The Journalist

Part 74: I'm the Man Who Came From Your Past

Hearing the challenge I had to do, all my friends fell silent and nudged each other. On the contrary, my view was spontaneously directed at Yuna who was doing a photo shoot with Yoshizawa.

"I'm sorry, Ayano-san, according to the rules of the game, what your choice should be" said a male friend who had just read me a challenge.

Imada then snatched, "You're crazy, did you forget Ayano-san and Sakurai ...."

"All right!" cut me up while putting the crystal glass I was holding onto the table, "just asking for a dance, right? It's not my fault if he doesn't want to" I said as I stood and fixed the position of the tuxedo I was wearing.

With firm steps without a smile, I walked towards where Yuna was standing at the moment. From a distance not too far away, I could see Yuna was busy serving guests who wanted to take pictures with her. If anyone thinks I'm normal when I part with Yuna. It's wrong! In fact, it took me a year to truly release it.

I walked along with the story that had gone before. Stepping along with a pile of memories about the true story of our relationship. Every step took me back down through the pieces of events that started our separation. Starting from my departure to the country of Syria due to duty, Yuna who followed to the country, my heart that was disturbed due to the presence of Ameena, Yoshizawa's candid recognition of wanting to take Yuna away from me, until the fateful accident that befell Yuna when I was planning to mend our relationship again.

Twenty steps towards Yuna, suddenly recorded Yoshizawa's words that had struck me.

"Since Yuna continues to be by your side, then do you consider your relationship to be okay? Since Yuna never talked to you about it, do you think Yuna is happy to continue having a relationship with you? No, he was tormented for having to continue opposing his father! Leave Yuna! Your relationship has no future! I guess Yuna also realized that, just that maybe she didn't have the heart to leave you."

Fifteen steps towards Yuna. The sound of Yuna's bated cry again flooded my auditory canal, so remembering how I gave up and chose to part from her. But it didn't last long when I decided to fight and maintain our relationship. Unfortunately, I haven't done that yet, Yuna first experienced the incident that made me and our memories swept away from her memory.

"A–ayano?"

"Do you know him?"

"He's my classmate."

Ten steps towards Yuna, I started to catch my breath. As tight as it turns out I can still feel when I remember how Yuna's parents took advantage of the conditions experienced by Yuna after surgery to throw me out of her life. Even still vividly remembered, when her mother pushed me out of Yuna's nursery.

"Can you get out of here? Yuna needs a lot of rest!"

"Aibi .. I ...."

"Please, leave us! Yuna like this has made us happy. As long as he survived, this was no problem either. Don't make her mind go awry!"

Five steps towards Yuna, recollected when I decided to let Yuna go and not bother her anymore. I invited Yoshizawa to meet and asked her to look after Yuna.

"Please promise to pay more attention to the way I pay attention to her. Promise me to always take care of her better than the way I look after her. And .. Promise me to continue to love her bigger than the way I love her" I said.

"I promise."

Just as there were only three steps leading up to her, the newlywed couple only realized my presence.

"Awen?" greet Yuna with a little surprise.

I took a breath, then looked into his eyes. For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I turned to Yoshizawa. From Yoshizawa's gaze, I can guess her concern over my arrival.

"Yoshizawa-san, can I take your wife to dance?"

Yoshizawa's eye beads widened instantly. Instead, Yuna turned to the table where my comrades were gathered.

"They're playing games. Let Ayano-san complete her challenge to dance with me, huh? If not, they'll snag him." Yuna persuaded Yoshizawa instead.

"Ah, you don't have to accept my invitation" I said hurriedly.

I was stunned when Yuna looked at me with eyes that seemed to be waiting for me. Unknowingly, my hand slid forward. Yuna welcomed my helping hand and then walked gracefully down the stairs.

"Please careful! My wife is pregnant with my child" Yoshizawa said just as I led Yuna to the dance floor.

My steps stopped for a moment. Yoshizawa's words seemed to emphasize that Yuna was now hers. With my head turned back, I turned towards the man.

"Happy for both of you. I'm sorry, I almost forgot to say it" I said with a smile framing my face.

Classical music was playing beautifully right as we entered the dance floor. Me and Yuna were facing each other with eyes that were rubbing. His face was glistening under the lights. Our palms stick together gently with tightly knitted fingers. Next to her hand was placed on my shoulder, while one of my hands was on her back.

I began to lead the movement and guide him to adjust my steps. Our beads stared at each other closely in a very close distance. Her charming smile gently greeted my gaze. His right hand was warm in my hand. The hand that belongs to someone else.

"During the time you didn't see each other, were you okay?" tanyakanya.

"Yes, I'm fine" I replied.

"Ayano-san," he called slowly.

"Have we ever been this close?" A question leaped from his lips.

I'm speechless. Sure do. We were this close. We were never even apart at all. But how could I say that. My story sheet with him has run out which forced us to close the book.

While adjusting my dance moves, Yuna said slowly. "Compared to other friends, even Imada, somehow I feel closer to you. Though we have only met again today, but there is no sense of stranger or awkward as if we are very familiar. As I recall, we are just classmates who rarely say hello. Even I was annoyed at you for outperforming my replay value. Did I remember wrong?"

I could feel a small squeeze from his fingers as he said that. Yuna's memory stalled in the first grade of High School. Meanwhile, our relationship started when we entered the second grade.

"We are just classmates, nothing more" I replied with fingers tightly stuck together.

No Yuna....

I'm a man who came from your past. I didn't come here to harass you, but just wanted to make sure you were happy with her. If by not remembering the past we have made you happy, then stay like this.

"Ayano-san, aren't you already married to a Middle-East girl? Why didn't you bring her here?" ask again.

I was stunned for a moment. At that time, to make Yuna not try to remember anything about our relationship, Yuna's mother told her that I was married.

"Me and her .. separated by circumstances."

Yuna's bead widened. "Sorry .. Are you divorced?" ask him carefully.

"Even we didn't start anything" I said briefly.

"Oh, so. Then, are you in a relationship with someone?"

"I'm empty."

"I suspected! It reads clearly in your eyes" she replied.

"What does it look like in my eyes?" my many.

"Rampaign."

"Is that so?"

"If you may give advice, do not allow yourself to be overcome by emptiness, for it will harden your heart."

A smile adorned his face. He's still the same as before. Cheerful, caring, and that concern. Nothing has changed from him except his own memory.

When the rhythm of the music changed, he raised my hand up and performed a beautiful spinning motion. In the next instant, his body was pulled towards me and stuck to the side of my body with his head resting on my shoulders.

"You shouldn't have done this move while pregnant," I said as I restrained her shoulders.

Yuna even gave a small laugh. "You believe I'm pregnant?"

"Eh?"

"I think my husband purposely told you that. She's jealous and I'm glad to see her jealous."

He turned around once more and I immediately caught his body to enter my arms. This was the last dance of our dance. The applause of my friends sounded boisterous. Apparently, they were watching both of us.

Our finger link finally came off. I bowed before Yuna with one leg bent back. After I finished dancing, I drove her back to Yoshizawa's side.

"Thank you for letting me dance with her" I told Yoshizawa, then I turned to Yuna, "Mrs Yoshizawa, thank you for the cooperation. Once again, congratulations on your marriage. I'll be happy always."

I turned around to prepare to leave. However, just three steps away, Yuna called back to me.

"Ayano-san!"

I turned my head towards him.

"Ganbatte!" he said with both hands clenched up.

The corner of my lips is small. "August ...."

Although my story and Yuna ended forcibly, I have managed to free my senses and make peace with the circumstances. If I hadn't been reunited with Ameena after the breakdown of my relationship, there wouldn't have been a moment like this where I could have stood with my head held straight despite seeing my ex-lover with another man.