Just read...

Blissful

by

MissKaro

Friday came so quickly to Naoki, that literally he didn't notice the day of the dinner until he saw himself in Shigeo's restaurant, named Aihara's. The place was a traditional Japanese restaurant, it was decorated with warm and homely colors that helped to make the customers comfortable.

At the moment, Naoki was sitting on the tatami, in front of the low table in one of the booths, the most spacious of all, which at the time had its curtain opened, while his family and friends waited for the honored guest that, displaying her way of being, was late.

His mother couldn't contain his excitement for the arrival of the redhead; she was being vainly reassured by his father, who smiled at Kinnosuke, Aihara's apprentice, and his pregnant wife, Christine Ikezawa, née Robbins. Christine was originally intended to be his wife, but she fell in love with the cook when he was making a delivery, and did not stop pursuing him until she caught him (Naoki was extremely grateful for it, since she wasn't compatible enough for him).

Shigeo Aihara, the person missing in the table, was in the back room making an emergency call; Yuuki, like him, awaited the arrival of his daughter Kotoko in silence, taking small sips of his drink (however, in some moments, he saw his brother using his phone, which surely meant he was sending messages to his girlfriend, Konomi).
Naoki was a little impatient as his mother, not for the lateness, as that always bothered him, but by the mere fact that few minutes rest to see the redhead again. He was focused on doing his best to contain his reaction towards her; he had already discovered, in those two days, that Kotoko Aihara, with the simple thought of her, had a strange effect on him, which unfortunately he was unaware of how to control.

He had passed his adolescence a long time ago, but as he never had the typical hormonal manifestations of teenagers, it appeared that now all of them arose, to his own shame. It was nothing out of place, of course, but just by knowing it served to be ashamed. He saw the restaurant entrance, in the only privileged place facing the door, hoping to gaze first the woman, so that when she came to the table, he was sufficiently controlled as ever.

Were he to try something with her, he wouldn't take the first step in front of his family and friends. It should be more private, but he did not know how to instigate it. He was new to all that.

Finally, in what seemed like hours, she came in, wrapped in a bright aura that made him hold his breath (but just an avid eye could detect it), even when he just was able to see her white dress with pink details, which served to highlight her innocent and almost childlike appearance.

Kotoko looked left looking for them and then turned right, making a waitress tripped with her.

He chuckled, maybe it was common for her to be clumsy and clueless. To his amazement, he wasn't bothered by it; actually, that detail amused him, and made her more unique and genuine in his eyes, in contrast to the sophisticated women he was accustomed to.

It was unnoticed to him that his brother was intrigued by his laughter, but couldn't inquire into its reason, because at the moment his phone vibrated and he went back to keep trying to convince Konomi not to be upset with him over a misunderstanding.

Naoki saw Kotoko smiled guilty to the waitress and he suppressed one grin by the gestures that the red-haired girl made to apologize, even when her beaming smile was enough to calm the other woman, beyond the fact that she was the daughter of her boss. He sighed quietly, his reactions towards a common girl were strange to his understanding, but certainly, he wasn't going to stop paying attention to her. She intrigued and interested him, at the same time that annoyed him what she caused to his body.

He didn't want to think about what would have happened if she had given him the letter in high school and he had met her back then. What changes would she have done to his life? Probably, she would have swept like a tsunami.

He achieved to keep composure after observing her a few seconds; but when Shigeo met with her and direct her to their table, he almost laughed aloud seeing her eyes looking wild by his sight. They were big glowing orbs that reflect everything going on in her head.

He, along with the others, stood.

"Welcome back!" Cried his mother, his father, and the Ikezawas, while he and his brother remained calm and nodded in greeting.

Of course, his mother caught the astonished gaze Kotoko gave him.

"You already knew each other?" She asked slyly.

The redhead nodded wordlessly, looking at the others with a grateful smile.

"Thank you… so much," she said hesitantly, watching everyone except him, recognizing them one by one. "Mr. and Mrs. Irie, Kin-chan, Chris, Irie-kun, Irie-san," she pronounced slowly every name, until the last, his, which received one second of her attention. She saw everyone, but she didn't see him to the eyes, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

Chris stepped forward and hugged Kotoko effusively, who put her arms around her friend with the same enthusiasm, commenting on the babies the couple expected.

"I was so eager to meet you in person, Kotoko-chan!" Expressed his mother jumping on the girl, who embraced the woman without complaints, agreeing with her. "But, how do you know my onii-chan if you just got here? Why did you not tell me, onii-chan?! She claimed watching him with an almost glacial look.

He, of course, didn't take the hit, to his mother annoyance.

Kotoko laughed easing the situation.

"Hey, we don't know each other, officially… It's just that the day I arrived I bumped into him." She smiled embarrassed, scratching her left forearm. "There's no need to get angry."

Her father laughed. "That's something Kotoko usually do, as my dear wife used to. That's how we met." Shigeo stopped suddenly realizing his claim. "Oh," he scratched his head. "I hope nothing was broken."

His brother almost burst out laughing, but stopped and immersed himself in his phone when his mother looked at him bad.

