from the start | ran takahashi

Chapter 5 (Ran)

It was finally my day off and I planned to binge watch an anime that I've been eyeing for a while.

Not until Stephen Maar, my teammate, told me and a few other people to come and watch a performance with him.

He saw it in a post online and was interested to see it. So interested, he wanted everyone in Monza to see it with him.

I honestly didn't want to go but I couldn't refuse the kind gesture since he already bought tickets. So here I was wearing my white dress shirt that I had, thankfully taken from Japan, and black pants. I sprayed on some cologne and fixed my hair one last time before heading out.

The performance was in Milan so we decided to head out earlier just in case there was any traffic. Stephen decided to drive while I and the others just relaxed in the back.

I connected my earphones to my phone and listened to my usual playlist. As I was listening to music, my mind starts to wander off. I was very happy that I connected with Ryouta again, I can finally talk to him without any issues. When he replied to me, It felt like the heavy weight that was on my shoulders lifted ever so lightly. But the weight of guilt was still there.

Yes, I was an asshole. To my best friend and his sister.

I closed my eyes tightly and gave out a long sigh.

Eric was sat next to me and asked if I was okay. I nodded my head and continued to listen to my music.

As much as I want to say I have a reason, I don't think it makes up for the four years I have ghosted them. I cherished them like my family but I betrayed them and left them in the dark. I decided to explain myself to both of them personally. Not over text or a simple phone call.

I just hope they can still hold on a bit longer until I go back to Japan.

All of a sudden, Rika popped in my head. The picture of her smiling with her brother on her side made me smile a bit. The flowers that she was holding complimented her skin. Her hair was longer now compared to her cute bob cut when she was a 1st year.

'Cute?'

I shifted on my seat, feeling a bit weirded out. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing though. I tried shifting my mind off of her but somehow couldn't. All I can think of now is her smile. The smile that she always had when we were kids. It never changed.

I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Ran, we're here.. Let's go." Eric said as he got out of the car.

I opened the door beside me to get out of the small car. After sitting in that car for a good while, it felt so good to stretch our limbs. Especially if most of us are almost two meters long.

We walked towards the entrance and was greeted by one of the ushers. He told us that the doors will open in a few minutes so we can grab a drink before it starts. We all picked a glass of champagne and chatted. I noticed a few camera men were taking photos of us and walked away, also taking photos of other guests.

'Looks like it's a really fancy event.'

Looking around, I felt curious to see how people work in theaters. The ushers were greeting people with a smile that they had to put on until the end of the night. Another person was also greeting the guests, who I assume was probably the director or whoever created the show. I looked at the poster and saw that it was a dance performance.

'Hmm.. That's familiar.. Where did I heard that from?'

I swore I heard that from somewhere but couldn't put my finger on it. Was it from Stephen? No, I just found that out today. From a post? Nope, I'm not on that side of social media.