AUTHOR
sliding the curtains to the side, the soothing sound of the birds chirping outside echoed through your ears as the sunlight shined through the room. you yawned, your mouth hanging open slightly as you tried your best not to fall asleep right then and there. it wasn't a minute before your alarm started ringing– a sign that it was time to do your morning routine. getting up and grabbing your toothbrush you began brushing your teeth, gradually becoming more awake by the minute. once everything was in place, you turned off the alarm on your phone and went downstairs for breakfast.
the moment you came down, rindou was already leaning on the kitchen counter, holding a cup of coffee in his left hand with a piece of a cigarette between his finger. a small smile stretched at the corner of his lips and whistled at your presence as his good morning greeting. you gave a slight nod to him, walking towards him with a slow pace, taking the empty seat next to him. he offered the open pack of cigarettes to you which you declined with a shake of your head. he took one of them and lit it up, taking several steps back before throwing himself onto the chair next to yours with an audible puff of smoke filling the air.
"going somewhere?" you asked, sending the purple-haired a smile as you swung the fridge open, slowly taking the strawberry jam inside.
"yeah, i'm meeting someone today. what about you? thought you had no part time today." rindou answered, slightly cocking his head to one side.
"well, yeah. i'm hanging out with my friends today!"
"should i drive you there?"
"no! i can go there by myself. goodbye, and have fun at your meeting!" with that, you slammed the door closed as soon as you stepped outside. leaving the purple-haired clueless at your sudden awkward behavior. a soft sigh left his lips before exhaling the smoke of his cigarette, soon after filling the whole area. he wasn't going to bother looking for you, you were already gone anyway.
the sky was blue along with the puffy clouds as you pushed the door with trembling hands, the bell ringing when you slowly stepped inside. inhaling the coffee aroma throughout the whole place, cold air has spread throughout your whole body but it was chilling at the same time. this is exactly what you wanted during the sunny days of summer— you were sweating in the thick layers of clothes as the warmth seeped into every part of your skin, making your hair and clothes cling to your body. your eyes scanned around the store looking for the familiar sight that was always there yet somehow you still managed to enjoy yourself in the heat of the summer day as you headed towards the counter.
"welcome to tenjiku café, ma'am. please enjoy your stay." the workers greeted you with a smile before you proceeded to the seat where emma was waiting for your arrival.
everything was quiet, soft mutters and mumbles were the only things that you can hear among the tables that you had passed by. emma was sitting on the chairs next to the transparent wall where she can view the people crossing the streets. she was wearing one of her brown cardigan, and a white turtleneck underneath with a matching white skirt. it was a nice contrast to her cardigan and a brown flat shoes. in fact, she looks rather cute with all that clothing. her hair is loose, a little bit of makeup in her face, but what she does have are the few bangs sticking together from how hard she ran her hand through them.
"y/n, i've been waiting for you!" she called, waving her hands at you.
"sorry i'm late, i accidentally got involved with the murder scene near to my apartment and almost got sent to the jail."
"are you serious?"
your eyebrows raised in confusion, pointing at the mysterious box that was placed in the middle of the table. "of course not. also, what's this for?"
"that? oh, akane wanted us to wear this matching bracelets as an apology because she's not able to come with us..." emma trailed off. "but like she said, it's a pretty fancy thing that we can't really afford that easily. so basically, she's saying that the both of us will be wearing these bracelets until our arms fall off," the blonde continued, pulling out a bold bracelet with double knot in brass— a celine brand, each one in it’s own little box. the two of you were silent, all the both of you looking at the jewelry as though it were a foreign concept, even after they have been around akane for a long time, enough to know how much she loved accessory. it was true that akane was an incredibly expensive person who was rarely, if ever, willing to spend money on anyone or anything. she still liked the idea of gifts and apologies, even when she hadn’t done anything wrong at all.
rindou:
you seemed to be in a hurry
that you forgot to eat your
breakfast.
y/n:
i'm having a breakfast date
with emma today, don't worry!
rindou:
hmm, with who? reema? well,
anyway, i'm having an important
business today so i might come
home late. make sure to lock the
doors while i'm not home, okay?
seen just now
rather ungraciously, you slumped back in your seat and started to tap your fingers through the table. for the fifth time, you heaved a sigh as you fixed your hair in the reflection of your face to your cellphone’s screen. you were dressed in a simple outfit, a sky blue sweater with a white plain shirt underneath. you didn’t have any particular place in mind to go or anything planned so for now you could only sit, and wait for your friends to arrive in time. from mindlessly typing any words that you can think of into meeting someone's eye, a wide smile desperately formed in your face. there stood a three figure of a woman dressed casually yet rather nicely. emma still had that aura that makes people sway over her easily, getting the mean real worked up while whispering to one and another. on the other side, hinata looked like she came out from a shoujo romance manga while yuzuha simply looked as if she would make anyone lose their composure if they got too close to her.
"have you been waiting for a long time? sorry, there was awful traffic on our way here."
