It was finally my day off and I planned to binge watch an anime that I've been eyeing for a while.
Not until Stephen Maar, my teammate, told me and a few other people to come and watch a performance with him.
He saw it in a post online and was interested to see it. So interested, he wanted everyone in Monza to see it with him.
I honestly didn't want to go but I couldn't refuse the kind gesture since he already bought tickets. So here I was wearing my white dress shirt that I had, thankfully taken from Japan, and black pants. I sprayed on some cologne and fixed my hair one last time before heading out.
The performance was in Milan so we decided to head out earlier just in case there was any traffic. Stephen decided to drive while I and the others just relaxed in the back.
I connected my earphones to my phone and listened to my usual playlist. As I was listening to music, my mind starts to wander off. I was very happy that I connected with Ryouta again, I can finally talk to him without any issues. When he replied to me, It felt like the heavy weight that was on my shoulders lifted ever so lightly. But the weight of guilt was still there.
Yes, I was an asshole. To my best friend and his sister.
I closed my eyes tightly and gave out a long sigh.
Eric was sat next to me and asked if I was okay. I nodded my head and continued to listen to my music.
As much as I want to say I have a reason, I don't think it makes up for the four years I have ghosted them. I cherished them like my family but I betrayed them and left them in the dark. I decided to explain myself to both of them personally. Not over text or a simple phone call.
I just hope they can still hold on a bit longer until I go back to Japan.
All of a sudden, Rika popped in my head. The picture of her smiling with her brother on her side made me smile a bit. The flowers that she was holding complimented her skin. Her hair was longer now compared to her cute bob cut when she was a 1st year.
'Cute?'
I shifted on my seat, feeling a bit weirded out. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing though. I tried shifting my mind off of her but somehow couldn't. All I can think of now is her smile. The smile that she always had when we were kids. It never changed.
I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Ran, we're here.. Let's go." Eric said as he got out of the car.
I opened the door beside me to get out of the small car. After sitting in that car for a good while, it felt so good to stretch our limbs. Especially if most of us are almost two meters long.
We walked towards the entrance and was greeted by one of the ushers. He told us that the doors will open in a few minutes so we can grab a drink before it starts. We all picked a glass of champagne and chatted. I noticed a few camera men were taking photos of us and walked away, also taking photos of other guests.
'Looks like it's a really fancy event.'
Looking around, I felt curious to see how people work in theaters. The ushers were greeting people with a smile that they had to put on until the end of the night. Another person was also greeting the guests, who I assume was probably the director or whoever created the show. I looked at the poster and saw that it was a dance performance.
'Hmm.. That's familiar.. Where did I heard that from?'
I swore I heard that from somewhere but couldn't put my finger on it. Was it from Stephen? No, I just found that out today. From a post? Nope, I'm not on that side of social media.
Thinking where I heard the term, someone suddenly came in making a lot of people rush over. A few photographers suddenly came out and started taking photos, most of the ushers greeted the person and also the director directly walked towards the person and greeted them, himself.
Curious, we all went to check who it was, thinking they were some sort of celebrity. Using our height as an advantage, I could make out of the person's features. It was a girl wearing a black suit with black heels. Though, her long curled hair caught my attention.
'Why am I such a sucker for long hair..?'
Since her back was facing us, I walked over to the other side to see the girl's face. After a few steps, my heart suddenly stops.
Rika Kobayashi?
A light bulb suddenly appeared on top of my head. Ryouta told me that Rika was going to Italy because she was invited to watch a dance performance.
I looked at her in awe, somewhat feeling proud that the small girl I used to know is suddenly a grown up and was respected by lot of people. Even though our age gap isn't that far, I feel like an old man looking at her.
Eyeing her, there's quite a few things that changed. Her aura became mature, her posture was finally straight and her hair. Her hair changed the most in her physical appearance. I used to call her Dora due to the bob cut and fringe she had. It was cute, she looked like a kid.
