Lying in bed with a different kind of sparkle in her eyes, Sayuri caught herself smiling for no reason at all. Slowly, she touched her lips with her fingertips, replaying every detail of that night, wondering if it had really happened.
The cold wind from the motorcycle, his hands guiding hers to his waist, the way he looked at her and then… the kiss.
Her heart raced just thinking about it. She hugged the pillow against her chest, hiding her face as she smiled, completely embarrassed with herself.
She had wanted his attention so badly… but she had never imagined she would get so much more than that.
It felt like a dream, one of those impossible romances she used to find in the books hidden between the shelves of Biblioteca Café.
Slowly, she closed her eyes, still lost in the memory, and drifted to sleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Jun sat alone on the balcony of Kenji's apartment, staring into the silence of the early morning.
It felt unbearably loud.
He closed his eyes for a moment and dragged a hand down his face, frustrated with himself.
That had been impulsive. Stupid. Reckless.
Jun had always made a point of keeping emotional distance from people. He never allowed himself to form deep attachments or depend on feelings he considered too fragile.
Emotions complicated everything, and he hated complications. It was a simple rule he lived by.
Don't get involved.Don't get attached.Don't lose control.
But Sayuri had broken every single one of those rules without even trying. Ever since the first moment he saw her, the walls he had built around himself had slowly started collapsing.
And that irritated him more than it should have.
He could still remember her perfume. Still remember the way she looked at him, shy… but unable to hide what she felt.
There was something about that that got to him differently.
It was charming. Jun let out a humorless laugh.
"Dammit…" he muttered.
Because deep down, he knew.
The problem wasn't the kiss.
The problem was that he wanted to do it again.
His phone vibrated, pulling him back to reality. A message from Kenji appeared on the screen, filled with so many typos it was barely readable.
Clearly, his friend was in no condition to get home alone.
Without thinking twice, Jun stood up, grabbed his motorcycle, and headed back into the city. When he arrived, he found Kenji practically collapsed on the sidewalk.
"Dude… why the hell did you drink so much? Come on, I'll take you home."
He grabbed the car keys from Kenji's pocket and helped him into the backseat. During the drive, Kenji kept mumbling nonsense under his breath.
"You complain way too much when you're drunk… hang in there, we're almost there."
When they finally arrived, Jun practically carried him inside and dropped him onto the couch in the studio apartment.
"There. Tomorrow you're waking up with the worst headache of your life."
Exhausted, Jun threw himself onto the other couch, running a hand through his messy hair.
"And you're paying for my motorcycle parking too…" he muttered before falling asleep.
The next morning, sunlight flooded the studio. A voice pulled him awake.
"Hey… wake up."
Jun slowly opened his eyes and found Yume leaning over him. Still half asleep, he gently pushed her face away.
"What are you doing here this early?"
"Early? Have you even looked at the time?"
He grabbed his phone and widened his eyes when he saw it was already past eleven.
"Damn."
He got up quickly, pulling on his boots while searching for his jacket.
"Where's Kenji?"
"In the shower. I brought him soup," Yume answered while watching Jun rush around and knock half the room over in the process. "Hey, relax… where are you even going in such a hurry?"
"I have stuff to do. Tell him I'll come back later… and tell him to pick up my motorcycle."
And just like always, he left without explaining anything.
Yume stood in the middle of the room, shaking her head.
"That boy is impossible…"
She placed the soup on the table and sat down on the couch. As she picked up a pillow that had fallen onto the floor, something caught her attention.
A necklace.
Yume examined it more closely and immediately recognized the delicate heart-shaped pendant with a tiny cherry blossom in the center.
It was Sayuri's necklace.
"What is her necklace doing here…? I've never even brought Sayuri here before."
"Where's Jun?" Kenji asked as he walked in moments later, his hair still wet.
Without hesitation, Yume held up the necklace.
"What is this doing here?"
Still trying to organize his thoughts, Kenji frowned.
"I… have no idea. I barely even remember how I got home."
Yume kept staring at the necklace thoughtfully for a few seconds.
"Whatever. Eat your soup. I'll figure this out later."
She placed the necklace on the table.
"By the way… I didn't see you after that at the party," Kenji commented while starting to eat. "The last thing I remember is Sayuri sitting with Jun."
"With Jun? Why?" Yume asked in surprise.
"No clue… you should ask her. My memory officially died last night."
Yume sighed.
"Well, I need to go. I have this annoying family lunch and I can't skip it. Take care of yourself… and maybe don't drink until you forget your own name again."
She leaned down, kissed his forehead, and left.
And in the middle of all the chaos… she forgot the necklace sitting on the table.
Almost eight that night, Jun showed up again to pick up his motorcycle and check if Kenji was still alive.
"Hey, airhead, I'm here!" he shouted while walking into the studio.
"Coming!" Kenji yelled back from the other side of the apartment.
Jun dropped onto the couch with a tired sigh, stretching lazily. Then his eyes landed on the necklace in the middle of the table. Carefully, he picked it up, brushing his thumb over the tiny cherry blossom.
