Chapter Eighteen: Ride or Die Angel:

She could have any man that she wanted. But she chose me. I know that I’ve been over this. I just can’t get over it. I woke up this morning and pinched myself in the cheek. No, it wasn’t a dream. I didn’t think I would ever get used to it. I know, I know. I’m working on it.

My thoughts were distracted when I heard mumbling. I looked down to see Yumi sound asleep by my side. She must have slipped in while I was sleeping last night. I gently patted her on the head. I never thought that such loyalty still existed. I thought it was all a myth. The way my life has been going, you could understand why. But she managed to prove me wrong. I didn’t know how she did it.

I shook my head.

“Who are you?” I asked over her head. I looked over my shoulder at the window. It looked like it was going to be another slow, boring day. I didn’t mind because Yumi and everyone in this town made it worth it. I would still need a stable job, though.

Heh. Look at me planning out my future. I didn’t think that I would have one. Everyone around me told me that I was a failure and that I would never make it. Sometimes, I wondered how they would see me now. I couldn’t help but smile to myself.

What time was it now? I looked around for that clock. She didn’t believe in clocks or time.

“It’s all a myth,” she said the summer before I joined the Defense Forces. I turned my head.

“What does that mean?” I asked. Kaori shrugged.

“It just is,” she said. “I mean, how can we be out of time, but still have so much of it?” I tried to think of a response, but came up with nothing. She had a point.

“I don’t know,” was all that I could say. Kaori smiled as she rested her head on my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair.

Looking down at Yumi’s face made me think of Kaori again. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Damn it. What the hell, man? It happened again. Sometimes, it fucked with my head. (I couldn’t come up with a better way to put that.) I needed to stop that. Kaori was Kaori and Yumi and Yumi. I was moving forward, remember?

Right.

I gently pushed Yumi off and climbed out of the futon. I dragged myself to the bathroom. I reached out and turned on the faucet. I breathed in as I looked into the mirror. Yumi didn’t have school today. She will want to cook something special today. A little smile crept across my face. I hoped it was curry stew. Sure, it was summer, but who cared? I wanted some curry stew, damn it. Thinking about it made me hungry. There was probably some leftover rice in the fridge. Yeah, maybe some rice and miso. First, I needed to take a shower. I turned and walked over to the shower.

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“Morning!” I heard at the table. I looked up to see Yumi standing in the doorway. Her parents were at the table with me.

“Good morning, dear,” her mother said. Yumi flashed a huge smile at him.

“Any plans tonight?” her father asked. She took a moment to think.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that yet,” she said. Her mother turned her eyes on me.

“And what about you?” she asked. I stared at her.

“Me?” I asked. I took a moment to think about that. “Honestly, I don’t know either.” Yumi got her food and sat down next to me. She rested her head on my shoulder.

“Are you guys doing?” I asked.

“I have work today,” her father said.

“Shopping,” her mother said. I nodded as I made a bit of a face. I enjoyed mornings like this. I used to picture them with Kaori at the table. Well, I got to live out that dream in some way. It’s actually really nice. I took another bite of my rice. Maybe I could go shopping with Yumi and her mother later. Hey, I could get another job while I’m at it. This day could go in any direction I wanted.

I might have looked like a fool with a huge grin on my face, but I didn’t care. I had everything that I needed here.