Haru couldn't believe his eyes the moment he caught sight of Sakura passing by the mini ice cream shop he was in. Her hair was short, but he was a hundred percent sure it was her. He initially had strawberry ice cream, but also got a vanilla flavored one. After paying for these on the counter, he hurriedly left the shop and saw Sakura standing right in front of the pedestrian.
'What is she doing here…' he thought as he walked towards her, but then he heard someone yelling from a distance.
"MISS!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"
Haru quickly looked at his side and upon seeing the lad speeding off with his bike towards Sakura, he swiftly grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pulled her close to his body. Sakura stood still in his arms as shock crossed her face and cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Almost hugging her, he worriedly gazed at Sakura's face and saw the fear in her light brown eyes, and as more people passed by and waited for the two to cross the intersection, Haru coolly slid his hand down to hers and held it. Leading her, they crossed the pedestrian, and he took some time before glancing at the startled woman whose fear has now subsided.
'Did she get hurt somewhere?' he thought and when he was about to ask her...
"I couldn't believe you!" Sakura blurted out, regaining her composure.
"Huh?" Haru's brows met in confusion.
"Why did you lie to me?"
"What are you talking about?" he took a glimpse of her, brows still furrowed.
"You told me you just live nearby my place, but it's actually the opposite!" she exclaimed, catching up with his pace.
"Do you want me to live nearby yours so that you could visit me easily?"
Sakura was taken aback with the unexpected counter of the man walking beside her and was at a loss for words for a good long minute. They walked hand-in-hand, passing by another block and turning to their left to cross another pedestrian. Haru, despite being confused, found her cute for being too invested in questioning him that she still hadn't noticed that he had been holding her hand for a little while now.
"I mean, if I lived nearby, then you would not have a hard time with the directions, right?" he added.
She side eyed him, "That's not what I meant! And who told you I had a hard time?"
"Just a hunch," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't have a hard time with the directions. But okay.... I got confused with Ayaka's sketch and your house's location, but going here is easy-peasy," she rolled her eyes. "I couldn't just believe that you lied to me the first time we met."
"Didn't you bluff as well?"
"I did?" she blinked her eyes.
He glanced at her, "You said you were fine... And you said, you had food in your apartment..."
Sakura's cheeks turned red from hearing his response. "I… I just lied because I don't want you to worry about me, especially that I was already in a pitiful state," she murmured.
"And I bluffed because I didn't want you to worry about me since you're supposed to worry about yourself."
Sakura was speechless for the second time around. She knew he was right and felt ashamed for bombarding him with questions. She was supposed to surprise him, but she was the one getting surprised with his actions.
A bit later, they finally reached the street where Haru's house was located, and as she looked around, she was delighted to see the different colored peonies planted in front of the houses. But then, her lips pouted upon seeing three houses with black gate. 'If Haru didn't see me, then I'd be doomed and end up asking each house!' she thought, while also remembering Ayaka's sketch.
Haru led the way to the second house with black gate. He turned to her before releasing her hand, "Are you really here to visit me after a month? Cause this feels like a fever dream to me."
Her brows rose after only noticing that her hand was held by him. A sudden gentle breeze blew, which lifted her short pink hair and touched her skin. The pretty flowers also swayed with the wind as she gazed at the tall handsome man standing in front of her.
His sharp alluring eyes were gazing back at her as his long jet black hair was blown across his eyes. A bit of his cherry blossom tattoo could also be seen just below the sleeve of his shirt. They were two feet apart, but she could smell the fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine of his newly bathed hair and the fresh scent of his new laundried clothes.
Sakura licked her lips and pressed them together before speaking, "I am. I want to thank you personally, so I'm really sorry if I didn't contact you and showed up even once." She glanced at him, but avoided his gaze. "And… I wanted to look more presentable unlike the mess I was a month ago," she mumbled.
"I can see that," he uttered, running a hand through his hair.
"Hmm?" she tilted her head to the side, not sure what he meant with what he just said.
His eyes were fixated on Sakura's face and studied it briefly. She's a small faced beauty; her short hair highlighted her doll face even more. She has beautiful doe eyes, tall pointed nose, and heart-shaped lips. Indeed, her aura was lovelier and more radiant compared than before.
Haru reached for her fringe and fixed it before tucking Sakura's hair behind her ear, "You definitely look prettier than the peonies in this neighborhood."