98. Reflect
Soft, tinkling notes chime through the quiet room, the only sound beside the rustling of paper. A dancing pair of blondes spins in slow circles to the tune atop the ornate wooden box.
A girl dressed in a pale yellow sundress is crosslegged on the floor. In her hands are old photographs from years ago. Her eyes wash over the familiar faces, and memories flood her, nostalgia coming back in waves. Pictures of her childhood friend Miku and her, smiling and holding out peace signs to the camera in their bathing suits, playing and hanging out. She smiles, giving a low chuckle at the blue-haired male looking devastated in one background over a sandy ice cream bar.
The next picture makes her freeze. Her eyes unintentionally well up, but she can't bring herself to look away from the image.
It's Rin, but with a blonde boy. A boy who looked very similar to her. Her once-best friend, Len. His warm blue eyes stare intently at her, a playful expression on his face as he wrapped an arm around Rin's neck mischievously. The image is bittersweet, the happiness captured within its timeless frame now long gone. It's been so long since she'd seen him. Her best friend, and also her crush, whom she had left without saying goodbye.
He probably hates her now. Rin bites her lip, her fingertip running along his face. She'd had no choice but to leave. Her family had to relocate, and she hadn't had time to say goodbye, exchange addresses, anything. She basically fell off the face of the planet, and lost contact with everyone she was friends with.
Reflecting back on it, Rin knows if she could have, she'd have wanted to stay in contact with him. They were really close, and it was like being ripped away from one of her limbs.
A tear accidentally hits the picture, and she hastily wipes it away as not to ruin the photograph. It's one of her only pictures of him, and seeing as Rin's sure that she won't ever see him again, she plans to treasure it forever.
Knocking at her opened door makes her glance up. For a moment, it doesn't register what she's seeing. Then, the picture falls from her hands.
A quirky grin. Flashing azure eyes, which have matured during their long absence. "Hey, Rin. Thought you got rid of me, eh?"
Then, "...I missed you, you know."
It takes seconds for her to rise from the ground, and she lunges at the boy, showering his face with kisses and hugging him, no words able to escape her clogged throat.
The music box sounds its final chimes, stilling its melancholic dance once more.