(that's why i need to catch you) in my drunk arms
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The last box of mocktails was unloaded beside the refrigerator in the garage. Rin opened the door and loaded each bottle from the box into the fridge, so that it remained chill and perfect until the start of the party.
For a late Friday afternoon, it was not cold outside so the garage door was still open. The sound bar and the bluetooth-connected microphone, set up by Miku and Luka at the moment, was in the corner where the available power socket was.
Gakupo and Kaito assembled the foldable plastic tables and placed them together. They formed one long table in the middle, and brought in foldable chairs and packs of various liquor they all pitched in for the party. Luka helped Oliver carry the various dishes and bowls of food made and provided by his parents.
It was the perfect opportunity to hold Oliver's eighteenth birthday party in the long weekend.
The whole gang was able to finally celebrate Oliver's legality to their hearts' content, without the worry of feeling shit from hangovers on early Monday classes (especially in Rin's case).
All of them could finally get together as a group in adult-only places. Today was commemoration for Oliver's first sip as a legal aged-drinker.
It was autumn, and so the sun had set when they finally started the party around quarter past five in the afternoon. The latest pop-rock music, courtesy of Miku's playlist, blasted on the speakers connected to her phone.
Gakupo, Kaito, and Luka gathered in front of the fridge, and chose which ones to drink for the first round. They had a diverse range of alcohol to choose from, after everyone intentionally decided completely different kinds of liquor for today's party.
There were non-alcoholic choices such as mocktails, root beers, and soft drinks just in case. But the majority of the selection consisted of beer, sparkling wine, champagne, and vodka brought by the birthday boy himself from the nearby liquor store.
"Hey! No booze before eating, you rascals!" Oliver's father scolded with an affectionate tone after he came through the backdoor that connected the garage to the foyer.
He held a victoria sponge cake and gently placed it in the middle of the long table; from where the packs of paper utensils were placed.
"You guys need to get here now! So we can get into the beers soon!" Miku jokingly chided to her friends. She went to her phone to prepare the birthday song in one tap for when Oliver blew the candles soon.
"Get into the beers, woohoo!" Rin cheered. She raised her fist in excitement while she stood beside Miku and Oliver.
"I can't believe Rin is finally drinking alcohol today! I feel like a proud mother duck seeing her baby duckling grow up!" Gakupo placed his palm on his chest and had a fond look on his face.
"Shut up, Gakt. I've been drinking casually ever since. It's not like I avoided it like the plague." Rin snorted, crossed her arms across her chest and showed her lack of amusement.
"To be fair Rin, you'd often barely make it halfway through a shot and only took a few sips on your glass everytime." Luka teased as she left the fridge and took a spot for herself on the other side of the table.
Oliver and Miku howled in laughter, joined by Kaito shortly who shut the door of the fridge right after he grabbed a can of cola.
"Excuse me? You guys slander me like this as if I just turned eighteen!?" Rin's face was flushed as she retorted back to the teases from her friends.
"I'm giving my honest opinion here when I say Oliver has had more booze and has a higher tolerance than you, Rin." Miku joined the discussion with an opinion everyone else quickly agreed on.
"Honestly, I can't believe you guys here." Rin grumbled. At that very moment, her bow fell off and landed with a flop on her forehead and covered her eyes. She huffed and pouted her lips for the air to push away the two tails of her ribbon.
Everyone, even Oliver's dad and mum, who just joined them in the garage, laughed at the sight. Rin smiled fondly in the midst of cackles.
"Alright ladies and gents, I know you're all dying to go into game mode with the beers. We're getting this party started with cake to fill those stomachs!" Oliver's mum lit up the candles on top of the birthday cake.
Oliver's dad began to sing the happy birthday song for his son. At the second word all the guests followed and joyfully sang together to welcome their dear friend's special day.
"Happy Birthday dear Oliver~ Happy Birthday to you!" All of Oliver's loved ones clapped, howled, and rejoiced once the song ended.
