You Will Marry Me - Chapter 8：You Will Marry Me Bonus

Hello. Aki isn’t here this time, so I’ll be the one telling the story; please bear with me; I’m not as good at this as he is. But what do I tell? There’s one funny story that happened right around the time that Hana was born. I could also share the one that happened during Valentine’s day. So many options, so many options…

How about the one on his birthday? That one was an… interesting time in our lives. Let’s go with that. It was before he proposed, one or two years before our trip to Paris, I can’t remember exactly. He had just started going to university, and I was still working hard to get us some spending money. It was strange, coming home some nights without him around, waking up without him by my side, unable to be with him since we both got so busy and we could barely talk, save for the passing comments as we rushed out of the house or went to sleep. Autumn of that year was cold, the leaves piled up around our house as I returned home after work one day. It was oddly noisy, especially since Aki was the only one here. I could hear his voice coming from the living room, and he sounded worried.

“What? That’s tomorrow?” He said, walking out of the living room and heading straight toward the bedroom. He only spent a few seconds there, running back to the living room with his arms full of papers. I took a peek, seeing him by the table there. He had his laptop open, papers stacked up all around them, and a few books scattered haphazardly around him. “Shit! No…” He picked up a book and started flipping through pages, his fingers reaching over to pick up a pencil and a blank sheet of paper.

“Aki?” I asked, walking up to him. He seemed entranced by his work, only giving me a nod to acknowledge my presence. I looked at the screen of his laptop. He was on a website filled with things that I didn’t know; it had been so long since I had a class, so it all looked like jargon to me. “Is everything alright?” Again, he didn’t answer me, only giving me a smile before getting back to work. I decided to deal with it later, heading toward the bedroom to rest. I lied there for a few minutes, trying to take a nap as I heard him scramble around downstairs.

“Ahh, it’s done.” He groaned as he opened the door to the bedroom, his papers neatly placed in an envelope, his laptop folded up under his arm, and his eyes bloodshot from all the strain he’s been through. He collapsed onto the bed, the only sound coming from his body was a drawn-out grumble that was muffled by the pillows. I placed my hand on his back, feeling his steady breathing as I saw his eyes close.

“Assignments?” I asked, turning around to look at his face. He turned to me, opening an eye to see me.

“Yeah. And a lot of exams are coming up. I’m just so busy.” He exhaled, taking in a deep breath as I got up and pushed him onto his back, straddling him as he looked up at me. He was drenched in sweat from all the running around he did, the strong smell was oddly arousing, his clothes were all wrinkled and soaked; I pulled off his shirt. I leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lips before I felt his hands grab my arms; I could feel my face heating up. “Tano… not today. I’m tired, and I want to sleep. Sorry.” He said, gently nudging me sideways to tell me to get off of him. I stared at him as he quickly drifted to sleep, leaving me hot and bothered. I got up from the bed, walking out of the room and into the kitchen to get something to eat.

“Nothing…” Well, nothing that was cooked, at least. Aki didn’t make anything to eat. Damn, I guess I can just call get some food delivered tonight. I opened up my phone, placing an order for some pizza as I walked over to the living room. It was clean, at least; the remaining papers were piled up next to the books. Honestly, Aki, I get that you’re stressed, but did you really have to treat me like that? I plopped down on the couch, staring at my phone as I waited for the doorbell to ring. Oh, the date… “It’s soon, huh?” I mumbled to myself, seeing that I set an alarm for the Sunday this weekend.

I got my food and went to be that night, hearing his breathing as I shut my eyes. There was something I had to talk about now, and tomorrow morning couldn’t come any sooner. I woke up the next day to an empty bed, so I quickly got out and made my way to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face as I looked at my reflection. “Tano, I made you breakfast!” I heard him yell from downstairs. He was fast. I got out, finding him by the door with his bag over his shoulder and his hands combing his hair.

“You’re leaving already?” I asked, rushing down the stairs and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t you at least have breakfast with me?” I pouted, puffing up my cheeks as he looked at the time on his phone.

“I really can’t, Tano. I…” He stammered, his hand reaching for the door before I reached out and grabbed it. I looked up at him, seeing a guilt-ridden smile on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m going to be late.” He said before going out the door.

“But…” Was all I said before the door shut in front of me. “I wanted to talk about your birthday…” I said, frowning as I made my way toward the kitchen to see what he made me. It wasn’t much, only some rice and some fish. I groaned, eating breakfast and getting myself ready for work. I felt horrible that day, even candy couldn’t cheer me up. All throughout the day’s shoot, I just kept thinking about it. I guess it was bothering people since my manager walked up to me during our break to see what was wrong. I told her about it, asking her if she had any ideas. She made a suggestion before telling me to get myself ready for the next set of photos.

