Chapter 26: Warmth.
It was currently midnight. No person in the city other than criminals , police and late-shift workers are awake.
Till now everyone should have completed one or two sleep by now. I was doing the same but I felt thirsty and looked around to see that there was no water in the water bottle.
Subconsciously I placed my hand on the other side of the bed and remembered that I was the reason why Akeshi-kun isn't there. It's the only right thing to do , for a coward like myself. Because of me , he was beaten up and I am glad he left. If he didn't I wouldn't be able to control myself. I would have cried a river. I would hate it for someone to see me in that state.Even if it's Akeshi-kun.
To get water I got up from bed and started walking towards the door. When I opened it , I saw someone sleeping beside my door. That person had long red hair that shone in the moonlight. His long eyelashes gave a beautiful touch to his face. This person is the boy I love. To have this boy I selflessly used my fathers influence and now when I have him near my reach I can't do anything.
'It happened because of my cowardly behavior. If I just went with akiho-san then there wouldn't have been any problem. If I wasn't in a hurry and took that road then it wouldn't have happened. If I didn't let Miyamoto-san get out of the car then it wouldn't have happened. Miyamoto-san wouldn't have been hurt. I was glad for the fact that they let Miyamoto-san keep on working for us. If I wasn't a coward then these bandages wouldn't have been placed on his head.'
I touched his head , feeling both the softness of his hair and the roughness of the bandage. I noticed a part of the bandage having blood in it. It looked like it wasn't dry yet. So I decided to touch it for some idiotic reason.
He flinched when I did so and woke up immediately after. I started panicking when he did so. His beautiful , leaf green eyes looked at me. It felt like I was looking at nature itself while I was staring into those eyes. It made me feel peaceful.
My heart was beating really and hardly calmed down. I felt attracted to him again like a silly fangirl. His eyes then went towards my hand which was holding a water bottle. He grabbed it from my hand.
"Wait I can do it myself!" I urged but didn't get any response whatsoever. He just left towards the water tap to get the water.
For me, I went ahead and sat on the sofa. After some time he came back. He brought me both the bottle and a glass of water. But the water looked slightly different. There was a yellowish tint in the water and some drops of oil were floating on top of the water.
"chamomile essential oil." he said and handed me the water" , Help promote relaxation and reduce stress. Will create a peaceful mind." he sat down at the opposite side, "Drink it." Trusting his words I drank the water.
.
.
.
.
The kitchen was dimly lit up , I felt the pressure of the night on my shoulder. His face was covered by the darkness but his glowing green eyes were visible. It had a warm look in them.
Our eyes met each other again and it felt like a thousand words were spoken in a single second.
"Couldn't sleep?" was the first thing that I heard Akeshi-kun say to me in the span of this entire day. His voice felt like warm clothing wrapping around me , calming me down and the water that he gave the started doing its effect.
At the current moment he was standing behind the sofa in the opposite direction , somehow knowing that this distance was comfortable to me.
I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze as I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable under his scrutiny. "No... Too many thoughts keeping me awake."
He moved closer, walking around the sofa until he was standing before me, his eyes searching for mine with a depth that sent shivers down my spine. "Want to talk about it?" he asked softly, his voice a soothing balm to my restless soul.
"I'm scared, Akeshi-kun," I confessed, my voice barely whispering as I struggled to hold back tears. "Scared of what my mother will say, of how I will be seen in the society...scared of going to school again...scared of what my grandparents will face... Scared of losing everything I stand on....scared of..... losing you.....i-i-i-d-o," words weren't coming out of my mouth.
As my breaths quicken, I feel the weight of fear settling deep within my chest, squeezing tighter with each passing second. It's like an invisible hand has wrapped around my heart, making it hard to draw in air. Every little sound—the creak of the floorboards, the rustle of leaves outside—feels like a threat looming over me.
I felt my vision blackout. My hands are trembling , in pure fear. I couldn't hold it in. I was almost going to fall unconscious. I felt the darkness looming over me.
It felt as if...a chain was on my neck , hand and legs , stopping me from moving forward.
Then I felt a warmth on my body. My vision came back and I saw that Akeshi-kun was hugging me. His warmth transferring from his body to mine.
My heart felt calm again. It was a beautiful feeling which lasted for a minute. The minute passed by and turned into an hour. An hour turned into 2 hours. Then he released me , placing his hand on my head , gently moving his hand on my head.
"I know it's hard but," his voice dripping with empathy and warmth went in my ear , giving me a peace of mind , "i am here whenever you need me. So don't worry. Let's go . It's time for you to sleep. So let's not wait for long , ok?" A smile bloomed on his face , like a newly born flower. It was beautiful , gentle to say the least.
I nodded my head and went towards my room. He placed me on my bed and covered me with a blanket. He was about to leave but I held his hand.
".. Please...," my voice came out as a whisper , "Don't leave.." he nodded his head and grabbed a chair to sit beside me.
"I won't..," he held my hand with both of his hands, "Trust me I won't..."
He said I fell asleep while feeling the security inside myself.