Essentially trapped

SUMIRE

Sumire shakes her head. This is crazy, she really is going insane.

Akishima suddenly pulled away as he walked past her and scanned the bookshelves in her living room. There wasn't many books in these shelves, since she did most of her reading in her room.

He suddenly takes one out, surprising her.

"Hmm, I didn't pin your for a philosophy fan." Akishima trailed off and chuckled as he pointed to the tabs. "The pages you have marked are quite interesting."

She doesn't even want to ask what interesting means to him.

"Have you ever heard of a prisoner's dilemma?" She nodded. "It's analyzed in game theory; it's an analysis of why two people might choose not to cooperate with one another despite it being in their best interests."

"Wouldn't you say we're all trapped in a prisoner's dilemma, then?"

"What do you mean by that-" Sumire's sentence fell short when he suddenly appeared before her and pinned her down. When she looked up, she saw the same madness as she did the other nights.

"Let's end this how we usually do."

Akishima's words are lost to her, as she closed her eyes.

Allowing the darkness to swallow her.

....

Sumire wants to tell Toh about it. She really wants to confine in him, and confirm whether she is going crazy or not. But, how does she tell him that someone who is supposed to be dead, haunts her dreams every night? How does she tell him that what that very ghost is doing to her?

She felt sick. She wanted nothing more than to go home, dive into her bedsheets and just forget. But, since the assault has been happening in her own bed. Sumire no longer felt comfortable enough to stay there. So, once school finished for the day she decided to head to Toh's place.

The moment she arrived in front of his house however. What she saw surprised her, there stood a girl with ginger hair tied in a bun.

A girl.

Sumire felt her heart beat increase.

"Sumire-chan?" The girl suddenly said.

Huh?

"Oh! Your Ibuki Sumire right? Toh's model from the show the other day. I'm Hagiyoshi Hina I was the model for the show that came in second."

Ah the one with the fairy tale dress.

"Why are you--" Sumire couldn't quite comprehend what she was doing in Toh's place.

Hina paused and then laughed awkwardly. "I was returning my extra key, I realised I hadn't done it yet and while I was here. I decided to see if I left anything else behind."

It takes her a moment to understand.

"You dated Toh?"

Hina nodded. "Six months ago."

Oh.

"I was uh, his model for the show before this one." Hina awkwardly explained.

Sumire remained quiet.

"D-don't misunderstand, I was only fetching my stuff! Toh is the loyal type, that I can guarantee you."

Any other girl would feel reassured hearing that. But hearing it from the ex girlfriend? It makes her feel nothing but bitterness. Before Sumire could open her mouth Hina leaned forward and whispered.

"But, you have to be careful with him. If he sees someone better he will leave you in a heartbeat, and all men have their sexual needs. With your age difference, I am afraid for the first time he will be unroyal."

Sumire felt her anger and clenched her fist. What does this girl mean by saying all this? She must be doing this on purpose. Before Sumire could open her mouth to say anything, the doors opened revealing Toh. Judging from his messy hair he must have just woken up from a nap.

"Hey, what are you still doing at the door?" Toh appeared.

"Warning your girlfriend to keep you on a leash."

Toh turned to her surprised. "I thought you were heading home today?"

"Uh, I left some things. Is now a bad time?"

Hina was the one who answered. "Nope, I was just going!"

"Are you sure you took everything this time?"

"Of course I did!"

"If I find anything else, I'm throwing it out."

Sumire watched the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and well , jealousy. Of course she was jealous. Her feelings towards Toh may remain complicated. But, that doesn't mean she won't feel jealous if she sees pretty women around Toh.

'Does he really date all his lead models?' As she was wondering this, Toh grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her into his house. Not even sparing a single glance at Hina or saying another word to her.

Toh doesn't say anything and lead her to the living room. She briefly glanced around and saw papers, fabric and a sewing machine on the table. A thin blanket on the couch, indicating he was just there. Toh brought her to the couch, laid down and pulled her into his arms.

"Toh, uh what-" Sumire said confused.

"Stay still." Toh mumbled.

Seeing Toh close his eyes, she paused. Oh, he must be tired.

'I suppose I cant leave now, not that I was planning to. I was actually thinking of how to convince him to stay.' Not that she needed any reasons. They are dating, Toh would let her stay without an explanation.

For a guy he has long eyelashes. Sumire hesitantly extended her hand out to trace his features, careful so she didn't wake him up. It really is unfair. Why is he so perfect? Perfect features, well educated, talented at cooking, household chores and making clothes.

Recently she has been doing some extra research on him on the net. Toh has more influence in the fashion industry than she thought. Others would argue that he only got this far because of his grandmother, but there are many experts who say that Toh has surpassed his grandmother already.

Truthfully, the reason she came to see him today wasn't because she didn't want to stay at home. Where Akishima's presence lingered even during the day. It's because she feels guilty. Recently she is seeing more signs of him being genuinely in love with her.

It is getting increasingly difficult for her to push away his feelings. She feels guilty that she still can't return his love- her thoughts break off when his hold on her tightens.

"Are you awake?"

"Hard to sleep when you're paying so much attention to me beautiful."

His usual flirtatious words, and yet he must have sensed her odd mood. "Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to spend time with you."

"To do it?"

Sumire shakes her head. "Just to cuddle, talk and relax."

Toh opened his eyes, his gaze soft. "We haven't had much luxury for that recently. Alright, let's just stay like this till dinner."

Sumire nodded in agreement. She wonders why he is so tired and what lead to Hagiyoshi Hina coming here. Suddenly fetching her belongings like this seemed very unusual. Recalling the girls words, Sumire shakes her head.

Toh is loyal, he isn't like Sano. He will never betray her. Moreover unlike her relationship with Sano. She is being very mindful and not ignoring the 'needs' of her partner. This time is different, she won't let herself get abandoned again.

*Unedited*