Hello, Kenzo

For Better or For Worse

"Why the f*ck are you crying?"

The moment Kenzo wrapped me around himself as he sobbed into my shoulder and wept, all of my problems, worries, insecurities, anger, and fear faded away like mist under the light of the full moon. All that remained was a sense of rightness, of peace, and a little irritation.

But instead of answering, he only buried himself deeper into our embrace. He held me close, tight, so very tightly—I could only think of getting back to the people who made him cry at this instance—and pressed his mouth into the crown of my head. It wasn't a kiss, though; just a simple, gentle pressure against my scalp.

"Why do you have to be so impatient? Ha?" he whispered with a voice thick with tears.

I pulled him out of his arms, gently pushing him up off of me.

"Impatient? Really? You were purposely ignoring my calls and messages so that I would go to you. Am I wrong? If not, you could have just sent me a message to assure me you're fine!" I muttered.

As the light of the street lamp reflected on Kenzo's face, I saw a familiar, tearful expression. The same expression back when we first parted. A sad smile twisted his lips into an awkward shape as he looked down and tried to keep the smile from fading.

His eyes were puffy, red, and bloodshot. The bags underneath them seemed more prominent, his hair looked even worse, and he looked like a man who had spent two months sleeping in a ditch and eating nothing but rotten fruit for three years.

"Are you leaving me again?" I gasped as my stomach churned in despair and memories of the time he left me rushed over me.

He stopped crying and stared at me intently for quite some time before exhaling deeply.

"They wanted me to, but I just can't!" Kenzo grabbed my hand, and we marched to the next alley from his sister's apartment.

"Where are we going?" I felt lost for a moment.

We stopped in front of an old-style house that looked abandoned. Its paint was cracked or peeling, and the porch was littered with debris. A ratty-looking tarp covered part of the roof, from what I could tell from my angle. I didn't know how much of the structure was intact, as it looked as if the wooden floorboards hadn't been fixed for forever. The windows were boarded over too.

"Hey, what is happening?" I asked softly, afraid of disturbing the still air by speaking louder than usual.

"So, she came!" A rugged voice came from the inside of the house, and after a while, I could see someone walking down the stairs with bottles of alcohol in his hands. "I told you, ignoring someone just means another way around for others. Hi Stella, I'm old man Gary, but you can call me Gary!"

I was stupefied by how this old man approached me with such calmness that this haunted-looking house terror just washed away.

"I am Stella."

"I know. I like you already. Look, I know my house might look like a house in those scary movies, but I swear, it's not, and I am not a scary person either." Gary winked and ushered us to sit at a simple wooden table set just in front of the house. "This house was being bought by me for years to develop into apartments, but I promised my late wife that I would keep it forever. Ok, let's drink."

I kept quiet as Kenzo helped me sit down.

And by the time Gary had made us drink more than five bottles, I could no longer hold in my emotions.

"What is happening here?" I whined.

The alcohol had taken over my system, but it did nothing to dull the pain inside of me. I needed to release it or things would get messy.

"His sister is throwing him out, and this poor boy couldn't find a place to sleep for a night because he does not want to be a burden to you! There, I said it. You owe me one, Kenzo!" Gary being talkative, wanted to thank him, but at the same time, I wanted him to shut up so we could talk privately.

"Is this true?" My voice cracked with so much guilt that I wanted to dissipate into thin air.

I felt so selfish and inconsiderate that I forgot how unwanted our relationship was to most, specifically his sister. My heart hurts for Kenzo.

"It is..." he admitted quietly. I couldn't tell whether the words tasted bitter on his tongue or if he didn't want to say them. He looked as if he was going to cry again, but he quickly wiped his eyes dry and took another swig of his liquor. "I wanted to do something about it without worrying you. I badly wanted to stay with you, so I needed to firm up my decisions."

I couldn't help but chug the whole glass of alcohol down in one go; the guilt was overwhelming me. I felt so guilty that I just wanted to melt down with his agonies.

He's too young for this, and I am not helping him anyway; I was just making things worse.

"I didn't know! I'm sorry!" My voice broke once more, and I started to sob loudly. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you!"

"Stop apologizing! Though half of it is your fault for being so beautiful and unusual, know that I chose to fall in love with you." His voice softened, and he reached for my hand, pulling me towards him and embracing me.

This time, his arms went around me properly. "My life was so bleak, Stella. But now that I'm here with you, I feel that everything will turn out alright."

"Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do. We both are here now, aren't we? Let's live together and make the best of it, shall we?"

We laughed at the absurdity of the statement and kissed in front of old man Gary. It was probably the most intimate display we've ever put together.

And with that said, I packed Kenzo's things, and we went to my apartment.

Whatever the circumstances, as long as Kenzo chooses me, I will stay by his side and fight with him until the end.

"I think we deserve to celebrate!" I hissed, and before the elevator fully closed, I pinned him against the elevator wall and kissed him naughtily.

Kenzo laughed at my enthusiasm and returned the gesture. Our fingers tangled themselves in each other's hair as our tongues brushed together, and then we slid over each other with more passion than usual. I broke apart from our kiss and kissed the curve of his neck. Kenzo moaned lowly and leaned his head back to give me better access.

We eventually got off the elevator and entered my room. Kenzo immediately flopped onto the bed, taking his shoes off, which resulted in me falling onto the mattress. I giggled, and Kenzo's laughter filled my ears. After a few minutes of giggles, he snorted into my neck and kissed my cheek.

"You're the worst!" I whined.

"Am I?" he asked as he climbed atop me and straddled me before slowly removing his clothes.

"Yes,"

He smirked as he undid his belt. "Then how about this?" He leaned over and gave my breasts a quick lick. "Better?"

I giggled at his silly antics and pulled him closer, kissing him passionately.

"Much,"

He smiled, and his hand trailed down my chest and between my legs.

He lifted himself off of me and started to unbutton his trousers, letting them fall to the bedsheets.