Everything in the room seemed warmer than usual, softer and more welcoming. The carefully cooking meal on the stove emitted curling wisps of steam which reflected the gentle glow of the kitchen's lights. The oven was still cooking, not hot, but still giving off just enough heat to make the room just the right temperature.

But it wasn't just the physical warmth of the room that spoke to the redhead who was just walking through the threshold of her foyer. There was a sense of the space being more intimate, smaller, and more precious. The sight of the tall, gorgeous man who was ever so subtly sneaking glances at the woman who gracefully entered the kitchen alone was enough to make heat rise to her cheeks. And that was without the help of the physical heat.

Sai breathed in deeply and was beyond pleased when she was finally able to take in the full, decadent smell of the meal she'd meticulously planned out. It seemed perfect already. She'd closed her eyes while breathing and was blissfully unaware of the longing glance the actor sent her way. Ren could hardly hold himself back from wrapping his arms around her.

He felt conflicted, to put it simply. He was still upset, more than upset, in fact. The thought of her role she'd neglected to tell him about for so long still rocked him, causing flares of anger to rise in his chest, but with them came the sinking feeling of loss. He could understand why she had kept it from him. What he'd had with Madam was unique, to say the least, but he also couldn't understand why she of all people craved that unique relationship.

Despite that mass of negativity, he couldn't help but still feel those tender emotions for her. He supposed that her banking on those two months away was a fair bet, as he missed her quite brutally during that time. It didn't keep him from feeling slightly unsettled in her presence after their rougher times together, but it certainly kept him from showing any anger at all. She had that power, all right.

Slowly, the lids covering her icy orbs lifted until he was staring into the depths of the palest glaciers. There was a warmth to them, though, and he realized after a moment that it was coming from her beaming expression. He could feel his heart leap into his throat at the sight of it. It was so beautiful, oh, how he'd missed that smile.

"Wow, Mr. Tsuruga…" She said, her lips curling perfectly up in that grin. "I'm impressed! This looks amazing!" Ren followed her gesture towards his meal and felt his ears heat up quickly.

"Don't assume it'll taste as good as it looks," he chastised with a grin, warning her in case it turned out to be as inedible as some of his first attempts. As much as he meant that warning, though, hearing her so honestly and openly compliment him like that...it was nice. And he never expected those words to come from his cooking, of all things. In fact, he never really expected anyone to see his cooking as he wasn't sure he ever would cook for anyone. How times change.

Looking around, she could tell he had known what he was doing. He'd used minimal pans and pots, each of which had been washed when he'd waited for other dishes to cook. Only chefs who knew just how long they could leave a pot on the stove would wash dishes in their downtime. He'd clearly made this many times already.

Instead of saying anything, though, she simply smiled to herself and made her way to a cabinet, pulling out a glass and heading for her sink. Ren didn't move from his spot in front of her oven, putting him just under a foot away from her as she filled her glass with water. Even from there he could smell the lavender wafting off of her, mixing heavenly with the ever-so-faint scent of vanilla. A smile lit up his face as he adored that scent, associating it with everything good he could think of.

He hadn't realized he'd been staring until she looked up at him with wide, large eyes, her glass clutched in her small hands. With a completely serious face, her features soft and natural, her lips parted and words that made his breath catch ghosted out, "I really missed you, you know." They were just loud enough to hear, but soft enough to make him lean just slightly forward to fully hear them.

That close, her scent in his nose, her image burning into his eyes, her voice and words echoing in his ears, he couldn't help freezing. He didn't know what to do. He was torn right down the middle. More than anything, he wished he could pour out just how much he'd missed her, show her right then and there, leaning against her counter in her kitchen, how much she meant to him. But that sort of desire was so unwelcome in his life at this point, and the dangers of moving so fast with the redhead were daunting.

Caught viciously between desire and reason, he chose the only path that he wouldn't fully regret and raised his hand. Placing it delicately against the soft skin of her cheek, he gently caressed it with his thumb and smiled affectionately, leaning closer. "I missed you too, Ms. Akai."

Sai stood rooted in place, her eyes even wider than they had been. She blinked dumbly a few times as Ren's actions caught up to her. She certainly hadn't been expecting anything that forward, especially after everything she'd put him through, and he'd caught her completely by surprise. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut when it brushed against the heel of his hand and sent a violent shiver through her body. Even that much contact sent heat racing through her body.

