He Was a Friend

/15/ He's unstoppable. /

Art hastily pressed his keys to lock his car and glanced on his watch – it's forty minutes past 5PM. He quickly placed his keys inside his pockets and did a sprint, which made some people around him look his way.

He is almost on the airport's entrance when he noticed his reflection on the glass sliding doors, and winced when he realized something.

Crap. I forgot my hoodie and eyeglasses!

He always needed those set to disguise somehow – or at least a cap. Cursing, he stopped on his tracks to go back to his car, and clicked his tongue.

No. If I go back now, I'm definitely not going to make it, he thought while scowling and speeding towards the departure gates back again.

There are a lot of people in the airport, presumably because it's the first week of December and week after next is already Christmas holidays. As he scanned the area trying to catch a sight of Louise, he caught a glimpse of a group of teenagers muttering to each other and looking at his direction which made him avert his eyes instinctively.

He stopped running to avoid any further attention. Perplexed of his conflicting situation, he anxiously stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Where are you, Louise?

He stupidly assumed that her and Eric's flight was the midnight one – so he thought he would still have enough time to talk to her properly. It took him all day to finally decide that today will be the "D-day", because he can't predict what will happen on her trip with Eric. He has to let her know now, because Eric is a variable he can't control — and it would be a thousand times more difficult to monitor her once she flies off to another country. He even walked out of his recording just a few minutes back while shouting his apologies on the way out – after confirming with Robin from a phone call that they already left for their 7PM flight.

Just where...?

More and more people glanced into his direction as he kept on sweeping the faces around him to find Louise.

He cursed in silence as a large group of teenagers from his left scuttled towards his direction, as well as another group of middle-aged women from his back. There are a few people exchanging thoughts excitedly in his right, too - where he picked up words like "Art" or "Cardiac".

Just a second before he lost his last strand of hope, he heard the announcement of the last call for passengers for a flight to Haneda Airport, which was actually Louise' flight.  At the same time, a familiar-looking neon yellow running jacket rushing towards the immigration area entered his vision.

His heart dropped.

He can hear his time ticking and resonating with his increasing heart beat.

He has no disguise, no bodyguards, no manager, NOTHING. If the crowd notices him – forget having a talk with Louise, he doesn't even know how to get away from there safely. Not to brag but he's really, without a doubt, popular enough to cause a really big commotion.

He felt absolutely cornered.

A field day it is, then.

With clenched teeth, he dashed towards the waist-level metal barricade and called-out her name as loud as he can.

"LOU!"

Louise's surprised face turned and tracked him in an instant. Both her and Eric hurriedly went to his direction, perhaps due to their need to check-in as soon as possible considering the announcement just now.

"Art! What is it, we're really in a hurry because we might miss the—"

Louise wasn't able to finish her words as he swiftly held her close in one arm through the waist, placed his other hand on her nape, and kissed her full on the lips.

He still caught a glimpse of a shocked-as-hell Eric zooming their way before fully closing his eyes.

Absolutely... a field day, Tuesday.