“Ah, welcome home.” Aki greeted me as I walked through the door, walking from the kitchen to the living room with a slice of pizza in his mouth and some notebooks in his hands. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about?” I could see him smile as I walked over to him, placing my things on the couch as I watched him sit down at the table and open his notes. He had some kind of circuit board beside him, wires, and lights popping out of it as he started up his laptop. I just smiled back at him sweetly, taking some time to rest on a chair beside him.

“It was nothing. Nevermind.” I grinned, resting my head on his shoulder as I started thinking of what to do for his birthday. If he didn’t want to talk about it, why not surprise him? I’m surprised that I didn’t think of that sooner, honestly. “How was your day?” I asked, still thinking of what we could do during the weekend.

“Well, we have a few exams coming up, so it’s been…” He mumbled, copying the notes from the notebook onto a file on it; speaking frankly, I didn’t really care. It was just something to keep the conversation going. His voice turned to white noise as I started thinking of fun things to do with him. His birthday was on Sunday, so I had some time to make arrangements. I was going to make this weekend one that he’ll remember forever.

“Hey, what’s for dinner?” I asked, standing up and making my way out of the room. He looked at me abashedly before returning to work.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t have time. Can you call for delivery again?” He asked, giving me an excuse to pull out my phone and leave the room. I ordered us some food before calling a few friends, making plans with them in order to make him happy that weekend. It was going to be great. Over the next few days, we planned out everything that Aki and I would do during those two days. I was getting excited, so excited that I worried that I had given it away to him by smiling so much. Aki, on the other hand, never seemed to have time to talk.

Friday evening, I arrived home earlier than he did, going to the bedroom to hide something under the bed. As I was going back down to make a call to add the last few touches to our schedule, Aki got home. I walked up to him, giving him a quick kiss before pulling on his shirt and pointing to the bedroom. “Hey, let’s go out tomorrow. It’s been forever since we went on a date.” I said, slowly leading the two of us up the stairs. He looked shocked, eyes widening and lips trembling as his face contorted in thought.

“Tomorrow? I… I’ll see if I can make time. I have to finish up a proje-” He said before I placed a finger on his lips. University again. Ever since he started going there, he’s never had any free time. I dragged him over to the bed, pushing him onto his back as I kissed him again.

“Please…” I muttered into his ear.

“We’ll see…” He replied, causing a frown to form on my face. It wasn’t enough. He’s just going to lock himself up here and stress himself out again. If he does that, then everything… everything would have gone to waste…

“I need a yes from you, Aki…” I said, placing a finger on his forehead as I hypnotized him. He was going to go with me, whether he liked it or not. I made sure that he would still act normal, except for the fact that he’d have to listen to me, and I lied down next to him. “Aki…”

“Yes?” He asked, looking at me with a smile. That was what I wanted to see. His sweet smile that was only meant for me. I missed it, I missed him so much. I leaned in a bit closer, touching my forehead to his before I whispered into his ear.

“We never get to do anything anymore. You’re always buried in your books, and I… Aki, it feels like you’re not even here…” I said, placing my hand on his cheek. “So, this weekend, I want you to forget about your worries in university; I want you all to myself. Do whatever you want, I’m safe today; ravage me. Let’s just forget about it and have fun.” I said, my arm drifting down his body. He was still fully dressed, so I gingerly unbuttoned his pants and felt his bulge with the palm of my hand. His hand grabbed the back of my head as he moved around and got on top of me, making me shudder as he pinned me to the bed with his other hand on my shoulder. His eyes looked different as he scanned my body, his fingers moving to my chest to unbutton my blouse.

“Ravage you. If you say so.” He said, getting halfway through all the buttons before he pulled my shirt open, sending the remaining buttons onto the floor and letting my breasts free of my shirt. He pulled down a cup of my bra, cupping his mouth around my nipple as I felt his tongue flicking the tip. His hand moved down to my waist, slipping between my pants and panties to rub my clit. All the while, I was squirming and holding my breath; it had been so long. I pulled down his underwear, letting his dick out before my arms wrapped around his head and pulled him even closer to me.

