Sweet Burden (9 page)

Hurriedly, she pulled herself up into the passenger’s seat and shut the door. Brushing water off her shoulders, Hitomi turned to Bradley. He sat with his hand coolly draped over the steering wheel and a smile on his face too big for that early in the morning.

“Good morning,” he beamed.

Ick! He’s a morning person.
She forced a grin and rested her bag down on the floor. “Hi. We should go before we’re late.”

Bradley let out a little murmur of agreement and he backed out of the drive. They started down the road as she buckled her seatbelt.

“I hope you don’t mind that I picked you up today,” he commented.

“No, its fine,” she sighed as they passed the empty bus stop. She glanced around the surrounding area for just a glimpse of the black haired boy, and then relaxed back in the seat feeling a twinge of pain in her stomach. How could she miss him? She barely knew him.

“Are you alright? You look a little pale,” Bradley commented as he turned the corner.

“Yah,” Hitomi nodded and turned to him forcing a grin. “Just a little tired. How could I not be pale with all the rain anyway?”

“True,” he laughed. There was a long silence between them until Bradley spoke again. “I hope you don’t mind that Kerry invited me to the dance.”

“The more the merrier,” she shrugged, not really feeling the words. Hitomi was occupied with other thoughts.

“What color dress are you wearing?”

“Um, I’m not sure yet. I’m going shopping tomorrow.”

“You’ll have to let me know so I can get you the right flowers.”

She almost choked as she comprehended the words. He actually thought it was a date. Was it a date? Hitomi nodded her head at him and turned back to the window. How could it be a date if he hadn’t even asked her and she had never agreed?

She listened as he talked about the dance and about soccer. She would nod in agreement or mumble a “um hm” from time to time to signify she heard him. When they arrived at school Hitomi could hardly wait to get out of the car. Bradley wasn’t a bad person, she just wasn’t interested in him.  Her mind was desperate to find out more about her dark hero.

Hitomi walked through her daily routine at school. She felt exhausted and tried to recall her dreams from that night. She had been dreaming vividly, mostly about Obi and bright lights, but this morning she couldn’t remember what she had dreamt. Even by lunch time she had not snapped out of her stupor. Kerry tried to ask her questions about what happened with Bradley, but Hitomi merely shrugged and continued to ponder every word Obi had said yesterday. Eventually she became irritated with herself for spending so much time even thinking about him, but she couldn’t seem to stop.

Her chest felt heavy and her stomach ached as she walked out of the building. She wasn’t sure she even had the strength to walk home. She waved goodbye to Kerry and Shane and sat down on the bench outside the doors. Hitomi found herself staring up at the roof, wondering if whatever had been watching her was up there now.

“Hitomi? Do you need a ride?” a voice asked.

She dropped her gaze to Bradley in front of her. The idea of walking home alone and having to go past the empty bus stop wasn’t sitting well in her stomach. “Um, yah. If you don’t mind.”

Bradley’s face lit up with a smile. “Let’s go.”

Hitomi stood up and suddenly felt faint. Her knees started to buckle and Bradley quickly grabbed her arm and steadied her on her feet.

“Are you alright?”

“Yah, I’m fine. Just a klutz,” she forced a grin.

Bradley wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. “You really don’t look so well.”

“I just need to go home.” She tried to pull out of his grip, but he wasn’t about to let go. He had an iron grip around her and he pulled her arm around his neck for better support.

“I’ll get you home.” Bradley helped her to his car. She felt awkward with his arms around her, but she let him help her. “Did you eat anything today? Maybe that’s why you’re weak,” he commented as they started towards her house.

“I, um, I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember if you ate?” he raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve been kind of out of it today,” Hitomi shrugged and leaned back against the leather seat. She stared out the window confused about how she felt. All day she had been thinking of Obi and numbly moving through the daily motions. She couldn’t even remember if she ate or if she had grabbed her books from her locker. She felt her bag, able to discern a few books, but still not sure which ones she had grabbed.

It was only a few minutes until Bradley pulled the shiny SUV into her driveway. She had barely glanced at the empty bus stop bench, knowing he was not there. Bradley was quickly out of the car and pulling her door open for her. He helped her out and up the front steps.

“Thanks Bradley,” Hitomi grinned as she opened the front door. She pulled out of his grip, which he didn’t let go of so easily. She gripped the handle and leaned against the door. “I guess I should get something to eat and rest.”

“Good idea. Do you need any help? I mean, I could make you something to eat,” he suggested.

“That’s okay Bradley. You’ve already done enough. Thank you for the ride home.”

“So, if you’re feeling better tomorrow, would you want to go to a movie?”

