Chapter 5: The Secret Promise I Remind Myself

I sighed as I finally reached the floor Aries' apartment was on. Of all days, the elevator had to be broken down today. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration as I forced myself to climb up that final step, huffing as I finally reached flat ground.

I counted the apartment doors until a familiar number was presented before my eyes. I celebrated mentally with a "BANZAIII!" as I hummed a random tune from a commercial that had gotten stuck in my head and fumbled for the keys, reaching into my jeans pocket to find them.

Glancing at the smiley face sticker I had childishly pasted on the key holder which blocked the room number of the apartment unit, I grinned to myself. I didn't need to see the room number to figure out which apartment was his because we had often hung out at his place during our school days.

I turned the key, hearing a soft click and then proceeded to turn the knob. Upon pushing the door open, a familiar scent greeted me as I inhaled the scent of oak wood that I fondly remembered. Oak wood was the only wood Aries would opt for when he chose his furnishings, especially since he grew up in a secluded forest when he was young.

I shut the door behind me as I entered the apartment unit and sat myself down on his leather sofa.

Leather... Ack! I forgot how famous he was for a second!

I glanced around his room to find a framed photograph of himself wearing a cool outfit. I can't exactly describe the outfit since I knew close to nothing about fashion but... If I recall correctly, the company those clothes he was promoting was of a luxurious brand.

That's right, Aries was a pretty popular model. I remember the day we were walking down the shopping district after cutting our afterschool activities and a well dressed man ran after us. Well, Aries, if we are specifying who. The well dressed man told us how he had saw Aries passing by just as he was about to leave town and had frantically gotten out of his car just to rush after us till he reached the shopping district just to get Aries to sign a contract with him.

Thinking back, there is no way that was true. Why you ask? Obviously because the man was still wearing his formal shoes!

Huh...? Not enough to deny that he could still run in those... Fine! His suit was still crisp, almost as if he just came out of the dry cleaners. There is no way you can say he had a garment steamer in his car.

Also, who in their right mind would still be wearing their formal shoes after a long day at work, especially when they are already in the vicinity of their comfort zone?! Surely he would have kicked those... luxurious shoes off and switched to a pair of slippers or something.

Oh, yeah. Not to mention, he had not broken even an ounce of sweat. How would you find it easy to believe him?! You must be a fool to accept the contract in a second!

...

...

...

Okay. You got me. It was Aries who pointed out all these flaws after getting a copy of the contract to peruse and the man's business card to contact him. I was the idiot who was so excited that he was going to scout me.

Of course, I was flat out rejected and the man even pointed out the flaws which did not suit the "ideal" model type. Short, scrawny, short, ill-mannered... Just thinking back to how he had to repeat "short" twice in a row pisses me off!

"A-- ahh~" I sighed as I shook off the thought, leaning back in the comfort of the couch before turning on the television. I really hated the sound of silence... No, not the song. The silence.

Being in the lab kept me busy enough to not heed any attention on it but... Aries' place... It feels so empty without him. Whenever I visited, the atmosphere was relaxing and calm. He often scolded me too, so there was not a silent moment in this place.

Trying not to get lost in my own thoughts, I got off the couch and headed straight for Aries' room. I turned the handle to open his room door as I flipped the switch on the wall. His room was pretty bare. Now that I thought of it, he probably sent most of his stuff to his sister's place in the US since he was supposed to go there to study.

I glanced out the window and admired the view of the city. My lab was located in the mountain a little farther from here. So, I don't get much opportunities to watch the city lights.

Hmm... I'd better get back to the lab now. I'm a little worried about Aries. I think my comforter was placed for washing awhile back and the temperature drops are pretty unbearable since he dislikes the cold.

I comfortably plopped myself on his bed which he had covered with the slip cover. His travel bag was already packed and neatly tucked in the corner beside his bed. Probably since he was supposed to leave 2 days ago.

I bent down to grab it when I noticed a box he had left under his bed.

"Hmm? Did he misplace this?" I muttered to myself as I got onto all four and strained to reach it.

"Gack! My arm! I might have pulled a muscle..." I whimpered as I dragged myself out from under the bed, the box safely in my grasp.

I opened the box to inspect its contents, half expecting it to be p*rn because I've never found any ever since the time I first visited his house. There's no way he wouldn't have any.

Instead, the contents in the box was far from my expectations. It contained photos of his family. The photos were a little unsettling as Aries had slashed out his parents faces. Only his sister and him remained unscathed.

"Err... Maybe I should... pretend I didn't see it." I nodded to myself as I placed the photos back into the box and shut it, pushing it back into the corner I found it.

I then directed my gaze back to his travel bag, opening it to check its contents. It needed to be enough for a few days of stay.

"..."

"Where is his toothbrush? Did he toss it out because he was planning on getting one in the US?" I pondered aloud as I wondered what course of action I should take.

"Ah, he mentioned it the last time I was here that he stashed his things in the cabinet of his desk." I exclaimed, almost as if I made a sudden discovery.

I fumbled towards it, drawing the cabinet open as I searched for a new toothbrush when my finger dragged along a smooth surface.

Huh? A picture?

"Ooh! It's a picture of me! Wow. When was this taken? Oh wait... there's another here. Eh? Why would he take a picture of me in that pose?! Is this his idea of blackmail? Hahahaha!" I laughed aloud as I grabbed the stash of candid photos he had of me.

"He's so mean sometimes. When did he... haha... oww my stomach hurts from laughing..." I gasped for air as I teared up at the picture of me digging my ear as the teacher yelled at me.

I took the photos and straightened them as I placed it into his bag, along with his clothes and daily necessities. It was too funny to leave behind. I had to confront him about it.

As I zipped his bag shut and headed for the door, my eyes darted back to the bed as I pondered what I should do about the box beneath his bed.

"... He hid it there for a reason... Maybe I shouldn't bring it up... Yeah. At least not until he is comfortable with bringing it up himself."

Convincing myself of that fact, I turned off the lights and shut the door behind me. The distant sound of the television greeted me as the flashing light of a commercial illuminated the room.

Taking a glance around the room, I noted that there shouldn't be anything else Aries needed before turning off the television. The dim room immediately got darker as I stumbled around in the dark to make it to the front door.

"Guess this is what I get for being lazy to turn on the living room light." I muttered to myself as my hand found its way to the door knob.

I swung the door opened and was greeted by the cool night air which felt refreshing on my skin.

"Haah~ It's going to be a long way down." I sighed as I remembered the elevator was broken when I turned towards the staircase.

As I turned to lock his apartment, I noticed the bright lit moon. It illuminated the sky and outshone the stars that night. I smiled and reminded myself that the day the moon shone the brightest, was the day I promised never to leave Aries' side.