Complications

Takashi was on his way to meet Kenji when he spotted a girl from Class 2-D chatting enthusiastically with him. Kenji caught sight of Takashi and waved, but the girl clung to his arm, gazing up at him and twirling her hair. Takashi's steps slowed, an uneasy feeling churning in his gut.

"Takashi, hey!" Kenji disentangled himself and jogged over. "This is Keiko. Keiko, my friend Takashi."

Keiko pouted prettily. "Just friend?" Her eyes swept over Takashi with thinly veiled disdain before settling back on Kenji, smile returning. "So Kenji, about this weekend - are you free?"

Takashi's heart sank like a stone as Kenji rubbed his neck. "Well, I did have plans with Takashi..."

"He won't mind if you cancel, will you?" Keiko looped her arm through Kenji's without waiting for an answer, pressing closer against his side. "We'll have much more fun together."

Kenji shot Takashi an apologetic grimace, allowing himself to be led away. Takashi waved halfheartedly, any trace of a smile fading from his lips as soon as they turned the corner.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he walked aimlessly, replaying that scene in his mind on loop. The curve of Keiko's smile, the coquettish tilt of her head as she gazed up at Kenji through mascara-coated lashes. The way she had staked her claim to his time so easily, dismissing any plans he already had. As though Takashi were merely an afterthought.

You don't even know him, he wanted to yell after her. Not the way I do.

A cold sensation of dread gripped him as her parting words echoed in his thoughts: We'll have much more fun together. She would stop at nothing to win Kenji's affections, that much was clear. And against that kind of bold charm and persistence, what chance did Takashi stand with his shy glances and awkward silences?

He thought of Kenji's awkward smile as he allowed himself to be led off, powerless to refuse a pretty girl's request. A swell of jealousy rose unbidden in Takashi's chest, tasting bitter on his tongue. They would undoubtedly spend more and more time together, and eventually...

His feet slowed as he rounded a corner, pulse pounding in his ears. The world seemed to spin with dizzying speed, his thoughts fragmenting into shards too painful to grasp for long. Leaning against the wall, Takashi squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to steady his breathing.

There was nothing he could do. He had no claim over Kenji, no right to interfere or voice his objections. His secret remained locked behind closed lips, and by the time it emerged - if it ever did - it would surely be too late.

All this time, Takashi had waited and hesitated, unsure of Kenji's feelings or his own. Now his punishment had arrived in the form of a sweet-smiling girl who had the courage to reach out and take what she desired. As his chance slipped through his numbed fingers, he realized with sinking certainty that he had never grasped it at all.

Takashi sank down with his back against the wall, wrapped arms around his bent knees. There in the empty corridor with shadows closing in, he allowed his front of bravado to falter - and wept in silence for the heart he could no longer pretend was still whole.