The voice was soft, yet it was filled with deep desire and anticipation.
Anticipating a pull from him.
He really thought about it, thought about holding her.
Thought about it so intensely his whole body hurt.
He could barely stand it, suffocating under the repression, his hands and feet felt cold.
He excelled at enduring, but at this moment, a difficult emotion attacked him forcefully, dragging him down with cold waves like seawater.
The collapsing emotion was like a bomb, ready to explode uncontrollably at any moment.
He tried hard to think, to think—
Of the scene where she spread her arms towards him on the playground.
He didn't move, she really hugged him, warmly, sweetly, brightly, with a radiant embrace.
"When you are tired all over, I wait for you to come home."
Her voice echoed in his mind again.
The cigarette was clasped between his index and middle fingers, and he lifted his hand to gently rub his temples.
He exhaled slowly.
