Usui keeps turning left and right, showing his fit like a happy child, while Aoi flicks her eyes all over his face and body with the great fascination that becomes greater as she tastes the food.
"Whoa! Kid! Seriously!" She swallows the huge bite. "Thumbs up! Yep, you look gorgeous!"
He scratches his nose, shy than proud.
"I know."
"Yes, your handsome face is all shining through your outfit! I really did you great! I'm the best." she claps her hands clumsy, guarding the diner tray to not fall.
He lifts his eyebrow as he considers her face.
"You're calling me handsome and all, just as easy. People will think you're flirting with me."
She fills her spoon with all kinds of flavors then struggles to find more space in her mouth to fill.
Indeed, she isn't thinking much about his words, as she is sure he is teasing her. Rather, she keeps her all immersed in the meal he prepared for her.
"Don't mind them, kid. It's not like we're close or anything.
Clear it is how her talk slapped Usui. Making him doubt his bothersome thoughts.
It sounds normal. However, it doesn't feel normal. Because, digging in his inner, he found that he got attached to her to some extent.
He purses his lips and rolls his eyes, intending to go change. "You're really a mood ruiner!"
Hearing what he said, Aoi lifts her head and took a break from eating.
Mouth filled to its fullest, she looks like a puffy red panda in confusion. Thus, she asks.
"Wait, why is that?"
"Don't eat while you're eating, Geez!" sighs Usui, annoyed.
She swallows multiple times to get the big bite in through. "I'm sorry, it's just so delicious, kid! I didn't figure I'd enjoy it this much! You really know what you're doing, kiddo!"
"You like it that much?"
"I love it!"
"Nah, focus!" He sighs out the heavy frustration. "It's just... I thought we're friends, old lady."
She points the spoon up for agreement, but her eyes still on her chopsticks.
"Yeah, sure! Of course!"
Not satisfied with her answer, he rushes to the wooden chair and sits aggressively, making the chair do a whole transition closer to the bed.
He then folds his arms and legs, trying to show more clearly the irritation hanging to his face.
"You're not serious."
She takes the tissue and wipes her mouth as a conclusion to the long enjoyed meal. Then, lifts her gaze, locking it on his.
"No, I'm serious. We're good. We're friends!"
She lets a humming voice to show that she has more to say. If not a more, she hesitates to say.
"It's more like, I like you." Says Aoi with a firm and steady voice.
Even though Usui knows that her "like" is not as scary as that "like" he thinks he heard the first second she spoke, his heart still feels pounding with a mix of happiness and ease.
"Really?" He asks wanting to hear more.
"Yeah, like you're energetic and super active. You may be moody a little, but you're still kind and... umm..."
"And what?" He bends over, having his arms supporting his upper body on his legs, and cupping his cheeks in both palms.
"Umm..." Aoi struggles to find fitting words. However her face wasn't helpful for how blushing it is.
Her reaction grabs his interest even thirsty.
"Ah! Come on now! Don't keep me hanging here!"
"You're... you're warm-hearted, some...sometimes."
"Haha! Seriously!" Usui bursts in laughter after a hard try to hold it.
"Hey! Why are you laughing, for God's sake?" Annoyed.
"Haha! Nah, sorry. Just, you made a funny face. You looked so dumb!" Exclaims Usui while wiping the tear off his eye side. "Seriously, I thought you'd confess or something!"
"Yeah, it's just... it feels kind of hard to compliment a piece of shit such as you." She scanned him up and down with a blunt mocking smile over her face, to which he responded with an irritated expression.
"Don't worry. I won't confess. That's because, besides the fact that you have a girlfriend and it happens that I'm not crazy bitch, I don't really intend on being acquainted in any romantic relationship."
Usui tilts his head in mixture of astonishment and worry. "Why is that? Aren't you afraid of living the rest of your life alone?"
"Heh! Well, that's what all people think. Do you really believe you would be alone if you don't marry? Don't worry kid, there are friends, family, paid people and helpers."
Usui eyes the ceiling left and right in search of the Fitting arguments.
