The air was soon growing chiller than the days before, causing me to wear two more layers under my jacket. It's gone colder than ever and more ghouls seem to avoid the weather during the night. Good news for me, I can stay late to watch the starry night sky, again.
"—Y/N!"
I perked my head from under my daydreaming state and realized I was sitting in Anteiku with Bree and James. I've been so tired lately, I forgot that it was our lunch break during work.
"Y-Yeah...?"
"We're ordering," muttered Bree, gesturing with her eyes towards the eye patched guy.
The one named Kaneki.
I flushed in embarrassment and exclaimed,
"Oh! I'll get the cappuccino with extra sugar, like always. Please!"
"Sure..." he said, writing down my order.
We made eye contact once again and this time Kaneki blushed and turned towards the bar, walking away.
I turned to face my best friends, a playful smirk across against their faces.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing," James uttered. "It's weird that you've been always watching Kaneki from a distance."
I flushed realizing he was right. "T-That's not true!!" I lied. "Bree!"
Her smirk widened. "I agree with the big guy," she responded. "From my observations, you've been ignoring us every time we visit here. Is there something you should tell us, Y/N?"
I paused. "N-No," I muttered under my breath. "Maybe..."
"Ah ha!" exclaimed James. "You've got feelings for the eyepatch boy! I wouldn't blame ya anyway. He is kinda cute!!"
"He is..." I said, side-glancing Kaneki working with a customer from afar.
"Why don't you ask him out, Y/N?" asked James where I shushed him to shut-up.
"Are you kidding? What if he says no?"
"Then forget about him," stated Bree. "There's bound to be another guy just waiting for you."
I furrowed my brows in bother. "You said the same thing when I broke up with Ben a few years ago."
Ben was my ex-boyfriend back when I believed he was the creator of my stars. However, after finding out he's been cheating on me with other women, I decided it wasn't meant to be after all and mentally forgot about those stars. I was depressed for a long time, however I'm glad I had two supporting best friends who were always there for me, especially for devising a secret plan of kicking Ben's ass out of my life.
"I never really like that guy, anyway," commented James. "He was a real jerk."
"And still is," I added in a serious tone.
James rubbed his chin as if remembering something significant. "There was a vibe that seemed suspicious from him whenever we'd hang out. You wouldn't understand because you were all over him that time. It was almost as if he was a—"
"Here's your drinks," interrupted Kaneki, placing our beverages on the table.
"Thanks," said James and Bree in unison.
"Thank-you," I responded where I caught a light dust of pink to rose upon the eye patched boy's cheeks, again.
"You're... welcome," he replied grinning, before looking away.
Before I were to say something, Touka immediately called over Kaneki for help and I watch as the eye patched boy bows an apology and leaves a wondering me gawking behind.
~***~
After work, I set home and got ready for my outing in the park, again. I've been trying so many times that week which resulted a cloudy, night atmosphere. I was lucky enough when the sky was clear so, I lied (cross that out) told Grandma I'll be running to visit Bree at her house.
Thankfully she agreed, and I silently snuck my large, woolly F/C blanket, my phone, my pocket knife (the same one I used in that ghoul incident but, sharper) and some chocolate pocky sticks that I kept in my stash in my closet.
Casually and cautiously, I strode toward the vacant park, catching a few glimpses of dog-owners walking their dog during the night.
I take a seat on the soft grass and bundle up in my blanket over my F/C hoodie, munching on my pocky sticks as I gaze up into the starry night sky.
I scanned my eyes over until I found one great, shining bright star peaking its way from Ursa Minor.
"Hey, Mom," I thought out loud. "Too bad the sky's been clouded during these past few nights. If it didn't, I would've talked to you about this guy I've met. Don't worry, he's real kind... And cute." I felt my cheeks heating under the blanket and I smile to myself.
"Oh, this," I remembered the ghoul incident. "If you haven't already noticed, I've been hurt by a ghoul. Don't worry, Mom, the doctor said I'll be fine if I use the antibiotics and keep it clean. I'm okay, though. It sometimes hurts when I apply too much pressure on it."
I paused, sighing to myself. "I miss you. I'm fine, no need to worry. Just you wait, Mom, I'll find my stars... Someday..."
*snap!
My head immediately turned towards the sudden sound of a twig breaking, my heartbeats racing.
However, that's when I realized it was only a familiar face who I almost didn't recognized under the low lighting.
"K-Kaneki?" I asked the eye patched boy who was carrying a flashlight in one hand and a novel in the other. "What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, happen to enjoy reading under the starry night sky sometimes but, I-I, um, never thought you'd be here," he stammered, where I perceive he smiled slightly.
He then walked slowly towards me. "You don't mind, right...?"
I flushed. "Not at all," and Kaneki took a seat beside me.
It then became awkwardly silent for a minute until I remembered I was holding onto my box of pocky sticks.
"Want one?" I asked, offering the box to him.
"Ah--I'm good," he declined.
What? I gasped to myself. Nobody I know has ever rejected pocky sticks before, and especially if they're chocolate. Maybe he's not into chocolate. Darn.
I continued chewing in silence, finishing the entire box in one sitting.
I side-glanced Kaneki who was holding the flashlight above his novel, reading silently. He seemed to be enjoying the book from the way his lips curled slightly at the ends. I smiled.
"What book are you reading?" I questioned, and he looked up at me.
"Egg of the black goat," he responded. "It's about a cold-blooded female serial killer and—"
"—her son," I interrupted where Kaneki's eyes widened. "He's the main character, the egg of the black goat."
"Y-You read this before?" he asked in disbelief.
