Theme: March is

#ShirokumaLiteratureClub
#RomanceShortStory

In March, the wind softens as if it were a lie.

Even though the trees along the street in front of the station are still bare, the air itself holds the scent of spring. As I loosened my scarf, I spotted him standing beyond the ticket gate.

"Did you wait long?"

The profile of his face as he said that and smiled felt just a little closer than it did in winter. Even though my breath no longer turned white, I felt a chill deep in my chest.

We were high school classmates. On graduation day, we parted without saying a word and spent a year in different cities. Today, it just so happened that our trips home coincided. Even so, my heart was beating unusually fast.

"March is a good time to start over, isn't it?"

He said.
At the words 'start over,' my fingertips trembled.

We walked side by side along the riverside promenade. Soft new buds were peeking out from between the withered grass. I remembered myself last year. How I acted tough, pretended to be fine, and was actually bewildered by the seasons without him the whole time.

"I could have contacted you if I had wanted to."

I didn't mean to blame him. But my voice was a little raspy.

He stopped walking and gently wrapped his hand around mine, over my glove.
It was a surprisingly natural gesture.

"I was scared. Scared that you might not need me anymore."

The March wind passed between us.
The distance that felt like an escape route was now being filled.

I smiled faintly.

"I do need you. I always have."

With those words, the end of winter unraveled.
His fingertips touched my bare skin from the edge of my glove. My heart skipped a beat.

In the distance, early-blooming cherry blossoms were beginning to open. Hesitant flowers, still far from full bloom.

March is a season where beginnings and endings overlap.
A month where, while still holding onto the lingering echoes of parting, you can still choose someone again.

He whispered to my forehead, at a distance where he was barely touching me.

"This time, I won't let you go."

I heard something budding deep inside my chest.

In March, love breathes once more.

[End]

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Director Kosuke Komaki, here is my submission! •*¨*•.¸♬︎