Chapter 34
I stare out of the window, and then a cup of tea is proffered to me. I take it my gaze never shifting. He joined me by the still, and put his hand on mine.
"Good god, you're fingers are icy cold." he starts warming my fingers by rubbing them with his.
"Don't be nice to me Jirou…. You just make me feel worse than I already am." I said walking away to the bed.
I crawl into the bed and curl up and just start crying for the hundredth time today. I feel him lying behind me, and he puts his arms around me.
"I'll wait. Till the day you love me, I'll wait." He says giving me a kiss on the cheek, getting up, and leaves the room.
**********
I awaken this morning, to find my pillow wet, and my eyes dry. I turn to see a ray of light shining through the curtains; and I turn back into my duvet.
I hear a knock on the door, but I don't want to see who it is because I know who it will not be. I glide myself off the bed and into the bathroom. The knocking persists…
"GO AWAY!" I scream "Just go… go away". Just when I thought the dam had run dry… There I was looking on myself in the third person, it looked pathetic; mascara running, all the smudged make up, howling in a curled up ball...
Soujiro was doing laps in the indoor heated pool, as he tried to clear his mind of the vision of his weeping fiancée.
Tsukasa was looking at the woman in his bed that had come in the middle of the night. He smiled to himself as he lit a cigarette.
Akira stood in the middle of the Zen garden watching Shizuka watch Rui watching Tsukushi's room door.
***********
"Shizuka, let's go in," said Akira putting his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
"It's okay, I'll wait for him." She replied not looking back.
"He'll take awhile, just leave him be…"
"Akira… I want to be the one he sees waiting here right behind him once he turns around," she said looking sincerely into his eyes.
"Shiz, you know it will take more than awhile before he turns around," said Akira soothingly; thinking; if he does turn around at all.
"I know…I just want to be here when he does, finally turn around."
Rui stood there fixated on her door. Was she alright? He had seen Soujiro leave the room the night before looking somewhat devastated. He had seen her staring out of the window from behind the tree; with tears in her eyes. He felt a pang in his heart, and a sudden gust of cold wind went down his spine. Something was amiss…
***********
"Tsukasa…" she yawned reaching out for him and was promptly greeted by the image of him in his robe; loosely tied, and cigarette in hand.
"You've woken up… about bloody time." He said and continued to stand in his corner.
She got out of the bed, not bothering to pull anything on and walked towards him. He looked at her quizzically and she just sniggered. She undid the loosely tied belt round his hips, and moved in onto his currently fully naked body.
He shook his head, "Girls these days…" and moved to tie the belt back on with her still in the robe.
"Boys these days," she said and kissed him right smack centre. And he didn't stop her.
***********
They had all gathered in the café for brunch before departing later for Bora-Bora. The first there was Soujiro fresh from his swim, but what was really swimming was the picture of her crying in his head.
Next, Rui came in sitting on the direct opposite end wondering where she was. Trailing behind him were Shizuka and Akira promptly seated between Rui and Soujiro. It was about 10 minutes later that Tsukasa and Shigeru came in laughing, hands interlocked.
But there was an empty seat, right next to Soujiro. Knowing looks circulated round the table. Rui sat down and refrained from saying anything, as everyone else started ordering their meal.
Suddenly he shot this look across the table, which Soujiro promptly caught, and the both of them dashed out of the café. With each step that they took each said a prayer.
"Tsukushi!TSUKUSHI!!!" said Soujiro banging at the door.
"You have the key don't you… open the damn door!" shouted Rui at him.
"The damn key is not with me. I went swimming!" shouted Soujiro right back.
Then as if on instinct Rui ran round back and spotted the window from yesterday. He grabbed the nearest extinguisher and smashed it through.
He went right through the window, saw the empty bed, and made a dash for the bathroom. And there she was in the shower doorway ghostly pale.
"Rui?" was all she managed before her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
He deftly made a dive for her, to cushion the fall.
"Good God Tsukushi can you take care of yourself for once." He said talking to himself as he grabbed the nearest towel and bundled her in it. He picked her up and laid her on the bed.
"Can you not just stand there, call the in-house" said Rui to the dumbfounded Soujiro.
Rui moved quickly to dry her hair, bundle her up. Just then the in-house doctor arrived, gave her a jab and put her on drips before dragging them out for a talk.
"I know it is none of my business, but what has she been doing for the last few days? I noticed a highly irregular pulse, extremely low blood pressure and sugar levels. Has she even eaten in the past week?"
'Yes she has!" said Soujiro trying to recall their dates. Then he also recalled how she picked at the food, and knew that out of three meals he was with her for only one.
The doctor spotted the loop pretty quickly and said, "I don't know what is going on here, but I would recommend a psych diagnosis. Has she been listless lately? Staring off into space?"
Soujiro sighed deeply and punched the wall, "How could I not notice!"
"You were to blinded in your happiness, you refused to see anything wrong with her." Said Rui silently, and retreated to the room to her side.
