Chapter 14: unexpected Sunday morning/afternoon

I sat on my bed with my iPod plugged into my ears while doing my homework. Yes, after all the trouble we had done for the festival we still have homework. Speaking of the festival, After that little 'errand' everything went smoothly. We danced as a group and sometimes Hotaru and I would pair up. So the rest of the evening wasn't bad. after the party i thanked them for the good time i had and the fact that I forgot about what happened earlier. I swayed my head as I hummed along the song; it was Firework by Katy Perry. (AN: the song has no meaning. I just had an LSS.) My cat jumped on the bed and sat on my book. I growled at him and pushed him aside. It came back to sit on my book again. I was getting annoyed. I removed the earplugs and stood up. I placed my hands on my hips and galred at him. He looked up at me, smirked. and then lie down again.

"Come on, Nat." I said choking at his name and picked him up. He hissed and squirmed at my grasp. He was deffinitely acting weird. "Go outside for a while. I'll play with you after I finish my homework." I smirked at him and walked towards the door. When I was about to open it, he hissed again and started scratching the wooden thing. I pulled him away and dropped him out of my room. I raised a brow at him and he arched his back and hissed again. I slammed the door still confused and jumped unto my bed. I grabbed my iPod and- KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! I rolled my eyes. Honestly, talk anout wrong timing. "It's open!" I said and plugging the earphones into my ear.

"Mikan-chan, how many times do i have to tell you to take care of Nat?" mother demanded carrying the raven haired cat. She carried him as if he was filthy and unbearable. He smirked in her grasps. I cursed the day this cat learned how to be stubborn.

"what did he do now?" I asked taking the cat out of her hands.

"Three things." She said raking her hand through her hair. She was bothered about something. Botheredly pleasant. "First, he scratched every wooden object in this house. Second, he spat furballs everywhere. And third, he ate my salmon!" She said pointing an accusing finger at him. Yes. My mother loves her salmon very much. But the salmon thing wasn't the one stressing her. I know because she eats salmon when she's stressed.

"Slamon? Why were you eating salmon?" I asked cradeling Nat and swaying back and forth lightly to get him to sleep. I did that so he won't cause trouble anymore. mother became restless. she looked around, avoiding my gaze. She didn't stand properly, she kept on swaying. And of course, she bit her newly polished nails. "Mom?"

"It's nothing." she said with a nervous laugh. I raised a brow at her. She gulped and started to sweat. "it's hot in here. Are you sure you don't want to use your aircon?" She excused. I placed Nat in his cat bed, patted his head, and whispered good night.

"Mom, you're not telling me something." I said sitting on my bed and watched her everymore. Something was deffinitely bothering her. She paced to the aircon and turned it on. She stood there cooling herself down.

"Of course not silly." She said trying to sound convincing. I raised a brow at her as I grabbed my glass of orange juice. She sighed and sat beside me. She took my free hand as I took a sip of my juice. "Mikan-chan..." She was hesitating. I took another sip. "Your father called me last night-" I spat the juice out. I coughed and whiped my face.

"What?" After all those years, he decides to show up now? "Is that why you're eating salmon?" she nodded. "What did he say?" I asked. I was also getting stressed about it. She played with my fingers and bit her lower lip. I shook ker for an answer.

"He said he wanted to talk. To make things clear." She explained. She clicked my tounge and bit my lower lip. Hope she didn't rush into things.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What did you say?" I was getting impatient.

"I said I was going to think about it." She said. She seemed excited but confused. it was the first time after a few years mother has become more pleasant. Maybe, just maybe there's still a spark in her heart when she hears or thinks about him. "I'm confused Mikan-chan. what am I supposed to do?" she asked bitting her lower lip.

"Do whatever your heart tells you." I answered plainly. "If your heart tells you to give him a chance to explain. then go. You've been following your mind for years now, mom. it's time you follow your heart." I adviced. And at that moment I felt a pang in my heart. it was the first time my advice would actually hit me. Hit me hard to be exact. Maybe i have been using my mind- STOP! You're not supposed to be thinking about these things now. I mentally slapped myself. Focus. Help mom to get through this. That's what important now.

"Help me Mikan-chan." She pouted. Honestly sometimes I feel like i'm the mother. I gave her a nod. She hugged me in delight and I hugged back.

"Now can you stop eating salmon?" she nodded. "So. When's this date of yours?" I teased.

"It's not a date! it's a meeting." she said trying to sound like a professional.

"Right..." I said rolling my eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and she sat down back on the bed.

"what am I to do, Mikan-chan? I don't what to wear. How my hair should look like. or-" I covered her mouth to stop her from talking. She blinked her eyes and I gave her a grin.

"I'll take care of that. For the meantime, entertain yourself. Don't stress yourself with it." She nodded. I removed my hand from her mouth and grabbed my cellphone from under the pillow. I dialed and when it started ringing, i placed it on my ear. I waved my hands at her, motioning for her to leave. She gave me a nod and left quietly.

"Hello?" The person's voice crackled.

"Sumire-chan. I need your help." I urgently said.

"Help?"

"Yes. Ther's someone here who I believe is in need of your experties." I teased. Her laugh crackled through the phone.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Good. Jaa!"

"Jaa!" then I hung up. I threw my phone back to the bed, then I heard Nat purr in delight. He seems to enjoying his sleep. I bent down to his level and stroke his belly. "You're acting really weird. You know that?" I said and scratched behind his ear. his ears twitched when I scratched behind it. I giggled at the cute sight. I sighed and decided to join my mom downstairs. After a few minutes of watching... DING DONG! I ran to the door and opened it. It was Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko, and Sumire. I gave them a big greeting smile and they smiled back.

