So this is going to be the sequel to my story Fragments of happiness which I had in mind forever and never got aroung to writing. Let's hope it turns out well. First chapter will be from Natsuki's POV and then it will change with each chapter.

Natsuki

Dinner was a tedious affair. Yuuichi sat next to Mai, talking big about work and his colleague Tanaka joined in whenever he was not trying to engage me into a conversation. A fruitless effort on his part for I was not up to humor him and his and Yuuichi's pompous way of speaking.

Mai sat opposite to me, she flashed me a grin, clearly thinking the same thing as I did: The little boys are boasting about how big they are.

If I had not known Tate had this set up for me, maybe I had really found it funny to listen to them. Men never seemed to grow up, they only grew larger. Perhaps that was one of the reasons I did not like them much - their 'Ha I'm bigger than you' – 'No, I'm bigger' bragging mentality was just exhausting.

Only Yuto seemed positively rapt in his fathers words, yet I wondered how much a four year old child already understood. But there was something undeniably cute about how he looked at his father with beaming eyes.

Mai announced she was going to fetch the dessert, I breathed a sigh of relief for dinner soon to be over. Had I known that this evening was going to be a set-up, I would have refused Mai's invitation, but as she had assured me in a whisper at the door, she hadn't known either that Tate had planned on bringing his colleague along. And even though I was being as dismissive as I could be without being outright rude to his face it wasn't working.
And Tate in his foolishness was not about to give up yet.
"I'll help you, darling" he announced and followed her to the kitchen, leaving me alone with Yuto and Tanaka, on purpose I was sure. Tanaka didn't need to be asked twice, he seized the opportunity his friend had given him, rather obviously as I thought, to once again try to talk to me.

"So Kuga-san, what are you doing for a living? Are you an office lady?"

My head wipped around to face him fully so fast he actually jerked back a little. Did I really look like an office lady to him? I couldn't believe this guy! Apparently in his world all women were either housewives or secretaries to men like himself and Tate.

"Actually I repair bikes and cars in a garage," I informed him coldly, but before I really get started with not holding back for reasons of politeness anymore, Yuto reached out for my glass, still full, and in one swift move pulled it towards him before it slipped his grip, spilling water over himself, the table and the floor. More than happy about the interruption I tried to dry the little guy off with a napkin.

"Mai!" I called in the direction of the kitchen "I need a kitchen roll or a cloth, Yuto knocked a glass over."

"Coming!" and the next moment she was next to me with big roll of tissues. "Here Natsuki, would you please wipe the floor? I'll go change Yuto into something dry. Or maybe put him to bed, " Mai said, when he gave a yawn as she picked her son up.

Left alone with Tanaka once more, I bent down to mop up the water when I noticed the strange expression Tanaka was regarding me with. "What?" I asked.

"Uhm.. you seem quite familiar with each other, have you known Tate-san's wife for a long time?"

"Yeah, we've been friends since high school," and you would know that, you idiot, I thought, because I'm sure Tate told you so, but I kept from adding that, thinking how Mai had begged me to be civil. But seriously, why was he uncomfortable with me and Mai being on a first name basis? The more time I spent with him the less I liked him. Not that I had wanted to be introduced to him in the first place. In a weird way I found it heartwarming how Mai and Yuuichi were still looking out for me and I really enjoyed being invited into their home form time to time, share dinner with them, or even occasionally look after little Yuto. And even though it was nice, that they were also concerned about my love life ever since Shizuru dissapeared, I wished they would stop trying to set me up with somebody. None ever had me interested or invested as Shizuru had.

How could Tate think someone boring and spineless like Tanaka would match me?

"Kuga-san, about - " I had to give him that, he was persistent if nothing else, but before he could continue I rose, now wet cloth in hand and excused myself not to the kitchen but the bathroom.

"Oba-chan" Yuto cheered when I slipped through the door and I patted his head before I washed the cloth in the sink. "Thanks for getting me out there little buddy," I told him. Yuto cocked his head, clearly not understanding what I meant. He was distracted from asking about it when his mother pulled his pyjamas over his head.
"That bad?" Mai asked. "You have no idea. He seriously asked me whether I was an office lady."

Mai snorted. It was comforting that she couldn't picture me doing copies and fetching coffee either.
"I'm sorry Natsuki, Yuuichi only told me to cook more, but he didn't mention he'd bring the guy along. He was probably thinking he'd be doing you both a favour."

"It's okay," I assured Mai once again. I knew it wasn't her fault, that I had to sit through this delicious but highly uncomfortable dinner.

"But seriously, please stop trying to set me up with somebody, guy or girl – it's just not going to work."
"Fine," Mai relented, brushing Yuto's hair now. She had done so a couple of times in the past and I knew it most likely would not last this time around either. After Shizuru had disappeared out of my life and I had gotten out of the hole this had thrown my state of mind into Mai had made numerous efforts to get me to date again. She'd taken me to mixers of her college pals, she had introduced me to several girls but I never felt more than a sorry for them when I was meeting with them. As we grew older the forced dates grew less frequent but still every so often, Mai and now also Yuuichi would think they had found somebody just perfect for me.

"Don't you ever get lonely Natsuki?" she asked. I shrugged. Of course it was lonely sometimes, but I had some friends now that I knew I could trust and Mai especially felt almost like a sister. It was more family than I ever really had growing up, so it was fine. Not perfect but fine.

"Nobody ever made me want to be with them they way she did," was all I said.

I hugged Yuto goodnight, who happily threw his scrawny arms around me. "See you soon little guy," and turning back to Mai again, "I guess I'll skip dessert this time, otherwise Tanaka will put his foot in his mouth and I would make sure he chocked on it."

Mai laughed and hugged me goodbye tightly. "Drive safely."

Coming out of the bathroom I marched straight past the dining room, grabbing my helmet and jacket and slipping out before Yuuichi or Tanaka noticed. For all I knew Tate had poured them sake by now and they were congratulatiing themselves again on being such successflu businessmen. I didn't begrugde Tate his job, he was seemingly good at whaterver it was and he did his best to be a good father and husband. But he was still the slightly clueless buffon from highschool deep down and I well, I still was a bit of a loner.
But it was okay that way, I thought as my bike ran along the coastline, smoothly gliding through the curves back to my apartment in town. It was a good life all of us lead now.