"There you are… I thought I lost you."
"Hey, catch." Kenji tossed him the car keys. "How are you doing?"
"I think I should be asking you that," Jun replied, slipping the necklace discreetly into his jacket pocket.
Kenji laughed.
"Terrible. I'm never mixing drinks like that again."
"You said that last time too."
"This time I mean it… I think."
The two laughed quietly. Then Kenji leaned back on the couch and looked at him.
"By the way… you disappeared last night. Where'd you go?"
Jun fell silent.
The memory of the kiss instantly flashed through his mind. Avoiding eye contact, he answered casually,
"Went home. Since you were pretty busy… I figured you could handle yourself."
He paused before adding,
"Apparently I was wrong."
Kenji burst out laughing.
"I don't even know what happened to that girl. I think she rejected me."
He rubbed his face dramatically.
"Good thing I don't remember."
Jun let out a quiet scoff and stayed silent because unlike his friend… He remembered everything.
As the days passed, Halloween faded away along with the last traces of autumn. The cold slowly took over the city. Most of the trees were bare now, and the sky stayed gray almost all the time.
Everything continued exactly the same. People followed their routines. Cafés stayed crowded and classes remained exhausting.
But for Sayuri, nothing felt the same anymore, something inside her had changed after that kiss and ever since that night, Jun had simply disappeared.
It was driving her insane.
She tried acting normal during class, pretended to pay attention to the professors, smiled whenever Yume made a joke…
But her mind was always somewhere else.
She wanted to ask Yume about Jun. Wanted to know where he was, if he was okay, if he had mentioned anything about her.
But she couldn't. Because she already knew exactly how Yume would react.
"So… you like him?"
And then the endless questions that would follow after that.
The days dragged on painfully slowly. Every class felt endless. Every night felt too long.
She was restless. Anxious.
Like she was waiting for something that would never come.
"Wanna go to the café? I'm meeting Kenji there today."
Sayuri kept putting books into her backpack without much enthusiasm.
"I'm not really in the mood… I kinda just wanna go home."
Yume immediately crossed her arms.
"Oh no. Enough with this weird bad mood. You're coming with me."
"Yume…"
"No complaining. Let's go."
The sky was already starting to darken by the time they arrived at the café. Warm yellow lights illuminated the sidewalk outside.
As soon as they approached the entrance, someone waved at them.
"Hey! You made it. How are you guys?" Kenji asked with a smile.
"We're good, Kenjinho… and you? No drinking until your soul leaves your body this time, okay?"
Kenji placed a hand dramatically over his heart.
"Please don't remind me."
Then he looked at Sayuri.
"And you? How are you doing?"
"I'm okay… just a little tired."
Kenji tilted his head.
"Hm… coffee fixes that easily. Come on in. Jun's already inside."
Sayuri's heart slammed against her chest so hard she was sure everyone could hear it.
Jun was there.
After days of silence, they were finally going to see each other again.
Her chest tightened as she tried to act normal, but it was impossible to hide the sudden light in her eyes.
The sound of the café door opening echoed softly. Warm air wrapped around them instantly, carrying the scent of fresh coffee and cinnamon.
Everything seemed to slow down.
And there he was.
Sitting near the bookshelves, wearing a dark long-sleeved sweater, his slightly messy hair falling over his eyes as he absently stirred a cup of coffee.
Their eyes met.
But Jun looked away almost immediately.
"Jun, the girls are here."
He simply lifted his gaze slightly.
"Hey… everything good?"
Cold.
Distant.
Completely different from Halloween night.
"Let's grab something and sit at the park," Kenji suggested.
"Great idea!" Yume said excitedly. "I want a rose milk cappuccino. What about you, bestie?"
"Um… hot chocolate with strawberry marshmallows."
"You guys go ahead, I'll bring the drinks," Kenji said as he headed toward the counter.
"I'll help," Jun added way too quickly, like he needed any excuse not to stay near her.
Sayuri watched them walk away and felt something sharp twist painfully in her chest.
As they headed toward the park, the feeling kept growing stronger until she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Yume… wait. I need to tell you something."
Yume stopped immediately after hearing the seriousness in her voice.
"What happened?"
Sayuri took a deep breath.
"I know you're gonna judge me, but… on Halloween night… after you left… Jun stayed with me at the party."
Yume stayed silent, listening carefully.
"He took me home because he didn't want me going alone."
"Good," Yume answered instantly. "It was way too late for you to go home by yourself."
Sayuri hesitated.
"But…"
"What?" Yume frowned. "Did something happen? Was he rude to you? Because if he treated you badly, I swear I'll—"
"No! It wasn't that…" Sayuri interrupted quickly. "He was nice… and he even kissed me."
Yume froze.
"He… what?"
"He kissed me."
"D-Did he say anything to you guys? To you or Kenji?"
"No… nothing."
Sayuri looked away.
"It happened so suddenly… it just happened."