"So. What are we to do today?" Sumire asked grabbing a comb and a hair dryer. We all sat on my bed. My mom raised a brow at her.

"Are you sure about this?" Mom whispered in my ear. I gave her and assuring smile and a nod. She gulped and sat in front of the vanity.

"What are we preparing for?" Sumire asked as she played with mom's hair.

"A date." I asnwered plainly.

"A meeting." Mom corrected.

"Okay then. Hotaru-chan and Mikan-chan, you two can wait outside." She said waving her hand at us for us to leave. We nodded and left the room. After few agonizing hours, they were finally finished.

Mom was wearing a red tube dress that reached up to her knees and three inched heeled shoes. Her hair was permed and was decorated with a red ribbon headband. She wore light make-up. She looked perfect.

"We're done!" Sumire squeeled in delight.

"And not a moment to lose." I grabbed mothers arm and pulled her out the driveway. She pulled back hesitating if she really wanted to go. "Come on, mom. We have 30 minutes left before your meeting." I said teasing her about the word meaning.

"I-i don't know..." She was truly hesitating.

"For crying out loud Mrs. Sakura it's been 15 years!" Nonoko whined.

"Yes. It's been 15 years." mom added with a frown.

"I believe everyone deserves a second chance." Hotaru said out of the blue and pushed her in the car. I felt a pang of pain went through my heart. to be more precise, Hotaru's words hit me like shooting an arrow through my heart. "Mikan, aren't you coming with us?" Hotaru asked before closing the backseat door. I shook away the feeling and sat in the passenger's seat.

We went to the place where mom said she would have her meeting with dad. It was a coffee shop called Polkadotted Sweets. I don't know what dad looks like actually. I was still a baby when he left. My mom became restless again. We ended up inside a coffee shop. Mom was said that this was one of the best coffee shops here in Tokyo. We were five minutes early. The four of us decided to sit on the table across mom. We were given complementary drinks, and decided to order pastries since we all haven't eaten breakfast yet.

I browsed through the menu and found it odd. Snowman and polkadots in a cone, it was a snowcone with strawberry syrup and polkadotted sprinkles. Bears in polkadot land, It was a vanilla parfait with gummi bears and polkadotted sprinkles sprinkled on it. Everything had polkadotted shaped sprinkles and all were childish names. The owner of this place sure has a thing for polkadots.

"May I take your order Ma'am?" The waiter asked.

"What's your special dessert?" I asked. She borrowed the menu from me and pointed at a dessert. Polkadotted Strawberry sundae. It was a strawberry sundae ice cream; topped with caramel syrup, polkadotted sprinkles, and a chocolate bar on the side.

"Then, i'll order that please." I said. He gave me a nod. then the others ordered different kinds of cake and ice cream. After five minutes, as if in cue. A man tall and lanky bursted in the coffee shop. He was panting as if he ran a mile. We all turned our attention to him. I noticed mom from being restless to shock. The man fixed his hair and clothes and beamed a smile to my mom. Mom tried to plaster ona smile on her face but it was useless. she only looked like a clown with a stretched face. The man walked towards mom, greeted her, and sat down in front of her. i'm guessing that's dad. We watched them talk to each other. from time to time they would look at me both and look away pretending not to notice them. Soon enough our order came.

"Uhm... Excuse me, I'm curious. What is this place's history?" Anna asked. She was very fond of cooking so asking that wasn't a shock to all of us. I would have asked that myself. The place had a very odd theme. The waiter gathered his thoughts.

"This coffee shop was built 20 years ago. The shop had a different name and a different menu before a seven-year-old boy inherited it, 10 years ago. It was said that the boy had become very fond of Polkadots before he inherited this place. Even though this shop is in Tokyo and the owner is in America, he would do his yearly check-up on it." He started.

"Why did he become fond of polkadots?" Anna asked as she picked on a sponge cake.

"He said that it was the most unforgetfull pattern he'd ever seen his entire life. It was unforgetfull because it no ordonary girl's underwear that was patterned with polkadots, it was a girl who he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He's very mature for a seven-year-old." Oh God. There is no way... I paled.

"Who owns thi place?" Nonoko asked chewing on a cheesecake. Wrong question.

"Hyuuga. Natsume Hyuuga. Infact, he will be doing his weekly check-up today. Would you like to meet him?"

"No." I asnwered sternly and plainly. then stared at the sundae in front of me. Polkadots. It was the pattern of my underwear when we first met. He nicknamed me with it. I cursed the day he even opened this shop. I grabbed the menu again and read it. every name of the food were the different pattern of my underwear but they were all combined with polkadots. I can't believe this, he created a coffee shop after the pattern of my underwear. I didn't know if I was supposed to be flattered or annoyed. All I know now was that I should leave before he comes for his weekly check-up on the shop. "What time is this check-up?" I asked.

The waiter looked at his watch. "He should be here right about..." "now." He asnwered. And as if on cue, the doors bursted open and revealed Natsume. I cursed mentally. I felt my heart leap at the sight of him and as if my feet were light on the ground. Istead of the usual flush on my face, it became pale. I slid down the chair to hide myself and use the menu to cover my face. I needed to leave now. but I can't just leave mom. What to do? WHAT TO DO? I AM PANICKING!

Homeplus: What to do? sorry for the late update. anyways... please be patient for the next chapters. Jaa!