A/N:

Hey, reader! If you've read The Summer I Won't Forget, you'd probably be familiar with the succeeding chapters. It is your choice to read it. However, keep in mind that this will be a re-telling of what had transpired in Tokyo six years ago between Elle and Naoki, with a focus on their points of view (using third person, still!) :)

To those who haven't read the series, there will be spoilers. If you have plans to read the series and don't want spoilers, you can skip chapters 2-4 and wait for the 5th one.

June 2017

The first thing Naoki noticed about Elle was not her smile, but her handshake. Her solid handshake accompanied by her unyielding round, ebony irises.

The next thing he took note of was how different she was from her best friend, Zoe, who was sheltered and introverted. Elle was nothing like her; she was easygoing. In fact, the two were clearly opposites, like night and day, but even Naoki could see they genuinely cared about each other.

The last thing Naoki detected was Elle's skill in making small talk. She was open and inviting and could almost bring up anything just to have a conversation. And she seemed genuinely listening to whoever was talking. She wasn't listening to simply respond; she was interested in their stories. Like she wanted to know them.

It was probably that warm energy which piqued his interest in the tourist, yet he was a little lackadaisical to think too much of it. Everything had been boring and depressing. He'd left his whole life in Los Angeles. His friends. And his ex-girlfriend broke up with him right after he mentioned his planned departure. If it weren't for his newly found friends, he'd dread getting up in the morning.

But even they would leave him soon.

"Have you guys ordered?" Naoki asked Taylor who was sitting beside him.

"No, not yet. We're still waiting for Kaito."

"Okay," he gestured to the menu. "Can you pass that to me please?"

Elle heard the request, and she grabbed the one in front of her, handing it to Naoki.

"Might as well order for us. I don't know the good ones," she said, grinning.

Naoki merely acknowledged Elle with a curt nod. "Thanks."

Kaito came in a couple minutes after, his jaw locked shut upon seeing Seth, Zoe's ex. Or at least, that was how the whole group thought of him. Zoe introduced him as a friend, nothing more, but Naoki was still concerned about Kaito's discomfort.

When everyone was seated, Jesse poured sake on everyone's cups, skipping Zoe and including Elle.

"Do you use apps for translation?" Jesse asked the tourists randomly, biting on a skewer.

Like a well-calculated move, Seth placed an arm over Zoe's shoulder, triggering Kaito. In the corner of Naoki's eyes, he noted Elle biting her lower lip.

Elle wasn't enjoying seeing the guy Zoe was in love with in such a jealous state, but she was also determined to make him do something. Watching the two dance around each other was starting to be frustrating.

All they had to do was say it out loud. Half the people on the table could tell how much they pined for each other. What was taking them so long?

If things were the same for her, if Connor were still in love with her, she wouldn't waste any time.

"Sometimes. But it's not that hard to go around since we have Zoe as our tour guide," Seth retorted, then he looked at Kaito.

"Cool," Taylor uttered. "She's a grown-up now."

"I've always been a grown-up, Taylor," Zoe replied, pouting.

"What I mean to say is Kaito's not gonna be worried anymore. But I'll always be your otouto. Isn't that right, Onii-chan?"

(Trans: younger brother; older brother)

Kaito elbowed him lightly. "Shut it."

"Onii-chan?" Seth repeated, his eyebrows raised.

Marie swallowed her food and answered, "It's 'older brother' in Japanese. Kaito's always looking after everyone. We're just teasing him."

Seth continuously stroked Zoe's shoulder, much to Kaito's chagrin. "So I've heard. Thanks for helping Zoe out on her first day."

Kaito was going to lose it at any moment. Naoki had to put a stop on the game Zoe and her friends were plotting. So, even though there was a plate of chicken skewers, he interrupted, "We need more yakitori. I'll order more. What do you guys want?"

Elle crossed her legs, glimpsing at the pale-skinned guy who had not said anything except when his friend needed rescue. The sides of her lips tugged upward.

The group walked out of the izakaya around 9 PM, the streets of Shibuya overflowing with pedestrians, neon lights reflecting promotions from colossal establishments illuminating the alleyways.

"I suggest we go to a karaoke bar," Jesse brought up, jutting her chin out to Taylor, who understood.

"I agree with Jesse," he concurred. "A trip to Japan would be incomplete without karaoke."

Marie checked her phone for time. "Well, it is a little early. But are you guys ready to go to bed?"

Elle shrugged her shoulders. "Nah, I'm good. I would love to check it out!"

"Same here," Seth responded, taking the space next to Zoe, eliciting another veiled frown from Kaito.

Jesse and Taylor exchanged high-fives with each other as waves of people advance toward them, forcing the group to break up and walk by twos.

"Hi."

Although Naoki was surprised to see Zoe's best friend walking next to him, he strived to act normal. "Hm? Hi."

"I saw what you did there," Elle murmured, eyes glistening, an impressed smile plastered on her face. "You know something, don't you?"

Naoki tilted his head to the side. "I don't know what you mean."

Elle snickered, amused with Naoki's bad acting. He evidently didn't want any attention on him. Well, too bad.

"They said Kaito is the Onii-chan, but you're the same."

"What?"

"You also look after him."

Naoki averted his gaze, cheeks ablaze. "It's just annoying to watch."

Elle loomed closer to him and whispered, "Zoe likes him too, you know."

He paused, grinning slightly. "So, I'm right."

"Yes. But it is frustrating because neither is ready to do something about it," she added, her lips twitching into a toothy smile. "But I'm glad Zoe has good friends. It'll be alright."

