Chapter 11: "Homecoming"
"I don't want to talk about it, Miles."
"But Terry, they – both of them – called me! Do you know what kind of pressure they're putting on me? Your dad – "
Terry shook her head angrily. "I don't care, Miles! I'll go home on my own accord!" She tensely paced the length of her living room. "I'm not a thing that they can fight among themselves! And I especially don't want to involve myself with that monster my dad calls his wife!" She was absolutely seething with anger. A little over a week ago, both her parents had called her up and asked her to come home over her spring break. Her spring break would last for two weeks starting from the last week of March until the first week of April. Her conversation with her mother on the phone was well enough although it got annoying every time she had to explain why she wasn't going to come home for the break. Her father on the other hand did not ask for her to come home… he demanded it. He insisted that he has allowed her to keep her distance for far too long and that she was due to visit.
"Things will get worse if you stay away any longer."
"I don't really care," Terry muttered, not noticing the quiet knock at her door.
"But you do care," Miles gently told her. "They're still your family no matter what. You may not be a family anymore, but they still love and care for you."
"Even so, both of them are expecting me to do things that I will never do," Terry replied evenly. "I am not going to give up our business just so that mom can have more time with me." Her emerald green eyes darkened with anger as she thought about what her father wanted her to do. "I have no idea how dad found out that we're going to incorporate Quinn-Young Development, but I'm certainly not going to allow that wife of his to become a shareholder!"
Miles sighed. "I have to admit that it gave me quite a shock when your father told me to make him and his wife shareholders once we incorporate our company."
"There's no problem at all if dad wants to become a shareholder, but I have no intention of letting that bitch have even the most minimal percentage of control over our company," Terry scoffed. "I've sweated and bled for this company, damn it!" She turned on her heel and suddenly collided into something. "What the-" She was about to curse when she saw Sawako on the floor and rubbing her sore back. "Sawako? How did you-" she shook her head and remembered that she had given Sawako an extra key to get into her condominium. "Miles I'll call you back, but we're not going to discuss this topic again." She hung up then helped her girlfriend to her feet. "Sorry," she said, flinching back a little when the bespectacled woman before her pressed a gentle hand against the side of her face.
"Are you alright?" Sawako softly asked, worry threading her face and voice.
"Never better," Terry replied.
The teacher shook her head. "I know it's rude, but I couldn't help but overhear. It's about your parents, isn't it?"
"Sawako… please," Terry begged tiredly. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"You could at least explain to me why going home is bothering you so much," Sawako calmly replied.
Terry opened her mouth to refuse, but the concerned look on her girlfriend's face changed her mind. Turning around, she sat heavily on her couch and pressed her palm against her forehead. "Both of them… they're celebrating their birthdays over the spring break. They want me to come home and celebrate it with them."
"Is it that bad to do it?" Sawako asked, coming over and sitting next to the redhead. She grasped Terry's hand reassuringly, urging her to keep talking.
"The birthdays I can deal with, but mom and dad have… other motives for wanting me to come home," Terry replied with annoyance. "I think I mentioned it to you before that my mom wants me to hand over the business to Miles and start a music school with her second husband. As much as it sounds like a good idea, I don't want to give up what I've worked so hard for." She frowned deeply as she paused for a breath. "Surely you were inside already when I was talking about my dad," she told Sawako with a grim smile. "Apparently, my dad wants Miles and me to make him and his second wife shareholders of our company when we change it into a corporation."
Sawako frowned. "Not a good idea," she murmured.
"That's for sure," Terry replied, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "That woman has criticized every aspect of my being including my work as a former musician and currently a software programmer turned business owner!"
"You obviously believe that she has no right at all to interfere and even join your business," Sawako guessed. "It's all the more annoying because as a shareholder, she'll be entitled to receive dividends." She shrugged her slender shoulders and furrowed her eyebrows with disdain. "She's not exactly the ideal person who is worthy to become a shareholder of your company."
"You understood it perfectly," Terry praised her girlfriend, smiling ever so slightly before it disappeared and turned into a frown once more. "In any case, I refuse to go home unless I really need to."
Sawako suddenly grinned and leaned her head against Terry's shoulder. "Besides…" she fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously. "I'd be lonely if you left."
Terry sighed. "Sawako… even if I did leave, it'd only be for a week or so," she chided her girlfriend. "You'll survive."
Frowning at how dense her foreign girlfriend could get, Sawako punched Terry hard on her arm.
"Owww! What was that for?" Terry cried out in pain.
"Could you at least flirt back even a little bit?" Sawako demanded. "I'm trying to get some affection here!"
Terry smirked. "You're always trying to get affection from me," she drawled. Still, she obliged Sawako's request and gathered her up in her arms. "You shouldn't worry in any case," she assured the brunette. "It's most likely that I'll be staying here for spring break. There's hardly any reason for me to go home."
Cuddling as close as she could, Sawako pressed her face against Terry's chest and breathed her scent in deeply. "I'm glad… but Terry-" she paused and tilted her head up to get a better look of Terry's face. "I'd follow you anywhere."
