Status: trying my best to update when i can :) full-time college student!
Mutually Numb
Shikyuu
I wasn’t sure if I should call him yet or not – it had only been a day. I know you’re supposed to wait the usual 3 day rule before calling someone you just met, but I couldn’t take it. I hated playing all these games. I mean, it wouldn’t matter if I called him now or later, right? I had been arguing with myself for over an hour now. I told Ruki I was going outside to make a quick phone call, and I have yet to do that. I sucked it up, and dialed in Toshiya’s phone number – my heartbeat getting faster with every number that I hit. I held my breath as I pressed the call button. Toshiya answered the phone on the fourth ring.
“Yeah?” he asked into the phone
“Oh, hey, it’s me, Claire.”
“Claire! Hey! I wasn’t expecting you to be calling so soon.” Oh, I guess most people do wait the 3 day rule. “Well, that’s fine. I always like a girl that does things differently.” I guess I saved myself without even knowing it.
I laughed a little again, “Yeah, I was just calling to see when you were free again. I didn’t know if you were too busy – well, actually, I don’t even know what. I was just calling.”
He laughed, too. “It’s fine. My schedule is actually up in the air right now; I’m not too sure what’s happening. Our band is scheduling a tour, but some venues haven’t gotten back to us yet, so we are waiting on that, and some meetings.”
I nodded my head, only to realize that he couldn’t see it through the phone. “Oh, alright, that sounds fun.”
“Don’t worry, though, I’ll be sure to call you as soon as I know what is going on, okay?”
“That sounds great!” I said, almost a little bit too enthusiastically
“I promise that I’ll call you. Even though we only talked for a few hours, I had a great time yesterday.”
“Me too.” I said with the biggest smile on my face.
“Hey, I’ve gotta go or else Kaoru is going to yell at me; I’m heading to a rehearsal now. I’ll give you a call when I can, okay?”
“Sure thing!” And with that, we both hung up.
I don’t know what it was that made me want to call him so soon; I guess there was a certain thing about him that I was intrigued with. It was a nice feeling – maybe even a bout of confidence – in knowing that Toshiya was still there for me to call whenever.
I opened the front door to Ruki’s apartment and saw him and Aimie lying on the couch together; my pillows and blanket were still there. I sat down next to Ruki and played with Aimie’s hair.
“That sure was a long phone call” He said, not sounding suspicious, but curious more than anything.
I only shrugged as a response, unsure of what to say.
“I’m so glad you’re here Momma!” Aimie said, laughing
I grabbed her tiny hand and squeezed it. “I am too, I am too. You should be thanking Daddy for bringing me home last night!”
She looked up at both of us, “Why? Were you lost?”
I smirked slightly, “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.” I put my hand back on the top of her head and made small braids in her long, silky brown hair. “I’m really sorry I was late last night! Can I do anything to make it up to you?”
Aimie looked around the room for a moment, considering her options. She knows when I feel bad that she can get away with virtually anything. “Can you please, please make me some pink lemonade?”
Well, that was a hundred times better than I expected. We never have pink lemonade at my house; I don’t like lemonade at all. And I never buy it for Aimie because the sugar content in it is so high; I’m a paranoid mother, I know. “Sure, honey.” I said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen.
It took me a second to find it, but after going through a couple cupboards I found the pink lemonade packets. I got the water in the pitcher and all ready for the little powdery sugar to go in. I tried to stick my finger in to grab one of the rectangular packets, but the container was too tall and there were too many in there so I couldn’t get a grip on one. I tapped the bottom of the container and poured out all of its contents. I was about to open up one of them when something caught my eye – I just barely missed it. I took a second look, and I almost fainted when I saw it.
A diamond ring.
Ruki had hidden what looked like an engagement ring inside the pink lemonade packet box. That sneaky bastard, he knew I wouldn’t find it because I hate lemonade. Well, that is if it is for me. I shouldn’t be making all of these assumptions so soon; he did just tell me that he wanted to see other people. With my shaky hands, I tried the best I could to get everything back into the container – just as I had found it. I mixed Aimie’s lemonade and quickly splashed my face with some cold water; I knew that it had lost some color.
I wasn’t entirely sure if finding the ring was a good or a bad thing. It certainly raised a hundred more questions than I had before. Ruki and I have been spending almost every day together for 5 and a half years, so I don’t know why he wouldn’t have brought that up earlier. I wonder if he had thought of proposing to me before, and then backed out. Maybe he backed out of it because he realized that he actually hated me. Or because he has had someone else in his mind the entire time. He could have used to love me, and now I probably did something wrong for him to hide the ring in such an obscure place. I really needed to stop these thoughts; I didn’t want to be such a wreck in front of Aimie, or have Ruki asking questions – that is if he even remembers hiding the ring there.
With the glass of pink lemonade in my hand, I slowly walked back into the kitchen, making sure my shaking hand didn’t spill any of it.
“Here you go, Aimie,” I said sitting it down on the coffee table in front of her. “I’ll be sure to make lemonade for you more often; I keep forgetting how much you like it.”
She had such a surprised look on her face – almost as if I never gave her anything and this was her first big present. “Really?” She gasped.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “You’re such a deprived child.”
Ruki looked over at me, and as soon as we met eye to eye, I immediately felt guilty. I have no idea what for, but I did. I shouldn’t feel bad for accidentally finding an unused engagement ring; but being me, I did. I felt like he knew that I found it, and that he was mad at me for it. My mind is completely irrational, but I somehow seem to believe it. I clenched my jaw put of nervousness, and held my breath. Neither Ruki nor Aimie noticed me being so tense, which I assumed was a good thing. Ruki’s hand eventually ventured off from Aimie’s head and onto my hand. His fingers traced along my knuckles and then stopped on my ring finger; going up and down and making invisible wavy lines. At the exact same moment, my phone lit up on my leg, saying I had a message from Toshiya. Apparently they had the tour schedule figured out and he would be free soon.
