You drink your morning coffee without eating anything. You put this on:
You walk out of your condo building and call a cab.
The cab drives you to your new job. On your way, you see two kids walking together; a girl and a boy.
You still remember the first day of first grade; the day that you first saw him. You wonder if he still remembers as much as you do.
You get off in front of the JE building. You walk to the bathroom to see if you look okay. It's your first day of work, and you really want to make a good impression. You straighten out your dress; then, fix your hair and the ring on your finger.
You take the elevator to the 23rd floor. While waiting, you get a text message, but before you could even read it, the elevator door opens.
You walk to the information desk and introduced yourself to the secretary.
Secretary: "Ah, (name)-san. Hajimemashite. The manager has been waiting for you. Please follow me."
The secretary leads you to the manager's office.
You introduce yourself, "(name)-san desu. Hajimemashite."
You and the manager discuss your new position.
Manager: "I see that you don't have a lot of experience."
You: "Hai. I just graduated from college. I don't know much yet but I'm a fast learner, and I will work hard."
Manager: "I know you will. You must be really good since Kitagawa-san recommended you himself."
The manager calls one of the employees.
Manager: "This is (name)-san. (name)-san this is Narita-san. He'll be showing you around. Ganbatte (name)-san."
You two leave the office, and Narita-san introduces you to everyone.
You: "(name)-san desu. I'm looking forward to working with all of you. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
Everyone asks you about America since you just came back to Japan a few weeks ago. After that, you and Narita-san decides to continue the tour.
He leads you to a hallway and at the end of the hallway, KAT TUN is walking towards you two. Narita-san bows as you cross path with them.
There he is. That little boy you met fifteen years ago; your knight in shining armor. He doesn't even remember. He doesn't even see you.
Seven years ago he would have ran to you from the end of the hallway. He would have been the first one to say, “Hi,” but now he doesn't even recognize you.
SEVEN YEARS AGO...
It was the beginning of your high school years. You and Kame have been best friends since the first grade. You watched Kame as he runs over to you to say, “Good morning.”
It has always been just the two of you. Both of you could have had different friends but somehow, you wanted it to be just the two of you. Sure you were bullied in the first grade, but as the years progressed, the other students began to like you. You never wanted Kame to know that. You knew it was selfish to keep him to yourself but you didn't want things to change.
Kame: "Guess what (name)-chan?!?! JE is forming a new band and I'm going to be part of it!"
He was this excited when he got into JE in junior high. You always loved his enthusiasm; he's almost like a kid even though he's a year older than you.
You: "That's great! So I guess you'll be famous now huh?"
Kame jokes: "Don't worry I won't forget about the little people like you."
You got a little annoyed and walked away. He ran after you.
Kame: "Chotto matte (name)-chan! Don't get mad at me! I was just kidding!"
He finally caught up to you and linked his arm to yours.
You looked at him and said "Daijobou. Just promise me one thing."
Kame: "Name it."
You: "Promise me we'll go to college together. Promise me that you won't let fame get into your head."
He faced you, gave you a thumbs up and said "I promise." He handed you a charm bracelet.
You smiled: "Eh? What's this for?"
Kame looked at you and said "For that."
You never knew what he meant by "that".
As days and months passed, you and Kame spent less time together. Sometimes you see him around with new friends. You were aware that he had other friends, but he still chose to stay by your side. Soon, he started missing plans that you made together. You can't remember how many times he's been too busy to hang out with you until you barely saw him.
Somehow you always knew that one day you were going to have to give him up. Next thing you knew, he was going out with the most popular girl in school. And you, you have been asked out a hand full of times but you never gave any of them a chance. You never knew when it was that you started liking him. You wonder if that was the reason why you never wanted things to change. You were always afraid to lose him.
Second Year of High School
Your dad told you that he was promoted and your family had to move to the United States. He told you that you could finish your high school years in Tokyo if you wanted. He knew how close you were to Kame.
On your birthday, Kame called you to meet him at the playground where you first met. You decided to confess to him that day. Even though he had a girlfriend you wanted him to at least know how you felt.
You saw him walking towards you. You couldn't believe who was trailing behind. It couldn't be helped; she is his girlfriend after all.
You couldn't confess to him, not with her there.
The three of you ate at your favorite restaurant. His girlfriend was all over him, and you couldn't stand it. You decided to tell Kame that you weren't feeling so well and wanted to go home.
He offered to walk you home but you refused.
As you walked home, it started to rain. “Kame's probably walking her home right now,” you thought. You walked at a normal pace as everyone ran for shelter from the rain. As you walk all by yourself, you realize that it was time to let him go.
Moving Day
You sat at the airport waiting for Kame. He promised he'd see you off. You waited and waited for as long as you could. You looked at the charm bracelet that he gave you. You took it off and left it on the chair. He couldn't make it after all. You never thought that he'd miss this.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
There isn't even a gaze from his eyes or a movement of his head. It's official. You've lost the person that you've treasured most to the world.
To be continued...
