One Last Try

Chapter 6

I miss the taste of the sweeter life...

Takumi woke up to the sound of the radio blaring music into the room. Misaki left it open while she was there. He smiled, remembering what happened. They spent the whole day yesterday talking, laughing and Takumi singing his heart out to Misaki. His smile turned into a grin, Misaki is still Misaki. She's still the woman he loves, still the woman who makes him happy, still the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with not to mention she's still the cute demon president he fell in love with years ago.

Brrrrrrrrrrng. Brrrrrrrrrrng. The phone rang beside Takumi. His heart skipped a beat, he's hoping that it was Misaki. There's nothing like hearing Misaki's voice in the morning. She did say she'll call when there's something she wants to talk about.

I miss the conversation...

Takumi looked at the screen, his smile turned upside down. It wasn't Misaki calling, it was Tora. The man who was always with Misaki since they started "living apart" (he doesn't like the word separated). He hesitated whether to answer it or not, in the end he pressed end. He does not want to talk to him. He's a jealous man he admits.

"Why won't he answer the phone?" What's wrong with him? He said he'd answer when I call, well he's not answering now. I turn to Tora with a questioning look.

"You do know that you're using my phone right?" Tora said, as if I didn't know.

"But why won't he answer?" I try again and again but I keep getting the please try your call later. I almost wanted to tell the lady to piss off.

"Try using your phone genius." Tora says mockingly, I roll my eyes at him.

"I can't find the bloody thing!" I dialed again "Then call his office".

"He's still at home." I rang him one last time. If he doesn't answer this one...

"Oooh, the wife still knows the schedule eh?" Tora says giving me that mocking smirk. "Shut up."

Takumi was at the verge of chucking his phone to the garbage disposal. He was so pissed. "What does he want?" The phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing. He checked the caller I.D. Again. Igarashi Tora :(. He decided to put an end to it. He took a deep breath and pressed answer on his phone.

"What do you want? I can't understand why you kept ringing so early in the morning!" Takumi shouted into the receiver.

"I must've caught you in a bad mood today. I'm sorry I'll just call some other time, when you're ready to talk. Good bye." Misaki said coldly.

"Ah wait, no Misaki it's just that I thought-" Misaki hung up the phone before he even got the chance to explain.

"Great, just great." Takumi muttered to himself. The phone rang again but this time it was his secretary on the phone.

"I told you he wouldn't answer. I mean come on it's my number." Tora said laughing at my face while I said goodbye to Takumi.

He said it was fine to call him then he shouts at me. A great husband indeed. "How would he even know that it's your number? It's not like you saved it on his phone." Tora just smiled.

"He already has my number, which is why I keep telling you to use your own phone." I rolled my eyes again. "I keep on telling you that I can't find it." Seriously, I can't. It's not in my purse, nor my suitcase and most definitely not in my office.

"So get a new one." Tora said like it's a just a stupid bloody phone. "You don't understand I need that phone." Of all the things I could lose, I lose my phone. Damn it, if anybody I know looks inside that phone I would die. Some things are meant for serious safekeeping and that includes my phone.

"You know, I'm starting to think if you did it on this date of yours." Tora said with a smirk. Did it? Did what? Oh that, the bastard. "No we didn't do that, we were talking divorce then we're suddenly going to jump on each other? Not going to happen." Someone suddenly knocked on the door. "Come in."

"Ayuzawa-san, Usui-san is on the phone." Miho's head pops through the door. I look at Tora and he gives me a shrug. "You're on your own soldier." He says as he turns towards the door and leaves.

I'd like to think that we had it all.

I enter my office and see the telephone on my desk. I stare at it for a while. Should I even answer it? Do I want to?

Of course you do! Come on, Misaki pick up the phone!

No! It's so obvious he's not in the mood to talk to me.

Of course he wants to talk! He's calling isn't he?

Bah shut up sub consciousness.

"Aren't you going to get that Ayuzawa-san?" Miho asks me. I look at the phone and slowly took the receiver.

"Misaki?" I hear Takumi's voice at the end of the line. He sounds apologetic enough. "What do you want?" I was surprised at how bitter my voice sounded.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled I thought you were Tora and I'm so sorry." He sounds so pitiful on the phone.

