V2Ch91 New Passion

I knocked on Kurio's door.

"Mom?"

"It's Lake. Can I come in?"

I heard shuffling behind the door. She took her time before she opened the door.

"Sorry. My room was a little messy."

She was still in her sleeping clothes. A light tank top and loose shorts.

"Come in. I don't really have a place to sit right now. You can sit on my bed."

Her personality pulled a 180 since the first time I met her. I could tell she was infatuated with me, which made this visit all the more difficult.

I took her advice and sat at the foot of her bed. She sat next to me.

"Lake... I want to tell you something."

"Ah... Well. I came to tell you something, too.

"Really?"

She got quiet and I was dreading letting the words leave my mouth.

"I..."

" If..."

We both started.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

She insisted.

"This is kinda hard for me to say."

Should I start with positives? Could she think it's me, getting ready to confess my like of her? Should I shoot her down from the start?

"Your face..."

I looked at her when she said it.

"You look troubled. You aren't here to tell me something good, are you?"

"N... No."

I let out a sigh. I could see the worry in her eyes now.

"Kurio. Why do you sing?"

"What? I... I sing because I love it. It feels good. I feel like I can express myself through singing. It's just who I am. My father used to play an instrument and sing horribly when I was younger. When I started to sing, he was so proud of me. He encouraged me. I got better and better until he suggested doing it in front of a crowd. He came with me and I sang on a street corner with his music behind me. That was when I fell in love with singing. Everyone stopped to listen. No one just walked by. I was the center of attention and I was so happy that my father pushed me to sing."

She nervously grabbed her right arm.

"What does... Why are you asking me that?"

"Have you lost your passion at all recently?"

"I.. no. I... maybe a little. I haven't put as much effort into it as I used to."

"Do you know why?"

"Because I found something else."

I saw her blush a little.

"And... What if..."

I hated myself.

"What if this, 'something else,' were to end up gone one day. Sooner than you think."

"What? I don't understand."

"You said you found something else. If it were to leave, would you go back to working on your singing?"

I saw her start to panic. She finally caught on. She was breathing erratically.

"Wh... Why?"

Her voice began to tremble. Tears were welling up.

"I can't stay here. I still believe that I have a wife somewhere. I need to do my best to find her. If I were to stay longer than I need to then, I would feel like a failure as a husband."

She covered her face and started sniffling.

"Is..."

Her voice was weak now.

"Is it me? Do you not *sniffle* like me?"

I put my left arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me. She leaned hard on my side.

"That's not it at all. I like you a lot. You're a beautiful young girl. I can tell that you have an amazingly bright future ahead of you. I haven't heard anyone sing like you for a long time. I think you can really go far with your voice."

"So why?"

She sobbed.

"You said it yourself. You lost a little of your passion and I think that's because of me. I don't want to hold you back. I don't want you to start putting your life on hold for someone who will be around when your great, great grandkids are raising their own children."

I kissed her matted hair.

"I'm not saying that you can't settle down. I just want you to keep at your passion and when the time is right, you can find someone that not only fits into your life but also supports your dream. I'm afraid that I won't quite fit into your life the way that someone should."

"D... Damnit, Lake... Why do you have to be so nice to me? If you were mean or selfish, maybe this wouldn't hurt so much..."

"The more you care about someone, the more it hurts to say goodbye."

She sat up and composed herself a bit. She grabbed my hand and pulled it to her cheek.

"I was... going to tell you earlier. That... I think... I lo... L..."

She quivered in place as she inhaled.

"I suppose, telling you now won't make you change your mind?"

"I can't give up on my wife."

"Could I convince you to come back? Maybe after you find her?"

"That... wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibilities. I won't drag her somewhere she wouldn't want to go. It's up to her at that point."

"So there's a chance?"

"It's a small chance. I don't want you to wait for me."

"When are you leaving?"

"I'll work tonight. I'll probably leave in the morning or afternoon tomorrow."

She sighed.

"So soon."

She squeezed my hand tightly.

"What about Babur?"

"She is coming with me."

"I don't suppose..."

"I think it would be too dangerous for you to go. Besides, I think your mother could still use your support for a while."

She coldly dropped my hand at my side.

"I'd like to be alone for a while."

I tried to say something but no words would come out. I left her to her own devices.

The day dragged on. I began lunch prep a little early to keep my mind busy.

"A busy bee is working away. How did it go with Kurio?"

Goldie showed up without my noticing until she spoke.

"I think it went better than I was expecting. It still wasn't ideal. I know I hurt her. I didn't want to. She deserves better."

She sighed and stopped next to me to help with the prep. It was quiet until the employees started showing up.