CHAP 3 Closer to you

It’s been a week since the incident in the corridor. People were talking about me, like what she said. I could feel their piercing gaze to me when I walked in the corridor sometimes. Or even their whispering. It hurt me but well, they aren’t my friends so why would I care if they talked behind my back.

So, here I am, sitting in the cafetaria, waiting fro Sayaka to come.

“Hey, “I heard someone greeted me

I turned my head and to my surprise, it’s Nana.

“He-hey,” I greeted back hesitantly

“I’m sorry for last week,” I added, lowering my head

“I should be the one who say that,” I felt the bench in front of me shifted

“I’m sorry to surprise you with my act last week,” she started

I lifted my head to meet her sorry eyes.

I smiled gently when I realize that she was genuine. I grasped her hands and squeezed it a little before smiled gently at her which she returned.

I was strolling around the bulding looking for a certain short hair girl until I saw her struggling with a camera in her hands. I approached her slowly and tapped her shoulder when I stood beside her.

“Here, let me help you,” I offered, extended my hand

She looked hesitant for a while before gave the camera to me.

“You like photography?” I asked, tried to lift the mood

“It’s my major,” she muttered softly

I frowned at her answer. It must be tough for her since it really need a pair of healthy arm.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled

She turned to face me. “Stop apologize,” she scolded me sternly

I gulped before nodded and smiled a little.

“So, what do you want to take?” I asked her while adjusting the camera

I’m not really new with photography thing because my father loves photography and oftenly taught me or invited me to go with him for a photo hunt when I was a little.

After that, she blurted out what she needed and I tried my best to take great pictures that she needed. And this is like the longest conversation that I ever did with her.

This was become another activity of us. Went to the back side of the bulding to find some good scenenary for her photos. I just realized that taking picture is a really great thing. You could capture the beatiful thing, the sad thing, and everthing in a picture. A picture could bring you an emotion. And from this, I slowly I understood her. A little bit. She liked to take a picture because here where she could convey what she felt.

She become more a little bit, just a little bit, open to me.

I was still taking pictures when I saw her slowly got up from the ground that she sat a few minutes ago.

I stopped my hand before spoke to stop her. “I told you to sit, didnt I?” I asked her, wiggling my eyebrows

“But, I’m-,”

“You promised me,” I cut her

She huffed and sat again. I saw her pouting a little. I giggled at that sight. This was one the thing that I talked about. How she became more honest with her emotion. And it made me flatter when I realized that I was the one who did that.

“I’m bored you know,” she mumbled loud enough to be heard by me

“I’m busy taking pictures for you,” I replied and continued what I did before

“But, I’m bored,” she demanded

“Sometimes I’m wondering if I just sign a contract to become a maid or what,” I rolled my eyes playfully and sat beside her

She flicked my head when I was sitting beside her.

“Vey funny. FYI, you are the one who insist,” she pointed out

I put a shock expression that made her laugh a little.

“You know, you should laugh more often. It suits you,” I praised her. But, I saw her pulled the smile almost immediately when I said those words. “I love your smile,” Pink tints crept up into her cheeks.

“You cutie~,” I sang a song it before tried to escape from her

I saw her hurrilly got up and chase after me. I was laughing hard.

“You are so dead!” She shouted from behind, following by a laughter from her

I realized, I really like this new side of her.

After the tiring running and catching activity that whe did, we sat on the grass and triedn to catch our breath. She propped her body with both of her amrs on each side of her body and staring at the distance. I watched her quietly while hugging my knees.

“You know, you feel like a moon to me,” I started and smiled faintly. She titled her head and stared at me with eyes full of confusion. I giggled a little before continued, “Sometimes it looks like I could reach you but the truth is you are so far away from my reach”. I smiled sadly and shifted my gaze to the grazz in front of my knees

I heard nothing from her. Only the wind that passed through my ears.

“You are hurting,” Nana stated it like it’s a matter of fact

“No, I’m not,” I lied and I knew she knew it

“Why did you keep doing this?”

“She didn’t mean any harm to me. Besides, I was the who approached her,”

“That’s why I asked you, why? Why her? Why out of all the amazing people here?”

“Because she is she. She is Sayaka. She is the black leather jacket girl,” I replied stubbornly

Nana took a deep breath harshly before slowly released it and stared at me right in my eyes.

“I don’t want you to get hurt. You are a kind and beautiful girl. You deserve someone better,” she said softly, genuinely while leaning her body toward my direction

I replied her stare. “Are you, by any chance, have a feeling for me?”

She immedietly pulled herself and made her stumble a little in her seat.

I laughed hard seeing her state.

“Oh my God, it’s definitely a big no!” she snapped at me

I stopped laughing and fake a hurt expression. “Aw, that’s hurt my feeling,”

She chuckled before smacked my arm.

