"You want me to go WHERE?!"
looked up from her desk calmly. She was used to this temper by now. She eyed him evenly as his glaring eyes had murdering intent in them. She raised an eyebrow and firmly repeated what she had said. "You are going to an anger management class."
Kirihara Akaya slammed his hands on her desk and narrowed his eyes. She could’ve sworn that he would go blind if he had narrowed them anymore. "Why… the hell do you want me to take an anger management class?"
"You have issues."
His eyebrow twitched at her calm statement. He was annoyed because she was treating this too calmly. He watched her again and saw her filing her nails and glancing at her desktop to check if she had any new e-mails. "I don't have issues."
"The photographer, make-up artist, hairdresser, journalists and etc… all say that you do." She stood up, picking up a newspaper and threw it at him. "You punched a photographer yesterday and now the headlines are calling you a demon." She pulled a cigarette and lit it. "Akaya, my agency does not tolerate brats. You either clean up your act or go to another one," she threatened, exhaling the cigarette as she leaned by the desk.
He was going to snap, but she interrupted.
"Think very carefully of your next sentence, Akaya." She looked at him. "If my agency lets go of you, no other will accept you. Not with the bad press you've been getting lately."
He fisted his hand and knew he was in a clinch. She had set him up, big time. He could’ve easily walked, but he had worked hard to build his reputation and if he left her, then he'd be screwed because she can easily tarnish it as well. was a woman not to be messed with. He looked down with a sigh of defeat. "When do I start?"
~~~
Damnit, I am definitely not staying, Kirihara thought the minute he walked into the room. had scheduled for him to be in this class the next day and here he was… he ignored the looks he was getting and made his way in, he didn’t bother looking at anyone or talking to anyone. He grabbed a chair that was part of circle and sat on it.
He finally looked up and saw only five people. There were three men and two women. Most of them looked like they were in their late twenties, except one man and woman seemed around his age, in their mid twenties.
He wanted to just get up and leave and he almost did, but someone walked in and he assumed that it was the instructor. "Be proud!" he said, "You've taken the first steps in your lives to improve."
Kirihara swore softly.
"Gather closer, group." The instructor ordered, crossing his arms as he stood in the middle of the circle. "I am . Please introduce yourselves one by one and let us know why you are here, for it helps."
All eyes turned to Kirihara. He wanted to shout, but bit his lip. "Kirihara Akaya…"
They all gasped, but the instructor intervened. "Please rest assured, Kirihara-san that you being part of this group will remain anonymous. That was the agreement. We'll make sure to resolve your issues."
Kirihara didn't comment to that. "Kirihara Akaya… I… I don't have issues."
"DENIAL!" All five members shouted, pointing their finger at him.
His eyebrow twitched, but they didn't let him say anything else. A woman next to him moved a bit close. " ," she said, not looking at anyone. "I am here because I tried stabbing my boyfriend of four years."
All the men moved further away from her.
rolled her eyes. "I bit him, scratched him, and tried making him impotent with a pencil because I caught him in bed with a friend," she explained, standing up. "And if anyone tells me that that was not a rational thing to do then…
" -chan," said quietly. "Deep breaths."
She slumped back on the chair and closed her eyes.
"Eve ne, let's help -chan to calm down," ordered. "Woosah(1)."
"Woosah." They all chanted together.
Kirihara smacked his forehead. You have got to be kidding me, he thought.
had finally calmed down and the introductions continued. So far Kirihara managed to conclude that they were all crazy. One of the men had issues with his boss. The other had eight children and never had a moment peace… birth control, he thought sarcastically. They each turned crazier by the second. The more they talked, the more he wanted out of that place, FAST!
Finally, it was break time and he was thankful. He went to the refreshments to pick up a glass of water and just stood by the side. He saw eve ne together, except…
stood by the side, looking outside the window. He took a good look at her and realized that she was really pretty. He hesitated, but walked towards her, but then stopped again. Damnit, this woman wanted to stab her boyfriend, he thought as he retraced his steps.
"I don’t have a pencil on me."
He stopped.
looked at him and winked. "They're all cowards that bunch of there." She moved her head to the direction of the group, standing by the side. "I do not regret what I did, that idiot wasted four years of my life."
He rubbed his jaw curiously and walked towards her. "Why are you here?"
"It was either going through a lawsuit or an anger management class."
Kirihara wanted to say something.
