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The busty woman ran her fingers through her raven curls, still finding glitter in her roots from the dancers at the club last night. She sipped at the mug of coffee in her hands, tapping her toes anxiously. He was late, probably nearly forgot. She pulled her phone out to scroll aimlessly through instagram to distract herself from the bubbling anxiety in her stomach. She’d not even touched the scone on the plate in front of her, afraid she might throw it up if she ate it before being able to talk to Oboro.
Nearly half an hour after their designated meeting time, a man with light blue waves came running through the door, pushing past the hostess to slide into the booth opposite of Nemuri. “Good, you’re still here! Sorry I’m late, the train was running a little slow today!” He flashed her a bright smile that made her heart flutter out of her chest.
“It’s alright. Go order your coffee. I can wait a couple more minutes.” He gave her a nod as he shrugged out of his tacky fur-lined jacket and padded up to the counter to order what she assumed was a vanilla latte, the same as he used to order when they were together. Nemuri had to take several deep breaths in the moments he was away, trying to steel her nerves.
Once Oboro sat down once more, she noticed that his smile hadn’t once faltered. “I was really glad to see you at Shouta’s a couple weeks ago, y’know. I’ve missed you a lot.” There was the slightest hint of sadness in his voice, and Nemuri felt guilt shoot through her veins like poison. It was difficult to meet his gaze.
“I’ve missed you, too…” The click of the heel on her boots against the tile was overwhelmingly loud to her ears, like the beating of a too-loud bass drum in a high school marching band. She must’ve been exuding anxiety, because Oboro reached across the table to rest his hand over the top of hers in an attempt to comfort her.
“You wanted to talk? Is it… About us ?” He sounded almost hopeful, but Nemuri wasn’t sure he should be so. She flipped her hand over so she could hold his gently, avoiding his gaze.
“Yes, it is. There’s a lot to talk about.” She felt his thumb rub across her knuckles soothingly. Gods, she’d missed his comforting aura. Something about him had always put her at ease. “I’m not sure where to begin, but I suppose an apology would be a good start, huh?” Oboro smiled a little sadly at that. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Oboro. I know that I did, so you don’t have to say I didn’t. I don’t have an excuse or a good reason to have hurt you the way I did. You didn’t deserve that.”
Nemuri brought her eyes up to meet Oboro’s and found him worrying his bottom lip nervously. “You’re right, I didn’t. I didn’t deserve to have my heart broken and I didn’t deserve to feel like I wasn’t good enough for you.” He paused to sip his coffee and shook his head. Nemuri could feel her own heart breaking. She hadn’t realized she’d hurt Oboro so badly. “I stopped being sad a long time ago. I’ve been angry for a while, but seeing you last week at Shouta’s? I was more angry with myself for being incapable of getting over you. I thought I had, but you came in that apartment and swept me away just like you did on the rooftop all those years ago, Nemuri.”
Tears threatened to fall at his words. “I felt it, too. As soon as I saw you in his apartment… All the memories and feelings came flooding back. I felt so fucking stupid for having left you.” She ran her free hand through her hair, shaking out more of the glitter. “ Feel . I feel so stupid for leaving you.” She corrected herself.
“Then why, Nem? Why did you leave?” There it was. The question of the decade, really. Why did she leave?
Nemuri swiped the back of her hand across her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. “Once you’d moved away, I figured you’d find someone else… And then I learned something about myself and I just… Oboro, I’m asexual.” There. She said it. The true reason she’d broken up with him all those years ago. Not because she wanted to have all kinds of hookups in college or because she didn’t love him. Because she was afraid that her not finding him sexually attractive would be a deal breaker.
For what felt like forever , Oboro just stared at her, eyes unblinking, until a small smile crept across his face. “Nemuri…” He shook his head, smiling fully once he’d settled on her face once again. “Did you really think that would matter to me?”
It was Nemuri’s turn to stare in disbelief. She felt Oboro squeeze her fingers reassuringly. “I don’t feel sexual attraction, doesn’t that bother you? I’ll never find you attractive that way, and I can’t change that.”
A chuckle escaped his lips, and for a moment, Nemuri felt like he was making fun of her. The Oboro she knew wouldn’t do that, though. He was too kind.
“Well, I don’t really understand? We’ve had sex before… Pretty good sex, if I’m remembering right. Not that I have much to compare it to, but y’know. Does that mean you don’t want it?”
And there was the kicker. The question she knew was inevitable. “It’s not that I don’t want it… I do, especially with you. I just don’t need it. I don’t want you to think I don’t find you attractive in other ways. I think you’re so handsome. You’re incredibly kind, too, and so generous. Your personality is the most attractive thing to me.” Looking down at the scone on her plate, she started picking at it slowly. “I know what people say about me. I know that somehow the rumours that were spread about me at U.A. made it back to you.”
When Nemuri abandoned the scone to look at Oboro again, he was shaking his head with a soft smile. “I knew better than to believe those rumors, Nem… I know you.” This time, the tears wouldn’t be blinked away. They fell, streaming down her face as Oboro reached for her, thumbing away the tears. “I forgive you for being young and dumb and not talking to me when you should have. Can we give us another shot, Nem?”
The young woman smiled, and for the first time in what felt like forever, it actually reached her eyes. “I’d like that, Oboro… I’d really, really like that.” Even with tears continuing to fall, she reached up to take his hand, squeezing his fingers gently as she pressed a kiss into his palm. “I promise if I have doubts I’ll talk to you instead of making assumptions. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
Oboro shook his head, chuckling softly. “We’re both older now. We know better…” He smiled and stood up to throw their trash away. “Let’s take a walk and catch each other up on our lives. There’s so much I’ve missed since we broke up. I didn’t even know Shouta had a kid! Much less that he was Hizashi’s kid. Tell me everything.”
Nemuri followed him, and they spent hours walking around town trading stories of what they’d missed in each other’s lives for the past years. Not everything could be said, of course, but they hit the highlights. Before Oboro had to catch his train home, they made plans to meet up at least every other week for a date. Nemuri stood beside him in the train station, holding his hand and leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Thanks for being so understanding, Oboro… I’ve missed this,” she mused, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
“I missed this too, Nem. Let’s never go without it again, okay?” She nodded with determination, and he pressed a soft kiss to her lips just before the train arrived. She waved, a goofy grin plastered on her face as he boarded the train. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as the train started to exit the station.
[16:23 Shirakumo Oboro]: I love you, Nemuri.
A breathy snort came out of her nose as she read the text.
[16:24 Kayama Nemuri]: I love you, too, Oboro. Can’t wait to see you again.