widower! nanami who found himself lingering by the window in the evenings, catching glimpses of you tending to your garden or sitting on your porch with a cup of tea.
nanami kento couldn't quite explain the comfort he found out he could feel just because of your presence.
ever since he moved here and met you, with your bright smile and your kindness to a grieving soul like him, it brought a quiet solace amidst the storm in his broken heart.
widower! nanami who, despite his reluctance to let anyone in, found himself knocking on your door one rainy evening to return the favor you have him when he first moved in.
he stood there, holding that it bottle of red wine and his little whisper of a quiet "thank you for the bread."
you smiled at him tenderly, not caring for his shyness or his awkwardness. "its my pleasure, neighbor. come by anytime. i'll make something good for you.we'll have a good conversation over this wine."
he blinks at you, slowly turning flustered as you nodded. "ahā¦.yes. that wouldā¦.that would be lovely."
widower! nanami who, over time, found that conversations day by day with you started to feel like a lifeline.
you always spoke with warmth and patience, never prying but always listening. you shared stories of your life, your interests, and little joys that painted the world in colors he thought he'd forgotten.
somehow, it was the good distraction he needed from the quiet. its a way to keep himself present to the world around him, when he would have let himself wallow in the loneliness. and it was because you made him feel safe. he was thankful to you for making him feel normal.
widower! nanami who caught himself smilingātruly smilingāwhen you laughed at one of his dry jokes. even though you knew that it wasn't that funny.
it was a small moment, one that fould have been a footnote to a day lived in this life but it reminded him of the man he used to be before grief consumed him. he was reminded that he was someone.
widower! nanami who, one night, confessed to you over tea on your porch that he hadnāt felt this kind of peace in years. that he hadn't found himself living in so long.
you didnāt respond with pity or empty reassurances. instead, you looked at him and smiled with empathy. you simply placed a gentle hand over his.
ātake your time. healing isnāt a race, kentoākun.ā
he nodded at you then and then he smiled, squeezing your hand with his other free hand in thanks. he was grateful that it was you who understood him best.
widower! nanami who realized that the heavy ache he had long felt in his chest was slowly being replaced by something differentāsomething warm and hopeful. something that reminded him of life beyond loss.
widower! nanami who started looking forward to the mornings again, who started thinking about what to wear on his daily walks, knowing he might see you across the garden fence or hear your knock on his door.
little by little, he began to live, not just exist.and that was something he felt like was a gift that could only have come from someone as good as you.
widower! nanami who, for the first time in years, started waking up early not out of duty, but out of anticipation. heād make coffee and glance out his kitchen window, hoping to catch the sight of you stepping outside to greet the day.
when you did, heād offer a small wave, and sometimes, youād wave back with a smile so genuine it warmed something deep within him.
"good morning, kentoākun!" you greeted cheerfully, waving from your garden, kneeling over your sunflowers.
he smiled at you, waving back shyly. he stops from his walk to make sure he sees you and you see him. "good morning to you too."
"come here, ill give you some sunflowers! oh, and come join me for breakfast. i have new bread for you to test!"
widower! nanami who found excuses to linger in his front yard when you were outside enjoying the sun and the breeze of the summer winds.
one time, he found himself pretending to fix his mailbox or tidy up the bushesājust for the chance to exchange a few words with you. sometimes he'd say he found a new cat fiend taking his produce from the garden.
he found as many excuses as he could, just to be with you. just to have a moment to see you smile. just to have those moments of connection with you, ones that no matter how brief, became a balm for his weary soul.
widower! nanami who one day noticed you struggling to carry groceries from your car and instinctively walked over to help.
he hadnāt felt the urge to extend himself in so long, but with you, it felt natural. you had joked about him being your knight in shining armor, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he laughedāreally laughed.
and soon enough you followed, laughing and bellowing with joy beaming in your eyes. nanami kento was sure it was the loveliest symphony he'd ever heard.
widower! nanami who began to share little by little all those pieces of himself with you, bits of his past life that he hadnāt spoken about in years.
you were such a darling to him, listening without judgment, your eyes filled with endless empathy and care for him. and when he mentioned his late wife, you didnāt recoil or change the subject. instead you held his hand in the hardest moment in a long long while.