"That bastard…. How dare he says he wants to sue me?" she clenched her fists. "He said that he had an emotional breakdown when I wanted to stab him! And I didn’t? Watching him in bed with someone else… what would that…" she choked on her last words and covered her face.
Sugiayma walked between them and held . "Calm down, -chan," he said softly, rubbing her back.
Kirihara frowned.
looked at him and then back at who was crying. He comforted her quietly and helped her sit down. " -chan was here three weeks ago with a different group. This is her first time with your group, so please be patient with her." He had his hand on her shoulder.
moved away from him. "I'm fine, she said quietly. "This is all an act from his side. This is all because he wanted to cover his reputation." She turned away and looked outside the window.
Damn! And I thought I had it bad, he thought with a sigh. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited until break was over. He knew for certain that this was going to be a long day.
When it was finally over, he was the first to dart out. He didn’t say anything to anyone, he just wanted out of this place. However, his wish was not granted for getting out of there fast, for he had to wait for the stupid slow elevator to open up its doors. He was tempted to take the stairs, but decided not to. As he waited, he saw approaching. She didn’t say anything, but stood patiently next to him.
As they waited, he finally looked at her. "Do you work?"
turned and looked at him. "Yeah…"
He turned back and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He felt a bit nervous. He didn’t know why he felt nervous, but somehow he did. He glanced at her and saw that she was looking at her nails. Her posture and the way she held herself did not show that she was someone who had anger issues. He frowned at his thoughts and they were finally interrupted when the elevator door opened.
She walked in and he followed.
The silence was killing him and Kirihara had no idea why he said what he had said next. "Do you want to have lunch with me?"
looked at him again. She seemed confused as a frown dawned on her face. "Are you…" she started, but the elevator suddenly jerked and she fell forward into his embrace.
Kirihara stabled her, but not before holding her tightly. Her warm body against his jolted him. He was surprised at his reaction, he was always around women. The million photo shoots he had to do always had women around him. Why was it that when he held this particular woman, his emotions reacted? He almost pushed her roughly away from him, his hair concealing his eyes. The elevator door opened and they both walked out. stood next to him. "So, where are we going?"
~~~
He watched as she ate. He was surprised though. He had never seen anyone enjoying their food like she did when they ate. She told him that she enjoyed different cuisines and would indulge in them.
Surprisingly, Kirihara was enjoying her company. She had shown him no signs of a woman that had anger issues while they were out. He was wondering why she was in that class when he suddenly remembered that she almost stabbed someone with a pencil.
looked at him. "You're wondering about me again," she said, chewing her pasta carefully. "You're wondering why a calm and beautifully collected woman like me is in an anger management class."
He looked at her wryly. I thought I had issues, he thought, picking up his spoon. He casually checked himself to make sure nothing was out of place from its reflection and looked at her.
blinked and to his surprise she started laughing. "I knew you were vain, but not to this extent," she admitted. 'All day I've noticed that you've been checking yourself out," she pointed out, leaning her elbows on the table and watching. "Tell me something, when you walked into class today, did you think you were the best looking one in there?"
"I didn't have to think it," he muttered, recalling how horrific one of the guy's nose was. Or how really bad hair the other one had or…
laughed again.
He actually blushed and looked away, a distant look in his eyes. He played with his spoon and decided to watch others as they ate while he asked her something. " -san, do you mind telling me about him?'
's smile immediately disappeared. She looked down for a second and then moved her gaze to the window that they were seated next to.
He immediately sensed the change in her mood. "I'm so…"
"No,' she interrupted. "It's alright. I'll tell you." She looked down now at her fingers. "He was someone I had casually met at my parent's anniversary. I didn’t know him at all and immediately wondered why he was there. Anyway, he was wondering the same thing about me, so he came up to, we chatted, and the night ended with him asking me out."
Kirihara was never into a story before. He would normally listen half attentively, but now he was dying to know the details and wanted to know what happened next. "Go on…"
drummed her fingers and finally looked at him. "Anyway… we went out a lot. We then officially became a couple. At one point, we started living together temporarily because his apartment was being repainted and it lasted for almost three and a half years."
He rubbed his jaw remembering something. "You said boyfriend of four years."
"I didn’t finish my story yet."
He watched as all types of emotions were displayed on her face. He was starting to realize that he may be hurting her when he asked her to tell her story. He waited patiently for her to continue while nervously tapping his foot lightly.