"Well, it's not really about people you need. It's more like..." Eyes lost in the void and hands waving in circles. "...People you get love from. People you share love with..." When he got his words out, he turns to meet her eyes After folding his arms to his chest. "Everyone needs love, everyone needs the kind of warmth calling to their chest and heart from time to time. So they can remember that it's still beating!"
He nods his head, surprised great by what he just said.
Aoi gives her body up to the pillow behind, and wipes her forehead like troubled then sighs.
"Kid you should do poetry."
"I know, right!" He claps his hands and nods more. "I just don't know what are the things I can't do!... No! Wait, don't change the subject!"
"Yes well, for me, I don't need love. In fact, a stranger loving you unconditionally, I don't believe any of that really exists. Eventually, theirselves are their priorities, they can never love you so perfectly. Because in the end, they are not you. They can't give you as enough love as you would expect. To be honest, it's laughable how people still wait for such an ideal relationship. As I've seen until now, all of who I know have successfully failed to maintain such the perfect Married life you're claiming."
Usui adopts an even worried look.
"Old lady, you have a lot of trust issues."
"Yes well, it doesn't really bother me.
"Still... you need to loosen up a little."
Knowing through his tone that Usui is really concerned about her, Aoi bends her head a bit and gives a glance at Usui, eyes up, like a grounded child.
"Never mind that, kid. I have other problems considering dealing with men. So it's all piled up_"
"Why? What kind of problems?"
"You don't need to know. You won't like it_"
"I need to know!" Interrupts Usui. "Am a man too, so I need to know how to deal with you. Because you know, we'll be leaving together for the time being!"
"*sigh* fine. So, umm... I had this a long time ago, that the mere presence of a man disturbs me. It hysterically disgusts me. I needed to go on some therapies at a certain point. well, rather, I was forced to them, in addition to some silly meditation. My father just couldn't accept that, he forced me hard to it. Still, I somehow got over it. I'm fine being near men, talking to them and even touching them to some extent. But just in some cases, panic attacks can get the best of me like what happened a while ago."
Usui bends his head down, nodding and an obvious pained look haunting his face. But he says none.
She draws a guilty smile, then sneaks a glare at Usui, to know if she needs to ask.
"Kid, Mamoru-kun told you about the director, didn't he?"
Usui felt hesitated to answer at first, but after a brief moment, he relaxed his muscles and falls to the back of his chair.
"Yes well... a little."
"Heh" she smirks. "Fair enough. That director didn't even try to hide it." Her voice is shaking.
"It's alright, really! That man was a piece of shit anyways, and you don't need to apologise!_"
As he was speaking, Aoi's phone ringing cut through his talk.
The thought of Mori calling here again, made him jump in frustration.
"If it's your dad, don't answer!"
"Nah, relax. It's Amane."
"Put it on speaker."
"Kid, it's really Amane."
"I know. She just left you all alone to do god knows what, without checking on you all day. If she doesn't explain herself I'll have to ask her myself!"
Aoi sighs, obediently answering the phone and putting it on speaker.
☏"Aoi, hello. How are you? I heard the news of the JBS director putting a lame act. I knew there was something wrong."
"Well, he was a jerk, I don't even want to bring it up again."
☏"Did THAT happen again?"
Usui looked at Aoi, waiting to get more of what "THAT" means.
"Kinda. It wasn't bad this time. Besides, Usui and Mamoru-kun took good care of me."
He got his answer, and knew as well that she was lying.
What happened to her wasn't just a "not bad" panic attack.
He is about to speak when Aoi quickly put her finger against his lips to seal them. She continues.
"So, how's your sister? Is she okay now?"
Usui found himself hooked to their talk in confusion.
☏"Yes. Thanks Lord, I came in time. She was rushing me all the way because she really needed to see me before the chemeo session. In fact, you see..." Amane lets go a sorrowful exhale. And both of them felt it too. She clearly sounds like holding her shaking voice to reshape it steadier. "... those injections are hell painful. Hah... I needed to stay with her after the session too. So that at least when she wakes up, she can calm down her pain a little by seeing me next to her... Still... I'm really sorry Miss. I'm indebted to you my whole life."
