ᴇɪɢʜᴛ.

The back of their hands brushed against each other while walking. She preferred to ride a bus than to call for a cab and let him pay for the fare. The bus arrived and she immediately paid their fare, leaving him with no choice but accept it. They didn't exchange words while traveling though it was obvious in her eyes that she still wanted to cry. She was still feeling bad regardless of the assurance he gave her. The bus stopped in front of the amusement park.

"No. Let me pay for the tickets." He whispered, holding both of her hands while hugging her from behind. She doesn't know how to react.

It was almost dark and after buying the tickets, they rode the ferris wheel. He reached for her hand and held it gently. He is not rushing things, right? He is just holding her hand. She slowly pulled her hand away from his grip. She should be happy that he is finally setting his eyes upon her but she can't. She feels like she is doing the wrong thing instead. Her tears fell once again but she quickly wiped it.

"Sensei, we should—" She started but he cut her off. He felt like she would say something that might break his heart.

"It's not Sensei. Call me Sho. I'm not here as your doctor. I'm here as a man who wants to pursue you." He said and she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before shaking her head.

"No, Sensei. You can't pursue me. It's not right. I'm still your patient. We can't be together." She finally let her tears pour out. It was painful to tell those but she needed to.

"Are you worried that I might lose my certification as a doctor? I can ask my colleague to be your consulting doctor instead of me. That will work, right?" He carefully held her arms to make her look at him.

"Sensei.. I can't. I don't want you to risk your achievements just for me." She cried hard. He let her arms go as he leaned on his seat.

Their time is almost up. She sobbed quietly beside him and after a few moments, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his face closer to kiss her lips. It was her first kiss and deep inside, she is happy that he is the one who got it. She broke the kiss and the door went open. She didn't dare to look back at him anymore when she left. It was her decision to be a coward and she will stand for it.

Makoto was excited to know how their museum date went. He waited for her in the living room but instead of feeling happy, he felt mad when he saw her crying. He immediately hugged her tight and she continued to cry in his arms. He didn't know what happened, so he stayed quiet. He helped her sit on the couch and then, he took her shoes off. He took care of her that night, just like he used to do when she was still sick.

The next day, he went to the hospital to talk to him. He saw him talking to a nurse, so he excused him for a while because he wanted to ask some questions. They went inside his office and the older one's eyes widened when he suddenly knelt on the floor. He asked Makoto to stand up but he didn't budge. The younger one bowed his head to the floor and he let out a deep sigh.

"Please, don't take my sister away from me. I know she got your late girlfriend's heart but please, let her go. I don't want to see her in pain anymore. Please, Sensei. Please let go of her." Makoto begged and he doesn't know if he should be the one to let go when she is the first one to decide that they should not have a relationship.

"It's not me. It's her who rejected me. I have nothing to let go. I transferred her records to my colleague. Aoyama-sensei will be the one to check her up starting this month. Don't worry. He is a good doctor." He said while sitting on the couch. He didn't say anything anymore after that and when Makoto thanked him and left.

He took the small velvet box from his coat pocket and opened it. He stared at the pair of silver bands designed with small stars. He was supposed to give those rings to her but she rejected him. He stood up and opened his office desk's drawer. He saw the proposal ring he was about to give Fuyu before. With two Fuyus hurting him, he just let out a faint laugh. It must be his fate to be stuck with Fuyus. He put the box inside the drawer and then, he took the other one. He will sell it and that will be better for him.

"Sensei, we need you in the operating room." A nurse knocked from outside and he quickly put the box back inside the drawer and closed it.

"What is the patient's condition?" He asked when he opened the door. They rush to the operating room while the nurse is giving the information that he needs before performing the surgery.

On the other hand, she just stayed in her bed the whole day. She already cried enough and she will not cry anymore after last night. She is a strong woman. She will be able to handle this pain now. Makoto walked in with a slice of lemon cheesecake on a plate. She smiled faintly when she saw this. Cheesecake is her comfort food. She sat in her bed and pouted when he insisted on feeding her.

"Will you be alright?" He asked and she looked at him. She slowly nodded and accepted the portion of cheesecake he was feeding her.

"It is okay to be a coward, Fuyu. As long as your reason will prove you made the right decision. Your goal for now is to finish your studies and when it is finally the right time, you can go back to him." He added and she nodded once more.