He wasted no time in ripping a hole into my pants, moving my panties aside as he shoved his dick into me. He went in deep on the first thrust, his balls slapping against my skin as my body trembled from the surprise. “Ahh, yes!” I screamed, digging my nails into his back as he started to pump his hips. He turned me around, getting me on all fours as he held my hair in his hand. He grunted as I squealed in pleasure, his penis hitting the deepest parts of me as I spasmed. I could barely keep myself up when he slapped my ass, sending another rush through my nerves as I pushed myself up to try to rest my head on his chest. He used his arm to hold me, pumping upward so hard that I was bouncing on his rod, not that I was complaining. I soon started to do it on my own, my hand playing with my nipples as the other held onto his neck for support.

After some time, I felt my body convulse as I squirted all over our bed. He noticed my orgasm, digging his teeth into my skin to give me a hickey as he kept digging his dick into my folds. I felt myself tighten around his rod as his hands massaged my boobs. “Tano.” He muttered as I felt my insides get painted white with his seed. I fell forward, my head resting on a pillow as his semen poured out of my pussy; I haven’t felt that good in weeks. All I could let out were moans and pants, along with the occasional whimper as my body still tingled. As I was about to close my eyes, I felt his penis in between my asscheeks.

“A-Aki?” I stammered, looking over my shoulder and finding him spreading my ass apart. His penis was still hard! My eyes widened as I realized my situation. “A-Aki! H-Hey… What are you-ooh!” I didn’t even manage to think of the next word of my sentence before I felt his dick enter my anus. It was painful, the sensation of that hole getting stretched wider than it had been before was a strange one. “Ahh! Aki! Hey! Haaahh!” I could hear his grunting as he pushed deeper, slowly spreading me apart until I felt his hips on my butt. It wasn’t over! He pulled back, readying himself for another round of thrusting as he leaned forward to whisper something in my ear.

“You’re so tight!” He said into my ear as he kept plowing me against our bed. It hurt, it hurt, but I was starting to like it.

“Can you go a little slower? At least until I get used to this.” I asked, looking up at him as best I could. He complied, slowing his pace down until most of the pain subsided and the pleasure started to outweigh it. Every movement sent a shock through my body, it was getting hard to think. I was losing breath; even breathing through my mouth was difficult. But I loved it. It was different and sudden, but it felt nice at this pace. I placed my hands against the headboard of our bed, resting my head on my arms as I felt myself reach climax. I glanced over my shoulder at him, seeing him staring intently at me as he slowly picked up the pace. I was still sensitive, so every inch of my body trembled with his touch as he poured his jizz into my ass. “That was amazing… Let’s go… to bed…” I mumbled as I felt it drip out of my holes and down one of my legs; I collapsed onto the mattress out of breath and with a wide smile on my face. This was going to be a great weekend; it should have been.

Saturday morning arrived, accompanied by gentle sunlight streaming through the window. I shifted around, my eyes finding his sleeping face just inches away from my own as his hand wrapped around my body; he looked so calm. I pecked him on his forehead, slowly getting out of bed without waking him. The bathroom was my first stop for the day, getting myself ready for what I had planned. I dressed up, waiting for him in the living room as I heard him enter the bathroom, probably to put our sheets with the rest of our dirty laundry. A few minutes after that, his voice broke the silence. “Good morning, Tano.” He smiled, taking a seat next to me as he combed through his hair with his hand.

“Get ready, we’re going out today!” I said with a smile. We both returned to the bedroom and I helped pick out his outfit for the day. It wasn’t much, just a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a hoodie. I was dressed in a cardigan and shirt, along with a pair of ripped black pants. I looked at the two of us in the mirror; it was going well so far. I called my manager, having her get the limo for us for the day. The first place we went to was a small gathering that my friends and I arranged. It was still early in the day, but a few drinks wouldn’t be so bad, right?

It was a brunch party, with a large selection of food for everyone to pick from. I sat beside Aki at one table, watching as he pensively ate his food while fidgeting slightly. I ate with him silently, the two of us finishing our food without so much as a word. “I… can we go?” He mumbled, sipping from his cocktail as my friends approached us to make small talk. I introduced him to them. He forced a smile, nervously chuckling throughout the entire conversation. “Tano… uh. I don’t mean to be rude, but can we go?” He asked again, checking his phone under the table with his cheeks slightly red. “I don’t feel well…”

“I see. Alright.” I got up, saying goodbye to my friends as the two of us got back into the limo. I poured the two of us a drink once we got inside. The next location was a small class I found while making preparations that week, a simple photography class using our phones. We arrived and introduced ourselves, getting escorted to the class. Aki was asked to be the subject for the first few shots, so he stood in front of everyone. He was a bit wobbly, struggling to stand still for the cameras that were directed at him. “Aki? You okay?” I asked once he was asked to stop, placing my hand on his shoulder as I checked on him. He was a bit tipsy, but he seemed fine.

