Unexpected Love
Chapter 11
It was Monday. The day after their outing at the theme park.
There was a strange air about school today. Everybody seemed to be whispering around him wherever he went.
He was about to step into class when he heard it.
"Somebody told me that they saw Yuu and Miki at the theme park!" a girl spoke loudly.
"Really? What were they doing there together?" another girl spoke, equally loud and shocked.
"It would seem to be that they were on a date or something. Well, at least that was what I was told," the first girl answered.
Yuu winced. They were talking about him and Miki at the theme park. Who had seen them? It doesn't matter now. Miki is going to freak out when she catches a whiff of the rumor going around school. He just hoped the rumor doesn't include the part where she slapped him. That would be embarassing.
Somebody brushed past him rudely. He was about to call on the person when he noticed it was Miki that brushed him. He sighed. Looks like Miki heard everything.
With a resigned sigh, Yuu walked into the classroom after her. Miki had sat at her desk and wasn't looking at him. Yuu sat at his own desk and thought nothing of it until later.
Well, the later came sooner than he expected cause as soon as classes finished, Miki left without a word still not looking at him. He didn't see Miki the entire day after that. It's as if Miki was avoiding him on purpose. Yuu went home alone wondering what he should do to resolve the matter.
Yuu was in his room when he heard Miki running up the stairs. He hadn't thought of what to say to her yet.
Yuu opened his door just in time to see Miki running into her room and slamming the door behind her. A few seconds passed and then suddenly Miki screamed, "I hate him! I absolutely can't forgive him!" and then Miki was sobbing.
Yuu felt as if a knife drove into his heart. Was Miki angry at him? Did his careless confession yesterday upset her so much that she would actually shout out her hatred for him?
Yuu moved to her bedroom door. His hand was raised to knock but at the last moment, he pulled back when he heard her sobbing harder.
If she was upset with him, he would be the last person she wanted to see now. Better to let her cry it over than having him upset her further. Not comforting her was the hardest thing he'd ever done because it went against his every instinct. But it's for the best.
With a last look at her door, Yuu went back to his room and closed the door firmly against the sound of her sobbing.
-------
The next morning, Miki still hasn't woken yet. Yuu was up and ready and their parents were even getting ready to leave.
"Yuu, Miki, we're going to work!" and with that they took off, both pairs.
Yuu took his breakfast. He was just finishing his last piece of toast when he looked up at the dining clock on the wall. It was way past the time Miki should be up. She even missed her morning cleaning duty in class with Ginta.
Yuu sighed. If she wanted to stay mad with him, that's fine. But it cannot affect her life forever. Yuu decided to go up and make Miki get ready for school whether she liked it or not.
Yesterday night, Yuu was hesitant to knock on her door. But with his current firm resolve, Yuu knocked on the door and called out to Miki, "Miki, wake up! You're going to be late!" No answer came.
Yuu wasn't surprised. And so, he opened the door. He was greeted by a scene of Miki huddling under the quilt all covered up. Not a hair nor skin peeked through.
Yuu was having none of that. He went over, grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it off of her.
"Ahhhh!!!!" Miki screamed.
For a moment there, Yuu regretted his actions but when he saw that Miki was decently dressed, his resolve came back.
"What do you think you're doing!" an angry Miki took her pillow and threw it at him.
Yuu grabbed the flying pillow, "Time to go to school, dummy," and then threw back the pillow at Miki. It hit Miki squarely in the face. A befuddled and adorably ruffled Miki glared at him.
"Well, you don't look sick," Yuu bent closer, wanting to touch her forehead and brush her silken tousled hair but the intimacy might prove to be too much for him, so instead, he stuck his finger on her forehead. That single touch though was more than enough to warm him to his toes.
"Hurry up and get ready," Yuu said gruffly, feeling a little flustered. And with that he exit her room.
In a few minutes, Miki was ready and they were off to school. Although still not talking cause it seems as if Miki's mind was occupied but so was Yuu's. His mind was still on seeing Miki in her bedroom.
