CHAPTER 47: THE TALK THAT THE TWO OF THEM HAVE

“Yamapi!” A soft voice interrupted Toma’s word. At that moment, both Yamapi and Toma turned their head toward the voice direction.

Toma groaned when he found out it was Keiko walking toward them.

“What are you doing here?” Yamapi asked to her when she reached his place. Toma glanced at the woman, who was looking cheerful than usual. Keiko looked at Toma who had this irritating look on his face. Her eyebrows started to creased when she saw it.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked softly to Yamapi. The man peeked at Toma and looked back at her. Toma took his drinks and started to sip it.

“No, what is it Keiko?” Somehow deep inside him, he felt grateful that the woman came at the right timing. But, there was something kept tugging inside his heart. What was the thing that Toma wanted to tell him about Maki chan? Is it related to him? Or does he want to tell that Maki chan is going to get married with Sho. The thought made his stomach churned badly.

“Ne.... Yamapi..” Keiko looked at him intently. Her eyes rounded as she stared at him.  Yamapi just looked at her. Inside her, her heart accelerated faster.  I have to do it today!

“ Yamapi....I think I fall in love with you...” Toma shot his head and turned toward the couple who was behind him. Yamapi was stunned, unable to say anything. The woman sudden confession gave a shock to him. Slowly, Toma looked in front back while biting his lips. Oh...why it has to be more complicated? Maki chan....how can I do to help you....

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“Thank you so much....” Maki chan bowed as she took the groceries from the shopkeeper. Pushing her glasses that kept slipping on her nose, she started to walk out from the shop. Singing softly, her eyes glanced on all the groceried within her hands. She’s going to make omurice and also meat stew for today. Plus, she’s going to have the sweet tangerine later. The thought made flickered up and the smile kept plastering on her face. Suddenly.....

“Hey.....be careful!!!!” Someone shouted from behind making Maki immediately turned her head. A bicycle was coming on her way. At that moment, she immediately stepped back  as the bicycle passed her. Since it came too close to her, her fingers slipped a plastic of tangerines and it felt down on the earth, spreading on the ground.

“Sorry!!!!!” The boy said as he glanced back at her, but he never stopped cycling and kept moving on. Maki groaned softly looking on the ground on her tangerines.

“Mou~if you are so sorry, then why you never stop and help me instead.” mumbled the words while looking at the back of the boy.So rude... She complained within herself. Sighing softly, she started to bend down and picked up all the tangerines. A hand stopped her from going down. Instantly, Maki looked at the owner of the hand and gasped as she found out who he was.

“Let me do it...” Sho said softly. Maki blinked her eyes, disbelief on what she saw in front of her. After long three months, the man appeared once again in front of her. Sho bent down and his hands started to pick all the tangerines and put inside the plastic bag.

“Sho...it’s okay...I can do it...” Maki said softly as her hands started to reach his sleeve. But, she stopped as the memory of him pushing her hands came at once in front of her eyes. Afraid seeped into her veins, as she scared the man would reject her once again, just like what happened at that time.

“You want to pick up in that kind of condition?” Sho glanced at her as he stood up. Inside him, his heart was clutched seeing her condition. It just three months he did not see her, but her belly was already big and how she looked differently from the last time he saw her. Maki looked down on her feet and became silence. This is so uncomfortable.Sho whispered within his heart. Then, he took some of the plastic bags from Maki’s hands.

“Wait...what are you doing?” Her eyes became rounder when she discovered the slopping shoulders man took her things. Sho smiled and showed the groceries in front of her.

“I’m helping you carrying it,”

“But....”

“Maki chan....just let me help you okay?”Sho cut her words, knowing what the woman wanted to reply to him. Then he tilted his head.

“ Come, I walk you home...” he offered her. Maki stared at Sho for a long time before her feet started to move.

        Almost 10 minutes, no words exchanged between two of them. As Maki walked, she would glance toward the man who strolled next to her. The man did not change much from the last time she saw her. Looking back at herself, she changed a lot. No more slim Maki, but a big and fat mummy. Even, her baby too grew as the time passed by. A smile tugged on her lips as she her tummy. She did not know why, recently everytime she thought her baby, he would cheerfully moved inside her as if he knew that her mummy thinking about him.

        Her action grabbed Sho’s attention who walked next to him. Deep inside him, the curiosity played once again about the father of Maki’s baby. And it lead to painful feelings within his heart. Looking back to the front, Sho gritted his teeth.Come on Sho....you are not coming for this hurtful feelings remember? You come for something else; for an explanation from Maki chan.  Sho’s jaw tightened as he thought about it. What if he could not accept her explanation and blamed her once again. Shaking his head, he tried to shove the negative thought out of his brain. His eyes once again glanced toward the pregnant woman. The cheerfulness could be seen all over her face and how delightful he felt seeing Maki happy once again. Even, she looked glow than usual.

“How have you been?” He asked her when he averted his eyes to the front.

“Fine....how about you?” Sho just nodded, showing he too was fine. Although, his life was miserable, but still, he managed to survive from all those hurtful feelings. Then silence filled once again between two of them making Maki felt extremely tight inside her chest. Then, she looked back at Sho Sakurai. Questions by questions kept pounding inside her head.

“Sho kun....”

“Umm.....”

“Sorry for everything.....” Sho slowly turned his gaze from the view in front of him toward the owner of the voice. His eyes met with a pair of of brown round eyes. Then Maki continued her words.

“ I....I know that words could not be compare with the painful feelings that you experienced due to my mistakes. But...that was the only thing that I could say to you, Sho. Even now, I still feel guilty on it. But, seriously, I did not mean to hurt you this way and I.....” she lost on her words.

             Maki sighed softly, unknowing how to tell the man about everything that she had gone through. Sho coughed a little and turned his eyes to the front. Within his brain, various things played within it and he could not stop thinking about it.

“ Sho kun, you can blamed me for everything on what I did and you can hate me with all your hearts. And even...”

“Ne...Maki chan...” Sho cut her words and Maki stared at the man who stopped walking.

“Do you love me?” The question was straightforward and it hit right