Estrogen - Lost Pieces of Memory Four
On Monday, she thought she felt a chill pass through her when she leaned forward and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Shina’s face. It wasn’t a shiver worth chill, but it was more like the air around her suddenly froze but she was the only one who felt it. Natsuki did pause and glance around quickly, but she saw no one suspicious in the immediate vicinity.
That afternoon, Asura left early and did not wait for her to finish practice.
On Tuesday, instead of the air around her freezing over, she thought her entire body was burning up. Natsuki was half leaning against an open door and speaking to a freshman. The girl had been telling her about a couple-accessory that she saw someone else wear. It sounded interesting and Natsuki had been inquiring more about it.
That afternoon, Natsuki could not find Asura anywhere on school grounds.
On Wednesday, she did not feel anything when she leaned forward and hugged the girl who gave her such valuable information. Natsuki should have been glad that she was no longer experiencing extreme changes in condition, but something did not feel right.
That afternoon, Asura’s phone was turned off.
On Thursday, Natsuki left early.
On Friday, it was at the beginning of her spare did she finally see Asura. It’s been a week!
“There you are.” Natsuki approached the shorter with a smile. “Where have you been lately?”
Asura zipped up her bag and stood up from the picnic table with an unreadable expression, every little bit distant towards the other. “I could ask you the same thing.” Except, her voice was not filled with smile. “Where and whom have you been with lately?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh don’t give me that.” Asura snapped and tossed the other an annoyed glance before turning her head away. Just looking at the other hindered her ability to breathe; it was like something was permanently stuck in the middle of her chest. In fact, it’s been there for the past week. “You know very well what I’m talking about.” She picked up her bag and walked on briskly. “It must be nice for you to enjoy getting close with just about the entire school’s population.” Even though her displeasure was deep, Asura still managed to keep her voice to a quiet tone, not wanting to draw attention as Natsuki followed her across the back of the school.
“That is absurd!” Natsuki objected immediately, a frown on her face. “What is the matter with you?” She reached out and took a hold of Asura’s arm to stop her from going any further.
“Absurd?!” Needing not much encouragement, Asura whirled around and glared up at the other. “Is it absurd of me to be angry when you are off flirting with anyone who’d offer you a glance?!”
“What flirting?!”
“Then what were you doing with those girls this week, huh?”
“I was merely trying to find out where I could get this!” From her pocket, Natsuki pulled out two necklaces in haste and thrust them towards Asura with an exaggerated huff. “What were you looking at?”
However, Asura’s attention was on the necklaces instead.
“What is this?”
“It’s a couple necklace.” Natsuki explained with pursed lips, not sure how to feel about this situation. Part of her was amused that Asura would think that she’d even offer those girls a second glance if it weren’t for something to do with her. “See, it’s a heart in two pieces.” She pulled the heart apart, left and right, and showed it to Asura. “I thought it was interesting when I heard it from those girls; that’s why I was talking to them.”
For a moment, Asura merely looked at the necklaces before she lifted her eyes and looked at Natsuki. “Are they for me?”
“One of them is.”
“What do you mean one of them?!”
“Hey, I need at least half of my heart to live as well!”
It was said in a joking manner, but maybe both heard the undertones in Natsuki’s words. It wasn’t that she needed half of her heart to live, but more like she still could not give her entire heart. If they understood, neither of them touched upon the subject and Asura took a half heart from Natsuki’s hand. She fingered the necklace before stepping closer and wrapped her arms around Natsuki’s shoulders.
“Thank you.” At length, Asura murmured.
“It’s nothing.”
“And I’m sorry.” Natsuki remained silent, waiting for the second part of that thought. “I was just jealous.” It was admitted in a voice that was muffled and barely audible. However, Natsuki still caught every single word of it and could not help the smile the lifted on her lips.
“It’s nothing.”
At that time, Natsuki did not think about future consequences. She liked Asura and found her attractive. She enjoyed being around Asura and being in this relationship. To her, at seventeen, that was all that mattered. However, perhaps the moment she decided to split her heart into two, she should have foreseen that there was no such thing as half a heart. Once given, the entire organ was beating for the purpose of someone else.
To be continued...