Terry blinked. "Anywhere?" she repeated, watching Sawako as she nodded her head in reply. "Sawako…" she swallowed a sudden lump that formed in her throat. "I… well eventually… you know…" she sighed, suddenly feeling a deep sadness at what she was getting at. "When I finish my second degree at Sora College of Music, I'll have to go back to-" Sawako's finger suddenly pressed against her lips, effectively silencing her.
Hazel eyes filled with love gazed up into confused emerald green ones. "Anywhere… Terry," she repeated softly. "I'll follow you anywhere. We'll deal with it when that time comes." She twined her arms around Terry's neck and pulled her close. "Besides… I don't know what will happen to my heart if you go back to America for good."
Terry shrugged and pressed their foreheads together. "Obviously, your heart will come with me."
"And my body?"
The redhead shrugged again. "I'll figure something out," she replied. "At worst, I could always stuff you in my luggage and hope that airport security won't notice that I'm smuggling in a live human." She stiffened and braced herself just in time as Sawako landed another heavy punch on her arm. "I know…" she said before Sawako could put a word in. "I always seem to ruin a perfectly romantic moment between us."
Sawako furrowed her eyebrows and pouted at Terry. "You have a talent for it unfortunately."
"It would be awfully petty if you would break up with me because of this talent of mine," Terry soberly said, tightening her hold on Sawako. "Anyway, why'd you drop by all of sudden? Do you need me for something?"
"Nothing in particular," Sawako replied, her hazel eyes twinkling mischievously. "But now that you mentioned it, I do need some help," she continued.
Terry frowned slightly, knowing what that look Sawako was giving her. "It depends on the kind of help you're thinking of," she gravely told her girlfriend. "And I'm rather sure that the help you require involves affection." She watched with slight interest as Sawako carefully got to her knees on the couch and straddled her. Each knee was positioned on either side of Terry's lap and those pale and smooth arms twined around her neck, cutting off the possibility of escape.
"Face it, Terry," Sawako softly told her girlfriend. "It's been nearly five months since we started dating and we've hardly even gotten to second base!" Her hazel eyes smoldered as she gazed deeply into Terry's piercing emerald green eyes. "I… can't help it! I just want to…" she paused and blushed furiously.
"Touch me?" Terry asked calmly, though her heart was beating a mile a minute.
Sawako looked away. "… touch you… and touch me…" she mumbled out the admission. She suddenly buried her face into Terry's shoulder. "I'm sorry! I must sound like some horny bitch who's in heat!" Despite her embarrassment, she felt somewhat relieved coming out clean to her girlfriend though she couldn't admit that she'd been frequently having those kinds of dreams.
"Sorry…" Terry apologized, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist and pulling her closer. "It's just that…" she frowned hard, smiling just a little bit when Sawako tried to smooth away the wrinkles that formed on her forehead. "It's been a while since I last had… an intimate relationship."
Sawako tilted her head to the side. "Like how long ago?"
"Five years ago," Terry readily admitted.
"Are you serious?" Sawako demanded, shocked in spite of herself.
Terry nodded. "I told you, the last guy I dated was during my sophomore year of college," she reminded the older woman before her.
Sawako lightly drummed her fingertips against Terry's shoulder. "I'm assuming he was the last one you had sex with?"
"The last and the first," Terry murmured, blushing in reaction to her admission.
Her jaw literally dropped open. "Why are you only telling me this now?"
"You never asked!" Terry retorted. "Besides, it's not something I would want to openly share and talk about with anyone." She looked away and frowned deeply. "It was a forgettable experience on my part."
"You didn't enjoy it?" Sawako asked, running her hand soothingly against Terry's auburn hair.
The redhead scowled. "How could it be enjoyable? It hurt like hell and he wasn't the least bit considerate about the pain I was going through. All he cared about was getting off," she growled, burying her face into Sawako's chest. "I swore off all relationships after that. Even during our touring days as a band there was no shortage of people to have sex with. I just didn't bother with it at all. I was too focused on making music."
Sawako smiled and caressed her girlfriend's cheek with her hand. "So technically… you're almost like a virgin?"
Terry furrowed her eyebrows. "Sawako… you know well enough yourself that once your cherry has been popped, you're no longer a virgin."
"I meant you're still a virgin when it comes to mind-blowing sex," Sawako rephrased, burgundy eyes shining mischievously.
"I suppose," Terry hesitantly replied.
Chuckling softly to herself, Sawako leaned closer until their foreheads were touching. "Shall I be your first then?" she sultrily offered.
Terry gulped. "N-Now?"
Sawako smiled. "Why not?" she whispered hotly into Terry's ear.
"I-I don't think now is the right time," Terry stammered, trembling suddenly when Sawako laved her earlobe with her tongue. "S-Sawako! Stop!" She grabbed both of Sawako's shoulders and pushed her away. "I'm just not ready, okay!" As Sawako slipped off her lap, she covered her face with shaky and clammy hands. "Sorry…" she whispered, feeling a little ashamed of herself.
