You didn't remember the taxi ride home at all (besides purchasing a last minute plane ticket while the car was moving, making you feel a little dizzy). All you had were blurry, unclear images of tossing random things into your suitcase and hauling it out your front door before hopping into the same taxi, clumsily telling him your destination: the airport.
Now here you were, sat in a plane while twiddling your fingers nervously. You had a long 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of you before you landed in San Fransokyo, and honestly you couldn't tell if you were nervous or excited. Either way, you were feeling a little light-headed... you wished you had a window seat, but since you booked your ticket so late, you had a seat right in the middle of the row, right at the back by yourself.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to San Fransokyo airlines..."
You leaned back in your seat. This was it. You were really doing this. You were really going to see him again after thirteen long years apart.
"If you haven't already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin..."
In the rush to get out the door and catch this flight, all the doubts and worries that you had pushed aside came rushing back, hitting you all at once and rendering you dizzy in seconds.
What if he hates me?
"Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt..."
Okay, but if I explain everything to him, he'll understand and forgive me and maybe... just maybe... eventually... get back together?
"Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law..."
But what if he thinks you made him look like a fool? What if... he gets fired because I gave him a bad reputation on live radio? He'll never forgive me then. He'll detest me.
These combined thoughts and the smell of the plane made your head spin even more, and you lean your head in your hand, rubbing your forehead tiredly.
"If you have any questions about our flight today, please don't hesitate to ask one of our flight attendants..."
I don't want to get my hopes up, but at the same time... I've been dreaming of seeing him for years now. What if he shatters my heart in a matter of seconds? What if he rejects me?
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Cody Evans and I'm your chief flight attendant..."
But it's going to be okay, you know that he must still care about you, otherwise he wouldn't have said all those things to you over the phone.
"At this time, make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position..."
But what if he was only being polite?
"Cabin Crew, please prepare for gate departure..."
Forget it. I'm not going to think about it right now.
Shoving those thoughts to the back of your mind, you switched on your favourite song and settled back into your seat, exhaling and closing your eyes as you fell into a troubled sleep.
The next time you opened your eyes, you were only about an hour and a half into the flight. Sighing, pulled out your phone and typed:
Notes:
-Text Hiro
-Call Hiro
-Book a place in a hotel (Priority?)
-Ask to meet in a park? (May be too cliche?)
- Ask to meet at Lucky Cat Cafe?
-Surprise him at his office?
How on earth were you going to do this?
You stared at the words you had hastily typed out, and crossed off the first option of texting Hiro and the last option of surprising him at his office.
Better to call him rather than text. It's just as bad as breaking up with someone over the phone... and if he does hate me, it's probably not a good idea to surprise him at his office. I really don't want this to be awkward.
But you knew it probably would be.
Sighing at your negative thoughts, you tapped the screen in front of you in order to select a movie. This was going to be the longest flight of your life.
~~~~~~
You stand in front of the cafe, wringing your hands as you paced around the outside. Inside, you could see happy customers chatting to one another, laughing merrily as they sipped their coffees, or bit into their donuts. What you would give to be in that position with Hiro right now.
Through the bustling crowd of the San Fransokians, you kept your eyes peeled for him. You very rarely saw him even while you were together, save for webcam calls. It had been thirteen long years, and he'd probably changed a lot... No. Wait. Was that...? No, it's not. Thank goodness. Wait, he's coming towards you... Yes. He was.
"(y/n)." You hear him say as he approached you. Your head and heart were pounding, and your palms felt sweaty.
"Hiro..." you breathed, taking in his face. He had grown much taller and his cheekbones were now more prominent than before.
That was where the good changes ended.
You could see many wrinkles across his once smooth skin. His twinkling eyes had gone, replaced with a cold, hard glare; and the light that you swore once surrounded him had now turned into a shadow. He was either working far too hard and driving himself into the ground, or his hatred for you was so strong that it showed physically. It was probably the latter.
"It's really good to see you again." You say, pouring as much meaning into it as you could.
The cold glare didn't change.
"You've got a lot of nerve, calling me out here."
You knew it.
He hated you.
"If you're mad about me hanging up so suddenly, please let me expla-"
"I know why. You didn't tell me right off the bat that we were live on radio? Are you kidding me? What were you trying to do, make a fool out of me?"
His accusation sent a cold chill all over your body. "No, of course not! I would never do that to you!"
"Do you have any idea what you've done to me?" He asked, coming up close to you and backing you up. Sneering would never suit a handsome face like his. It made him look menacing and downright terrifying.
You had never been so afraid before.
"N-no...?" You stammered out, staring into his once bright hazel eyes, searching for any remnants of the old Hiro, the one that was here only a few hours before, in the morning.
"Everybody was listening to that broadcast, my boss included. You-" and he jabbed a finger on your chest painfully, "got me fired from my dream career. I've got nothing left."
~
You jolted awake with a start, gasping and pressing a hand to your forehead.
What the hell? You thought to yourself as you glanced around. You were still on the plane.
Gosh. Hiro's chilling, harsh words to you had shaken you so badly that it had woken you from your dream. Your hand rose to your chest, swearing that you could still feel the pain from the sharp jab that dream-Hiro had given you.
Well, that does it. I'm finding a hotel first.
You quickly check the time on your phone. Another hour and a half left before landing. You shake your head, pulling the remote out from the screen to play games to pass the time. You had never gone through so much self torture before in such a short amount of time.
~
"Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position..."
Oh no.
You honestly didn't know if you should feel excited or scared. You had been excited initially, but that dream you had earlier had shaken you to the core. Because of it, you refused to let yourself fall back asleep for fear of another similar dream.
