In Our Corner of the World || y.h.

chapter fourteen ; i'm going to love you

After the wedding, the friends sent the newlyweds off to the airport for their honeymoon, and they hung out at Umi's house before going back.

"Man, Kiyoko and Tadashi, married. Who would've thought it'd be this early?" Shoya said.

"Well, they've always been the mature ones between all of us. You'd expect this from them." Umi said.

Yuzuru and Misaki were silent, before her phone came ringing, and it was her boyfriend on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Misa! How was the wedding?" Kento's cheerful voice asked.

"It was really great! We just sent them off." She said.

"I miss you." His voice sounding a little more serious, but in a sincere way that he was longing for her.

A sudden silence came between the two, as she felt the guilt tumbling upon her before she said, "I miss you too."

She looked at Umi who was looking a bit worried at how she was having this conversation in front of Yuzuru, whose facial expressions changed, and she then said, "How about I go visit you?"

"Are you serious?" 

"I am. I could take the jet and meet you later."

"That sounds amazing. I can't wait to see you, Misa."

"Bye."

As she hung up the phone, she told her friends she had to go home and get packing. She explained how she was going to Tokyo to see her boyfriend and spend time with him. It crossed her mind that ever since Yuzuru had re-entered her life, she hadn't even thought of going to see Kento.

"Alright, Misa. Have a safe flight." Umi wished her as she took her handbag and walked out of her friend's house.

Not minutes after she walked out of the front gates, someone grabbed her by the hand and that someone just so happened to be Yuzuru.

"Misaki." He called her name. Clear, but not dearly. It was as if he were trying to wake her up.

She looked at him with anticipating eyes, but they were simply hiding the in-denial emotions she was feeling. She knew she had to leave Sendai before things got worse, and before it could lead to any more damage than she had already caused five years ago.

"You're leaving."

"I am." She said.

"And will you return to Sendai anytime soon?"

She let out a heavy sigh, looking at her feet.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Why not?"

"Because I might stay some time with Kento."

"Why?"

"Because, Yuzuru. He's my boyfriend, and I haven't spent some quality time with him for a while now ever since I got back."

"He just came a few days ago." He pointed out. And she was trapped.

"It's not that simple. I just want to be with him right now." She said, "It's missing someone. Can you understand that?"

"But then I'll miss you. If I said that, would you at least come back in a few days time?"

She looked at him, rather surprised and confused.

"You can't miss me, Yuzuru. You'd waste your life if you do that."

"I love you, Akiyama Misaki." He confessed, and it was as if at that moment, all of the hot tears she had been holding back had decided to come out, and she couldn't say anything to him.

"It can't work, Yuzu." She told him, "I'm a mess. I've always been a mess, and I live in a world that is a mess and I can't have you, the one person who isn't trying to use me, enter that mess. Kento was the one who scooped me up and saved me from that mess. And he's-"

"He's not the guy for you, Misaki." Yuzuru remarked, "I am."

"It's not fair for you to love someone who would only bring misery to you." She said.

"Whoever said you brought me misery? Misaki, do you even realise how amazing you are. I'm not going to let you go like I did the last time."

"You didn't let me go, Yuzuru. I ran away. That's what I'm good at. I'm good at running away and hiding myself from the world. How could you love such an ugly person?"

Yuzuru didn't give an answer, and Misaki let out a scoff, unsure whether it was of satisfaction or disappointment, but all that came out of her mouth after was, "Thought so."

She continued to walk, but then she felt herself being wrapped in a familiar pair of muscular arms, and Yuzuru held her gently, begging her to not go.

"Maybe if I held onto you a little longer you would have the courage to stay." He said as he hugged her from the back, "I don't know how much you've been through, but I promise I'll try to keep you safe from anything you're afraid of, Misaki. You're my girl, Misa. You always were. And I'm going to love you."

Warm tears began falling from his eyes, as Misaki escaped his grasp and ran straight for home. He could only watch her go after his confession, waiting to see if she were to leave or stay.

Misaki ran back to her house, partially blinded by her tears as she made her way to the front door. Entering, she didn't expect the trail of roses that led her to the kitchen, where at the very end, was a bouquet of roses on the floor, and  once she picked it up, she turned around and fell silent, inhaling a surprised breath.

"Kento."

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