Sawako shook her head as she took a seat next to her girlfriend. "Was the first that bad for you to make you refuse any sexual act?" she gently asked. She did feel a little bit hurt because Terry pushed her away, but she sort of understood why her slightly younger girlfriend did what she had to do.
Terry nodded. "It was… unmemorable." She looked up into Sawako's eyes. "I know it would be rather selfish of me, but is it alright if we wait a little bit?"
"Need to gather your courage?" Sawako asked teasingly.
"A little bit," Terry drawled back. She suddenly snaked her hand around Sawako's waist and pulled her in. "In the meantime, we could do the simpler things. I'm obviously not afraid of kissing."
Sawako laughed. "I'm not afraid of kissing too," she said, pulling Terry down for the first of many kisses.
Three days later…
"But you said you weren't leaving!"
"I know I did, but what choice do I have? I did tell you that I'd only go back home for spring break if I really needed to and this is such a time!"
Yui frowned hard as she and her band mates occupied Mio's bedroom. They were having a small get-together with Sawako when Terry unexpectedly arrived and gave her news. Rather than witness the escalating argument in person, the Houkago Tea Time girls relegated themselves to the most comfortable room in their apartment. They didn't see their mentor and Terry arguing but they still couldn't help but overhear what they were saying to each other.
"Can't you let Miles handle it? You've been letting him handle your business while you've been here anyway!"
They heard Terry sigh impatiently. "He's overworked! There's the matter of incorporating our company and this new client wants to meet me before they actually choose to deal with us. I don't want to waste such an opportunity."
"Just do your meeting over the internet then!"
"Sawako… why are you being so stubborn?" Terry asked. "It's only going to be for a couple of weeks. I know I said I'd probably stay for a week or so, but once I get back to California, I won't be able to hide my presence from my parents. I'll have to spend some time with them as much I don't want to."
"Just stay here! Don't go then! You don't have to answer to your parents anymore!"
"But there's still my business-"
"Let Miles handle it!"
"We're going in circles, damn it!" Terry roared. "Why are you being such a brat, Sawako? Can't you at least try to be a little understanding? This over-possessiveness and insecurity is starting to chafe me."
"This is the first time they're fighting," Mugi murmured from Yui's side.
"I've never heard Terry-san raise her voice like that!" Azusa remarked, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Well, Sawa-chan is reacting badly," Mio pointed out. "It's just going to be a short trip and it's mostly going to be for business. Why is she making such a big deal about it?" She skimmed through her class notes and highlighted sentences of importance.
"Fine!" Terry shouted. "If you're going to keep reasoning with me like that, I'm going to leave! This is not worth my time!" The group of college girls all flinched when they heard their front door slam shut.
Yui hopped up to her feet and dusted her bottom. She had been sitting on the floor with Azusa while their three other band mates milled around on Mio's bed. "Let's check on Sawa-chan," she suggested. "Just to make sure she's okay."
"Of course she'd be okay!" Ritsu muttered, following Yui out into their living room. "She'd be a little upset, but she wouldn't be breaking down or-" she abruptly stopped her sentence upon seeing the sorry state of their former teacher. "S-Sawa-chan?" She and the rest of her friends all stared at their teacher who was on the floor and swiping at her tearing eyes.
Mugi immediately made a beeline for the bathroom and came back out with tissue in her hands. She offered one to Sawako, but their teacher was too distraught to deal with her own tears. The keyboardist had to take matters into her own hands by gently dabbing at their mentor's wet cheeks.
"Oh Sawa-chan…" Mio murmured with a shake of her head. "It didn't have to be like this," she said gently, squatting down next to the older woman. "Is it really that big a deal for Terry-san to go back to America for spring break?"
Sawako choked back a sob and allowed Azusa to pull off her glasses so that Mugi would have an easier time wiping away her tears. "But she's leaving in a few hours! It was just so… so sudden!" She finally grabbed a wad of tissue from Mugi's free hand and blew her nose abruptly.
"But why are you angry? She's coming back anyway," Yui pointed out, unable to grasp why their teacher was feeling at the moment.
"She said she wasn't going to leave at all!"
"But she did say that she would only leave if she really needed to," Ritsu cleared up. She shook her head when Sawako shot her a rather weak glare. "Sorry Sawa-chan, but we couldn't help but overhear. We soundproofed the walls so that our neighbors wouldn't hear us, but that doesn't mean we could each other from the different rooms of our apartment." She shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, you were rather loud."
Azusa raised her hand to have a turn at speaking. "Sawa-chan, forgive me for being blunt, but don't you think you were being petty about Terry-san leaving?"
If she hadn't been this shaken up, she would have screamed her head off at her students for not minding their own business. Still, she realized that hearing the truth really did hurt. "Why did I have to be so stupid?" She swiped angrily at her teary eyes. "Of all the times for me to be selfish!"
"You could always call and apologize," Yui suggested.
"But she'll still be angry!"
Mugi shook her head. "Better to say sorry than let the bad air linger." She smiled reassuringly at the brunette. "Call her Sawa-chan." She fished out Sawako's cellphone from her discarded handbag and held it out for her.
With trembling hands, Sawako did as she was told. Her somewhat calmed demeanor worsened when she put her phone away. "N-No network coverage," she told her former students.