What if your dream came true?
"Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened..."
Don't think about that. You commanded yourself as you shoved your phone into your bag. Even if he does hate you, it's better to know for sure than to spend another thirteen years wondering what would have happened if I did go to see him.
That thought made you feel a little better. Keeping your head high and resting your purse on your lap, you waited another twenty long minutes before the stupid plane finally landed.
The walk down the plane aisle and down the corridor felt like it took five years. It honestly felt a little suffocating; especially when you looked out to the windows and saw the familiar tall skylines of San Fransokyo. It reminded you of Hiro, for some reason.
The minute you stepped into the sun outside of the airport, you immediately checked for nearby hotels.
You found a room in the fifth one you checked. It wasn't the best hotel in the world, but it would do.
~
This was it. You had dropped everything and flown yourself all the way out here, you'd booked a room for a night, you'd phoned your boss to let you know what had happened and you'd purchased another plane ticket for three day's time. Now it was time to call Hiro himself.
Here we go...
You tap Hiro's contact number on your phone, and the familiar sound of ringing rang through your ears.
"Hello?"
"Hey Hiro. It's me."
"...(y/n)?"
"Yep." You laughed shakily, running a hand through your hair. You can't believe this. Yesterday was another day doing a radio talk show with Ryou and going about your normal life, today you were halfway across the country calling your old boyfriend.
"Listen Hiro, are you free right now?
"R-Right now? As in, right this second??"
"Yes."
"Um... yeah, I think so?"
"Come down to the Lucky Cat Cafe. We need to talk." You considered saying more, but your mind drew a blank. There was a pause at his end too.
"A-Are you here?!"
"If you choose not to come, that's fine too." You said before switching off your phone, not wanting to leave him with no choice.
Everything was done now. All you had to do was plan what you were going to say, and hope that the dream you had on the plane was not how Hiro actually felt about you.
Time was not your friend today. It dragged on once more as you walked around, wringing your hands together as you rehearsed what you were going to say to him. You wondered if you'd still have a connection with him, and if you'd wasted all this time pining after him when there was nothing left anymore.
Through the crowd crossing the streets, one lone figure stood out. One with a tall, skinny frame and ebony dark hair, with hands shoved into his pockets as he pushed through the afternoon crowd. He was not going left or right, but headed straight for the cafe you stood in front of. Hiro Hamada.
You noticed that your dream was inaccurate about what Hiro looked like now. He definitely did not look as old as you thought he would, he still looked almost the same as the Hiro you remembered thirteen years earlier, except with a stronger, more defined jawline and cheekbones. His hair was still tousled and messy, and he was wearing a simple shirt with calf-length pants, like in his youth. He hadn't changed at all.
"(y/n)!" He recognised you as he broke into a light jog. Your heart dropped to your feet as you realised he wasn't angry with you at all. Not in the slightest. He was in a rush to meet you.
All of this. The stress of your job, the wondering about his well-being, the past lonely thirteen years, the dream on the plane, the negative thoughts all washed away by his simple act of running towards you... it was a burden on your shoulder that was finally lifted off.
He reached you by then, inhaling deeply to regain his breath.
"(y/n)."
You press a hand to your mouth. "I can't believe you came."
Hiro laughed lightly. "Are you joking?"
There was a pause. This was what you had feared the most. You were so scared that there would be nothing left between you and Hiro. That this was all for nothing.
"Honestly-" You started.
"I need t-" He started at the same time, but stopped. "Go ahead."
"No, you go." You insist.
"You go, you started first."
"No, you go. I want to hear what you wanted to say."
"Alright, alright." Hiro gave in. "You know that I've never really been one for emotional words, but to tell you the honest truth, I can't even remember what caused us to lose contact. All I know is that maybe it was because I was too stubborn, or because I can't convey my feelings well enough to you, I lost you. Now that you're again... well... Is it bad that I still need you?" He asked in a very small voice, rubbing the back of his neck. Though his little speech was short and succinct, it was enough to bring tears to your eyes.
"...No." You shake your head, feeling tears beginning to settle in. Everything you had ever wanted was here, everything that happened in the past 24 hours had been building up to this moment.
"No, because... I've felt the exact same way ever since we stopped talking. I've lost you for years, but you're here with me again. It's..." You couldn't finish, but he understood anyway, gathering you into his arms. Everything about him was familiar. Your head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck, his warmth enveloping you and his familiar smell. You couldn't really describe it, but it calmed you and reassured you that he was here with you.
Was it worth it?
Was it worth it dropping everything to fly all the way to the opposite side of the country to see him?
Was it worth waiting thirteen years?
"This... Us... We were worth the wait." He murmured in your ear.
"I couldn't have said it better myself."
~~~
I haven't updated in a month.
Omg.
I'm so sorry.
School's been crazy.
But I'm on holiday now, so AYYEE I have more time to write.
I may be slow on updates once school starts again though. School's just dumping work on us like nobody's business. Although I suppose they would have to. I'm almost in my final year of high school!!
Well anyways, thank you all so much for reading to the end! I promise there will be more fics coming out to compensate for the many hiatuses that will undoubtedly occur once school starts again. I have like, 10 drafts of different ideas, so hopefully I can get them all done this holiday for you all!!
Also, I have 2.2k reads?! Thank you all so so so much, it means so much to me that you guys enjoy my writing, and you're the only reason why I keep going with writing instead of discontinuing it.
Thank you all so so so much <3
~Charmaine/Kia xxx