"Thank you everyone! I appreciate everyone coming here today, and thankfully it's a long weekend so we can all have the time of our lives here. Thank you for patiently waiting for me to turn eighteen so we can go to some arcades, bars, and karaokes together!" Luka, Miku, Rin, Kaito, and Gakupo cheered.
"Mate, if you want karaoke we have it right here!" Rin chuckled, pointed at the bluetooth speaker with the microphone on its stand nearby.
"Well it would be nice to sing along all night without fearing for a nuisance complaint though!" Oliver joked back, which earned a chuckle from the boys and with his parents.
His dad commented in passing. "Damn right I can't pick another fight with the neighbours again."
"Come, blow your candles now Oli! Make a wish!" Oliver's mother encouraged her son.
Oliver asked, "Wait, do I need to say it out loud or nah?"
"No, dumbo! It won't come true if you say it!" Luka replied.
Kaito's eyes were wide at what he just heard. "Wait, I thought you meant to say it out loud so it could come true?"
"Maybe that's why you've never really had any luck Kai," Rin chuckled to tease her friend.
"Hep, hep!" Gakupo stopped the side conversations of the group. "Anyway Oli, make your wish now. It doesn't matter if you say it or not, just blow the candles!"
Gakupo re-focused everyone's attention on Oliver who stood in front of the cake. Luka had her phone camera directed and recorded every second.
There was a few seconds of silence as Oliver stared at the gentle flicker of flames on the candles. He had a small smile, emphasised by the warm light radiated from the candles. Then he blew all the candles in one blow.
When there was only a thin line of smoke from the candles' wicks, everyone once again cheered and Oliver's parents laid out bowls of finger food to the guests.
While most plates were filled with pastries with a few chips, crackers, sausages or sandwich slices, Oliver's dad suddenly brought out a large chocolate sponge roll cake that was shaped like a…
"Is that a caterpillar!?" Miku enthusiastically asked. All her other friends noticed the new snack and followed it with their interested gazes.
Gakupo smiled. "That's an awesome looking cake, Oli!" And the cake was gently placed on the table.
Oliver screeched and almost stood up to go near him. "Dad! Why did you bring Colin here!?"
"You love Colin since you were a wee toddler! Even until now I say, so we have him for you and for your friends to enjoy here!"
"I'm eighteen now, dad! Colin is for kids!" Oliver felt embarrassed and whined.
"How could you say that to Colin, young man!? Colin is welcome to everyone's party!" Mister Cody senior gasped. He clutched his chest to convey his point.
"Even your nana was delighted when Colin was brought by your uncle George for her birthday!" Oliver's dad chided him, and grabbed a knife to cut the cake into small pieces to be shared.
"Is Colin just chocolate?" Rin politely asked, paper plate and utensils already in hand. It already looked like she queued for Colin's slices.
"Essentially, yes. He is a chocolate cake. But Colin here also has chocolate buttercream filling. His shell and the beans you see here are milk chocolate. His face and feet are made from white chocolate." Mr Cody enthusiastically answered and explained.
He offered a slice, which Rin excitedly accepted when she held her plate.
"Are we seriously referring the cake as Colin?" Kaito asked himself after he observed Rin, Miku, Luka, and Oliver hogged Colin the caterpillar.
"Don't be rude, Kai! Colin is a respectable and dignified figure in this household. As guests, we must show respect!" Gakupo scolded his friend in a serious manner.
Oliver's dad laughed out loud. "That's why we love having you here, Gakt! Don't stop being you, you bloody legend!"
Gakupo replied with an enthusiastic thumbs-up to his friend's awesome dad.
The ladies adored every bite of the chocolate cake, as evident with their cheers. Rin looked as if she sobbed in joy while she ate her slice of the chocolate roll.
Once Kaito and Gakupo got their slices thanks to Mr Cody, they tested for themselves the power of Colin.
