Aone's Romance || Aone Takanobu x Reader

S I X T E E N

The first year had been hard- lonely.

Aone didn't try to forget her, but as time passed, it seemed unavoidable. At one point, (L/n) was all he could think of, and her obsession with green, and her taste for strawberries that was just starting to rub off on him, but now- now it was bearable.

When he'd walk to the grocery store, and see strawberries, he used think of her, and her berry stained lips, but now, they were just a fruit. Now picnics were only picnics, and the cat at home named Kiki was his cat, and his cat alone. Every now and then, he'd remember her, and smile at their shared memories from four years ago, but she was mostly in the back of his brain.

He'd had their pictures of them together in his bedroom, by his bed. Until one night, when he'd brought a girl home, he'd glanced at the picture and had been riddled with guilt for days. He moved most pictures of them together to a box in his closet after that, hidden away like his memories of her.

Now that he'd realized that four years had passed, that he had graduated college, and she wasn't here, he wondered if she had forgot about their past. She'd made a promise, but that was so long ago, when they were so young, and so naive, and so blindly in love that it might only be an embarrassing story she told to her friends.

Sitting on his desk, barely awake from his nap just moments before, he stared at his computer screen. His work schedule allowed his some leeway for the next week. He was glad, he could probably go back to sleep and get some much needed rest.

RING! RING! RING!

His finger tip glossed across his desk, reaching for his vibrating phone. He didn't recognize the number, but he slide his finger across the phone to answer anyways.

"Hello?" He spoke, voice still groggy and tired.

"Hey Aone," there was a long pause, enough time to make him realize he was no longer tired, but fully awake. Enough time to allow him to recognize the voice, one he couldn't forget. "It's (L/n)."

He'd dreamt of this call when he was younger, when he was a freshman in college, but now- now he swore he felt him stomach drop to his ass.

"H-Hi." He managed to choke out, sitting up strait in his seat.

"How are you?" It was a formal question, too formal he thought. He could hear the street from her side of the call, cars and wind contradicting the sound of her soft voice. It had matured over time, he decided, it was now deeper, more grown up.

He swallowed thickly. "Good, I've been good."

Another pause.

"Listen, I just landed back in Japan, and I'm gonna be back in the Miyagi Prefecture in a few hours..." He could hear a deep coragous breathe from her. "Do you- I mean, would you like to go get coffee with me? To catch up?"

"Yes!" The words leaked from his lips without a thought, and he could hear her laugh over the line, like she used to. "Yes, I'd like to get coffee with you." He repeated.

"Good! Great, I'll call you when I'm in the area."

When she hung up, he realized he'd been on the edge of his seat, shoulders tense and fingers gripping the edge of the desk and his phone.

Christ, what would he wear.

***

By the time (L/n) had called again, telling him that she was in town, that the trip was good, and that she was excited to see him, Aone's entire closet had been scattered across his room.

He'd thought of wearing a turtle neck, something to show how much his style had changed since she'd last seen him, but the weather didn't agree. And the dress pants, now hanging across his desk chair, seemed to formal for coffee.