Crumbling Cakes

Part XXXVII (37) *POV Bonus*

And when he could no longer see me standing before him, here would be his proof that wherever I was, he wasn't that far from my mind and that there was a time where he was my center. Maybe that would be torture for us both, but like all of my mistakes, it'll make itself heavily known when it was far too late to change. This was one bout of pain I'll readily accept.

I took the stairs down to the lobby. Needing the burn in my muscles to keep me moving steadily. Every prolonged second here was convincing me it was time to rethink my overall plan. The argument was sound, the points valid, but one look at my reflection was enough to puncture the balloon of possibilities and remind me it was just a whimsical fantasy.

Out on the pavement, with the frost still clinging to the gritty surface and the cold biting into exposed skin, I closed my eyes and tilted my face toward the beginning glow of the sun. The streets smelled the same. The sounds still echoed its familiar song. The center of our world still rotated above us through its seasons.

But I was altered. And all of these moments emphasized the hollowness that was growing as I left pieces of myself all over the grid of this city. The largest piece resting on a shiny countertop sixteen floors above me.

I shoved my numb hands into my pockets and glanced around. It was filled with people but rather empty this early on. I clung to the crowds and kept my eyes on every possible threat. Staying away from nooks and crevices that could be the beginning of the end.

My feet carried me aimlessly as the two ends of the scale battled for control in my head. There was no reason, no destination. I moved and watched, enjoying the proof that a normal life was possible for some even if I would never get a chance at it. At some point when you've exhausted every emotion, you accept that some pieces lie where they lay because that's where they've always been intended to be.

I was mildly surprised to look up and find myself standing before Zhou's Market. My mind may be a mess, but my heart at least knew where I needed to go. Feeling resigned, I stepped through the door. For once looking for the owners and not for supplies.

Kun wasn't in his normal spot and a pang of sadness pattered through my veins. I didn't know if I'll get a chance to come back after today, after all, I had preparations to make. Plans to set in motion. There was a location to be picked, tickets to be bought, apartments to be scurried through the trench that was the internet. I've given myself two weeks to evacuate. I was down to twelve days.

"One moment!" A young clerk called out to me. He must be new, I didn't recognize his voice.

I walked toward the counter, slowly rotating one of the displays to kill time. It would be just my luck if Lei and Kun were both out on the day I needed to confess with a goodbye.

He came bounding down the aisle, meeting me at Kun's perch. "Sorry, I'm supposed to be greeting, but uh, duty called." He shrugged a lazy shoulder.

"Is Kun alright?" I asked. Worry gnawing on my intestines.

This stranger waved a hand. He was young, looked about to be seventeen. He was cute in that devil may care way. "He's fine. Just a little cold but ā yí wouldn't hear a word of him coming down today."

"Oh." Well, that was a relief. Wait...

He reached out a hand, "I'm Jo, ā yí's favorite thorn." I took his hand befuddled, he leaned in to whisper. "Despite what she says. I so am the favorite."

He took in my confusion. I was confused. My brain has been battered and drained of all intelligence. He took pity on me with a mischievous grin. "Lei. She's my ā yí, er, aunt. She's my aunt. My dad's oldest sister." Jo nodded along to my nods with every word he spoke. We were synchronized bobbleheads as these facts seeped into my brain matter.