"Holy shit, he's actually good!" Kaito had commented with his mouth half-full of the chocolate cake, so he covered his mouth with a palm out of courtesy.
Gakupo enthusiastically agreed with frantic nods while he grabbed another bite from his plate.
"Colin is popular as usual!" Oliver's father proudly claimed.
"Oli here would have him every year on his birthday until his fifteenth when the bakery we would order from had to close. Three years later another bakery opened that makes Colin. We had to order one for this year, especially on his eighteenth!" Mr Cody rested his hand on Oliver's shoulder.
Miku smiled and then grabbed a second slice from the demented form of Colin. "Bless you Mr and Mrs Cody for giving us Colin!"
Rin was jokingly called out by Oliver himself for being on her third slice.
"I'm glad you guys like Colin! I was worried it was going to be too sweet for your liking." Oliver confided to Rin. He held his own plate with two slices of the cake.
"Now I'm starting to think I should be upset with you for not telling us about this cake before today!" Rin grumbled under her breath while she devoured the cake.
She had a few pieces of battenberg cakes on the side of her plate, together with the currently eaten pieces of Colin the caterpillar.
"Okay! My stomach is full. I'll get some booze now!" Luka skipped to the fridge, like a toddler about to get candy. She picked a bottle of Moscato and poured it on her wine glass.
"You can't be the only one getting all the fun to yourself!" Gakupo threw away his empty paper plate and joined Luka. He took a bottle of beer he planned for tonight.
The two heaved a sigh of relief; the alcohol finally made an entrance into their system. Their synchronisation earned chuckles from everyone who witnessed it.
Soon, Kaito and Rin grabbed their own glasses for champagne. They parted ways when she went to Miku to join her near the speaker.
When they claimed the microphones, the two young women began the makeshift karaoke.
Kaito and Oliver stood a few metres away and had their own conversation while they drank their own glasses.
A few hours passed until it was dark outside. The garage doors were lowered to trap the warmth inside and allowed privacy.
Rin and Miku had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, as the latter held the microphone they sang into. Luka joined in for a few songs until she decided to leave, or was dragged away by Gakupo and Oliver.
Oliver joined the two for a few songs. All three of them sang together songs that once became memes—the birthday man's expertise.
There were times when either Rin or Miku did not sing. Such was that moment when Rin took a sip of her Moscato, on her break while Miku and Oliver sang Dragostea Din Tei.
Rin stood from her seat to grab a bottle of beer. On her way, she noticed Luka, Kaito, and Gakupo danced to the chorus of the song. Then she returned to her seat.
At one point, Rin noticed Miku had not taken any alcohol ever since the party started. The songstress scrolled on her phone to find the instrumental of a song they self-composed last year.
"Hey Miks, you haven't grabbed anything from the fridge. Do you want me to get one for you?"
"No need, but thank you for that, Rin! I'm avoiding booze tonight—dedicating my time to karaoke." Miku shrugged the offer with a wave of her palm, but had appreciated Rin's effort.
"You want me to get you soda? Juice? Or just water?"
"Water would be good, thanks Rin!" Miku waved her hand in thanks to Rin, who went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.
The height of the party had everyone simply enjoyed a good time. The makeshift karaoke had all of them belt out vocal chords on a song everyone loved.
There were the additional savvy dance moves from Kaito, Gakupo, Miku, and Oliver brought by the alcohol courage.
Miku and Rin took a step back from karaoke from time to time. In those moments they talked with Oliver and Luka.
Gakupo and Kaito did karaoke with one of the most hilarious antics they could come up with while they sang.
When they left, the speaker blasted party music or their favourite songs in the background.
The party started to lie low, as well as the energy inside the garage. Kaito and Gakupo felt their faces warm and their bodies seemingly gave them more energy.
The two young men howled in laughter after they dared each other and made impressions of animals or vehicles they could mime the best, together with sound effects.
