“Yeah, I did.”
Haru smiles to himself as he sets it back down. He looks around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “Where should I sleep?”
“We can share the bed.”
“You don’t mind?”
“I mean, it wouldn’t be our first time,” I say.
“I almost forgot,” he says with a chuckle. “Hopefully you won’t scream at me in the morning this time.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
I grab a clean set of clothes and place it on the bed. Then I hop in the shower, leaving Haru to change. The hot water feels nice against my skin. When I return to the room, Haru is staring out the opened window. The moment he turns around, I go still. He’s wearing something I don’t expect. The T-shirt I bought for Daniel’s birthday.
“Where did you find that shirt?” I ask.
“I found it on your desk,” he says. “The one you gave me didn’t fit. Hope that’s alright.”
I look away. “Yeah… totally.”
It’s strange seeing it on him. Especially knowing Daniel never got the chance to wear it. But I don’t mention this at all. Eventually, I turn off the light as we climb into bed together. It’s slightly awkward at first, having someone rightnext to me. The streetlamp from outside gives off enough light to see his face. We don’t fall asleep right away. We just lie there in the dark, staring at the ceiling. After some silence, I turn my head to look at him.
“I’m sorry I left you,” I whisper.
Haru runs a hand over my cheek. “Which time?”
“Both,” I say. “But I’m glad you came back.”
“Always.”
We don’t say anything else. I just smile as we lie there together, the two of us facing each other, as we finally fall asleep.
Six
Haru is gone when I wake up. Sunlight shines on the emptyside of the bed. As if no one was sleeping there the night before. I run my hand across the sheet. For a second, I think it was all a dream. But it all felt so real. The scent of him still lingers. I push myself up slowly and look around the room.Where did you go again?
I rub the sleepiness from my eyes and climb out of bed. Maybe he’s somewhere around the house. He wouldn’t leave without telling me, right? As I step into the hallway, a piano is playing. For a second, I think Jasmine is home. I follow the music into the living room and find the television on. But it’s just another home movie. Dad must have accidently left it on again. I watch it for a moment. Jasmine and I are sitting at her toy piano, playing in her bedroom. I can hear Dad’s voice behind the camera. He used to film everything when we were younger.
I let the video play for another minute. Then I grab the remote and turn off the television. Maybe I’ll watch the rest of it another day. But I’m looking for Haru right now. He has to be around here somewhere. I check every room in the house. I even go to the roof in case he wandered up there. But there’s no sign he was ever here. When I return to my room, Ifind something on my desk. It’s another origami star, folded from notebook paper. I hadn’t noticed it before. I pick it up and turn it in my hand.
Haru must have left this for me. Maybe this is his way of telling me he’ll be back. I wish there were some way to send him a message. I was hoping we would spend the day together. I had it all planned in my head.How long do I have to wait for you to show up again?As I stare out the window, my phone goes off. An unknown number is calling me. Usually, I let it go to voicemail. But the area code is from Chicago. So I answer the phone.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice comes through. “Is this Eric Ly?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m calling from the managing office of the Chicago Theater,” she says. “We’re currently reviewing your application and would like to set up a time for an interview.”
The Chicago Theater? For some reason, I don’t remember applying there. Then again, I probably sent out a hundred applications over these past few weeks. “Sorry, what job is this for again?”
“A box office associate. Do you have any availability this week?”
“This week?” I pause to think, even though my schedule’s completely open. But I don’t want to come off as too eager. I clear my throat, trying to sound more professional. “Yes, I should be available. What’s the soonest I can come in?”
“The office is open until two.”
