"What do we do from here?"
The dreary, rainy weather made the room feel even more dark and dismal than it already was. It was chilly outside, but the cold that permeated the apartment felt even cooler than the outside temperature. The plants in the room sat so still that it was almost as terrifying as the silence that deafened the place. The lights were off, making it difficult to see anything but the outlines of two figures that were huddled up back to back on the floor.
The floor was hard, cold. The sensation of sweaty palms resting on it was the only feeling able to be ascertained.
"I don't know."
The rain began to pour down harder.
One of the girls shuffled in her position, bringing her knees up as a resting place for her chin. She sniffled, a small trickle of tears streaming down her cheeks.
The other girl could hear the girl's sniffles, and couldn't stop her own eyes from watering.
"We can't just sit here, Honoka."
Honoka dug her head into her knees. Her voice cracking and muffled, she spoke. "Why can't we, Nozomi?"
Nozomi wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her sweater, and turned her head around. "We can't run from this forever."
Lifting her head from the safe position of her knees, Honoka shifted her body around to face Nozomi. Tears were still falling from her sapphire blue eyes. She reached her arms out to Nozomi, sniffling between the tears that were falling.
Nozomi shook her head.
Understanding her gesture had been rejected, Honoka began to cry harder.
Between her cracked voice and the tears that wouldn't stop falling, Honoka managed a reply. "Please... don't go..."
Nozomi sighed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You know I have to. You have to face this."
Honoka's face scrunched up, her nose crinkling and her eyebrows furrowing. "I don't want to! Why do you have to leave!?"
The tears began pouring down Honoka's face even quicker than before. She couldn't stop her sobs turning into louder wails. She dug her face into her knees again, hugging them as tightly as she possibly could.
Nozomi began to grow agitated, but she couldn't keep her anger intact for very long seeing Honoka cry like that. She touched Honoka's shoulder gently, squeezing it a little. Honoka stopped crying momentarily and looked up at Nozomi with a tear stained face. Her cheeks were red, and her nose was dripping, while her eyes still watered.
"You know why. I have to take this job."
Honoka sniffed, reaching for a nearby tissue box. She blew her nose, and looked back up at Nozomi with a solemn expression. "But if you do... what will happen to us? Will you... find someone else?"
Nozomi squeezed her shoulder again. "That's up to you, Honoka. Could you handle the distance?"
Her expression still serious, Honoka answered right away, the tears in her eyes starting to dry. "I can handle anything if it means I get to stay with you!"
Nozomi smiled. It was so in character for Honoka to say that. Despite how painful being apart would be, she still wanted to stay together. It was inherently selfish, and she probably wasn't even thinking about the financial strain it would put on them both. But that was what Nozomi loved about Honoka―she always said what was on her mind. She was incredibly honest, perhaps even to a fault, and didn't think before she spoke. But that always assured Nozomi she was hearing Honoka's true feelings and not a well rehearsed lie.
"You know that means you'll have to stop buying expensive candy so you can save your money for a plane ticket so you can see me."
Honoka stared at Nozomi intently before answering. "I'll do it! Please, Nozomi! I can wait however long it takes! Please..." She trailed off, sitting on her knees. She balled her hands into fists and rested them on her thighs. Her eyes started to water again. "Please don't leave me. I know I'm not the smartest person and I've messed up a lot. I know I've hurt you so many times because of my recklessness and inability to think things through, but I love you!"
"Honoka..." Nozomi interrupted.
"No, let me finish!" Honoka's face scrunched up again, but this time in determination. "You have every reason to want to leave, and I should probably just let you. But I can't! You mean so much to me and I don't want to have to live without you. I don't want to learn how to be without you. I want you to be with me forever! Even if we have to spend a few years apart, that's okay. I'll save my money as much as I can and come to visit you." She paused, trying to catch her breath. "So, please... stay with me."
The raw, honest feelings from Honoka's heart made Nozomi burst into tears. Honoka was always the type to regularly tell her how much she loved her, but this was just... so refreshing. Truth be told, Nozomi was only waiting for Honoka to beg her to keep her around. It was selfish of her, but Nozomi wanted to hear those words from Honoka. She wanted to know how much she really meant to her. She wanted to know if those 'I love you's' that Honoka always poured out were really real.
There were real. Really real. So, so real.
Nozomi reached over and attempted to dry Honoka's tears with her thumbs. While in the process of doing that, she planted a soft kiss on Honoka's cheek.
"That's all I wanted to hear. I love you, too."
Honoka latched onto Nozomi's arm, drying her eyes on her sweater sleeve. She was so relieved. So happy. She couldn't imagine her life without Nozomi in it. They had been together for three years now, and had lived together for one. It was just routine to see and talk to each other every day, and Honoka didn't want that to end. She didn't want to lose Nozomi one way or the other, but she'd be much more at ease knowing they'd still be together. She would work hard to see her whenever she could. "I'm going to miss you so much."
Nozomi smiled, and wrapped her arms around Honoka's neck. "I'll miss you, too. This will only be temporary!" She pulled her arms close to her, which in turn pulled Honoka closer, and the two locked lips. Pulling apart, Nozomi continued after nudging Honoka's nose with her own. "Everything will be okay. There's still lots of time before I have to go."
Honoka grinned, excited about the idea of spending lots of time with Nozomi before she had to leave. "Let's spend every day together, okay!? Even if we're tired! I want to see you as often as possible!"
Nozomi only nodded. "Anything you say, my dear."
The rain stopped, showcasing a beautiful rainbow outside of the apartment window. Hopefully, Nozomi thought, this was a sign of good things to come.