One step

 Title: One Step
Pairing: Daiki Arioka / OC (Aki)


I still remember the first time we met. Our personalities differ. You changed drastically after that incident.

Here I am, standing at the staircase of our high school, the exact same place we met when we were still 18; 10 years passed and I’m standing at the same place, reason being that I became a teacher. Memories lingered around the school compound. All this while, I hadn’t been able to let go of you.

“Daiki Arioka? You were really close with him back then weren’t you? The two of you went out or something right?” Sometimes, reunions aren’t really the best. I gave a faint smile every time the question of us came up.

I met up with Chizu, a classmate of mine in Year 3 for lunch at a family restaurant 30 minutes walk away. She now works as the school nurse. We don’t usually spend time together, but we try to get together whenever possible. The topic of you and I doesn’t appear, or at least until today.

“Let’s be honest Aki. You still love him don’t you,” Unable to control my tears, I crouched down in the middle of the empty midday street and broke down. After all these years, I hadn’t been able to forget you still. The dates we had, the memories we shared. Every single fragment of my memory with you was vividly remembered. “I’m sorry” your words of apology; the scene where we broke up- it kept playing in my head every now and then.

Just as we walked back to school after lunch, it was you who we happened to saw.

“Eh, do you guys still remember me? Aki and Chizu, right?” I was still sniffling, with a tear-stained face. I immediately raised my hands to cover my mouth in disbelief and about the fact that I didn’t want to see my red nose.

“How’s life?” you asked with your forehead creased with worry. I wanted to shout, to tell you one last time, how much I love you; let alone my heart do the job silently. However my heart cringed when our eyes met. My gaze fell on your left hand. The hand that held the wedding ring. Forced to pull back my tears, I gave a reassuring smile.

“Aki, I’m really sorry… You… You have to move on in life… Thanks for being next to me when my parents divorced. Thanks for taking time to change me from a delinquent to who I am now. You really saved me. Even so, I’m sorry…” You hung your head, and left.