His presence is a surprise. They gathered in that small, familiar restaurant for Luka's birthday and he was there.
Why wouldn't he? He was friends with the pink haired woman, a good friend. He was also Neru's best friend, who was Haku's girlfriend and look, another of Luka's closest friends.
And he was always joined at the hip with his twin, so when she showed up all bright smiles and cheerful attitude, she should have known he'd be right behind his sister. Also smiling, also showing a cheerful attitude but…
And then he saw her, sitting between Kaito and Gakupo and making chat with Meiko, and his smile evaporated.
She had seen his every quirk, every face and every emotion. She had seen him happy and tearful with joy, and that silent anger so different from hers. She was extremely vocal and he kept the rage inside, but it was very visible in his eyes. Big, blue eyes that she had seen so many times and knew better than her own.
How old was he know? Twenty-five, maybe? He stared at her but didn't sit down, like his sister did. And everyone went quiet.
Only fools rush in, and they had rushed in and that's why they were here now. Three years and he still looked hurt every time he saw her.
She made the mistake, it was her fault, and he never blamed her for it. It was US, he said, we're too young and stupid and…
He never outright told her she was the one to blame, never. And it hurt her so much. It was that she had seen him above her, eyes closed and teeth clenched. It was the intimacy, the fluttering touches and butterfly kisses and laughter and it never got old, because they were sappy fools or whatever Rin had called them. It was his face when she confessed, the pain and the betrayal written across his face, and the silent question of "why?" that broke her.
She still had the rings in her nightstand, inside a velvet box and hidden in the drawer, waiting for the legitimate owner to come back and claim the space besides her. The right pillow, the bedsheets when she stole them… Miku herself.
He had been the order to her chaos. She left her clothes in a pile on the floor, while he meticulously removed his and placed them, folded and neat, on a chair. She was a bed-hog, and normally starfished, mostly in summer. He always slept in neat positions, on his back or on his stomach and occupying the less possible amount of space. Sometimes, she suffered insomnia while he was a heavy sleeper. He was a cuddler, and she tried to kick him away in summer when she was sticky. But she always came back to him. They complemented each other, she supposed…
Until that day.
That was the main difference.
He was loyal to a fault, and he only touched her.
Miku, on the other hand…
But she didn't want to hide it and hurt him more later, so she told him. And after that, their dynamic changed. No more fluttering kisses and silent whispers in the middle of the night. His teasing touches stopped, she knew he was angry, but he was too proud to tell her anything. She would have screamed at him. She would have cried and kicked and finally, she would have broken down in a puddle of misery. He didn't.
So she left him. They signed their papers, bid each other farewell and she had prompted it. He was unhappy, and she was being selfish. It was just once, but once is all it took.
He had a fling with Piko after that, but it didn't work. They lasted a month.
She couldn't even try. He was it for her, and she felt terrible. Maybe she took him for granted?
It didn't matter anymore, because now he was standing there, staring at her and she was waiting for him to sit down, to laugh it off and to be so coldly polite she could cry.
He didn't.
"I'm sorry, Luka. Have a happy birthday, but I'm not really comfortable to stay"
"It's okay, don't worry. Have a nice night"
Then, he left the restaurant and Miku behind.