They were walking up the stairs and starting down the hallway when they met up with Ginta and Meiko.
"Hey, Miki!" Meiko called out.
Miki was about to reply back when she suddenly froze in mid sentence. Puzzled, Yuu looked at Ginta and saw an intense expression on his face as he looked at Miki.
"Miki...," Ginta moved forward.
This seemed to make Miki on edge and suddenly she grabbed something from her bag and rushed forward to pass it to Meiko. "Here it is, Meiko!" with that she rushed off to class, leaving them behind.
Yuu looked back at Ginta. Ginta caught his look and he frowned back at him and also took off.
"What was that all about?" an equally puzzled Meiko was all the answer he had.
Suddenly something clicked in his mind. Miki coming home last night upset. Could it be that Miki wasn't upset with him but was in fact upset with Ginta? They don't seem to be in speaking terms when usually they are close and chattering to each other. This time it looks as if Miki can't even stand the sight of Ginta.
During class, it seemed much clearer now to Yuu that the problem lies between Miki and Ginta. As soon as school ended, Miki turned around to look at Ginta. When she saw Ginta standing up as if to walk over to her, Miki got up, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the class. Ginta, seeing this, also rushed out after her, "Miki! I need to talk to you!"
"Leave me alone! I don't ever want to talk to you again!"
Curious, Yuu walked to the door to see if the argument needed some intervention but Miki was already running away. But Ginta stood where he was, rooted to the spot. He seemed to be at odds with himself, not knowing what to do.
"Did you guys have a fight?" Yuu asked from behind.
Ginta seemed to take offence at that and glared back at Yuu, "That's none of your business!" and walked off.
Yuu looked at the departing figure. Yuu wondered what had happened between the two of them. They always seemed to close.
But then, this happened right after the rumors started about Yuu and Miki being together at the theme park. Could that have something to do with it? Well, whatever the reason, Miki is upset and not because of Yuu. He would say that's a green sign for him to do what he couldn't do the night before.
Feeling relieved, Yuu went straight for home. Miki was in her room. Yuu bathed and changed quickly. Soon, he was knocking on Miki's door.
"Miki, come on! You're coming with me." without any further explanations, Yuu grabbed a stunned Miki from her room.
Soon, they were on his bike with Miki grabbing him around the waist for dear life as he pedalled away to a mysterious destination unknown to Miki. "Alright, Miki, hold on tight!" and then they went downhill, Miki screaming away at the speed of the bike going downhill.
Yuu had thought of the place to bring Miki when he was on his way back from school. It was actually a private place but Yuu figured he'd like to share it with Miki this time. "Okay, you can open your eyes now, we're here!" Yuu screeched to a halt.
A gasp sounded from Miki and Yuu knew that Miki was equally amazed at the place just as he was when he first saw it. It was a place where he always found peace when his thoughts were troubled about his mysterious real father. It was a place of great beauty where you could see the city in the far distance, with a lake in between and the sun setting to another new day. This place was his alone and now it was going to be a place he would share with the one special person in his life.
Yuu bent down and picked up a flat pebble. He flicked his wrist and tossed the pebble. The pebble broke the calm surface of the river and skipped a few distance before sinking to the bottom of the river.
"So, Miki. Want to give a try at tossing the pebble?" Miki turned to look at Yuu. She still had the amazed look on her face but there was a challenged gleam in her eye too.
Hesitantly, she reached out to take the pebble from Yuu's hand. She gave it a good throw. It went quite a distance actually, but it just plonked into the surface and sunk into the lake with nary a skip.
Yuu burst into laughter at her miserable attempt. Miki's lips pouted but she wouldn't give up. She grabbed a few pebbles and gave them all a mighty throw but they all sunk just the same as the first one.
Yuu took pity on Miki. He was here to give Miki a good time and he was planning to. "Here, Miki. Do it like this," he moved behind Miki to take hold of her hand. He put the pebble in her hand and showed her how to swing it just right. He could smell the sweet smell that was uniquely Miki's. It was almost intoxicating but Yuu focused at the task at hand.
