Fruits Basket Prompts

38. Not Right Now

54. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

Tohru paces back and forth through her small living room, lines of worry etched into her forehead, her cell phone attached to her ear.

She hears the fifth ring before it goes straight to voicemail for the fourth time.

"Kyo-kun, why aren't you home yet? I'm worried! Please call me back soon. I love you," Tohru says urgently, tears stinging her eyes. All she has been wanting the whole day was to get back home and hug Kyo and bawl her eyes out in his arms. But even that, she can't get.

To say Tohru has had a horrible day is an understatement.

The alarm clock didn't ring somehow, so she woke up late, so did Kyo (he overslept as well because he worked extra hard the whole week). Tohru couldn't even make a proper breakfast for Kyo as he dashed out with a piece of toast in his mouth for his early morning classes at the dojo. Consequently, she reached work late and got scolded immensely by her boss who also seemed to have gotten on the wrong side of the bed. After that, a customer at the bakery yelled at Tohru insolently just because Tohru clumsily put the plate on their table. She wanted to cry right that instant, but she was now a grown woman, and crying definitely didn't show professionalism, nor what an adult she had become. So she waited for her lunch break. That's the best part of her working time. To get a call from her boyfriend.

But today, he didn't call. Out of all the days.

Disheartened Tohru didn't want to bother him either since he was so busy that he forgot all about her. Or maybe, he was mad that she couldn't prepare breakfast or lunch for him. That must be the case. Because in the last four months, he has never missed calling her.

She put a stone on her heart and a fake smile on her face to get through the rest of the day. Yet, she kept screwing up and getting scolded every time. One of her colleagues was absent as well, hence, the work pressure was bone-crushing.

Finally, in the evening, when she was home after working overtime which is the way her boss punished her, Kyo still wasn't home. Kyo had morning classes and afternoon classes today, so he should have been back by now, but where was he? His boss is very kind, and he adores Kyo, unlike her boss who just loathes Tohru to death (Kyo has told her to find a new job). So she can't imagine he would punish Kyo for simply being late for the first time.

Whatever it was, God, Kyo needs to receive the calls.

She's going absolutely crazy.

Not to mention, her mind won't stop going into dark places and conjure up horrifying images. Things like maybe Kyo got into an accident, or he fainted, or he didn't want to come back home to her—

After what feels like an eternity, Tohru hears the front door unlock, and the tired footsteps enter the apartment.

Tohru runs to the entryway and sighs in relief as she sees Kyo kicking off his sneakers exhaustedly, unscathed and safe.

"Kyo-kun, what took you so long?" Tohru asks, almost shouts out from her earlier tension.

Kyo releases a long sigh. "Don't even get me started. I just had the worst day of the year. Remember I told you about that student who got hurt after getting into a fight with another student yesterday?"

She nods unsurely. It had been a nasty incident. Kyo was called in by the dojo master for a few minutes during the water break to talk about something, and when he came back, he found one of his students with a bloody nose on the floor, the artwork of another student. Apparently, those two often get in fights, even at school. That's why to cool off steam between each other for not having school during summer vacation, they fought at the dojo and created a bloody mess.