My head cocked toward Naomi. She was acting strange - stranger than she usually did. From my POV, I had always "Seen her."
"Naomi, what do you mean?"
As those words left my lips, Naomi's gaze shifted to her feet. seemingly to avoid my pressing gaze.
"Y-you...heard what I said."
Naomi's face turned a bright red. What could she be embarrassed about? After all, she was the one who asked me to talk to her; what was there to get tongue-tied about?
"Naomi - I've always-"
Naomi's voice sharpened as her fist clenched. The way she was acting seemed more Akin to her old self, not saying how she really felt. Then-
"No, you haven't, Tatsumi. Neither of you has."
The shift in the air was clear as day, and a lump in my throat started to form. My chest tightened as the air around Naomi and me had become thin.
"Wh-what?"
Naomi paused. The room was punctuated by a slow, deliberate inhale. She had clearly had a lot on her shoulders, and this breath was the starting point.
"Tatsumi...I've wanted to say what I'm about to say for a really long time, longer than you can remember Infact. All I ask is that you at least hear me out, that's all I'll ask from you."
The room fell silent. What is it she wanted to say? The suspense ate its way into me.
"Tatsumi...I love you, I have for a very long time."
What? Hearing those words sent shivers down my spine, and my blood went cold. What did she mean she loved me? We had only really known each other for a few weeks at most, now she says she loves me? Honestly, I was more perplexed than anything. After all, she knew I had Akio, so why tell me this now?
"Naomi I-"
Naomi's feet dropped to the floor, her face swallowed in emotions.
"Don't say it... I know what you're going to say, I've been prepared for it all this time, but would you still hear me out?"
The way she looked, she was almost doll-like, and I almost thought this was fake. Asking me out, now of all times? Not happening. But seeing her as desperate as she was, I couldn't say no. It would've been rude to just leave her there.
My shoulders dropped, and my breathing stabilized.
My voice steadied.
"Ok, what do you want to tell me?"
Naomi's eyes widened. She was obviously happy I was willing to give her the time of day. After that bombshell of a confession, not many guys would. In fact, I wouldn't normally do this either.
The only reason I was still here was that I had some unresolved business with her. Why did she choose to imitate Akio of all people? She shouldn't even know about our relationship, so why does she? That thought raced through my mind.
Naomi's voice steadied as her lip thinned. She was clearly embarrassed by what happened, maybe even a bit guilty about it. You could tell she had been shouldering this burden for a long time.
"I want to tell you the truth... The truth about how you and I met."
A unanimous silence filled the room; we just stood there, patiently waiting for the other to break the silence, yet not one of us did.
Naomi paused again and dropped her shoulders, seemingly finding comfort in the silence that swept the room.
Her gaze drifted toward me. I think she expected me to break the ice.
My voice steadied as my shoulders dropped.
"What do you mean, the truth? The only truth I see here is me not going out with you."
I thought this was a good way to get her back to her usual self; Normally, she'd have bit back with some snarky comment with Stupidsu on the end. Not this time.
Naomi stood there, letting her gaze shoot daggers towards me.
Her voice softened.
"Not now, Tatsumi, I'm not in the mood."
"So, what is it?"
Naomi's lungs filled with air and then released it in a big exhale.
--------
-Naomi
"It all started about the time you and Akio starred on 'The One Without You.' The media seriously couldn't get enough of you two. Everywhere was filled to the brim with your faces; you were practically Japan's golden geese. Wherever you two went, money followed."
It was true, and I hated that it was the fact. In my eyes, I just saw them as another child actor in a slew of all the others. Just two other faces to add to the trash heap...or so I thought.
"I knew we were popular, sure, but not THAT popular. Guess we just had that good a chemistry."
Tatsumi's face crinkled at the thought of that, and honestly, why wouldn't it? He was loved up, and down the country, if it were me in his shoes, I'd be the first to get a big head, I'm sure.
The fact that it wasn't still pissed me off to this day.
"That's when we first met. To capitalise on the success of 'The One Without You,' some big-shot producers thought it'd be a good idea to make a spin-off movie, which is where our paths crossed for the first time.
I was just your average child actor. Do what I was told, when I was told. I never stood out of line - not even once, but you...you were different."
Tatsumi cocked his head; he obviously couldn't get it through that small brain of his.
"Different? How so?"
My fist clenched as my voice sharpened. Maybe this will get through to him. I was honestly sick of him feigning innocence in this whole thing, even if he doesn't remember, he still did it!
"You had the whole production team in your pocket! What else don't you get?"
Tatsumi's hand drifted to the back of his head. Was he this stupid?
"Uh, pretty much everything... I don't get what this has to do with you liking me at all, if I'm honest. Could you maybe condense it and leave out any fluff?"
My brows furrowed as I grimaced at what he had said.
"'Any fluff'? Here I am, trying to tell you something important, and you're acting like you're aloof. How do you think that makes me feel?"
Tatsumi just stood there, gaze against the wall, not a thought was running-
"So let me get this straight, are you jealous of me or do you like me?"
Jealous? Me seriously? Oh, who am I kidding? We both knew I was, yet I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right.
My cheeks puffed out as my fists clenched.
"So what if I was? Everyone knew you and Akio were irreplaceable; everyone loved you!"
A smug grin smeared across Tatsumi's face.
"And that includes you... Right?"
"..."
"...yeah, so what if I did?"
My arms crossed. I hated how he was always assertive in these situations; it annoyed me to my core, yet at the same time, it had a certain nuance to it.
Tatsumi's eyes crinkled. The way he looked in that moment, he truly shone brighter than any star I had seen before. It wasn't deceitful or snarky; it was filled with genuine warmth, a warmth I had always longed for.
"Thank you, Naomi. Seriously, I mean it."
That idiot, I hadn't done anything for him, what was he thanking me for?
"Truth is, ever since Akio left, I've been an utter mess. She was my everything, now that she's... I don't know what to do. Why is long distance so hard?"
Tatsumi seriously had no tact, although to be fair, he was always like that. Nothing new there.
I guess I could understand where he was coming from, being away from the one you love.
Even if that love was one-sided.
I'd just have to put my own feelings aside from now on and support Tatsumi, not as a lover but as a friend.
If he couldn't cry on Akio's shoulder, he could cry on mine.
No matter how I felt, it didn't matter. Tatsumi had made his choice.