Chapter 4:

Before...

A Love So Sweet, I Get Confused


Mitsu sat at on his bed, lying on his stomach with his phone in his hands. He was scrolling through the messages, revisiting the conversation he, no Hana, had with Akio. Akio seemed to be showing a lot more interest in Hana, which certainly was promising for him. The more interest Akio has in Hana, the less likely he is to pursue a relationship with Tomo. Speaking of Tomo, Mitsu smiled ear to ear, seeing Tomo initiating a video call. He swiped the accept button, seeing Tomo smiling brightly with a towel on her head. “Hey Honey,” She greeted, Mitsu getting a warm sensation at the use of his nickname. “I wanted to see if you wanted to go out tomorrow.”

Ah, a day trip with Tomo is just what Mitsu would much rather do tomorrow expect he didn’t want to risk the plan. Tomorrow, Hana had agreed to meet up at the mall with Akio and if Hana weren’t to show up it could stir up the worse case scenario. Yes, Mitsu could see it now. Akio goes into class on Monday, confides his heartbreak into Tomo. This would lead to Tomo consoling him and then from afar, Mitsu would watch as the two embrace in a hug. No, Mitsu couldn’t allow that to happen. “I’m so sorry,” Mitsu gave a sincere smile, breaking his heart. “I have plans to go out already.”

“Aw,” Tomo whined, pouting and giving puppy dog eyes. “We haven’t been able to hang out recently.”

“I know,” Mitsu knew it was too true. Putting this plan into action did mean separating himself from Tomo for a while, until he can confidently keep his Hana persona away from Tomo. Tomo might find him disgusting if she finds out about his dressing up. “Tell you what, I’ll buy you a deluxe hot chocolate as an apology.”

Tomo’s facial impression improved, sitting up straight with a large beautiful smile and nodded rapidly. “I’ll hold you to that,” She laughed. The pleasant sound of laughter was interrupted by Emi calling out for Mitsu from downstairs. “Sounds like your sister wants you. Have a nice evening, Honey.”

Begrudgingly, Mitsu hung up and dared to go downstairs. He passed the living room, seeing his dad sat on the sofa, smiling to himself as he watched home movies. Mitsu sighed, seeing his mom appear on the screen in her wedding dress with her signature smile. Shaking his head, he hurried pass the living room and found Emi in the kitchen, plating up some cupcakes. “Look what I have,” Emi waved her arms gesturing to the cakes and tea on the table. “I thought we could have a little tea party.” Emi sounded hopeful, trying hard to convince Mitsu to join her. Mitsu stared blankly at her, not impressed by Emi’s sad attempts to revisit the past. His video call was interrupted by someone desperately trying to relive a childish memory. Emi’s face dropped, her arms giving up and falling to her side. “Just one cake, please?”

Mitsu leant over, grabbing a cupcake, turning to leave and take it to his room to prepare for tomorrow. “Things aren’t the same as before,” he said coldly, not daring to look back. “Don’t you think its time to give up on your dreams and move forward.”

“Mom wou-”

“Well mom’s dead,” Mitsu shouting, interrupting Emi like she interrupted his phone call. Emi hiccupped, covering her mouth to muffle her cries. “Grow up Emi.”

Mitsu slammed the kitchen door behind him as he rushed back upstairs. He ignored his dad’s calls, deciding to hide away in his bedroom. He put the cake on the desk, flopping his body back onto the bed. His gaze looking over to the outfit for tomorrow, finally having been able to replace the shirt that was previously ruined. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind so he can remain calm for tomorrow. A goodnight sleep is essential for his skin tomorrow so he can look his best. “Mom would want me to be happy with Tomo,” he said to himself. “And Hana is going to help me do that.”