cttro
~
He pulled her into a tight hug, their last embrace.
Kita knew he would regret it if he didn't do at least this. He held the back of her head, burying her in his chest, allowing her to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Never in his life had he thought he would do something like what you see in the movies. He had always considered it cliché for the male lead to hug the female lead in the middle of a crowd. But here he was now, doing the same thing.
"Shinsuke-san?" Etsuko softly whispered.
"5 minutes." Kita says, closing his eyes to memorize her warmth, so he could feel it again even when she wasn't in his arms anymore.
Etsuko clears her throat, trying to hold onto the last remnants of the walls she had built over the past few weeks. "Are you crazy? A lot of people are watching us..."
Instead of letting go, he hold onto her tightly. Burying his face on her neck to hide the tears that betrayed him. Kita couldn't care less. He felt he needed this kind of affection one last time before letting her go.
"Five minutes..." His voice crack, breaking her heart into pieces. "Please, Etsuko-san." He beg, nuzzling his nose against her neck. "Don't push me away. Just give me five minutes, Etsuko-san. I'm begging you." Shinsuke begs, once again.
Etsuko fought against herself. She wanted to hold him so badly. A thought slipped into her mind: Shinsuke is too good for me.
Those senseless thoughts made her feel pathetic and unworthy. They were the thoughts that had started it all, really. Her hands that were hanging on Shinsuke sides attempted to hug him back. But they gave up, resting lifelessly at Etsuko's side after a brief struggle.
Looking back, their relationship started with a fight. Not a real fight, but a debate. Debating the definition of true love. Kita thought to himself, who argues about love? He knew the definition of love, but never knew what to be love and what to love feels like.
He believed in letting someone go because you knew they wouldn't be happy and deserved someone better, while Etsuko believed in fighting against all odds together.
The debate had ended with Etsuko winning. She argued that in a relationship, if you truly love each other, you fight hand in hand and hold on. Forget all the reasons why it won't work and believe in the one reason that it will.
Kita Shinsuke fell in love first.
He had thought he would never see her again after the event, not until Atsumu and Osamu mentioned that their little sister would also be studying at Inarizaki High. Kita hadn't minded at first, not until the twins introduced her to the team. It was her. He saw her again.
And now he knew what true love felt like. Unfortunately, it didn't last as he had wanted it to.
Silence enveloped the four corners of the gym. It was as if no one else was around, just the two of them and their broken hearts, beating each other's names.
"I'm sorry." she whispers.
Slowly, the hug loosens.
"Be happy, Etsuko." he said with a smile on his face, his eyes revealing the opposite. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
Winter has come to an end.
"Yeah."
~
August 2021 - Summer
"Secretary Miya! Secretary Miya!" a soft voice calls, shaking her body.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open, raising her head to see the person in front of her. It wasn't a surprise to find him there. "Y-yes?" she managed to croak, her voice breaking with sleep.
