My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

How Did You Know I Was Crying?

That night, I had a hard time sleeping. I tossed and turned, switched sleeping positions several times, and even tried doing the yoga exercises I searched the internet that could help induce sleep, all to no avail. Finally, when my frustration had reached its limit, I jumped out of bed and walked towards the wall-to-ceiling window. I parted the heavy drapes and looked at the evening view of the business district before me.

"Anata, my friend Charles is acting weird. Lately, he's become touchy. Usually, I'd be uncomfortable whenever a man gets close to me like he does but I am oddly neither repulsed nor disturbed. It's like it's normal for him to hold my hand and even kiss me," I spoke as if Kaname was beside me. "Am I being unfaithful to you for feeling this way?"

I knew I was not going to receive a reply but the silence still stung. Releasing a heavy sigh, I walked away from the window, pulled the duvet from the queen-sized bed and placed it on the floor. I then took the pillows, fluffed them up, and lay on the comforter. I smiled contentedly, this was much better. I feel like I'm sleeping on the futon in my room in the ooku. This feeling was further enhanced by the fact that I was only wearing a bath robe. The only thing missing was... I stopped my depressing thoughts and took my phone from the robe's front pocket. When the screen lit up and as was my evening ritual, I looked at the faces of my family and reminisced of the good times. Meeting the love of my life for the first time, the night he slept in my room, his return from Kai, the memories of our lovemaking, our trips together, the time I found out I was pregnant, the look on his face when he found out, the day the twins were born, the festivals I spent with him and our rice balls, becoming the official lady of the Kirishima household, his wedding vow...

Today, and every day, I promise to love you and only you.

"You kept your promise and never remarried, anata."

In return, I vow to make you the happiest woman in all of Japan.

"You made that a reality, too."

I will love and cherish you with my entire being.

"I love you so much, Kaname."

I will guard your heart fiercely and won't let anyone hurt you.

"You're everything that I need. Without you, the world means nothing."

But who is this Charles? What is he to you?

I hurriedly sat up and looked around to search for the owner of that voice. It sounded like it was whispered directly to my ear.

"K-Kaname?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

Of course, silence was the only response I got. A huge lump on my throat made it difficult for me to breathe and I started crying.

"I'm sorry, Kaname. I'm sorry. That won't happen again. I'm only yours. Forgive me," I said the words over and over, my face buried in my hands.

The phone on the bedside table started ringing. I ignored it with the intention of making the caller think that I've fallen asleep. It rang three more times until Front Desk or whoever was calling gave up. Minutes later, a frantic knocking came on my door. Thinking that there must be an emergency of some sort in the hotel, I got up and walked towards the door. A wild thought crossed my mind out of the blue: what if the hotel was attacked by terrorists and they're going to all the rooms and killing people? With this in mind, my steps slowed. The knocks continued and they became increasingly impatient. With brows furrowed, I looked through the peephole to check who was on the other side of the door.

It was Charles.

I unhooked the door chain and pulled the door open. When he saw me, his hands immediately caught my face.

"I knew it! You were crying again!" his words were full of anguish.

"Charles, I─"

Not letting me finish, he pushed me inside, kicked the door shut, dragged me to the bed, and forced me to a sitting position. He then went to the mini fridge, took a couple of ice cubes from the freezer, and went to the bathroom. I then heard the sound of water running then of the faucet being turned off. When he emerged from the bathroom, he was carrying a glass of water with the ice cubes swimming in it. On his other hand was a face towel.

"What are those for?" I asked when he placed the cold glass of water on the bedside table and dipped the towel in it.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping now and not crying?" he reproached before pressing the cold wet towel gently under my eyes. "Your eyes are so puffy."

His scolding tone made me look at him with a perplexed expression. I don't understand what he's doing at all.

When our eyes met, he sighed. "Just let me do this for a few minutes more, okay? And then we'll talk."

The moment the towel became the same temperature as my skin, he dipped it back into the cold water, wrung it, and placed it back to my under eye area. He did this until he was satisfied.

"How did you know I was crying?" I asked as soon as he placed the used towel on the table.

"I just know," he replied, avoiding my eyes.

"You said we'll talk after I let you do what you did," I frowned, dissatisfied with his answer. "Charles, you've been acting weird ever since I got back from Japan. I feel like your words have deeper meaning and your actions puzzle me. What's going on?"

"I've always been like this, what are you talking about?" he asked, suspiciously calm.

"You weren't touchy and this concerned about me before," I countered.

"Now you're the one who's acting weird," Charles replied, his brows raised.

"Lately, you've been calling and inviting me out a lot," I retorted, my hands crossed on my chest. "Tonight, you held my hand a few times and acted like... Like..."

"Like?" he prompted, looking completely confused.

I wanted to say 'boyfriend' but didn't have the courage for fear of sounding ridiculous and appearing as though I was putting malice on his innocent show of care.

"How did you know I was crying?" I asked instead, my eyes focused on catching any change in his facial expression.