"He worked as a manager for a multinational company and the past half year, he was starting to stay late at work a lot. I know he had a lot more responsibilities because he had been promoted, but I didn’t know he always worked late with his team," she said bitterly. "To make the story short, there was a woman on his team who was also a friend of mine. Apparently they hit it off and had been seeing each other."
"But you said you saw them…"
"Yes, I did see them! I saw them on my bed! He had the courtesy to do it with her in my apartment and on MY BED!" She took a deep breath and looked away. "You know the rest."
He bit his lip nervously and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry."
"Don' be. I'm just glad it made me realize what an ass he was and it only took me almost four years." She gave out a bitter laugh and looked away again. She let out a sigh and rested her cheek against her hand. "I'm pathetic."
He hesitated, but reached for her other hand and patted it gently. "You'll find someone else."
"I doubt it," she said quietly. "Since then, my emotions have been unstable and my parents keep trying to set me up with someone, but I always mess it up."
"Why don't you try dating me?" Now where did that come from? He asked himself.
looked up, confused. She laughed, her hair shaking with it. "Sweet, but Kirihara Akaya, you do realize that I'm way older than you, don't you?" she stretched her arm and poked his nose like he was a mere child.
His pride looked like it had taken a hit, slapping her hand away. "So?" he asked his face turning into all sorts of colors. "I'm not man enough to date you? Is that what you’re telling me?"
raised an eyebrow. "Its not that you're not man enough to date me, you're simply not man enough to put up with me. Plus, you have a really bad temper; we'll only end up killing each other."
Kirihara was fuming. His eye was twitching and he could've sworn his demonic side wanted to rip the woman in front of him apart, but he held it back and eyed her narrowly. "Try me."
smiled mischievously at him as she leaned on the table and winked. 'Na-uh."
His eye twitched. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he snapped, but it was still with an edge of control.
"Very much, I haven’t laughed in ages," she admitted, wiping a tear from her eye. It was a tear of joy. "Oh shut up! You're being a drama queen. you're a model, and you probably have a lot of women all over you. You won't die if I don't go out with you."
He didn’t say anything. He paid the bill and stood up; helping her put her jacket on. He didn’t trust himself to say anything at the moment because he knew his temper would speak for him instead.
glanced at him and smiled. "You're mad at me, no?" she asked, walking with him. They were somewhere quiet and not much of by passers were there.
"Che…" he muttered. "You're judging me too quick."
looked at him. "I know this is the first time we've met, but don't worry. Its not you, I'm just not ready to see anyone. As much as eve ne is trying to hook me up, I'm not ready. I was only teasing you earlier."
He bit his lip again. It was a bad habit that seemed to incur in him today. He moved his curly hair away from his eye and he had the feeling he was going to do something impulsive. "I don't normally do this and I know we just met, but…" he pushed his arm out, encircling it around her waist and was thankful that she was rather well figured than those sticks he had to put his arms around during photo shoots, and pulled her towards him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Let me prove to you that I can be man enough for you." He tilted her head upwards and he was thankful again that he was taller than her and kissed her. Kirihara never ever had to put so much effort into a kiss before and he was determined to make her see him as a 'man'. He used all the skills he had, he moved his hands all over her and finally he moved away.
looked up at him dazed. She raised her hand and he thought she was going to slap him, but she patted his cheek lightly. "I've had better." She smiled. "Have a good night." She turned around and left.
~~~
I've had better?
I've had better…
I'VE HAD BETTER!?
"ARGH!" Kirihara yelled, slamming the book against the wall. "That… That… That CRAZY BITCH!" he yelled, picking something else up and he was going to throw it, but was interrupted.
"Are you done being a drama queen?" asked, leaning against the door of his dressing room with her arms crossed. "That's two broken vases in an hour."
Kirihara didn’t say anything. He was fuming. He was fuming last night when she left him, he was fuming this morning when he woke up and he was fuming now at work. He clenched his fists and tried to calm his breathing.
"What's got you all worked up? I believe I heard a reference to a crazy bitch…"
He sat down and moved a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don’t want to talk about it."
tapped her foot impatiently. "You better speak about it or I will suspend you from this shoot."
He stood up. "I'm going to be fine. I'm going for makeup." He left. The minute he left, he dashed down the hallway causing a lot of onlookers to look surprised. He ran up the stairs and went to the roof. Leaning against the door, shutting it, he pulled out his phone and began dialing.
As soon as the person answered… "Yanagi-senpai!"
Yanagi Renji let out a sigh. "I told you a million times drop the senpai, its been years" Renji said over the phone. "What did you do now, Akaya?"
