Weeks passed after the wedding and you still hadn't talked to Kuroo. You couldn't bring yourself to see him again. You moved back in to your old apartment with the help of Akaashi and paid Kuroo a check for the car he got for your anniversary, though he never cashed it in.

Work was civil—the two of you were great at acting. But today was a particularly special day.

"You're really going, huh," Kyoka said as you cleared your desk. You checked the last of your cubicle for anything left behind, finding a photo frame in the small space between your desk and the wall.

You slowly slid it out and saw it was a picture of you and Kuroo from your first date. It must have fallen and you didn't bother to pick it up.

You felt Kyoka look over your shoulder and slid the frame back where it came from. You couldn't get yourself to keep it, but you couldn't throw it away either.

"I'll be back before you know it," you tried to smile. You'd been waiting for this day for so long, yet here you were suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Y/N, you're not just going cause of what happened, right? Don't run away from what's bothering you," she grabbed your shoulder, clearly concerned.

"Don't be silly, obviously not. It just happens to be nice timing," you gave her a hug. "It's a great offer, and it's just six months. When I get back there's a promotion waiting for me too."

"I forgot," she frowned. "It's your last day here, huh. We're really gonna miss you, you know. All of us."

You looked around the office, noticing it was eerily empty. You could make out where each of your coworkers sat—they were always so kind to you, nothing like what you'd heard the cutthroat finance world would be like.

You really were going to miss Japan, but you needed a change of pace and an opportunity to accelerate your career. Or at least that's what you told yourself to deal with the fact that you were running away from Kuroo and your problems.

"I'm not too good with goodbyes," you grabbed your bag and put your jacket on. "I think I'm just gonna go before I cry or something."

"I get it," Kyoka sighed. "Before you go though, I think I saw your coffee mug in the break room. You should check if it's yours."

You nodded and headed to the room. You turned the lights on and jumped in surprise at what was there.

"Surprise Y/N!" a coworker smiled.

"It's a goodbye—no—a see you later party!" another coworker yelled behind a banner. Good luck in Hong Kong! it read.

You shook your head at how corny this was. Only one person you knew would think of something like this, but when you searched the room he was nowhere to be found.

You looked out the door as your coworkers surrounded you, eyeing his office out of the corner of your eye. He looked up and smiled before continuing to work.

"Looking for the boss?" a coworker asked.

"What? No!"

"Sorry, he said he had an important deadline. But he planned most of this out for you, gave us all the evening off, too."

"Really?"

Your coworker nodded and you smiled, attempting to enjoy your going away party as much as one could enjoy a going away party.

Half an hour later you checked your watch, amazed how fast time had passed by.

"Crap! I'm gonna be late for my flight!" you blurted. Everyone gave you one last hug before you left and gathered your things. You were waiting for the elevator when someone stopped you. You felt a hand on your shoulder—Oikawa's.

"You're really gonna leave without saying goodbye to me?" Oikawa frowned.

"I thought you left early!" you gave him a hug. "I'm sorry, I would have if I'd seen you."

"No worries," he smiled as you two waited for the elevator. "I hear there's lots to do in Hong Kong. You excited?"

"I guess, yeah."

"You don't sound too excited," he said skeptically. You two were silent for a while. "You're really gonna leave things unfinished here?" he asked suddenly.

"Unfinished?"

"You should talk to him," he said. "Even if it's a goodbye. Close that chapter of your life so you can move on."

"I—" you started as the elevator doors opened and a few people came out. Your conversation was disrupted for a moment. "I've already closed that chapter," you muttered, walking into the elevator once it was empty.

"Y/N," Oikawa said on the other side of the elevator. "You wouldn't be wearing that necklace if you really had closed that chapter." With that the elevator doors closed and you were left alone, clasping the necklace from Kuroo you never once took off.

You were about to press the button on the elevator to go back up when you got a phone call. You reached for your ringing phone, not seeing who it was before picking up.

"On your way?" he asked. You recognized it as Akaashi's voice.

"Mhm," you took a step back from the buttons and composed yourself.

"I've got a taxi, but I can't hold it for too long. Are you close?"

"Yeah, I'm headed down right now." You hung up the phone, walking out the elevator to the front of your office building. You met up with Akaashi where he helped you get your things in and said goodbye to you.

"Sorry I can't be any more help, I have a case tonight." He worked as a prosecutor in a building a few minutes away from yours.

"You've been more than enough. More than I could ever ask for from a friend," you wrapped your arms around him as he laid his chin on your head. "Thanks for everything, Akaashi."

"Didn't I say I'd be there for you as long as you needed?" You nodded. "Can I say one last thing to you?"

"Last thing? I'll be back by fall," you replied, confused. "Everyone's acting like I'm going forever."

"Y/N," he paused, pulling away. "I—"

"What is it?" you interrupted. You'd never seen him like this before.

"I love you, if you haven't noticed," he said, letting out a deep sigh. "I have for a long time. Ever since I heard your story and saw how strong you were."

Your eyes went wide as you listened to him. Suddenly, it all came together in your head. All the things he'd said, all the times he'd helped, everything.

"B-but," you blurted, confused as to why he was telling you this now. As kind as he was, you didn't feel anything for him. You didn't want to have to turn him down as you were about to leave.

"But I know you're still in love with Kuroo. As much as I wish you weren't, it's obvious. I just want you to be happy—and you're truly happy with him. If I'm wrong, correct me. But if I'm right, please get on the phone and talk to him. I'm not saying to drop your trip, but six months is a long time to keep that business unfinished," he said softly as the taxi driver honked.

"Akaashi, I'm sorry, I just don't feel anything that way for you. I'm really sorry," you said, voice cracking. "I can't say you're wrong about him either," you turned away, quickly getting in the cab and closing the door. You let out a deep breath.

"Sorry to rush you and your boyfriend," the cab driver said. "I don't want to get you stuck in rush hour traffic."

"Oh he's not—actually, never mind," you muttered, taking your phone out and dialing a familiar number, Kuroo's.

After his brave confession, you couldn't ignore what Akaashi asked of you. Your finger hovered over the call button, but you couldn't do it. Not yet. You'd do it soon, but not yet.