SS – Valentines 2022

"It's cold..."

Today is February 14, otherwise known as Valentine's Day.

Similar to the previous years, I wasn't able to spend this beautiful holiday with a significant other.

Bitter. That's how I feel.

I can't really blame anyone else but myself though.

I can't trust other people.

They're nothing but liars and schemers.

That's why I hate this holiday with all my being.

A holiday that you spend with the person you love... is something that I can't comprehend.

I don't understand the concept of love at all.

How are you able to trust someone else so wholeheartedly?

How can you devote a part of your heart to another person without worrying about the consequences?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Maybe I'm just not cut out for love after all...

***

Ah, where am I?

This is my bed and my room... Oh, I just woke up from a nap.

That's right, it's Valentine's Day today.

Akari is coming over soon to celebrate the holiday with me.

I won't be alone today.

Agh, that dream really messed with my feelings...

It just had to be the Valentine's Day after I had gotten my heart broken by Erica.

At that time, I hated Valentine's Day because I wasn't able to trust anyone.

The deep-rooted fear of betrayal was still fresh in my heart.

I ended up spending that day alone in my room, refusing to talk to my parents or my sister who had been trying to cheer me up all day.

My heart just refused to accept reality that day.

I thought that I would never be able to trust another human being ever again...

"Takei~ Are you in here?"

...until I met her.

"Yeah, you can come in," I responded.

Following my voice, Akari walked into my room holding a bag of mystery goodies that have yet to be revealed to me.

"Did you just wake up from a nap?" Akari asked, after seeing my messy hair and disorderly clothes.

I nodded. "Just a small one while I was waiting for you."

"Thanks for waiting, I was just working on the finishing touches," Akari explained.

She then sat down on my bed next to me without mentioning what was inside the bag, which left a calm and tranquil silence between us.

For as long as I could remember, there would always be a gentle silence between us whenever the topic ended.

There would never be an awkward silence or either of us trying to force the conversation to go on, it just reached its natural conclusion and peacefully left us in each other's presence.

In my opinion, that truly proved how much we loved each other.

Being happy and comfortable by merely being in one another's presence is a tell-tale sign of a good relationship.

"Um, Takei?" Akari shyly asked.

Oh? It looks like she decided to break the silence and approach the main topic.

"What is it?" I asked her, in a soft and gentle tone.

"H-happy Valentine's Day! I made this for you!" Akari stammered, as she shoved the bag into my hands.

Before peering into the bag, I happily thanked her for working so hard for my sake. "Thank you so much. I know you gave it your all, so I'm going to compliment the taste before I even eat it."

Akari seemed elated to hear my compliments, but she also started to pout. "Mou... You're not supposed to compliment a maiden's cooking before even trying it."

I thought it was pretty cute, but Akari would permanently sulk if I didn't say something.

"Ahaha, sorry I'll give it a try right now," I apologized. "Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

I opened the mystery bag and found a nice plate of cookies that were still warm and had steam coming off of them.

"May I try some?"

"Go ahead, they were made specifically for you."

With Akari's permission, I uncovered the plastic foil that was covering the plate and grabbed a cookie.

I brought the cookie to my mouth and then began to slowly chew and savor the flavor.

Soft, tender, and sweet; it was everything that a cookie should be.

There was also an element of love that I felt from the taste, but I'll pretend that it was just my imagination for now.

"The cookies are really tasty, thanks for making them for me," I praised Akari. "You really are the best cook I know."

A faint tinge of red appeared all over Akari's face, but her genuinely happy smile was what stuck out the most to me.

"Hehe, my efforts paid off," Akari sheepishly smiled.

Seeing her smile so happily made me remember exactly why I had decided to trust in people again.

Akari's radiant smile was able to pull me from the depths of the abyss and back into the land of the living.

It was this smile that had saved me, Takei Tanaka, from living a dull and colorless life.

I used to hate Valentine's Day due to my distaste of other people, but I quite enjoy the holiday now.

All because of her.

Grasping her hand and squeezing firmly, my honest thoughts leaked out without me even realizing.

"It's warm..."

---

Read the first line of the chapter and then the last line of the chapter. Neat, right?

Next chapter will be on 2/16/22 because I need to go wallow in my own loneliness.