"Did you try again?" Mio asked, to which Sawako nodded. "Why wouldn't there be any network coverage?" she wondered aloud.
"Not unless she turned off her cellphone," Ritsu pointed out. "Would she turn it off though because she doesn't want to talk to Sawa-chan?"
Azusa nodded grimly. "A very likely possibility," she remarked. "Or it could be because she's off to the airport and you know how it is with communications devices there."
"She wouldn't be turning off her cellphone until she's on the plane," Yui put in, glancing at the still distraught Sawako. "So I suppose we could assume that it was the first reason we came up with." They all waited anxiously for Sawako to react but it was a good few minutes before they finally got a solid reaction from her.
"Beer! Get me beer now!" Sawako yelled.
"I don't think that's a good-" Ritsu began.
"NOW!" Sawako shouted, this time glaring daggers into her students' beings.
"Y-Yui! Come with me to the convenience store!" Ritsu dragged her friend towards the front door. "Mio, go see if there's any alcohol in our refrigerator!"
"I'm on it!" The bassist hurried to the kitchen.
"Sawa-chan, please blow your nose," Mugi held up another tissue for their mentor to use.
"I don't care about that!" Sawako slapped the tissue away and grabbed her glasses from Azusa's hands. "Get me my beer!"
Mio shook her head as she searched the confines of their refrigerator. "Of all times for her to choose to drown her sorrows," she murmured. She looked out of the small window in the kitchen and saw that it was probably going to rain later on. "Terry-san… it's obvious that she's not going to cope well without you around."
28th March, Tuesday Morning – California
A bespectacled man peeked over the top of his cubicle then settled back into his chair. He slid himself and his chair out into the hallway and into the nearest cubicle. "Is it just me or is the boss being unusually cranky since she got back?" he asked one of the two occupants.
Miles sighed and wheeled his manager back into his respective cubicle. "If I were you Rick, I wouldn't be asking around about that. You do want to keep your head intact right?"
Rick grinned. "Of course I do!" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Is she like this because of a lovers' quarrel though?"
Miles' eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about that?" he demanded in a low hiss. "No one knows except for her closest friends!"
"Well…" the manager began, smiling mischievously. "One of our own isn't just a good programmer. He's a pretty skilled hacker as well. A bunch of them were looking through Facebook and they chanced upon the wall of a Japanese girl who is friends with the boss. There was a rather suspicious status so they took matters into their own hands and secretly hacked into her account and voila!" He flung his hands into the air for added effect. "They found hard evidence that Terry has found someone to love."
Miles pressed large calloused hands against his suddenly aching head. "Do you know what kind of trouble you're all getting yourselves in if Terry find out?" He shook his head. "Does anyone else know?"
"We've kept it among us. We all swore that we wouldn't tell anyone outside of the company," Rick replied. "Besides, we don't find anything wrong with her sexual preference. She's also been a good and fair boss to us. Why would we want to mess up her trust in us?"
"You've already given her a reason to mistrust you!" Miles angrily said. "Hacking?" he demanded. "You could lose your jobs for doing something so stupid!"
"No one will find out if it worries you so much!"
"Rick and the programming team assemble in front of my office," Terry's voice boomed from her work quarters. "Now!"
Miles could only shake his head as Rick turned ashy in terror. "She has her ways of keeping all of you in track. It was only a matter of time," he scolded the manager, walking behind him and the terrified programmers towards Terry's office.
In plain view of the rest of the employees, the culprits stood nervously in front of their serious-faced boss. Some of them looked to Miles to help soften the conversation, but all they got were unsympathetic looks from him.
Terry was an imposing figure who stood before them even though she was dressed casually in a fit collared shirt, jeans and sneakers. Her emerald green eyes were fierce as she looked upon the group of workers. "Would you agree that everyone values their privacy?" she asked them, a grim smile pulling on her lips. She raised a threatening eyebrow at them when none of them answered. "Well?" she forcefully asked.
"Yes," Rick quickly answered, shooting mindful looks at his subordinates.
"Then you know why I've called you here and why I'm dishing out punishment," Terry replied. "For the next month, all your internet privileges will be revoked. If you've noticed, I've specifically disconnected the router to all of your work stations. For those who need the use of the internet for work-related purposes, it would have to go through either Miles and or me before we permit you to use a specific computer to work." Somehow, the relieved looks on some of the culprits' faces irked her. "Oh and did I mention, this punishment includes all employees."
"But that's unfair!" A woman from the marketing department blurted out only to have a hand slapped over her mouth by a co-worker.
Terry gave all of them a steely gaze. "I'm a firm believer of the principle 'one for all and all for one'," she told her anxious and frustrated employees. "Particularly when it comes to punishment and making sure that a lesson is learned," she clarified. "Any more objections before I continue?" She waited for a few seconds before going on. "Also, the programming team is obligated to do uncompensated overtime for one week." The redhead ignored the indignant gasps from the group standing before her. "Apparently, you've been using up precious time to hack into personal accounts and there's the fact that we have a heavier workload to deal with for the next month."
