Chapter 12
Hamona walked up the familiar staircase, and when she saw the "Please wipe your paws" doormat, she laughed out loud. Tsume did not have a dog. She knocked once, awkwardly, while she juggled a plate of brownies in her hands, and was surprised when the door burst open. She had texted Tsume early that Saturday morning, to let him know she was on her way to pay him back for the car damage, but it still shocked her when he opened the door, seemingly frazzled and as always, annoyed.
"Come on" He said as he grabbed her free hand, and ran down the stairs.
"Oh!...What...?" She managed, focusing on not dropping the plate of brownies-she'd worked hard on them! The woman's plan had been to say hello, drop off the money, maybe get a hug out of the whole mess, and be on her way. This was different. This was...better. They practically sprinted to his car, and even when they got in, Hamona out of breath, Tsume looking like he could run a marathon, he still didn't look at her.
"Are you hungry?" He finally asked, quietly. Kindly. Pleading. She was never going to say 'no'. She nodded, confused, wondering why she always managed to get herself in awkward situations.
"I guess so..." She smiled, even though she knew the smile wouldn't be returned. "I mean, definitely. I actually didn't have breakfast because-"
"I see you still talk too much." She glared at the rude boy, annoyed, but she could swear there was almost-almost- a sort of lip twitch that could possibly be the hint of a smile actually existing.
"I see you're still a jerk!"
"Can I get you anything to drink?" The waitress asked, kindly. Hamona noticed, right away, that the girl was young and beautiful, and should probably be in school. She had realized that in this city, there were many young children working. She wanted to fix it.
"Just coffee" Tsume said and turned to Hamona, expecting that she'd want the same. The blond smiled at him-why was she always smiling?
"I'll have a water, thank you so much" She told the waitress, and when the young woman left, Hamona's eyes followed her, smiling the entire time. Tsume was annoyed, but he didn't know why.
"No coffee?" He finally asked, when she returned his gaze to him,he noticed that she was wearing pink lipstick. It looked nice.
"No coffee. I guess I just don't love it, first of all, I'm traumatized that it'll stain my teeth...oh, and I just end up adding too much milk, and sugar, like...A LOT of sugar...Oh, I'm talking too much, again, right?"
"Yes" He admitted, but then actually, actually smiled. "We all have character flaws though, so I won't judge you too harshly."
She smirked, nothing good could come out of hanging out with this boy, she knew. It was strangely nice though, she could tell he was stressed, and for whatever reason, all her life, she'd wanted to help people, to save them, and it was a character flaw, because it meant she pitied people, it meant she wanted to save the world. She was idealistic.
"And what's yours?"
He raised a brow and frowned. Today was his day off, and he hadn't wanted to spend it at home, mulling over his many mistakes and problems, so he'd decided to get away for a bit, and when Hamona had texted him, he'd figured he could use some company, but not if it meant talking about the things he was trying to avoid.
"What?"
"Your character flaw, what is it?"
"..."
She rolled his eyes at his silence, did he really think was so perfect?
"I mean other than trusting total strangers..." She winked, as he huffed and shook his head.
"I don't trust you at all, Hamona."
Tsume glared at his plate of food. He was hungry, but he was also frustrated by Hamona's caring gaze. It made him feel like she was analyzing his every move.
"My life isn't as interesting as yours" He muttered, after hearing about her many trips all over the world and how she'd loved some of her college courses, which included scuba diving, yoga and nutrition.
The girl sitting across from him only shrugged, like only a rich girl could. She had clearly never struggled, never worried where her next meal would come from, had probably never known what hunger felt like.
"I don't believe that, everyone has their story, right?" She gifted him another smile, as she took a bite out of her pancakes, and then looked at him. He was wearing a black t-shirt, and jeans. His skin was a beautiful tan color and his eyes...they sparkled.
"Even with all the traveling I've done, and the things I've studied... sometimes I feel like I haven't lived at all. I suppose that's why I fell in love with my boyfriend-ex- because he made me feel alive-"
"So, why is he an ex?" Tsume didn't really care, but he was glad she was talking about herself now. He liked how she brightened up, and talked with her whole body.
"His love was suffocating...and I began to feel like I was drowning." That was the simple explanation. Darcia had become so obsessed with her, he wanted her all to himself, and though he had once made her feel loved and desired, it soon felt like she was a possession that was not allowed to leave her owner's side. He had never hurt her, but he had begun to hold her too tightly.
"but enough about me, tell me, Tsume, are you dating anyone?" At that, he laughed.
"No, all I do is work, and mess things up" He admitted, bitterly. He wasn't proud of himself, he was terrified his brothers would be taken away, and in between all of that, there was this rage and bitterness threatening to swallow him whole, and the stupid, beautiful girl in front of him just nodded in understanding-like she had a clue!
"Hey, I can understand that, I-"
"No, no you can't, Hamona" He didn't yell, but it startled her all the same. "Or, are your parents dead too? Is your grandmother dead? Are you responsible for 3 younger brothers? Do you have the shittiest job in the world and constantly-every day-worry about the future, what you can afford to eat, if you can afford to buy your baby brother new shoes, or if he has to wear the ones he outgrew weeks ago? Do you worry that every action you take, every word you speak, is somehow a mistake?"
"..." No, she didn't know, and she wouldn't pretend to. Instead she reached over and laid her hand on top of his, she didn't look at him, didn't smile, she was just...there.
To Be Continued...
