FreeTheLGBT: Anthology

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Entry by ChristyOshima

~Winning entry of the Valentine's Day Contest~

Hiroto stared at the pink heart-shaped box which he had carefully placed the Nama chocolate in, cut in twelve perfect squares covered in cocoa powder. The young man felt proud of this accomplishment and with a wide smile, he searched for the whitish ribbon he had purchased. He found it laying on the counter and made sure to wrap it around the gift box.

"I think she'll love it!" he whispered and as he turned around, he came to the painful conclusion that even though the battle had been won and the chocolate was made, the war was still on and the kitchen was a true battlefield. He sighed, gathered the filthy kitchenware, walked towards the sink, and wasted no time. If he wanted to be over with it early, he had to start now. The water felt cold at the touch of his hands. He shut his eyes and let that freezing feeling overwhelm him. Lost in thought as he was, the melody of his phone reached his ears, once and then twice. With a swift movement he grabbed the towel, dried his hands and followed the noise all the way to the living room.

Only a glance at the number flashing on the screen was enough to leave him speechless. The boy ruffled his brown hair and bit his lower lip. What did he want? A few heavy breaths, a couple of glances shot to the side and by rubbing his face, Hiroto was desperately trying to find the courage and open the message that was sent to him. He fell on the couch with a loud sigh.

"Meet me at the bus station near my house in half an hour. We need to talk."

What was going on? They hadn't seen each other for such a long time and now out of the blue he had contacted him? Three years later? Minato was so hard to read sometimes that it made Hiroto unbelievably upset. He didn't bother to reply. Instead, he threw the phone to the side and stood up. He had more important things to do, like cleaning the kitchen, before his parents were back from their work. The last thing he needed was to be scolded, simply because he did a favour to his little sister by preparing some chocolate for the boy she liked.

Could he blame her, though? This day was dedicated to love and hope. She deserved a few pieces of delicious, creamy chocolate. Unlike him who had no hope, and his love was long gone.

He sighed and turned on the water which fell plentiful on his hands.

They were both seniors in high school. Minato was his first love and the only person that could make his heart skip with just the sound of his voice. And yet they were so different. Minato was hoping to have a successful career in engineering and Hiroto was still struggling on which path to choose. The first would always listen to logic, while the later kept on following his guts and in the end found himself falling deeply in love with his friend. Of course, Hiroto never admitted it. Until that moment Minato announced to him that a University in the USA had accepted his application. Having in mind that he'd never see him again, Hiroto pulled up all the courage in his heart and confessed to his best friend. The irony was that it was Valentine's Day, as he recalled.

He shut his eyes and as tears streamed down his cheeks, he felt his face get moist and heated. The young man sucked on his lips, desperately trying to hold back his cries as his heart was pounding from the intense pain. Three years; it had been three whole years and it still hurt like day number one. His mind was repeatedly playing that moment like a movie scene, never letting go of the pain he had felt. Never letting go of him. Hiroto knelt, remembering those words that had broken him back then.

"I guess this is goodbye, Hiroto."

And now he was back. He was the one who said that they shouldn't meet again, that it could never happen. Why? Why did it still hurt so bad?

He stood up, gulping, his heart throbbing in pain, his stomach a tight knot. He turned the water off, wiped his hands on the towel and walked to the living room. He grabbed his phone, noticing a small flash of light was indicating that another message had been received.

"I will be waiting for you..."

"Fuck" he cursed glancing at the clock. Thirty minutes had passed, and Minato's house was a fifteen-minute walk. He said he'd be waiting, right? In the end if he wasn't there, that would be Minato's fault.

Hiroto grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the house.

He ran fast and once he got there, straggling to catch his breath, Hiroto stared at...nothing. The wind was rustling through the leaves and the roads were somehow empty, while few only pedestrians were walking by. His feet dragged him to that old bench. He sat down, still looking around, still the hope of a miracle lingering. The phone buzzed in his pocket. He read the message and immediately his gaze went up. The clouds were gathering, so dark and ominous, yet so beautiful. A light groan and a self-pitiful smile upon his lips for all the false hopes that once were growing in his heart.

The rain began falling, grazing his face, washing off every warm memory of them and every remaining expectation. The tears began rolling uncontrollably, dripping on his shirt. It wasn't meant to be, was it? His hand let his phone fall on the concrete. He didn't care anymore. He simply wanted to cry the pain out under the soft cover of the rainfall.

"I can understand that you don't want to see me, Hiroto. It's alright. I'm so sorry for letting you down all these years. Goodbye."