Rin joined their antics and imitated the sound of a road roller. She sat on the floor, her back leaned against the wall. Her arms were outstretched as if she drove the road roller she mimicked.
After she placed her wine glass on a safe surface, Luka took matters into her own hands and showed them the best animal mimicry.
Luka was on the floor as her body wiggled. She mimicked a tuna unable to swim back to the water. It earned the loudest laughs in the garage.
Miku bursted out in laughter, clutched her stomach and tears appeared from her eyes. Oliver held his phone and recorded the chaotic entertainment his friends did under the influence of alcohol.
Soon the intoxicated guests sang the rock song Teenagers when it played on the speakers. Everyone banged their heads to the raging guitars and screaming vocals.
"Teenagers scare the living shit out of me! "
They all sang out, their fists and glasses up in the air.
"They could care less. As long as someone'll bleed! "
Oliver's voice resonated.
"So darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose!"
Gakupo and Luka literally acted the lyrics, with karate poses and a show off on their dark coloured clothes.
"Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me!"
Mainly the voices of Kaito, Rin, and Oliver dominated the singing.
Even when she was drunk, Rin knew this would be a highlight for tonight's party that she would fondly look back into.
She mimed herself on the electric during the guitar solo, with an additional pose of knees on the floor and headbangs. She heard the roaring applause of her friends.
Eventually, they settled down and went back to their own business.
Miku, Oliver and Luka sang a few mellow ballads, either together or by themselves. They took occasional sips of their beverages-Miku with one glass of Moscato, Luka on another glass of champagne, and a bottle of beer for Oliver.
Rin went with Kaito and Gakupo for games. They were currently invested in beer pong. Luka eventually joined the trio in a new game until they all got tired of being humiliated from the dares and revelations. They separated and drank casually.
Another few hours passed and the behaviour inside the garage was more inhibited.
Gakupo and Kaito giggled as they had a poor attempt at dancing along to the music.
Luka swirled her wine glass in her hand and glared at it. She shamelessly cursed each and one of their 'shit teachers' at school and dropped the hottest gossip in the whole high school department.
Not one name was spared. Of course, Miku and Oliver intently listened to Luka.
With how drunk Luka was, she would not remember most of what she revealed. So the sober ones definitely did the work for her to never forget about it.
The drunkards eventually moved on. Gakupo seemed preoccupied as he sat on his chair, palms on his thighs and his gaze lowered to the floor.
He began to ask what was life, one's purpose in the world and other philosophical questions. There were moments where he never uttered a word and seemed to be too deep into his lonesome speculation.
Yet his friends were not concerned as it was a usual occurrence for Gakupo to be philosophical when drunk.
Kaito giggled and began to go on rounds to hug everyone he saw.
Luka whacked Kaito's head when he tightly embraced her from the side.
Gakupo pushed Kaito away from him, to the misery of the latter who sobbed and teared up after he realised the rejection.
It was a different outcome when he approached Oliver and cuddled him.
"Oli~ I love you mate~ Fuck everyone who said you're creepy. I'll s-show them what's creepy~"
His speech was slurred but Kaito was definitely giddy and comforted at the warmth he felt from Oliver's body. Then he confessed his gratitude for being one of his best friends since he joined their cohort last year.
Kaito could not find Rin. But he could not be bothered further. And so he went to the last person available.
Miku witnessed the whole hug fest and was content to simply stay in the background. She enjoyed the sight of the cuddly bear that was Kaito.
When their eyes met, Miku knew it was her turn to be under the care bear hug.
"Miku~ You smell so good, and you're warm just like Oli~ Can we stay like this forever?" Kaito snuzzled his head on Miku's shoulder, to the delight of the girl.
"Aww Kai, you're always ten times sweet when you're drunk!" Miku returned the hug and squished her cheek against Kaito's temple.
The man in question suddenly had his face flushed and shrieked as if he was about to combust.
Oblivious as always, Miku only giggled and enjoyed the oxymoron-induced hug.