"B-But-" one programmer stuttered.
"Do you want me to make it two weeks of unpaid overtime?" Terry was met with absolute silence after making that suggestion. She turned to Rick. "It's been a while since I last doubted my decision of promoting an employee," she told the sweating manager. "You have the skills of managing a company, which we've seen when Miles and I were out of the country, but you obviously… lack in other departments." Terry leaned against the wall and languidly crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll give you a choice, Rick. You can freely leave this company or you will gracefully accept a demotion and undergo more training until you're deemed fit to acquire management position once more. If you choose the second one, you'll be back on the programming team and will be required to do the same punishment."
Rick swallowed hard. "I choose the second," he hoarsely said.
Terry nodded her head. "Very well. We are done here then. Get back to work and I hope you've all learned something from this." She gave them one last icy glare. "This better not happen again." With that, she stalked back into her office and closed the door behind her.
The culprits and the rest of the employees all released a sigh of relief. They've all gotten into some mischief one way or the other and have been doled out punishment, but this was the worse yet. The fact that their mistakes were usually work-related and not so problematic meant they weren't given such immense punishment. It was mostly a scolding when it happened. This time around, they willfully got into the personal life of their boss and have obviously received the worst punishment yet.
Miles cleared his throat to get the attention of the employees. "You better take her seriously. You're lucky that she didn't fire any of you outright," he informed them. "Other bosses would be handing out your pink slips at this moment. If I were all of you, I'd do the punishment without any complaints and get back on her good side." He shook his head at them. "Seriously! What were all of you thinking?" he demanded. "Fighting with her girlfriend prior to coming back here is only part of the reason why she's so cranky!" He frowned when he spotted some of the employees opening their mouth to ask a question. "And no, I am not going to explain what else is making her act this way." He jerked his head at their cubicles. "Now all of you get back to work!" He watched for a few moments to make sure that their employees behaved before stalking into his best friend's domain.
"What now Miles? I'm trying to get some work done and let the rest of those idiots do the rest of the work during their overtime." Terry swiveled her chair around to look at her friend.
Miles tucked his hands into his pockets and gave his friend an interesting look. "I've never seen you this brutal until now," he remarked.
Terry frowned and flapped her hand at him. "I can't always be nice. They'll get complacent and think that they can get away with everything," she muttered, straightening the documents on her desk. "Three days of being here and already I'm worn out." She pressed a hand against her aching head. "Couple that with the jetlag and the non-stop badgering of my parents and it will surely drive me insane."
"Shall I find you a mental institution then?" Miles asked, keeping a straight face.
"Make sure it has a pretty good isolation chamber," Terry retorted. "It'll probably be the only thing that will keep my parents away." She dropped her head onto her desk and let out a long breath. "What the hell am I going to do, Miles?" she asked in a muffled voice. "I've been pretty much ordered to attend a dinner at my father's home."
"You're expecting it to not be pleasant, right?"
The business owner nodded. "It's never pleasant with the wife of my dad," she muttered darkly.
"And your mom?"
Terry groaned. "I have dinner with her the day after," she replied. "They'll be talking my ears off!" She banged her forehead against her desk. "If it weren't for this incorporation business and that new client, I would have just stayed in Japan."
Miles walked over to the desk and lightly placed his hand atop Terry's head. "At least we've dealt with the new client. The only thing we have to worry about now is making our company into a corporation."
"Has Marcus fixed all the needed documents to do that?" Terry asked. Marcus was their accountant and was the first person to get hired by Miles and Terry when they first started their company.
"Everything is ready except for the shareholders," Miles replied. "We've been putting it off since you want to be particular about the people you want to be included."
"Good. I'll finalize that bit by tomorrow morning."
Miles frowned. "I'm not so sure if I like what you're planning."
"You don't have to like it," Terry replied easily. "I am the owner of this company."
"What am I then?" Miles complained.
"My slave," Terry drawled. "Anyhow, I want some peace and quiet for the rest of the day. I have to get ready for tomorrow night." She patted a large brown envelope atop her desk. "Have Marcus submit this to the office of the California state tomorrow. The documents and other requirements should be complete by morning."
Miles opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. Terry seemed awfully sure of herself and she had a point anyway. She was after all the owner of the business. "I'll make sure that Marcus delivers it." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Want me to come along tomorrow night? I'd be an uninvited guest, but at least your stepmother's snide remarks won't just be aimed at you."
Terry shook her head, but smiled gratefully at her best friend. "It's alright Miles," she told him. "I wouldn't want you to get into trouble for my sake." She swiveled her chair around once more to face her computer set on an adjacent desk. "Now shoo! I'd like to be alone for the rest of the afternoon."
Miles gave one more worried look at his friend before walking out of the office. He truly worried about Terry and wished he could do something to ease her anxiety, but there was little he could do especially since most of her anxiety was caused by family-related problems. True, he was close enough to Terry that both her parents had insisted for him to call them aunt and uncle, but it still wasn't in his place to interfere. Sighing as he went to check on the cowed programming team, the raven-haired man heard his cellphone ringing in his pocket. Pulling it out and glancing at the screen, he was a little baffled as to why Kelly was calling him. His friend was busy with his clinic and rarely placed any calls especially during the weekdays.
