secondhand memories: the novel
an on-going serial cell phone novel in English. a simple story about a high school love. one loses their memories.Archive for Chapters
Chapter 193
“What’re you two doin’ out so late huh? Lost?”
We jumped. I knew we had been too loud. Someone saw us.
My blood pounded at my ribcage. It wasn’t a good idea to be here.
Airu clung to my side. But that was no use, because I was shaking in my shoes too.
There were three guys around twenty feet away from us. The one who spoke was tall and lanky boasting a skinhead cut. Tattoos were along the base of his skull, and a metal chain around his neck. He wore an arrogant smirk as he looked us over. His eyes slowed as he focused on Airu. I watched as he glanced her over, from head to toe, licking his lips.
I remember the same look, a year ago. Merciless, perverted eyes that had violated my Aoi with just its gaze. Luckily, I held them off long enough for her to run. But after, it wasn’t a pretty sight at the hospital. Thinking about it, I was the one on the bed and she was the one looking at me with pained and worried eyes. But it was worth it.
I felt Airu shiver next to me and I shifted over in front of her. What do they want this time?
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Chapter 192
She told us she would be right there as soon as possible. If she can find the place.
With time to kill, the two of us sat down on the curb, our heads in our hands.
After a moment of silence, I glanced at Airu, only to find her grinning from ear to ear.
“What are you grinning about?” I asked, stupendous.
She nearly broke out in laughter. “This will be quite the story to tell.”
“Some story…”
“The story of how Seiji has got no sense of direction.”
“Hey! What is that! You’re not going to tell anyone else about this! You got me?”
She giggled and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
Our voices echoed around the street and against the houses a little too loudly.
“Shhh!” I whispered at her.
It only managed to crack her up even more.
“Urusei yo!” I reached over to clamp my hand over her mouth. For a second she quieted down. Then I realized what I was doing and jerked my hand back, now with a touch of lipstick on my palm.
Embarrassed, I apologized profusely. What was I doing? She wasn’t Aoi.
But it was no use because she had resumed giggling.
Chapter 191
Unfortunately, all the small streets looked the same, and soon we found ourselves in some back alleyways.
“Eto…”
I looked around us. Nothing looked familiar.
In Japan, small side street and road names were numbers and enough to confuse even taxi drivers. If I called my mom, I wouldn’t know what to tell her, and she would probably need half an hour just to find the street we were on.
I gave her a ring anyway.
I felt safer when I heard her voice.
“Okaasan?” I paused.
“I think we’re lost.”
Chapter 190
Around fifteen minutes later, even I could tell we were really lost.
Even though I have been to the hospital countless times, I’ve never walked to the subway station before. My house was nearby, so I just usually walked home, or my mother would pick me up.
But this area was uncharted territory for me.
It wasn’t a good situation to be in at all.
“Err…” I muttered. “Let’s double back.”
She nodded and tightly clung to my arm.
I wasn’t sure what she was doing that for, but in this scenario, I couldn’t blame myself for feeling relieved to have company.
Was this a mistake?
Chapter 189
“Where are we going?”
I snapped out of my trance. We were now walking through a grungier side of town. The streetlights were dim, houses were more ramshackled, and there was an eerie silence that settled. My gut churned and my mind told me we weren’t walking in the right direction.
I looked around. “The subway…?”
Where was the subway? It should be around here.
This place looked alien and unfamiliar at night.
Airu stepped a little closer to me. “W-where are we?” She whispered, slightly distraught.
“Daijoubu yo. It should be around here.” I assured. I threw her a quick grin. “Let’s just keep walking.”
Japan is a safe place. No matter where you go, no matter how lost you are, safety shouldn’t be a problem. Or so we all believed.
Chapter 188
“Can I.. say something?”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “Permission granted.”
She fiddled with her fingers.
“I was wondering…” She paused momentarily. “What does Aoi-chan think right now?”
I remained silent, puzzled. “What?”
“You’re always there by her side. But she wants to say something doesn’t she?”
“What?” I said again. This was remarkably familiar to the lyrics I’ve listened to earlier.
“What I’m saying is, if I were her,” She went on, speaking faster and more confident now. “I would want to say, become stronger. Without me, you can still be strong by yourself and fight on.”
The words of the song echoed through my head vaguely. “Even if you’re soaking wet, smile, because I’ll always be by your side…” “Be stronger, don’t give up…” “There’s no need to change your destination, I believe…” “You’ve had your heart set on it, haven’t you? You’ve stuck it out this far, haven’t you?”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything. Because she was right.
What I knew I was trying to do was to stay depressed, and pitiful. I was drowning in my own self-pity and sorrow. And I was pitying Aoi’s condition. But what would Aoi want me to do right now? The exact opposite. She always was strong. Stronger than me perhaps.
I decided not to cry for her anymore and look ahead. But my life had become aimless. My destination was something I forgot about a long time ago.
Where am I going?
Chapter 187
We walked in silence for a while.
The twinkling lights in the neighbourhood slowly one by one were snuffed out, like candles.
But yet, this was not a depressing thought. As people turned off their lights, the night would gently embrace everyone with peace.
Hush. The night was our lullaby.
I glanced at my handphone. It was 12 already. I hadn’t realized I had spent so much time in the hospital.
“It’s really late isn’t it?” I asked no one in particular.
Chapter 186
The night air was cool and refreshing. The smell of the hospital was gone now. Everything was still illuminated in a pale grey though.
The sound of our footsteps were barely audible in the hush of the deep night.
“You came back to ask me to walk you to the station?” I asked hysterically. “How long have you been waiting?”
She looked at her toes. “I heard the first song you played from the CD…”
I looked at her dumbfounded. “So you saw everything.”
She raised her palms up in the air in mock surrender. “No! I didn’t look!”
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
She paused. “I didn’t want to interrupt…”
“Oh.”
There was silence.
“Don’t hate me..” She gave me her puppy eyes. I remembered every time we had an argument, Aoi would look at me that same way, rendering me completely senseless. I would melt under that look. And suddenly nothing mattered anymore, and any argument would just dissolve. All you wanted to do was to give her a hug.
“I don’t.” I said. “You’re forgiven.” I joked.
Chapter 185
I heard a quiet sound at the door.
“Oops.”
It was Airu.
She looked extremely embarassed and blushed a hue of beet red.
“Sorry.”
For a moment I was speechless.
Then I nearly burst out in laughter, a sudden release of all the tension and sadness in my body. Maybe it was the colour her cheeks were or maybe it was because I was embarassed too.
Either way it felt good. Better than shedding tears. Aoi was right.
“Even if you’re soaking wet, smile. Because I’ll always be by your side.”
Chapter 184
Then I placed a kiss on her forehead.
I love you, Aoi.
I hesitated before leaning over to give her a kiss on the lips.
Her lips were warm and soft, but deathly still.
I pulled away and sat next to her bedside watching her breathe. Her chest rhythmically rising and falling.
Was she at peace? What was she dreaming of? Was I there in her dreams to keep her company? To fight off the nightmares?
secondhand memories: the novel 