instead, you smiled at him kindly and said to him ever so softly, āshe must have been an incredible person to have been loved by someone like you.ā
nanami kento was touched. he could have sworn he had truly found the wonder of the world when he looked st you in that moment. you were all that was good and he knew it.
widower! nanami who found himself opening up more and more, slowly but surely. you didnāt push him to move faster than he was ready, but your quiet understanding made him feel safeāsomething he hadnāt felt in a long time.
in the world which was rough and cruel, there was only kindness when he looked in your eyes. a kindness that was made specifically for him by the warmth of your existence.
widower! nanami who, one evening, invited you over for dinner. it was the first time heād cooked for someone since sheād passed, and though his hands shook as he prepared the meal, your smile of gratitude when you arrived made it worth it.
you both shared stories over simple dishes, the evening stretching into the night as conversation flowed effortlessly between you. you laughed, you sang, you cheered. it was something that nanami kento would not forget.
"thank you for inviting me to dinner, really." you told him, smiling from ear to ear. "everything was fantastic, kento."
"you shouldn't thank me. if anything i should thank you." he says, a small smile on his lips. "im happy to thank you with something like this, even if its so simple."
you giggled. "simple is best, no?"
he nodded, his eyes fondly looking at you. "indeed it is."
widower! nanami who, after youād left that night, stood in the doorway of his home and realized he did not feel like any place he was in was as empty as it once was. somehow, the world seemed illuminated in light.
there were still shadows of his grief, yes, but for the first time in years, he felt a flicker of something he thought heād lost foreverāand that was hope.
there was hope that there was something after the pain. that there was warmth inside of him growing for the hope of continuing to live a life with a smile on his face.
widower! nanami who began to wonder if, maybe, it was okay to let the walls heād built around his heart start to crumble, one small piece at a time.
would you catch him if he let himself fall? or would the weight of his past be too much for you to bear? would you be the one who could stand by him despite the world weighs heavy on his shoulder?
widower! nanami who decided one quiet evening, as he watched the light in your window, as you danced to your favorite song, that he couldnāt keep waiting for the perfect moment to act. life had already shown him how fragile time could be.
he didnāt want to waste another second letting fear hold him back, no. he was still alive. and there were many colors of life he still had to know. and one of it was the color of your joy when music makes you happy.
widower! nanami who knocked on your door the next morning, uncharacteristically nervous, clutching a small bouquet of sunflowers heād picked up on a whim.
when you opened the door, seeing him with that look of surprise. but it was easy to see the bright light in your eyes. you were truly delighted to see him before your eyes.
he cleared his throat and said softly, āi wasnāt sure what flowers youād like, but these feltā¦bright. like you.ā
widower! nanami who took you out on a simple walk later that day, both of your hands brushing together gently as you strolled through the neighborhood.
the silence between you wasnāt awkward, that was to be sure. but filled with an unspoken understanding, a connection neither of you needed to explain. it was contentment, in the look of love being as tender as the touch of love even in tender brushes.
widower! nanami who stopped abruptly by a quiet park bench, turning to face you with a look that was equal parts vulnerability and determination.
you smiled at him as you waited for him to say something. the way you looked at him, it was as though he was the only one in the world. it was as though he was a galaxy you marvel at each and every night. it was like he was the morning sunrise tenderly brushing against you in the fleeting echoes of dawn.
āi donāt know how to do this correctly, not anymore." he admitted. āand i donāt know if i'll ever stop grieving her. butā¦ i know that when iām with you, the world doesnāt feel as heavy. and i think i want to try, if youāll have me.ā
widower! nanami who felt the weight of the world lift just a little when you smiled up at him, your hand slipping into his with quiet assurance. you nodded at him.
āIām not asking you to forget." you said gently. ābut maybe we can figure this out togetherā¦..if you would have me."
he smiled at you, bright eyed. "i'd love to have you. happily."
you giggled. "then it's settled. you are stuck with me."
"i could say the same thing about you too." kento laughs.
widower! nanami who, for the first time in years, allowed himself to hopeānot just for healing, but for happiness, for love, and for the possibility of a future where he didnāt have to face the world alone.
because he knew that life would be fine now, life could be worth living. and its thanks to you, you whom became his relief in this world, as long as time may allow.
