Paint Me a Melody (OiKage)

Chapter 3

And I don't want to go home yet,

Let me walk to the top of the big night sky.

A week later, Tooru sat in an empty practice room.

It was the middle of the night, and he had just got done going over possible pieces for his upcoming recital.

He took back his theme declaration, and he was back to making mental lists of ideas, but nothing felt right.

His phone lit up where it was sitting next to him, and he looked over to see that Tobio was facetiming him. He picked it up, taking a small breath before he answered.

"Yes, Tobio?" He asked.

"Hey, when are you going to be home?"

He felt his stomach twist. Did Tobio miss him?

"Probably in like 30 minutes, why?"

Tobio made a face, and looked over off out of frame. "Yeah, 30 minutes," he said. "Maybe."

Tooru felt his heart sink. Who was he talking to?

"Sorry," Tobio said. "Shouyou's over. Would you be able to stay out for another hour or so? It's just awkward, since we have one room..."

Tooru was at a loss for words. His mouth felt dry, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed by a barbed wire. "Yeah, of course," he hurried out, trying not to get choked up. His vision turned blurry and he realized he was about to cry.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup!" Tooru rushed out, and then hung up the phone. He dropped it on his thigh and leaned over the piano, arms covering his face. How could this be happening to him?

He went through 3 years of university, 2 of which he lived with Tobio. This has never happened before. He went so long without Tobio dating anyone. He started thinking that maybe....

It didn't matter what he was thinking. Because he was wrong.

He blinked, trying to clear the tears away, then leaned back and wiped his eyes with his palms. Whatever.

He supposed that he could call Koushi. He wasn't sure he wanted to go home at all tonight.

He got up, and gathered all of his things. He had scattered papers everywhere that he stuffed into his bag. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, and made his way out of the music building.

It was clear outside; there weren't many clouds, and Tooru got lost looking up at the stars. Normally, they were a little hard to spot because of the weather, but tonight, they looked beautiful. But he was having a hard time appreciating their beauty.

He sighed, and started taking a walk around campus, looking for something that was open.

Their university had an area that was always lit up at night, where they invited vendors to come in and make money. There were string lights everywhere, and it looked beautiful.

Tooru walked through that area, not even bothering to look around. He walked around for a little while, until he found a man who had a canvas set up. There were drawings, paintings, and supplies scattered all around him.

He was shorter than Tooru was; with brown hair sticking up in every direction and tanned skin. His eyebrows were thick, and his eyes were a beautiful dark brown. He was talking animatedly to a couple in front of him, a dorky looking smile illuminating their features.

The couple was made up of two men; which Tooru found refreshing. Obviously, he was in love with Tobio, and he knew that Koushi had a boyfriend, as well. But it was refreshing to see gay couples that he didn't know in public.