This is a 10 chapters story. I will post every week. Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Happiness Never Lasts
Action speaks louder than words. I did try to show him in small ways that I cared but my actions were too small for him to notice.
6 years ago
I am a romance writer. I make my living writing about love with tragic endings. Some have criticized my work, pointing out I probably did not know what love was. Of course, they were wrong. I had fallen in love three times in my life. The first time, I was born into love. My mother seemed to give me all the attention to compensate for the nasty comments I would receive because of my non-Japanese looks. I had nothing to complain about. She was sweet and tender and I felt at the center of someone's world. Then, tragedy struck and she disappeared. Then, at 16, I fell in love with my tutor, a man no less. The exuberance of this new feeling was overwhelming, and I had no idea how to handle it. So, to have it exposed so brutally by the person I admired the most turned it into this grotesque event in my life. Tohma once said that Kitazawa turned me into a cold self-absorbed man… that I shut myself away from reality. I disagree. Kitazawa woke me up to reality, where love is rarely returned and we are more prone to hurt each other than to care for one another.
My third love… Well, he did not know I loved him. It was not pride that prevented me from telling him, but rather the lack of necessity. He seemed content and fulfilled at the moment. Since Riku had come to live with us, he focused most of his unlimited energy on him.
"Can you help me tie my shoes?" I looked down to see Brat #2 staring at me with his big innocent eyes.
"Riku, why don't you ask Shuichi?" even though I was already kneeling on the floor to help him out.
"Because Mama does not know how to do it. I asked already."
I rolled my eyes at that. Brat #2 was supposed to be helpless but Brat #1 was just helpless… But they were my brats.
"When I am 12, I will buy a beach house."
That was random. "Why a beach house?"
"Because by the sea, you can go swimming often."
That made no sense. "Why 12?"
"Because I will be all grown up and I can take care of you and mama. Uncle Hiro says that mama needs a lot of care and that you don't know how to take care of yourself. So, you probably …"
"I got it!" I said while gracefully muting the sound by covering the 6-year-old's mouth. "When you see Uncle Hiro today, tell him I will be glad to hear what taking care of Shuichi means."
The chuckling sound in the back indicated that 'Mama' had heard everything. How mortifying. Sometimes the thought of Hiro knowing more about his best friend than me awakened an uncontrollable jealousy. I had become an expert in burying those insecurities for fear that Shuichi would catch on to me. Deep down I knew the brat understood, but he was too decent of a man to bring the subject up.
"Let's go. Riku, don't forget your drawing sets. Brat, what are you bringing? That won't fit in my car."
"It's Sakuma's present, a giant Kumagoro. And yes it will."
What had I committed myself to? Going to my obsessed brother-in-law and my overbearing sister's house for a late Christmas party meant having to deal with their equally moronic and crazy friends. I didn't know how I had gotten stuck into this mess in the first place. To top it all off, the hope for a quiet ride quickly vanished as I saw Riku handing to Shuichi the latest Bad Luck CD. Living with a musician, noise had become my eternal friend.
Pulling in Tohma's driveway, I gave my last warning: No destroying, no whining, and no drinking. That last one was of course for the older brat, the one for which the words 'tolerance' and 'alcohol' would never co-exist. Bouncing happily out of the car, the both of them were engulfed by the mansion, passing my brother-in-law armed with, in one hand, a giant cane, probably MY ashtray, and a garbage bag on the other. Migraine, migraine, here you come!
"Eiri-san, how nice to see you today. What brings you here?" he said smiling coyly and handing me the ashtray.
"You know damn well why I am here, Seguchi."
"I see you are in a good mood. Was the ride on the way here too long?"
I did not answer and marched into the house like there was no tomorrow. There was a long weekend ahead of us and it was better to save my energy than to end up in meaningless arguments.
Everyone was here, from Bad Luck to Nittle Grasper. Avoiding people was not going to be an option and if Mika's current death grip on my arm was anything to go by, my family was going to take this opportunity to get closer to me.
"Who do you think should sit here?" she asked as she scanned each place around the table thoughtfully, while strategically placing name tags and removing others.
"How would I know?" Either she had officially lost it or she was worried about where I would sit. Even though our social circles didn't fit with each other, Shuichi fit anywhere he went, blissfully oblivious of any contemptuous look directed at him. On one hand, Bad Luck was not per se against our relationship, but they were weary of Shuichi's moods swings which religiously followed the trends of our fights. On the other hand, my family accepted my lover but they were still suspicious of the potential negative effect his influence could have on my health. With this annoying thought in my head, I dismissed my sister to go burn a cigarette on the porch hoping to find peace.
"Have you seen the indoor pool yet?" I turned to Shuichi. "It was still under construction when we came last. But now, it looks really nice. The security doors cannot close though. So we have to watch out for Riku. I promised him we will go swimming later as long as he stays away for now." Shuichi playfully brushed some imaginary dust off my coat. I guess it was his way to get his physical contact of the day. Sleeping at my sister's house brought about a startling change in him that could be summed up in two words: No Sex. The typically extremely pleasing singer went in hibernation mode without a second thought when in his boss' house. His fear of Tohma or his virgin like shyness was both plausible culprits but he refused to talk about it and I did not pry.
A loud "dinner time!" resonated throughout the house prompting Shuichi to head towards the living room. I don't know what overtook me at that moment but I grabbed his hand, turned him around, and kissed him almost desperately. He never had the time to close his eyes but his instantaneous pink tint on his cheeks reassured me that even though nothing may happen tonight, he still desired me.
Dinner was rather uneventful. The third successful year of Bad Luck was toasted with champagne. Apparently, their sales surpassed Nittle Grasper's this year, which made an already giddy singer even giddier. I amused myself by watching over Riku threatening my niece Atami with two chocolaty hands for the better part of the evening. Even though the little girl was only two, she usually bossed him around. She definitely took after the great Seguchi-sama. But, today Riku had the upper hand and ended up frightening the little girl so much that she took cover under my sister's dress. Innocent Riku was going to follow suit when a giggling Shuichi saved the day by forcefully taking him to the bathroom to clean up.
"They are cute, aren't they? And Shuichi acts very mature with him"
I had to laugh at that. "Nakano, there is a big difference between seeming and being. But, yes they teach other a lot." I said sarcastically.
"I guess Shuichi will never learn maturity from you."
I didn't answer. There was no need. Hiro and I will never like each other but we will respect each other for the sake of Shuichi. Suguru and Tatsuha joined in the conversation to be only interrupted by Shuichi and Sakuma's weird antics with the plush toy Shu had managed to bring in my car. Wait… Shuichi. Where was Riku? I quickly scanned the room.
"Shuichi, have you seen Riku?"
"No, I haven't seen him since…the bathroom…" His pensive look turned into sheer panic and he ran to the back of the house towards the indoor pool. No, No, No… I followed him only to be stopped in my tracks by the horrifying scene. A small body was floating face down in the swimming pool. Without a second thought, I jumped in to get Riku out of the water and I started CPR.
1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3…
I glanced at Shuichi who had not moved from the stopping point of his frantic run, but I didn't like what I saw. Desperately, I returned to bringing Riku back to life. Come on, Riku! Breath! I pushed on his little chest. 1 2 3. Maybe during normal times, I would have been scared of breaking him or applying too much force, but this was not a normal time. He was ghostly pale and nothing seemed to be working. I heard Seguchi on the phone with the ambulance dispatcher. When did he get there?
1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3 Breath 1 2 3…
Happiness never lasts… When I am 12, I will buy a beach house
TBC