"Hey Kelly," he greeted, stopping in his tracks. "What's up?" The baffled look on his face slowly transformed into a smile as he listened.
The following night…
Stiff as a board and with a forced smile plastered on her face, Terry stood outside of her father's home. With an expensive bottle of wine tucked underneath one arm and her dad's favorite chocolate cake on the other, the redhead took in a deep breath to brace herself then rang the doorbell. Fortunately, it was her fifteen year-old half-brother who answered the door. His hazel green eyes lit up instantly upon recognizing her.
"Terry!" He literally lunged at her and gave her a huge hug.
"Whoa there!" Terry laughed as she struggled to stay on her feet and keep her grip on the wine and cake. "It's good to see you too, Jake!" The forced smile she had originally put on her face was now a genuine one as her chocolate brown-haired half-brother continued his onslaught of affection. "Wow, did you grow taller?" She handed Jake the cake box and set her free hand atop his head.
"Five feet and six inches now!" Jake puffed his chest out in pride. "I'll be taller than you in a year or so!"
Terry laughed heartily at the claim. "We'll see about that!" She stepped into the house and closed the door behind her. Looking around her furnished surroundings, she realized that it's been more than two years since she last stepped foot into this house.
"How's Japan? I wish I could go there too! It's such an interesting place!" Jake rambled as he led her into the living room. "I have so many questions to ask you!" He poked his head into the kitchen and called, "Dad! Terry's here!" He waved at Terry to wait there for a moment so that he could put the cake in the refrigerator.
As her half-brother disappeared into the kitchen an older man with the same chocolate brown-hair his son bore walked into the living room. Over six feet tall, he was a somewhat intimidating figure especially with presence of age lines on his face, which gave him a more serious look. He was dressed simply in slacks and a comfortable collared shirt. He looked foreboding for a few seconds before a genuine smile softened his features. With open arms, he beckoned for his daughter to come closer. "It's been too long," he murmured, hugging his daughter.
"Hey dad," Terry greeted as she returned the hug. "Yeah, it's been a while. I've been busy."
Nathan Quinn pulled away and eyed his daughter. "Too busy for you to even call apparently," he dryly said. He looked down and saw the bottle of wine his daughter carried. "For me I hope?"
Terry laughed and held it up for her dad. "My birthday gift to you," she told him with a smile. "It's a 1976 Chateau Ausone red wine. I remembered that you liked it after you tried it out when you went to France."
Nathan took the bottle into his hands and looked it over. "Must have been expensive," he remarked.
"I'm not telling you how much I spent for it," Terry informed her father. In truth, she spent about a thousand dollars on it excluding the delivery and handling charges since she had to especially order it online. She didn't want to buy her father some cheap wine at the grocery store. "I have to say that I had to pull some strings just to get your favorite chocolate cake though. They were fresh out when I went to the bakery."
"You're making it look like that I'd throw a tantrum if I didn't get that cake for my birthday," Nathan woefully said though his eyes danced with mischief.
"Terry!" Two voices shouted from atop the stairs. Two sets of feet clattered down the stairs and raced towards a bewildered Terry.
"Whoa! Calm down you two!" Terry raised her arms in the air as two kids, one a boy and the other a girl barreled into her body. Even though they were the children of her stepmother, she still liked them well enough. Looking down into two pairs of bright blue eyes, she smiled and patted each of their blond heads. "I see the little monkeys have grown," she remarked. "Doing well with school Stefan?" she asked the boy who was now twelve years old.
Stefan nodded his head excitedly. "I'm on the honor roll for this month!"
"That's great!" Terry looked over at his younger sister who was two years younger than he was. "How about you, Maika? I heard that you started with dance class a couple of months ago."
The pretty blond-haired girl grinned up at her half-sister. "I love it! You have to come to my recital! It's next week!"
Terry laughed and hugged her two half-siblings before pulling away. "I think I can arrange that," she promised. She was starting to relax because of the lighter mood when an overly sweet voice cut through the air. She immediately stiffened and became straight-faced as her stepmother made her appearance.
"I see that being the last to come equals a grand entrance for you," she spoke haughtily. Like her two youngest children, she was blond-haired and blue-eyed. Although she stood a few inches shorter than her stepdaughter, she had an overpowering aura of resentment towards the redhead.
"I came straight from work," Terry replied through gritted teeth, her insides were twisting with dislike for the woman standing before her.
The woman shrugged. "You don't have to make excuses. It's easy to see that you were putting off coming here."
Nathan placed a firm hand on his second wife's shoulder. "Megan…" he murmured. "I would like to celebrate my birthday peacefully." He put his other hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Will you behave as well?"
Terry opened her mouth to protest that she always tried to be on her best behavior whenever she did come to visit, but kept it shut. Even though it was her stepmother who usually did the misbehaving, she would never admit to it and put all the blame on Terry. Sighing, the redhead nodded in agreement and let her half-siblings tow her to the dining table. At least they didn't resent her.