"There's nothing to regret," Naoki said, speaking for the first time, immutable, gaining him the gaze of the redhead, who relaxed her shoulders.

"That's enough. We're not here to shame Kotoko-chan," his mother said, defending her favorite woman in the world. "Let's sit. There's so much I want to know about you."

"As if you didn't know it already," Yuuki muttered.

He laughed softly, along with Christine, the only ones who heard it. Then, they took their places at the same time as the others.

If anyone was bothered of his mother monopolizing the conversation, none externalized it, because they could hear more about the famous young writer and her recent tour, with the funniest and unpleasant details of it in North America, Oceania, and Central Europe. Her anecdotes served to entertain everyone, especially with the charismatic and interesting way of narrating of Kotoko, that showed how much she had learned with her studies and work.

He could say that the trivial dinner didn't bore him, as it usually did (the same happened with the mandatory dinners he had to attend, related to business, which, once the most important issue for him ended, became tedious). He got involved in the talk once or twice; he was more interested in what the women had to say, and it amused him overmuch to see how uncomfortable was Kotoko when he answered a question made by his family, perhaps fearing he could say something about their encounter.

It was a nice time they had, but it had come to its end, and now everybody was preparing to go or continue their respective places. The restaurant would remain open for about two hours, so the three that worked there had to stay, because Fridays were busy days. He and his family would leave. As Kotoko would; she had said she needed to rest after the agitation of those days, and that the next day she would have a reunion with her friends.

The five left the restaurant calm, although his mother was chatting with the redhead, showing the good relationship they formed during the dinner.

When they reached the parking lot, Kotoko started to leave, walking.

"Kotoko-chan, don't you have a car?" Her mother asked with concern, looking at all sides.

The redhead denied with a smile. "I'll wait for a taxi", she said without a problem.

"¡Oh, no!" His mother shook her head repeatedly. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Onii-chan can take you to your apartment, he's on the way." Indeed he was, he knew the location thanks to the impertinent questions of his mother.

That was the opportunity he was waiting for.

"I would not want to intrude in that way." Kotoko refused with a nod. "But thanks."

"I'm sure it's no trouble. Right, onii-chan?"

He looked at Kotoko's eyes for a moment and shook his head gently. She hesitated, biting her lip.

"Let's go," he intervened, pointing at his black sports car, forcing her to accept.

Both said goodbye to his parents and brother with a nod, and his mother looked at them retiring with a dreamy look.

He opened the passenger door to the redhead and waited until she had settled to close it and go to his side.

When he put on his belt, she spoke very softly:

"You do not have to do it, Irie-san." She made move to take off her belt when his parents' car passed them.

On impulse, he reached out his hand to hers and stopped her actions. He pulled away so fast that neither of them had the time to surprise, but both felt the same chill that ran on them while they kissed a few days ago.

"I'll take you home, Aihara," he said inserting the key into the ignition, wondering how she gave him that kind of reactions.

"Fine," she whispered.

"You don't have to be so formal if you want," he added as he started the car, without being able to explain himself why he wanted to fill the awkward silence.

She nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Do you mind the music?" Kotoko asked after a few minutes.

He shrugged, it depended what kind of music. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her pressing her phone until a soft piano melody flooded his car, surprising him for the election, as it was classical music.

He heard her laugh.

"My friends are amazed to find it on my player, too," she said, probably imagining the question that ran through his head. "This music helps me concentrate and relax when I write," she explained at the end.

"Are you working on something now?" He asked to make talk, amazed at his own interest to do so. Also, that issue wasn't covered by his mother.

"Yes, I'm still defining some parts, but it'll be aimed at teenagers".

"Good luck, that's a difficult population to please," he said from experience, as the expansion of his company was related to video games, which attract more young people.

"Thanks. I'll take that into account," she said with a little smile before observing carefully the way. "The success of Pandai will inspire me, then. Mostly if it's the prodigy CEO who gives me some advice," she added, kind of nervous. "I admire what you did to the company, in less than three years; although is expected… for your great intellect. The best student of his generation in the University of Tokyo, a very promising future… Congratulations".

Despite the countless times he had heard similar words and how much the flattery irritated him, this time it was nice to hear the words, because they sounded completely sincere, not envious.

"The fame you've done with your books and what you've accomplished thanks to them is something to be proud of," he said looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Well, but it can't be compared to what you've done."

Don't do that, he wanted to say, bewildered for being irritated with her for thinking so little of her.

"Making someone like what you write is not easy."

She chuckled. "You're very kind," she said, ending the… discussion?

He suppressed a smile. No one thought of him as kind.

"Also for taking me home," she added moments later. "I have to admit that I haven't learned how to drive. As I work from home or use the subway, I hadn't given a second thought to having a car. Now I see what I cause."

"It doesn't bother me," he stated, noticing they were approaching where she lived, to his disappointment. Traffic, for once, wasn't an impediment.

Kotoko sighed when he parked outside her building and turned off the music.