He quickly explained while Renji listened patiently.
Once he was done, he finally spoke. “The only question I have is why were you kissing a strange woman on your first meeting with her?"
Kirihara stopped. Good question indeed, he thought. Why did I kiss someone I just met? He rubbed a hand through his hair. And someone older? He shook his head and decided to be honest. "I don't know."
"That is the question that you need to answer."
Kirihara frowned when Yanagi hung up. He knew his pride had taken a blow, but why the hell did he act so impulsively. Although he was known to be irrational sometimes, but he would never do something like that.
As much as his thoughts were bothering him and he wanted to break everything, he changed his mood and decided to concentrate on work. He would focus on this issue in class tomorrow. He so wanted to go today, but his sessions were three times a week, so he needed to be patient.
Once his job was done, he picked up his things and drove back home in his convertible. His phone rang and he turned on the speaker. "Yeah?"
"People address a hello with courtesy, Akaya."
“Yanagi-senpai."
Renji didn't even bother to tell him to drop the 'senpai' this time. "Akaya, I want to make sure that you go to your session tomorrow. called me to make sure.”
Kirihara didn’t say anything.
"I'll take your silence for a yes."
~~~
was just about to start class when he saw a really angry Kirihara Akaya walk in class. He didn’t say anything or look at anyone. He just plopped himself on his chair, crossed his arms and legs and stayed quiet. "Akaya-kun?"
"I'm fine," he snapped. "Just get this over with."
"Tsk. Tsk. Sweetie, you're scaring eve ne," said who was sitting next to him, patting his cheek lightly.
Kirihara glared at her. He just slapped her hand away and continued to listen.
The session seemed to take longer than he wanted to. He just wanted to get out of there. And her sitting next to him was not helping either. The minute it was over, he was the first to stand up.
He walked out and went straight to the elevator, but he forgot that the damn thing was slow and by the time the door opened she was standing next to him. He walked in and didn’t say anything while she stood there. Her calm nature was pissing him off and every time he remembered that sentence, his temper blew. Finally, without thinking he fisted his hand and punched the stop button causing the elevator to stop. "I've had better?" he demanded, looking at her.
blinked. "You’re still mad about that, love."
"Don't call me love!" he snapped.
She smiled innocently.
He had had it. He jerked her towards him and kissed her more fully this time. In fact he kissed her so hard that he had her backed up against the elevator walls. Finally, he let go of her and looked at her.
looked at him. "Maybe in two or three years…"
Kirihara fell forward and rested his forehead against hers. "You're going to end up killing me."
"Oh, it's not that bad sweetie," she cupped his face. "I'm just more experienced than you are."
"You're doing this on purpose!" he yelled, moving his head away.
raised her finger to her lips and one hand rested on her hip. "Hmm… Am I?' she asked. "Alright, come here." she motioned with her finger.
"What?"
raised an eyebrow. "Come here and let me show how a kiss should be," she explained. "You're not bad, but a bit messy. Now come here."
He sulked. "Forget it."
"I said come here!"
He let out a sigh and stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets. His shoulders were slouched.
"Shoulders straight! Be a man!" She hit his shoulder playfully.
He scowled.
put her arms around his neck. "You always keep a distant between yourself and the person you’re kissing. Now put your arms around me and hold me close," she ordered.
He rolled his eyes, but consented to that. He wrapped his arms around her, but didn’t do anything close.
She moved closer to him. "Hold me, close. What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid that you will hit me again!"
She rolled her eyes this time and moved even closer. "Lower your head," she said.
"You move up."
kicked him lightly and he swore softly. "You're taller than me!"
He lowered his head and she cupped his face. placed her lips on his and kissed him gently. She moved them sensuously over his until he finally responded, but she stopped him when he tried moving faster. 'Slow down," she said, moving away. "Enjoy the slow kiss. You're devouring me!" she said annoyed. "Why do you always have to speed it up?!"
"Che…"
"Are you like this in bed as well?" she demanded, still in his arms. "You need to give a woman her time when she's being intimate."
He pushed her away casually and moved a hand through his hair. "Rest assured that a woman is well satisfied in my bed," he said.
She crossed her arms. "You're full of shit."
He shrugged and pressed on the stop button again. Surprisingly, the elevator started moving again. There was silence after that. When the doors opened, he just walked out, but she followed him. "Waaaaait~" she said, holding his upper arm. "Did you get offended?"
He shrugged her hand off his arm.
