Grace.
My eyes fluttered open, but there was only darkness. I sat up, remembering where I was and then waited until my sight adjusted. I was all alone. I rubbed my face. What happened earlier seemed like a faraway dream. Then I remembered.
Grace. It had been a month since I heard that name.
Raking my hair with my fingers, I stood and pulled on the string for the light just above the futon. Stretching and yawning, I walked to the table and fished out my cellphone from my bag.
Balloons and confetti flashed in the screen. I gasped. Miracle. Grace. No wonder I dreamt of it. Heaving out, I knocked my forehead with my knuckles. Just then, the screen opened and Akira strolled in. My savior.
I whirled toward him. "Do you have a laptop? Can I borrow it?"
He froze, blinked, and then frowned. After a few seconds, he nodded, shutting the door behind him.
"I forgot my cousin's birthday," I said, almost breathless. "She's expecting me to go on Skype with her like we always do during Christmas."
Akira thumbed his ear before he nodded again and sauntered towards the partition fusuma. I followed him.
"I'm glad I brought it home." He glanced at me and then shrugged. "I guess we could always borrow from aniki."
He parted the fusuma, giving me a partial view of a bed in the center. I found myself craning my neck to see better, but Akira came back sooner with a silver laptop on his hands, eyeing me. I stepped back.
"That's my room," he said, tilting his head. "Want to see it?"
I bit the insides of my cheeks to stop my true feelings from spilling out. I shook my head.
Akira smiled. "I'll show it to you tomorrow."
The same five guys from his social media account donned his wallpaper. They were in a concert hall, and they looked younger, high school young, in this picture. I gazed at Akira and back at the screen, trying to fight the impending memory of autumn under the golden trees. I clicked on the browser.
"Ask away," Akira said.
I stilled. Did he read my mind? Was I that obvious?
"I don't mind," he added.
Tentatively I looked at him, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Um."
"Go on." He nodded. "I don't bite. You know that."
One particular question popped in my head, but I didn't dare ask that. Yet. I cleared my throat and went for the easy one. "Were they your dates?"
He grinned. "Yes. We haven't seen each other since summer."
"They were your high school buddies?" I asked, nodding, waiting for the right moment.
"Well, Keito, Satoshi, and I had been friends since elementary." Akira faced the laptop to him and pointed at the guy on the left first. "This is Keito, Juri, Satoshi, yours truly, and Masaya."
I smiled, but I was freaking out inside. This was the chance. I put my hands on my laps. They were shaking for gods know what reason. It was a simple question—statement.
I breathed in. "They look familiar?"
It came out hesitant than what I intended. I winced.
Akira snapped his fingers. "That must be Keito. He goes to your university too. Med student."
"Oh." I stared at him and then blinked. He missed the point. I meant them not just one person. I willed myself to correct him. I should come clean about that encounter. But my bravery waned away. Maybe it wasn't really important that we've met before.
"Should I move to the other side so you can begin your call?" he asked, his tone and expression light.
"Yes. I'm sorry." I grimaced, but he waved it away.
Without further ado, I logged in and called my cousin, Miracle. It didn't take long before the call connected.
"Reiko Grace!" the booming voice greeted in English. "How come you're so late?"
Biting my lips, I glanced at Akira. He had an amused smile.
I gulped and then scowled, hissing in English. "Miracle, stop calling me Grace, and I'm not late. It's just morning there."
Taking one last peek at Akira, I focused on my cousin whose hair was pulled in a high chignon. "Is the nationals today?"
Miracle laughed. "No, silly, it's in January, and I don't want to talk about it today. Just sing me my song already."
I brought up my hands and glanced at Akira again who nodded. I tried not to wince as I sang my cousin a happy birthday. When I ended, I heard a familiar laughter and Ben, Miracle's older brother, appeared on the screen.
"Ben! I didn't know you were coming home for Christmas. Miracle didn't tell me." I grinned, keeping the conversation in English.
"As if I would miss seeing you once a year, cous. You should just have studied here so Miracle wouldn't have to feel so lone—" Ben groaned as Miracle swatted his face away from the camera.
There was a whole lot of cursing and shouting before Ben said goodbye and Merry Christmas to me and sauntered away. Miracle sighed, returned her attention to me, and then smiled.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Of course," she said, keeping the grin.
We then exchanged brief updates as to how everyone was doing. I informed her that my birthday gift for her might arrived next year because I just dropped it off. Truthfully, I forgot to mail it. I had been so caught up with Akira that it slipped my mind.
Akira. I almost forgot he was watching me. I glanced at him whose smile had grown larger. He nodded at me to keep going. I rubbed my neck and looked at the screen again.
"Miracle, I need to g—"
"Where are you?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're wearing a yukata. Are you on a trip?"
"Just over the winter break." I shrugged, realizing there was no point in lying.
"With whom?" She crossed her arms.