bloom | winrina (completed)

in bloom (part two)

eventually falling

***

"haru, my favorite grandchild!" the old man greeted her as soon as she got out of the car. the 14-hour flight showed on her face. she mostly slept and read books to pass the time. the boredom almost made her wish she didn't go to the states with her mother.

"i'm your only grandchild, grandpa. i missed you." they shared a warm embrace, a nostalgic one for haru since the last time they saw each other was 7 years ago. the bodyguards that her grandfather insisted to assist her went upstairs with her luggage. she sighed as she remembered fighting with her mom before leaving.

"i was surprised when you wanted to stay with us and study here. what made you change your mind?" her grandmother asked while pouring her a cup of tea. should i tell them the truth?

"i just prefer life here, i grew up here anyway. plus, i want to spend time with the both of you." that statement earned a smile from her elders. it was true, but also a lie.

the truth is that she wanted to escape the chaos happening back home. her mother caught her father cheating with multiple women, and let's just say that their fights are overbearing. but she didn't have the heart to tell her grandparents, the news would break their hearts. they finished dinner and her grandparents left her. she insisted she stays on her own so she'll learn how to be more independent than she already is.

having a grandfather that is a school founder gave haru a more significant advantage than most students. she got enrolled in a snap and now she's in her grandfather's office, fixing her bowtie in front of the mirror. she loves having a uniform than thinking of a new outfit for school. uniforms can trick minds into thinking that we should adhere to the rules and be on our best behavior.

"hey, haru, look at that girl." her grandpa has been looking out the window and observing the students of his university.

"what about her?"

"i see her everyday and she's always alone, always in her own world. it's as if she doesn't care about her surroundings or the people around her. i've never seen her hang out with anyone before. but what intrigues me the most..." he paused to see if haru was listening and she is, still not taking her eyes off of the student.

"what is under that eyepatch?" haru's eyes followed the trail the student took.

needless to say, she got invested.

she didn't try to approach the student at first. she's new here and approaching the prey without knowing the prey won't make you a good hunter. she received a message from aeri, her best friend back in the states.

how's the stalking?
10:30 am

i'm not sure if i'm doing this right but other than walking alone to places where almost no one likes staying in, she doesn't do anything else.
10:35 am

message me only when something interesting happens. bye!
10:36 am

when she looked up, her subject was gone. she went home that day blaming herself for taking her eyes off the student.

she devised a better plan to study her subject better. she made friends and asked about her. that day she found out how everyone is bullying her, everyone since no one said a good thing about her, like factual information about her. all of them were rumors and she doesn't want to hear any of them again.

she followed them closely, the group of students who bully her mercilessly. the bad feeling in her gut was right, they were going to torment her that day.

encountering people who are intentionally doing bad things to someone who did nothing to them was not a first for her, but she couldn't fathom how others just stood there and watch. she made sure from that day on, saku will never experience anything that will hurt her again.

months passed and the more time they spend, the more they grew close. it felt like they were supposed to meet and be there for each other. even if only a few words come out of saku's mouth, they were full of substance to be dissected later as she reflects on the things that happened that day. she learned a lot about saku, and in that process, she also learned things about herself. she found herself slowly falling.

it was a chilly afternoon, they were outside and were just trying to keep each other warm. haru was comfortable, saku was comfortable and it is one of those moments you'd appreciate the most. they're in good terms after saku almost broke their friendship, but haru didn't let it get into her as much as she thought it would. saku have reasons and it's okay if she's not ready to let her know any of it yet. maybe it was about the eyepatch, and she doesn't want to ask about that. she will be patient and she will focus in the present.

but then those words left saku's mouth. her brain stopped working, time slowly went to a halt and she heard nothing but those words repeating in her mind.

"i realized that i love you."

she couldn't answer right away. her mind was processing it word by word and she can't believe it.

saku loves her.

she tried to contain her emotions but failed when saku's face became full of worry. she collected herself and,

"koi no yokan." worry turned to confusion and haru can't help but smile at how adorable saku looks.

"it means the first time i saw you, it wasn't love at first sight but i knew, i knew that one day i would fall in love with you." she pulled the shorter close and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

i can finally say i love you.

"i love you, saku."