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19: Summer

"Don't cry, Gumi," he said. "I should get going. Bye."

I wiped my tears away. He reached into his bag and pulled out a packet of tissues, handing one to me. I took it and he shuffled his feet before waving and walking away.

"Bye..." I watched as he walked away, towards a lineup of subway-goers who were being loaded onto buses.

All this time, was I nothing more than a friend? All the talks we had, the time we spent together, how much I comforted him...did he just think of me as his friend?

I shook the thoughts out of my head. People walked by me, glancing at my tear-stained face. I wondered if this was how hurt Len had felt.

No, it was probably worse than what I'm feeling.

I came home, dazed and tired. I had stopped crying in the bus and when I got home, my mom was asleep, so I went straight up to my room and sat in silence. Absentmindedly, I examined my fingers and nails, thinking about what had just happened.

Kaito had said no. He was already dating someone. I glanced at my phone. It was lying beside me. Quickly, I snatched it up and texted Len, getting straight to the point.

Gumi: who's Kaito seeing?

I got a response almost immediately.

Len: what?

And I replied back just as fast.

Gumi: answer the question! You never told me he was in a relationship.

Len: you never asked.

Gumi: I shouldn't have to ask!

Len: you said you weren't into Kaito. You lied, didn't you?

Gumi: answer me!

He didn't reply. I stared at my screen, waiting for a message of some sort. The phone rang suddenly, jolting me. Len was calling. I picked it up.

"Gumi, what's going on?" He asked. "Who told you Kaito was in a relationship?"

"He did!"

"You told me you didn't like him!"

"I'm sorry!" I yelled into the phone. "I couldn't help it!"

"Of course you couldn't, but...you could've told me, dammit!"

"No, I couldn't have!"

"It's not your fault for feeling that way," Len sighed. I could just about picture him with his head resting in his hands. "I just wish you would've told me."

"I'm sorry," I said again.

"Whatever, it...it's fine, I guess," Len mumbled. "Kaito's been in a relationship for a year now. He's dating Rin."

I swallowed my spit and nodded, even though Len couldn't see me. "Okay," I whispered.

"That probably explains a lot, huh?" Len asked slowly.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, twitching as my phone started vibrating suddenly, again and again. "Ugh..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, someone's spamming me with texts," I mumbled, refocusing on the conversation with Len. "But I understand now, Len."

"I don't want Kaito falling for another girl because that will hurt Rin," he said. "Which is why I don't like it when your friends and other girls swoon at the sight of him and try to flirt with him. I wanted you to stay away from him because I liked you, but after that, too, because I didn't want his rejection to hurt you."