Chapter Text
Taka settles his winter coat and keys atop the coffee table before he directs himself to make dinner alone. His date didn’t go well again. Not that the girl was bad. If anything, she was pretty decent, intelligent even, that every time she spoke, Taka swore she sounded like a talking encyclopedia or something with the amount of knowledge she has. She’s smart, which is one quality that Taka looks for in a person. All of them were, though, girls he went on a date with. They were all pretty and smart. But he’s dumb and crazy because every time the date is about to go to an end— and greatly at that— he screws it up by telling them he wasn’t really interested in committing to a relationship. That the date was just a one time thing and nothing will work follow after. After which, the girls would tell him he shouldn’t have wasted their precious time if he wasn’t interested to begin with.
But he’s trying. He really is. He juggles his studies, social life, band practice and gigs, part time job, and potential love life in his hands like a fucking juggler whose life is at stake if he fails to catch all these balls altogether. But of course, one can only do so much. Eventually, he deems that he’s simply not meant to have a love life. Not at this moment though, he thinks, incredulously. He has time, he knows. He’s only 22 for fuck’s sake. So much to learn and so much to discover.
He can blame it all on his busy schedule all he wants. Blame it all on how in the morning he has got to go to the university, work in afternoon, band practice every after day, and rest when he has the chance. Blame every other encounter or circumstance as to why he couldn’t get himself to like every girl he’s gone out with.
They’re all perfect, don’t get him wrong.
He saunters towards his excessively large bedroom and huffs. He feels a little bit down today more than ever. And no, it’s not because he has just rejected a girl yet again. Something feels odd.
“Ah, it’s today,” he realizes as soon as he turns the lampshade on his study table and finds the calender. It’s December 7, and the temperature has gone down to five degrees celsius outside. Extremely cold for his taste and extremely bad for his voice.
He plops on his bed, December 7 whirling about in his head while he taps a finger on his cushion. The beat follows a song of his past that should have long been forgotten.
And yes, he can blame his hectic schedule for how miserable he is on the aspect of love, but he can’t run away from the fact that he can’t seem to forget about a certain person.
Rewind to December 2006
The heater works its way around the coffee shop, warming the customers while strong wind blows outside. The winter air is crisp outside and the sun begins setting as early as 5 in the afternoon. Though warm, Taka is shivering in his black winter coat, warm cup of chocolate drink in his hand. He is waiting for his two other friends, who are also his bandmates. They all belong to the school’s music club and performs as a trio band in school festivals.
Now, he sits in one of the coffee shop’s wooden chair awaiting Tomoya and Ryota. His guitar slants beside his chair, in a black, leather case his mother has given him. Minutes later, his bandmates arrive with huge grins on their faces. They are all excited to play in tonight’s winter festival at school. All students have been asked to attend.
“Kaori says she’s bringing along friends from another school to watch us tonight,” Tomoya excitedly says as they walk to their school. He is holding his drumsticks in his calloused hands, tightly gripping them out of sheer excitement.
“You think they’ll like us? I’m really nervous I’ll mess up the bass,” Ryota adds.
“I am scared I’ll mess up my vocals and guitar,” Taka responds. “But we’ve practiced really hard. Plus, Kaori’s bringing her friends, we cannot mess up in front of new people.” He chuckles and pats his friends in the back as they enter the gates.
Colorful buntings decorate the pathwalks and hallways. Along the corridor heading to the school gymnasium, snowflake cutouts were pasted on the wall and streamlined with blue Christmas lights. The hallways are full of students cleaning up their booths before they head to the gymnasium for the opening night of the year’s fest.
The trio met up with Kaori, their class president, in the backstage where other student performers are busy preparing their props.
“Are you guys ready?” She inquires as she fiddles with her fingers.
“Yea. We’re the last to perform right?” Tomo confirms.
“Yes,” Kaori answers as she peers behind them as if looking for someone. “I have a friend who came along.”
“I thought you said friends?” the bassist looks in confusion.
“I did say that. They backed out. But,” she points her forefinger in the air, “my other friend really likes music so he came along.”
“Where’s he? I really get psyched every time new people get to watch us perform,” Tomo responds, grinning at Kaori.
Taka hides behind his bandmates, muttering in silence some kind of a mantra. His heart is beating fast seeing all the students starting to pile up inside the enormous school gym. Of course, he has played for this people before. It should already be easy. But still, he feels listless as he grips the handle of his guitar case. Kaori notices him and he fidgets when she touches his shoulder to call hid attention.
“Hey there, popular guy! What’s wrong?” she asks.
Taka looks at her and brushes up his dark brown hair.
“I’m oddly nervous,” he says. He is sweating underneath his thermal shirt.
He doesn’t have any reason at all to be nervous because
1. He’s extremely musically talented. Girls swoon just by hearing his voice.
2. There’s no doubt he has excellent guitar skills.
3. His bandmates are equally awesome as he is.
4. He’s the most popular student in the school.
The list could go long if anyone asks anybody what it is they see in Taka that makes him the most likeable person in the school. He doesn’t need to be nervous.
“Ah! He’s here!” Kaori exclaims while she waves at the direction of a tall guy about the same age as them.