“Just a bit shy…” He said, walking toward the door. “And, uhh… I feel a bit dizzy.” He asked to leave, wanting to go home. We were just getting started, and he already wanted to go home; I can’t let that happen. “I don’t really like being the center of attention.” He mumbled as I took his hand, bringing him back to the limo. As we sat there, I heard an alarm from his phone; he turned it off after looking at it.

“Fine, we’ll go. But we won’t be going home right away. How about a massage?” His answer didn’t really matter to me. We went to a spa that I liked, getting ready to relax as our bodies got kneaded. I lost track of time as I let the pleasure wash over me. The scent of incense, the calming ambient sound; I almost fell asleep as the masseuse worked on my back. After that was done, I looked over at Aki, finding him waiting for me with a blissful smile on my face while looking at his phone again. “Did you like it?” I asked, to which he nodded. His face was still a bit red, but it was starting to look better.

“Yeah. What comes next?” He walked up to me, accompanying me as we made our way to our next stop. This was it, the big one for this day.

“Aki, I have a challenge for you.” I turned to him as the car started moving. He turned to me, placing down the glass I gave him earlier as I refilled it. “Whoever chickens out first loses.” He looked at me curiously as we drove out to an amusement park. “We’re going on all of the rides!” I said, taking his hand in mine as I ran toward the gate.

We went to the drop ride thing first, getting on seats beside each other. “Tano, I’m not going to lose!” He taunted as we both watched as the park below got farther and farther away from us. I looked back at him with a grin on my face, my grip tightening on the harness vest protective thing. Maybe I should have looked up what those were called, Aki would’ve.

Anyway, I looked back down at the ground, seeing all the other guests of the park as tiny specks in my vision. The view from this high was breathtaking, with a cool breeze blowing across our faces as we ascended higher and higher. “Wow…” I muttered to myself as I looked around. I was about to turn and face Aki when we started plummeting toward the ground. My hair started flying wildly as I felt my insides shift; it was exhilarating! We stopped before reaching the bottom, heading back up before going down. It shook us until I ran out of breath from screaming. Once it was over, the cold air entering my lungs tingled as Aki walked up to me, placing one hand on my shoulder as the other went to his knee. “You okay?” I asked, patting him on his back as he flashed me a smile.

“What’s next?” He asked, standing upright before we went to one of those spinning pendulum rides. We got strapped in as I looked at him again, he was already breathing heavily, and his face looked sickly.

“Aki, are you really okay?” I asked as we started moving. He couldn’t answer right away, his total concentration focused on remaining calm and keeping himself from cracking under the movement put on his body. Even though I couldn’t hear it over the screams of the other people on the ride, I could see that he was breathing heavily; I should’ve known that something was wrong then, but I didn’t realize it until it was too late.

I couldn’t really enjoy the ride as much as I did the big drop; worrying about him took my full attention. “Tano…” He mumbled, holding his head as he lurched forward. I caught him, placing my shoulder under his chest to support his weight as I rubbed his back with both my arms.

“How about we take a break?” I asked, but my words didn’t seem to get through to him. He groaned under his breath, his hands covering his mouth as his arms wrapped around me tightly. He was breathing heavier than before, and it seemed that he was having a hard time. “Aki?” I pushed him off of me gently, getting a look at his troubled face as he shut his eyes.

“Tano… I… bleugh!” He bent down, staining my pants and shoes with puke as his hands went to his knees to support his weight. My eyes widened in shock, taking a few steps back to avoid getting more of my clothes dirty. He threw up everything that he ate earlier and some more. I went around him, grabbing hold of him and running to the nearest restroom. I heard gasps as I ran, accompanied by the sound of shutters from cameras and phones. I got him into a stall, patting his back until he was finished. “I’m sorry… can we go home now?” He asked, his tone sounding pained as he walked over to clean what he could.

I looked down at my clothes, the bottom of my shirt, and my right leg got hit by his vomit. “Sure…” I mumbled, leaving this restroom to go into the women’s restroom. I looked in the mirror, frowning as I cleaned my clothes as best I could. This was supposed to be a fun weekend, but it ended up like this. “No, don’t think like that. There’s still tomorrow!” I muttered to myself, fighting away anything that would discourage me. I was going to make this weekend the best birthday he ever had. I walked out, calling his attention as the two of us made our exit, returning to the limo as the driver gave me a once over and nodded. “Aki, how about we just rest for the rest of the day. Want to watch a movie?” I asked, getting a sigh of relief from him.

