The Walk Home

“I wanted to talk to you, so let’s get going, shall we?” Grabbing his hand, she pulled him as she walked and soon let go of his hand.

Huh? A talk? About what? Why would she want to talk to me?

Holding the hand that Louise held, his heart began to flutter as he unwillingly began to smile and felt his cheeks blushing.

It’s so unfair. She doesn’t even feel anything from doing that, yet here I am, feeling elated from holding her hand.

He catches up to her, to walk side-by-side with her.

“I really am simple.” Speaking thoughts aloud, he remarks on his feelings.

“Well, crying remembering a movie you watched is pretty embarrassing.” Continuing to walk she lets out a sigh.

Making a sarcastic comment like that, as if to lighten the mood, but why?

Something happened.

They leave school building and go out through the back entrance of the school.

“Wait is this where you usually leave school from?” Confused, he spoke up, making sure to phrase his question correctly.

She’s never left school this way before, ever.

“Yeah, I leave this way since there’s a lot less students back here so it’s easier move around.” Walking past the school gate, she explained her reasoning with a ‘matter of fact’ tone.

Oh god, if I hadn’t bumped into her just now than I would’ve been waiting at school into the night! No, she was looking for me to, so it wouldn’t have mattered either way, probably.

“Well, what is it that you wanted to talk with me about?” Voicing his confusion over the sudden request, he stops walking as he looks to her back before she turns around to face him.

“I just wanted walk home with you and talk, do I need a reason to do that?” With and endearing expression, she cutely remarks that she didn’t need a reason.

Honestly…it’s because you say stuff like this…that I got the wrong idea that one…time…

Remembering it, he walks ahead of Louise and suppresses the memories that had suddenly crept up on his heart.

“Well, not really it’s just that with how fast you were running I assumed it was going to be something like the world ending tomorrow.”

“Well too bad for you.” Catching up to him again, she slyly patted his shoulder, as if to console him.

“So, wait, you were just lonely and wanted someone to talk to?” Turning to look at her, he nonchalantly asked her.

“Unlike you, I actually have friends.” Letting go of his shoulder, she pouted as she commented on his own lack of friends.

I know deserved that, but she could’ve at least said that we’re friends.

“You’re my friend though.” Unable to keep it in, he tries mentions Louise as of his few friends.

“…Yeah.” In a bitter tone she responds to him and turns away from his gaze as they continue to walk forward.

Hey, maybe this is my chance to…

“Hey if you’re so lonely, wanna trade contact info?” Trying to act confident and pompous, he arrogantly posed this question to her.

“It’s not like I’m lonely, and if you want my number just ask me directly." Shutting his terrible attempt at getting her number, she gives him a chance to ask again, properly that is.

I don’t even need to ask you for it anyway, I just want to give you my number again.

He racks his brain for an idea and…

I got the perfect plan, and this'll help me get back at her for earlier too.

With a growing smirk on his face, he stopped walking, got on one knee, and held his phone up to her in his hand

“Would you be so kind as to give this lonely boy here your contact information.” With a red, burning face, probably because of the scorching sun, he asked her in the most embarrassing way he could think of, not realizing the amount of damage it would also inflict on himself.

How’s that for being direct?

“Okay that’s good enough, but you should really get up before you embarrass yourself even more.” Seemingly unaffected she turned and kept walking, which dealt an even bigger blow to him.

For a moment, he forgot to breathe. He got up silently, exchanged numbers, and continued walking but behind her to hide his embarrassment. She turned to the side and looked at him.

“Don’t pull a stunt like that again. Even I can get embarrassed by that kind of stuff you know.” Having said as much, she began to avert her gaze from him proving her apparent embarrassment from the earlier debacle.

“You didn’t seem embarrassed at all to me, meanwhile I just embarrassed myself a second time while trying to get back at you.”

After some time, after calming down, he walked ahead to meet her pace and looked at her

“I know I said that I wouldn’t bring it up again but what was that dream about? You don’t need to go into the specifics ok, I just want to know generally what happened.” Fidgeting a little, she brought up her curiosity over the matter that occurred in science class.

Is this why she was looking for me? I guess she was having a hard time bringing it up.

“Don’t worry about it, it just took a while to come back to reality from what happened. I’d like to say I’m fine now but…I’m still not really. It was terrifying, it felt like I could do nothing but sit there and watch it all unfold. It honestly felt like my heart had been ripped right out of my chest.”

While talking about his experience during the dream, he began nervously shaking along with his voice which had also become hoarse, Louise noticed this and grabbed his hand dragging him into a house.

“Wait where are we going?”

Ignoring his pleas, she opened the door and took off her shoes as well as her jacket. As such, he complied and did the same. She gestured him to follow her, and when they arrived inside of what appeared to be her room, she pointed at the bed as if to tell him to sit.

Why is she giving me commands like I’m some dog?

He then obediently sat down on the bed.

And why am I obeying her?

She sat down next to him and placed her hand on top of his with her fingers interlaced between his, gripping his hand from above.

Louise: “Please forgive me…”

Huh?