The morning sunlight shimmered across the sea like scattered diamonds, waves dancing in rhythm with the salty breeze. I could hear Daichi's exaggerated wailing voice echoing from the beach, probably staging another over-the-top soap opera moment about his youth or some crab he claimed stole his sandals. Sayaka, ever his loyal audience, clapped and laughed while munching on grilled squid. Nami, with cheeks puffed full of snacks, sat cross-legged beside them like a tiny, fearless judge of taste, humming her approval between bites.
But me? I wasn't really there.
I was sitting with them. I was smiling. I was nodding. But none of those reactions were mine. My thoughts were elsewhere. More specifically, with someone else. Someone who had no right to crawl into my head during a family vacation. Takamura Reina.
I tried to drown her image with the sounds of the ocean, with the smell of yakisoba, with the warm sand beneath my feet. But no matter what I did, her cold voice, the scent of her perfume, and the way she looked at me that day, like I was some ant crawling into her palace.. stayed burned in my memory.
"You're zoning out again," Hinata whispered beside me.
I flinched. She was staring, concerned, holding a corn dog she hadn't touched. Her eyes followed every twitch in my brow, every breath I let out.
"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just sleepy, I guess."
"Liar," she muttered, looking away.
"I just need the bathroom," I said, standing too quickly. No one stopped me. I didn't even wait to hear Daichi's follow-up joke.
The beach was lively, children chasing waves, lovers snapping selfies, a street vendor ringing his bell as he sold pineapple skewers. I walked past them all like a ghost, hands in my pockets, eyes fixed on nothing. Reina. Reina. Reina. Her name echoed like a curse. This vacation was supposed to be my escape. Instead, it became the stage for my newest torment.
I didn't even realize where I was heading until the beach sounds disappeared, replaced by the quiet shade of a narrow alley between buildings.
"Going to the bathroom, huh?"
The voice was soft, gentle, teasing—but there was steel in it. I turned.
Hinata stood there, one eyebrow arched, arms crossed, her sandals silent against the concrete.
"Hinata?"
"Stop lying already. Something's wrong. You've been like this since yesterday."
I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Her stare didn't waver. I looked down.
"It's nothing, really. I didn't want to be a buzzkill."
"Reiji."
Her voice was firmer now. My name sounded different coming from her. I hated it. I hated how easily she could peel back the layers I spent years building.
I turned, desperate to leave. "I'll be fine. Let's just go back."
"No, you won't."
I felt her hand grab mine. I tried to pull away but she was stronger than she looked. Much stronger. Her grip didn't hurt, but it rooted me.
"Hinata—"
Before I could finish, I stumbled. She tugged me too suddenly and I lost my balance, crashing into her. My hands instinctively went out to catch myself, but it was too late. We both fell, the soft thud of bodies meeting earth and each other echoing between the walls.
I landed above her, our faces just inches apart.
Eyes wide. Lips slightly parted.
She didn't move. Neither did I. My heart thudded like a war drum.
Her cheeks turned red. Mine probably did too.
The air was thick with something I couldn't name.
"I—I…" she began, her breath grazing my skin.
And then fate decided to step in.
A beach ball, of all things sailed through the alley and smacked me right on the back of the head. I gasped and lost balance again, leaning forward—
And kissed her.
It was brief. It was accidental. But it was real.
Her lips were soft. Her breath caught. Mine stopped entirely.
Then,
WHAM.
Pain exploded across my cheek. I rolled off her, clutching my face.
"Ow! What the hell?!"
Hinata was already sitting up, bowing furiously. "S-sorry! Reflex! I swear! I didn't mean—"
I looked at her. She looked horrified.
Then she looked away, face burning.
We didn't speak the whole way back. The silence screamed louder than anything else.
Daichi was the first to notice our strange expressions.
"Hey hey hey! What's with the red cheeks and awkward vibes? Did you two elope without telling us?"
Hinata nearly choked. I stared at the sand.
Sayaka gasped dramatically. "Oh my. First love on the beach? How romantic."
Nami gave us both a suspicious look and nodded knowingly. "You guys kissed."
Hinata threw her towel over her head.
I wanted to drown myself in the ocean.
That night, the beach looked different.
The sky was ink-black, stars strewn carelessly across it. I slipped out of the hotel and wandered aimlessly along the empty boardwalk, letting the wind slap my face and the memory of the kiss stab my thoughts.
Then I saw them.
A man and a woman walking ahead, hand in hand.
The man was tall, dressed in sleek designer clothes, his stride full of arrogance. Every step screamed power and wealth. The woman beside him had golden hair that shimmered under the lamplight, her skin pale and flawless.
Something in me twisted.
As they stopped near the edge of the walkway, the woman turned slightly. Just enough for me to see her face.
Reina.
My heart dropped. I ducked instinctively behind a bench.
She hadn't seen me.
But I saw everything.
She smiled up at the man. He said something.
Then her expression changed. She staggered back slightly.
She wasn't just upset. She was crying.
Tears streamed down her face, glistening in the moonlight. The man didn't comfort her. He simply walked ahead, hands in his pockets, uncaring.
She stood there, frozen.
The mighty Takamura Reina.
Crying.
I didn't know what to think.
I didn't know what to feel.
I just knew something inside me cracked.
TO BE CONTINUED.