Shania's P.O.V.

I was sitting on Hiroki's bed, holding one of his stuffies tightly, when I heard someone come in. I thought briefly about going to see who it was, but then realised that the only people it could be were Hiroki and Emilie and I didn't need to check on them when they came in. It probably was Emilie, coming after another fruitless attempt of going to see her dad. She was terrified of seeing him, terrified of what he'd say, of what he'd do. She didn't seem to believe me when I said that he really wanted to see her, that he had changed. That made me think about how we had changed. Emilie had been a mess for a while, but then she had decided to go on her trip in honour of what her life would have been with her. Her. I couldn't bring myself to say her name, it always made me bawl my eyes out like a baby and I didn't need that now. My brain seemed to have other thoughts apparently because I suddenly couldn't think of anything else but her name. Leonora. Leonora. It repeated it to me time after time after time until I started sobbing and hyperventilating.

I was so lost in the mess that were my thoughts and feelings and my body that I completely forgot the other person in the flat until I felt strong arms wrap themselves around me and hold me tight. Until that other person started whispering calming things in my ear and started rocking me. Until their scent hit me and it was like a breeze of the freshest air ever.

Hiroki.

Hiroki was home. He had made it. A lot more time than I thought must have passed since I called him because I didn't expect him to be home now. However, I didn't dwell on his speediness but just breathed in his scent and, letting go of his stuffie, hugged him as tight as I could. To let him know how much I missed him. How much I loved him. How relieved I was to have him here with me. How happy I was to feel him. Because yes, at that moment, in the midst of my pain and of my sitting in the broken pieces of my life, I was happy to have the person I loved the most in the world with me, to feel him, to feel his love.

He also hugged me tighter and started apologizing over and over and over for leaving. The brokenness in his voice got to me and, feeling a lot calmer now, I moved so that I could see him and switched our positions so that I was the one holding him now. I held him tight and rocked him and whispered reassuring things. I told him that I loved him and that I didn't blame him for leaving. I told him that I understood why he had left and that I was happy he had had the courage to take the steps he needed to heal. I told him that I'd always love him and support him, whether he was here with me or at the other end of the world. I tried to show him through words all my love and understanding, not just through how tight I held him in my arms. I told him that even if we were both broken, even if we still needed time to heal, I'd always love him and we'd make it. Because we had our love for each other to make it through. We weren't alone, and we'd never be.

We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying being in each other's arms, enjoying finally being together. It felt indescribably good to be with him, I finally felt complete with him here. It was as if now that we were together, everything could resume its normal course and we could start mending ourselves. I knew that rationally that wasn't correct, that we were both able to mend ourselves on our own, but I also knew that it'd be a lot easier together and that we needed each other. I knew that I needed him and I could feel that he needed me in how he held me.

Was this what true love was? Knowing that you could work things out on your own but also knowing that it would be a lot easier and better with the person you loved by your side? Feeling complete when you were holding this person in your arms and wondering how you could have ever let them go? Holding them and realising that their touch and their presence was one of the best feelings in the world? Breathing in their scent and realising that it was home? Knowing that you'd always be home while in their arms, no matter what was going on around you? Was this what true love was?