"Why does she have to be here?" Megan asked her husband. "You could have just celebrated your birthday with her separately!" She didn't care that Terry could probably hear their conversation from the table.
"She's still my daughter, Megan," Nathan replied softly. "She's still family and the kids did request that she be invited."
"They're not even fully related," Megan muttered, not liking the fact that her children were smitten with their father's daughter from his first marriage. She would have spoken more, but the scathing look she got from her husband silenced her finally as they sat down to dinner.
Maika bounced in her seat as the grown-ups passed food around. "What have you been doing in Japan, Terry?" she asked excitedly. "Do they speak English? It must be hard to understand them."
Forking over some chicken on her plate, she passed it over to Jake before giving her attention to her youngest half-sibling. "My classes are taught in English, but outside of class everyone speaks in Japanese. It is their language and I didn't have much trouble understanding them. I took up the Japanese language as an elective back in college then took some supplemental classes before I went to Japan to refresh myself."
"Terry is what you call bilingual, Maika," Jake informed his younger sister. "She can speak English and Japanese fluently."
Maika gave Terry an admiring look before turning to her parents. "Mom! Dad! Can I take up another language in school?"
"Sure honey," Megan replied, though she looked quite disinterested in the conversation. "Not Japanese though. There are surely other languages that are better to learn." She tapped her fork against her plate. "French is certainly more romantic and useful."
"If you want a useful language, Mandarin is the best pick," Terry replied in a straight voice. "Roughly twenty percent of the world's population is Chinese and if you're going into business, it would hurt to learn it since a lot of businesses are involved with Chinese one way or the other."
Megan glared at her stepdaughter from her side of the table. "Older people would know better especially those who have travelled the world."
"Older people aren't necessarily wiser," Terry simply replied, ignoring the developing anger on Megan's face. "Besides, you've only been to a few countries and the only comments you've made about them are mostly complaints."
Megan banged her hands against the table and got to her feet. "You dare insult me in my house?" she demanded in a shrill voice.
Terry shrugged her shoulders and pushed her half-empty plate away from her. "I was merely stating facts." She shook her head at her anxious siblings then gazed evenly at her stepmother then at her father. "I have forgotten…" she muttered, looking away from the faces staring at her.
"Forgotten your manners apparently!" Megan put in.
Terry laughed, startling everyone at the table. "Manners?" she questioned. "Is there even a need for manners when I'm here before you?" She shook her head and got to her feet. "I've momentarily forgotten the reason why I rarely come here." Her emerald green eyes darkened as she looked at her father. "It's because here, I'm not considered family no matter how much you insist on it." She nodded her head to her half-siblings and stepped away from the table. "I'm excusing myself."
Nathan raised a hand up, which stopped the retreat of his daughter. "Will you at least share a glass of wine with me? It wouldn't be seemly for me to enjoy your gift without you here."
Terry shrugged and decided that it wouldn't hurt.
"Shall we head to the veranda then?" Nathan led his seething wife and emotionless daughter outside and settled everyone on table with wine glasses and the chilled bottle. "A toast then to my birthday," he said, raising his glass into the air. He sighed inwardly as Terry and Megan followed suit but silently. He watched as Terry downed her glass right away then got to her feet. "No more?"
Terry shook her head. "I'm driving and I have to head to work early tomorrow morning."
"Her work is more important than family of course." Megan smirked as she swirled the contents of her glass in a delicate manner. "In any case, don't you have something to talk about with your daughter, Nathan?"
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows and set his glass aside. "Terry. You'll be incorporating your company soon."
"What of it?" Terry rubbed the back of her neck, looking rather indifferent.
"It seems like a good investment," Nathan remarked. "I'll be retiring in a couple of years and having a good investment will make sure that I live well in my retirement." He fingered the rim of his wine glass. "I mentioned that I wish to make myself and Megan shareholders of your company once it becomes a corporation."
Terry suddenly smiled. It pleased her that it instantly wiped off the smirk on Megan's face. "I'm afraid you're too late, dad," she told him. "As much as I have to admit that it's a good move particularly on your part, I would like to keep my company strictly professional." She shrugged her shoulders as Megan became furious. "I've learned that involving family in one's business doesn't always result in improvement."
"What? How dare you make that decision?" Megan demanded. "How dare you disobey your father-"
"I can dare all I want! I own the company!" Terry interrupted in an icy voice.
"Won't you reconsider, Terry?" Nathan asked.
"As I said, it's too late. My accountant has already submitted the articles of incorporation," Terry told her father, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Anyway, I'm going to head on home. Thanks for dinner and happy birthday." Without a second look, she stalked over to her black Range Rover HSE and hastily boarded it. She couldn't wait to get away from that snake pit her father calls home. Upping the volume of the radio, she let the music help her forget about what had just happened. It took her nearly an hour of driving for her to arrive at her home located in the gated community of Shadow Park, Cerritos. To those who didn't know Terry well, they would immediately think that she was a very wealthy woman. True, Terry became wealthy after her stint in band, but it was a year after she opened her business that money came easily. She and her band mates shared one common goal when they started earning money: buy individual houses. Terry was the first to purchase a house of her own and even helped her friends in their own search and eventual purchase. Terry's house in particular was a five-bedroom and three-bathroom home. It was partially furnished when she purchased it and it had a large backyard, pool and three-car garage. She always explained to new acquaintances that she chose such a large home so that her band mates could stay with her whenever they wished.
