Did I Say That Right? (Nishinoya Yuu x Reader)

Chapter 9: Heather.

      We walked together in silence, a comfortable silence. The silence where you feel no need to fill the quiet with small talk, you just enjoy the moment. The chirping of the crickets and the cool breeze blowing through our hair. "You did really well today, Y/N-chan. How about we meet up every Friday?" Nishinoya asked me. I smiled to myself, finally, I was able to act normal around people other than Kei and Yamaguchi. "Yeah, that'd be nice." I replied, going back to the comfortable silence that engulfed us before. How can such a boy make my heart skip beats and do somersaults? Maybe it was the fact that I was away from the 2 people who held me back the most. Maybe it was the Tsukishima's giving me everything I dreamed of. Maybe it was just something about the boy himself. He was bright and vibrant like a star, but somehow gentle when he wanted to be. He seemed to care a lot for the people he's close to. 

     I was thrown out of my thoughts when my phone went off. I took my device out of my pocket and looked at the screen, not missing the curious glance Nishinoya was giving my phone. It was a text from Hitoka in the group chat asking how my night with Nishinoya went. Kiyoko chimed in, eager for an answer as well. I chuckled at their excitement over something that only seemed super huge to me and me only. "What's up?" Nishinoya asked me, curiosity laced in his voice. "Oh, Hitoka-chan and Kiyoko-Senpai just wanted to check up on me." Nishinoya's eyes seemed to light up in excitement at my answer. "Kiyoko-Senpai?" I chuckled at his reaction. "Um, yeah? Kiyoko-senpai is my friend, I have friends Nishinoya-senpai." 

      "I know that! You're super cool to hang out with!" The energetic boy exclaimed back at me, causing me to slightly smile at his words. "But isn't Kiyoko-senpai so amazing? She's beautiful, smart, and a goddess! I'd be lucky to be on texting terms with her." Heart. Shattered. Really, what were you expecting? I said nothing back, worried that my voice would crack like my heart currently was. Why are you so bothered? You just met him. I would think, only to tell myself to stop denying it. I had feelings for the boy. It was love at first sight, maybe not first sight, but I caught feelings pretty quickly. We continued walking in silence. I didn't want to say anything, what could I say? My heart just broke a few minutes ago and I'm supposed to act as if nothing happened? I pulled my head up from its hanging position, seeing my house just a couple of feet away. I walked faster, not at a noticeable rate, but fast enough that I got there quicker. "Ah! We're here! Safe and sound! It was fun practicing with you Y/N-chan! See you Monday!" Nishinoya said in his classic cheerful voice. I just gave him a slight bow, not saying anything, catching the boy off guard a bit, but I didn't care at that moment. You'd only care about Kiyoko-senpai's opinion, anyway.

      "I'm home." I announced in a slightly hushed tone. Not having the heart to give a loud announcement. I took off my shoes and walked to the kitchen, looking at the clock that hung on the wall. It was pretty late, meaning that Kaa-san and Kei were most likely in their rooms, already complete with their nightly routines. I saw that Kaa-san left me a portion of dinner on the counter, but after my interaction, I couldn't stomach anything more than a granola bar, so I ate that instead. I put away my dinner portion and headed upstairs towards the shower. The rest of the house was dark and quiet, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I played Nishinoya's words in my head repeatedly, each replay stabbing at my chest worse and worse. I was like a zombie as I walked through the house gathering a towel and pajamas as I prepared to take a shower. My body being controlled by someone else as my conscious brain kept beating me up. Torturing me with the fact that he didn't like me as I liked him. 

      The water hitting my face calmed me down a little, but not enough. I couldn't take it, burning hot tears streaming down my face as I choked back sobs in fear that my family could hear me through the walls. My salty tears mixing with the freshwater from the showerhead in a dance of sorrow and relaxation. What was supposed to be such a euphoric thing after a long day had turned into a chamber of solitary confinement, me and my painful thoughts being the only things locked up. Was it something about me? Was I not pretty enough? Smart enough? I was nowhere near the level of a "goddess" as Nishinoya had described Kiyoko with. The more I thought about it, the more tears came streaming down my face. My eyes burned and my heart ached. Stupid. I'm so stupid. My attempts to be quiet had become in vain at this point, light sobs escaping my throat bouncing off the tiled walls in the bathroom. I had to force myself to move and cleanup, the whole point of a shower. If I went to bed dirty, I would never hear the end of it from Kaa-san... My cries halted for a bit as I focused on the light floral scent that wafted through the air as I lathered up my body, cleaning myself from the sweat and grime that built up during training tonight.