CHAPTER 11 

At the restaurant we were eating and talking. Everyone was worn out from the flight. Nino was pouting the whole time because his DS’ battery was dead. Sho and Duygu were sitting next to me. 

“Can I have one more coke please?” I asked the waiter that was passing by. 

“Of course” he said and brought me a new can of coke. I opened the can but when I did, I spilled the coke on Sho. Yabai! The waiter must have shaken the can so it basically splashed on his shirt. 

“Aww man, I just bought this shirt.” Sho said trying to lighten up the mood. 

“ Gomen.” I said, “Let me clean it up” I said as I tried to wipe the coke off his shirt with a napkin. 

“It’s okay. Don’t worry,” he said. Everyone was cracking up at what happened except me. 

“You should really stop doing that,” Sho said as he got up to go to the restroom to clean his shirt. 

“Stop what?” I asked. 

“Pouting” he said and left. 

Next day I woke up when my cell phone started to ring. Maki-chan was calling me. 

“Moshi mosh?” 

“Buse-chan, Amaya-san gave birth to a baby girl!” She screamed in my ear, I had just woken up, c’mon. Then I realized what she had just said. 

“Really? Aww e-mail me a photo of her. I wish I was there.” 

“I will. I just wanted to let you know. Well I have to go so bye” 

“OK. Bye” I said and hung up. That was great news. Amaya-san had left the job a week before and was not going to be back for the next month. 
My cousin woke up because of the sound I was making with the hair drier, I had taken a shower. 

“Buse! Can’t you shut that thing up!” she shouted at me. She was really gloomy in the mornings. 

“You should wake up too! It’s like 8:30 AM. You are supposed to be the tour guide, remember?” 

She suddenly jumped out of the bed. I couldn’t help but laugh at her; she looked really funny. “Why did not you wake me up? I am late” she panicked as she ran to the bathroom. 

After she got ready we went out to the breakfast area to have a fresh breakfast. Arashi were already there sitting around a table. When Aiba saw us enter he motioned us to come and sit with them. We got our food and sat down. 

“So what would you guys like to do today?” Duygu asked; she was back into her ‘work’ mode. 

“How about the beach?” MatsuJun suggested and everyone agreed. 

“Then the beach it is.” I said; I loved the sea. I was afraid the ocean because of all the shark movies that I had watched so I could not go out to swim in Japan. 

Our hotel was built right next to the beach, and the hotel owned it so it was very private and calm; unlike other beaches that are just crammed up with people. 

“I am going to swim” I said to Duygu as I started to run to the sea. 

“Well, I don’t feel like swimming so I” she said pointing at herself “will be reading my book.” 

“Okay!” I said and jumped into the water. It felt good to swim again after a long time. I could feel tiny fishes swim around me. I had really missed this feeling… 

Then I felt as if someone was stabbing needles in my legs. Cramps! No! The water was pretty deep; it was double my height so I could not hold onto anywhere. I tried to massage my leg so that the cramp would go away. I realized that my fingertips were all wrinkly; I must have been swimming for a long time. When I looked up I saw a huge wave coming towards me. I was going to drown and die for sure. Oh God please help me… 

I tried to keep myself up in the water but the current pulled me in every time I tried to resurface. I could not breathe. I heard someone shout out my name before I let myself fall into the darkness… 



Someone was sobbing… why was she sobbing? 

“Buse-chan, please wake up” someone was saying, and then I felt someone’s lips on mine. Wait what? My eyes popped up open. I saw Sho’s face looking down on me. I wanted to ask what was going on but I couldn’t. I started to cough when I tried to talk. 

“Thank God you are okay,” Duygu said as she left Aiba; who I think was comforting her while she cried, and hugged me tight. 

“Can’t’ cough, “breathe” I said as I remembered what had happened. I drowned; then someone apparently saved me. But who? 

“You are lucky that Sho-kun was around where you were.” She said, oh that explains it. Then I looked at his face. He looked really worried. When my cousin let go of me, I thought he would give me hug but he didn’t. He just stared into my eyes with his deep brown eyes. I felt horrible for being irresponsible and making them worried. 

“Are you okay?” Nino asked. 

“Hai” I said but my throat hurt really badly. 

“You gave us quiet a scare” Ohno said, sympathetically. 

“I’m sorry” I said looking down. 

I spent the rest of my day in my room because did not want to go out. Duygu took them out and showed them around the city while I stayed in my room and watched TV. She called me when they got back so that I could have dinner with them but I said I wasn’t feeling well and stayed in my room. 

When Duygu came back into the room it was pretty late and I was reading a book. 

“Why are you avoiding everyone?” She asked me. 

“I am not avoiding, I just don’t feel well” 

“Yeah right. I know you better than anyone else. Tell me the truth.” 

“Well… I feel really bad for making you guys worry.” 

“I know that’s not the only reason. You are actually avoiding him aren’t you?” 

“I don’t know who you are talking about.” 

“I know you do. You don’t want to see Sho because you like him and feel weird whenever he is around you. Even though you tried to stop your feelings they grow more and more each day. And he was your savior today and you are not able to hide your feelings anymore.” She explained. 
Bingo. But I could not admit that she was right. I had no right to like him. We are only friends after all. 

“Silence equals to acceptance so I am right.” Duygu said. “Look” She said as she sat on my bed next to me. “There is nothing wrong with you loving him. And I think he has feelings for you too” 

“It is wrong. And I really doubt that he has feelings for me.” Where does she get these ideas from? “Anyways you go to sleep, I am going to go out” I told her. 

“Where are you going?” 

“I just want to walk around, you know, to clear my head.” 

I went to the beach and sat on the sand. I used to come to the beach when I lived around here to clear my head. Whenever I felt lonely or isolated watching the waves would calm me down. After years I was back here again watching the waves to find comfort. It was getting a bit cold, I shivered. I had forgotten my jacket in the room. 


“Hey Buse-chan” he said as he sat down next to me. 

“Hi” I said still looking at the waves, I did not want to face him. The wind blew past me again and I shivered. I should go back. 

“Where is your jacket?” he asked shaking his head disapprovingly. Then he took of his jacket and placed it around my shoulders. 

“Thanks but I don’t really need it you should wear it.” 

“You nearly drowned today; you will get sick if you don’t wear it” 

“But- I started to protest but gave up. “Arigatou.” I said. 

“You already thanked for the jacket.” 

“No, thank you for saving me,” 

“Oh, that. I should scold you, really. How could you be so careless? I 
thought you were going to die back there.” 

“I am sorry” I whispered. I did not want to make him worry like that. 

“You should look at me while apologizing you know.” He said. 

“I am sorry.” I said looking into his eyes. 

“So what are you doing out here?” he asked. 

“I used to watch the sea, the waves whenever I felt confused and needed time to think so I felt like watching the sea again,” 

“Oh. What is troubling you? Maybe I can help.” 

“It’s nothing” I said as he stared into my eyes. It felt like as if he could see through me. 

I realized that he was leaning in closer to me. I wanted to back away but I couldn’t. I felt as if I was locked when he looked at me with his deep brown eyes. Then I felt his lips against me. He kissed me... I was confused, so Duygu was right? I felt his arms around me, then I hugged him back. 

“I love you Buse” he whispered, “please don’t scare me like that again.” 

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