Miki seemed oblivious to his lack of concentration and gave it a try. And just like that, the pebble skipped across the surface at her first real try. Miki couldn't contain the happiness at her success. She jumped up and down with glee. Yuu, seeing Miki's troubled expression gone from her face, smiled.
They spent about an hour just tossing pebbles before it was time to head back for home. The sun was already setting.
"How did you come to know of this place, Yuu?" Miki asked from behind him as he was pedalling them home.
"Well, I was exploring the city and I found it. I always come here when I want to relax," Yuu answered.
Miki laughed, "It seems odd to hear that you need to relax. You don't look as if you have any trouble in the world," Yuu tensed at that. Miki didn't know everything about him and his problems. But he did put up a front in front of everybody including her. So he relaxed and just enjoyed the moment with her. Miki had a smile on her face now as opposed to the troubled frown on her face when they left.
When they reached hom, Miki hopped off and ran into their home while Yuu went to park the bike. Miki was using the bathroom when he came up. He could hear her humming a song to herself. Yuu smiled at that and waited in his room for his turn. A while later, Miki came out from the bathroom. Grabbing his towel, Yuu got ready to bathe.
When he was done, Yuu felt oddly refreshed. It was as if his moment with Miki alone had cleansed him and a whole new life had begun. He was rubbing his head with the towel in his room when he saw something on his study table. It seemed to be a robotic toy recording device. What on earth was it doing there?
Yuu picked it up and pressed one of the buttons.
"Thank you, Yuu," Miki's voice sounded from the robot. Surprised, Yuu played it again. Yuu felt touched after the second time. He was glad. He pressed another button on the robot and recorded a message of his own to Miki. With that done, Yuu walked over to Miki's door and hung the robot on the door handle.
Yuu placed his palm on Miki's door just touching. He could imagine Miki inside, probably sleeping. This time there where no sobs coming from behind the door. Tonight, she would sleep with memories of their time together at the lake. Smiling, Yuu walked back to his room, the message he left for Miki in his mind.
"Let this place be our little secret."
Chapter 11
It was Monday. The day after their outing at the theme park.
There was a strange air about school today. Everybody seemed to be whispering around him wherever he went.
He was about to step into class when he heard it.
"Somebody told me that they saw Yuu and Miki at the theme park!" a girl spoke loudly.
"Really? What were they doing there together?" another girl spoke, equally loud and shocked.
"It would seem to be that they were on a date or something. Well, at least that was what I was told," the first girl answered.
Yuu winced. They were talking about him and Miki at the theme park. Who had seen them? It doesn't matter now. Miki is going to freak out when she catches a whiff of the rumor going around school. He just hoped the rumor doesn't include the part where she slapped him. That would be embarassing.
Somebody brushed past him rudely. He was about to call on the person when he noticed it was Miki that brushed him. He sighed. Looks like Miki heard everything.
With a resigned sigh, Yuu walked into the classroom after her. Miki had sat at her desk and wasn't looking at him. Yuu sat at his own desk and thought nothing of it until later.
Well, the later came sooner than he expected cause as soon as classes finished, Miki left without a word still not looking at him. He didn't see Miki the entire day after that. It's as if Miki was avoiding him on purpose. Yuu went home alone wondering what he should do to resolve the matter.
Yuu was in his room when he heard Miki running up the stairs. He hadn't thought of what to say to her yet.
Yuu opened his door just in time to see Miki running into her room and slamming the door behind her. A few seconds passed and then suddenly Miki screamed, "I hate him! I absolutely can't forgive him!" and then Miki was sobbing.
Yuu felt as if a knife drove into his heart. Was Miki angry at him? Did his careless confession yesterday upset her so much that she would actually shout out her hatred for him?
Yuu moved to her bedroom door. His hand was raised to knock but at the last moment, he pulled back when he heard her sobbing harder.
If she was upset with him, he would be the last person she wanted to see now. Better to let her cry it over than having him upset her further. Not comforting her was the hardest thing he'd ever done because it went against his every instinct. But it's for the best.