If that isn’t bad timing, I don’t know what is.
“Yeah?” he asked into the phone
“Oh, hey, it’s me, Claire.”
“Claire! Hey! I wasn’t expecting you to be calling so soon.” Oh, I guess most people do wait the 3 day rule. “Well, that’s fine. I always like a girl that does things differently.” I guess I saved myself without even knowing it.
I laughed a little again, “Yeah, I was just calling to see when you were free again. I didn’t know if you were too busy – well, actually, I don’t even know what. I was just calling.”
He laughed, too. “It’s fine. My schedule is actually up in the air right now; I’m not too sure what’s happening. Our band is scheduling a tour, but some venues haven’t gotten back to us yet, so we are waiting on that, and some meetings.”
I nodded my head, only to realize that he couldn’t see it through the phone. “Oh, alright, that sounds fun.”
“Don’t worry, though, I’ll be sure to call you as soon as I know what is going on, okay?”
“That sounds great!” I said, almost a little bit too enthusiastically
“I promise that I’ll call you. Even though we only talked for a few hours, I had a great time yesterday.”
“Me too.” I said with the biggest smile on my face.
“Hey, I’ve gotta go or else Kaoru is going to yell at me; I’m heading to a rehearsal now. I’ll give you a call when I can, okay?”
“Sure thing!” And with that, we both hung up.
I don’t know what it was that made me want to call him so soon; I guess there was a certain thing about him that I was intrigued with. It was a nice feeling – maybe even a bout of confidence – in knowing that Toshiya was still there for me to call whenever.
I opened the front door to Ruki’s apartment and saw him and Aimie lying on the couch together; my pillows and blanket were still there. I sat down next to Ruki and played with Aimie’s hair.
“That sure was a long phone call” He said, not sounding suspicious, but curious more than anything.
I only shrugged as a response, unsure of what to say.
“I’m so glad you’re here Momma!” Aimie said, laughing
I grabbed her tiny hand and squeezed it. “I am too, I am too. You should be thanking Daddy for bringing me home last night!”
She looked up at both of us, “Why? Were you lost?”
I smirked slightly, “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.” I put my hand back on the top of her head and made small braids in her long, silky brown hair. “I’m really sorry I was late last night! Can I do anything to make it up to you?”
Aimie looked around the room for a moment, considering her options. She knows when I feel bad that she can get away with virtually anything. “Can you please, please make me some pink lemonade?”
Well, that was a hundred times better than I expected. We never have pink lemonade at my house; I don’t like lemonade at all. And I never buy it for Aimie because the sugar content in it is so high; I’m a paranoid mother, I know. “Sure, honey.” I said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen.
It took me a second to find it, but after going through a couple cupboards I found the pink lemonade packets. I got the water in the pitcher and all ready for the little powdery sugar to go in. I tried to stick my finger in to grab one of the rectangular packets, but the container was too tall and there were too many in there so I couldn’t get a grip on one. I tapped the bottom of the container and poured out all of its contents. I was about to open up one of them when something caught my eye – I just barely missed it. I took a second look, and I almost fainted when I saw it.
A diamond ring.
Ruki had hidden what looked like an engagement ring inside the pink lemonade packet box. That sneaky bastard, he knew I wouldn’t find it because I hate lemonade. Well, that is if it is for me. I shouldn’t be making all of these assumptions so soon; he did just tell me that he wanted to see other people. With my shaky hands, I tried the best I could to get everything back into the container – just as I had found it. I mixed Aimie’s lemonade and quickly splashed my face with some cold water; I knew that it had lost some color.
I wasn’t entirely sure if finding the ring was a good or a bad thing. It certainly raised a hundred more questions than I had before. Ruki and I have been spending almost every day together for 5 and a half years, so I don’t know why he wouldn’t have brought that up earlier. I wonder if he had thought of proposing to me before, and then backed out. Maybe he backed out of it because he realized that he actually hated me. Or because he has had someone else in his mind the entire time. He could have used to love me, and now I probably did something wrong for him to hide the ring in such an obscure place. I really needed to stop these thoughts; I didn’t want to be such a wreck in front of Aimie, or have Ruki asking questions – that is if he even remembers hiding the ring there.
With the glass of pink lemonade in my hand, I slowly walked back into the kitchen, making sure my shaking hand didn’t spill any of it.
“Here you go, Aimie,” I said sitting it down on the coffee table in front of her. “I’ll be sure to make lemonade for you more often; I keep forgetting how much you like it.”
She had such a surprised look on her face – almost as if I never gave her anything and this was her first big present. “Really?” She gasped.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “You’re such a deprived child.”
Ruki looked over at me, and as soon as we met eye to eye, I immediately felt guilty. I have no idea what for, but I did. I shouldn’t feel bad for accidentally finding an unused engagement ring; but being me, I did. I felt like he knew that I found it, and that he was mad at me for it. My mind is completely irrational, but I somehow seem to believe it. I clenched my jaw put of nervousness, and held my breath. Neither Ruki nor Aimie noticed me being so tense, which I assumed was a good thing. Ruki’s hand eventually ventured off from Aimie’s head and onto my hand. His fingers traced along my knuckles and then stopped on my ring finger; going up and down and making invisible wavy lines. At the exact same moment, my phone lit up on my leg, saying I had a message from Toshiya. Apparently they had the tour schedule figured out and he would be free soon.
If that isn’t bad timing, I don’t know what is.