"Course I've had. I do work in the library so, I try and read most of the popular books that have come in stock."
Kaneki grinned. "Yeah, I actually signed out this book yesterday. It's great."
He paused. "Is it bad that I haven't gotten your name yet?" I heard him mumble, softly chuckling to himself.
My eyes widened realizing he was right. Although, we've been seeing each other everyday in Anteiku, we never once acknowledge each other's name.
I turned towards Kaneki and we make eye contact.
"Y/N..." I answered. "Y/N Y/LN."
"Y/N," I heard him mutter under his breath. "It's..."
"It's, what?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing," He turned his attention away. "It's just... pretty."
I felt a sudden wash of heat rose to my cheeks and I grin broadly.
"Well, thanks."
~***~
Kaneki and I spent a whole two hours sharing laughs under my blanket and getting to know each other a little better. I even explained about my backstory of finding my stars and the real reason why I was sitting in the park so late at night.
"There," I pointed towards Mom's star. "That's her, right there."
Kaneki smiled. "Um... Hello, Mrs. Y/LN," he awkwardly started, gazing at Mom's star. "Y/N has told me a lot about you. And... God I don't know what else to say. I... I-I'm glad I got to know your daughter. She's a real charmer."
"Sure, I am," I added sarcastically, shoving his shoulder aside. "You only said that for extra brownie points, huh?"
He suddenly chuckled, messing my H/C hair a bit. "No, I did not! It's true though!"
"Yeah, right!"
Before I was to imply something else, Kaneki swiftly brushed his fingers against my shoulder. The one that was wounded.
"What happened here?" he asked, concerned.
Realizing my bandage was visible, I turned away and hugged my jacket so it wouldn't be seen.
"I, um, gotten myself into a little accident," I replied. "I'm fine though."
No way was I going to explain the horrific details to him, I thought to myself. He may believe that I was too weak and clueless to even notice the ghoul that time. I'm such an idiot.
It was silent for a brief second before I heard Kaneki mutter something.
"They tried to eat you, didn't they...?" His voice was oddly deep.
I side-glanced a worried Kaneki questioning if he'd just read my mind.
"Y/N..." Kaneki breathed. I bit my tongue, withholding myself from responding.
"Y/N, what do you think about ghouls?" he continued. "Not the one who tried to kill you, I mean, ghouls in general."
My eyes enlarged from his unexpected question that I hesitated before answering,
"Umm... Weeeeellll... They sure are interesting. My best friend Bree has been researching a ton on them, learning about their kagunes, special abilities, and even their names. I used to fear them being hardcore nasty and frightening to the world but..."
"But...?"
"I thought wrong when that one ghoul tried to save me from that fear, making me think otherwise that ghouls weren't so ruthless all along," I smiled and blushed, hugging the blanket closer to myself. "...I had to admit it though, he really was good-looking too."
The heat of Kaneki's body rose beside me and I lifted my head up in alarm.
"Kaneki!" I exclaimed, waving a hand in the guy's face. "Yo, Ken-ster! Are you okay?"
"Wha-- huh?" he asked, snapping back to reality.
"I said, are you okay?"
He removed the blanket from over his head exclaiming, "Yeah! Sure, I am! I'm fine!!"
I grinned and instantly pulled out my phone, checking the time.
"Oh crap!" I cried, alarmed. "It's almost eleven thirty! I was supposed to be back home before nine!" I immediately stood up. "Sorry, Kaneki."
"It's fine," he replied, hoisting himself up. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then. Be careful."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you. And thanks. Bye!"
And with that I collected my stuff, leaving Kaneki to watch me flee from plain sight.
~***~
As soon as I made it to the building Grandma's apartment, a sudden scream frightened me that I immediately hid myself beneath the shadows of the building.
I knew it was another ghoul incident.
"Help me!!!" cried a young boy's voice. "Please!!"
I thought ghouls don't come out in this kind of weather, I shriek to myself in alert.
Although my gut told me to ignore the situation, I didn't listen and hurried towards the young boy, ditching my items by the front door and whipping out my pocket knife from under my jacket.
I followed the unnecessary shrieking and before I knew it, it stopped.
I continued sprinting forwards before I fumbled over which seems to be a falling stone and someone grabbed me from behind once again.
I struggled in their grip and screamed at the top of my lungs where their hand covered my mouth.
"Y/N!" I heard a familiar voice shriek. "Y/N!! Listen! It's me!!"
Recognizing the voice, I stopped struggling and my pocket knife slipped from my fingers when I discovered him.
"Kaneki...?!" I gasped, gawking at his creamy white hair.
"I thought you were in the park! And what happened to your hair?!"
He shushed me to shut-up.
"I can explain," he whispered, guarding me towards a shadowed part nearby the alleyway of Grandma's building. "Just... Close your eyes and it'll be all over."
My eyes widened in horror. "What?! No!! Why would I want to close my eyes? What are you going to do to me, Kaneki? And what is going to be over?" I pondered him with millions of questions before he shushed me, again.
I watched him remove something from his back pocket and he turned around as he placed the item on his face.
"Y/N. Can you promise me something?"
"What?"
He slowly faced me, and my eyes enlarged in surprise. He was wearing a skull-like mask that covered majority of his face.
The same one as that ghoul who saved me the other night.
"K-Kaneki..." I breathed. "You're--"
"--Promise me to never be afraid of me," he said, his one eye shining bright red before sprinting towards the ghoul incident.
Kaneki...? I thought as he fled from plain sight. Is that you?
I closed my eyes just like Kaneki wanted and fainted into a deep slumber against the wall, wishing everything I've witnessed was all one tragic dream.