With a last look at her door, Yuu went back to his room and closed the door firmly against the sound of her sobbing.
-------
The next morning, Miki still hasn't woken yet. Yuu was up and ready and their parents were even getting ready to leave.
"Yuu, Miki, we're going to work!" and with that they took off, both pairs.
Yuu took his breakfast. He was just finishing his last piece of toast when he looked up at the dining clock on the wall. It was way past the time Miki should be up. She even missed her morning cleaning duty in class with Ginta.
Yuu sighed. If she wanted to stay mad with him, that's fine. But it cannot affect her life forever. Yuu decided to go up and make Miki get ready for school whether she liked it or not.
Yesterday night, Yuu was hesitant to knock on her door. But with his current firm resolve, Yuu knocked on the door and called out to Miki, "Miki, wake up! You're going to be late!" No answer came.
Yuu wasn't surprised. And so, he opened the door. He was greeted by a scene of Miki huddling under the quilt all covered up. Not a hair nor skin peeked through.
Yuu was having none of that. He went over, grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it off of her.
"Ahhhh!!!!" Miki screamed.
For a moment there, Yuu regretted his actions but when he saw that Miki was decently dressed, his resolve came back.
"What do you think you're doing!" an angry Miki took her pillow and threw it at him.
Yuu grabbed the flying pillow, "Time to go to school, dummy," and then threw back the pillow at Miki. It hit Miki squarely in the face. A befuddled and adorably ruffled Miki glared at him.
"Well, you don't look sick," Yuu bent closer, wanting to touch her forehead and brush her silken tousled hair but the intimacy might prove to be too much for him, so instead, he stuck his finger on her forehead. That single touch though was more than enough to warm him to his toes.
"Hurry up and get ready," Yuu said gruffly, feeling a little flustered. And with that he exit her room.
In a few minutes, Miki was ready and they were off to school. Although still not talking cause it seems as if Miki's mind was occupied but so was Yuu's. His mind was still on seeing Miki in her bedroom.
They were walking up the stairs and starting down the hallway when they met up with Ginta and Meiko.
"Hey, Miki!" Meiko called out.
Miki was about to reply back when she suddenly froze in mid sentence. Puzzled, Yuu looked at Ginta and saw an intense expression on his face as he looked at Miki.
"Miki...," Ginta moved forward.
This seemed to make Miki on edge and suddenly she grabbed something from her bag and rushed forward to pass it to Meiko. "Here it is, Meiko!" with that she rushed off to class, leaving them behind.
Yuu looked back at Ginta. Ginta caught his look and he frowned back at him and also took off.
"What was that all about?" an equally puzzled Meiko was all the answer he had.
Suddenly something clicked in his mind. Miki coming home last night upset. Could it be that Miki wasn't upset with him but was in fact upset with Ginta? They don't seem to be in speaking terms when usually they are close and chattering to each other. This time it looks as if Miki can't even stand the sight of Ginta.
During class, it seemed much clearer now to Yuu that the problem lies between Miki and Ginta. As soon as school ended, Miki turned around to look at Ginta. When she saw Ginta standing up as if to walk over to her, Miki got up, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the class. Ginta, seeing this, also rushed out after her, "Miki! I need to talk to you!"
"Leave me alone! I don't ever want to talk to you again!"
Curious, Yuu walked to the door to see if the argument needed some intervention but Miki was already running away. But Ginta stood where he was, rooted to the spot. He seemed to be at odds with himself, not knowing what to do.
"Did you guys have a fight?" Yuu asked from behind.
Ginta seemed to take offence at that and glared back at Yuu, "That's none of your business!" and walked off.
Yuu looked at the departing figure. Yuu wondered what had happened between the two of them. They always seemed to close.
But then, this happened right after the rumors started about Yuu and Miki being together at the theme park. Could that have something to do with it? Well, whatever the reason, Miki is upset and not because of Yuu. He would say that's a green sign for him to do what he couldn't do the night before.
Feeling relieved, Yuu went straight for home. Miki was in her room. Yuu bathed and changed quickly. Soon, he was knocking on Miki's door.