“I… I think I’d like that. Sorry about your clothes, and for ruining our date.” He mumbled, burying his face in his hands as I looked out the window for the rest of the ride home. We got home and changed our clothes, getting into something more comfortable and setting ourselves up on the couch as I pondered what movie to watch. “How about a comedy? I kinda want to laugh.” He said from the couch, pointing over at a movie he saw while we were browsing. Well, it was supposed to be his celebration. I loaded up the movie, taking a seat beside him.

Dimming the lights, raising the volume, and resting my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around me; this is how it should’ve gone earlier. I looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were glued to the screen. I turned my attention back to the movie as a particularly funny scene played. I couldn’t control my body, breaking out into a laughing fit as I clapped my hands subconsciously in enjoyment. I kept smiling as the credits started rolling, looking up as Aki held his head in his hands. “That was a great movie, wasn’t it?” I asked, beaming at him as he looked down at me.

“Uhh yeah…” He groaned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. “Shit…” He got up, walking out of the living room and into our bedroom. He was acting strange, and it was concerning, to say the least. I followed after him, peeking into our room as he was frantically looking through his things for something.

“Is everything alright?” I asked as he turned to me with a panicked smile. I moved into the room, finding his things all scattered around the floor as he was scrambling to pick them up.

“I need to finish up my project. Sorry about ruining your plans, but I really have to do this.” My eyes widened as I registered his words into my mind. I accidentally broke it. No matter, I can just do it again. “I’ll be in the living room, feel free to go to bed without me.” He said, rushing past me with things in his arm. I reached out, taking hold of his wrist as I forced him to look at me.

“Aki, come on! I had so many things planned for us this weekend!” I said, reaching up with my other hand as he furrowed his brows.

“Stop!” He said, pulling his wrist free. “I really needed to work on this today, and I was willing to look past how you hypnotized me just so you could have your way with me today. But if you’re going to keep doing this…” He stared at me, sending a chill up my spine.

“But…”

“Tano. Stop. I won’t let you do it again.” He took his things, walking toward the living room, and picking up his things from there. I was speechless as I watched him pack up his things into the bag he used for university.

“Aki, wait!” I said, rushing down the stairs as he walked out the door. His hand on the doorknob, he turned to me with a disapproving frown as he shut the door. I opened the door, running after him until he left the neighborhood, leaving me staring at him as he vanished into the night. “What… what have I done?”

I returned home, walking around as I started to clean up the mess we made. I lied down on the bed after getting the present I stowed underneath it and hiding it under my pillow, looking up at the ceiling as I hugged a pillow tightly. He’ll be back, right? He’ll forgive me, right? Why didn’t I listen to him? I felt my phone vibrate as I got a message from one of my friends. I looked at the screen as a video played. It was too fast, how the pictures and videos that were taken at the amusement park spread on the internet. Today was a total failure! It was supposed to be a fun day to let him relax, but…

“I have to make it up to him…” I muttered to myself as I felt a tear trickle out of my eye as I tried to sleep through the night. I couldn’t really sleep well, my mind constantly thinking about Aki and everything that happened that day. I tossed and turned, looking out the window as the fall wind blew across the branches of trees that I could see. It was a dark, overcast night; it was going to rain. “Aki…” I mumbled, hearing thunder rumble across the sky.

I woke up the next day to the sound of a gentle drizzle, the grey sky being the first thing I saw. I stretched out my arms, reflexively turning around to look at Aki’s face; he still wasn’t there. I moved over to the bathroom, splashing water on my face as I thought about what I should do. I never pushed him this far before. I was scared. I took a shower and got dressed, putting on a coat and taking an umbrella with me as I headed toward the door. I made this mess; I was going to fix it!

“If I were Aki, where would I go?” I asked myself as I walked down the road. He did find a place to stay for the night, right? The thought of him sleeping on the streets in this rain… I slapped my face a few times, getting my head straight as I started thinking again. The first place I went to was a hotel that was nearby; no sign of him. Next was another hotel, still nothing. I checked in on the apartment building he used to stay at, but he wasn’t there either. I was running out of ideas. There was only one other place I could think of. “Hello? I’m looking for Akira Onjo. Is he here?”

I swallowed a knot in my throat as I looked at the security guard of the university that he studied at. People were still walking around, even in this weather, talking amongst themselves as faint voices reached my ears. That video even reached here; what’s going to happen to him once he shows his face in class? I fucked up! I fucked up! I started sweating bullets as the security guard asked me for my reason for being there. After some explanation, I was allowed inside as they got someone to see if anyone came here during the night; he didn’t come here.

