AN: This is my first Fanfic so hope you enjoy. I forgot to mention that this is not beta-ed so if there are any problems please tell me.
It is Lent and I gave up reading Fanfics so I will be able to write now, but it still won't be as frequent since college takes time out of my leisure.
The one I asked to beta my story stopped so I would like to apologize for any mistakes. I know my tenses are all over the place. I am sorry and hope you can deal with me.
Gravitation and its characters are not mine but belong to Maki Murakami. KL Records, Illusionary Escape, Denzel, and Daniel are mine.
Summary: Shuichi finally reaches his breaking point and leaves the country to start anew. He gets a new name, new band, and changes everything about himself. When he finally returns to Japan with his new friends, will he return to his old life or keep his new one?
Ch 10: Date Night
Wednesday after a concert, Braden grabs Alex's hand and pulls him into a private room.
"Alex, remember when you asked if we could go out sometime this week to make happy memories of our time in Japan?"
Alex nods and a smile spark ignites within him at Braden's implications.
"Well, why don't we go out tonight? We can go anywhere you want to go, just nowhere with bad memories. I want this to be happy and I can't handle seeing you cry."
Braden pulls Alex to his chest and hugs him. Alex can hear Braden's heartbeat and moves closer to absorb the heat and love emitting from him.
"I love that idea! I know a small family owned café near where we are staying. It is new, so there is a slim chance to bring me to tears of sadness. Then we can go to the movies or go to the park to go stargazing or…"
"Breathe! I am glad you are excited, but take the time to breathe. The café is a good idea. The movies are good, but I doubt I will be able to fully understand everything. I am not fluent in Japanese like you. Stargazing seems like a pleasant thought, but isn't the park a bad idea."
"There is more than one park I know of. We don't have to go to that specific park. There is one closer to our condo anyways. Wait, I know a better spot. It is a place I found when I was younger and I haven't shown it to anyone ever. It was a place I went when I wanted to be alone or just when I needed a place to hide from the world. It is not full of bad memories. It has a lot of good memories too. We can see the stars better there. Would that be better?"
Braden smiles and kisses Alex's forehead.
"That is better. Are you sure it is still there? You have been gone a few years."
"I know it is there. While I never expected to return, I still wanted to keep my sanctuary safe. When I got enough money, I bought the property. It remains unaffected by the destruction of human progress. It is away from town, if you don't mind driving a bit then walking the rest. I don't want the world outside to affect the beauty of nature that I have preserved."
"So that was where you money was going. I don't mind walking. I love you and would do anything for you. Besides, it is your place of peace. I would not wish to cause it harm. So I will be the first to be brought into your private garden?"
"Of course, you are the first. You are the best thing that has happened to me. While I did love my past, I could never be myself. I was always doing things for everyone or hiding in my mask so no one see my true pain. You have given me your whole heart. We have no secrets, we hide nothing, and we help each other. There is no pity, only love."
Alex kisses Braden and hugs him as tightly as possible.
"You are my everything and I want to share one of my last bits of defenses."
Later that night at the condo
Braden is wearing a white button down shirt, emerald green tie, gray vest, and black pants. He knocks on Alex's door. Alex walks out and looks at his lover's attire and smiles.
"I always love how you dress in impress, especially when you wear that tie. It compliments your eyes."
Braden kisses Alex on the lips.
"I only started to do this, because you always compliment me. I do love this tie though! You look dashing yourself too."
Alex is wearing a black polo with a red tie and navy blue pants. Alex turns completely around so Braden can see every inch of him.
The rest of the band is sitting on the couch, watching the duo visually eating each other.
"Lover boys, don't you have a date to go to. As much fun it is to watch you both eat each other though your eyes, I doubt you want to spend the night just standing there."
"I agree with Jacob. I can understand your urge to get to the final part of the night; I know you would want to enjoy the events leading to tonight's fun. I do the same thing when I go out with Jake."
"I love you guys but no sex talk. I don't might you guys being gay but I don't want to visualize it."
"Okay, guys! We are leaving. Leo and Jake, you guys can go out too you know. Valentino can have the condo to himself for the night. I don't he wants to leave anytime soon. He wants to call home, to see how his family is doing. We won't be back till tomorrow. We might as well go to a hotel. So think about it. I will be taking Bray now. Good night and enjoy yourselves!"
The Date
The first stop is the café. Alex leads Braden to a small café surrounded by rose bushes. They take a seat in one of the outdoor tables. A waiter walks up to them to take their orders and leaves to retrieve it.
"So what do you think, Bray? It is small and I like how they infuse nature into their decorations."
"I like the roses too. It adds a natural beauty to the basic architecture."
They continue their small conversation though their time on the café. Before leaving, Alex walks inside to talk to the head of café.
"Excuse me; I hope I am not being to foreword. I enjoyed my meal here and would like to help draw in more customers, if you don't mind."
"That is a sweet idea, but how would you be able to that. My name is Hana Fujii. What is your name?"
"My name is Alex Grant and this is my boyfriend Braden Sanders. We can help because we are members of the visiting American band 'Illusionary Escape'."
"Oh my gosh, I didn't notice I was dealing with famous people. I must apologize, I am not that updated on the popular events happening. I have been busy with just managing the café."
"Don't worry, I understand. I enjoyed that it gave me a bit of privacy and animosity. I asked because this café seems to have a lot of potential. I don't wish for it to die out because you couldn't attract more people. So will you take in offer?"
"I would love to. How can I contact you?"
Alex hands her a card. She looks down and sees his number, his manager's number, and the company he works for.
"You are always welcome here! Come back again and thank you for your help."
It was getting late Alex leads Braden to the car and drives to a wooded area at the edge of town. Alex pulls Braden slowly though the forest until they reach a small meadow full of fallen sakura(cherry blossoms). Alex walks to the middle and lies down. Braden looks and marvels at how the sakura compliments Alex. He walks and lies down and pulls Alex closer. They spent the night stargazing and stealing small glances at each other.
They go to a hotel to end the night full of suppressed passion and love. Alex has never been happier since being with Braden. All his life was full of masks, pain, and selflessness. Now Alex can be free to be himself and those close to him understand and care about him more than anyone ever has.
AN: Alex finally had a date, he can be happy to look back on. Now that things are looking up, how will the rest of the time Japan be like? How will Ryuichi react to talking to Alex? How will everyone react when the truth is revealed? How will the end of Alex's time in Japan affect everyone? Till next time…
P.S.: I wanted to thank the following people for taking the time to read and comment, since my last chapter. Even if it was just critique my writing or say how much you love my story. I appreciate the support from my story followers/favorites as well. I also want to say thank you for those who have been reading my story even when I was on a bit of a hiatus.
Story Followers: JbeAnneCin