I walked inside of the house, hearing grandma in the kitchen making food and listening to Queen. I laughed and walked inside the room, seeing her play an air guitar ." where were you ?" she asked as if she could smell me by the door ." on a date " I said smiling, I couldn't stop smiling even after we left the Cafe. She smiled at this "did you have fun " she asked putting the music down ." yeah, a lot of fun " I said leaning against a counter." well i'm happy for you " she began and I knew what was coming, so I beat her to it ." I know, I know. Don't get too attached because you won't be here long " I said sighing, my smile falling. She sighed Also leaning against a counter "I'm sorry Hanako if there was a way I would've fixed it " she said looking at me with pity ."I just want to be able to live my last days, grams, without having to worry "I said unfolding my arms ." I know dear, I know " she said her frown making her look older than she really is ."Well, all right ... are you hungry ?" she asked her smile returning ." I actually already ate "I said, "I think I'm just gonna go shower," I said pointing with my thumb to behind me ." oh ... OK," she said. I turned and headed to my room. I opened my bedroom door and closed it, I fell on top of my bed before I took a deep breath and headed to my bathroom to shower.
I sat on my bed, my wet hair wrapped in a towel and reading a book. Well, trying to. Being a mood reader really doesn't help to get my TBR down. That and the fact that has been checking my phone every few minutes. I just wanted to feel happy again or to get those words of my grandma out of my head. I closed my book and put my earphones in, laying down on my bed ." I'm a goner, somebody catch my breath " I sang along to the music in my ears. I look across my room to the photo's on the wall, Photo's of me before I got sick. Before my mom died.Before I had to go to the doctor every few months and before I had to drop out of school. I looked happy there, with my best friends next to me. Not a care in the world. It makes me think of the first time I found out I was sick.
I sat in a chair, next to my grandma in the doctor's office. I was sixteen, and my grandma took me here. In her hands was a handkerchief and folded inside it was the thing I coughed up. We were talking when I started coughing. On my grandma's face was a worried expression ."Kobayashi ? the doctor will see you now " the receptionist said. We stood up and headed to the check-up room. We sat down at the desk, and the doctor smiled at us ." so Kobayashi-san, what are we here for today ?" he asked his fingers intertwining with each other ." well, sensei " she started " Hanako started to cough, I thought it was nothing ... until she coughed up this" my grandma unwrapped the handkerchief and showed my doctor. There laid three petals, splats of blood on them. The doctor lifted up his glasses and sighed ." well I'm sorry to tell you this " he started "but Hanako has Hanahaki " he didn't even glance at me ." what ?" my grandma said, never hearing of this disease ." Hanahaki, it's a very rare disease . It only comes from unrequited love or one-sided love " the doctor said ."In the patient's lungs, there has started growing flowers . Which would make them cough it up. But only in the later stages does the patient cough up an entire flower ".he looked at me now, with pity in his eye's." and the patient is doomed to die "he began. My grandma's shoulders sunk and she looked like she was in a daze ." that is if the patient doesn't take the surgery " he said and hoped filled her eyes." how much does it -" I drowned out my grandma and doctor's voices. Unrequited love? but who would have given me that? I don't like anybody and the only people I love are my family .surely one of them couldn't the cause, right? I looked as the doctor and grandma talked .where did I get this?
Turns out I can't get the surgery, My disease was too far in. So I'm doomed to die. Luckily the doctor said that it could take years, months, weeks. I'm hoping it's years. We sat in my grandma's car.No music, no conversation. Just the sound of the tires on the road ." I'm sorry " my grandma spoke breaking the long silence ." huh, for what grandma ?" I asked confused ." if ... I helped your mother then maybe you wouldn't be in this situation," she said. I didn't speak just sat in silence.
I got knocked out of memory lane by a ping next to my head and a knock on the door. I sat up straight, "Hanako ?" I heard my grandma's voice at the other end of my door ." yeah ?" I asked looking at my white door, that stood out from my entire room."Do you ... wanna watch a movie with me ?" she asked sounding small. I was silent for a moment, making her think it was a no ." you don't have to - " she began but I cut her off ." sure grandma, I'll be right down "I said ."great, I'll get the popcorn !" she said sounding like her self again. I chuckled at that and shook my head. I picked up my phone and went into Line. I smiled as I read the message.
Want to go on a date Saturday? 😋
Sure, why not.
I sat on a train on my way to another date with Lexy. She's taking me to a manga hotel, She is never gonna let go that I haven't seen an anime or read a manga. She also rented a cube for us, where we can read in .the train stopped at my stop, so I stood up and went off the train. I headed in direction of the Manga hotel, where Lexy said we would meet. And low and behold stood Lexy in front of it, Looking at her phone. I felt a smile come to my face as I walked to her ."hey" I said making her jump and almost dropping her phone." you scared me " she yelled shock all over her face." sorry, I wanted to surprise you" I said laughing ." well you did " she said .she nodded with her head to the Hotel ." ready to go ?" she asked. I nodded before she grabbed my hand and lead me into it. We walked in seeing rows and rows of manga on a shelf. Sometimes there were ladders where you climb up to a cube. Lexy went to the Register, letting her know that she was here. Leaving me here to look around, I walked through an aisle and looked at all the manga. I stopped as I saw a cover that pulled my attention.I picked up the Japanese version, It was just closer to home. I turned it over and looked at the description ."Found something you like " I heard Lexy's voice next to me ." I think so, " I said and showed her the cover ." oh, I never actually heard of this one," she said looking it over " well I guess we have our first read " she added as she took the English version. She grabbed my hand and we headed to a cube, with the number 301 on it. We climbed inside, There was enough space for us and probably another human being. Though our legs were scrunched up so we couldn't completely straighten our legs. Lexy had it harder than me since she is taller than me. Our backs were against the wall as we sat next to each other. And there was only an inch between us and our knees kept brushing against each other. And each time I would get a tingling zap. Making the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. I blushed before I finally opened the manga ." you actually open it from this side " Lexy said her hands touching mine as she showed me. Making me blush harder ."t-thanks " I stuttered out the word. I waited for my inner voice to come, but it never did. We sat in comfortable silence As we read the manga. Though I kept being pulled out of it, every time our knees touched. This is going to take a while.
It's a while and five manga's later, and my face has turned from a light pink to a blood-red tomato. And Lexy's face went from Lexy's face , well to lexy's face. How does she do it? We have been here more than two hours and she doesn't even look phased by our close complicity. I pick up my phone next to me to see how late it is. I press the on button and the sun has already set. And I'm starting to get hungry, My stomach growled in agreement. Speak of the devil. Lexy puts her books down and turns to me ." are you hungry ?" she asked I nodded and laughed. "Yeah, actually, " I said looking away from her ." me too" she chuckled before she went climbing out, taking her phone and book with her. I took my phone and book and also climbed out. And Lexy standing in front of the cube made me stand in front of her. Our faces mere inches from each other. I looked to her lips, we were close enough to kiss. I looked back up to her eyes and took a few steps back .she looked disappointed and I felt my face mimic it ." well we can go to my place, I can make some food ?" She suggested. Me never seeing it before, nodded. I wonder what it's like, or how it looks. I thought as we head to an aisle to put the manga back on the shelves. After we put everything back in its place, we walked out of the manga hotel. Even though it was dark there was still a reasonable amount of people outside ." Hey, wanna go to the park first before we go ?" She asked. I nodded ."it's not that late," I said after thinking about it for a moment. We walked on the cement of the street and headed to the park in the distance ." so how was your first manga reading experience ?" She asked not looking at me." I actually liked it, I'd probably do it again " I said smiling looking around at my settings. Anything not to look at her, since our almost-kiss moment. We walked the rest of the way in silence. And we did the same as we walked in the park. Until we saw a bench that looked over a river.Where there were lights hanged and people in boats. We sat down at it, the sound of chatter from the people around us. I turned to look at her, and she did the same. For the second time that day, we were mere inches from each other. Except unlike before it wasn't an almost kiss. Sparks flew as our lips were interlocked with each other .our fingers interlocked as well. And for the first time, it felt as if we were alone in the world. as if I wasn't sick and as if I wasn't dying. The only things that were happening were the touch of her, and the flips my stomach did. And for once I was entirely happy.