The Day He Was Too Late

Rin was late... again! she was a petite girl with long dark straight hair. She had it up in two ponytails as it was always messy and in her face. She had the pale skin with a few freckles speckled on it like little rain drops. Her bright blue eyes scanned her surroundings for that silver-haired man. Rin Shiki has her bag over her shoulder as her legs dashed across the asphalt. Her head glanced around looking for Hide Okumura, her coworker.

Rin and Hide worked at a name brand soda company driving around to different locations and filling up the vending machines. They were both dressed in their work uniforms as Rin ran up to him. Hide was leaning against the van full of soda as he glared in her direction with his arms crossed

“You’re late.... again”

He said as he pushed his white locks out of his dark blue eyes. She made the face of a child being scolded

“I know! I know! I’m sorry! I was almost on time but then I spilled my drink on my uniform and had to clean up a bit! I swear I’ll be on time tomorrow!”

Hide rolled his eyes hiding a smile as he turned away to walk to the driver side. She stumbled behind him and climbed into the passenger side and put on her seatbelt.

“Yeah... same shit different day..”

Hide was always like this. Unlike Rin who was bubbly and sweet... he wa bit rude and closed off. He didn’t trust many people or let them in. Every day for the last few years they were partners going around and working for the company And every day she was late and he was left waiting on her. He at first couldn’t stand the girl but as the years went by he could have moved up to a manager and had been rid of her but, she grew on him.

He acted like he was annoyed or bothered but he really liked her. Correction, he had a crush on Rin. Rin being the silly oblivious goofball had no clue and Hide was way too prideful to admit it. So instead of confessing to her he continued to keep his guard up.

Rin, however, was very expressive on how much she liked Hide. As usual she leaned on the door winking in his direction and asked

“So... Do ya come here often?”

She gave that cheeky smile that made him blush slightly. He smiled as well and put the car in reverse backing out of the warehouse parking lot.

“Yes of course we work together you imbecile!”

He tried to look serious as he drove off to their various locations. This happened every day in and out. as the days went on the two grew closer. They shared each other‘s secrets, hopes, dreams, and memories. They made memories as well.

Like one time when they were driving and got a flat on the side of the road. Hide was worried they would have to spend the day with the company to figure this out because he was too embarrassed to admit he didn't know how to change a tire. Luckily Rin did! She told him not to worry and exited the car and successfully changed the tire. Though unknown to her she moved her foot into a fire ant pile and the ants had crawled into her clothes. Soon enough Hide heard yelling as Rin was hopping and scratching at herself yelling about ants. after he got them off her she continued to shake and fell on her rear.

Hide sat there staring off into the distance in the parking lot of the warehouse. This was the day. He was going to confess his feelings after years of friendship and working together. He was pacing now in front of the soda vehicle. She was late again. He laughed to himself as he could already see her running towards him tripping and stumbling to the car.

Rin was running through the streets. Her car hadn’t been working so she was late again. She wasn’t going to bother Hide with her car troubles. She didn’t have many friends and no family anymore. So she just had to make it work. She was 10 minutes late as usual as she was almost there. Her feet clicked on the concrete as she ran to the cross walk. She wasn’t paying too much attention to anything as she started crossing without even looking.

He waited and he waited. This was pushing it even for Rin! He waited almost falling asleep as he checked how long it had been. Suddenly his phone went off. Hide picked it up and was utterly confused.

“Hello?”

His face grew pale and he felt his stomach turning inside of his abdomen. He stared straight forward, his jaw Dropped in disbelief as he heard what the person on the phone had to say. He felt his heart stop as he lost his grip on his phone. He felt his eyes fill to the brim with tears as his phone crashed to the asphalt floor.

CRACK

His phone shattered cracking the screen and disrupting the call. Hide took off like a speeding bullet as he ran from the van in his work clothes and all out of the parking lot. he was running towards the hospital. It wasn’t too far since they lived in a big busy city. It would take longer with the company car than it would by running. All he heard on the phone was that they were to let him know Rin wouldn’t make it in to work. Hide could put two and two together and knew something had happened.

He ran through the hospital parking lot his heart beating out of his chest. His brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening and hoped he was just jumping the gun. He rushed to the front desk and said

“I’m here to visit Rin Shiki!”

The woman asked for information and had him sign some form as he quickly did as she asked. He got his picture taken and she gave him a visitors sticker good for the next two days. He slapped the sticker on his chest and the woman told her Rin was on floor 5 room 541.

He thanked her and hauled ass down the hall towards the elevators. He got in one and hit the number five button. he waited impatiently as his foot tapped on the carpeted floor. He didn’t know why but he had a bad feeling. The ding sounded that the elevator was stopped and he ran out and followed the signs to Rin’s room. He knocked quickly just as the nurse walked out of the room. The doctor followed behind as Hide tried to look in but the door was shut before he could see anything.

“Doctor what’s going on..”

He started to ask but the doctor said

“You can’t see her just yet. She has suffered fatal head injury and has a three broken ribs. She is currently Undergoing a procedure to-”

Hide didn’t hear the rest of what he said. Fatal head injury?? What the hell had happened. He was tuned back into what the doctor was saying

“She was rushing across the road on 5th Avenue and was not looking where she was going. A witness told us what happened, she was hit by a truck.”

He let the information sink in. The doctors said they would let him know when he could come in and see her. He was broken. He sat there in the waiting room near her room his head in his hand as he held his cap in the other.

