_Chapter 57~ Right Here With You_

          I didn't head to school after that.

I couldn't find it in me to, really. Just the idea that I'd run into Daichi or Miyabi was something I couldn't bring myself to handle. Not after what happened, anyway.

            After a few days of saying I felt sick, my parents stopped prodding me to go to school. I guess they realized I wasn't actually down with the flu because they reminded me I could tell them anything and other parent-ly sayings. They still went to work and I'd heard them privately discussing my situation in their room at night but they didn't press me about it like I thought they would've.

            Ryu didn't go to school either. I felt guilty thinking it'd been my fault but he only insisted he was planning on doing something like this anyway to keep me safe. We texted and called and talked for hours and he only succeeded in cheering me up every time. But after we said our goodbyes and quiet consumed the house yet again, the solitude only became harder to handle.

            Even though Mortal Mania's new album came out, I couldn't reach to happily text Daichi to tell him which song was my favourite. I wasn't in the mood to bake or cook anything. And the idea of my rapidly approaching graduation and how behind I already was in my classes wasn't shaping up this home hideout to be any better. Even though I had Ryu and Erika who I still couldn't bring myself to properly respond to, I still felt as empty as I did last week.

             Ding-dong.

             The ring of the bell was like torture to my ears. Squinting, I lay still on the couch as the doorbell rang once again. Knowing that I was home alone, I heaved a groan as I pushed myself out from under my covers—taking a bit of time considering I was wrapped up like a cocoon—and connected my feet to the cold floor.

The lights were all off but I found it easy to maneuver my way towards the front door flipping on the light above as I reached for the handle. As soon as I unlocked and opened it, exposing the weary and dull sky beyond, I was more surprised to see him standing at my doorstep.

Unlike me who was most likely an utter mess, he was the opposite. Dressed charmingly in a burgundy t-shirt from underneath his winter coat as well as black jeans, Ryu Iwasaki flashed me a warm smile.

Somewhat feeble, I reached towards the back of my head, proving just how stuck up and all over the place my hair was. "It's you," I breathed out anyway.

"It's me," he said. He peered past me into the darkened household, quirking a brow at me as he did. "May I come in?"

I shrugged, craning my neck up. "May I get a hello kiss first?"

Ryu looked rather appalled that he would ever forget to do such a thing. With another smile, he bent over and planted a kiss on my cheek. "Hello, Reina. How are you?"

I smiled a bit as I extended out my arms for him to come inside. Ryu didn't hesitate to do so and I flicked off the lights before heading towards the living room. After slipping off his shoes, he followed after me.

"So why did you come over?"

Ryu hummed. "Do I need a reason to see my girlfriend?"

"When she's as much of a mess as this I'm going to say yes," I responded.

"Well... it was a trick question," Ryu said. "I didn't have a reason except wanting to see you."

My corners of my lips tugged up higher. All means of sorrow I had only moments before evaporated into the air.

"So, why are we sitting in the dark?" Ryu inquired as soon as he took a seat onto the couch.

               I flopped down beside him, picking up my blanket and throwing it over my exposed skin.

  "Because that's when the ghosts and monsters come out," I deadpanned.

                I caught Ryu tense up immediately. I heard him gulp.

                "Seriously, Reina," he started.

                "I am serious," I said, my eyes flickering towards the TV I had been fixated on moments before his arrival. The program of the scary movie continued to roll out. The characters were clambering down the steps into the basement now.

                 The eerie music grew louder as they tentatively spun the knob to the basement until it slowed to a complete stop. Without warning, the music blared as well as a high-pitched scream of terror. Ryu from beside me nearly jumped from his skin and flung his arms around me, burying his face away from the screen. I laughed a little as I reached over and patted his arm to release me.

                "Calm down, Iwasaki, nothing happened," I assured him as the characters breathed of relief to see that it was nothing and they were exaggerating.

                 It took him awhile to stop shaking to raise his head yet again. He peeked towards the screen and then, with a blush growing on his cheeks, he pouted. "Reina, th-that wasn't funny."

                 I tried my best to hide my grin. Aww, he was so cute.

                 Picking up the remote, I switched the channel to a more fitting show and Ryu's hold loosened considerably. Just then, a yawn overcame me and I covered my mouth as I blinked back the tears that surfaced from the corners of my eyes as a result.

                 "Did I wake you up?" he asked, pulling away from me.

"Nah. I haven't been getting much sleep anyway," I admitted with a shrug.

                  The heaviness in my chest returned. I couldn't nudge it away as easily or as quickly as I would've wanted. Ryu's arm around me squeezed me as I dropped my head onto his shoulder.

                 "I should've listened to you and Aki," I said after a pause, beginning to waver. "I'm an idiot."

                "Our lunches ended up getting cold too."

                 Unappreciative, I frowned and nudged him. "I just wanted to see if it was true or not," I murmured. "You two seemed to move on from it so easily, but...."

             His ear pressed against the top of my head. "I'm sorry."

              I shook my head. "I already told you it's not your fault. Just...."

               "Just?"

               "They weren't the people we always knew." I bit my bottom lip but that didn't seem to help. "They... were so different. Miyabi—h-he... He was so terrible, Iwasaki. Even Daichi made it obvious he didn't think anything of what happened between us at all... There's even been scars and bruises that Daichi randomly got and I didn't even consider that the one giving them to him was Miyabi... Our...."

              My breathing had gone shallow again as tears continued to stroll down my cheeks. I furled my fingers around the fabric of his shirt.

             "It's scary," I blubbered, unable to keep the truth in, "to think he knows where I live so at any time he can just come to the doors, a-and...."

            "Reina, I'll come running before he can even try something like that."

