Chapter 1 Everything Has a Beginnin

Chapter 1 Everything Has a Beginning
Part 1. Lonely Are The Nights When The Storm Is Coming

Kou said today that he could feel the storm is coming. And I didn't believe him. I mean, Kou also told us since we were five that one-day, he would find the love of his life. And so far, there is no sign whatsoever that that prophecy will be fulfilled anytime in the future. Not with how picky he is with girls. So, considering how his first divination hasn't been proven yet, why should I trust his latest one?

But apparently he might really have the ability to predict the future. Or he just watched the weather forecast before he met us. Either way, I watch silently as the heavy sheets of water pour down from the sky. The drops make thousands of streams on my apartment window. The wind beats down the trees lining the street five floors below me. The road is almost empty. No more crowds rushing home to enjoy a warm night with family or people going excitedly to the hottest club in town. The storm is indeed coming.

My phone rings from the coffee table in front of the TV. I sigh quietly before moving slowly to answer the call. I can guess who calls even before I see the caller ID.

"Akihito, are you home?" I hear a familiar voice that I miss so much.

"I am, Arata. Where are you? You said you would come home by 9. I've been waiting for hours since then. Dinner is cold already, " I reply while staring blankly at all the delicious dishes that I cooked for hours earlier today; a special treat for our anniversary dinner. From the withdrawn tone Arata talks, I dare to bet my entire salary for the next 6 months that he is still at his office. He will never ever talk in an intimate way to me near his colleagues. That is just the way he is.

"I am very, very sorry, Aki. Something came up at work and my supervisor said that they need me to finish this first. I know that tonight is, " he lowers his voice into a strained whisper, "special for us both. You know how important tonight is to me. But-"

"-you work hard for our future. I get it." I cut him with the infamous sentence that is already ingrained into my flesh and blood by now.

He continues in a rush, "Thank you for being so understanding, Aki. With this storm, there is just no way I can get home by tonight. I am very sorry, but I know you will understand. I will come home tomorrow, okay?"

No, it is not okay. I miss him. I simply can't see anymore how him working more than 120 hours a week is related to our future. It is not like we are lack of money, especially since my work has gone smoothly recently. And tonight is our 2nd anniversary, for God's sake! Why can't he just come home earlier before the storm even came? Heck, isn't it possible for his boss to let him go just for tonight? Can't the company survive without my boyfriend for a few fucking hours? How could he even think that I will be okay?

"Okay," my mouth says automatically, "I love you."

He doesn't say anything for a while. Then, I hear his quick footsteps. Finding an even more quite place, I guess. A few seconds later, in a barely audible whisper that I almost miss it, he replies, "Me, too. I miss you. And I am really, truly sorry. I will make it up for you later, promise."

And this is why I always forgive him in our 2 years relationship. No matter what, I know that he tries hard for our life together. And though he is far from perfect, he always tries to become what I want him to be. Or at least, what he thinks I want him to be. If he can make the choice, I am sure that he will go straight to our home and celebrate our anniversary as promised. So, it is not fair for me to blame him every time he can't be what I want him to be, isn't it?

So, I answered, "I know. I miss you, too. Take care, okay?"

We end the phone call quickly after. I put the phone on the side table and sink into the sofa wondering whether I make the right decision. Maybe I should just shout at him. But I just don't have the will. I am really getting soft with my age.

Slowly, I turn on the TV without any intention to watch it. I just can't stand the silence in our apartment tonight. Rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, my mind wanders back into the time when I met Arata for the first time.

It was after one of my assignment with Mitarai, less than 6 months since my last 'incident'. Mitarai and I just spent three nights in a row waiting inside a rubbish he called 'car' to get a photo of a dirty politician. I hadn't got any proper rest for the last two weeks by that time. But I didn't really care. I just wanted to do anything that could distract my mind from those golden eyes that haunted me days and nights.

When we finally got the proof of this politician's affair with a teenage girl in front of a five stars hotel, I could see that Mitarai were more than ready to kick me out of his car so he could go home and have a break, at least until our report to the chief editor the next day. But I just couldn't go back to the small empty dark place that now I called home. I knew I would just break down again and I didn't think I even had any more tears left.

So I simply walked down the street and finally settled down in a 24 hours coffee shop. You know, the kind of coffee shop that sells overpriced coffee. I didn't usually come to this kind of shop for the sake of my bank account. But, tonight, I just didn't care.

I knew. It was weird to go into a coffee shop when you wanted to forget the tragedy of your life. A bar and a few shots of hard liquor would do a much better job. But how could I rationalize my action after my last 'incident' in Russia? Hell, how could any sane people rationalize anything after various 'incidents' (yes, it is plural with 's') that involve kidnapping, torture, rape, and abuse that they have to endure simply because they fell in love with a richer-and-more-powerful-than-prime-minister-crime-lord? So, after Hong Kong, China, Thailand, and then Russia (oh, and also the heartbreaking incident of saying good bye to said crime lord after Russia, don't forget that!), you couldn't really blame me if I did irrational things.