MIMI

A dark aura surrounded the man as he stared at the floor, his eyes closed.

The car had been driving smoothly when it suddenly swerved, out of control. The car rolled over, lights swirled and the noise of the metal being bashed over the concrete was almost deafening.

His head jerked, colliding with the window, causing him to become disorientated before he even sustained the concussion that had him drifting in and out of consciousness.

At times, his eyelids fluttered, and he could see the b.l.o.o.d.y forehead of the blond-haired man beside him. He was unconscious.

By the time he gradually calmed down, he became even more nervous. He was frightened by his lack of control. He shouldn"t have snapped at her.

It"s just...he didn"t want her to see him like this. So disordered.

Tobias rubbed his stiff face and took a deep breath. Suddenly, something cold pressed against his cheek, disturbing him from his thoughts. Startled, Tobias raised his head.

"If you"re staying up, you might as well have some caffeine." The girl said with a mischievous smirk.

Standing in front of him with canned coffee in her hands was Mimi. Tobias"s dark eyes looked up at her with surprise.

"Mimi, what are you…"

"Thought I"d keep you company. It can be quite boring sitting all alone waiting." She said, slumping down in the chair across him.

Opening her canned coffee, she takes a sip while holding the second one out to Tobias. Her eyebrows furrow as she takes a sip.

"Ugh, bitter!" Her nose scrunches up. "Here, take yours, my hand is starting to hurt."

Waving the coffee can in his face, Tobias"s brows raise before he sighed, taking the can from her. However, he didn"t open it and simply stared at it with dull eyes.

Mimi continued drinking the bitter drink with a sour expression. Having enough, she places the can on the floor, looking at Tobias.

"You should go home," Tobias"s hoa.r.s.e voice came out in a whisper.

Mimi chuckles crossing her leg over the other.

"I will if you will." She grins.

"Mimi, I"m not playing around. Go home, you need rest." Tobias grips the can tightly in his hand. "Right now, I...just need some time alone."

The room became silent. Mimi"s lip pressed into a tight line, her eyes hard.

The Tobias Itou before her was completely different from usual.

Although his handsome face was as cold as ever, it was also very pale and frail. He appeared haggard and miserable. His clothes were disheveled. He had bloodshot eyes with dark shadows under them. Since the beginning, he avoided her gaze.

Mimi discovered the man in front of her looked weak and vulnerable at this moment, like a lost child.

Standing up from her chair, Mimi steps in front of the hunched man in his seat. She extends her hands out, which tense when approaching his face. However, her actions continue when she sees the image of a little girl sitting down in a dreary hospital room.

Alone and waiting. No one to console her after the death of her sister. She sat there with lifeless eyes. Alone.

She didn"t want that for Tobias.

Swallowing hard, Mimi grabs Tobias"s face, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

The moment his eyes look up, Tobias sees a pair of fiery, violet eyes, numerous emotions pouring out all at once. Her delicate features hardened with a serious, clear expression. He felt his soul tremble when looking into those eyes of hers.

"Listen here Tobias, I"m not leaving you alone. You can yell at me all you want, but we"re getting through this together!" Mimi said each word with conviction, her eyes fierce.

Tobias felt as if something was crushing his heart and breaking it into pieces. He gripped his hands tightly before dropping the can in his hand with a loud bang.

Despite her small frame, he desperately clung to her with extreme force. Tobias"s face rested on her chest as Mimi hunched over to clutch his head in her arms. She could feel his body trembling as she held him. She gripped him tighter. Both sought the other for rea.s.surance in the darkly lit room.

...

Hours seemed to pa.s.s by the time Mimi woke up. She slowly opened her eyes to the bright lights. When she came back to consciousness, she realized her head was leaning comfortably on Tobias"s shoulder.

Litfing herself up, she blinked against the soft light that a.s.saulted her. Then she blinked again when she saw where she was.

She was in the hospital lounge.

Mimi was slightly surprised since she didn"t expect to fall asleep.

Stretching her arms, she yawns.

"Awake?"

Mimi glances at the man sitting beside her and blinks. Tobias"s usually combed and neat hair was a mess. Probably because of all that happened, she hadn"t noticed how disordered he looked. It looked unnatural.

With a sluggish expression, she tried raising her hand to comb through his hair, but once again, found she was too short, even while sitting. Her lips formed into a pout.

Tobias suddenly looked amused. His body shifted as he leaned down to let her touch his hair. Mimi pressed her twisting lips together and straightened out his hair for him.

His hair felt really soft.

"Better?" He openly chuckled, his expression relaxed and amused.

Mimi nodded. Instead of leaning back up, Tobias continued to stare at her from a close distance, his warm breath fanning close against her face.

"Mimi…" His low, husky voice suddenly called her in a whisper.

"Yes?" She asked cautiously, suddenly feeling wide awake.

"Thank you…For being here with me. I mean it." He muttered just before he lowered his head to hers, knocking their foreheads together.

Mimi could feel his warmth and scent surround her as he gently leaned his against hers. He always seemed to like this action. And in truth, she didn"t mind it either.

However, a sudden thought appeared in her mind at that moment.

It wasn���t just the accident that made her realize this, but the moment Tobias confessed his feelings to her. If she wanted to try and make this work, if she wanted to see if his feelings will last, she needed to be honest.

"Tobias…" Mimi paused. "I need to tell you something."

Tobias opened his eyes and looked at her with a quiet gaze. There was no change in his expression. Very slowly, he lifted his head away, and he sighed in his seat.

"What is it?"

Mimi was silent for a long time, looking at her hands as though she was prepared for what she was about to say. She took a deep breath of air to suppress the uneasiness in her heart.

"Here isn"t the right place to say it. Do you think I could come to your house later?"

Tobias silently nodded. Mimi smiled, but it didn"t quite reach her eyes.

"Can you also promise me, no matter what I say…you won"t look at me differently?"

The moment she spoke these words, she felt some regret. At that moment, a warm sensation pressed against the top of her head. Looking up, she met Tobias"s soft gaze. He was patting her on the head.

"I promise." His voice softly caressed her entire being.

Mimi"s heart clenched. She forced a smile."Thank you."

Tobias was so gentle and caring. Not to mention honest. Something Mimi felt her under no circ.u.mstances she was to him. That"s why she was certain about her decision.

She was finally going to tell Tobias the truth.

She was finally going to tell him that she was a Hirogori.