During the next week, her husband used the limousine every day, to her dismay keeping her from seeing more of Haruka than brief glimpsed she managed to catch when she stood waiting for the young man; and for the first time since she had married him, she truly resented her husband, something she never showed him though, as polite and friendly with him as always.
Finally though, her husband decided to have yet another one of his nights out, letting her know that, if she had to go somewhere, she could have the limousine this weekend; she just nodded, yet again not commenting on how he might spend the oncoming night, just glad that at last, she'd have the chance to spend time with Haruka once more.
Hiding well how giddy this was making her feel – if her parents and her marriage had taught her one thing, it was how to hide her feelings – she told the housekeeper that she wanted the limousine ready for ten the moment her husband had left the house; the elder woman reassured her it would be done, then scurried off to do her job, leaving Michiru with almost an hour to kill.
Well, you can use that time to figure out where you want to go, she told herself, after all, you can hardly tell her to simply drive you around town for no reason. She'd do it, for sure, but she might think it's strange, and I really don't want her to think of me as strange.
Figuring that painting always helped her to free her mind and to think, she moved to her atelier, where her current work in progress was waiting on the easel; anyone else might have changed into clothing which did not cost more than other people earned a year, but she never even though of this – she had stopped getting paint onto her clothing when she had been seven, after a few ruined blouses and the stern talking-to's from her parents she'd received for each one the housekeeper hadn't been able to rescue.
As always, she felt much better and calmer the second she picked up the brush; she even began humming to herself a little after the first few carefully placed strokes, something she never did outside her atelier, and something which thus nobody else ever had heard – not even her parents, as she already had kept this from them when she still had been a child.
And as she painted, with her mind at ease, she realized where she could ask Haruka to take her – the gallery which would display some of her paintings soon wanted to meet her once more to settle the final details of the exhibition, and even though they hadn't made an appointment for this certain day, Michiru figured that her name and status would allow her to just drop in unannounced, a small smile curling her lips as she remembered how the owner practically had fallen over herself just to make sure Michiru would show her paintings there.
The way the gallery owner had acted towards her had left her quite sure that she would have been just as happy to show her to her bedroom, back at her home; since the slightly elder woman, with her feminine glory, hadn't been her type at all, she politely had ignored the subtle hints, until the other woman had given up and had focused fully on the business at hand.
Now, if Haruka dropped such hints, on the other hand… she then pondered, only to shake her head moments later – even if Haruka might be interested in her that way, she surely wouldn't make the first move, the artist figuring her to be smart enough to know that it could cost her the job if she'd try to hit on her boss and end up rejected.
No, she told herself, another careful, slow stroke of the brush accompanying and underlining the thought, if you want to… start something with her, you have to make the first move.
Part of her realized how badly this might go, and that, if Haruka wasn't interested in her that way, it might make the blonde working for her husband and her very awkward in the future; and even if the taller woman was interested in her, Michiru knew that it could end badly, and that an unhappy ending would lead to an awkward situation, as well.
Don't think like that, she then told herself strictly, glancing at the clock on the wall and feeling surprised when she saw that it almost ten, not having realized how fast time had passed as she had painted; after a critical look at the painting and the progress she had made, she cleaned the brush – something she never let anyone else do, ever – and put it aside, then gracefully rose from her seat and moved to meet the blonde outside, her heart beating faster at the mere thought of being so close to her again.
Just like when she had been her driver for the first time, Haruka was standing next to the limousine by the time Michiru left the house to meet her; again, the artist noticed that her suit wasn't sitting as right as it should, something she ignored for the time being though, deciding that instead, she'd focus on how nice it was that she could spend time with the handsome blonde again.
"To the gallery", she told Haruka before the taller woman had the chance to ask, making her nod as she held the rear door open for her; and after she had given her a brief smile, Michiru slid into the car, getting comfortable while the driver took her seat, then started the engine, a strangely not uncomfortable silence filling the car as she drove from the estate and out onto the road.
