The Last First Date
Parallel WorldsA/N: WARNING* YamaRio overload!! <3 This is my gift to Rio who took the time out of her insanely busy day to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter but I do have to warn you to shield your heart <3
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With his heart pounding quickly against his chest, Ryosuke felt numb, unsteady, and painfully sore.
The couple had promised to meet at 5 pm in front of Maihama station and he was already 15 minutes late. He had already called Rio beforehand to tell her about his delay but she insisted that it was completely fine.
However, Ryosuke knew Rio better than she knew herself- If she was even one minute late to class, she would already be cursing her entire existence. Let alone making her wait 15 minutes outside in the cold on their first date? He should already be planning his own funeral.
Exactly one hour earlier, Ryosuke was preparing to leave his house. He had showered, fixed his hair, and even wore his favorite cologne. But just before he finished packing his belongings into his bag, he heard a knock coming from his bedroom door.
"Yeah?" He called out, raising an eyebrow at the noise. As soon as it opened, he rolled his eyes and continued on with his preparations. "Chihiro, what do you want from me now?"
"Geez, is this the Yamada Ryosuke that all of Tokyo is obsessed with?" His sister sighed, folding her arms against her chest. "I thought you told me that you were with Rio-chan now."
"I am..." Ryosuke replied. He grabbed his red beanie from his closet and glanced into the mirror to fix it upon his hair. "In fact, I was just about to leave for our date."
"Then can you explain why your ex is waiting in front of our house?"
Upon hearing that dreadful word, Ryosuke immediately dropped his hands and quickly ran to his bedroom window. He slightly pulled on the curtain to get a better view of the entrance and realized that his sister was right. Mariya was standing outside, rubbing her hands together to keep warm.
The boy glanced over at his phone which he had completely forgotten about and released an annoyed sigh when he saw that he missed ten calls from her. "Not right now, Mariya...." He said, tapping his foot impatiently as he weighed his decisions.
"Should I tell her that you're not home?" Chihiro asked, eyeing how strange her younger brother had been behaving.
"No, she'll only continue to wait until I appear." Ryosuke explained. Grabbing his phone from his bed, he quickly walked past her and headed for the stairs. "I'll go talk to her."
"Ryo" Chihiro called, causing the latter to suddenly stop half way down the stairs. He turned around and glanced back up at her.
Chihiro shifted her weight against the wall before pursing her lips. "Even though I despise you sometimes, you're still my brother and I care about you. So whatever you think you're doing, make sure you're making the right decisions because it'll be a pain to have to watch you sulk."
Ryosuke rolled his eyes once more at his sister but this time, more playfully. "Thanks- but I got this." He smiled, turning back around.
However, what ever confidence he managed to pull together was immediately thrown out when he opened his front door. Ryosuke was not prepared for the sudden physical impact of Mariya's hug when she suddenly threw her body at him.
"H-Hey!" The boy panicked, quickly pushing her off. "What are you doing?!" He yelled in an angry tone, glancing up and down the street in fear of being noticed by someone.
"I... miss you. I just didn't want to be alone on the weekend leading up to Valentines Day." Mariya explained, reaching for his arm again. But this time, Ryosuke was quick to step away from her, leaving the girl flabbergasted at his haste actions. "Ryosuke?" She uttered.
"Mariya, you know already that we're not together anymore." He asserted, trying his best to remain calm. "I can't be the person you need. You need to find someone else."
Mariya furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why not? Why can't we just return to what we used to be?"
"That's because I'm in a relationship with somebody else now- and she needs me too."
Mariya took a few seconds to process Ryosuke's sudden declaration. She blinked a couple of times before finally noticing the boy's attire. "I'm assuming you're going to meet her now?"
Ryosuke pressed his lips together and nodded. "Which is why we need to put all of this behind us. I know that it's partially my fault that you're going through all of this. I should've been more cautious and I'm sorry about that- " The boy paused. " -but both of us needs to stop living in the past. I've found my future already and it's with her. I'm sure you'll find someone one day too."
"You're giving up on me." Mariya replied. It wasn't a question, nor was it a statement she wanted to believe.
"Our school has counselors and people you can go to for professional help. It's a better alternative than me."
"Just say it, Ryosuke. Say you're giving up on me."
The boy glanced at his ex and nodded in absolute certain. "I'm giving up on us. We both deserve better."
"I see," Mariya replied, chuckling to herself in disbelief. "I hope you won't regret your decision." She concluded before walking away from him.
Ryosuke finally released the breath he had been holding in after Mariya had finally disappeared down the block. He glanced up at the sky and noticed how unusually dark blue it had become. Wondering what time it was, he glanced down at his watch and widened his eyes when he saw the digits.
In an effort to make up for all the time he had lost, he ran back up to his room to grab his belongings before running out the door while calling Rio to explain what had happened.
When Ryosuke finally arrived at their agreed place to meet up, he paused for a brief moment to catch his breath. He glanced around the station until he finally spotted the girl he had been eager to see the entire weekend.
Rio was already looking in his direction but she didn't recognize him under his beanie and sunglasses. Unknowingly, she turned away from him and glanced into the opposite direction in a hazed thought.
Using this opportunity, Ryosuke
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