But now, the long hair suited her so much. I suddenly felt my heart beat louder than usual. I gulped, wanting to look away but couldn't. It's like, all of a sudden, I was bewitched by her.
And I wouldn't say it was the first time that happened.
I felt a smack land on my back, making me yelp.
I looked behind to see who it was and it was Arthur smirking at me.
"Ran! Look at you, becoming a big boy!" Arthur teased.
"Me and Cachopa are big boys." I answered back.
He laughed as I crossed my arms.
"She's cute, why don't you ask her out?" Arthur continued to tease but also somehow asked seriously.
I shook my head.
"You know I can't do that.." I sighed.
He rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, let's go..The others are already waiting inside." He said, dragging me inside.
Sitting inside the theatre, I can't help but look for Rika.
'I'm doing this because her brother told me to look after her.. Yeah..'
As I was looking for her, my eyes met Arthur's as he has an evident smirk on his face. I widened my eyes out of embarrassment and slouched back on my seat, now silently looking for her.
The show already started and my eyes still can't help but wander for the girl's location. After a few seconds, I spotted her up front with a pen on her hand. She started writing notes and continued to watch the performance.
Whatever she was doing was somehow more interesting than the show in front of me.
Before I knew it, the performance ended. We noticed people standing up and we did too, clapping our hands to the performers. I looked over at Rika to see if she was doing the same thing but she was not. She stayed on her seat and clapped.
'Was it bad?'
I retraced the performance in my head but couldn't remember a single thing since my focus was on her all the time.
Embarrassed, I shook my head to snap out of it. We got out of the theater, back to the lobby and decided to leave.
"Okay, let's go!" Stephen said like a father.
I panicked a bit, since I still didn't want to leave. I wanted to at least greet her.
As I was about to protest, Arthur came in and saved the day.
"Stephen, can we have one more glass of champagne please." Arthur asked, as Stephen rolled his eyes.
"Make it fast." Stephen said.
Most of us went to the back of the lobby where most of the guests stayed.
Looking left and right, I felt two hands on my shoulders.
"Ran, over there." Arthur whispered.
I looked over where he was pointing and was again, bewitched.
'Oh God..'
"Don't just stand there.. Talk to her."
My feet moved on it's own but stopped when it was just a few meters from her. She looked over my direction but I quickly hid behind a pillar. I peaked over again to see her looking straight ahead. I moved to the other side, walking closer to her. She quickly looked at me. I wanted to hide again, but was slow enough and I knew she was walking towards me. In a panic, I started to walk away from her, hoping she'd get tired and stop.
But, knowing Rika, she won't give up that easily.
Cursing under my breath, I opened a door that lead to the balcony of the place. Still hoping she wouldn't follow, ended up with her opening the door with full force, making me look away.
I heard her catching her breath before calling out to me. I didn't answer her and continued to face away from her.
'Ran, when did you become such a coward. Just say hi to her, damn it.'
I took a deep breath and turned around. The light helped my confidence as it only illuminated near her. I walked slowly towards her as she walked back. Getting closer to the light, my face finally showed.
I fixed my hair and smiled.
I saw tears formed on her eyes, making me frown.
'Shit..'
Silence took over us, as we just kept looking at each other's eyes.
I was about to speak until the door suddenly opened, revealing Arthur.
"RAN! There you are! Don't run off like- Oh hello, sorry.." Arthur started, apologizing midway.
I felt embarrassed, clearing my throat to ease my nerves.
"Arthur.. Can I just have a few minutes with this lady." I stated.
He smirked at me as I wanted to roll my eyes.
"Good luck, kid." He teased as he headed back inside the theatre lobby.
Adverting my attention to Rika, I saw that her head was facing down, looking away from me.
Sighing at the sight, I took a few steps closer to her.
"Can you please look at me?" I begged, wanting to ease the tension.
She took a deep breath and met my eyes.
'Beautiful.'
"Hey, Rika-chan."