Courting Victory | Oikawa | Iwaizumi | OC | Split-Routes | Haikyuu

CH15 - Do You Love Her?

December 2012

Tooru POV

It has been 2 weeks since Celeste returned from Australia, and many of those days seemed so long that we weren't so sure she would be okay. When she returned to school, her energetic spirit also returned in full force as if she weren't mourning a loss.

Though others may not be able to tell the difference, the small changes in how she smiles, the excessive 'happy eyes' or lack thereof, and her unrestrained expression of humour were discernible from the genuine ones she had before Aunty Eri's passing.

Though on occasion, she would pour her heart out randomly without emotion, as if she was only verbalizing someone else's story.

This has been a cause of concern for us, but neither Iwa nor I wanted to put our foot forward. Although we had an inkling that she was concealing a secret from us, we patiently let her lead the conversations to what she was most comfortable discussing.

I would not deny that on many occasions, I felt indignant enough to vex her into confessing her secret. But Iwa gave me a verbal beating of how probing further could erode her trust by saying, "Trust is built on the understanding that each person has the autonomy to decide what they share and when. You shouldn't violate that boundary."

Though I wanted nothing more than to share her burden, I had to begrudgingly bite my tongue and continue respecting her emotional boundaries, hoping she would open up one day.

The loud metal banging woke me out of my reverie. I stared at Iwa desperately try to break the door open while Celeste continued playing on her phone without a care in the world.

We have been stuck for an hour inside the gym's storage room, and it would not have been the case if it weren't for a particular duo who decided it would be nice to lock the three of us in.

"Matsu! Makki! If you do not open the door in 5 seconds, I swear to God, you will taste what hell is like!!" Iwa continued to pound at the door.

"Chill out, Iwa-chan; you've said 5 seconds many times in the past hour already." I voiced and walked towards Celeste.

"Huh?! Do you want me to smack you in the head, or will you help?"

"You should smack his cheeks!" "Which cheeks, though?!" The devil's two favourite pawns snickered on the opposite side of the door.

Iwa turned beet-red and slammed his fist on the door. "There's a girl here. Stop with your dirty joke nonsense and unlock this door!"

A set of keys clinking was heard after a few more chortling from the blocker-hitter duo. Finally.

Iwa quietly hissed upon inspecting his left hand. Celeste looked up from her phone, concern etching on her angelic face. "Are you okay?" she asked, putting her phone away to examine his hand.

A slight pang rose to my chest at the scene before me. Celeste has always freely expressed her concern for the two of us, but sometimes I could not help but feel Iwa held a much special place in her heart. Perhaps it was because she had known him since birth, and I was just someone she met along the way.

I looked away and mused, " You clearly favour him more than I do."

"I have no favourites. If you injured yourself, I would also tend to your wounds." I blinked in surprise at Celeste's response. Did I think out loud?

"Yes, you did."

I chuckled in an attempt to hide my embarrassment.

"I also bumped my shoulders this morning, but you weren't tending to me!"

Iwa looked at me peculiarly with brows furrowed in concentration, his stare sending shivers down my spine.

"Kyah! Don't you dare hit me!" I stepped back and accidentally tripped over a stray box, sending me to land on the ground. "Ouch, my butt."

"Yo! Iwaizumi slapped Assikawa!" more snickering can be heard on the opposite side.

"Hey, I tripped! And I thought you guys were unlocking the door?!"

Celeste held out her hand at me, letting out a small giggle. "You're such a stumblebum."

I took her hand and stood up, glancing at Iwa only to see his olive eyes still lingering on me as if peering into the depths of my soul.

We continued to stare at each other, neither backing off.

"Uh, can you let go of my hand now?" Celeste interrupted, but I held her hand tighter and observed Iwa's reaction. He briefly looked away and eyed the way I clutched her hand, the frown on his face deepening further.

An awkward cough can be heard on the other side of the door, "Uhm, guys, the knob is stuck, and the key won't turn." says Mattsun.

Celeste untangled her hand from my grasp and proceeded to wiggle the doorknob. "Try again."

Iwa's stare returned to me, no longer caring about our predicament.

His eyes inquired, but he didn't want to voice out his questions.

Detached from the outside world, neither of us looked away; both focused on trying to read each other's thoughts.

"I think we're really stuck here," uttered the girl who sent us into a ceaseless pondering of a topic we had avoided for so long.

Hajime POV

Tooru's gaze was just as intense as mine.

His eyes mirrored the same curiosity as we each unraveled the layer of thoughts that we desperately tried to figure out.

The subject of her has always been a complex one that sent us to the edge of a cliff. If we could avoid it, we would, but some days like today made it too difficult to steer clear of.

Our silent exchange spoke volumes, and the tension in the air was palpable.

Either Celeste deliberately turned a blind eye to it or was completely oblivious.

Still, I was grateful for her presence as it was the only thing stopping the question from escaping my throat.

"Can you please help?" A soft voice broke the spell.

This time, Tooru looked away, his stare softening as his eyes landed on Celeste. A mischievous smile soon crossed his lips, "Wouldn't you rather stay here and skip class?"

"Huh?! Not when I'm stuck with you two in here."

"So mean. If we kick out Iwa-chan, would that be better?" He stuck his tongue at me.

I raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in demeanour. It's really not the right time to ask, I pondered.

Though neither of us dared to cross the uncharted territories of our friendship. Eventually, we would need to have a severe discussion about Celeste and straighten out a few things.

"Stop fooling around, you lollygag! You are not helping at all." Celeste huffed in annoyance.

"Well, we need a lubricant to loosen the knob."

"So you pour a cleaning fluid? What are you, an abecedarian?"

"Then be my guest if you know better, you toffee-nosed brat!"

While I was lost in thoughts, Tooru continued to banter with Celeste like a dog and a cat.

His zestful energy, intertwining with her feisty attitude, always leads them to sudden repartees. Though sometimes derogatory, neither treated the exchange with seriousness; both were more focused on who could remark the most vexing insult.

Tooru laughed sincerely when Celeste pulled out her hair in frustration. Although the silent confrontation we had earlier still troubled his mind, genuine happiness etched across his striking features.

A rare emotion he reserved for a select few.

The captain probably noticed my unrelenting stare and tilted his head to look at me. The softened expression and small enigmatic smile on his lips indicated a silent acknowledgement of the unspoken question that lingered in the air.

Do you love her?