“Hey,” I growled

“You start it,” she said and crossed her arms while leaning her body to the chair

“Whatever,”

“I hope you can think seriously about what I said before,” she mumbled softly but still could be heard by me

“You didn’t buy any lunch?” I slumped my body beside Sayaka who’s leaning her body on a tree while closing her eyes

“No,” she replied shorty without opened her eyes

“Good thing I also bought a lunch for you,”

She took a peek at me through her left eyes.

“You didn’t have to,”

“But, I already did. So, now eat,” I commanded, tapped her arm

She just hummed and did nothing. I furrowed my eyebrows before smile evilly when something popped-up in my smart brain. I poked my index finger to her waist. She’s giggling and slapped my hand away. “Stop,” she growled

“Aw, the kitten is angry~,” I teased. She glared at me before closed her eyes again. I poked her again. But, now what I received was a pull which made our face became so close. I could feel face getting so warm at the sight of her beautiful face so close to my face. “I told you to stop,” she hissed with her low hoarse voice. I couldn’t help but to feel hot. My heart’s beating a little faster than usual.

“Aw, dummy is blushing~,” it’s her time to tease me

I said nothing and just took a deep breath to calm myself. “Just eat,” I mumbled and shoved the lunch box to her lap. She giggled before open the box and eat her food which I also did the same.

It’s been three months since the incident. We’re getting closer or is it just my feeling.

Here I am again, sitting under the tree, looking at the scenenary around us while adjusing the camera that rest in my hands. I was seriously picked at the camera when suddenly I heard a tiny sound of “click”. I turned my face to face her when I saw another camera covered her face.

“Your arm has healed,” I was surprised to see her holding a camera properly in front of her face.

She seemed didn’t realize that she’s doing that because she suddenly let go of the camera before caught it right before it touched the ground.

“Why?....” I asked again, caught her attention

But, before I realized it, without any word she got up, grabbed her camera from my hand and left me there with thousands question in my head.

“What happen to the smiling princess? Where did the smile go?” Nana nudged me teasingly and sat beside me

I huffed. “She’s been ignoring me for the whole week,” I sulked but she suddenly became seriously. I knew where this gonna heading.

“Isn’t that good? So, I’m not gonna tired reminding you all the time,”

“Good for you, bad for me,” I replied shotly

“Did you forget about what I said?”

“A killer?” I scoffed. “That’s like the funniest thing I’ve heard about her,” I chuckled

She got angry at what I said. “You didn’t believe me?” she hissed

“That’s what people heard and believe but, they never saw the actual event nor saw any convincing evidence. As for me, I won’t ever believe any of that until I heard the true story from her,”

“She could lie to you,”

“From what I learn, she might be quiet, she might be rough, she might be scary, she might be difficult to express what she felt, but as far as I know, she never lie. She prefer to be quiet than utter any single lie,” I said confidently

She grimaced a bit at what I said and looked thoughtful now.

“Whatever you said,” she said a bit coarse before left me

I grabbed her right hand to prevent her from move any farther. “Will we always end our conversation in this kind of state?” I asked her hoarsly, stared into her eyes, asking for an understanding from her

“I really care about you. I love you as a good friend. I don’t want you to hurt. I know you might feel like this because she’s your first but, please consider to find someone better,” she said, patted my hand, the one that grabbed her hand

“But, I an’t any better. I don’t need someone better. All I need is her,” I slowly dropped my tears that I’ve been holding. I closed my eyes and let it flow. Nana who saw it, surprised. She hugged me tightly and my back delicatedly. She was shusing me. “I miss her. I really miss her. Even though sometimes she is so cold to me, but just to see a single smile from her is more than enough for me,” I cried. It’s been bottling up on me for weeks since she left me. It sounded wrong, I knew. She wasn’t my girlfriend. And she wasn’t neither my close friend but why my heart felt so hurt? For weeks, I’ve been searching around for the right answer until I realized, I fell in love with her. I fell in love with Sayaka. I fell deeply in love with the black leather jacket girl.

Nana still my back with tenderness while saying comforting words to me. My cried slow down and turned into sniff. I slowly broke away from her and wipping the remain tears on my cheeks. I stared at her with my swollen red eyes, pleadingly.

“I guess I can’t do anything about her. But, I will never forgive her after what she did to Aina. I don’t think I will ever forget that. Also, it didn’t mean I approved both of you. It’s just she used to make you smiling all day long like an idiot. She could make you so cheerful. And I love seeing those side of you. She lifted up those side of you. So, I probably will accept her for that,” she said and caressed my cheeks, helping me wipped my tears.

“Thanks,” I mumbled hoarsly

“But, she better makes you happy or else, I’ll be the one who kill her,” she exclaimed

I giggled softly. “Good thing you are smile at my lame joke,” she laughed which following by me who laughed as well

I was so grateful to have a friend like her. Though there were various bumps in our friendship, but in the end we still supported each other.

TBC

Comments are really appreciated :)