"To Lola, From Bugs" || Momiji

Chapter 17

The surprise party was a success in Momiji's eyes. He was able to make sure everyone made it and had a fun time. By the end of it, they were all good and tired. Hatsuharu left with Kisa and Hiro to make sure they got home safely. Soon after, Tohru and Yuki decided to leave to walk Machi home before heading home themselves, leaving Momiji and Anzu alone.

"Don't worry too much, okay?" Machi smiled at Anzu as she put her shoes on. "I hope you enjoyed your Christmas."

Anzu gave her a hug out of sheer appreciation. It was nice to have a friend like her. Pulling back, she whispered teasingly. "Hopefully you'll be able to get some time alone with Yuki."

Machi's face immediately tinged red. "W-Why would you say that?" She immediately shook her head, causing her best friend to laugh. Seeing as Anzu was joking, Machi quickly frowned, a pout forming on her face. "Don't do that! I'm trying my best, so you just do the same."

Once everyone had left, Anzu started putting away the leftover food in the refrigerator. In the back of her head, she kept reminding herself to check her phone since she hadn't heard from Kureno the entire day; hopefully his mother was able to be discharged from the hospital.

"Did you really enjoy yourself, Lola?" Momiji asked as he helped her clean up. Over time, he'd noticed her go into the kitchen a lot and she didn't really look in his direction throughout the party. Perhaps she wasn't into surprises. "Maybe I should've-"

"No, everything was really nice." Anzu assured him. "I probably would've just sat in front of the Christmas tree all day if you all hadn't come over."

Momiji frowned as he watched her walk past him and sit down in the common area after grabbing her phone. She was on the floor in front of the coffee table, crossing her legs so she was sitting Indian-style. It had gotten dark since the sun went down, so the Christmas lights on the tree and her phone's screen were the only things illuminating her facial features.

"Kureno won't be coming home tonight. Hatori-san said he's making sure his mother is okay at the main estate." Anzu spoke up as she put her phone down on the table. "I guess I'll just give him his present tomorrow."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Momiji asked. "The weather report said it was going to storm later on tonight."

"I bought some headphones while I was out with Tohru, so I'll be okay."

The blond frowned again and slowly approached her in the dimly lit room. Her tone of voice had become a bit more somber as if she was going to cry any moment now. "I can stay if you want me to. I know you don't like thunderstorms..."

Anzu didn't answer him as she focused her gaze on the blinking lights of the Christmas tree in front of her. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on her arms. It was all finally settling in and a stray tear escaped from her eyes.

"What's wrong, Lola?" Momiji immediately sat down next to her. He could see her tears reflecting in the light. "What hurts?"

"This was my first Christmas without Mom." She answered quietly with a slight sniffle. "It was her favorite holiday, aside from my birthday. I never realized how different it would be without her because I'd been distracting myself. I never thought she'd leave me behind like this."

The boy listened closely to every word she said. He'd always gained a sense that she was close to her mother, but he didn't realize how dependent she was on her. One thing he could do was understand her sentiments. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her in his embrace and laid his head against hers.

"I like when you talk about your mom because you make her seem so warm and inviting." Momiji started calmly. "It sounds like she had a lot of love for you, so she'll always be with you. My mother was scared, but I'm sure if things were different, she would've been just like yours."