And then Kaito's mood shifted in a one-hundred eighty degree turn.
"Miku, it's so unfair. You're too unfair~" Kaito sobbed. He still held Miku in his arms. "I feel so hurt~ You only smile when I'm drunk like this~"
Miku felt awkward, at a loss on what she should do next. "What are you talking about, Kai? Are you okay?" She tried her best to comfort him.
"No~ I'm not okay~ I'm so sad, Miku~" Kaito whined. His head rested on her shoulder. Tears slowly dropped from his eyes and left wet trails on his cheeks.
"I'm too late. Now I can only cry and regret not doing it sooner~" Then a hiccup can be heard from him. Miku chuckled.
A bottle of water was held beside Miku. She turned her head and saw Oliver gesture the bottle to Kaito.
"Kai, you need to drink this." Miku helped her sobbing drunk friend to drink.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kai. But I don't think you're too late on whatever you're thinking." Miku attempted to comfort him.
"I'm sure there's another chance. You might think it's finished. But another door will definitely open, and that could be better than what you've lost!"
Yet Kaito cried louder in cold comfort. It could have caught the attention of Luka, Gakupo and Rin. Though neither showed any sign that they noticed it.
And so only Oliver and Miku were responsible to act on the scene.
Oliver was simply shocked, and confused at the turn of events.
Miku scolded herself. Her words backfired, bad.
While the two made eye contact and had a silent conversation on what to do, Kaito's sobs calmed down.
He hugged Miku tight for the last time and grabbed the water bottle from her hand. She was released from Kaito's arms and they simply stood in front of Oliver.
When the bottle was half empty, Kaito wordlessly turned around and went to the unoccupied space nearby the speakers. He grabbed a microphone and began to sing along to the song that currently played.
Eventually Kaito learnt to control the music and the next few songs played on the speakers were about heartbreak and misery in a one-sided relationship.
"Looks like Kai is in a tough patch now? I didn't know he's going through something all this time." Miku told Oliver in a slightly louder voice.
Kaito's sense of shame flew out of the window as he passionately sang and occupied the garage with his voice.
Miku continued. "People really show what they hide the best when they're drunk, huh?"
Oliver agreed. "I think we should just give Kai his space. He seems to need to let it all out by himself for now."
Miku simply nodded in reply.
It was such an unexpected thing for her to witness Kaito's drunken breakdown.
The man rarely kept secrets as he was usually expressive and open, especially to his close friends.
Miku knew she was one of them. So how was it she never saw this behaviour coming?
All was well within the garage. Everyone did their own thing without any fights, to Miku and Oliver's relief.
Not that it would be a huge concern since their resident drunk friends were not the confrontational types and no one fought at all. But the sober people knew it was better to be careful.
Until Miku and OIiver heard sobbing from the side.
They both turned their heads and finally found the source.
Rin sat on the floor, arms on top of her knees with her feet on the ground. She held a bottle of beer and took an occasional sip. She leaned her head on the wall behind her.
The combined noises of Kaito, Gakupo and Luka would have overshadowed her voice. But Miku and Oliver heard her loud and clear after they subtly moved their chairs to be within ear range.
Her eyes had a distant look as she sang along with Kaito's broken-hearted songs. When she got tired of singing, Rin rambled about personal thoughts she would have never said out loud soberly.
Regrets in her life came out from her mouth; Rin never cried when she was drunk. But tonight was the exception, as she took the title of depressed drunk in the group.
There was a certain word, a name, that intrigued both Miku and Oliver in the midst of Rin's self-deprecative drunken rambling.
"Fuck, I can't believe I didn't apologise to Len." Rin groaned, clutched both sides of her head while she held the neck of her beer bottle.
Oliver and Miku glanced at each other and made immediate eye contact.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Oliver asked.
Miku nodded. "Did I hear her right?! Did she mention him!?"
Oliver nodded with a sense of urgency.
And so an unexpected revelation unfolded.
