Kirito slowly opened his eyes as sunlight fell gently on his eyelids. He looked at Vivian, sleeping beneath him, leaning on the glass door. He got up and rubbed his eyes. He felt the band-aid on his cheeks. He looked at her as the sunlight struck the window pane and lit up her hair.

"So, you won't hate me, huh." He sat in front of her "Anyways," He pressed his arms on the glass window "Thank you for listening to me when no one else did."

'I feel strangely light today. Like, everything is cleaned up after a rainstorm' He thought as he looked up at the sky.

"Must be the weather" He said to himself. He heard his phone buzz and picked it up. He found Erika's texts.

'Let's meet up today. My treat. I'll listen to everything you've got to say'

He stared at the screen and then kept his phone aside. He got inside the shower "I didn't sleep that well in a while" He got out of the shower while rubbing the towel over his head. He picked up his phone and called Mr Hiomi "Dad, I'm coming to office today"

"Oh man! Not today"
"Why?" Kirito asked.
"I've arranged a lot of meetings today. You won't be able to handle so much altogether. Let me handle it--"
"No way, I'm young and more efficient than you. Plus you are stupid and only I can do it" Kirito poured milk into his cereal.

"But son, what if you fall sick again?"
"That was an accident, dad. I won't die, you know,as if I can. Work is work." Kirito ate the cereal while sitting on the chair near the dining table.
"Is your health good now?"
"I'm much better," Kirito said while eating.
"Hey, are you in love?"

Kirito stopped eating and looked at the bowl "Why do you think that?" He asked.
"I'm your father, you sneak. I told you, you'll like Vivian, I mean-- I hope it's her. Kirito, you dare not cheat." Kirito just stared at Vivian as she slowly tilted her head and fell on the floor.
"Kirito?"

"I'll talk to you later, dad." He hung up and finished up his cereal. "Love? No way." He pressed his hand on his cheek. He felt the band-aid and removed it from his face. He stared at the cereal while thinking about something. Suddenly, his phone started buzzing.

'Kirito, should I take it as a yes?' Erika texted. Kirito stared at it for a while
"No way am I falling for her" He said as he typed back.

'Yes'

"I should probably get ready" He got up and moved towards his closet. He wore a white shirt, with black pants and a maroon blazer. He brushed his messy hair and slipped into his shoes.
He put on his watch and picked up his phone. Then, he stared at Vivian from the door "I'm going." He walked towards the lift. As the lift arrived, he was restless enough to run back to his apartment.

He unlocked the door and got inside. Vivian was still sleeping. He picked her up from the floor and kept her on the bed. He covered her with the blanket and left the apartment. He again walked towards the lift and got inside it. A man stood inside it already. Kirito banged his head on lift's wall and the other man stared at him weirdly.

'What the fuck am I doing?' Kirito thought 'This isn't how I am! Calm down!'

Kirito reached the office and did a full inspection. He asked his secretary to get him the files of all the models who had joined their firm in the past one month, while he was gone. Later, he kept himself busy in the meetings and work until finally it was late evening.

"Sir, you should go home now. You can't check everything done in past one month" The Secretary said as Kirito looked at a paper.
"Dad is stupid. He signed this without even reading it properly." He tore the paper apart. "Cancel this assignment"

"But sir, they've paid us already--"
"I'm the businessman here"
"Yes, sir."
By one in the morning, he was done with everything. He had already sent his secretary off for the day. As he walked out, the watchman locked the doors of the office. He checked his phone and saw Erika's messages.

'I am still waiting'
'Why didn't you come?!'
'Enough, I made time for you and you didn't come! I am going back home!'
'Don't talk to me! You've insulted me!

"Really now," He got into his car. He tried calling her and she picked up "You were awake?" He asked.
"Yeah, what?"
"I was busy today. I went to office"
"I don't care, okay? You didn't come when I called and that's all I know!"
"Can't you wait for me?"
"I am not your slave. Fuck off!" She hung up.

He took a deep breath and threw the phone on the seat beside him. By the time he reached home, it was about half past one. He unlocked the door and got inside the apartment. The lights were up and he could hear Vivian singing all by herself in the kitchen. He peeped from behind the wall. She was chopping onions as tears flowed from her eyes while singing some old song which he had never heard before.

She didn't notice him until he gave a little cough and got inside the dining room. "Oh! You're back, Hiomi. I made baked fishcake today. Sit down, I'll lay the dinner"
"Why didn't you sleep yet?" He asked.
"You are working hard, good food is the least you deserve." She opened the oven.

"Good, it's still hot. I'll just serve it" She placed the food on a plate.
"Why don't you take a bath, you must be exhausted"
"Nah! I'll just eat. I'm very hungry" He sat at the dining table.

"Alright" She placed the plate right before him with a glass of a light green drink before him.
"What's this?" Kirito asked.
"It's a watermelon mocktail. I learned making these when I was seventeen because I used to drink a lot and I couldn't hold my liquor!" Vivian said.
"Oh, yeah you still drink a lot"
"No I don't!" Vivian shouted "It's been so many months since I last drunk anything!"

"Why are you so loud?"
"I'm not--"
"Shut up" He stuffed a piece of the fishcake into her mouth and she choked on it.
"Fuck, you're so annoying" His eyesbrows furrowed and he continued eating.

"But I--" She coughed again and broke away all the peace and silence.
"Go sleep," Kirito insisted.
"Okay" She accepted and went to the sofa. She covered herself with a blanket and closed her eyes. Kirito finished eating and drunk the watermelon mocktail-- immediately throwing it up in the kitchen sink.

"What the-- it tastes horrible!" He said. Vivian was asleep already. "How did she make it again-- wait is there lemon in there? Watermelon and lemon--I may not be any food expert but that's a horrible combination" He poured it down the sink. Then, he walked towards the fridge and took out a can of bear "I have also become a drunkard. No not really, I mean-- I don't lose control like her so I'm fine, right?"

He went towards the balcony and opened the can. After he finished drinking, he walked back inside and lay on the bed. He turned off the lights and closed his eyes.

"Great, now I can't sleep." He got up. He sat on the bed for a while, trying to fall asleep until he finally gave up and walked towards Vivian. He got under her blanket and lay beside her.

"Ugh! It's cramped! Why is this sofa so small? I'll get a new one tomorrow." He got under her and and pressed her body over his as he slept.
"This is it" He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Jericho looked into his watch as he sat on the golden bridge while looking at the pink and golden sky.
"Yeah this is it. But unfortunately, it's time" He said as his blue eyes turned grey.

- To be continued

Kirito Hiomi
My Heart Hates Me