“Um, maybe. I’ll call you.” Hitomi shut the door and went over collapsing on the couch. She had only been sitting there a few minutes when there was a light knock on the door. She rolled her eyes and got up.  She wondered what Bradley wanted now as she opened the door, and then she took a step back firmly grasping the door handle. Her eyes widened at the figure leaning against the door frame.

Obi stood there with his arms folded and gaze turned down. His hair was shiny from the rain and his eyes appeared even darker. His white button-down shirt stuck to his skin and his green corduroy jacket was two shades deeper than intended.

Hitomi held onto the knob for balance. She would not be the first one to speak, she repeated to herself. He was the one at her door. He should say something first, but he just stood there.

“Hi,” she mumbled. A growl erupted in her head at herself.

“Hi,” he adjusted his arms and looked up at her. Then there was just silence. Not really an uncomfortable silence, but a silence filled with unspoken questions.

Hitomi’s hand squeezed the knob so tightly her fingers began to ache. Her heart thundered in her chest. Why was he standing in her doorway looking utterly delicious?

“Did you make the food last night?” he finally asked as he nudged the plate by the door with his foot. Dear lord, even his boots oozed coolness.

Hitomi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Is that seriously what you’re asking me?” she blurted out.

“Yes. It’s a logical question,” he cocked his head slightly. “It’s definitely more logical than asking if you’re an angel.”

Her cheeks heated up embarrassed, but she instantly went on the defensive. “You just came here to fight?”

“I’m not here to fight.”

“Then why are you here? You made it pretty clear that you don’t like me.” She huffed and pulled her aching fingers from the knob.

“That’s not true,” he muttered. Hitomi’s heart fluttered as she waited for more of an explanation. He couldn’t just say that and not follow up with anything else. “You just threw me off the way you approached me. People usually leave me alone.” She watched as he licked his lips and shifted his feet. She could have sworn that he looked uncomfortable and nervous. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Hitomi held back a smile. “Okay.”

Obi lifted his head again. Something in his gaze brought goose bumps to her arms and her body shuddered. “You forgive me so easily?” he questioned.

She nodded and gave a shrug. She wasn’t sure that she could formulate any response. Then Hitomi did something that even she couldn’t understand. She pulled the door back and stepped from the entryway. “Do you want to come in?”

Obi unfolded his arms and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stepped into the house and Hitomi shut the door. She stared at his back as he glanced around.

“You should really invest in an umbrella since it rains almost nine months out of the year these days. The other three months it snows,” Hitomi commented.

“I don’t mind the rain,” he shrugged as he walked over to a table of photo frames and began inspecting them.

Hitomi was trying to recall exactly what photos were displayed. She prayed nothing embarrassing. She continued to stare at him as she suddenly realized that she no longer felt faint or tired.

Her face must have held a perplexed appearance because he glanced back at her and asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll go get you a towel.” She sprinted up the stairs and into the bathroom. She was afraid to leave him alone, but she was even more afraid to be in the same room with him. She needed to escape for a few minutes to get her bearings. She yanked a towel out of the linen closet and then started checking herself in the mirror.

Hitomi fluffed at her hair and applied fresh deodorant. She scowled at the reflection thinking she didn’t have much to work with. She wasn’t really sure why she was trying to prep herself. Grabbing the towel, she went back downstairs to find the room empty.

“Obi?” she nervously called out, deciding that he had probably left. “Obi?” She clutched the towel as she walked into the kitchen. Obi was standing at the refrigerator examining more photos that were neatly hung by bright colored magnets. He turned to her as she entered.

“Did you take these?” he motioned to the photos. Luckily the photos were mainly of the town and nature. There were a few silly photos of Kerry and one photo of Hitomi. She said a silent ‘thank you’ that the picture was recent and actually one she liked.

“Um, most of them,” she nodded.

“They’re good,” he commented.

“Thanks.” She moved across the kitchen and held the towel out to him. “Here.”

He took a hold of it, but she did not let go right away. Her stomach knotted and twisted. She was staring at him and she couldn’t seem to pull her eyes away. She knew she should stop, but she was completely drawn to him. His eyes were luring her in, raising her pulse. He was like a magnet pulling her toward him. And he was staring back.

Suddenly thunder rumbled over head, which was enough noise to briefly distract her enough to turn away. She dropped her hands leaving the towel in his grip.

“Do you want something to eat?” Hitomi asked as she tugged on the edges of her sweater.

“Do you?” he replied.

She tried to look at anything besides him. She focused on a yellow and blue plaid dishtowel hanging by the sink, afraid if she turned back to him she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from moving closer to him.