15

the bad boy consoles

IT WAS EVENING when Akari heard the garage door behind her open. She had successfully avoided him for the past hours ever since that happened. She was more lugubrious than she had been in the evening and distracted herself by scrolling through her Instagram feed and liking pictures randomly even though her mind was elsewhere.

"Hey Akari," Julian began, wiping his hands on a rag. "So, the issue with the Mustang was in the ignition system. Specifically, the ignition coil was on the fritz. It's a crucial component responsible for sending voltage to the spark plugs, and when it malfunctions, the engine struggles to start."

"Ok..." Akari gulped, trying to understand but it was hard with her science-oriented brain. But, he did look hot speaking so confidently about something he was passionate about.

"I swapped out the faulty ignition coil with a new one. Now, your Mustang should have a steady spark, ensuring proper combustion and a smoother start. You should be good to go!"

"You fixed it? In a day?" She was gobsmacked and couldn't believe it.

"Yes," Julian said, taking the bottle in front of him as he opened the cap, "It's fixed. It just needs petrol and you can take it for a run."

"Thank you." Akari said softly, shrinking back in her seat because now she didn't know what to do.

The Mustang is fixed.

It's over.

It's done.

But, why isn't Akari feeling any better than before? She felt confused because she never thought she would ever be able to fix the Mustang, but it's now done and Akari felt extremely befuddled with this new situation that she didn't plan on ever happening soon.

"Is that Mustang your Dad's?" Julian spoke, breaking the wreck inside her mind as she looked at him, a direct question coming straight for her.

"Yes." Akari whispered, calming down a little now that it's out. She could feel Julian coming closer to her, and she could see that he never took his eyes off of her, to know if she was alright with this subject.

"He called it 'Ruby'," The words tumbled out of her mouth even before she could stop herself and she sat up straight on the couch, eyes looking at him. "That Mustang was the reason my parents met," Akari let the words go on and she waited for Julian to say something.

"I would like to know more if you want to tell me," Julian spoke cautiously and Akari couldn't help but let out a small smile at the way he was so hesitant and worried for her, to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Because of that, she relaxed, hushing her mind off of senseless thoughts.

It's just Julian. Julian Jones. He's harmless.

"My mom was the daughter of a car repair shop owner." Akari started, looking at Julian who shifted himself to face her direction, looking immediately interested. "My dad wanted to fix his newly bought Mustang. He got into a minor accident. He came to the shop. Saw Mom. Fell in love at first sight." Akari smiled, shaking her head at the story that has been told to her so many times. "After seeing Mom, he came to the repair shop so many times after, just to woo her and by the time she started doubting how the man could get into so many accidents with his Mustang, she fell in love too. They both got together after that." Akari's eyes were distant as if she was picturing the scenario in her head. It was silly yet so lovely.

"I'm guessing your mom's Japanese," Julian raised his eyebrows.

"Correct," Akari nodded. "Got all the looks from my Dad and the personality from my Mom," She shrugged.

"No wonder," Julian nodded slightly yet curiously, "You can't tell if you are half-Japanese at first sight you know."

"Yeah," Akari nodded, rolling her eyes, "I get that a lot," She added.

"So..." Julian continued. "What happened to the Mustang?"

Akari sighed, trying to suppress down all her emotions and remain neutral. Maybe, it would help her feel better if she told someone— especially Julian because unknowingly, somewhere along the eighteen days Akari spent with him, she started to trust him and trust doesn't come to her easily. There were only a few Akari gave that power in her life.

"Well," Akari paused, taking in a deep breath before looking at Julian's eyes which were filled with reassurance and warmth. She felt her hands being pulled from her lap as she looked down to see him holding them softly between themselves. For some reason, that small action gave her the boost she needed.

"Coming from a small town, Dad and Mom loved to travel a lot. After I came along, they brought me and we went to a lot of places. That Mustang was with us everywhere we went. Road trips, picnics, long drives, beach trips— that Mustang took us and gave us memories." Akari smiled, reminiscing each nice moment, the silly smiles and beautiful laughter echoing through her head. Her father had a very particular kind of laughter that just makes you happy immediately. It was rare. The next memory shook her mind, dulling her bright eyes and making her grip on Julian's hands a little tighter, to which he seemed completely unfazed.

"You can tell me," Julian spoke. "I'm right here." He added softly, reaching a hand out to tuck a strand of stubborn stray hair behind her right ear. Akari watched him while he was doing so, feeling the contact with him making her feel a tiny bit better. His words embraced her like a warm blanket.

"It was a surprise trip. For my birthday." Akari started, immediately feeling herself tremble, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. "My parents surprised me with a trip to Gatlinburg, it was a mountain town with a great view. I have always wanted to go there." Akari paused, trying to calm her beating heart and she looked at her hands, held gently by the boy in front of her, his warm thumbs rubbing on her cold skin softly, making her feel comfortable.

"As my Birthday wish, I wanted to ride the Mustang. It was raining heavily and the road was muddy." She could see Julian's eyes widen with the realisation of what might have happened next. Akari shut her eyes close, feeling a tear slide down her left eye, and she opened them again, to look at Julian who never looked away but only reached forward to wipe the tear away gently. She watched him do so but her mind was elsewhere, dragging her away until her vision was just her sitting in the car on a rainy stormy night.