Aoi took a moment to stifle Her tears.
Looking at here thoroughly, Usui knows that it was an even miserable story then that he got through their talk. Amane's sister suffers cancer, and Amane's all alone working hard to save her. And Aoi trusts him enough to be sharing such a life-depending secret with him.
"Stop it now with the debt and shit, for God's sake. We're sisters. We grew together and we went through all hell of things together. Such things as debt and sorry, don't have a place between us."
☏"Haha!" A faint laughter escaped Amane's strangled throat finally. "Yes of course. Really, I'm thankful to have you!"
"Yeah, me too."
☏"But miss, I want to tell you... please take your medication."
"I won't." Cuts Aoi. "I told you I won't return to that bullshit."
She sees Usui growing even more curious to know.
☏"It's just like a painkiller, miss. It's not like you're losing anything."
"Amane, if getting rid of this shit I'm in, means running away from my problems and sorrows each time. Then I'd rather stay awake even if it means being hurt more."
☏"Fine, Aoi. For how much we nagged you so much about the medication, and for being ignorant of how much you struggled to stand against our calls, I won't do that anymore. But please be fine!"
"Haha. yes, I will. Amane did you return home?"
☏"Nope, I've just got out of the hospital, on my way to the car."
"I see, be careful."
☏"Yes miss, I wish you good night."
"You too."
In the end, Amane hangs up. She puts the phone away from her ear just as enough to notice a car following here, driving remarkably slow, just by the closest side of the street, which was hidden by her phone when she was calling Aoi.
Her heart skipped a beat as she figured finally that the car stopped by her side just as she ceased to walk.
She turns by her side a bit. After knowing that her body has gone completely numb, not willing to move.
The car has tainted windows, they were all closed, except one that belongs to the back seats. It was briefly open, that she can see someone's grey hair.
<
"I advise you to take a break, little miss." Said the man with a cold bristled voice.
Amane's face becomes death Pale. Her eyes dart around with deadly nervousness. And an unmatched anxiety scratches her face red, with unstoppable tears.
Her position, her face, her all and the all for her, has been exposed all this time! Maybe they know about her sister! Things about her family too!
To be throwing warnings, the man is sure to be acquainted with her mother's death.
Without further talk, the car departed soundless, Like it wasn't even there.
Her legs give up to the gravity. Hearing her knees hit the floor, she started to collect a little of her soul she thought it left her body away.
Her arms move fast wiping her tears and fighting the horror that haunted her whole and all.
After countable minutes, she stands up, sight scratched bad by her missed up thoughts.
*****
As Usui finally changed into his pyjama and was heading to the living room, Aoi called him.
"What's up, old lady?"
"I..." Nervousness appears bare clear over her eyes.
As a result, he steps in to ease her mind.
"Don't worry, old lady. I won't tell anyone about Amane. So rest assured."
"No, that's not it." interrupts Aoi in a rush.
"Kid. Let's sleep together. Like next to me, here on this bed."
His eyes widen in astonishment, rather he gets lost in a hell of disbelief between all the possibilities he thought of. He betrays the doubt, and masters the courage to ask her.
"Why is that, old lady?"
"I'm not going to harass you or anything, oh God, this kid! I thought that it would be great to start with getting myself to endure men's presence by sleeping next to you. I believe that's the extreme case of having a man next to me, right?"
"Old lady, I don't think that's fine."
"Kid, we won't do anything. Okay? It's more like I want to convince myself that I'm not weak in front of men. I want to wipe the guilt I'm feeling about being weak. In fact I want to see for myself that I can bear with men being near me. won't you do that for my sake?" Her doggy-like eyes stared at him Bigging. As her shaking worried voice rings irresistible inside his ear, revealing how she, herself, wasn't fully encouraged to do as her tongue says.
It was a moment, when the silence grew the loudest, as both Usui and Aoi looked at each other innocently hesitant.
"*sigh* fine~..."