Why All The Choices That I Make Leave Me With Scars?

Escapism

We should get this one!" Harumi held up a small potted plant to Lloyd as he scanned the clay pots along the shelves. He turned, rearing his head back as he felt something prick his nose, his eyes focusing on what exactly his girlfriend had been holding: a miniature cactus.

"Sorry!" Harumi reached up and rubbed the spot with her thumb gently.

"You want a cactus?" Lloyd asked her incredulously. "You trip every five minutes in the apartment, and we only have a coffee table and couch."

"Your point?" Harumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"You'll definitely hurt yourself on that thing at some point." Lloyd plucked the pot from her hands, putting it back on the shelf she'd found it on.

Harumi crossed her arms and huffed like a child, blowing a tuft of hair out of her face. "Well, can we get the venus fly trap I wanted earlier?"

"We don't even have flies," Lloyd reasoned, looking back at her.

"But they're so cool!" Harumi whined, looking up at the shelf of small plants. "We gotta have something for the windowsill in the kitchen. It's so dull in the place!"

"Which is why we're shopping for other things right now," Lloyd reminded her. "We still have to pick out a rug."

"We gotta have some decorations, too!" Harumi insisted. "We're hosting the party, so we have to make the place look good!"

"I'm sure nobody is going to care about what the place looks like as long as there are drinks and snacks. Speaking of it... do you still want to invite?"

"Yes. It's for the best. Now let me choose a plant mister."

Lloyd pushed the cart along, leaving Harumi to mope in the greenhouse area of the store. Harumi looked over her shoulder as he left, and her attention returned to the shelves lining the wall. A small plant toward the top caught her eye, so she reached up to try and get it herself. She steadied herself by grabbing a lower shelf with one hand, reaching up with the other and standing on her tiptoes. Her fingertips barely touched it before another hand grabbed the pot from behind her, bringing it down. "Here you go!"

Harumi returned to her normal height and turned, ready to thank whoever got the plant for her but stopped. Her eyes traveled up to the face of a young man, his familiar brown eyes locking with Harumi's. He was taller, but his face was unmistakable. "M-Morro?"

"Harumi!" Morro shoved the plant onto the shelf closest to her, reaching forward to wrap Harumi in a hug which she did not return right away. She was still frozen in surprise. She hadn't really calculated what happened at the club.

"What are you- how-" Harumi stumbled over her words as Morro pulled away, still holding her shoulders.

"I knew it was you! I could recognize you from across the store." His smile was bright, and now he was a few inches taller than Harumi. His hair was still black as it had been when they were younger, but now he had a green streak. "How are you? I was hoping I'd run into you at some point. I saw you at the party, but you kinda pushed me away."

Harumi could hardly form a coherent sentence as the boy rambled on. Why was he being so friendly? Had he forgotten what happened all those summers ago? Harumi hadn't, that was for sure. However, all she could muster was a fake smile and, "You look the same!"

"Everyone says that," Morro sighed with a good-natured smile, rolling his eyes. "But you look pretty much the same too! Your hair is a bit curlier, though. Did you used to straighten it?"

"O-oh, um, yeah actually." Harumi tugged at one of the strands of hair in front of her face. "I stopped when I started high school."

"Well, I think it suits you. You look very pretty." Morro crossed her arms over his chest, his smile never breaking as he looked down at Harumi.