Out of options, all I could do was hope that he’d come back home. I made my way home, finding it as empty as I left it. I sighed, hearing my stomach rumble as I took a step inside. “I still haven’t eaten…” I muttered to myself as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“What am I going to do with you?” Aki sent a chill up my spine, his hand cold from the air outside. He walked past me, heading right into the kitchen. He was back, I should’ve been happy about it, but there was still something that kept twisting my insides. I followed him into the kitchen, watching as he silently made some food for the two of us. Something felt strange about him like he wasn’t really that focused on what he was doing. “Anything you have to say?” He said, his eyes still glued to the burners on our stove. I walked up behind him, placing one of my hands on his back as I looked for the right words to say.

“Sorry, Aki…” I mumbled, unable to pick out any more words to convey my feelings. He kept facing forward, his movements with the pan and chopsticks still feeling cold and calculated.

“And?” He asked, leaving me at a loss for words. I started breathing heavily as I felt my heart swell. I had to find something to say. “I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your lunch.” He plated up the food, putting the other half in the fridge before he left the kitchen and headed straight for the bedroom.

“Are you still going to leave?” I asked as I opened the door to the bedroom. He had taken out another bag, stuffing clothes into it slowly. “I’m sorry… Aki, I should have never…”

“I feel betrayed Tano. You were selfish yesterday, dragging me along on that crazy date without even asking me first.” His grip on the bag tightened as he looked up at me. “Because of you, I couldn’t submit my project. That’s not even mentioning the video of me throwing up on you! So tell me, why? Why did you do that in the first place?” He dropped his things, walking up to me as he stared me down while balling his fists.

“I… I just wanted to make sure you had a happy birthday this year.” I mumbled, resting my head on his chest. “And I… I… I felt like you’ve been ignoring me recently…” I panted, sweating bullets as I wrapped my arms around him. “Don’t leave… please don’t leave… Aki, I love you, please don’t leave me.” I was practically begging, holding him tightly as I felt him jerk forward and out of my grip. He looked at me for a moment before averting his gaze, returning to his business of packing up his clothes.

I’ve never seen him this angry; I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angry. It was paralyzing; I was struggling to breathe, to keep my eyes open, to think. As seconds passed by, I found myself gathering enough strength to get up and walk around the house, stopping in the living room. He had taken most of his things, leaving only the scraps of his notes behind as crumpled balls of trash. I picked one up, fiddling with to read down what he wrote. It was scribbled out, barely comprehensible except for the fact that he wrote it down multiple times on this one piece. Over and over again, the words kept repeating, with minor variations each time around the same line; he was really putting his all into his studies, and I ruined it.

What could I do to fix this? Should I even try? Will that just make it worse? I stood there for a while, staring at the papers while trying to think of something I could do. I couldn’t think of anything. I clicked my teeth a bit, cleaning up the scraps and walking over to the kitchen to eat the food he made me; it had gotten cold. “What do I do?” I mumbled to myself, biting the ends of my chopsticks as I held myself back from getting depressed again. I tried to pump myself up. “I have to do something, but…” Tried was the important word.

I spent the rest of the day alone, pacing around the house as I desperately imagined the scene multiple times in my head. Everything I thought up, every scenario, none of them had him forgiving me easily. I still had work the next day, as well. I went to sleep with a heavy heart and everything weighing on my mind, tossing and turning in the bed for the second night in a row. Still, I had to move forward. I got out of bed, getting ready for work as my manager pulled up on the street to pick me up.

Work that day wasn’t particularly interesting, thankfully; just looking over options for potential ads I could do and a few messages from fashion designers I knew. Not like I was paying much attention to them, still worrying about Aki. I finished up the replies I wanted to send out, getting into the car with my manager as I muttered something into her ear. She nodded, taking a detour for me as we drove toward the university that Aki was studying at. I know that it was scummy, but it was the only way I had a chance to make things right. The security guard remembered me from the previous day, giving me a nod as I told him my reason for returning.

I was led inside, going down the halls as students passed me by. I looked around, hoping to find his face as my watch told me that it was getting close to the end of their day; he would usually be heading home by now. I couldn’t find him before I reached my destination: the office of his professor. “Hello…” I walked in, finding them at their desk while a small collection of the project that Aki was working on was placed beside him inside of a box; none of them were his. It was tense, I hadn’t been in this kind of situation since I graduated myself. I swallowed my fear, walking forward in order to negotiate with him; all I could do was hope that it would work.

