Free Pop Rock Love by Raine Koh, Lorraine Koh Page B

his name. Then Jiro walked up to him and put his arm
around Yuki, blowing gently in his ear. The fans grew ecstatic with this
display of affection and Yuki quickly came out of his daze. He completed the
rest of the song without mishaps and Mimi wondered if he really did see her.

 
    “Yuki was looking at you,” said
Yamada,   after the show was over.

 
    “He was? Who is Yuki?” she
asked, trying to move quickly with her crutches. She was waning from the
determination she felt in the morning and she didn’t want to burst into tears
in public. They were both walking into the elevator when her mobile phone rang.
Mimi answered the phone. “Hello?”

 
    “Mimi...” his voice whispered.

 
    She was standing in the
elevator when she saw him in the distance, standing in the hallway. He was
holding on to his cell phone, dressed in a white shirt and black jeans, looking
at her. The next moment, chaos and high-pitch shrieks broke out when the fans
realised that their idol was standing among them.

 
    Yamada yelped as the lift door
closed. “Wasn’t that Yuki?! Quick, open the lift door!” She started to bang on
the lift door. But it was no use. The lift was going downwards.

 
    Mimi’s eyes suddenly welled up
with tears.

 
    This is hopeless, she thought.

Track #6

 
    Jun marched into the Fire Boys’
waiting room with Yuki trailing behind him, and cried out, “What were you doing
wandering outside? You were almost stomped to death! You’re not a kid, but why
are you behaving like one?” Jun held his temples and sighed, “I am having a
headache. Jiro, can you talk some sense into Yuki? Where are the other
members?”

 
    Jiro was sitting by the
dressing table, knitting and looking rather bewildered by their manager’s
outburst. “They’re taking a shower. Did something happen?”

 
    “I’m sorry Jun, I just needed
to check something. I won’t do it again,” said Yuki, bowing at Jun. His manager
shook his head and sighed again. “I’ll look for them. Jiro, make sure he
doesn’t leave your sight!”

 
    The frazzled manager left the
two alone. Jiro just shrugged and continued knitting. Yuki sat beside the
shaggy-haired boy and shut his eyes. “I really messed up.”

 
    “It’ll be okay. Do you want to
talk about it?” asked Jiro, stopping his needlework and looked at his group
mate.

 
    “Thank you for helping me with
the performance.”

 
    Jiro turned his attention to
his knitting, “You were looking at the cat, weren’t you?”

 
    “Cat?”

 
    “That girl. You were staring at
her while we were on stage. Do you know her?”

 
    “Yeah, I do.”

 
    “Is she the reason why you have
been so distracted lately?” Jiro asked.

 
    “Yeah,” answered Yuki. Jiro
stopped knitting and looked up. Yuki noticed that he was making a black stuffed
cat.

 
    “Do you like her?” Jiro asked.

 
    “I think I love her,” he said,
burying his face in his hands.

 
    “So what are you going to do
now?” asked Jiro.

 
      “I don’t know.”

 
    That night, Yuki sent her a
text message.

 
    I was
surprised to see you today. Is your leg okay?

 
    That’s it, Mimi thought as she
read the message in her bedroom. He probably thinks I’m some stalker fan. Part
of her was happy that he spotted her in the crowd yet another part would rather
that he didn’t. “I’m going crazy,” she muttered to herself. She limped out of
bed and walked into the living room. The apartment was dark except for the
light in Sato’s study room. Does he ever sleep? Mimi wondered. It was past
midnight but he was still working in the study room. She decided to retreat
back to her room but accidentally knocked against the coffee table.

 
    “Ouch!”

 
    “Mimi, is that you?” he called
from the study room.

 
    “Yeah.”

 
    “Come up for a moment.”

 
    Again, he spares no thought for
my ankle, making me climb the stairs on a regular basis, she thought.