Missing

Linda looked behind Ryo and was shocked to see Yamapi staring at them. A look of betrayal flashed across his face as he spun around and left the corridor. “Yamashita-kun!” Linda shouted after him, as she pushed Ryo away from her.

Yamapi walked as fast as he could and broke into a run when he heard Linda’s voice approaching nearer. Linda ran after and caught his arm. “Yamashita-kun, please listen to me,” she begged, catching her breath.

Yamapi looked at her in a stony face. “Just now, it’s not what you think,” she started.

“Not what I think? You were kissing Ryo! And you looked like you enjoyed it!” Yamapi retorted.

“No, that not what it looks like! Ryo was the one who kissed me. I didn’t do anything. Yamashita-kun, please believe me,” Linda begged.

Yamapi closed his eyes. He could feel his heart breaking. “Linda, answer me this question. Ryo is the one whom you love, right? The one that made you cry the one day?” Yamapi asked.

Linda hesitated to answer. “Linda-chan, please answer me. I need to know,” he replied.

Yamapi was hoping that she said no but he could not lie to his heart. He knew that Ryo was the person but he just did not want it to be true. His last hopes were dashed when she slowly nodded her head. “Let’s just stop our relationship here, then,” Yamapi replied quietly.

Linda shook her head. “No, Yamashita-kun. You promised me to give you three months. The three months is not up. Please do not do this,” Linda begged.

“Ryo loves you. And you loves him. Why should I stop the two of you from being together?” he asked quietly and pried her hands off and walked away.

Linda stared after his back. Her heart felt painful. More painful than when she saw Ryo with Leah. “Linda-chan?” Ryo called her.

“I hate you,” Linda whispered to Ryo. Linda brushed his hands off her shoulder and ran out of the building.

(Later that night)

“Linda-chan, dinner is ready,” Yuki knocked the door.

Everyone was surprised when Linda went home suddenly and Yamapi and Ryo came back with a dejected face. They knew that something must be up since Yamapi and Ryo were trying to avoid each other as much as possible when everyone knows that these two are very close.

“I don’t feel like eating,” Yuki heard Linda’s reply.

“But you had not eaten the whole day. Eat something,” Yuki said.

“I don’t want! Leave me alone, please,” Linda said.

“I will leave the food in the fridge. If you are hungry, just heat it up, ok?” Yuki shouted over the door.

Yuki stood at the door for a few more minutes, frowning. She could hear some sniffing and crying sounds coming from the room. She wanted to just barge in but she knew Linda would not tell her why. Linda was a very stubborn person and private. She would tell eventually when she felt like it. If not, she would bite your head off.

A few days passed but Linda was still upset but she looked more cheerful. She did not mention anything about what happened a few days ago. Yuki noticed that Linda had not been bringing her phone lately and always switched it off. Even the home phone, Linda had removed the cable. Yuki got to know from Yuya that Yamapi and Ryo were back to talking terms but there was still a strain between them. Whenever Yuya mentioned about his sister, the two of them would ignore him and pretend as if they did not hear what Yuya was talking about.

That night, Yuki was studying in the living room when she looked up and saw the clock. It was almost 2 am in the morning. It was then that it struck her that Linda had not returned home yet. It was Linda’s night shift the previous night and she should be back by 2pm and would be sleeping the whole day. But today, she did not even call to say that she would be late or not coming home. Worried, she called Yuya. “Yuya, did your sister go back home in Kanagawa?” she asked.

“No, shouldn’t she be in bed by now?” Yuya asked.

“No, she is not. She did not even call,” Yuki told him, worried.

“Call her then,” Yuya said.

“I can’t. She did not bring her phone with her. What am I supposed to do?” Yuki asked, on the verge of tears.

“I’ll call Yamashita-kun and Nishikido-kun and ask if they had seen her. You just stay there ok?” Yuya replied.

“Moshi moshi,” Yamapi answered the phone tiredly as he had been out the whole day filming.

“Yamashita-kun! Did my sister call you?” Yuya asked, in a panicky voice.

“No, why?” he asked, his heart beating fast.

“Did you see her today?” Yuya asked again.

“No, I did not. I was out filming the whole day. Yuya, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s ok then. Take a rest,” Yuya replied and hung up.

Yamapi had a bad feeling and called Yuki. “Yuki-san, what is going on?” he asked.

“Linda is missing. She had not come home yet,” Yuki answered.

“Linda missing?” he asked as fear overwhelmed him.

“Yes, where could she be?” Yuki asked, upset.

“I’ll find her,” he said and hung up.

He took his jacket and rushed out of his house, his only intention was focused on finding her.

Yuya was about to call Ryo when he remembered that Ryo went to Okinawa for some filming with the Kanjani 8 so he decided to forget about it and went out to search for his sister.