"Fine, I was just calling to check up on the divorce papers." I'm pretty sure I didn't mean to say that but then I again I said it. I was supposed to check on how he was doing, just that. No mention of the divorce papers intended. Ah and at the heat of the moment I lose myself, stupid me. I just wanted to know if he was alright.

"Oh, uhm well I still haven't…" his voice trailed off and I hear nothing from the other end.

"One week and three days. Good bye Takumi." I was about to put the phone down from the receiver when he asked me one last question.

"Misaki, did you have fun yesterday?" his voice was hopeful yet tinged with sadness. It took me a long while to answer, I don't know, I think I didn't even answer his question. "Good bye Takumi." I hear myself say before I hung up on him.

But I wonder where were you, when I was on my worst down on my knees?

Takumi's morning went by like a breeze. He doesn't remember taking a shower nor eating his breakfast. He doesn't remember getting dressed up, getting into the car then driving to his office. For how many more times will he have to endure his heartbreak he wondered?

The office felt like a dreadful place for him already. He doesn't want to be boxed up in his office like an animal. He wants to go out, abandon all the work and go to Misaki, stay by her side, stay there forever. Her words stung like acid was being poured all over his shattered heart. Each second that went by away from her was pure agony. He wants her back and now he finds himself fighting a losing battle. In the first place, he thought, there was nothing to fight for since the battle was non-existent. That night was a farce yet here he is trying to prove himself. He took a seat and faced the huge glass window in his office. He always admired the view from up there and so did Misaki.

Someone knocked by his office door but he knew better and was sure it was Hiro, his secretary knocking. For him it was just for formalities but he doesn't mind if his secretary just comes marching through the door he has to let him in anyway.

"Usui-san, some of the clients wants to have a meeting with you, they have some questions about the product launch. They were also asking something about the guest list? I think they want to add some more to people on it. They said it was someone they'd like you to meet." Takumi swiveled his chair around and faced Hiro. He nodded and sent him away. "Please get me some coffee." Takumi said as Hiro closed the door.

The surveillance tapes in Takumi's safe were speaking in volumes. He has that urge to go through them bit by bit. If only he could analyze each pixel hold them in his hands and look for missing pieces. Life is so unfair he thought. He wasn't doing anything wrong that night. How he wanted to go in a time machine and stop himself from falling asleep that night. Regrets come in the end.

Hiro came through the door this time without knocking. "Usui-san, the clients really wanted to meet you. They said that they really need to change the guest list for the product launch they need a little help." Takumi sighed. "Fine, tell them I'll meet them this evening." Oh how he hates work right now.

I hate waking up in the morning. I'm always too tired and this isn't even a regular thing. The day that I become tired so easily suddenly came. I'm too lazy to go to work and I absolutely dread meeting my snobbish corporate clients.

Somehow I found the strength to bring myself out of bed and fix myself some breakfast. I settled for some tea. I'll eat later at the office. The sun is blinding, being so high up in the sky. The skies are clear today but something tells me I'm up for something… unusual? Surprising? I don't know, I can't explain I just have this feeling that something's coming my way.

I took a shower after finishing my tea. I picked a beige dress this time which zips up at the back, then some pearl earrings and a small pearl necklace. I'm still wearing my wedding ring though, it keeps the creeps away.

The trip to the office was surprisingly short. There wasn't much traffic on the main intersection though we had to take a detour in front of Takumi's headquarters which gave me butterflies in my stomach. As soon as I reach the lobby I was greeted by Tora who was on his way to the elevator.

"So did you talk to him?" Tora asked as he took a quick stride to me. I sigh, I don't even think that counts as talking, more like a threat actually.

"No, not properly anyway." Tora snorted and I hit my briefcase at him. "What?" He asks. Bastard.

"You don't have to make fun of me every time you know." I say as I press the up button on the elevator.

"Because it's funny how you're so sweet one time and so cruel the next. It's so obvious you miss him Misaki." Tora says as a matter of fact. He suddenly pulls out a banana from his pocket, he peels it and takes off the bruised part, and he takes a bite then tosses it to the nearest trash bin.

"Hey, that's so wasteful. Why did you throw that away? It was a perfectly good banana." I say to him trying to make him feel guilty.