She grabbed it again and glared at him. "Don't push me away."
"Or what? You'll stab me with a pencil!" he shouted, glaring back at her.
She grabbed his shirt and narrowed her eyes. "Don't yell at your elders! It's disrespectful!"
"You have lost every respect I can offer you! A woman that kisses someone the first day she meets! That's totally out of control."
“You kissed me first!"
"And you kissed me back!" Kirihara peered into her face. "Because you provoked me! That's the only reason I kissed you. You don't provoke someone's manhood with one word! No wonder you have issues!"
glared back. "Don't push me, you idiot! You asked me out straight and then kissed me. If anything I should call sexual harassment to that."
His eye twitched. He turned around and muttered 'woosah' because he knew he'd slap a woman for the first time in his life if he stared at her any longer. He clenched his fist and started walking. He didn’t want to be here with her. If anything, she was making him angrier just being in the class with him. He was actually thinking of changing sessions.
“That’s so un-gentlemanly!” she yelled, following him. “You’re supposed to be the face of the new fragrance that they call gentleman.”
Kirihara stopped. “How do you know that?” he demanded, turning around.
She looked at him smugly with her arms crossed. “I have my sources.”
Kirihara narrowed his eyes. “Look, you’re crazy!” he said. “Stop following me. Just go and get your own stuff done.”
"You're the psycho! You can't call me crazy after kissing me." He started walking away again annoyed by the whole situation.
“I’ll date you.”
He stopped walking. “What?” he asked, not turning around.
“I’ll give you a chance and try dating you,” she answered. “Isn’t that what started this whole mess.”
He still didn’t turn around. “What makes you think I want to get involved with a crazy and unstable woman like you after all that drama you caused?”
“Then why else did you kiss me?”
Kirihara laughed. “And you called me vain?” he asked, turning around to face her.
glared at him, hands on her hips. “Fine,” she said, flipping her hair. “It is your loss.”
“No, it’s clearly yours.”
removed her purse off her shoulder and swung it at him. “What the hell is wrong with you!?” she yelled. “Are you trying to make fun of me? I am saying yes to your stupid attempt to date me.”
“I said no.”
huffed and turned around. “Fine! Have a good night,” she said, walking away from him.
Kirihara swore softly and walked in the opposite away.
~~~
“Is it me or is this anger management class making you more aggressive?” asked Kirihara.
It had been ten days since his last encounter with . Also, he was feeling rather frustrated today because he had to go to class again. The reason he hadn’t been to class previously because had been away. He seriously wasn’t in the mood for that woman. “I’m fine,” he said, putting on a shirt.
thought for a second and nodded. “You seem to be doing well with everybody around you, but I can tell that you’re ready to explode.”
“I said I was fine,” he repeated, fixing his hair. “I’m just not in the mood for class. That’s all.”
didn’t say anything. “Well, that’s not good.”
“It’s my problem.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I see. Well, let’s go.”
Kirihara stopped. “Excuse me?”
She picked up her purse. “Let’s go. I’m joining your class today. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t be monitoring your progress?”
“You can ask for a report!”
“And miss the live action? I don’t think so.” She walked out with him and headed to the parking. “I’m serious about this and I want to make sure that you are too.”
“I’m going there, aren’t I?”
She ignored him and got into her car. “I’ll follow you.”
Kirihara was not happy about this. He went to his car and drove as she followed him. He kept forgetting to slow down because she was tailing him. Finally, he reached and they both walked into class. However, he realized that they were early and the one person he did not want to see was standing there alone, drinking coffee.
He didn’t make a move towards her. He just walked in and took an empty seat, leaving alone.
“Aren’t you going to say hi?” asked. “It’s rude not to.”
Kirihara shrugged.
smacked his head slightly and walked towards . clearly had no idea that Kirihara and this woman had issues. “Hello?”
turned and smiled. “Hi, are you new to the group?” she asked.
“No,” answered. “I’m here to see how his ‘highness’ is doing.”
rolled her eyes. “His highness indeed,” she muttered. “I hate that man.”
blinked. “Excuse me?”
shook her head. “Never mind,” she said, looking at the door. “ ’s here,” she said, noticing that just walked in. left and went to , hugging him lightly.
smiled and looked up, noticing . “ ,” he said, greeting her with a hug. “How nice of you to come.” He kissed her cheek.
Kirihara blinked. Are these two close?
nodded and looked up at him. “It’s always good to see you, ,” she said sincerely. “How has everything been so far?”
