Chapter 14
The Date
Hatori drives Naomi to their date. He steals glances at her as he drives. She looked beautiful with her hair off to the side and just a hint of makeup to accent her natural beauty. He watched as she smiled at the flowers he had given her.
"If I knew those flowers would case that beautiful smile you have on, I would'be given it to you sooner…" he chuckled. She looked at him and smiled. He looked handsome wearing a tux.
"This is the first time someone has ever given me flowers…" she said softly and she caressed a petal gently between her fingertips.
"Well, I will give you flowers any time you want." He smiled and looked at her. She chuckled at his words. She brought the bouquet closer to her nose and breathed in the scent of the flowers which blended perfectly with his cologne. She exhaled with a soft smile. The soft music from the car filled the air and as they inched closer to their destination and while at a stop light he puts a blindfold on her. "The rest is a surprise now Naomi.." he continues to drive with a soft smile on his face.
"You know I am clumsy Hatori, now you're blind folding me... you mean me to fall" she laughed while she touched the blindfold hoping he wouldn't see the small blush on her face from him gently touching her to put the blindfold on.
"I'll catch you if you fall.." he chuckles deeply as he brings the car to a stop.
"You know... not being able to see reminds me of the time at the hospital... but this is better..."she breathed in deeply. He smiles and takes her hand as he gets out of the car. "Just allow me to guide you alright?" She nods and smiles fully trusting him. She knew now for sure if there was anyone in the world that she could trust more than anyone it was Hatori. He leads her carefully into a building and carefully up some stairs. She could hear some soft and gentle music and the smell of her favorite flower seem to almost completely envelop her.
"Plumerias? It smells like plumerias" she smiled and moved her head around.
"Good nose.." he chuckles and touches her nose. "Take it off Naomi."
As Naomi takes her blindfold off she is met with a beautiful sight before her. They were on a balcony and this balcony was important to her. This is the place where she had first met Hatori and conversed with him for the first time. The area was filled with many fresh bouquets of plumerias. She wouldn't even be able to count how many bouquets there were because there were so many. There was a small table in the middle of the balcony with a tablecloth and flowers and fine china and two chairs as well. There was a two bottles of champagne in a chiller and the music she had heard was coming from a live band dressed up in Tuxedos. Hatori had made sure everything was absolutely perfect.
"Hatori..." she smiled and turned towards him. She couldn't believe her eyes or the magnificent sight before her. It was absolutely perfect. Everything a girl could have wanted in a first date with a guy she was slowly but surely falling for. It wasn't a surprise that Hatori had an eye for detail he is a doctor after all. She had never been on a date like this before. It was practically a dream. But Naomi knew everything about this night was real. "This is beautiful."
"Well I thought it would suite someone like you well.." he took her hand and led her to the table and pulled out the chair for her. She sat down and looked around. Everything looked so beautiful. The lighting was perfectly dimmed. It was almost out of a fairy tale.
"You didn't have to go through the trouble of doing all this Hatori." She smiled softly still in shock at everything around her.
"Yes but I wanted too.." he goes and sits down in front of her in the other chair and the butler comes over and opens the bottle of champagne.
"How did you know that Plumeria are my favorites?" She said as she looked at the flowers around her. She knew she told Hatori a lot but she wasn't sure if this was one of those things or if it was she was touched that he remembered and had been actually listening to her.
He chuckles softly. "I have my ways.." he holds up his glass of champagne to make a toast to her.
She sips the champagne. "Really?" She said and rests her face on her hand while resting her elbow on the table.
"Indeed..." he smiles softly and sips his champagne. "You look beautiful tonight Naomi."
"You look handsome yourself Hatori." She blushed. The live band started one of her favorite songs. She glanced at Hatori.
The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
"You found out my favorite song too?" She smiled and took another sip. "I wonder what else you found out about me."
He grinned a soft but toothy grin at her. "Well anything else I hope to eventually find out through you.." he stands up and offers her a hand. "Shall we dance?" She nodded happily and reached for his hand. Hatori led her over and he holds her hand in one hand the other rested at the waist as he started to sway with her to the music.
Emeralds from mountains and thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
Tell me that we belong together
Naomi placed her free hand on Hatori's shoulder and glanced at him then back at her feet. Her heart was pounding fast, she began to wonder if Hatori could feel it or even hear it. She knew she was being silly and there was no chance he could feel it or hear it especially since their chests weren't touching and the music was louder than her heart was beating but still she had that small worry. Only he could make her feel this way.
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Hatori smiled softly at her. "You know you're the first woman I've danced with that wasn't apart of the zodiac." He hummed in thought and he wondered why he had felt the need to tell her that. He had come to notice that Naomi made him do things and made him wonder so much that he had not done before her. Not with anyone. Not even with Kana.
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
"You're doing well for someone with not a lot of practice." She chuckled softly up at him and she looked up at him as they slowed swayed their bodies to the soft music.
He smiled softly. "Yes well I suppose I have had practice just not with someone who was as beautiful and skilled as you."
And rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
She looked up at him with a blush on her cheek. "Hah I am just trying to not step on your shoes." She smiled softly. He was handsome and even more attractive from up close. Even more so with the soft moonlight shining down on them. He chuckled softly. "You're doing very well in my opinion."
Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
"Thanks..." she said glanced up to his eyes. She gently brought her hand up and brushed the hair off of his left eye and smiled. He carefully raised his hand and grabs her and kissed it softly as he closed his eyes.