"We went uphill. Dad told me that I should let him drive as it was dangerous. I was stubborn and I didn't listen. I wanted to drive it. The next thing I knew, I forgot to press on brake and the car slipped off the road, crashing hard." More tears slipped down her cheeks and Julian came closer, hands now holding her entire forearm, squeezing them as if reminding her that she was here. She took a moment to suppress the oncoming tears and took a deep breath, reliving the memory— she could almost hear the lethal loud thuds and glass breaking sounds again. "I was fine but Mom and Dad weren't." She bit her quivering lip to stop herself from crying further. A shudder ran through her spine and her breath quickened.

"I called for them but they didn't respond. The car was still working. In a panic, I drove the car straight to the nearest hospital I knew. It was horrible because I could smell the blood and I didn't want to look at the seat beside me. And, I never turned around to look at the seat behind me, I didn't know how I will find my Mom—"

"Akari,"

"I kept saying Mom and there was no response. I was praying that they were just unconscious but the smell of the blood was everywhere and I couldn't—"

"Akari, stop,"

"I fainted," Julian's pleading became deaf on Akari's ears and she was re-living the memory of the exact scenario. The faint smell of blood and the pattering raindrops on the roof of the car muffling her cries pushed her to the edge. "Once I reached the hospital, I fainted," Akari gathered a deep breath. "I woke up three days later and my friends— Ha-eun, Fleur were beside me." She let a cry leave her lips as she finally looked at Julian who had tears welling up in his eyes as well but never dropping. "They told me they died."

Julian immediately pulled her, crushing her into a tight hug and Akari cried her heart out, unable to hold onto the heartbreak longer as tears streamed down her face. Painful cries left her as she held tightly onto Julian's shirt. All her pent-up grief ever since that night poured out as uncontrollable tears, in front of Julian Jones who seemed more than willing to take them and share the pain with her.

She felt soft strokes on her head, hands softly rubbing through the strands of her hair in a sign of comfort— reminding her of a childhood memory of her father doing the same action. Akari felt her throat closing up as more tears welled up in her eyes. Her body was wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears. She didn't know how long they remained in that position. "I got you," Julian whispered into her ear, "It's not your fault."

"It is," Akari immediately responded, backing away from the hug, "If I had just listened to my Dad, they would both be alive—"

"You didn't know what was going to happen." Julian spoke softly, yet voice firm because he wanted her to understand, recover, and stop blaming herself for what happened. He sighed, looking at the tears rolling down her soft pink cheeks. "It's ok to feel whatever you want. But, if you truly think that this is your fault, then you need to forgive yourself Akari. Your dad and mom won't be happy seeing you suffer and live in hatred with yourself for what happened. They wouldn't want you feeling that way." Julian cupped her cheeks, making sure she registered every word he said and more tears spilt out of her eyes. Akari felt lost and yet at the same time she felt heard.

"I was the one who destroyed the car." Akari spoke after a few seconds of silent tears. "Three months after what had happened, I was in the stage of... anger. I was angry with everything and anything. I fought a lot." Akari sighed, regretting those dark moments of her life. "I came home and beat the car with a hammer. Ha-eun found me and stopped me. That's also when the nightmares started happening almost every night."

Akari's tears were gradually stopping as she looked at Julian. "After a year, I finally came to my... senses and thought of fixing the car." Akari exhaled tiredly, shoulders dropping and eyes worn out from all the tears. "It has been four years since that happened." Akari spoke and with that, the conversation came to a close. Julian could feel it and he slowly reached forward, hugging Akari once more in his arms to which she gladly went with, too tired to think.

Akari sighed, laying her head on Julian's shoulder and breathing in the faint smell of his clothes— her Dad's clothes that Julian was wearing. He looked really good in them; she had wanted to say them earlier but she was afraid of the questions he would ask. Now that Julian knew everything, Akari felt relieved, free, and somehow feeling even more closer both emotionally and physically to Julian Jones than she was before. She welcomed the feeling with her heart.

"You look good in my Dad's clothes," Akari spoke after a while of silence. She could feel Julian's surprise as she looked at his eyes which were looking down at her.

"Thanks," Julian spoke, looking as if he wanted to add something but was unsure of it. "I'm sure I would have been a great friend with him." Julian spoke, eyes sad.

Akari's eyes narrowed curiously, perking up a little as she thought of it. "Actually," She paused, "You both would have been great friends," She was intrigued with slight excitement lacing her tone. "He was a mechanical engineer too. Was passionate about it." Her eyes shifted to his arm, looking at Julian's tattoos. "He had tattoos too... he had mom's name, my name tattooed just right above his heart," She smiled weakly, feeling like she might cry yet again.

"A great man." Julian nodded before a sad smile graced Akari's lips. "Yeah," Akari breathed out, looking at Julian who was looking back at her with a bittersweet smile.

"Thank you for everything," Akari sighed, truly grateful that Julian Jones barged into her life when she never thought she needed it. "You are kind of cool." She added, couldn't help herself but tease him.

"Kind of cool?" Julian asked, eyebrows raising. "I'm amazing,"

Just like that, the atmosphere became light, and laughter echoed around the living room as the two fell into a playful conversation filled with teasing banters. Akari never left Julian's side, and their hands never separated for the rest of the night.

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Akari had a hard past. So glad Julian is here now. What do you guys feel? Please vote and comment. It encourages me more. (: