Chapter 2: The return of the boy

I woke up that day, the day after the month was up. I looked over at the flower on the side of my bed, and the very tip of one of the leaves had turned brown, that's when I knew. He was coming today. I rushed to get ready, even though I knew he probably wouldn't be there until much later, and I picked up the first book I could find. Then, I sprinted to the park. I figured, when I was about half way there, that I didn't want to look desperate if anyone saw me, so a slowed to a walking pace. Finally, I reached the park, the morning was still crisp, and I could see the Cherry blossom tree battling the sun for the morning light.

I smiled, thinking that the tree was a million times brighter. When I finally came within a few feet's distance from the tree, I took my eyes off the ground. My face lit up. There sat Roxas, in my place, reading my book, he looked up, but not in my direction, slumped over, and continued to read. Quietly, I moved around the tree, set my book down, and then rushed to the ice cream stand, where I bought two sea salt popsicles, I hadn't quite remembered the name of it, but they were the only blue ones there. Popping from around the tree, I startled him. I sat down next to him and handed him a popsicle. "Hi."

"Hi." He spoke faster, and his eyes twinkled a bit.

It was quiet for a while, then I couldn't stand it any longer. "You came today." I said, my voice was a little shaky. "Where were you?"

"Like I said, things just get in the way, y'know?" He spoke to me so softly that I could swear I almost melted.

"Yeah, I guess..." Then he looked at me awkwardly, like he knew I was uncomfortable saying it. I smiled and confessed. "I... guess not... no..."

He smiled too, a generous smile. I found that it was almost difficult to look at him. We had only met once, and yet, I was feeling... whatever the case, I knew nothing about him, and he couldn't even pretend to know the first thing about me. We knew solely each other's names, and nothing more. I suppose he may have been feeling the same way, for his smile soon faded, and he started to ask me a bunch of weird questions, but then, it seems to be one of his best qualities, in taking people by surprise. "Namine, what's the deal with your parents?"

"My dad died when I was little, and I hardly ever see my mom." Usually, I had a hard time talking about it, but with him, that just wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry."

"No really, it's fine. So... what was it with your parents?"

"My mom left when I was a kid. Her and my dad... they didn't get along so well after awhile."

"Do you ever miss her?"

"Always. She was the only one there for me other than my friends... but then, sometimes friends just aren't enough, huh?" He tried to smile, but he still looked unhappy. I was in pain, seeing him look like that, and I just couldn't help it, so I turned away.

"I don't have many friends..."

"Why not?"

"They've just never really been my thing..."

"That's ridiculous. You're too nice." I was really surprised that he said that, actually. It wasn't like he had known me forever, and then he just came out with it. It made me feel kind of... out of place you know? Like something was wrong now, and I couldn't ever fix it if I kept talking to him. But then... I stopped myself, because I knew that by talking to him, something great would happen, even if it wasn't immediate, something big was on it's way, and I had Roxas to thank. Only Roxas to thank.

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I woke up really early that morning, before my dad. I did it on purpose, too, so that he couldn't make me help my "mom." Don't get me wrong it's not that I don't like her, I really love her a lot. It's just that... it feels kind of weird to all of a sudden have another person to call me her son. So anyway, I got up early that morning, and I got dressed. I picked up my wallet off of my dresser and left a note on the counter saying I went to the park, and to call my cell if they needed me. On my way to the park, I swear it was like everybody knew what I was going there for, and was trying to sell me something or other. I passed like six flower shops, that I had never noticed until now, a candy store, that conveniently had little heart chocolates in the window, and like eleven store-people came up to me trying to get me to sample a cologne. Something was up. Come on, nobody smells that bad. After a while, it almost started to embarrass me. Like, did everyone know I was going to go see a girl I might... possibly... have... remote feelings for? I did end up buying something actually. Something to see if she would notice... a book. Actually it was the same book she was reading the day I bought her an ice cream. I figured maybe I'd mess with her a bit and see if she remembered.

When I got to the park, I sat under the cherry blossom tree in the same place she always sat, reading the same book. I'm not gonna lie to you, that book was completely over my head. I didn't understand anything. It was something like... quantum... physic... something or other... And I was lost. I started to think about how smart she must be to read... and possibly understand this book. It was freaking crazy! But, I read it anyway, just trying to figure it out for her sake. For something to talk about. For the love of God. Finally, I got tired of waiting, so I looked up to see how late it was by the shadows. Not that late, really, but I'd been there for a while. So I decided that if she didn't get there within ten minutes, I might have to leave. It wasn't very long after that, maybe a minute or two, that she popped out from around the tree. Scared the crap out of me, too, but I was happy to see her.

"Hi." Was all she said, and she handed me a popsicle. A sea salt ice, actually, that's how I knew she noticed the book. We were recreating the first time we met, but better.

"Hi." I started to eat the popsicle, and then she came out and started talking.

"You came today." She was blushing a little, so I knew she was happy. "Where were you?" Then I felt bad, because I knew she had been waiting for me to come, but she could never know I'd been trying to.

"Like I said, things just get in the way, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess." I looked at her weird, 'cause I knew she was lying, and then she confessed. "I... guess not... no..."

I smiled at her, but then I kind of got to thinking. Namine and I didn't really know each other. We were just two kids who met, and happened to like each other's company. I wanted to know more about her, so I thought. What would I want someone to know about me, so that they wouldn't say something wrong... and maybe screw it up. Because thinking, I really knew, screwing things up was one of my most developed accidental skills, and that was the last thing I wanted with Namine. She was something different, something special. And I... never mind... "Namine, what's the deal with your parents?"

"My dad died when I was little, and I hardly ever see my mom."

"I'm sorry." And that's all I could really say, because that's all there was to it.

"No really, it's fine. So... what was it with your parents?"

My throat kind of swelled a bit. It was hard to talk about her. My dad had always loved me, but kind of second hand to his work. He didn't pay much attention to me, and my mom, I was her everything. Of course, that means that they had a lot of arguments about me, and I didn't want to be the cause of their problems, so when I was something like eight, I tried to run away. My mom blamed my dad, she said I did it because I thought he didn't love me. My dad blamed my mom, he said that she loved me too much, and I just thought I could get away with it. I didn't really have the nerve when I was little to tell them it was because I loved them both. So then my mom left. She came into my room one night and told me that she loved me, and she always would, because no matter how far apart God makes us, He's bound to bring us back together sometime. "My mom left when I was a kid. Her and my dad... they didn't really get along so well after awhile."

"Do you ever miss her?" I could hear the compassion in her voice, she was letting me know she cared.

"Always. She was the only one there for me other than my friends... but then, sometimes friends just aren't enough, huh?"

"I don't have many friends..."

"Why not?"

"They've just never really been my thing..."

"That's ridiculous, you're too nice." I think I caught her off guard saying that, but I didn't really care. It made me angry, and sad at the same time to think that someone like Namine didn't have friends. I knew any of my friends would love her, and I wanted her to be happy, so I decided she would have to meet my friends, and maybe start hanging out with us.

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And there's the second chapter. Do you all like it so far?