You and I [Completed!]

Questions

February brought with it a wave of changes, both sour and sweet. These changes were felt more by the people around Arata Miyama, rather than the man himself. Those that dealt with him noticed that he smiled more often than usual. The smile too was easy and without any implication of sarcasm, bitterness or pretense.

His secretary, Akane Fujita, was the first to pick up on these changes, though kept the observation to herself. The gossip mongers suspected the existence of a mistress, some credited it to the wife and the men shook their heads and humorously called it a breakdown of a workaholic. Arata, oblivious to these speculations, kept on with his routine work, looking forward to the end of the day when he could return home and share a cup of coffee, perhaps exchange a little of his worries with those of hers.

Hanami too had changed in subtle ways that were yet to be fully understood by herself. She spent a little more time before the mirror than usual, taking care to look neat if not pretty. Somehow she hesitated in appearing before Arata when she wore pajamas or ill fitted tee shirts. Her wardrobe too had quietly expanded to include shades of blue. The reason was a casual comment by Arata when she was leaving for work. "Blue suits you,"he had said.

Their conversations which previously bordered over the weather and how good the coffee tasted, grew more lively. She told him about her school, the strange students who wrote strange but interesting essays, the troublemakers, about her senior Yukino's philosophy of life, the other teachers, and friends. Arata on the other hand, spoke about his hardworking secretary and Director Yoshinaka's escapades as well as other mundane things that didn't really matter but lengthened the conversation and kept her from leaving.

With such developments the days passed. None of them bothered to look deeper into these happenings, too cozy with the status quo of their companionship. The rose tinted haziness however, did not last long.

One evening, Takao Otonashi sent her a message, wondering whether they could meet. It had been a while since the two had last met. Somehow, Hanami realized, time had once again made them drift to their own ways. Looking forward to meet her old friend, she did not think twice and found herself stepping into a cafe after work. Takao was sitting at a table, looking out of the glass. He did not notice until she drew close and called his name.

At her sight, he broke into a dimpled smile. "Long time no see... Looking pretty tonight."

She shook her head. "People grow old, you don't have to mock me."

"I'm serious, you know... Let's get some coffee first." He lifted a hand, motioning for the waiter. A tall, sleepy looking man drew towards them and jotted the orders into a notepad even though they'd simply asked for two cups. When the waiter ambled away, they started their usual conversation. About their work and homes. Somewhere in the middle of her talk she realized Takao wasn't listening. His brown eyes were fixed on her thoughtfully.

She put her chin in her palm. "Do I have horns on my head?"

He gave a nod.

She laughed. "Are you even listening to me?"

Takao smiled. "It's hard to."

"Am I that boring?"

"You are too pretty."

Hanami looked at him, surprised at the unusual behavior. She was about to ask the man what he was up to but a touch diverted her attention. His fingertips brushed against hers, almost caressing. At first, she wondered whether it was just a mistaken brush, but eventually he rested his palm on her hand.

"How long will you have to bear this?"he asked.

She kept staring at their linked hands with unease. "What do you mean?"

"It must be lonely. Living with a stranger."

"We are friends... It's all good."

"Is friendship enough for you?"

Hanami fell silent, unsure how to respond. The waiter returned with the coffee and left with a nod. She slipped her hand from his hold under the pretext of reaching for the drink.

Takao lifted his cup to take a long sip. She kept stirring hers with a spoon.

"I love you, Hana."

The spoon slipped from her fingertips and hit the boundary of the cup with a clatter. Her gaze lifted towards his face, blank.

He leaned forward. "Say something, anything."

Once she found her voice, she said, "I'm married."

"So what? You won't stay married with someone you don't love, will you? You married for the money. He married to fulfill obligation. It's all done. Now you both can move on with life... And I'm here for you."

"Where were you all this time?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice. "You knew what I felt back then. You knew it. Yet you left."

A hurt expression made his brown deepen.

"We were young then. I know I was a coward but it's not too late, Hana." He caught her hand again. "Come back to me."

"It's been years, it's not the same..." She shook her head, gently disengaging her hand. "You chose your way, I've chosen mine. I won't turn back."

"Even if it means living your life with a stranger?"

"Yes."

"Then why meet me all these days? Why do you come see me?"

She dug into her purse, placed her half of the bill on the table and swept her hand over her skirt. "You are a friend, that's why. And when were we ever more than that?"

This time Takao was the one who was at loss. He slumped in his seat. Yet, when she rose to leave, he added, "Give it a thought, Hana."

Suds of soap floating in the water, captured the soft beams of light that streamed from the lamp above. The light melted into shades of rainbow swirling inside bubbles that rose and popped leaving no trace. Hanami stood at the counter, hands deep inside the sink water, pressing a sponge against a persistent stain on a dish. The dish, much to her annoyance, slipped out of her hands and dropped into the water, splashing her apron with soap.

Arata watched her. He did not offer to help--it was her turn after all– and stood leaning against the counter, hands crossed.

"I'll be gone for a week,"he continued their conversation that had been interrupted by the dirty dish. "And these business trips can extend sometimes so you'll have a smoke free home for quite a while."

She nodded and placed the dish on the side to let the water drain.

He gave her a look, searching for the smile that he had become used to. He lifted the dish to wipe with a cloth.

It went on for a while- Hanami washed the dishes and passed them to him. He wiped them dry and set them aside on the rack. And often, he noticed, she shook her head to sweep away a strand of hair that had come loose. When she shook her head for the fifth time, he stepped closer.

Arata lifted his hand and tucked the strand behind her ear. Hanami looked up at him. Caught in her gaze, he stopped. His palm though, remained touching her cheek which was soft and now dusted with a hint of pink.

"You're quiet,"he said, voice turning gentle. "Something the matter?"

Her damp hand came to rest on his, clasping it. Eyes, again, peered up at him, searching. It made him uneasy, almost as if she'd find out something he had hidden inside.

"What are we...?"she asked,

"What do you mean?"he returned, despite having an inkling.

Her lips parted, then closed.

" When you go on that trip," she said. "Bring me a scarf. A blue one."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Her gaze lowered and turned away. He let go and resumed the task of wiping the dishes dry. This time, both were silent. Contemplating the questions that now lingered in the air.

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