“Quite well,” he answered. “In fact, you chose a good day to visit. I’m taking this session somewhere else.”
"Somewhere else?" Kirihara and asked at the same time.
They both looked sharply at each other and then simply turned their heads away.
Their gazes were not left unnoticed by the two people there. and looked at each other curiously. "Yes, we're going to have fun today," finally answered. 'In fact, I'll let choose."
~~~
"Bowling?" Kirihara hissed, standing in the alley. "From all places, you chose bowling?!" he demanded, sitting down and trying to put the stupid bowling shoes on. "I thought you would choose to get our nails done."
ignored him as she put her shoes on. "Bowling is fun! I haven’t bowled in years." She giggled, standing up.
joined them and smiled. "Kumiko-chan couldn’t be here today, but it makes it a bit easier for us. Since we're only eight people, we can have two on each team and play."
"Fine, then I'll take ." Kirihara stood up, but shook her head.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but is my partner for the day." She winked mischievously at him, hugging 's arm.
"Since when are you two like a couple?" Kirihara demanded.
smiled.
He turned to the others and found them all paired, except… He swore softly and looked away. Finally after breathing 'woosah' for a few minutes, he walked towards her. "Well?"
She looked at him annoyed. "Well what? We're stuck with each other," she muttered walking to her post. "Oh and by the way I suck at bowling."
He didn’t say anything. He just went ahead and picked up a bowling ball.
~~~
“Gutterball? Have you even bowled before?!”
glared at him.
“Don’t glare at me! Have you bowled?”
“No,” she answered, glaring back.
“What?! But you said you sucked at bowling,” he accused, pointing his finger at her.
“Because I’ve never bowled before,” she added, looking away. “Do you seriously think I’m the type of woman who will enjoy bowling?”
walked to them. “This is a free session; you guys need to calm down.”
They both looked away.
“TETSUYA! STOP THAT!”
Both Kirihara and looked at the sudden scream of joy that came from a female. It was a female being hugged by a man adoringly as he tried to teach her how to bowl.
A quick sharp breath was heard.
Kirihara turned to see different types of emotions on ’s face. However, anger was the most visible one. She immediately turned her face and closed her eyes. He saw her breath in and out deeply.
stood next to her. “ ?”
“I’m fine,” she said, moving him away. “I just… I just don’t want to do this anymore.” She sat down. “And no I’m not fine.” She contradicted herself. “How can he…” She hugged herself. “I’m going to kill that bastard!” she snapped, standing up.
held her. “If you go ten feet near him, you know that he can put you in jail!”
“He is the one who cheated on me!” she shouted angrily.
He held both of her upper arms gently. “Deep breaths,” he said calmly.
By then most of the group had gathered around her. Kirihara felt somehow disturbed that they were all watching her. He knew that she didn’t need the ‘pity’ look from them.
He went to her and took her out of ’s hold. “If you don’t mind, we’ll leave.”
rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “It might be best, but she needs to confront her issues.”
Kirihara picked up their stuff. “She can do it at the next session,” he said, leading her out.
stepped forward, but stopped her. “Let them be, ,” he said quietly. “He’s right.”
~~~
“So what do you want to do?”
looked at him surprised. “You don’t have to put up with me. After all, you said it yourself, I’m intolerable.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Save it,” she said, sitting down on a curb. “I’m just tired of all this. I want these sessions to end. I’m tired.”
He sat next to her. “How many have you been to?
“Thirty seven.”
No wonder he knows her so well, he thought wryly.
“It doesn’t seem to be helping.”
“It’s because you’re not trying,” he told her. “Stop acting so strong all the time! That scene hurt you and look at you… you’re not shedding a single damn tear.”
She was quiet for a while and finally answered. “I guess I’m just empty inside.”
“Yes, it seems so! This is not a play! This is about feelings. At the moment in front of me, I see a very vulnerable woman who’s trying to act tough and all mighty. You don’t need to do that in front of me,” he said, trying to control his anger. “You don’t need to pretend to be someone else in front of me.”
didn’t say anything.
“I take back what I said,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “I want to try and date you. I want to see the woman who’s not beneath the façade you show the world.”
“I’m not interested.”
“We need to stop this.”
She looked at him. “Stop what?”
“Stop the ‘I’m not interested” when the other is! It’s a never ending cycle.” He looked back at her and smiled lazily. “So want to give a spoilt brat that’s younger than you a chance?”