This time, Michiru decided to not even bother with looking out the window the whole time, but allowed herself to sneak glances at the back of Haruka's head; she wasn't sure if the blonde was noticing, and even less sure if she wanted her to notice, or if she wanted to keep doting on her unnoticed.
Well, if she notices, it doesn't mean she'll do anything about it, she then told herself, sneaking yet another glance at the taller woman, almost disappointed when Haruka kept her eyes on the road, didn't even glance at the rear view mirror to meet her eyes there. You already realized you'll have to be the one to initiate anything…
She wondered if she'd be brave enough for this, if she could take this risk; ever since she had gotten married, she hadn't acted on her desires, unlike her husband – something she still couldn't view as cheating though, not after how they both had been forced into the marriage – and she hadn't been sure she ever would, unlike her husband not knowing where she could go to find discreet relief for her urges, and not all too keen on the one night stands he seemed to prefer, either.
The car coming to a halt distracted her from her thoughts, and she realized, with some dismay, that they had arrived at the gallery; momentarily, she felt like telling Haruka that she should just drive on, out of town, out of this life she couldn't stand, then regained her senses, merely nodding when the blonde stopped the limousine right in front of the building and asked her if she should wait for her in the car.
She entertained the notion of asking her to come inside with her instead, just for a second, then rigorously forced it out of her mind – it had been risky enough that she had taken a walk with Haruka on the pier, where any of her acquaintances might have seen them and might have recognized the woman by her side as her driver, and she wasn't willing to be the topic of next week's gossip by taking her chauffeur into a high class art gallery.
"I won't be long", she thus said, instead of asking her to come inside with her; Haruka just nodded in response, and after another, somewhat longing look at the back of her head, Michiru got out of the car, making her way into the gallery, suddenly sure that she could feel the blonde's eyes on her as she walked away from the car, but not daring to look but, all at once not sure what she might do if she'd glance back and really find the taller woman stare at her.
Just as she had told Haruka, she didn't take long in the gallery; the owner had given up on flirting with her, but still was willing to agree to whatever Michiru said, dully making her wonder if, had she asked the woman to do cartwheels all around the gallery, she would have done that, as well.
Probably, she thought to herself somewhat bitterly as she walked out of the building and to where the limousine still was parked, instantly feeling better though the moment she saw Haruka's silhouette through the driver side window, not sure if she wants my paintings because of that talent she keeps mentioning, or because of my famous name, but she surely is willing to do a lot to have them in her gallery.
She thought back to how the elder woman had flirted with her when they'd had their first few talks about the showing, when no contract had been made yet and the showing of her works only had been a vague idea; even if the woman had been her type, she wasn't sure if she'd have dared to flirt back, but what she did know was that, if Haruka would flirt with her the same way, she surely wouldn't ignore the way she'd ignored the gallery owner.
Having noticed her approach, the blonde had gotten out of the car to open the rear door for her, as Michiru noticed with pleasure; she smiled at the blonde as she thanked her, then slid into the seat, at once knowing that she didn't want to go back home yet, the thought of sitting in her empty house with nothing special to do making her feel bitter and unhappy all over again.
"To the pier", she thus said, before Haruka even had the chance to ask where she wanted to go; with a brief nod, the blonde started the engine again, and moments later was driving once more, Michiru yet again surprised by how comfortable the silence between them was, well aware of how it was the exact opposite whenever she sat with her husband in absolute quiet like this.
Again, she let her mind wander as Haruka drove, glancing at the back of her head every now and then, just like during the drive to the gallery; and again, she wondered if Haruka noticed, and what she thought of the glances Michiru was stealing at her, if she could see the desire in her eyes or if she had some other explanation for the way her employer was looking at her.
She wasn't sure if she should be happy or dismayed that from the gallery, it wasn't far to the pier; not long after she had gotten back into the car, Haruka stopped the vehicle yet again, and this time, she didn't appear as surprised anymore when Michiru asked her to walk with her.
