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"HERE IS YOUR FOOD!" A waitress set down three platters of Japanese barbecue in front of Tsukishima and y/n, the fresh aroma of the food greeting their noses.
"Thank you!" "Thank you."
The waitress left their table, y/n breaking her chopsticks to prepare to eat. "I can't believe Maki and Shindo left without waiting for their orders to come. Now we're stuck eating and paying for their food." She grumbled under her breath.
"Yeah..." Tsukishima muttered, dipping his food into a dish of sauce. "I wonder what happened to them."
. . .
"Shindo!!" Maki shouted, chasing after him as he walked to the station. "Shi—"
"I don't feel like talking anymore, Maki..." He stopped on the sidewalk, Maki stopping a few meters away from him. He kept his back to her, hiding his upset face.
"...Shindo, I'm...I'm so sorry...I really am...But I need you to understand that us staying as friends is for the best—"
"The best for who, Maki!?" He shouted, whipping around to her with an angry gaze.
She lightly gasped, her mouth parting open with shock. This was the first time, since the two years she'd known and dated him, that she had seen him break.
He dropped the happy-go-lucky, eccentric, whiney attitude he usually had.
He was really upset.
"The best for you and Lily, right!?"
"Shindo—"
"Because it's not the best for me!! Noooo, it's not!" He chuckled mid sentence, tears of frustration filling his eyes. "You never even tried to talk to me, so we could come up with a solution that wouldn't hurt us both!!"
Maki looked down to her feet, biting her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.
Shindo hitched, realizing his sudden outburst had made Maki upset. "...Oh my god, I-I didn't mean to—" He muttered, slowly walking towards her.
"No...Y-You have every right to be upset...I'm such an idiot for not thinking about you first..." She mumbled, bringing her hands to her face to hide her tears. Feeling guilty, Shindo wrapped his arms around her head and brought her to his chest.
"Ever since I became a mother, I've become so selfish..." She whimpered, her tears soaking his dress shirt.
Shindo squeezed her tighter, burying his head into the crook of her neck. "Maki...for now...let's take a break. I think we both need to take time for ourselves and think about who we can move forward, in a way that doesn't hurt both of us."
Maki lightly nodded in agreement, sniffling. "...I hate crying..." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist and digging her nails into the back of his shirt.