"no, it's okay! i just got here too," you replied.
"i'll go and order then. what do you guys like? my treat for being late." asked yuzuha, her voice slightly resonated through the whole café she had just walked into.
"you had some peculiar taste over the drinks, you pick!" you smiled at the female who stood in front of you, eyes wandering over her features and it was quite a sight to see, she had her arms folded across her chest with her bright red hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.
your older sister smiled, her feminine scent was filling your nostrils. "i'll be back in a minute."
smiling, the ginger haired was already placing the drinks on the table with care by the time you looked up. from high school until college, yuzuha was still the one who picks the group a drink. "well, i know you hate bitter coffee so i picked you a blue raspberry with whipped cream on top. hina, here's your strawberry milkshake and two espresso for emma and me. here's the sliced red velvet cake. that's all i think there are." she says handing out each drink in turn, and the girls thank her while grabbing their respective items before plopping herself down next to hina.
"thank you so much!"
"i don’t want to bother or disturb your free time, guys. seriously..." the light brown-haired trailed off, her eyes glancing between all three of you warily and a hint of anxiety in her tone. you could also notice her fingers fiddling with the hem of her clothes, almost like she was nervous, which were not her usual ones. "it's just that i might be marrying takemitchi soon. i mean, he's my fiancee now. so, we're still planning about the wedding."
a moment of silence fell upon for a few moments, all eyes trained to where she were sitting with a mix of happiness and shocked in their eyes. you were at loss for words, you couldn’t even hear the noises of their words properly except for the loud thumping that your heart makes. you can barely process any coherent thoughts or ideas right now, you’re so happy, yet at the same time, confused beyond belief. it was a good decision, they deserve every single thing in life and you're happy for them, so happy. you still remembered how hinata cried in your arms when they broke up on christmas eve but got back together after resolving the matter. you were there, as supportive as you could be with the knowledge that there’s nothing you can do about their relationship other than be there for your best friends and give them everything they need at the time, the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable.
"oh my god? shut up. wait, shit! i'm too happy that i might pull all my hair off, this is such a great news! i thought takemitchi wouldn't have the guts to ask you that." emma spoke, a smile plastering her features and her eyes never leaving the light brown-haired female.
if anyone could watch the interaction, the four of you would probably be seen as an overly happy young adult, having fun together. you grabbed your drink, welcoming the sweet flavor on your taste buds with a wide smile, not missing the blush that was spreading on hinata's cheek while the others previously teases her. she looked adorable when she was so happy. "you both deserve it after all the hell you went through." you added, earning a giggle from the female next to you.
"anyway, let's move on. enough with the fluttery, i shouldn't have brought this topic up!"
"what about you, y/n? you looked glowing these days, are you dating someone? you look happier than ever." a voice came in your ear, jerking you off from your trance. they shouldn't know your affiliation with the infamous bonten, with the exception of your brothers and sisters. it was safer that way. you knew that if word got out that you were in a relationship with the bonten's number two, people would run far as to avoid you and never come back. not because of you, but because of your connection to the said gang. especially knowing that you were guarded by the executive as of now.
“no.” you started, causing your stomach to churn with nervousness. you don’t like where this conversation is headed. "i'm not ready to enter in a relationship, but i have someone in my mind that will be perfect for me. he's not the reason why i'm happy though, i was just excited to hang out with the three of you! besides, we should focus on hinata and take— oh, hakkai sent a message on the gc."
"i'm down anywhere."
"drag race but it's dangerous for a girl like you to come there. still want to come? of course, i'm going to come."
y
the cold exhales of the night air were too cold, hugging yourself as you shivered. your teeth chattered with your hands buried in the oversized jacket you had been wearing for an hour now, you could see your breath through the air. a bitter wind picked up, causing you to cling tighter to yourself. "i still remember buying emma an ice creams whenever the school ends, hope we can hang out again next time." next to you was the light brown-haired female, there was a mix of emotion dancing in her eyes when you looked up to stare at him after stealing your attention. the first one was nostalgia for recalling some good memories that happened years ago, the second is happiness that the two of you were able to hang out together after a long time, and disappointment that the five of you wouldn't get a chance to see each other everyday again. you can still remember the times where hinata and you being a first-year high school kids again, running through the amusement park with flavored ice cream in hands and almost fainting after riding the rollercoaster ride.
emma had already stolen hinata from the group, running their way towards to the horror tunnel. the sky was displayed with a shade of pink, orange, and violet by the time that the four of you got out of the cafe. the blonde female brought you an ice cream with your favorite flavor while you requested to take a walk on the amusement park to spend some quality time with them and they accepted it without any hesitations. knowing that it was already six in the afternoon, the park was covered with the crowds of students. you took your sister's hand while she intertwined her fingers with yours, and began walking through the crowded place, admiring the many attractions around you while laughing at all the funny faces people were making as they enjoyed themselves.
yuzuha chuckled, licking her three-layered ice cream before placing a hand on top of your heads, slowly ruffling it. "actually, there's a concert that my favorite will held and i bought two tickets already. i had no one to take with me because they weren't interested, who wants to come with me?"
