CHAPTER 17

 Thank goodness Mia was already fine when her dad arrived to fetch her because if she’s still crying that time, her dad might’ve seen her leaning on Keito’s shoulder and think of well, WRONG things.

 Keito properly said his goodbyes to Mia and her dad. He then picked up his shirt from the ground and slung it on his shoulder. After a few silent minutes of thinking about Mia’s story earlier, he decided he’s already ready to go up to their unit.

 Once he got inside their unit, he saw nobody in the living room nor in the kitchen so he guessed that Yamada and Yuto might have been asleep already. Anyways, those two went up earlier than the others.

 Keito entered the room just in right time to catch the falling Yamada from his bed.

 “Yuto wa?” Keito asked the now-going-back-to-his-bed-to-sleep Yamada.

 Yamada just nodded his head towards the direction of the terrace, obviously not wanting to speak a single word.

 “Yo.” Keito said as he put his hand on Yuto’s shoulder. Noticing that Yuto had no response, Keito took a closer look on the guy and said: “Oi!”

 “Don’t ‘Oi!’ me, you traitor!” Yuto shouted as he pushed Keito away, making the guy’s shirt fall from his shoulder to the carpeted floor of the bedroom.

“Nandayo?!” Keito said, losing half of his temper.

 “Nandayo?” Yuto repeated. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about!”

 “Mmmmm…” Yamada muttered in his sleep. Surprisingly, he didn’t wake up from all the yelling.

 “Demo I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” Keito said as returned the push Yuto had given him. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

 “I saw the two of you.” Yuto said as he gritted his teeth, driving Keito up the nearest wall by his neck. “She was leaning on you and your arm was around her. Now, you tell me what’s that supposed to mean, ha? You confessed to her DIDN’T YOU!?”

 Keito just lowered his head. Now he knew what Yuto was talking about. He felt terribly sorry for this poor guy who had misunderstood everything.

 “Oi!!!” Yuto yelled, his voice faltering as he got teary eyed.

 “There’s someone else…” Keito said with difficulty, not because Yuto had a tight grip on his neck but because saying the truth out loud creates a horrible pain inside his chest. He didn’t even notice that tears were already running down from his eyes.

 “Ha?” Yuto said in shock, letting go of Keito as he saw the tears that were rolling down the cheeks of the guy in front of him.

 After he was done searching for his breath, Keito told Yuto every detail of what had happened earlier, even Mia’s story about Justin. Again, it hurts Keito to repeat earlier’s conversation with Mia but he thought it would be best if Yuto also knew the truth.

 The two of them both sat on Yuto’s bed, side by side. Yuto sighed deeply as he let every word Keito had said to sink in.

 “Gomen.” Yuto said, his head down. It was the only word he could say after everything Keito had told him. He might’ve felt embarrassed by himself, under different circumstances.

 “Daijobou desu. I understand how you felt.” Keito said as he patted Yuto’s back twice. He then held out his left hand for Yuto to shake.

 Yuto stood up too, took Keito’s hand, and shook it. They both smiled weakly at each other… then their weak smiles turned into wide grins.

 “We won’t lose to that guy.” They said in sync

                                    CHAPTER END