I left the office, looking for him again as I made my way toward the car again. My manager drove me home, wishing me good luck as she went to her home for the night. It was lonely. How long had it been since I spent this much time alone like this? I went over to the fridge, I had saved the second portion of food from yesterday so that had to do. I ate it slowly, wondering if I did the right thing as the leaves started falling from the trees nearby. I finished eating, washing up, and heading to the bedroom for the night; it was empty.

“This… I don’t like this.” I mumbled, gripping one of the pillows tightly as I curled up into a ball. I took a deep breath, not wanting to waste any more air by talking to myself. Those years where I was on my own, the memories from that time were slowly trickling back. I tried to push them away, but they kept me up to the point where I had to walk off my nerves. I looked out the window, sighing as I dressed myself up for a night stroll. The silence was killing me, so I thought that keeping myself busy would be a nice change of pace. A simple sweater, a pair of shorts, and some sandals; good enough, I didn’t really care at the time.

I left home, pocketing my keys, and walking out of the neighborhood and into the busy streets. There wasn’t really a place I wanted to go, but I just didn’t want to be at home. Walking around at night like this felt refreshing, the cold fall air helping me as I kept trying to clear my head. I looked up at the sky as I arrived at a quiet park, still fairly cloudy with the recent weather, but I could see part of the moon peeking out from behind one of the smaller ones. I smiled as a gust of wind blew past me. I’ve done all I could think of, everything was out of my hands now; which was both nerve-wracking and relaxing at the same time. A bar was the next place I ended up, the loud interior a complete contrast to the serenity outside.

It was strange. Normally, I wouldn’t mind being here; I love going out with friends and enjoying the energetic atmosphere that was usually in bars and clubs at this hour. But, when I imagine Aki and I being here, something just doesn’t click. For some reason, I just can’t think of a way that he’d be happy in a place like this. “I really am an idiot.” I laughed, leaving the bar and remembering the events of Saturday; I won’t make the same mistakes again.

I went home with some peace of mind, some. Falling asleep came easier after my walk, and I woke up feeling rested the next day. My manager and I still had things to talk about at work, so I had something to do for the better part of the day. As I was eating my lunch, I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

“Yeah, the professor is letting me do it again. I don’t know why, but I think I have a way to find out.” His voice reached my ears as I looked around the aisle of the convenience store I was in. He was with a few other people, his classmates I assumed, and they were already in line for the cashier. I watched them for a few seconds, holding onto the snacks I was going to buy tightly as I mustered up the courage to walk up to him. I smiled; I change so much whenever he’s involved. I tapped his shoulder, waving to him with a subdued smile. “Tano? What a coincidence. Excuse us for a moment guys.” He said to his friends, walking with me over to one of the aisles.

“Aki…”

“I’m surprised it worked.” He said, smiling as he messed up my hair. “Thanks.”

“Are you going to come home soon?” I asked, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. He pinched my cheeks, stretching them slightly as I tried to get his hands off of my face. I pouted, looking up at his grinning face as he nodded, hugging me tightly. “I’m sorry, again. Because of me, your birthday was a mess.” I whispered as he let go, looking at me curiously.

“Wait, my birthday?” He asked, taking out his phone to check the date. “Oh…” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “I guess I didn’t notice. That’s embarrassing.” He said, laughing it off as he started walking away. “Let’s celebrate it properly at home.” He went back to his friends, leaving me with a bubbly feeling in my chest. I felt full, so I put back most of the things I was planning to buy. A smile formed on my face as I made my way back to work. With renewed energy, I got through everything my manager had scheduled for the day and rushed home in a taxi. He still wasn’t there; I had time to do something, but what to do?

I paced around for a moment, trying to think of what I could do to make him enjoy this late party we were going to have. I could get some drinks for us, invite some of our friends over, or… “No!” I slapped my face with both hands. “This is what happened before. Think… what would he want to do?” I muttered to myself, shutting my eyes as I heard the front door open. “Fuck.”

“Tano? Are you home?” He walked in, a few bags slung over his shoulder and his eyes scanning the room for me, stopping at the top of the stairs as a smile formed on his face. “Do you have anything planned?” He asked as I felt my face light up in embarrassment. I shook my head as he dropped off his bags on the floor, slowly walking over to me. “Then, how about I decide on what we do tonight?” He asked, and I had no reason to refuse.