Regrets filled his thoughts. All those times he yelled at her for messing up when she started at the company with him. All the times he complained and groaned about her tardiness. All the times he almost told her how he felt but choked on his own words and just said to himself ‘I’ll just do it tomorrow’. Boy how dumb he felt.

The clock ticked by as hours went by. His work was probably blowing up his cracked up phone now. He didn’t care at the moment though. He sat there head in his hands regretting every choice he made as he felt salty tears stung his eyes. Hours has gone by and it was almost 2 pm, and he was still waiting. His thoughts were interrupted by the nurse

“Mr. Okumura? You may see her now.”

His head shot up faster than a whip as he stood up. He said a quick thank you as he walked past with a worrisome smile on his face. He opened the door and his smile dropped.

He always saw Rin as this strong independent and fiery person so it was difficult to see her helpless and half dead on a hospital bed. Her head was bandaged up and she was hooked up to a bunch of wires. His heart sunk as reality hit him like a ton of bricks. She didn’t have long...

Rin looked over with a weak smile as she said in a hoarse whisper

“Hide! I’m sorry I couldn’t make it into work, I kinda got into a sticky situatio-”

She started to speak but Hide stopped her. Rin looked confused as she saw his lip quivering as a few tear drops trickled down his cheeks.

“Rin you think I care about that? You got hit by a damn car!”

He had the saddest look on his face as he looked down at the floor too nervous to walk any closer. he then heard her pipe up

“Actually it was a truck! A very tall one at that!”

She laughed and he couldn’t help but do so to. She was on her death-bed in a hospital and she was still correcting him. What a Punk. She coughed which brought her laugh to a rough Halt. He gathered up the courage to walk over and sat in the chair beside he bed.

He scooted it closer as he reached to take her fragile hand

“Rin I have to tell you something. I have tried to tell you this for a while now and I was gonna tell you today but the hospital called me.”

Rin nodded her head weakly as she replied

“ Okay tell me”

Hide held his hat in his hands and moved it around fidgeting with it to calm his overwhelming anxiety that was building up in his chest. He cleared his throat in his fist and looked down

“So. I’ve been lying to you. Since we met. I’ll admit you were annoying as hell. I really wanted a new partner for the first few months. But after a while I got used to it. I still complained and yelled at you and was just an asshole. That’s the best way to put it. But I thought it was you and blamed my behavior on your antics but now I realize it was me. I always had my guard up for what reason I don’t even know. I don’t know why I acted like I have to you all these years. I realizes it a little while ago and I’ve been trying to tell you this but I would always put it off to tomorrow. Now I realize every day is precious and we may not have a tomorrow. So I wanted to say, I love you Rin”

Hide finally squeezed out through his rambling what he was really trying to say. He was nervous now. What was she gonna think of him? Was she gonna think he was pathetic that it took a fatal car accident to manage the courage to confess? Think bad of him? She was silent as he worried on what was going on in her head

“Come closer...”

was all she said. Oh no. Every time she had ever said that it was to smack him. He knew he probably deserved it for all the rude ways he treated her so he scooted the chair as close as he could and leaned on her hospital bed with his elbows. She motioned him to come closer and so he but his lip and moved even closer and she pulled her hand up. He flinched closing his eyes and felt her weakly grab him by his collared shirt and pulled him even closer. He didn’t feel any pain though. No smack on the face and no punch to his gut.

Instead he felt the warm soft lips press against his as she kissed him. His eyes widened for a moment before they slowly melted closed. He kissed her back for a minuets and pulled away in shock and disbelief. She smiled and said in a whisper

“I love you too!”

All the anxiety and stress vanished from his body in an instant. He felt a calming feeling wash over him and return the color to his face. He took her hand in both of his and engulfed Them. She smiled as her eyes closed and she whispered quietly

“Will you... stay with me?”

He nodded his head vigorously as he stayed by her side. The doctors had done the best they could but her head injury was fatal and she hadn’t gotten the help she needed in time. Then she took her last breath. A few hours later. He cried silent tears as he heard the heart rate monitor flatline. the nurse before that called him out of the waiting room had walked in long before she died and had been doing things behind him. He didn’t even notice she was there. She heard the flatline and looked down at Hide in the utter silence. She moved to the chair off to the other side after talking to the doctor to let them know what happened. She sat there biting her lip and piped up

“Yano. Before you came in and in the ambulance, she talked about you. You were the only thing she would talk about. She really cared about you”

Hide‘s head Shot up from his hands. He normally cared if people saw him in his condition but he didn’t care. His face was red and swollen especially his eyes from his crying. His nose was stuffed and some snot dropped down from his nostril. His blue eyes grew brighter from all the crying as he sniffled. He glanced at her as he waited for her to continue

“I know it hurts now and nothing I say now will make you feel any better but those we love never truly leave us. There are things death cannot touch. Love is stronger than death, even though it can’t stop death from happening. But death cannot separates people from love. It can’t take away our memories with them Either. In the end, love is Stronger than death.”

With that she went back to what she was doing. The doctor came in and ushered him out after letting him have his time respectfully. Hide sat at a table in the cafeteria area his face still looking like a wreck and his heart still aching. But those words the nurse said we’re enough to put him at peace. He began thinking of every moment with her. Every good time they had. Every crazy hectic day at work they had. He could have sworn he felt her presence there with him. As he thought about it all he knew that the nurse was right. Love is stronger than death, and the time he had with her... he would forever treasure.