This time, there was no need for her to point out that it might be better for the blonde to take off her cap; Haruka did just that before she got out of the car, the smaller woman briefly thinking about the risk she was taking with doing this again before she shrugged those thoughts off and started walking, with the driver right beside her.
"So", the blonde broke the silence after a few minutes had ticked by, minutes during which they simply had strolled along side by side, "you really like it here, don't you?"
It seemed like something one of her acquaintances might say at one of the endlessly boring events she had to attend so often with her husband, but strangely, it didn't annoy her, as it usually did there; instead of feeling dismayed by the try to have small talk, it made her smile, and she took the chance given by it to look at the taller woman as she nodded.
"Not the pier itself, actually", she then felt the need to clarify, "but the ocean. I've liked it since I can remember."
Haruka nodded as well in reply, as if she had expected this answer; for another thirty seconds, there was silence, then she spoke up again, a hint of mischief in her voice, her words causing Michiru's cheeks to heat up, the feeling only increasing when she realized that it meant that she was blushing.
"So", Haruka wanted to know, now smirking in a slightly insolent way which, like her attempt at small talk, would have annoyed Michiru, had anyone else directed it at her, "you take all your chauffeurs for walks at the beach, then?"
"No", she replied curtly, asking herself if blushing too hard could give her a nosebleed or maybe even an aneurysm, the fact that Haruka's smirk widened not helping with her blush – before she decided that two could play this game, a smile curling her lips as she replied, her voice just a hint coquettish. "So, you better feel special."
Clearly, Haruka hadn't expected this from her, momentarily looking surprised, the expression on her face causing Michiru's smile to widen; she held the taller woman's gaze for another moment, then looked at the ocean again, the urge to jump into the waves and just let them carry her wherever suddenly so strong that it almost overwhelmed her.
"We should go back", she broke the silence yet again, before the urge might become too strong to be ignored, "my husband might need the car later on, and I wouldn't want to make him wait."
It was a rather lame excuse, since her husband usually didn't need the car at all on the days she got to use it; Haruka didn't know this though, and so, the blonde just nodded, Michiru leading the way as she turned away from the ocean and walked back to the car.
As always, Haruka held the door open for her, and she thanked her as she got into the car; during the drive back, they both were quiet, the artist stealing glances at the back of her driver's head again and again, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how she could get what she wanted from the blonde.
The drive back to the mansion was over faster than Michiru would have liked, but she let none of her dismay about this show when she got out of the car; she told Haruka to not put it into the garage yet, keeping up the ruse that her husband might need it, then made her way inside, immediately noticing the way the housekeeper was looking at her, worried and slightly embarrassed, a frown creasing her features as she asked the woman if something was wrong.
"No", the maid shot back at once, too fast for it to be believable, something she apparently realized herself moments later, as she cleared her throat, "or, um, maybe, Mrs Kaioh, I'm not sure, I…"
"What is it", Michiru demanded, growing impatient; she always tried to not be like her mother, who treated the staff as barely human necessities, tolerated, but not liked, but the behaviour of the elder woman made keeping this resolution decidedly difficult.
"Um", the woman let out again, only irritating her further, "your husband, uh, he brought… a guest…"
Michiru's eyes narrowed at the implications, and if she'd been someone else, someone who hadn't been raised to never show any unpleasant emotions, especially not to the staff, she would have clenched her fists; she had suspected that the staff was aware of her husband's true preferences, but so far, he had been discreet enough to not outright display them, and if the maid was so upset, Michiru could only imagine what he had done.
"It's fine", she said, suddenly eager to dismiss the woman so she could find out how far exactly the man had gone, "have no worries, we have an… arrangement. Go back to your duties, I will take care of this."
