Chapter 127: Nightmare
Hiroshi watched them wondering what they were talking about. He had a vague understanding of what they meant because he knew his brother was bullied in high school but Aki hadn’t specifically said Haruki was also bullied.
If Haruki was and the lady who spoke to them that night was one of those who stood by, he wanted to have them punished. He had no idea how he wanted it to be done but he knew he wanted to avenge Haruki . . . and his brother.
He was curious about everything even though he didn’t ask. He uncapped a water bottle and pushed it towards Haruki who naturally reached for it and drank.
Somehow, Hiroshi felt it went beyond simply being sad about the bullying of the past. He had a feeling that whatever had happened to Haruki then was deeper than that but he respected his choice of not telling him. He waited patiently for Haruki to tell him. Perhaps that would mean Haruki saw him as more than a sex partner.
***
Hiroshi grabbed his phone as soon as he returned to his hospital from the operating room. He had a feeling Haruki must have called him and the call came in just in time.
"Hello, I’m sorry," he apologised as soon as he picked up the call. "I had a patient I had to operate on because a colleague wasn’t available," he explained before Haruki could respond to his apology.
It was Friday and he had asked Haruki out to dinner before going back to the main house but he got too busy to pick him up early enough. He glanced at his wristwatch and it was almost eight.
"I’m sorry," he apologised when he got no response from Haruki. Since they started spending more time together, he gave up on being a workaholic.
He stopped going to work during the weekends and even ensured he finished all his work early enough to pick Haruki up and today was the first time he made such a mistake.
"I’m waiting outside," Haruki said calmly, his voice almost indifferent.
Hiroshi’s heart dropped. He knew Haruki was not happy and masking up that feeling was not something he wanted. He wanted Haruki to complain a bit before accepting the fact that it was unavoidable but Haruki did none of that.
"Okay," he said before Haruki hung up. Despite all the complicated feelings, he was still happy that Haruki came to pick him up. He wore his jacket with a broad smile before hurrying out with his keys.
Haruki dismissed the driver who dropped him off when he noticed Hiroshi walk out of the glass door. Hiroshi’s face lit up when he saw Haruki. He waved at him and hurried towards him like a kid seeing his parent after a long day of school.
"I am so sorry I made you wait," Hiroshi apologised when he got to Haruki. He stretched his hands to hug the man. Haruki looked hesitant but he didn’t care wrapping his hands around the man’s waist. To avoid testing Haruki’s limit, the hug didn’t last for long before he pulled away.
"I’ll have to go get your car," Haruki told him.
Hiroshi nodded realising the car that Haruki got down from had driven away.
Smash!
A loud sound stopped Hiroshi on his track below them few meters away lay broken glass reflecting the lights of the well-lit hospital. Hiroshi raised his head wondering which window had been shattered.
A woman peeped down from the broken window before climbing up on it regardless of the sharpness of the glass left in the window. Hiroshi felt his body tense before his hands began shaking on his side.
He wanted to run into the building. He wanted to save her, he wanted to stop her from falling down. He wanted so badly to prevent her from doing what he knew more than anyone that she was about to do.
The scene switched to that day his mother had sat on the window watching him play ball. She had met his gaze with so much determination before dropping down from that height. It had been a freefall as though she trusted that someone was down there to catch her.
He had tried to stop the bleeding, tried all he could while the young gardener had called the ambulance equally unsure of what to do.
"Hiroshi," a deep gentle voice almost unrecognisable drew him from that nightmare. He opened his eyes but it was so dark, a palm was over his eyes as though shielding him.
The scent of the voice was more than familiar to him, it was Haruki although the voice was gentle, soft and soothing in a way he had never heard Haruki speak.
He held Haruki’s wrist and pulled it down before looking down at what Haruki had shielded him from. A woman lay sprawled on the concrete floor six floors below the window she had fallen from. She had fallen from the window of the stairway.
Blood had begun pooling around her body especially her head which had smashed into the floor. So the thud he heard wasn’t that of his mother falling but of the lady. He could tell at that moment that she had died on impact, there’s no way anyone would survive such damage to the head.
He was still very shaken but he had succeeded in masking it well enough. Some staff of the hospital had rushed forward and someone called the police. He wanted to go in to act as appropriate after all, he was a witness to her suicide but as he took a step forward, Haruki stopped him with a grip on his wrist.
His voice was just as soft and gentle as earlier asking, "Are you okay?"
Hiroshi met the warmth of Haruki’s eyes and he smiled. "I am sorry we have to miss today’s planned dinner, there are things I have to handle, would you like to go home first?"
He wanted some time alone. He had a feeling Haruki had seen more than he was willing to show, he needed time to reboot.
"I am okay. I will come to the main house to meet you when I’m done," he said calmly. He pushed the key of his car into Haruki’s hand and told him where he had parked in the underground parking lot before Haruki could respond. He turned and hurried into the building.
His heart raced, his hand shook as he opened the door of his office and stepped in. A sigh escaped his lips shaky and weak as his fingers ran through the gentle waves of his hair.
His back pressed to the locked door and he slid down taking deep slow breaths to calm himself down. It wasn’t much, his mother was long dead. She had hated him enough to end her life right before him so cruelly but that does not mean his life should be tied to the choices she made.
A loud knock came on the door. He remained silent hoping the person would give up and hang up but the knock continued. He rose up calmly as though nothing had happened and opened the door. It was his father.
He was so calm he felt proud of himself as he met his father’s gaze channelling his thoughts to less severe things. Trying not to think about how much he hated his father at the moment because he believed his father’s choices were what left his mother depressed.
"Son, are you okay?"
"Yes, I was taken aback when it happened but I’m fine now," he replied.
"That’s good then. The police arrived and they would like your statement."
He nodded. This was the first time such a thing had happened. Once someone had attempted but was stopped. They had provided very strong security measures to prevent it from ever happening.
He went through all the formalities with the police. The lady had attempted a few times but her parents kept quiet about it and kept her protected at home but she was brought in for an appendix removal.
She outsmarted her caretaker and went to the stairway using the fire extinguisher to smash the glass. He wondered what all she had experienced that could have led to it.
She didn’t even have that written in her medical history and he could only blame her parents for not informing the police or they would have taken greater care. Perhaps the reason behind it was what made her parents very secretive about it.
It was not a special case to the police and he knew they would close the case soon enough. It took him longer to wrap things up and he prepared to leave.
He planned to call a taxi but when he stepped outside, he saw his car parked. Confirming it was his through the license plate, he hurried to it. Haruki was sitting in the driver’s seat while a popular classical music played.
He tapped on the window overwhelmed by a rushing sense of warmth. Ask though that Haruki had waited for him. Haruki opened his closed eyes and unlocked the car.
"I am sorry I took so long and thanks for waiting for me," he said with a big smile on his face showing off his dimple.
"Get in," Haruki told him softly.
With feet lighter and heart merrier, Hiroshi hopped into the passenger seat his smile getting brighter.