~~~
“Are you trying to impress me?” asked as the waiter helped her sit at her table. She was here because she had agreed the other day to give him a chance. Three days later, they were finally to get some time off and he brought to a very exclusive restaurant for dinner.
“Is it working?”
"No."
Kirihara sighed. "I had to book in advance."
looked at him and finally smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I actually like this atmosphere," she admitted. "My ex-boyfriend was too shallow to spoil me properly."
He cleared his throat. "Can we not mention ex-boyfriends please?"
She smiled wickedly. "Feeling insecure?" she asked, stabbing his chest lightly with her finger.
He took the hand that was stabbing him and turned it around. "No. I only want you to think of me tonight."
raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I feel you've been practicing your lines."
Kirihara felt a like she had actually read his mind. It had taken him three days with Renji to be a proper gentleman and try and control his temper. He just hoped that she wouldn’t see the notes that were on his lap, courtesy of Renji. He really did not want to screw this up.
"Relax, sweetie." She leaned on the table. "Get rid of the notes and be just yourself with me." she winked. "You said you want to try out me, so its only fair that you're you, if that made sense."
"Damnit! Do you have eyes everywhere?" he demanded, embarrassed at getting caught. "I'm trying to make this work."
"Then be… yourself!"
He crumpled the notes on his lap and threw them on the table. grinned and picked one up. "Hey… No!" he said, snatching it back, but she took it again and pulled her tongue out.
She smoothed it open and grinned. "Keep smiling," she read out loud.
Kirihara smacked his forehead.
"If your date's getting angry, graze her leg gently with your foot!" laughed. "Oh my god! Who wrote this?"
"Give me that!" he growled.
continued laughing as she read one note after the other. It only resulted in embarrassing him more. Finally when she was done reading, she looked to see a very annoyed Kirihara. "I'm only teasing."
"That's not fair," he muttered. "You just screwed it up for me."
tilted her head to the side. "But, do you see me not happy, Akaya?"
He stopped when he heard her comment. Looking up at her, he realized that she really was in a good mood. "I guess it made you smile."
nodded and pulled out a pen from her purse. She placed the napkin on the table and wrote something. After a few minutes, she gave it to him. "That's the only note you need for the night," she said, standing up. "Excuse me, I need the rest room."
Kirihara looked at the napkin after she left and couldn’t help but smile. He read the note again and it said:
Make sure she doesn’t forget this night~
~~~
"I'm so stuffed that I can't breathe," said, walking out with him. "Hey, you actually did well. I wasn’t bored at all."
"It's not over yet."
looked at him. "Not over?"
"Nope," he said, taking her hand and leading her away from the restaurant.
"Your car…" said, realizing that they weren’t walking towards his car.
"Don't worry," he said, looking at her. "We don't need a car for where we're going."
allowed him to lead her. She didn’t say anything and he didn’t either. After a while, she found herself in front of a little shop. She found the décor weird from the outside, but when he took her in, she fell in love. It was the cutest place she had ever been to. "Oh… cute!"
He smiled.
"Akaya-kun.'
turned and saw an old woman behind the counter. Kirihara took her hand and led her to the woman. "Wada-sama," he said politely. "This is ."
The old woman gave her a sincere smile. "Come here, my dear. It's not always that Akaya-kun brings a beautiful woman to visit me."
hesitated, but took a step closer. "It's nice to meet you."
She nodded. "Please have a seat. This is my ice cream shop and I make humble ice cream."
"No, not humble. You make little drops of heaven(2)."
looked at him. "Seriously?" she laughed. "I don't eat ice cream though."
"You will eat this one," he assured, watching Wada work her way to make him his 'special'.
"I really don't like…."
"I'm sorry, young lady. No body leaves my shop until they eat it," Wada said, pulling out scoops of ice cream and placing it on a plate. 'Now, you two scatter along while I make this." She shooed them away. "You can sit in the back."
Before could protest, Kirihara took her hand and led her to the back. All the time they had walked and made their way to the back, she was admiring the cozy little atmosphere. The décor was so exquisite that she couldn’t find the words to describe it. One thing she was sure as a matter of fact was that this place was different.
He seated her and then moved next to her. "Do you like this place?"
looked at him. "It's nice," she admitted. "But, Akaya, I seriously don't like to eat ice cream."
"Tough."
She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned. "I thought you were supposed to make this night memorable."
"Be patient."
looked at him with an annoyed face. Since when did he have the upper hand in things? She thought, a bit irritated at how confident he seemed. She wondered what brought this change, earlier he had been a nervous wreck with those stupid little notes on his lap.