"Miki, come on! You're coming with me." without any further explanations, Yuu grabbed a stunned Miki from her room.
Soon, they were on his bike with Miki grabbing him around the waist for dear life as he pedalled away to a mysterious destination unknown to Miki. "Alright, Miki, hold on tight!" and then they went downhill, Miki screaming away at the speed of the bike going downhill.
Yuu had thought of the place to bring Miki when he was on his way back from school. It was actually a private place but Yuu figured he'd like to share it with Miki this time. "Okay, you can open your eyes now, we're here!" Yuu screeched to a halt.
A gasp sounded from Miki and Yuu knew that Miki was equally amazed at the place just as he was when he first saw it. It was a place where he always found peace when his thoughts were troubled about his mysterious real father. It was a place of great beauty where you could see the city in the far distance, with a lake in between and the sun setting to another new day. This place was his alone and now it was going to be a place he would share with the one special person in his life.
Yuu bent down and picked up a flat pebble. He flicked his wrist and tossed the pebble. The pebble broke the calm surface of the river and skipped a few distance before sinking to the bottom of the river.
"So, Miki. Want to give a try at tossing the pebble?" Miki turned to look at Yuu. She still had the amazed look on her face but there was a challenged gleam in her eye too.
Hesitantly, she reached out to take the pebble from Yuu's hand. She gave it a good throw. It went quite a distance actually, but it just plonked into the surface and sunk into the lake with nary a skip.
Yuu burst into laughter at her miserable attempt. Miki's lips pouted but she wouldn't give up. She grabbed a few pebbles and gave them all a mighty throw but they all sunk just the same as the first one.
Yuu took pity on Miki. He was here to give Miki a good time and he was planning to. "Here, Miki. Do it like this," he moved behind Miki to take hold of her hand. He put the pebble in her hand and showed her how to swing it just right. He could smell the sweet smell that was uniquely Miki's. It was almost intoxicating but Yuu focused at the task at hand.
Miki seemed oblivious to his lack of concentration and gave it a try. And just like that, the pebble skipped across the surface at her first real try. Miki couldn't contain the happiness at her success. She jumped up and down with glee. Yuu, seeing Miki's troubled expression gone from her face, smiled.
They spent about an hour just tossing pebbles before it was time to head back for home. The sun was already setting.
"How did you come to know of this place, Yuu?" Miki asked from behind him as he was pedalling them home.
"Well, I was exploring the city and I found it. I always come here when I want to relax," Yuu answered.
Miki laughed, "It seems odd to hear that you need to relax. You don't look as if you have any trouble in the world," Yuu tensed at that. Miki didn't know everything about him and his problems. But he did put up a front in front of everybody including her. So he relaxed and just enjoyed the moment with her. Miki had a smile on her face now as opposed to the troubled frown on her face when they left.
When they reached hom, Miki hopped off and ran into their home while Yuu went to park the bike. Miki was using the bathroom when he came up. He could hear her humming a song to herself. Yuu smiled at that and waited in his room for his turn. A while later, Miki came out from the bathroom. Grabbing his towel, Yuu got ready to bathe.
When he was done, Yuu felt oddly refreshed. It was as if his moment with Miki alone had cleansed him and a whole new life had begun. He was rubbing his head with the towel in his room when he saw something on his study table. It seemed to be a robotic toy recording device. What on earth was it doing there?
Yuu picked it up and pressed one of the buttons.
"Thank you, Yuu," Miki's voice sounded from the robot. Surprised, Yuu played it again. Yuu felt touched after the second time. He was glad. He pressed another button on the robot and recorded a message of his own to Miki. With that done, Yuu walked over to Miki's door and hung the robot on the door handle.
Yuu placed his palm on Miki's door just touching. He could imagine Miki inside, probably sleeping. This time there where no sobs coming from behind the door. Tonight, she would sleep with memories of their time together at the lake. Smiling, Yuu walked back to his room, the message he left for Miki in his mind.
"Let this place be our little secret."