Naoki was torn between what to say (or not) to make sure he could see her again (and not as Irie's son). Normally, women were the ones who insisted to see him, not the other way around, and he decided whether it was worth or not. This situation was new, but not as unpleasant as he might've thought.

"I'm sorry for the other day," she spoke, breaking the silence, with a small blush on her cheeks. "I know it was annoying my course of action and it won't be repeated, I assure you. I do not feel the same." He didn't like to hear that, precisely. "I cannot explain why I did it because it would be very embarrassing, but I promise you…"

"Why didn't you give me the letter in high school?" He cut her, not wanting to hear the end of the sentence. He asked the question that he had all over his head since he read it.

Her blush couldn't increase more after that.

"I was going to give it to you… the only day you missed classes in last year," she whispered closing her eyes tightly. She laughed nervously. "I took it as a sign."

She was lucky for not being rejected, as he surely would have done back then. Or maybe he wouldn't. They would never know. But now he was more mature… Well, he wasn't certain that under normal circumstances he would've had heard her confession, but it didn't matter, the present was the important one.

"That didn't stop you to let your imagination fly," he allowed himself to joke and she opened her eyes angrily, but gave him a bemused smile noticing he wasn't serious.

"I did it to make money, just don't tell anyone who inspired me," she pleaded. "I have done a lot to mislead my friends and save it to the readers." She took a breath and looked at her lap restless. "Can we forget the incident? We'll be seeing each other thanks to our parents and all that…"

Naoki narrowed his eyes without her seeing him. As if he could forget it… Every second in her company he discovered he didn't want to do so.

"Actually, I wanted to know if it is possible for us to be… Friends?" She asked staring at his eyes.

"You're very frank and friendly, aren't you?"

At that point, he wasn't surprised to find himself saying longer sentences than usual.

Kotoko made a pout with her lips.

"Studying in the Department of Arts during college, interact with a lot of people during my tours… contact people to gain information for my books… not being a teenager anymore," she listed with her index on her chin. "…all that have changed me… Although many will tell you I've always been like that, that I've just matured a bit". She smiled. "If my life had been different, maybe I wouldn't be as I am today."

"I'm very selective to have friends," he said seriously, answering her question. In response, her face lit up.

"Call me Kotoko," she decided as she removed her belt.

He, like his mother insisted to educate him, took it as a sign to get out of the car to open her door.

She shook her head, but thanked him anyway.

"Good night." She dismissed him with a nod and he did the same.

The night had been very different than it'd have been if he had taken the reins of the matter; with the intervention of Kotoko the results were better than expected.

Nevertheless…

He followed her and the sound of his footsteps made her turn around with a questioning look.

Naoki smirked and, without words, took her waist to carry her and held her neck gently to take her pink lips between his, trapping the gasp that left her mouth as a result of the shock. He was kissing her back for the kiss she stole him last time, taking pleasure of the taste of strawberries that belong to her lipstick, and the feeling that ran in his members thanks to the contact with her.

Kotoko was intoxicating; her kiss was addictive, much better than any kiss he had given before. Although most satisfying was that she was as devoted as he and was kissing him back. Maybe she no longer had feelings towards him, but he would change that.

The attraction between them existed and he had every intention in his body to explore it, even if it required him to act different as usual.

He sucked her lower lip gently, and when she took her arms around his neck, he pressed harder with his teeth and managed to introduce his tongue inside her mouth, feeling a tug on his body caused by the encounter between the two, slow and sensual.

Unfortunately, when the lack of air and the need to stop to not rush things came, he had to leave her, breathing hard seeing her slightly swollen lips, her flushed cheeks and her brilliant eyes.

It took them a while to recover and was then when their arms ceased to hold each other.

"This time it was my turn," he said with a wry smile, stepping back.

She turned without speaking, starting to laugh as she walked away, in a really infectious way that made him chuckle.

He felt strange, but pleasantly happy.

He looked one last time at Kotoko, who waved her arm in farewell.

She was the cause of that feeling of joy; for being blissful.

He climbed into his car with an apparent serenity he didn't feel and wondered, again, what was that woman doing with him, that made him have a whole week without being himself.

But he discovered it wasn't so bad.

Kotoko, meanwhile, searching in her purse for the keys, though there could be good things when bad cycles were closed in the right way.

Entering the comfort of the room, she smiled and plopped down on the couch with open arms.

Certainly, she just had to say goodbye to the Irie-kun in her head.

Naoki, he was another story.

One that didn't depend simply on her, but the two of them, as it was assumed that a couple should be from the beginning.

If it happened or not, the time and they would decide. Meanwhile, she would enjoy the content feeling she had for not suffering for love.

Thus, from two different sites, Kotoko Aihara and Naoki Irie laughed. That feeling was better than anything.

AN: OMG! It's so embarrasing... emm, dunno what to say, he,he. A lot has happened in my life in these months, I've -kind of- procrastinated and in part I've being occupied :S

Anyway, that doesn't matter, the important thing it's this is finished. Hope you enjoy it, at least.

Kisses, Karo.

Guest: Thanks, so much. It's nice to read you liked it, I feel proud when that happens, you make my day.