Unspoken Past

As we stepped out of the art store, our bags filled with supplies, the cool night air brushed against my face. The stars above us were scattered across the sky like tiny specks of light, and the city buzzed quietly around us.

Hachimura walked beside me, humming softly, still riding the high of our successful shopping trip. “I think we’ve got everything we need now. The booth’s gonna look amazing.”

“Yeah, as long as you don’t go overboard with the decorations,” I teased, nudging him lightly.

He laughed, the sound light and easy. “Come on, man. A little sparkle never hurt anyone.”

“Right,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Just remember, you promised to clean up any glitter mess.”

“I will, I will,” he said, waving me off. But as we kept walking, the playful mood between us started to shift. Hachimura grew quiet, his steps slowing as we turned down a quieter street.

I glanced over at him, noticing how his expression had changed. The energy he had earlier seemed to drain away, replaced by something more thoughtful, maybe even heavy.

“Hachimura,” I said after a beat. “You okay?”

He stopped walking altogether, staring at the ground for a moment before answering. “You ever feel like no matter how much you try to move forward, the past still hangs over you? Like, no matter what you do, it’s always just… there?”

I shifted uncomfortably. These types of conversations weren’t my strong suit. I wasn’t exactly the best at comforting people, especially when things got heavy. “Uh, yeah, I guess. It’s… it’s rough sometimes,” I said awkwardly.

Hachimura didn’t seem to mind my clumsy attempt. He let out a bitter chuckle. “Rough doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

We stood there, in the middle of the street, the silence between us suddenly feeling a lot heavier. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. The words felt stuck somewhere between my thoughts and my mouth.

“You know that upperclassman we saw earlier?” Hachimura suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” I replied, feeling a little lost.

“That was… my ex-boyfriend,” he said quietly. “From middle school.”

The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t know what to say or how to react. “Oh… I didn’t know,” I muttered, shifting on my feet, feeling even more awkward than before. This wasn’t the kind of conversation I was prepared for.

Hachimura sighed, running a hand through his hair. “No one does. After what happened, I just tried to keep my head down. But seeing him today—it brought everything back.”

I stood there, awkwardly nodding, trying to figure out what to say. “That… uh… sucks,” I managed, immediately cringing at how lame that sounded.

Hachimura looked at me, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, probably noticing how uncomfortable I was. “Yeah, it does. You don’t have to pretend to get it. I just… needed to say it.”

I shifted again, feeling completely out of my element. “So, you’re into guys?” I asked, not sure if that was the right way to phrase it, but it slipped out before I could stop myself.

“Yeah,” Hachimura said quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the night air. “I am. And it’s not something I really talk about. Not after what happened with him—how he outed me in front of the whole class.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how that must’ve felt. “That’s… really messed up,” I said, wishing I had something better to offer, but my mind was blank.

Hachimura gave a sad laugh. “Yeah, it was. And after that, I transferred schools. I thought I could just leave all of it behind, but… some things don’t go away that easily.”

I felt like I should say something to make him feel better, but I wasn’t exactly great at this kind of thing. “I, uh… I’m sorry. I don’t really know what to say,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Hachimura said, his voice soft. “Just… thanks for listening. That’s more than enough.”

I nodded, feeling relieved that he wasn’t expecting me to magically fix things. “Yeah, no problem,” I muttered.

We stood there for a few more moments, the awkward tension slowly lifting as Hachimura gave me a small smile.

“I guess I should’ve told you sooner,” he said, his tone a little lighter now. “But, well… it’s not exactly easy to talk about.”

“No, I get it,” I said quickly, even though I wasn’t sure I fully did. “Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here. Even if I’m, uh… not great at this stuff.”

Hachimura chuckled, the sound warmer now. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. But it’s fine. Really.”

We started walking again, the silence between us more comfortable this time. As we neared the train station, Hachimura glanced over at me.

“Thanks, Takumi. For real.”

“Yeah,” I said, not really sure what else to add.