As she drove up to her home, she recognized the beat up old pickup truck of Kelly and Miles' Lexus GS sedan parked along the curb. It wasn't really unusual for her two friends to drop by suddenly. After all, they knew the gate code to enter Shadow Park and where she hides the spare key in case of such visits. After easing her Range Rover into the garage, she cut of the engines and hopped out. Trying the front door, she found that it was unlocked so she tiredly entered her abode.
"Miles! Kelly! What the hell are the two of you doing here unannounced?" Terry yelled as she kicked off her shoes and padded barefoot towards her living room.
"Someone sounds cranky," Kelly remarked loudly.
"She's always cranky whenever she comes from her dad's home," Miles reminded his friend, smiling knowingly. He kept grinning as Terry strode into the living room.
"I don't have time to entertain you-" Terry's speech halted abruptly when she realized that it wasn't just Kelly and Miles who were in her living room. She only had a few seconds to recognize the five pairs of eyes gazing at her happily when a body barreled into her and made her stagger back. "What the hell…" She looked down at the familiar mop of burgundy hair. "Sawako?"
Kelly grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Surprise!"
Mugi bowed respectfully to Terry. "We decided to come to California for our spring break trip," she informed the redhead.
"We try to go abroad at least once a year since we started going to college," Ritsu explained.
"It's to broaden our horizons and such," Mio added, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Azusa smiled. "Ritsu-senpai wants to go see the sights mostly though," she teased, garnering herself a warning look from the drummer of their band.
"Besides, Sawa-chan has been really depressing ever since you left," Yui pointed out. "We mostly decided to pick California as our destination so that we could invite Sawa-chan to come along with us."
Terry shook her head ruefully and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. She had been planning to contact Sawako to make up with her, but her former students had made things easier by bringing her along. Lowering her head so that she could speak into Sawako's ear, she softly said, "I missed you."
Sawako's response was to tighten her hold on Terry and look up into her girlfriend's smiling face. "I missed you too!" she said fervently, taking hold of Terry's neck and pulling her down for a passionate kiss. It took them several seconds to confirm their love for each other before they finally pulled away. "Can you forgive me?"
"You being here is enough," Terry replied sincerely, pressing their foreheads together. Before she could claim another kiss, a loud grumble penetrated the air.
"Yui!" Mio and Ritsu shouted.
The guitarist pressed her hands against her stomach. "What? I can't help it if my stomach's hungry!" she complained, looking desperately for support from her pigtailed kohai.
"Way to ruin a perfectly romantic moment," Azusa murmured, shaking her head at her senpai.
Mugi looked further amused. "We were served food on the flight a couple of hours before we touched down in LAX. How could you be hungry already, Yui-chan?"
"But I'm hungry already!" Yui woefully told the group.
Terry startled everyone else in her living room by laughing loudly. "I'm glad that you all came! I've had a rough night and this is exactly what I need to feel better!" Keeping an arm around a beaming Sawako, she jerked her head at her kitchen. "I think I have enough food and ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator to cook something up."
Kelly rolled up his sleeves and grinned. "Allow me to cook!"
"I'll help out!" Ritsu volunteered and followed the physical therapist into the kitchen.
"I'm coming too!" Yui ran after them.
Miles nodded his head at the luggage lined up against the wall. "It's okay for them to stay with you, right Terry?"
"Of course," Terry replied. "There are four bedrooms for you to pick from and occupy," she informed Mugi, Mio and Azusa. "Go ahead and bring your stuff up."
"I'll help them carry their luggage upstairs." Miles grabbed two of the wheeled bags and led the way up to the second floor with the three younger women following him.
Terry tightened her arm around Sawako's shoulders and leaned down to nuzzle her girlfriend's hair. "Were you really depressed?" she asked, genuinely happy that Sawako was in her home.
Sawako blushed. "The girls were supposed to go to Finland, but they were getting tired of taking care of me."
"Why did they have to take care of you?" Terry asked.
"I kept going out to drink," Sawako admitted, feeling very embarrassed.
Terry chuckled and gently kissed Sawako's forehead. "Come on," she urged, grabbing Sawako's luggage. "I'll help you settle in."
"Do I get one of the bedrooms to myself?" Sawako laughed as she let Terry manhandle her bag.
Terry raised a questioning eyebrow at her girlfriend. "What gave you that notion?"
"Huh?" Sawako looked genuinely confused at what her girlfriend meant as they headed up the stairs to the second floor.
Terry winked at Sawako when they got to the landing. "I'm not going to let you sleep in a different room when you should be sharing my bed with me." She reached out and playfully slapped Sawako's behind. "You are my designated bed-warmer after all," she teased, leading the smiling bespectacled woman into her bedroom. Somehow, she knew that her spring break was starting to look up.
