Chapter Text
A month.
That’s how long it had been since that night.
A night Rindou still held onto, replaying it in his mind more often than he cared to admit. It had been a month of waiting, hoping you’d call or even just answer one of his texts. But nothing.
What happened? Did you think it over and decide you didn’t want anything to do with him?
Rindou should’ve seen it coming. Everything about you screamed that you came from a good family—polished, composed, the kind of person who had no business getting tangled up with someone like him. When he’d walked you home that night and seen your house, the realization hit hard: you two came from completely different worlds.
Still, he had felt it—that connection, that spark. He knew it was real. So why had you ghosted him completely?
“Oi, what’s up with you?” Ran’s voice broke into his thoughts, followed by the sting of chopsticks tapping his forehead. “You’ve been zoning out all day.”
“Nothing.” Rindou muttered, more defensive than he intended. He wasn’t planning to space out, but sitting here in the same ramen house where he’d taken you, it was impossible not to think of you. This place was practically ruined for him now—he couldn’t come here without linking it to you.
“Sure.” Ran said, clearly unconvinced. “So, what’s on your mind?”
Rindou shot him a glare. “On how stupid you look with those braids.”
Ran laughed, completely unfazed. “Yeah, yeah. Who’s she?”
Rindou froze, his stomach twisting. “Who’s who?”
“The girl you’re thinking about.” Ran said, smirking.
“I’m not thinking about anybody.”
“Liar.” Ran said, leaning forward with his trademark nosy grin. “You’ve been off lately. Staring at your phone like it owes you money, and I definitely heard you talking to yourself in your room the other day—”
“Ran…”
“‘Why hasn’t she called? Was it the glasses? Should I get lenses?’” Ran mimicked dramatically, earning himself a sharp glare from his brother.
“Shut up.”
“So? Who is she?”
“Just a girl I met.” Rindou said through gritted teeth. “Like a month ago.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Why hasn’t she called you? What did you do?”
“Nothing! She just… ghosted me.”
Ran snorted, swirling his noodles in his bowl. “Did you tell her you’re in a gang?”
“Yeah—” Rindou admitted, his voice clipped.
“Well, there you go. You scared her off.”
“She didn’t look scared.” Rindou snapped, the memory of your calm expression that night flashing through his mind.
“Maybe she’s good at hiding it.” Ran said with a shrug.
The thought made Rindou’s chest tighten. Maybe you had faced it that night, only to decide later that someone like him wasn’t worth the risk. He’d turned the possibility over in his mind a hundred times this past month. Of course, a girl like you wouldn’t want to stay friends with a gang member, let alone anything more.
This was his life, the one he’d been born into and one he was too deep in to walk away from now. What could he have done differently? Pretend to be something he wasn’t?
“Maybe she did.” Rindou said, his voice quieter this time, the weight of disappointment settling heavily in his chest.
Ran watched him for a moment, his usual teasing expression replaced by something surprisingly thoughtful. “So, what now? You gonna forget about her or look for her?”
Rindou shook his head, leaning back against the booth with a humorless chuckle. “What am I supposed to do? Show up at her house? That’s just creepy.”
Ran shrugged. “Depends. If you’re already thinking about her this much, maybe it’s worth a shot. Worst case, she slams the door in your face. Best case… who knows?”
Rindou stared at the broth in his bowl, Ran’s words swirling in his mind. Maybe his brother had a point. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Either way, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had been left unfinished that night.
“Forget it.” He muttered finally, picking up his chopsticks. “She probably doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
Ran didn’t push further, but the look in his eyes said he wasn’t convinced. As Rindou pushed his noodles around, he couldn’t help but wonder if his brother was right. Maybe he should try. But what if showing up made things worse?
The thought lingered long after the conversation ended, pulling Rindou back into the same cycle of frustration and longing that had consumed him for weeks.
—
Two weeks later, his phone rang.
Rindou would be lying if he said his heartbeat didn’t go haywire when he saw your name light up the screen. He sat up straighter, staring at the phone for a moment before answering, trying to keep his voice casual.
“Hello?” He fought to sound indifferent.
“Rindou? Hi! It’s me, Y/n. You remember me, right?”
If only you knew he hadn’t stopped thinking about you for a second.
“Yeah.” He said, trying to play it cool. “What’s up?”
“Hi! I’m so sorry I didn’t call you earlier—my mom went berserk and confiscated my phone.”
That made way too much sense. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He’d spent weeks overthinking and doubting himself when it was something so simple.
He laughed softly, more at himself than anything else. “That’s bad. You just got it back?”
“Um, no? I just found her hiding spot.”
“Is that why you’re whispering?”
“Yeah.”
For a moment, Rindou was quiet, hesitating before admitting, “I… I thought you ghosted me.”
“God, no! I’d never.” You said quickly, your voice urgent. “I was really desperate to get ahold of you. I didn’t want you to forget about me.”
“That would never happen.”
He could practically hear your smile through the line, and just the thought of it brought a matching one to his face.
“When can we hang out again?” He asked, his tone more hopeful now.
“I’m actually grounded right now.” You confessed. “My mom’s monitoring everything—where I go, who I talk to, even my study times. It’s a nightmare.”
His smile dimmed slightly, disappointment settling in. “I get it. No worries.”
“But…” You continued, your voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I was thinking we could still hang out on Friday, maybe around five? I’ll tell her I’m meeting a tutor.”
Friday. He had a fight scheduled for that night. But no way was he missing this. He’d figure it out.
“Yeah.” He said quickly. “Just tell me where.”
“I’ll text you the address in a minute. I have to go, but… you’ll come, right?”
“Yeah.” He said, his voice certain. “Count on it.”
There was a soft pause, like you hesitated before speaking again. “Rindou… thank you. For not giving up on me.”
His chest tightened at your words, and he felt something warm bloom deep inside him. “Don’t thank me for something I wouldn’t do in the first place.”
You let out a soft laugh, and he could hear the relief in it. “Okay, I really have to go now. I’ll see you Friday.”
“See you then.”
You hung up before he could say anything else, and a minute later, his phone buzzed with a text. He opened it to see the address you’d promised.
For the first time in weeks, the tension in his chest eased. He could hardly believe how relieved he felt.
You hadn’t ghosted him.
Thank god.