Shelter Confessions:

The van drove up the storm shelter. I shook Sappoto-san on the shoulder.

“Sit up!” I whispered. “We’re here!” Sappoto-san sat up as the rain hit the windows. She sniffled for a bit. The men helped us out of the van. My friend grabbed onto my arm. I had to grin and bear the whole walk. The men ushered us in as fast as they could. Once the glass doors closed, I got a good look around inside. Majority of the people looked like beach locals and travelers like Sappoto-san and me. My friend grabbed onto my arm. I tried to push her off.

“Let go,” I whispered. She looked up at me with me with those big eyes. I looked away, snorting. I let my eyes wander around for a place to wait for the storm. The corner near the back looked rather welcome at the moment. I nudged Sappoto-san on the arm. She looked up at me, silent.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Follow me.” I lodged onto her arm and dragged her over to the empty corner in question. I sat down when we got there. Sappoto-san stared at me blankly at first. I glanced up at her.

“Come on!” I said. “Take a seat. We’re going to be here for a while.” Sappoto-san didn’t move for a second before she sat down next to her.

“Good,” I said. Sappoto-san stayed by me, but with her back turned. Only the howling wind and pounding rain outside filled the silence between us for the next moments to come.

“Miho-chan,” Sappoto-san spoke up at last. I almost leapt back when I heard her voice.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Why did you take this journey in the first place?” she asked.

“To get away from my older sister,” I said without thinking.

“But why?”

I groaned to myself. “She’s annoying, lazy, and slutty.”

“But don’t you miss her?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“I’m just happy to be far away from her whenever I can.”

“How can you say that?”

“Have lived with Umiko at all?”

Sappoto-san slowly shook her head. “No…”

“Exactly!”

“But she’s still your family!”

“Yeah, that’s all she is. There is no other bond than that.” I paused when I saw her face. I forgot for a long moment that she was a woman purely devoted to family. In fact, that was her only means to exist. I thought about a way to fix so that I wouldn’t sound like a further asshole to her.

“Well, I do miss my girlfriend.”

Sappoto-san watched me closely. Saying that, just made my heart hurt. Andi… I haven’t seen her since I left after that first night. I miss the scent of her wavy red hair. I missed seeing her smile. I missed hearing her laugh. I missed feeling the warmth of her body next to mine. I missed the taste of her. All of those things made my eyes well up with my own tears.

“Miho-chan?” Sappoto-san asked. I lowered my head not to show her my face.

“Aw, come here,” she said. My dopy friend took me into her arms and held me to her chest. I finally broke down and cried.

“Shhh,” Sappoto-san whispered. “It’s okay, we’ll go home soon.” I must have looked like a sight crying in my whinier friend’s arms like a baby at the thought of my girlfriend. I bet people were even staring at us.

“We okay…” Sappoto-san said in her best attempt at English. She turned back to me a stroked my hair.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“No!” I wailed. I looked up at her with her own desperate trademark in my own eyes. “Let me stay like this! Please?” Sappoto-san gave me a calm, little smile.

“Alright,” she said. I put my head back to her chest and cried again. I practically cried myself to sleep right there in Sappoto-san’s arms.