine what's around me just as amazed as when I first caught sight of the car parked on the side of the curb of the house - a Mazda with a sleek exterior coated in ruby red and silver. Its bold yet classic interior, refined with dark leather and wood.

My eyes land on the leather coated steering wheel, then on Ryoma.

Where is he taking me?

Sitting in such an expensive-looking car like this with him and with the radio off is so awkward..!

I don't think it has completely hit me yet, the fact that all of this isn't a dream.

It was just yesterday that I went reminiscing of the times when I was a kid as if it were a wish of mine to go back, which was to me, anywhere but the present moment. Now here I am in need of having to go back.

How ironic.

I think back to the many times my life was in danger. However, before I am pulled into the deeper depths of my mind I am reeled back into reality; Ryoma parks the car and I am able to unbuckle my seat belt in order to get out of the car. With the strap of my purse in one hand I rush to put it over my head as I jog to Ryoma who is already entering the building he parked directly in front of.

I can't believe this, Ryoma is only a few more inches taller in height, but I can't manage to catch up to him!

Catching the door and entering the building myself, I see Ryoma walk to the front desk. I skitter to come up from behind him and poke my head out from the side of him, the baby hairs of my face in the way of my line of sight.

Behind the front desk, a man who looks to be in his twenties speaks to Ryoma whilst handing him a smartphone, "This is the latest model."

As I watch Ryoma take the smartphone from the worker's hand I feel his eyes on me and, I quickly retract, hiding so I am no longer seen at all by the only other person in the store.

Although, feeling another set of eyes on me, I lift my head up to find Ryoma's.

Eyes of daggers shoot at me from beneath the bill of his cap, and I release my tight grip on the strap of my purse and sheepishly smile at him.

With just his eyes it seems to me that he is telling me, "I thought I said to stay at least three feet away."

And as if that is exactly what he is saying to me I purse my lips together, slowly turn around to take a few steps forward and take one step to my right to hide instead behind a rack of smartphone cases.

"I'll take it."

…

"Here."

As my seatbelt clicks, I lower my eyes to catch Ryoma handing me the smartphone I saw him pay for at the store we just got back from.

"I need to be in contact with you, so this is yours. This is my number," Ryoma pulls out the same model of smartphone but in the color red instead of purple from the pocket of his running pants, "Save it."

Speechless, I carefully grab the smartphone from him and I do as he says, saving the only number under recent calls as "Ryoma Echizen".

Then, Ryoma puts his smartphone away, puts his seatbelt on, and starts up the car to drive but elsewhere.

I suppose Ryoma doesn't despise me as much as I thought.

I narrow my eyes as we park in front of our next destination.

"Buy what you need here."

A rush of excitement infills me and I disregard my manners as if a temporary feeling of euphoria is all that matters to me right now.

"If you're paying then..I can buy anything I want, right?" as I finish my sentence, I turn to look to Ryoma with raised brows and a rare, genuine smile on my face.

But all I receive is a side glare from Ryoma.

And the excitement within me quickly deteriorates, the smile on my face falling and myself residing back into low spirits.

I watch Ryoma as he pulls his car key from the ignition and step out of the car.

As the door closes at my face, my body flinches.

I open one eye, then the other.

Stepping out of the car myself, I follow Ryoma whilst keeping a distance of exactly three feet between him and I, the distance between us feeling much farther than it actually is.

What was I thinking, doing something like that?

Although Ryoma is doing more than enough for me as it is, even buying me a smartphone for likely safety purposes and buying what I need for myself, I guess I can't help it, wishful thinking, after everything that has happened to me thus far. If anyone else were in the position I am in right now, who wouldn't help but do so?

I am only human after all.

From where I am, I notice Ryoma stop walking, so I do the same. As he slightly turns his body towards me, he looks at me, "Lead the way and I'll follow."

Looking back at him, I don't say a word but continue walking, passing by him.

And with that, our roles have switched. I lead whilst he follows. I go shopping for any necessities I need and Ryoma pays for them. It doesn't take us long too, neither of us not speaking a word to each other as we do. Though, after some time...

I throw my head over my shoulder and shoot Ryoma a glare this time as he tilts his favorite can of soda in his hand whilst shoving the other inside the pocket of his pants and looking out into the distance to his right.

Sure, he is paying for what I need, but to not bother carrying any of the shopping bags at all? A gentleman would at least carry some!

Clicking my tongue, I face forward like before.

I thought I was able to, but I can't read him at all, Ryoma.

"You're done, right?" Ryoma comes up from the side of me all of a sudden, making my body jump and for me to blurt out, "Jeeze, that scared me."

From the corner of my eye Ryoma pauses to take another sip of his drink.

"Y-Yeah, I'm done."

And finally, our roles have once more switched, Ryoma walks ahead of me and I begin to follow him, trying as best as possible to keep up with his pace whilst keeping a distance from him like the way he wanted. When we get to Ryoma's car he unlocks the trunk so I can put the shopping bags inside. Afterward, the two of us head inside the car to yet again drive elsewhere.

From the outside of my side of the car's window I take in the familiar view before me. The second Ryoma parks the car I don't hesitate to get out to get all my things and to head towards the entrance of Ryoma's parents' house past iron gates.

After Ryoma unlocks the front door, "I have somewhere else to go. The room you can use is the room you were in before."

Before I am able to open my mouth to respond Ryoma turns back around, heading back to his car to drive off into the night, leaving me alone standing with armfuls of shopping bags in front of a home I am now to call my own.