The Little Things
Because it's the little things that make one fall in love.
3. The Break Up Part I: That Time under the Tree
11 June 2014
"I wonder if I should have bought her some hot tea instead..." Mimi thought out loud, her gaze boring through a bottle of cold water in her right hand, her other hand resting in the pocket of her navy blue skirt. She was walking through the hallway of the first floor with a little less gusto than she usually had.
Mimi let out a small sigh as she let her right hand fall back to her side.
The weekend before, Sora and Yamato broke up. It was based on mutual consent and was an amicable settlement; no painful words were exchanged nor did any altercation occur between the two. However, the effect of the break up on Sora would suggest otherwise.
"He was the one who initiated the conversation. He said that... we're just too similar, Mimi. Too... full of insecurities, you know?" Sora had said to Mimi over the phone on Sunday. "And I... I agreed with him... But, you know, I-I've always thought I could help him with his insecurities as I deal with my own, but... But—" her sentence was cut with a sudden sob. Mimi knew what Sora would have said had she not cried.
It was too much.
Mimi had rushed straight to Sora's place after the phone call took place, knowing that Sora needed a friend by her side—a friend that did not necessarily know what to bring to her place aside from the customary bucket of ice cream and a chock full of chick-flicks, but a friend nonetheless. With every step she took, Mimi was getting more and more worried of Sora's condition. When Mimi arrived at Sora's place, her doubt was confirmed.
Sora was a mess.
Her hair was messy and matted, her face was swollen, and her eyes was bloodshot. She was wearing the old, oversized pajama Mimi had seen appeared whenever Sora was going through a tough time. Quickly pulling the red-head into a hug, Mimi said, "tell me everything." As she comforted her friend, Mimi wondered how Yamato was handling the situation. She had no doubt that he would be cool and composed in the midst of it all. But, despite him being a friend of hers too, Mimi could not help but wish that he suffered just as much as Sora did.
Mimi snapped out of her reverie, nearly bumping into the door at the end of the hallway. She shook her head quickly, trying to focus back on reality, and opened the door that lead to the outdoor. She took a step outside the building and onto the concrete pathway that was laid amidst the school garden. At the end of the pathway was another door that lead to the school's second building where Sora's class is located. Mimi planned on visiting her best friend and cheer her up, thinking that the cold water would help refresh her feelings.
Halfway through the pathway, Mimi noticed a head of blond hair a good 500 meters away to the right, resting under a big tree. The spiky style of the hair seemed familiar, like it was owned by a leader of a teenage band she knew, the one who caused so much pain to her best friend.
Curiosity got the best of Mimi as she subconsciously started to walk towards the big tree. She wanted to confirm that, indeed, the head belonged to Yamato Ishida, and she also wanted to confirm that he was sure of his decision to break up with Sora. Mimi thought they were a good match. Well, she had always thought that Sora would be better off with Taichi, but if Yamato can make her just as happy, why not?
As she got closer, she got the first confirmation she wanted. The head indeed belonged to Yamato Ishida. He was sleeping with his right arm under his head, using it as a pillow, the other resting on his stomach. His long legs were exposed to the heat of the summer sun, but the rest of him was safely covered by the tree's shadow. Mimi crouched down beside him, studying his facial expression.
'He seems so... tired,' she thought.
Mimi took notice of Yamato's ironically restless expression, his crinkling forehead, his furrowed eyebrows. The bags under his eyes formed a strong shadow of violet, indicating a lack of sleep. Occasionally, his body would shudder, like he was avoiding something. Running away from something.
Almost instantaneously, Mimi wanted to slap herself silly for thinking that Yamato was fine, that he was not at all affected by the break up. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it for wishing that Yamato would suffer as Sora did. It broke her heart to see him so distressed... so defenseless.
She wanted to help him ease the pain as she did for Sora. She wanted to console him. But she knew that no matter how much she asked him to open up to her, he would not. They were not very close; he had no reason to confide in a distant friend like her when he barely confides to Taichi and Takeru.
Mimi looked up at the sky and raked her brain, searching for a way to help Yamato. Any way, no matter how small or insignificant, was fine. Then an idea struck her. She quickly pushed her left hand to her pocket, grasping around for an item she always had on her. As soon as she felt the familiar material, she pulled it out.
On her hand was a white handkerchief with laces sewed on the edges. She carefully laid it out on the grass and folded it to a rectangular shape before wrapping it around the bottle, letting it absorb the cold water dews.
'No, this is not cold enough.'
She opened the water bottle and poured its content on the soft fabric. Mimi then set the handkerchief on her palm and pressed it with her other palm, wringing out excess moisture. She quietly scooted closer to Yamato and gently placed the damp handkerchief on his eyes, carefully and lightly pressing it down to fit the shape of Yamato's face.
"I hope you'll feel better soon, Matt," she whispered. She promptly stood up and left to buy Sora another beverage.
'At least now I can buy her hot tea,' she smiled.
The sound of trees rustling woke Yamato up.
He sleepily groaned; he had not been able to get a wink of sleep for the past few days. This was partly due to him having pondered of his future, specifically with Sora, and partly due to the guilt he felt for having initiated the conversation that lead to the break up. 'It was going to happen eventually...' he thought. He could no longer let Sora carry all the weight of their insecurities on her own. It was not as if he did not try to carry his own share of the bloody thing, he tried so hard. But it was too much. He was not strong enough. Not for himself, and definitely not for the both of them.
A heavy sigh escaped his dried lips. 'I should probably get back to class,' he thought absentmindedly. The outside was his escape; it was his oasis. He could not stomach the thought of being in the same class with Sora, having to look at her tired expression and messy demeanour he knew he caused. The guilt never stopped coming for him.
It was around then that he realized opening his eyes was a bit more difficult than it usually was. Something heavy, yet strangely soothing, was weighing his eyelids down and keeping them closed. 'Is someone here?' he thought, further relaxing when he heard no human movement. He moved his free hand toward the object atop his eyelids and felt a cold, damp textile. A sweet scent whirled around his nose, presumably coming from the fabric that he assumed to be a handkerchief. The scent calmed him down and gave him a sense of comfort. It smelled so familiar, yet he could not tell to whom it belonged.
Not long after, he drifted back to sleep.
A/N: Ahoy! Sorry for the terrible delay for the chapter, work and thesis had caused quite the storm in my life. Thank you for the alerts, favourites, and reviews! You guys keep me motivated to write more of TLT :)
Starrymilk: Thank you! :D I never thought that he would be snobbish; just aloof and... misunderstood? Hence his fondness of being alone. But maybe I'm over thinking it, haha.
Scripturiens: Thank you for the reviews! I'm not too fond of 'Meems' either, but could not find a one-syllable nickname for Mimi. Do you perhaps have a suggestion for her nickname that I can use in the future? :)
Kai: That's the plan! Thank you! :D
Guest, Digi Yo & Yaahaa: Thank you! :D