"Yes Ma'am", the housekeeper replied at once, her relief palpable; Michiru forced herself to give her a thin smile, then turned and walked upstairs, figuring that her husband and his guest were somewhere up there.
She had expected them to sit in the lounge, perhaps a bit more affectionate with each other than it would have been proper; what she hadn't expected were the noises she heard from behind the bedroom door, and her blood ran cold, then hot with anger at his audacity, her eyes narrowing again as she stared at the closed door, as if she could burn a hole into it with the power of her gaze alone.
For a second, she felt the urge to just open the door as violently as possible and yell at him, not for the general principle of what he was doing, but for doing it there, in their house; a few deep breaths got that unhelpful need under control, and without letting them notice that she had been there, she turned and marched back downstairs, morbidly wondering if he was with someone from the staff or if he had brought someone home.
She wasn't even sure where she wanted to go now as she walked out of the house again, just wanting to get away; and then, she saw that the limousine was still there in front of the house, as she had told Haruka, and that the blonde hadn't gone to the staff room yet, but was cleaning the vehicle, whistling a happy tune just loud enough for Michiru to hear, not having noticed her yet.
"Haruka", she almost snapped, making the driver look up at her in surprise, clearly not having expected her back so soon, "I need you… to drive me. Now."
"Sure", the blonde got over her surprise fast, tossing the soft cloth she had used to wipe the bonnet onto the passenger seat next to the driver's before she opened the door for Michiru; usually, the artist thought to herself, she should have opened the door for her first, then disposed of the cloth, but she was too focused on her husband's blunder to care much.
"Where to?" Haruka tore her thoughts away from his atrocious behaviour again, causing her to just stare in response for a few seconds as she tried to figure out an answer; then, she shrugged, sinking back into the seat, all her anger suddenly gone as she just felt tired and resigned, emotions she didn't even bother to keep out of her voice when she replied. "I don't care. Just drive."
If Haruka thought that was odd, she didn't comment, but just nodded and started the engine; again, there was silence, Michiru not bothering to push it aside with music this time, but just staring out the window, trying to figure out where to go, and how long to stay away so she wouldn't feel like strangling her husband for what he had done anymore once she'd come back.
"You alright?" Haruka's voice broke the silence after a couple of minutes had ticked by; for a moment, Michiru felt like lashing out, like using her as the nearest target for her anger, ask her who she thought she was to ask her something like this, tell her that she should keep her mouth shut and focus on driving… Then she took in a deep breath, knowing it wasn't the blonde's fault and that Haruka just wanted to help, suddenly unable to keep a tremble out of her voice.
"No", she admitted, quite freely, more honest than she had been with any of the people who called themselves her friends, and to whom she only referred to as acquaintances, "no, I'm not. I haven't been for a while. Thanks for noticing, no one else does."
She didn't care anymore if she sounded bitter, if she did what was considered one of the biggest faux pas in her circles by talking this freely to someone who was working for her; to her surprise, Haruka stopped the car moments later, then turned in the seat to look at her, the genuine concern in her eyes as she asked her if she wanted to talk about it suddenly making Michiru feel like crying.
"There's not much to talk about", she told her once she had swallowed the lump in her throat and could be sure she wouldn't burst into tears the moment she'd open her mouth, "I'm unhappy. I have been unhappy for a while, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon."
There was no self-pity in her last words, only a statement; Haruka looked at her for a bit longer, then, without a word, got out of the car, surprising her yet again by joining her in the back moments later, sitting down beside her, not touching her – yet, she thought to herself – but still looking at her with this honest concern, her voice kind and caring when she replied. "Tell me."
And before she realized what she was doing, Michiru told her, told her everything; she started with how her parents had basically bullied her into marriage after she had told them that she was gay, how they had told her that they knew of a family worthy of a marriage and that the son of said family had "the same problem", and how she thus had ended up married to a man she didn't like or even truly know, the arrangement they had, and that this man, in this very moment, was having another guy in their bedroom.