She didn’t say anything and he didn’t bother striking a conversation. It seemed to her that he was eager about the ice cream more than spending time with her.
Finally, the awaited plate of sunshine arrived. She could literally see the stars in his eyes. Sighing, she wondered if the man next to her was really in his twenties or younger… However, he surprised her again. Instead of digging into the ice cream, he picked up a spoonful and held it in front of her. "Say, Ah…"
blinked and moved his arm away. "No, I don't want."
"It's melting, so open your mouth damnit…"
"No, I don't like… Eep…" she squealed as he pinched her lightly and forced the ice cream into her mouth.
held her neck slightly. "Cold," she whispered, blinking her tears away. It was so cold that she shivered.
"Taste it."
She didn’t want to admit, but he was right. That was the sweetest and most delicious thing she had ever had in her life. Finally, after carefully swallowing she glared at him. Her throat seemed to ache from the sudden attack of cold cream down her throat.
"Good girl," he said, moving her hair off her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. It was just a touch, not one of those fast paced kisses he used to give her to prove himself.
She found his arm around her. Moving away a bit, but not letting her go, he looked at her. "Like that?"
Unconsciously she touched her lips. She wasn’t sure if it was the ice cream or that he kissed her differently that made her heart flutter. She was trying to decide if he had brought her here on purpose. The atmosphere, the coziness, and his sincerity, it all seemed to add up and make him more… what was that word again? Irresistible? She thought.
She moved her hand and cupped his jaw. "Let's try that again… I need more convincing."
He smirked and leaned forward, kissing her again. This time although it was a soft touch, but he prolonged it a bit. He finally pulled back, but not enough to let her go yet. "How am I doing?"
She held his upper arm. "You have been taking lessons, haven't you? I just hope you haven’t been kissing the same man who fed you all that crappy notes earlier."
He scowled.
felt like herself again. She moved closer to him and smiled. "No need to scowl, love," she said quietly. "I am enjoying myself and you’re doing so well." She winked. "I think this is the first evening that the two of us have had anger free."
He thought for a minute and nodded. "True."
" would be proud of us," she said, smiling sincerely. "Now…" she turned to the table, "I want to finish this," she said, picking up a spoon and deciding to enjoy the desserts.
He nodded again and joined her.
After they finished, he leaned on the chair and stretched his arm, resting it on top of the chair. scooted closer and placed her head on his shoulder. "I like this place," she admitted, closing her eyes. "It’s very peaceful."
He looked down at her sleeping face and moved his hand to her shoulder, holding her tight. "I'm glad. You're a very difficult woman to please."
chuckled and opened it. "I know."
Kirihara smirked and kissed her forehead. It was another move from him that she did not expect. "Can I try this again?" he asked, referring to their date.
"You can try this everyday," she said, giving him her approval.
~~~
Following that night, the two seemed more relaxed in each other's presence. They were doing well that decided to make their sessions once a week instead of the regular periods they attended.
, now in the studio watched as Kirihara posed for a picture. She had noticed the change in him. He seemed calmer these days. Although she'd notice a small spark of anger, but he kept in. She figured he'd release it somewhere else or in another person's presence only.
He worked silently the whole time. His new mood seemed to make him more popular as well. The staff that had previously avoided him at all cost were now fighting amongst each other to work with him because he was one that didn’t complain anymore.
was quietly watching him. When the photo shoot was over, he simply picked up his stuff and walked out. However, he returned and stood in front of her. "Thank you," he said, kissing her cheek. "If it wasn't for your haughtiness, I would've never met my ."
raised an eyebrow. "Your ?"
He blushed. "So far," he admitted. "We're taking things slow."
crossed her arms. "Well, you better make sure that you never betray her, sweetie. That woman does not take easily to a two-timer."
He shuddered. "I know… she can be jealous."
laughed. "Anyway, I'm glad to see you’re doing alright."
Kirihara nodded. "Then, let’s go."
"Let's go?"
He took her hand and led her out. "Yes, we're going on a double date, you, me, …."
blushed, following him.
~~~
DeVeliCious
Edited by Kashii
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Note:
(1) "Woosah was a term used in the movie Bad Boys II. I watched that in 2004 and found it hilarious when they used it to calm themselves down.
(2) Little drops of heaven - a reference to Monica's cookies from the TV Series - F.R.I.E.N.D.S (from the mid 90's)