Chapter 7
It's been several days since Eisuke proposed.
"Hey everyone." I said as I entered the penthouse lounge.
Everyone was there, except Eisuke. He's been so busy dealing with cancellations lately, I've hardly seen him. He comes home later and I still haven't given him my answer.
"You just missed Eisuke, Freya." Ota said.
"He's been so busy lately." I said.
"Yes, I've heard there are a lot of cancellations lately." Soryu said.
"Eh, I'm sure it'll pass." Kishi said.
"I hope so." I said and sighed.
"Freya?" Baba said.
"What?"
"Is something wrong? You look upset about something. You're worried about more than just the hotel, aren't you?"
He was so perceptive.
"I'm fine. I'm just worried about Eisuke, that's all."
"Are you sure that's really all?" he asked.
I sighed again, was there really any harm in talking to them about it?
"Ok, ok. Eisuke proposed to me the other day."
"What?! Are you for real right now?" Ota said.
"Boss proposed to you?" Baba said shocked.
"Damn." Kishi said.
"I can't even picture it." Soryu said.
"How did he do it? What did he say?" Baba asked with glee. It was like he was a teenage girl.
"He handed me the marriage application and said, 'Fill it out and give it to Kenzaki." I said.
"That's it?" Ota said.
"That's it." I said.
"He didn't take you to a fancy restaurant and get down on one knee or anything?!" Baba said.
"Nope."
Everyone was totally baffled at my response, but then Kishi started cracking up laughing.
"Now that's Eisuke for ya. Handin' ya the papers and just sayin' 'sign it'."
"But why so sudden? I mean, the other day he was acting like he had no interest in it whatsoever." Ota said.
"He even said marriage was nothing more than a contract." Soryu said.
"And Boss isn't one to get influenced by others." Baba said.
"Maybe he had some kind of epiphany. I really can't imagine Eisuke having a family, though." Ota started chuckling to himself.
"So? You sign it and turn it in, or what?" Kishi asked.
"No. I didn't know what to do." I said.
"Huh? You're not gonna marry Boss?" Baba asked.
"I want to, but I'm just not sure this is the right way or the right time." I said. "There's no way I can look at marriage in the same way as he does, like a piece of paper and nothing more."
"What does Eisuke say about all this?" Ota asked.
"I told him I wanted some time to get my feelings in order, and he told me to do whatever I wanted." I said.
Soryu seemed surprised. "Eisuke never waits for an answer."
"Really?"
"Right. He's always like 'You have no choice in the matter.'" Ota said.
"Boss hardly ever gives someone extra time. See, that just goes to show how much he loves you." Baba said.
Maybe they were right. I've never doubted Eisuke's love. Maybe I've just been overthinking things?
Not long after our conversation, I got a page from Eisuke.
I answered.
"Yes?"
"I'm in the VIP room with a guest." He said.
"Ok, I'll bring some tea." I said.
I hung up and then turned to look at the guys.
"Thanks for listening guys."
"Good luck." Baba said.
"It would be kind of funny if this is how you broke up." Ota laughed.
I ignored his rude comment and left the room.
I prepared some tea and headed up to the VIP room, where I found an unfamiliar guy sitting with Eisuke.
"Yes, if we do it that way it's 100% legal." The man said.
"Good, I thought that was the case." Eisuke said.
Was he a lawyer? Maybe he was consulting with him about the recent cancellations.
"Excuse me, I've brought some tea." I said.
"Oh, thank you." The man said.
"Leave if you're done." Eisuke said.
"Yes, sir."
I bowed politely and left the room. As I headed back to work, I thought about the proposal. Eisuke loved me, he treasured me more than anyone. I was happy with him and if we did get married, things probably wouldn't change. And if I could be this happy forever, that would be great.
I knew my answer.
A few days later, Eisuke took me down to the casino.
"Are you checking things out?" I asked.
"No, I'm done with work for today." He said.
