How Much We Love - Chapter 1 Naked

Tone looked down at the ground, his shoes laced up and tucked inside, their dark green color, almost a match to the grass below him.

“Don’t make this my issue, don’t make me have to think about your feelings. I don’t want to hear your confession.”

“Because I can’t love you. There is no place in my heart for anyone.”

Tone held his breath as he listened to the dispassionate voice of the man below him.

The girl sniffles could be heard even from his vantage point, and he sat there holding his breath as he observed what should have been an intimate moment between two people.

“Why?”

“I just don’t like you.”

“Is there something I can do to make you like me?”

“Is there something I need to change? I can change it.”

“Stop.”

“I won’t pretend.” Ring paused, thinking for a second. His voice was silky and smooth and very docile, but Tone knew the rude words would still hurt her as badly as if he were shouting them for the whole world to hear.

“This isn’t a movie, you can’t force someone to change their mind by just being around them lots if they really don’t like you.”

“But…” She whimpered the word pathetically, and Ring scoffed in disgust.

“Stop, before you become even more pathetic to me than you already are.”

The girl turned, and Tone watched her walk off quickly, sobbing and wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.

‘How many girls run away tears streaking their faces? How many of them lose their dignity to the cold-blooded prince with no heart?’ Tone wondered.

A moment of pure silence passed, and the wind rustled the leaves in the tree branch where Tone was sitting.

He had been napping perfectly fine until the two of them had begun arguing below him.

“How long are you going to stay up there before you come down?”

Tone looked down at Ring in surprise.

Tone scoffed.

Turned back and grabbed his bag that he had been leaning against the tree and snuggling into like a pillow. As the surrounding greenery had swayed him into a peaceful, relaxed state.

Tone threw his bag to the ground, then jumped the six feet down to the ground easily.

He landed in a crouch and dusted off his hands from the ground, pat his bag off, then swung it over his shoulder.

Tone turned to go.

“What? No witty retort?” Tone paused, surprised by Ring’s question.

“No.” He answered simply.

Ring walked up to him and stopped; then smashed his hands inside his pockets and rocked back on his heels once. His beautiful facial features scrunching up as he scoffed at Tone nastily.

“Not going to release it to the news hubs.” He asked, his eyebrow quirked at his jest.

“Oh, come on… I can see tonight’s news. Famous IDOL Ring, nasty jerk.” Ring said dramatically.

He laughed, but the sound was hallowed and disingenuous.

‘Well, this is certainly the last time you skip class to get some peace and quiet, isn’t it Tone? Better the droning of the class than running into this jackass again.’

“You have something to say to me. I can see it, sense your judgment.”

“I detest people like you. Just say what you have to say instead of keeping your opinions and disgust inside.” Ring snarled.

Tone snorted, finding the whole situation amusing.

“Oh, honesty?”

“From you?”

“Of all people?”

“What were the words you just said?”

“I think it was… I detest people like you, right?”

“Well, be honest Ring. It’s not people. It’s I detest you Tone.”

“Come off your little throne and come down here in the dirt and say it to my face.”

He scoffed. “Us normal people you can’t be bothered with pretending to be honest. Of course, we would because people like you can’t lie, people like you can’t make an entire moment disappear, days, months a year.”

“Honesty, From the all-mighty Prince of Thailand. How cute.”

“You’re not honest Ring. You are just an asshole.”

“But then again, you wouldn’t know that would you. Because knowing that means having real human emotions, rather than being the walking billboard product placement ad you are.”

“I can judge you all I want. I don’t need to put your misdeeds in the paper. If I wrote about what kinda person you are, it wouldn’t be exposing your scandalous heartbreaking techniques.”

“Which, if I am being honest, none of those girls love you, anyway. They are in love with the picture the media painted. Trust me if any of them got to know the real you, they wouldn’t be in love.”

… They would be disgusted, if they saw you stripped naked of your facade you always wear.”

“Do me a favor, find a different tree to be an asshole under. I quite like this spot for napping.” Tone snapped, then walked away before Ring could even respond.

Tone walked down the path towards the hall with his next class. It didn’t start for another thirty minutes, but maybe if he got there now he could still sit at the back prop his bag up and nap behind it for a while.

Tone shoved his wireless ear buds into each ear and played his favorite playlist, the one hundred and thirty-eight songs on it were his melancholy breaker, his sadness inducing, his happiness creator, and his body shaker. The list was everything he needed for every mood, and he skipped and surfed through the songs till he hit the sweet spot to match his mood.

After that, melancholy suited him just fine. So he let the song that had auto-played continue playing.

‘How did I run into Ring of all people?’ Tone thought exasperated with himself.

Today was bad enough as it was.

His mom had been overbearingly sweet and kind and dotted on him exponentially more than usual which was already a lot.

Then she had insisted on driving him right up into the university before parking in the student parking and saying that she would pick him up.

He understood where her anxiety was coming from.

He understood her pain.

It had just been while sweet… Rather embarrassing.

First, having her roll down the window and say she was picking him up after school because she didn’t want him to get hurt.

Then running into the man who started all the problems a year ago.

What was his luck lately?

Tone sighed, shoved a hand in his pocket, and looked up at the sky, letting the lyrics of the song wash over him.

That heavy feeling of wallowing regret filled him as he thought of how he could have slept in like his mom had suggested last night.

But that wasn’t exactly right.

He couldn’t stay angry for his entire life over one day last year.

Especially when he should just be thankful that he was still here.

Able to look up at the sky,

And enjoy a song playing just for him.

He needed that to be enough.