perfectly imperfect | h.rindou

chapter fourteen

It's dinner time and you're just staring at the absence, repeating what happened the other day in your head like a movie. Your mother gave you a bowl of rice and you unconsciously accepted it. Your father handed you an egg, and you ate it while spacing out. He then tried to give you a towel, but your mother slapped his hand before you could even put it in your mouth. He then handed you a hot sauce, and you poured them on your rice before eating it.

Your soul quickly jumps back into your body when you feel the heat slowly creeping in.

"Hot, hot, hot!" You exclaimed, fanning your mouth as you looked at your food. It was drenched in the said sauce.

"Father!

"Are you back with us now?" He asked.

When you looked at your parents, they had worried expressions on their faces. You quickly relaxed and sighed. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to space out..."

Your mother rubbed your back as she sat beside you. "It's fine, y/n. There are some things we can't get no matter what we do or how hard we try. That's life. What matters is that you give it your all and you'll be moving forward without regrets..."

"Mother." You pouted as tears fell from your eyes. Your father stood up, grabbed something inside your fridge, and put them next to you. It's your favorite dessert.

"You're strong, y/n! Someday you'll find someone who will appreciate your feelings," he said as he returned to his seat. You nodded and smiled at them, wiping your tears away. Your heart instantly felt a lot lighter upon hearing their words.

"Thanks, guys!"

The next day, while Rindou is preparing his stuff, his gaze was drawn unconsciously to your window, which is already covered in curtains. It's been a week since you talked to him and you stopped posting notes, or even opening your window. Rindou stood there for a brief moment before exiting his room.

"Yo, what took you so long?" Ran asked. Rindou glanced at your usual spot where you wait for them every day, but you were not there.

"y/n-chan texted me that she went ahead... again."

"I am not asking."

"Oh, yeah? I thought you should know."

"Tch." Rindou clicked his tongue and started to walk, leaving his brother behind. 

❀

You're on your way to school, looking down. You decided to leave a little early because walking with Rindou would be awkward.

"Ah, it's only been a week, and the Rindou withdrawal symptoms are already killing me," you sighed, kicking the stone to cheer yourself up.

"I want to see him, but I have to restrain myself. I..." You kicked the stone. "Need," you kicked it once more. "To." You kicked it again, "Move. On." You came to a halt when you noticed feet in front of you. When you looked up, you saw Baji's smiling face.

"Good Morning, y/n!"

"Oh. Hi, Baji! Are you waiting for me again?"

"Yes, I am."

"Eh, I told you not to do it every day. You're on a different route. You're wasting your time and energy waiting for me. We still meet at school, you know."

"Waiting for you is not a waste of time nor energy, y/n. None of what I do for you is a waste of time because you are worth it,"

"Baji—" You mumbled and averted your gaze.

"Eh? You don't have to return anything. Don't feel guilty because I'm doing this on my own... Besides, I know that you need a friend now."

"But, I don't want to hurt you in the end."