His first idea was teaching me how to not be useless in the kitchen, specifically: baking. He pulled out the ingredients and we got started on a simple-looking dessert called a meringue. I thought it would be easy, but I was wrong. My arms were killing me as I kept whisking, trying to get enough air into the mixture as I could; it just looked like a foamy mess! “Ahh! How do you do this?” I screamed, desperately trying to move my hands faster as it started spilling out of the bowl from all the movement. Aki saw me struggling, chuckled for a moment, and searched around for a mixer that he had hidden away in a cupboard. I stopped whisking, looking at him with anger burning in my eyes. “I… Aki!” I set the bowl down, stomping over to him and playfully hitting him.

“We’re even now. Come on, let’s finish these.” He said, handing me the machine as he stood behind me. It made it so much easier, but I kept scraping against the sides of the bowl and making a lot more noise than I needed to. “Hey, easy does it.” He said calmly, taking my hands in his and guiding them around as he leaned over my shoulder to keep a better eye on our snack-to-be. We put them in the oven, leaving them to bake for… “Alright, we have a few hours before those are done.”

“Hours!?” I screamed, staring at the inside of our oven while weeping softly. “What are we going to do until then?” I asked as I found him walking toward the living room. I followed him, glancing back at the oven longingly. He was sitting on the couch, setting up one of our consoles while muttering the titles of the games we owned under his breath. “I’m okay with anything…” I said, taking a seat beside him to rest my head on his shoulder.

“Okay. Want to play this again?” He asked, tossing me a controller as he made himself comfortable. Launching the game, we were thrown into the start of a game we both beat years ago, a simple 3d platformer. We made a new save file, going through the first level again as we raced to the end first. We kept clearing level after level, and with that came dumb deaths and missed jumps that just made us laugh. I took a break to look at him after one of my deaths, seeing a smile on his face as his eyes sparkled with the light from our TV; I was speechless. I love him. “Tano? Tano! Jump! Ju…” He tried snapping me back, but the death sound of my character showed that it was too late. We kept playing for a while, at least until the ding of Aki’s phone timer got our attention as we both made our way to the kitchen. He switched off the oven as I walked over. I reached out for the handle of the oven, but my hand was swatted away by him.

“Eh?” I asked, looking at him curiously. He told me to wait as they cooled, walking back toward the living room as he kept an eye on me. I walked back, pecking him on the cheek before resting my head on his lap. I watched as he continued on with the game, playing solo since I didn’t feel like playing anymore. My gaze kept shifting from the game to his face, a smile on my face the entire time; my eyelids were getting kind of heavy though. I let out a yawn, shutting my eyes for a moment… just a moment… “Oh… Tano…” I leaned in closer, feeling some movement as I started to hear Aki’s breathing. After some more movement, I felt something soft under my body. I let my body relax, I’ll just eat the sweets later.

“Mmmhh… Aki…”

“Yes?”

“I love you… and I’m sorry… I missed you so much… And… your gift is under the pillow…” I mumbled as I felt his hand stroke my hair. I felt his other arm go under my pillow, his lips touching mine as I fell asleep. This was it, this was what I was missing for the past few days. This feeling in my chest, how he just seems to calm me down while making life a lot more fun, it was so nice that I can’t find the words to fully explain it; it felt like a dream. “A dream… Aki!” I shot out of bed, looking around at the empty spot beside me as I wiped a trail of drool off of my face. My eyes widened as I leaped onto my feet, scrambling out the door of the bedroom and down the stairs. He wasn’t in the living room, the kitchen, or the bathroom. “Aki…” I mumbled, walking over to the fridge in the kitchen to get myself some food, noticing a little note stuck to a container inside.

“I ate most of them, sorry.” It read, the handwriting clearly his. I smiled. It wasn’t a dream! I looked into the container, a few handfuls of meringues were inside. I frowned, he really did eat most of them. I took them out, noticing something resting on the countertop. The gift I got for him, now unwrapped and staring at me with another note beside it. “Let’s play this one together.” It read, a smile forming on my face as I took it and put it with the rest of our games.

Things would return to normal soon after, and life just got better as we kept moving on with our lives. Though, after everything that happened, I kind of stopped going in head-first with my plans all the time. After all, Aki grew up, I should have too. I hope you like this little story. I’m as good at telling stories as he is, so I hope it was good enough. I don’t really know how to end this so…

“Mommy! Mommy! It looks so good!” Hana’s calling me, I have to go. “Yay! Mommy’s cake always tastes good!” Everyone, take care. I still have to decorate the cake with candles and sprinkles, so this is goodbye for now. I heard the door open as Aki came home from work. “Yay! Daddy, let’s play!”

“Woah, Woah! Let me put down my things, darling. You can load up our save while I get changed. Happy birthday.” This was my family, and I love every second we spend together like this. Goodbye, everyone! Have a great day! How does Aki end these?