She winced at her
throbbing head, it felt like splitting open. Ayano opened her eyes, her sight
blurry but slowly adjusting to the surrounding. What had just happen? She
wondered. She looked up at the edge where she just fallen over then she moved
her arms. A groan came out under her and she looked down and gasped.
Ryuu looked badly
injured, a gash opened up near his forehead and scratches all over his arms and
face were bleeding. Most of all, she noticed how his arms wrapped protectively
around her body, shielding her from the impact of the fall. Ayano hurriedly
wriggled out from his arms and held his face in her hands.
‘Ryuu, can you hear me?
Ryuu, what up please!’ she pleaded. Her heart is jumping out of her chest when
he didn’t respond. She cried for help but the villa is too far away. She
screamed again then placed her ears near him to check if he was still
breathing.
‘Ryuu, please! Please
wake up,’ she cried. Her tears spilled freely from her face now, she didn’t
care if it dripped on his face.
He heard her voice and
then her frantic cries. He wanted to make her feel ok, he wanted to stop her
from crying. Slowly, he let opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an
angels face above his, crying with relief. He coughed and hissed at the pain, then
slowly he reach out his palms to touch her face. To his delight, she held on to
his hands that cupped her cheeks.
‘Ryuu, are you ok? Can
you hear me?’ Ayano asked worriedly. She cried and laughed weakly when he asked
her she was hurt instead. ‘Out of all things, you ask me if I’m hurt?’ she
answered incredulously then wiping her tears, ‘I’m fine, but you’re not. We
need to get you back to the villa’.
Ryuu smiled when he
heard her laughter. He tried to get up but pain shot through his back and he
winced. She pushed him down, instructing him to stay still. ‘I’ll go get help
so stay here,’ she said, preparing to leave but he grabbed on to her wrist. She
looked down at him.
‘No don’t,’ he
whispered.
‘Why not? You’re badly
injured!’ she shrieked.
‘Please, just stay here
with me. I’ll be fine’
‘But – ’ she protested.
‘Please?’ Ryuu pleaded.
His eyes so sad that it breaks her heart to see him like that so she gave up
and sat next to him, all the while holding on to his hands. Slowly, she lifted
his head and slipped her legs underneath, letting his head rest on her thighs.
He sighed with content. Next, Ayano let loose of her hair and used her ribbon
to bandage the cut on his head. Ryuu let her tend to him carefully, his eyes
staring up at her longingly. A tear hit his cheeks.
‘Aya-chan?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she
whispered. ‘I’m sorry I had to be so stubborn all the time. I’m sorry you got
hurt because of me every time. I’m sorry – ’ she sniffed, ashamed to meet his
eyes. He patted her head and hushed her.
‘Don’t say you’re sorry.
It was an accident, it’s not your fault. I should be the one saying sorry to
you a million times over again’.
‘Why?’ she sniffed
louder.
‘Aya, I need to tell
you something’
‘Hmm?’
‘You need to know the
truth’
‘Yes?’ she answered
cautiously, wiping her eyes and waiting for him to continue.
‘Three years ago, I
didn’t broke the engagement because I don’t want you anymore. It was because of
Jun and Megumi. I wanted you to be free to do what you want and not tied down
because of me,’ he explained.
‘I know,’ Ayano
answered meekly.
‘You do?’ he looked at
her with surprise. ‘Then why?’
‘I kind of suspected
but I can’t be too sure. I was mad at you because you underestimated yourself,
you think you can’t bring me happiness because you need to care for the others.
The truth is Ryuu, being next to you and knowing that I can be your support and
help you is enough for me because I know you care for me too,’ she stroked his
cheeks gently with her fingers. Fresh tears sprung from her eyes, he wiped it
away.
‘The other day when you
appeared, I was actually very happy but then when you ran away from me, I felt
my world crashing down again’.
‘I’m sorry’.
‘Remember what I told
you on the beach three years ago?’ he asked and she nodded. He took her hands,
‘I’m keeping my promise, so don’t run away from me anymore’ he kissed her hands
and she cried tears of happiness. She told him yes.
Ignoring the pain, he
lifted his head towards hers and took her face between his hands and kissed her
passionately. The longing, pain and suffering for three years forgotten and
never to be remembered like the sands washed away by the waves.
He pulled back and
looked into her eyes, ‘I love you, I always do and I always will’.
She smiled, ‘I love you
too’.
No comments:
Post a Comment