"let me guess, it's arctic monkeys?" you paused for a second, but it wouldn't be a bad idea because you liked the band as well.
"maybe our bond's still strong as ever."
both of you continued to mesmerize the flowers around the park with an interesting conversation about the current state of your lives. it wasn't that long when you lost yourself amongst the crowd, like a lost child seeking to be found by their parents. you stood in front of the carousel, listening to the conversation of the couple next to you as they spoke about how they were going to have a good time later which caused you to scrunch your nose in disgust, they seemed so happy in their relationship though. you didn’t mind having fun but there was something unsettling about people who could just smile so easily and say those two words, ‘i love you ’, you couldn't help but feel jealous towards them for some reason— knowing there was no way in hell that you're ever going to end up in a healthy relationship. there words became white noise in your ear as you turned your head back to look at the horses. they were all beautiful, especially the white one, it had an air of regality and grace to it, made out of pure marble.
"do you want to ride a carousel? i can teach you how to ride one."
"huh?"
for a moment, you thought rindou was only just a figment of your imagination before you were instantly pulled from reality when a figure of a man, that you weren't expecting to see here, suddenly appeared behind while you were busy engrossing the beauty of the carousel rotating in a circular motion. it was weird how you felt uneasy hanging out with rindou in public even after living under the same roof with him. how long has it been? almost three weeks. you pursed your lips and looked around, there weren't many people around the amusement park as it wasn't a weekend yet, most of the people are the students. luckily, the purple-haired has his whole figure covered in black hoodie and a cap with a white turtleneck under, enough to keep his tattoo hidden but the thing that stood out the most were his violet eyes that are now fixated on you. you averted your gaze back to him before he could stare longer, he doesn't look like someone who would follow you inside the amusement park without good reason, especially knowing how he hates crowded places.
"i don't like repeating myself, i said what i said." the purple-haired spoke, his right hand was resting on his waist; as if he was trying to look like a model, it doesn't matter though. it made him look more like a teenager rather than an adult. unable to stifle the smile slowly growing on your lips, you started to walk away with rindou following you behind.
there were already stars dancing in the sky when you looked up, perfectly matched with the bright glowing moon and the buzzing lights had already surrounded the whole amusement park by the time the clock hits six o'clock in the afternoon. for a normal day, the night was too cold as you welcomed the chilly breeze that tickles through your exposed skin, silently wishing that you had bought a jacket with you before coming to a place like this, and to your surprise, the purple-haired who was walking behind you had already stole your bag, quickly throwing the jacket that he was wearing on your figure. "what are you even doing here? feels strange."
"i don't know, maybe i'm just having a good time." rindou answered casually while adjusting the sleeves of his jacket and simply shrugged his shoulder. his tone was casual and confident yet still serious and worried that somehow she might have thought him a pushover. "kidding aside, as i told you, you can't go all alone and crowded place aren't safe either. don't worry, i'll leave you with your friends but i'm going to watch you behind." his hands reached out to your cold hands, feeling the warmth radiate from his palms before he wore the white arm warmer on both of your arms. once he was done, he placed a pack of warmer on your hands.
you couldn't exactly comprehend what you felt with the sudden closure that he was giving. the tension was awkward but it wasn't making you feel uncomfortable. if anyone could watch the interaction, you'd probably be seen as the lovesick young adult and a man who was not aware of his surroundings, just only looking at you. the sheer thought of it made you scrunch your nose. with a small smile, one of his hands found itself on top of your head, softly stroking his fingers through the soft strands of your hair. "now, now. i will be taking my leave—"
"y/n? who's he?"
shit.
there was a strange silence that was beginning to rise before you furrowed your eyebrows, inching yourself away from rindou. in front of you stood your friends, emma, hinata while yuzuha followed them behind. all pair of eyes were on you, filled with curiosity and it felt heavy on your heart. your heart pounded against your chest like a drum and every breath felt as if someone had punched you right in the stomach. the truth was simple, really. you were going to be foumd out either, but at the same time, there was no need to lie to them, no need to hide it or avoid telling the truth, but you were a coward. the thought sent chills down your spine, causing yoi to shiver violently, not unlile the cold that ran up your spine. you couldn't move. what should you say? what could you do? you opened your mouth to talk but it felt like it was glued shut. you swallowed hard but failed to swallow the lp that had settled itself in your throat.
"oh uh, he's... he's someone i met in the club." your lips moved slowly, stammering slightly while hinata's face changed into looks of realization, emma as well, but yuzuha still had that furrowed eyebrows displayed in her face. you stared at the ground and fiddled with the ends of your clothes, twisting it into little knots with your nervous fingers. for the first time in years your cheeks were red and hot. you had never been good with lying or concealing things so much, and wanted more than nothing to disappear. you could already feel your nerves getting worse by each second the seconds passed.
the blonde female smiled, "are you guys dating?"
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