Instead I see him with that grin again. "Just like your marriage, it's perfectly good but you're just deciding to throw it away. You're wasting a perfectly good relationship. You have a husband who loves you so much yet you keep pushing him away. You're basing this divorce solely on what you saw that night. Soon you'll realize that you want him, you need him back but then it would already be too late because by the time you'd realize that, you have probably pressured him to sign those divorce papers already. Why can't you just try and sort things with him? Like the way I removed that bruise on the banana. That nigh was merely a scratch, surely you can make it better."

I look at him with my mouth gaping wide. Since when did this, this… bastard used bananas to describe my relationship with Takumi? Maybe the next thing I know he'd say we're at that ripe stage in marriage. No, I will not have my marriage compared to a banana. I mean come on, it's a banana.

"If I were to pay you for all the crap that comes out of your mouth every time, you'll be rich my friend." I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him.

"What? Just saying. It suddenly came over me." He says as he steps inside the elevator.

"I feel stupider already just by listening to you. I'm going." I turn around and went by the stairs, hearing Tora say behind me "If you ever need more advice from Master Tora my doors are always open." I could imagine him stroking his chin like an idiot pretending to have a long flowing beard.

I head for my office and ask Miho if any calls came in. "Just the usual, meetings with clients and such. Though an invitation for a party arrived for you today. I signed the mail for you." I take the invitation from her hand and take a quick look at it. The envelope has my named printed on it in gold engraving. I wonder who's hosting it. I don't remember anyone having their birthday soon.

So I wonder where were you, when all the roads you took came back to me?

"Usui-san the invitation for the product launch was already sent to you." Hiro says as he places the cup of coffee on Takumi's desk. The meeting last night was a headache for Takumi. The clients demanded so much for the party he had to make last minute adjustments. Luckily he was able to sort it all out, including the invitations.

"Yeah thanks. I'll just pick it up before the party starts." Takumi said as he continued reading the financial reports for the quarter. So far so good.

"Will you be needing anything else?" Hiro asks. Takumi shakes his head. Hiro exits the room leaving Takumi alone in the solitude of his paperwork.

He went home early that day to prepare for the party. He took out his best suit and tried to look his best, being Takumi that was never a problem.

He decided to call Misaki on her phone just in case she suddenly rings and he doesn't answer. He does not want any more misunderstanding between them. He pressed the speed dial on his phone and began to ring Misaki. A few seconds later he could hear a phone ringing somewhere in his house. Further investigation led him to the couch. He reached for the edges and pulled out a sleek, black smartphone. He pressed end on his phone and it stopped ringing. It was Misaki's phone.

He held it in his hands like it was the most precious gem ever discovered. Takumi brought the screen to life and saw their wedding picture as Misaki's wallpaper. He tried to unlock it, entering their wedding anniversary date, knowing Misaki that was what she always used for her passwords. The screen says try again. He tried entering her birthdate but to no avail, he tried entering his birth date last and end up unlocking the phone. Takumi gives off a sad smile, Misaki could be so elusive sometimes.

He scrolled through the pictures when a text message came for Misaki. He scrolled down the notification bar and saw that it was from Tora. He opened it, being the jealous guy he was. He reads it, his eyes widening.

See u at d party 2nite. Starts at 7pm don't be late.

-Tora

He doesn't know what came over him. He rushed to his car not even bothering to lock the door to his house. He stepped on the gas pedal like there was no tomorrow. The launch party starts at 7pm.

So I'm following the map that leads to you…

Author's Random Ramble:

Hey guys! It's been such a long time. I am so sorry if I was not able to update for so long, as you all know I'm graduating from high school soon so there's a lot of stuff going on with admission tests and all, there's also this journalism contest so I really have no time and such. On another note, this is probably my longest chapter ever… well for now anyway. Hope you liked reading this chapter, not much fluffy stuff going on here but I hope you still like it. © To Maroon 5 for their song "Maps" I used a part of the lyrics of the song for the story. I'd be willing to post a new chapter if my favs and reviews go up, just to see if you guys are still there. Meh, I'd still post it anyway but it would be nice to hear from you also. I would like to thank and give a shout out to those who RnR my story even though it was buried in the older pages of the website. So happy to know that my story still has some loyal readers. So I would really appreciate some reviews. Until next time.

Ja Mata! ^_^v

P.S. I'm halfway through chapter 13 of Love is a Battlefield though I'm really having a hard time typing down my ideas. You'll know why soon.

P.P.S. I still have no plans to post my new story I keep on rewriting and looks like it'll be that way for a while.