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
Hatori noticed something as he danced with Naomi. Actually he noticed that whenever he was with Naomi time seemed to almost stand still if not already completely stopped and as they slowly danced through the last few measures of the song and he stared down into her beautiful eyes that really always seem to captivate and grab his attention, he couldn't see anyone but her. He couldn't hear anything but her either. All of his attention was focused on her.
I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
The greatest fan of your life
The greatest fan of your life
As the song slowly came to an end and the band slowly started playing another soft ballad Naomi noticed the smile had never left her face and the soft smile never left Hatoris either. He leaned down and moved her hair gently and caressed her cheek with his hand as he gently kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and smiled, inhaling deeply the scent of his cologne which she adored and the tenderness of his lips touching her forehead and the light tickles from him stubble.
"Come let us eat.." he led her back to the table where her favorite meal was set up
"This looks wonderful... alright who told you all this things about me? I know I've mentioned a few but who?" She asked jokingly and giggled softly.
"Amaya.." he speaks honestly with a soft tone to his voice. "She knows you well." He sipped his champagne and watches her as she takes her first bite. "I hope you will like it..."
Hatori looked at her with soft eyes. A swirl of emotions running through him and many thoughts running through his head. He watched her carefully with his gentle eyes and he reached to hold her hand. "Naomi I have something serious I would like to talk to you about...you have opened my eyes and made me realize many things." He breathed in. For once the calm and cool doctor Hatori Sohma felt nervousness and he didn't like it but he loved the reason of what was causing it. "I don't wish to be alone...when I am with you my day is better...I wish to possibly court you if possible. I want you to be my significant other Naomi. I wish to be with you." He said it anyway he can and in more than one. The calm and cool doctor was slightly nervous but even so he hid it with grace.
Her cheeks turn bright pink. 'Did Hatori Just ask me out?' She thought to herself and watched as Hatori patiently waiting for an answer. She loved being around him as well, she knew the feelings she had for him were real and it scared her... was she ready to get into another relationship. Hatori was different than all of the people had been with. He was caring, gentle and patient with her. She smiled and looked at him
"Are you asking me out, Hatori?" She says teasingly trying to hide her nervousness but to no avail.
He chuckled softly and sipped from his glass and puts it down gently and looks at her. "Indeed I am."
She looks down at the table and watches the way his is holding her hand. She smiles softly then looks up at him again. "Yes, Hatori... I would love to." She smiled as she feels all the butterflies in her stomach take flight. She bit her lip gently as she looked at him and watched for his reaction. He grinned and rubbed her hand with his thumb before bringing it up to his lips and gently kissing it. Naomi phone started to ring.
"Oh I have to take this... excuse me." She said as she grabbed her phone and stepped away from the table. Hatori nodded and breathed in and sat back and waited patiently for her.
She returned moments later with a smile on her face but there was a hidden emotion in there besides happiness. A small twinge of sadness. She sat back down and looked at Hatori.
"That was the landlord for one of the places I applied to live at. She accepted my application and she said I could move in as early as next month… so in a few weeks." She said and she had a soft smile but she wasn't entirely sure if happiness was what she was feeling at the moment.
Hatori nodded and breathed in and his expression changed to a saddened one. "I see.." he hummed in thought and kept his emotions and how he was feeling hidden. Her smile quickly faded, she felt sad about knowing she would be moving out, but she knew living with Hatori was just a temporary fix until she could find her own place. She watched as Hatori continued to eat his meal. She began to eat and thought back to how much she enjoyed living with him and all that happened, but would she be moving too fast if she were to continue living with him, he just asked her out. Her mind began to wander through everything.
"Naomi I wish for you to know...my home is always open to you.." he looked up at her with soft eyes and held her hand from across the table. "And I shall support you in everything you do."
"Thanks, Hatori... the place is only a few blocks from your hospital. You could stop by anytime you'd like." She smiled back at him softly with her happy mood quickly returning to her.
"I see I shall then.." he smiled gently at her. She chuckled softly at a few thoughts in her head.
"I can make you lunch everyday."
"Well you're an amazing cook so I would love that." Hatori smiled at her. She smiled and continued to eat while enjoying the live band. She couldn't feel any happier. She looked around the balcony area and memories from the first time she met Hatori came back to her.
"You looked quite handsome the first time I saw you. I was in so much pain and you were patient with me. I am sorry I left without saying goodbye that night... I thought about you for a while after that night... Even asked Amaya how you were doing. Never did think that on day I would here with you... like this." She smiled and took a sip of her champagne. As the bubbly touched her lips it made all the pain and trouble she had gone through melt away.
"Well I suppose life has a way in playing in rather mysterious ways..." it wasn't much longer until they had finished their drinks and their meals and he stood up and held out his hand for her. "Shall we go home?"
"Yes." She nodded and grabbed his hand. He smiled and carefully walked beside her and walked with her to the car but before leaving the balcony he pulled her to him and he gave her a soft and gentle kiss on the lips and the band took a photo with a Polaroid camera and then brought it over to Hatori. He pulled away and smiled softly at her and he looked at the photo of them both kissing under the moonlight and the stars surrounded by her favorite flowers. "A good momento to remember tonight.." he handed it to her and put a flower in her hair as well.
"Thank you, Hatori." She said and brought her hand up to his face then gently kissing him again.
"You're welcome...now let's go home.." he leads her to the car and opens the door for her. Once she is in he gets in the driver side and holds her hand and drives them home.