"I don't care that he cheats on me", she added while Haruka just stared, a bit overwhelmed, "but that he does it in our house! He should know better, we were agreeing that we would have to be discreet!"
"Okay", the blonde gave back, still sounding and looking shell-shocked, "wow. That's… um, sorry, but that's messed up. No offense."
"Oh, it is", Michiru agreed at once, clearly not offended, "and I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you. But, well… as I said, the people I spend my time with… I wouldn't consider any of them close enough to tell them all of this. They might have their suspicions, but they are polite enough not to ask."
"Huh", the blonde let out, how startled she was making Michiru smile despite her dismay about the whole situation, "I guess that should make me feel special again? What are you gonna do now?"
"Nothing", the young woman shrugged in response, making Haruka raise an eyebrow, "there isn't much I can do. I'm married to him, I'm too old to run away from home, and I wouldn't know where to go and what to do anyway. I'll sit him down once we're back home and have a stern talk with him, and hope it will help. Oh, and perhaps I will find myself a handsome woman to keep me company, so far, I haven't, but since he has no qualms about it…"
"Oh", Haruka replied, not all too smart, "well… that… might work? I mean, it might make you feel a bit better, and you're really beautiful, so you shouldn't have any trouble with—"
Later, Michiru wouldn't know what had possessed her to behave so rashly, but in this very second, she had no other need than to act on the lust she'd been harbouring for the blonde ever since she first had laid eyes on her; perhaps, she was more vulnerable than she had thought after her detailed confession, and perhaps what her husband had done had hurt her more than she had thought, but in the end, she figured it didn't really matter why she had done it – why she had cut Haruka off by grabbing her collar and practically yanking her closer, kissing her hard enough to knock off her cap, a surprised, somewhat muffled noise coming from the driver at the unexpected development.
And then, Haruka was kissing her back, with a fervour to match her own, making her glad that the limousine was roomy enough to let the taller woman embrace her without any awkward tangling; they kissed until she felt as if she might faint from lack of air, breathing heavily by the time she pulled back, her cheeks flushed, a glint in her eyes she saw mirrored in Haruka's as their gazes met.
"Tell me you want me", the artist breathed, her hands already working on removing the uniform jacket, then on opening the buttons of her shirt; only when she heard Haruka say the words she had demanded, with audible arousal making her voice even lower and hoarser than usual, she realized how much she had ached to hear them, and she rewarded the blonde with another kiss, pressing herself against her when she felt her hand slide to the back of her dress and the zipper there.
It's a good thing the windows are tainted, she thought to herself, realizing that she didn't even know if they were parked in a populated area; then, she pulled Haruka down on top of her, and all those thoughts were forgotten as the blonde's kiss and touch became her entire world, making her feel better than she had in years.
Her husband asked no questions when she came back home, and she didn't have the stern talk she had planned; after what Haruka and she had done in the backseat, she couldn't care less, a smile on her face and a spring in her step when she entered the living room.
"You'll have to get a second limousine and driver for yourself", she told him, not bothering to ask, but merely making a statement again, "Haruka will work solely for me from now on."
To his credit, he only reacted by raising an eyebrow, then asked if there was a special reason for this; she smiled at him, a sharp, thin smile which made him fidget uneasily, her response only earning a frown from him, but again, she gave him credit for not prodding further, as other people might have done.
"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies", she told him, and after a moment, he nodded; she gave him another smile (one he later would describe as wolfish to his special guest, something she'd never know though), then turned and made her way to her studio, feeling happy and inspired – and already making plans to go for a long drive in the next day, and the days to come, as often as possible.
Michiru didn't know what Haruka and she had, if it could be called love or if it was merely lust; for now though, she was content with what it was, and if more should grow from it, she'd be more than happy to go along with it, smiling a genuine smile to herself for the first time in months, her thoughts never straying far from the blonde, and from imagining what the future might hold for them.