CHAPTER 16

  “I’m staying.” Mia volunteered. “Just come back for me later.”

 “You sure?” her dad asked.

 “Of course, dad. I know these people here.” She said as she nodded on the HSJ’s direction.

 “Well, if you say so…” her dad said. “See you later.” Then he left.

 Mia saw her dad leave towards the parking lot with her Aunt Rachel and her son, Justin.

 All the other HSJ members went up to their own units but Keito stayed with Mia while waiting for her dad to come back to pick her up.

Keito grabbed the two canned sodas that Mia’s dad had left for them and then he and Mia went to the pool area and sat at the edge of the pool, their feet touching the cold clear water.

 Keito popped open one can of soda and gave it to Mia, Mia she’s not up for some soda right now so Keito just took it back and drank it.

 The night was calm and quiet; there were no noises to be heard except Mia’s feet tapping the water. It was a cold night too, making Keito want his shirt back but he realized that it’s still wet when he looked at it.

 “So…” Mia asked out of nowhere, staring at nowhere, “Have you ever been in love?”

 This pretty much made Keito choke on his drink in mere surprise. Why would she ask about that kind of thing?!?

 “Oh my gosh, GOMEN NASAI!!!” Mia apologized as she patted Keito’s back, trying to help him to recover from his choking, “Did I surprise you?! I’m so sorry I asked that! I shouldn’t be asking personal questions like that. Gomen!!”

 “Da-daijobou desu.” Keito said, half chuckling, half coughing. Then he looked at Mia who was still patting his . He looked at her straight in the eyes and seriously said “Yes, I am.”

 Mia stopped patting Keito’s back once he said that, she knitted her eyebrows, a question forming in her mind.

 “Does she know?” Mia asked the question.

 “Iie.” Keito answered, “I can’t tell her. Situations won’t approve.”

 “Ah, souka. You’re Johnny’s so can’t possibly tell her, right?” Mia said as she stared at nowhere again, “Well, you’re still lucky. I’m sure if you confessed to her she’ll like you back…”

 Hontou ni? Keito thought. If only Mia knew she was the girl that he likes. He wanted to confess right now that she said those words but he can’t. Not because he’s one of Johnny Kitagawa’s talents but because he didn’t want to betray Yuto, his best friend.

 “…unlike me.” Mia continued to say. She thought she was only thinking of those words but she didn’t realize that she had said them in vocal.

 “Nani?” Keito asked, but then five seconds later he realized what Mia had said. “Are you in love too?” he said as he looked at Mia.

 Mia’s eyes widened at Keito’s question as she covered because she just realized she slipped.

 “Oh, my mouth.” Mia said, “I guess I have no choice but to admit it.”

 Keito remembered about that guy earlier and how Mia blushed while she was talking to him. What was his name?? Austin? No, no… it’s… Justin.

 “You’re in love with that guy Justin, right?” Keito said as he too, looked over to nowhere. It pains him to ask that question but still, his curiosity won over.

 Mia laughed a weak laugh. “Can you tell?”

 “You were blushing when you were talking to him earlier.”

 “I wasn’t!”

 “Yes, you were.” Keito said, and then his expression changed. “But, anyways, does he know?”

 “No.” Mia said as she shook her head slightly, “And I’m not planning to tell. Never will I do that. I don’t have the courage to tell him so nor will I ever have that kind of courage. Besides, I’m already used to keeping my feelings. It’s been nine years already.”

 “Nine years?!? Isn’t that too long!? And since when are you in love with that guy?”

 “Since first grade. Well, it wasn’t really love by then. I just had a small crush on him. But he treats everyone so well, including me.” Mia said, then she already started to say the whole story: “Way back in fifth grade, everybody was teasing me and he was the only one who wasn’t. He then became basketball team captain for three consecutive years. Who wouldn’t fall for that, right? In our freshman year, he had a girlfriend and I told myself that I should just ignore that, but I can’t. He then broke up with her and I felt a bit happy. When we were in our second year in high school, our school had all the sections mixed up and he got into a separate section from mine. I thought by then that maybe I could already move on from him.” She paused a bit, then kept on talking, “It’s funny that I say ‘move on’ even though we haven’t even had a relationship, right?”

 Keito just nodded his head. He didn’t mean to agree that it’s funny. He just didn’t want to interrupt in Mia’s story. Of course it hurts him like hell but he wanted to hear her.

 “We became third year students. Then the prom came.” Mia sighed hardly, “I dressed up, put on make, and had my hair done for him. I was kind of hoping that he would dance me that night. But he didn’t. There was only one girl he danced. And he danced with her the whole night. They looked so damned happy looking at each other and I was just right there, sitting on my table while I sadly stared at them like I was some kind of idiot who got my hopes up.”

 “I was so glad when the prom ended already. When I got home, I just realized that I can’t cry in the room because I was sharing it with my brother so I just made an excuse that I’m going to take a bath. I burst into silent tears once I got inside the bathroom and I just cried and cried.” she went on.

 “Now, he’s in my class again.” Mia said as she sighed deeply again. “I thought I had already moved on from him but I wasn’t really making any progress at all. I’m sorry for making you listen to me, Keito. I know it’s petty but—”

 She started crying.

 “It’s not petty at all.” Keito said, moving closer to Mia. He put his right arm on her shoulder, making her lean on his own shoulder. “Go on. Just cry it all out.”

 He then bit his lips as he wiped a stray tears from his own eyes with his free hand.

                                                CHAPTER END