Rin huffed her breath and visibly tightened her grip on the bottle.
"Fuck you, Len. Fuck you for all the shit you did to me. I hope you continue to fuck off out of my life, you piece of shit. You played with my feelings and I fucking hate you for it. I hope you trip from a rock and cry."
Miku quickly covered her mouth with a palm to muffle her laughter. Oliver smiled in amusement.
For the first time, they witnessed a new side of their uptight and modest friend in her drunk episode.
"If I can swear to you in every language Len, I fucking would. Fuck you, you washed up banana, dumbfuck asshole! I should have thrown the dodgeball at your stupid face in PE class and pretend it was an accident." Rin grumbled profanities and swear words against Len under her breath.
Gakupo, Kaito and Luka still had not noticed Rin's private rage in her little corner.
Miku and Oliver were still astonished.
"Ninth grade was completely wasted because of you. I had to get my shit together because you fucking trashed me and my feelings. You ruined the self-esteem I had to work hard for. Fuck you honestly. I hope you get karma for your sorry ass."
"Sheez, Rin's releasing all that pent up steam." Oliver commented next to Miku with an uncomfortable face.
Rin inhaled. There was a pause after her anger-fuelled ranting to mark the end of it. Then Miku and Oliver watched Rin's emotions flip. "Fuck, I hope Len doesn't do anything to approach me anymore. I'll get killed if I see just his smile."
Once again, Miku and Oliver urgently made eye contact and asked the same thing.
Wait, is Rin still in love with Len?
All the hot fury a while ago from Rin evaporated from her body. What left was a steamed off version of herself who gazed at the ceiling and began to cry.
"I-I did love you… I don't regret everything anymore. I'm glad we got together. You helped me learn so many new things and even with myself…"
Rin became misty-eyed, until she sobbed and tears fell on her cheeks.
"I wish I had the guts to pretend I didn't like you when you asked... It could have brought me more time to actually see what you could have been and give Gumi a chance to warn me."
Thankfully, they already met Gumi a few weeks ago, Miku thought to herself.
She and Oliver would not have a single idea on who Gumi was nor understand the part that she would have 'warned' Rin.
A hiccup escaped from Rin's throat. The drunk woman chuckled dryly and had a few chugs of beer to stop the next hiccup.
"You used to say you can't bear not hearing me sing, or else you might get sick. Now we're over. I should be singing faraway where you can't hear me. Maybe I should do it underwater so you won't be able to hear me at all. I won't ever sing for you! I hope you're sick now, you asshole! I'll sing my own songs for myself ONLY!" Rin made her voice louder at the last word.
The people nearby her were still under the influence, and so kept to their own business.
Rin sniffed, already felt the heaviness of her head and the air flow from her nose clogged. Whether it was from the cold or her drunk crying, she would learn tomorrow.
"Fucking hell, Len. It took the both of us graduating to leave me alone in school and the landline. We both need to move on, seriously. Don't make me doubt that I wasn't wrong to abandon everything about you. All those days of crying over you and recovering from it, that would have been for nothing. Leave me the hell alone, preferably for a long time. Thank you very much!" Rin whined to herself.
She drank the remaining beer in the bottle until the last drop. "I swear I am a strong woman. An independent woman who needs no damn man! Like, like a black swan!"
Rin was supposed to laugh. It turned into an awkward mixture of a sob and a laugh.
"Oh dear she's losing it…" Miku whispered, as she watched the heart-breaking scene.
They finally knew something from Rin's perspective. It connected things from what they already knew after their recent meetings.
"She already did ten minutes ago." Oliver whispered in reply. He felt concerned about the exhaustive mood swings Rin endured to herself.
Rin sobbed. "I wish I could apologise to you… I can't bear this guilt." Her eyes were covered with her palms.
"I'm to blame for everyone isolating you after we broke up. I already knew you weren't good with people and hated being alone. Yet I let that happen to you…" She hugged herself and still cried; eyes swelled and tear tracks stained her cheeks.