A small smile appeared on her lips just remembering it.
"It was amazing… my first kiss."
Yume slowly exhaled before gently placing her hands on Sayuri's shoulders.
"Sayuri… listen to me. Don't start creating expectations."
That hurt more than Sayuri expected.
"Maybe it was special for you… but knowing Jun, for him it was probably just a kiss."
Sayuri looked away again, staring back toward the café.
"I think… maybe it was different."
Yume squeezed her hand.
"No, bestie. Jun has a really hard time emotionally connecting with anyone."
She sighed before continuing.
"I love him like a brother, but honestly? He never takes anyone seriously. Maybe it's because of his family issues… maybe it's just who he is."
The words hit Sayuri hard.
"The only thing he truly loves is music. And the only time I've ever seen him genuinely affected by someone… was because of some mysterious girl neither me nor Kenji knows."
Sayuri swallowed hard. Her eyes burned, but she forced a small smile.
"It's okay… I just wanted to tell you."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
She took a deep breath.
"Let's change the subject… they're coming."
A few minutes later, the four of them sat beneath a tree in the park, surrounded by the damp scent of grass and the soft chill of early winter.
Jun chose a spot farther away and avoided looking at Sayuri the entire time.
Like she wasn't even there.
"So, Kenji… I heard you're the oldest one in the group," Sayuri commented, trying to distract herself.
"Who told you that? I'm basically a baby."
Yume burst out laughing.
"Oh please, Kenji. My spiritual mentor of old age."
"You're only one year younger than me!"
"And you, Sayuri?" Kenji asked. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
Kenji widened his eyes dramatically.
"Wow. You're officially the baby of the group."
"How so?" she asked with a quiet laugh.
"Jun used to be the youngest."
"Wait… younger than you too, Yume?"
"Hahaha… that's because Yume failed a couple grades," Kenji answered before Yume could stop him.
"SHUT UP, KENJI!" she yelled, covering his mouth.
For the first time that afternoon, Sayuri genuinely laughed.
"So… if Yume is twenty-one… and you're twenty-two… how old is Jun?"
Everyone looked at him, but Jun kept absentmindedly stirring his drink.
"Twenty," Yume answered for him.
"Seriously… eighteen," Kenji repeated, still impressed. "You look younger."
A few raindrops started falling, and Kenji immediately stood up with Yume.
"Come on, Yume. I need to stop by your house and pick up some stuff from your mom."
Then he glanced at Jun.
"Jun, can you take Sayuri home?"
"Better not," Yume answered way too quickly.
Jun raised an eyebrow.
"As if I'd do something to her."
Yume coughed awkwardly.
"I mean… her dad probably wouldn't like it."
Jun slowly stood up, brushing leaves off his pants.
"I have better things to do."
He glanced briefly at Yume.
"I'm not a babysitter. Figure it out."
He tossed his empty cup into the trash and walked away.
"Kenji, I'll walk Sayuri home and meet you after," Yume said.
"No, it's okay," Sayuri replied quickly, already exhausted by the whole situation.
She forced a smile.
"I'm already gonna get yelled at for getting home late. Imagine showing up with you too… my dad would lose his mind."
"God, no thanks," Yume laughed. "Your dad scares me."
The walk home felt longer than usual, and the cold got worse with every passing minute.
"What an idiot…" Sayuri muttered, kicking a small rock across the sidewalk. "How did I actually think that kiss meant something?"
Her voice cracked slightly.
"He couldn't even look me in the eye… how childish."
She hugged her coat tighter around herself and kept walking.
Until she heard footsteps behind her.
Her heart jumped.
She walked faster, but the footsteps continued.
When she finally turned around—
Jun.
"You scared me…" she breathed.
"Wasn't trying to."
"What are you doing here? Are you following me?"
He let out a quiet laugh.
"Me? Following you? Why would I do that?"
Even though he had followed her the entire way.
Even though he had been watching from a distance just to make sure she got home safely.
Still pretending otherwise, Jun slipped a hand into his jacket pocket.
"I just wanted to give this back."
He held up the necklace.
"My necklace… where did you find it?"
"At the park."
"But… how did you know it was mine?"
Jun looked away.
"That doesn't matter."
Without asking permission, he stepped closer, gently moved her hair to one side, and fastened the necklace around her neck.
His fingers brushed against her skin.
Only for a second.
But it was enough to make her stop breathing.
"Sorry about earlier," he said quietly. "Yume knows how to get on my nerves. She's like an annoying little sister."
Sayuri laughed softly.
"But I thought you were the younger one."
Jun immediately turned to look at her.
"Oh, so you joined in too?"
She bit back a smile.
She wanted to ask about the kiss but she didn't have the courage.
The silence between them turned strange.
Jun watched her for a few long seconds. His gaze slowly dropped to her lips and for a moment—
He almost gave in.
Almost kissed her again but this time, reason won.
Jun took a step back.
"Goodnight, Sayuri."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the quiet street, her heart full of questions with no answers.