Chapter 26: Through The Storm Together

Haruka's POV

The rain outside was relentless, almost as if the sky was echoing the storm in my heart. I stood in the doorway, watching Kai from a distance, the silence between us like a physical barrier.

His face, bathed in the pale light from the living room, was unreadable. He didn't move, didn't speak. He just stared at me, and I could see the tension in his eyes, the way his jaw was clenched.

It was hard to tell if he was relieved or terrified that I was here. Probably both.

I didn't wait for him to say anything. I walked in, pushing the door shut behind me, and stood in the middle of the room. I was tired of waiting, tired of wondering

what was going on in his head.

"I'm not leaving until we talk," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

I couldn't meet his eyes right away.

Not yet. Instead, I focused on the small details in the room—the way his books were scattered on the coffee table, the quiet hum of the clock in the background. Anything to distract myself from the heaviness in the air.

Kai didn't move. He didn't seem surprised to see me, but his hesitation was palpable, like he didn't know where to start.

"Haruka…" He finally spoke, but his voice was quieter than usual, like he was holding back.

I didn't want to hear him apologize again. Not for something that didn't need fixing.

"I don't need you to apologize," I interrupted, taking a deep breath. "I just need you to tell me what's going on.

He rubbed his face, his eyes avoiding mine, and for a second, I thought he wasn't going to answer. But then, he looked up, his gaze meeting mine, and there was a vulnerability there that caught me off guard.

"I don't know how to fix this," he said, his words almost too soft, like he was afraid of being heard.

"You don't have to fix anything," I replied quickly, stepping closer. "You just have to let me in. You don't have to carry all this by yourself."

He looked down at the floor for a moment, like he was considering my words, but there was still that wall, that distance he kept between us. I could see the cracks in it, but he was still holding on to the idea that he had to carry everything alone.

"I've always kept people at arm's length," Kai murmured, almost to himself. "I don't know how to… I don't know how to genuinely stop."

The confession hit me harder than I expected. It was one thing to feel like he was pushing me away, but hearing it out loud… it made everything feel even more real.

I stepped forward again, close enough now that I could almost feel the weight of his emotions pressing down on me. "I know you're scared. But I'm here. I won't leave you. You don't have to push me away."

Words that I have repeated frequently for Kai, I stared into his eyes deeply with resolution.

He looked up at me, and there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something raw, like he wanted to believe me but couldn't.

"You don't understand," Kai said, his voice breaking a little. "I'm scared of pushing you away, too. But I keep doing it anyway."

I reached out, placing my hand on his arm, and he stiffened slightly under my touch. "You're not the only one who's scared, Kai. I'm scared, too. But we can be scared together. We don't have to do this alone."

The words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

The only sound was the rain tapping against the window.

Then, slowly, he exhaled, like he was finally letting go of something heavy.

"I don't know how to be with someone like this," he admitted, his voice soft and vulnerable. "I don't know how to let go of the walls I've built."

"You don't have to let them go all at once," I said, my voice gentle. "You don't have to do anything you're not ready for. Just… let me be here. With you."

Kai was silent for a long time, but this time, I could see the way his shoulders relaxed, like he was at least considering the possibility.

"Haruka, I…" He trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"I know," I said, offering him a small smile. "You don't have to say anything yet. Just know that I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you want me to."

The tension in his posture seemed to ease, just a little. There was something almost tentative in the way he looked at me now, like he was unsure of what to do next, but he was letting me in.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally. "For pushing you away. I didn't mean to hurt you."

I shook my head, squeezing his arm lightly. "You didn't hurt me, Kai. You just… scared me a little. But I can handle that. I can handle you."

For the first time in a long while, I saw something soften in his expression—like a flicker of hope, or maybe just the tiniest bit of relief. He opened his mouth to say something, but before the words could leave his lips, the sound of rain hitting the windows grew louder, and I could see the clouds darkening even more outside.

"You want to go outside?" I asked, my droopy eyes meeting his in a mischevious glint of yellow, added along with a small smirk.

He looked confused for a moment, but then, his eyes softened. "Outside? In this weather?"

"Yeah," I replied with a smile. "It's raining. Let's go out and just… be. Maybe we'll stop thinking for a while and just feel something else."

Kai seemed unsure at first, but there was a glint of something in his eyes, something like curiosity or maybe just a break from the heaviness of the world around him.

He stood up slowly, his movements tentative, like he wasn't sure if he was ready for it, but when I took his hand, he didn't pull away. Instead, he let me guide him outside.

—-~

Kai's POV

The moment I stepped outside into the rain, something shifted. The cold, steady downpour soaked through my clothes, but instead of feeling miserable, I felt something else—light.

Free, even.

Haruka was already standing in the middle of the yard, arms stretched out, her face tilted up toward the sky, letting the rain hit her skin.

Her hair clung to her cheeks, and her eyes were closed as if she didn't care about the world around her, about anything but the simple feeling of the rain.

"Haruka," I called, but my voice was lost in the sound of the storm.

She turned to look at me, and her smile was so full of life that I almost couldn't believe it.

"Come on," she called, laughing as she twirled in the rain. "It's not that bad. Trust me, the rain can wash away all the bad stuff."

I hesitated, feeling the weight of the world pressing on my shoulders again, but when I saw the way she was looking at me—her eyes open and unafraid, despite everything—I couldn't help but follow her.

I stepped into the yard, letting the rain soak through my hair and my shirt, and for a moment, it felt like everything I had been holding onto—the fear, the loneliness, the pain—was being washed away with each drop that hit my skin.

Haruka grinned at me, splashing in the puddles. "You're too serious," she teased, but there was no malice in her voice. "Loosen up, Kai."

I laughed. It felt strange, foreign, but good. Maybe I could try. Maybe I didn't need to have everything figured out right now. Maybe I could just... be.

I splashed through a puddle, and we both laughed together, the sound of our voices rising above the storm.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't easy. But for the first time in weeks, I felt like I was moving in the right direction.

We didn't talk much. We didn't need to. We were just two people, standing in the rain, together.