Your hand rested gently on the back of his head and his back. His sobs had quieted to soft sniffles. He had held your shirt tightly, afraid you’d leave again, but now his grip had loosened. He had been crying since he saw you, but neither of you had spoken a word.

“Please ask me what's wrong," his voice was raspy.

“I miss when you cared,” his voice broke, and Riki felt tears welling up again.

He lifted his head from your chest, leaving a large wet stain on your shirt. He took a few steps away from you, creating distance between you two. He aggressively wiped away the tears attempting to run down his face with his sleeve.

Your arms hung by your sides, heartbroken at the sight of Riki, but you stood frozen.

Riki looked up at the sky, trying to stop his tears from falling.

He took a deep breath to calm himself as more tears threatened to fall.

“You made me so happy. What did I do to make you stop loving me?” There was a hint of pain in his voice, and he didn’t know if he could hold back the tears again.

He took several deep breaths. There was so much he wanted to ask and tell you, but he didn’t want to start crying again.

“I always felt guilty whenever I thought about you,” he said, blinking away tears, still gazing at the stars. He was sure that if he looked at you, he’d break down completely, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself again. Who knows? Maybe you’d cringe if he started sobbing again, and you’d walk away.

“Why couldn’t I just forget like you have?” His breath hitched, and tears streamed down his cheeks. This time, he let them fall. He looked down at the ground, his hair hiding his face from you.

You slowly walked closer to him. You cupped his face, lifting it so you could see him, and wiped his tears with your thumb.

“Please tell me you still love me,” he pleaded, wrapping his arms around your neck and sobbing on your shoulder.

“I’ll do better, please, I promise,” he broke down completely.