"Everyone didn't like you until the end, you must be so miserable. They kept forgetting I hurted you when we were together. But you took every bad thing in our relationship…"
Rin heaved in to gasp for air after moments of intense sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Len. I completely snubbed you and let my pride be the best of me instead of noticing or approaching you before graduation. I wish I had the courage to tell you all of this…"
She wiped her tears with the heel of her palm as she sobbed. Even when Rin was drunk, she thought to be thankful to Miku for insisting she wore water-proof mascara for tonight. It came in handy for drunken meltdowns.
Rin had not realised she just made a ground-breaking revelation for the hidden plan of her friends.
Some of them were busy with the effects of their booze. But they would eventually be in the loop soon.
Luka and Kaito began to lie low as they felt drowsy.
Gakupo's speech was slurred. He raised his head and stared at the distance. It allowed for everyone to notice his pale face. "Uhhh.. I might throw up…"
Oliver quickly left Miku's side and rushed to Gakupo. Arms around his friend, he rushed him inside the house.
After she took a glance at the time, Miku decided they needed to start cleaning the garage. She approached Luka and Kaito who had already dozed off on the chair and the floor respectively.
Luka was initially startled but had collected herself. Kaito took a longer time to wake up.
"Ha? Is it time to go home?" It was the first thing Kaito groggily spoke when he opened his eyes in a daze.
"Nope. We're just cleaning up. Party's over, we're heading inside." Miku replied as she and Luka sat on the floor with bent legs and looked down at their friend.
She offered a hand to help Kaito stand up. The man accepted and allowed himself the support.
Luka approached Rin in her little corner. The woman was asleep. Her head slanted to the other side and rested on her shoulder.
With careful hands, Luka gently took the bottle near her and disposed of it. She gently shook her friend awake.
Rin was disoriented at first, looked both ways after the first thing she saw was Luka's face.
"How long was I dozing off?" Rin rubbed her right eye and attempted to stand up.
"I'm not sure. I was also sleeping a while ago. You have to ask Miku, she woke me and Kai a few minutes ago." Luka helped Rin after she noticed her sluggish movement.
It was at that moment Luka observed the swelling on Rin's puffed eyes. The tear trails on her cheeks were still obvious until Rin wiped it off with her palm.
Rin rarely cried, both sober and drunk. She had to ask Miku and Oliver about it soon.
The speaker was turned off and plugged out of the socket. Rubbish bags were brought out by Oliver when he noticed the clean-up drive after he was able to leave Gakupo by himself.
All rubbish—empty cans, disposable plates and utensils, and empty bottles were segregated in separate bags. Surfaces were wiped clean to remove stains and spilled liquids. Some leftover food had to be brought inside and to the kitchen. The chairs and tables were folded and set aside in the corner of the garage.
They all decided to spend the night at Oliver's so the party became a slumber party until Monday morning for breakfast.
The boys were in Oliver's bedroom, while the girls shared the guest room next to the masters' bedroom.
Rin pushed herself to help out despite her friends' protests; after they noticed her sluggish behaviour and moments of dizziness.
When the girls separated from the boys for the night, Rin was still able to do her night routine. Then instantly dozed off the moment her body was settled at the large king size bed.
Miku placed a bucket on the bedside just in case Rin or Luka, who had a lot of alcohol today, might need it at any moment.
.
.
.
.
It was close to midnight and the household was entirely quiet.
Both Oliver and Miku still had the moment of Rin's drunken confession in their minds.
As a night owl, Oliver had no plan to finish for the night. He spent the time reading horror stories on an internet forum.
Gakupo was in a deep sleep after he threw up in the toilet earlier. A few minutes later, Kaito woke up and drank water.
He went to the toilet outside the room. When he came back, Oliver decided it was time to share what happened earlier.
Oliver's bedside night light allowed him to see Kaito while he spoke of the intriguing details.