           My head shook as I shut my eyes. "I—I can't go outside either because if everything was a plan to them Miyabi c-can just show up if I go shopping again. Then he could shove me in front of another truck or do something way, way worse... And we can't even have faith in our school because stuff like this happens to other students all the time, and we have no actual proof—"

           Placing his fingers under my chin, Ryu elevated my head towards him, capturing my gaze. "I won't let them do anything to you, Reina," he whispered. "I promise."

           "But how about they do something to you?" I mumbled, staring into his eyes through my tear-soiled vision. "I'm even more scared for that! I asked those delinquents to help you in case something like this happened but they're not even on our side anymore. W-we're alone and... I just... More than me, I don't want anything to happen to you, Iwasaki."

Ryu held eye-contact for quite a long time. I opened my mouth to speak again, but I didn't have the opportunity to.

   Mainly because I definitely wasn't expecting Ryu to tackle me backwards onto the couch. He kissed my nose, cheek, jawline—and when he reached my neck, I let out a tiny laugh.

             "Oh, you're ticklish?" he asked.

             "N-no!" I tried to refute.

             Regardless, he continued to lean forward, and my exposed neck was stuck being peppered with chaste kisses from him. Although I had once been flustered, soon, I began giggling, trying to prod him away. "St-stop it, Iwasaki...!"

              Smiling against his last kiss, he withdrew from me. "Finally, you stopped crying."

              Inhaling and exhaling to catch my breath, I hoisted myself upwards. "Don't tell me that was your elaborate way of cheering me up?"

He didn't bother denying it. As he went to cuddle me, he gently kissed my forehead. "We'll be fine, Reina," he told me. "No matter what, I'll be right here with you. So stop worrying so much, all right?

I don't admit that his actions had made heat flood my cheeks and my heart to skip its beat. It seemed like a normal occurrence around him now. "Still." I pursed my lips. "I don't approve of being smothered like this."

              "You deserve this much," Ryu responded with a chuckle.

               Pursing my lips, I leaned closer into his side. I was already feeling better. "And what exactly do you deserve?"

"I'm already blessed enough to be with you like this."

His flawless reply succeeded in making me blush.

After whistling, I pressed my mouth together. "Hey, I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

My clamped lips parted. "Um...."

Seeing how troubled I was, he took my hand in his. "What is it, Reina?"

As a result, I frowned. "That. That's not fair."

"...Huh?"

"How you get to call me by my first name." My lips curved downwards. "I want to call you by your first name, too."

Taken by surprise, Ryu visibly tensed. "That...."

"You don't like being called Ryu, I understand that." All this time he got so defensive of that nickname because of Mamoru, after all. "But... how about your birth name?"

He remained quiet for a bit, instantly shooting down my expanding pipe dream.

"...Never mind," I said after realizing how much it was troubling him. I pulled away from him. "Iwasaki is fine. Forget I asked."

"No... you can call me Satoru." My lungs constricted. My head jerked his way and my eyebrows rose especially at the sight of his faint blush. "It's just kind of embarrassing to think about."

It took me awhile to find my voice. "I can call you by your first name?"

A shy smile took hold of his lips as he nodded. "If it's you, I want you to say it."

His first name... I ended up tittering slightly as I bashfully spoke, "Then... Satoru."

His face instantaneously brightened, imaginary tail wagging. "Say it again," he pleaded.

I grinned as I relented, "Satoru."

He was beaming as well. He heaved a dreamy sigh. "It's so nice when you say it. Say it again."

I giggled. "Satoru. Satoru. Satoru."

Dropping his head onto my shoulder, he muttered, "I thought I wasn't going to hear that name for the rest of my life, but it really is nice to hear it again...."

         "You even told your step-mom to call you 'Ryu' didn't you?" I said, recalling the first time I'd paid his house a visit.

"Well, she knew everything going on was tough so she wanted to support my decision," he responded. "But I really do miss that name...."

Fiddling with his strands on the top of his head, I smiled. "I'll keep saying it for you, then. How many times you want, Satoru."

"...Why are you so amazing, Reina?" he murmured. "I feel like I don't deserve you."

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you."

"But I do like you," he admitted, lifting his head and locking eyes with me. "A lot."

Heat spread across my cheeks. "I..."

He leaned his face forward, shutting me right up. Our lips, which were only a couple centimetres away from each other's, overlapped, sending my heart into overdrive. Butterflies erupted at the pit of my stomach—as they always did whenever we kissed, and they grew the more intense it became.

Though, that was when the front door creaked open. "Mom, Dad, Reina? Guess who's back, back again? Yes, it's me, your lovely son and brother!" his exuberant voice echoed across the house. "Aww, is nobody home to welcome me? How disappointing! I'm finally back, too!"

He appeared in the living room before I could make sense of anything, turning on its light and flooding the room in its glow. Satoru and I drew apart and we both swivelled our heads towards the source. Automatically, the short-statured male slipped off his shades, identical eyes to my own, shrunk back in utter dubiousness. Satoru and I were like deer caught in headlights.

"Reina?" he screeched.

As if a bullhorn had rung in our ears, the two of us jolted. Satoru and I lurched away from each other to opposite poles of the couch, the both of us as red as firetrucks. My heart was hammering like a drill in my chest as I flattened my rattled appearance the best I could. My mouth twitching, I awkwardly brought my gaze towards my older brother standing at the entrance of the room.

"Ha ha... welcome back, Masumi-nii."

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And the brother makes his appearance! Hahaha next two chapters will definitely be lighthearted and humourous. We do need to get away from all the heaviness don't we?

Still, this chapter was sweet in its own way. Hopefully I didn't overdo anything lol.

How do you guys think Reina's brother will react?

-Misty