Warmth unfurled through Naoki's chest as he rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. Elle giggled, adoring his reaction to the compliment, then she strode faster to match Zoe and Seth's pace.

Naoki's gaze followed Elle as he pondered how different she was from Zoe, and yet somehow, they fit together. But who was he to judge? He was the odd man out in the group, even among him, Taylor, and Kaito.

He reeled his thoughts back to Kaito, whose forehead formed creases in jealousy. Naoki did not understand the excruciating feeling because he'd never experienced it before, but Kaito's apparent distress was enough for him to conclude that jealousy was something he didn't aspire to feel. He increased his speed and walked beside his friend.

"You cool?"

Kaito jammed his hands into his jeans' front pockets and sighed defeatedly, "Yeah, thanks, man."

Naoki left the group to speak to the receptionist as soon as they reached the lobby of the Karaoke bar. No one asked where he was going as if it was a routine, his destined role. Elle took snaps of the interiors, although in her peripheral view she paid attention to Naoki, listening to him speak in fluent Japanese.

Yes, Elle found Naoki cute. No, nothing was going to happen. But she needed a distraction. When she was left alone with her thoughts, the loss haunted her psyche, and she was driven to sorrow and madness.

"So, he's bilingual..." Elle muttered, unaware that Marie was standing nearby. She eyed Elle inquisitively.

"Naoki? Yes. He grew up in the United States."

Elle felt her heart almost jump out.

Zoe liked Marie a lot to the point of her suffering from extreme guilt, after being jealous of Marie's relationship with Kaito. Elle could tell there was nothing going on, though, and conceded privately that Marie was indeed a lovely woman.

Her knowing gaze, however, was unsettling. As if she could dissect her brain then read her mind to uncover her secrets.

"Um, I see. That's cool."

Naoki approached the group, gesturing for them to follow him.

Elle was stoked as she entered the air-conditioned karaoke room, a fancy navy leather sofa stretched out to accommodate approximately ten people. Mirror disco balls dangled and rotated up in the ceiling, LED strobe lights with various colors of red, blue, and green going in circular motion.

"Wow. It's like a legit private club," Elle said, stifling a squeal. She plopped down comfortably. Naoki took the opportunity and sat beside Elle, their thighs colliding fleetingly.

"Sorry," Naoki murmured, his eyelashes fluttering.

"All good." Elle picked up the phone on the table, wondering what it was for, while Taylor's song emanated from the speakers.

She landed the phone on her ear. "Hello?"

There was nothing but a buzzing sound. She hung up.

"You can order drinks over the phone," Naoki explained.

"Really?"

"Mm. Go on."

"Um, okay."

Once more she picked the phone up and reluctantly ordered a glass of iced tea, her eyebrows arched in anticipation and hope that Naoki was not pranking her.

She hung up again.

"That's it."

"That's it?"

For the first time, Naoki chortled, and Elle felt a desire to capture that moment, if only there was a way. Happy looked good on this stranger, and she would do everything to see it again.

"Yes. And then we wait."

"This is awesome!" Elle exclaimed, swiveling her body to their companions. "Guys! What do you want? I'll order!"

They sang for only an hour, but Elle wanted more. She was having a wonderful time for the first time in months since she and Connor fell apart.

Ah.

There it was again. The pain shooting through her being, the sinking sensation in her stomach, both arriving without caution. It had been like that for a while. The grief coming and going, like some unwanted guest crashing her otherwise shindig of thoughts.

All of it because Connor, the supposed love of her life, fell in love with someone else, someone so close to Elle's heart, that she decided to surrender and let him slip away from her fingers.

Not that she had moved on because she was far from that. But she wasn't the type to bear a grudge, nor was she the type to wallow in what she had already lost.

Elle would rather fix what she could fix, save what she could save. Mourning would come last—typically at night–when all she could hear was the tick tock of the timepiece hanging on the wall and the steady flow of the wind in her room.

Elle drew three sharp breaths, her usual prevention method before a meltdown, yet the shift in her body posture all of a sudden was too conspicuous for Naoki to miss. He flicked his eyes to her, a question itching to slide out his tongue, but he kept his mouth zipped.

Elle had hastily pasted a smile on her lips... A smile Naoki finally doubted was real.

"Alright, this is where we go our separate ways," Jesse said as they reached Shibuya station. She repositioned her glasses then motioned to the Komaba lodge residents.

"Oh, this was fun. Let's do it again before you guys leave," Marie suggested.

"We'll see," Elle sighed defeatedly. She could see why Zoe was having the best time of her life in Tokyo, a twinge of envy accumulating in her chest. There really was a lot to see in the world. "Our flight is at noon on Friday."

"That's early," Jesse retorted.

Naoki kneaded his shoulders, his body feeling leaden. It had been a long day. He glanced over at Elle, their gazes meeting for a second, and he recognized a hint of interest.

Elle was waiting.

Maybe he should ask for her number. Or her social media account. But it was a little too late... Besides, what could come out of it? Elle was only going to be in Japan for a week, and like his friends, she'd eventually leave.

So, Naoki said his goodbye and walked away, releasing the urge to start something he knew wouldn't last.

Elle couldn't help it. She tugged Zoe's wrist and asked, "Where is he going?"

"Oh, he lives in Hachioji. Taylor, Jesse, and Marie live at the Komaba Lodge near the campus."

Elle spun her head back in Naoki's direction until he was completely swallowed by the sea of people, wondering if she would ever be able to catch a glimpse of his laughter again.