"Holy fuck…" Kaito muttered, rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I knew Rin still thinks of Len from time to time. But I didn't know she still feels guilty for what happened to him."
"She was in pretty intense mood swings there. But most of her sobbing episodes were about her feeling guilty and apologising to him. I just realised how important our plan is for her."
"Of course our plan is important. I just can't believe Rin hasn't mentioned that part of feeling bad about Len. At most, she berated Len's immaturity and not mentioned any of her shortcomings. It makes me feel bad as a friend. I didn't figure it out until now." Kaito confessed.
"Don't feel bad, Kai. Rin must have her reasons. It's something she might not have the courage to admit yet to others or even to herself. She only had the liquid courage tonight to even say it out loud." Oliver whispered, careful to not disturb the peaceful night that was before them and the sleeping Gakupo.
"Thanks Oli, you're the best." Kaito replied with a smile. He sighed, stared in the dimmed empty distance in Oliver's bedroom. Throughout their conversation, his back leaned against the frame of the bed.
The two friends sat in comfortable silence as they gathered their thoughts privately.
The gentle snoring of Gakupo was the only interruption of the silence that was not intrusive.
Oliver whispered his question. "Do you think Rin is still in love with Len?"
Kaito contemplated, and sighed. "I have no idea at all, Oli. Right after her salty phase, Rin barely mentioned Len. Though there were times she hinted at regretting their time together. She thought she would have been the most stupid person on earth if she wanted to get back to him again. So far, I thought that was confirmation she doesn't have any feelings for him."
"Miks and I got confused on the part that she would get killed if she saw him smile." Oliver shrugged his shoulders.
He continued to speculate. "Maybe she had more self-restraint than we had expected. Or she's just bluffing."
"Yeah, I agree with you there." Kaito simply replied.
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In the guest room, the girls had a different opinion.
"Deadass I think she loves him. Why would you say that when you're drunk? It's close to drunk texting your ex-boyfriend." Luka argued in a hushed tone.
Rin slept between them in the bed, blissfully snored once in a while.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Oli thinks she doesn't, since she would have to exactly say it. But he doesn't get it when I say she said it as a code. Not everything has to be obvious!"
Miku replied in a quick whisper with hand gestures to emphasise her point to Luka in the dark.
"God, she's such a confusing idiot. I don't trust Gumi since she's against him and their relationship to begin with, even when she agreed in the end. We have to figure this out with the next friend we're meeting. Has Kai mentioned when we'll meet them soon?" Luka sighed and adjusted herself to lie down behind Rin, who slept on her side.
"Not yet. He hasn't mentioned anything about reaching out to her. I'll tell him tomorrow morning, they might be sleeping now since I don't hear any noises from outside." Miku saw the blanket was below Rin's arms. So she pulled it upwards to cover her slumbering friend's shoulders.
"Kai would. Oli is more likely reading his creepypastas as we speak." Luka chuckled lightly.
"I still don't understand how he has the tolerance for that." Miku grumbled. She tucked herself and pulled her share of the blanket below her chin. "Anyway, remind me to update Kai on the next meeting."
"Cool. Night Mimi, wake me up when you get up. I don't trust myself to wake up to my alarm." Luka turned to her side.
"Yeah, good night Lu." Miku closed her eyes. There was only silence and darkness in their room.
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Right before he slept, Kaito opened his phone. The blue light from the screen wrapped most of his face. His thumbs tapped on the screen until the message was finished, then pressed 'Send'.
He put his phone on the bed-side table near Oliver's night light, which he also turned off. Kaito tucked himself with the blanket and closed his eyes to rest.
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[CHAT SCENE] Neru (sender) and Kaito (receiver)
Neru Akita
Kaito: Hey Neru! I'm not sure if you've heard from Lily or Gumi about this already but I need to talk to you about Rin. Is there a time you're available? I'll be waiting for your reply, thanks! :)