Chapter 2:

Patched.

Unravelling Winter.


"Welcome in!~" The cashier said as the doors to the convenience store opened and a little jingle played.

Even in this tiny town, there were convenience stores around every corner. No that might have been an exaggeration. The closest one was still an excruciating 10-minute walk away.

I headed straight to the drinks section while taking my hood down.

Upon arrival, I opened the fridge and took two reasonably large bottles of wine out.

"This should do." I muttered while checking the lable.

They were rather cheap, but that was fine. I wasn't the most enthusiastic of drinkers and Mom cared more about quantity than quality.

I saw her down a bottle one night when I was a kid. Made me really worry about her liver health at that time.

It was weird how I had grown enough to have a drink with her.

'I should probably get a toothbrush too.'

Ultimately my goal was to waste as much time here as I could. I did say that I would try to look for a friend while I was out. Coming back too quickly would be way too embarrassing.

I went to the plushy section thing and got an eye cover while I was at it.

Pointless purchases didn't bother me. Bad working hours meant that I had a decent amount of cash stored up. To add to that my starting package was way over what a single man needed. I didn't have to worry about my spendings.

After expending a decent 10-minutes just navigating around the back of the store, I headed back to the counter.

I went in with the thought of just getting two bottles of wine so I didn't bother with getting a basket but I ended up getting much more than that. It resulted in me carrying 8 different items cradled between my arms like an idiot.

Well, it wasn't like anyone was watching.

I put the load of stuff I bought on the counter as carefully as I could.

"Please bill this up." Putting my hand in my pocket I looked up at the cashier. "Ah and I'll need a bag with thi-!!! Saeko?! You work here?!" Her face caught my eye. It was still the same old honey eyes that bordered between fierce and gentle. Her hair was as black and thick as it was when she had it cut like mine when we were 8.

If one thing had matured it would be her round shoulder and her rounder belly? What?

"Ichi?! When did you get back?"

"An hour or two ago... but when did you get fat? You used to work out a tonne." She wasn't only in the morals committee she was also in the track team. The time she didn't spend running around the school stopping bullies, she spent running around the field.

"Dude, stop being rude. This isn't fat." She leaned ahead on the counter and the bulge became more defined.

"Ah." The realisation came relatively quick. She was round for the other reason. "Wanna drink?"

She looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"I meant coffee." Another cup wouldn't hurt.

.

.

.

This was a small town. There was a convenience store placed in convenient locations. But there weren't a lot of people to use them.

Saeko and I sat down next to a window that overlooked the snowy streets.

"Do you at least know who the father is?" I started off way ruder than I expected I would. I wanted to maintain the same distance we had two years ago. But it was hard.

"Jeez Ichi! Who do you take me for?" She talked back. It wasn't her usual biting remarks. It felt off.

We were the same people we were two years ago but very different.

"An easy woman who forgot the marriage promise we made when we were kids." I answered back.

I could say stuff like this without any hesitation because out of the 25 years that I lived, I had known her for 26. Since before I was even born.

Saying stuff like that wasn't even bad compared to the abhorrent stuff we passed we tossed around between us when we were kids.

"Pch... pch... Still hung up are you?" She teased while twiddling her thumbs. "You know I was stuck on one dude throughout my love life, right?"

Well, yeah, I knew. That was one of the reasons I ran to the city those 5 years ago.

"You wish..." I talked back. Her condescending tone was annoying. "So how's that gyaaru-oh?" Gyaaru-oh being Yuuji. Her boyfriend she introduced me to at the end of high school.

She remained silent for a minute.

"He's... not here anymore."

"Did he run-"

"He passed away." She said swiftly. Rather grimly. Extremely slightly disdainfully.

It was just one surprise after another. Deep from the inside, I didn't know of a way I could respond to that. I hated that dude for months, but as time passed I stopped cari- no, I ignored his existence altogether.

We remained silent for about a minute.

"It's fine though! It has already been half a year!" She tried to cheer herself and me up. But the smile on her face was so fake. Anyways, shouldn't it have been the other way around? I didn't need the cheering up.

"I see." I replied.

"How did your uni life go?" She switched the issue at hand. Saeko clearly didn't want to talk about it. She obviously didn't want to receive any pity. The fact that she was working meant that she was strong enough to go on.

"It was fine. I was pretty popular, and the top of the class." The conversation quickly became empty.

"Well, you don't look like a dork anymore."

"I wasn't the one who looked like a dork, you guys were the ones busy getting it on in high school! I looked like a normal high schooler who studied adequately to fulfil his dreams." I preached in small talk.

"Sure sure whatever you say. Did you get a job?"

"I did. I work in the A.I. department of a software firm."

"I see. How much do you make?"

"You shouldn't ask a man that."

"Like how you shouldn't ask a woman about the fat on her stomach?" Her attempt at her habitual sharp remarks. But her delivery left no bite.

"Pch."

She was putting up a front. I got reminded of the time her dog got sick and she cried for an entire day next to me. Or the time when there was a strong and she tried to act tough before hiding under a blanket.

It was a combination of both of those situations.

"How many months?" I asked.

"6th right now."

"Are you sure you can move right now?"

"I have to... I think I'm good for another month or two. Then I'll rest at my parent's place." Her words were superficial to the point I doubted them. Her eyes didn't meet mine. But I didn't have it in me to intervene.

The sound of this conversation quickly started to drown as if the sound was coming from above the water while we were suffocating underneath.

Talking about herself made her clearly more downcast. It was weird to see that cheerfully earnest girl look so solemn. It made me realise how she had grown.

Perhaps even more than me. Though I doubted that.

I sipped a bit of my coffee and so did she.

The 18 years of acquaintance was almost ruined by 5 years of separation.

Yet again, winter came with unhappiness.

No. Our relationship was too special for me to let go of this easily.

I had to do something.

Once I came to that conclusion, the sound around me became clear again. I could hear cars pass in front of me and I could hear the air conditioner heating the room.

Putting all my years of experience as an adult, I became firm with my words.

"Hey Saeko..."

"What?"

"Do you want to go on a da-"

As I was about to say that my phone began to ring. I let down the courage that I built. It really was too much.

It read Mom on the screen. Dinner was ready.

"Ah, I think I have to go back for dinner now." For a moment I felt relieved that she called me when she did and masked my invitation.

I feared rejection.

"Ohh, I see... Then see you later I guess. Are you going to be here for a while?"

"Yeah, a couple of months."

I wanted the courage again. Looking at her made me even unhappier than before.

"Saeko-"

"Yeah?"

"Do you..." Pch. What am I even doing acting like my high school self? Did I not grow? I was too old to act like this. I took a deep breath. "Do you want to go on a date someday?"

Her face looked surprised, then mellowed down to an understanding smile.

"Sure." She said. Saeko understood that there was no romance in those words. It was just a plain suggestion to bring her up. A tiny attempt to go back to what we were.

But she didn't know that that little approval was put me on cloud 9. It wasn't the fact that we were going on a date, it was the fact that our friendship still had a chance after the half decade long anonymity I brought about.

She, for a moment, was willing to give me her time of day even after I ghosted her for 5 years. During the time she probably needed me the most.

I felt embarrassed and thankful.

Saeko walked me to the gate.

"Then I'll text you!" I said before jogging off with the bag in my hand to keep my body temperature up and to make sure that the dinner was still warm by the time I was back. Excitement may have had a little role to play.

No matter the context asking someone on a date was still slightly nerve-wracking.

"I'll be waiting then." I heard her.

otkrlj
icon-reaction-4
Fuzzy Rabid Usagi
icon-reaction-4
Ah Rin
icon-reaction-1