"So, you're here for fun? That's unusual." I said.
"The cancellations have greatly decreased, but things are still going. I need to win back all the money they've cost me today." He said.
I knew there were a lot of cancellations, but could he really win that much money? Despite my concerns, he starts betting much more money than usual. And with a few spins of the roulette wheel he's won back all the cancelled room fees, and more.
"Whoa."
"I'm tired of roulette. Let's go to the tables." He said.
He wasn't done yet?
"You don't have to do all this, Eisuke. Our guests will return eventually." I said.
"Of course they will. I wouldn't let things continue like this. At any rate, I'm going to make back all the money we've lost because of cancellations to date."
Just how much would that even be? The crowd just kept growing as a very confident Eisuke kept winning.
"Hm? Hey, Freya." Baba said.
Appearing behind me.
"I almost never see Eisuke down here." Soryu said.
I moved away from the crowd and stood with them.
"He says he's going to win back all the money he'd lost in cancellations." I said.
Baba chuckled wryly.
"Oh, please. That's just an excuse."
"An excuse?" I said.
"I'm sure he's really frustrated that his guests are getting stolen. All the guests who cancelled here are staying over at that historic hotel by the river." Soryu said.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"That hotel's been here for hundreds of years. If you're looking for a sense of security, you can't get much better than that." Baba said.
"Eisuke's been a sore loser ever since he was a boy. He always has to be number one at everything he does. He can't stand it otherwise." Soryu said.
"Looks like he hasn't changed." Baba said.
"He's always been a hard worker, so it didn't give him too much trouble. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the top grade in our sewing class and he used to practice sewing for hours in our dorm room." Soryu said.
"Sewing? Seriously?" I laughed.
"Boss?! With a needle and thread?" Baba joined in with my laughter.
"I guess the reason he's always number one at everything is because of his work ethic." I said.
"Mm-hmm. Although right now I'm more worried about him draining the casino dry." Baba said.
I could hear cheers coming from the roulette table; apparently Eisuke won again.
We all couldn't help but laugh.
After we got back from the casino, I changed my clothes and made Eisuke some coffee.
"It was crazy down there." I said.
I sat on the sofa.
"I have to do that occasionally to keep things exciting at the casino." He said.
He sat down next to me and started to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt.
He must be exhausted, he's been working so hard.
"Are you ok? Let me give you a massage. Was that guest you had in the VIP room a lawyer? I was wondering if maybe you were consulting him about the cancellations." I said.
"You don't have to worry about that." he said.
"I know… but I'm just concerned because you've been so busy lately."
"It's not a big deal. Problems like this come up all the time when you run a business." He said.
Now seemed the perfect time to tell him my decision.
"Eisuke… about you asking me to marry you." I said.
"Oh. That won't be necessary anymore." He interrupted me and stood up.
"What?"
"I changed my mind. Forget I ever said it."
I was so shocked at his response; my mind went blank.
"So, you don't want to marry me anymore?" I asked.
"As I said before, marriage is nothing more than a contract. It's not terribly important whether I get married or not." He said bluntly.
I guess that's what he really thought about it, so why did he ask me to marry him anyway? He was so forceful about it before, but now he seems completely uninterested in the subject of marriage. I then realised that the tables have turned. Marriage was never going to work unless both parties wanted it. We were never on the same page.
"We don't need to be married to show our love for each other. And that's more important than any contract."
He then swept me off my feet and carried me to my room. The instant he lowered me onto the bed, he was on top of me. He pressed my lips against mine. One by one, we tossed our clothes onto the floor and embraced each other, skin to skin.
Later, I nuzzled my face against his chest as he holds me in his arms.
"Eisuke?"
"What?"
"I do want to become your wife someday… so when you want to marry me, I'll be waiting."
He listened quietly and then I heard his deep voice above my head.
"If that's what you want."
I wondered if he would want to marry me someday? If the time ever came, I wouldn't hesitate. Because, I want to be with him forever.