He could occasionally throw her for a loop like this, and she wasn't even sure if he knew just what he did to her. She'd never tell him, but moments when he'd throw away all his restraints just for a moment and do something so physical and intimate, it sent her mind and heart into a dizzy frenzy. Even then, she could barely focus on his face, the heat coming from his palm pressed against her skin was making her feel almost inebriated. Not that she directly knew what that felt like.

Slowly, the actor removed his hand, his expression darkening as he worried if he'd gone too far too fast after she'd frozen so badly, but she caught it in an instant and recovered. A nervous, girlish smile lit up her face and she pressed her free hand against her cheek and looked up at him with a bright red color streaking across her face.

Averting her eyes, she moved to the breakfast bar and sat there, again directing her gaze to the actor's which had stayed on her as she moved. The smile remained firmly in place on her lips and lessened the tension in the actor's back. She wasn't repulsed by his touch, rather, she seemed embarrassed...and...pleased?

She cleared her throat and brought him out of his thoughts. Carefully taking a sip of water and trying to hide her shaking hands, she caught his attention and asked, "So, I can see that you put a lot of effort into my assignment!" She beamed at him, watching his face light up with pride. "How many times did you try?"

He let out a bark of laughter and raised his hand to scratch at the back of his head sheepishly, "How many times…?" Pressing his lips together, he thought it over and made an estimate. "I'd say...around 25, maybe?" It sounded a bit low to him, though.

Sai had been taking a sip of water as he thought it over, but she choked when she heard the number. Pivoting in her seat, she spat out some of the water she hadn't managed to choke on or swallow and whipped back around to his surprised face, her own expression rather shocked. "What?!" She demanded, standing up and trying to wipe her lips delicately with a tissue despite how frazzled she was.

Seeing her so discombobulated by his simple statement, he couldn't help but let out a muffled chuckle when she looked away. Her neck snapped back around and he instantly righted himself, giving off no indication he'd just laughed at her. But it was just so humorous...seeing her so taken aback that way.

Breaking back into laughter, he adored how her cheeks flamed and she huffed off to get paper towel, hitting him with the roll as she passed by. She promptly ignored his guffaws and just focused on cleaning up the water on her floor. He apologized for laughing, but she waved him off. He knew she wasn't mad, though. Her ears were still bright red.

He approached her from behind and she handed him the roll of paper towels he was holding out his hand for. As she was passing it off, she noticed a few cuts and burns along with his usual callouses and she looked up with alarm.

"Hey, they're not that bad! Don't look so worried! They didn't even hurt. They're just annoying to cover up before shoots, that's all-" Ren was quick to reassure her, but he was cut off when she took his hand in hers and turned it over, running those slender digits across the slowly healing wounds. His voice caught in his throat even further when she looked up at him with just joy and admiration for all the hard work he'd done for her. He fell for her all over again in that moment.

A timer beeped from behind him and he was forced to rip his eyes away from that incredible expression for just a moment to turn off the burner and remove the pan from heat. When he turned back around, though, she'd already returned to the breakfast bar and was focusing on her water. His heart throbbed once. He'd wanted to watch her features more.

Clearing his throat, he did the last preparation step that would take some time and then he turned around to meet the gaze of the actress. He leaned over the island and looked at her seriously, "How'd the shoot go?" He'd start easy. They could talk about this. They were grown, mature adults.

Awkwardly, she shifted in her seat and nodded, acknowledging how he wanted to take this. Slowly. "It went well," she began, "really well, actually."

"Oh, yeah? Tell me about it."

Sai launched into a bit of what they actually filmed, detailing the four hour long episodes they'd filmed. If those four went over well, they'd most likely get the go-ahead for a feature length film. She sounded so excited and knowledgeable, and going by how their drama had gone, he would have bet anything that she sat in on a lot of the production meetings. She was good with all that stuff.

As happy as he was for her, he couldn't get over how familiar she was with the concept and the other actors. Of course, she'd been on the show for years. He just had only known about it for two months. And that was a hard mental block to get past.

"So," he began, making her flinch. They both knew what was coming. "Mind explaining how the whole...not telling me thing happened?"

She exhaled and took in the deepest breath he'd ever seen. It looked like this rivaled when she'd had him over for dinner the first time. "Well, you know a little bit of the why, and the how is very similar. You and her - you and I - met on my first day on the job. I'd never acted as her before and I wasn't used to spreading around my news about jobs yet. I wasn't sure it would pan out, or if I was really cut out for all this stuff.

"As you know, I bombed that show, at least in the director's eyes at the time. Hence why I didn't spread it around. Also, it was a hard thing to spread around in general. The concept of Madam Naga was supposed to be shrouded in mystery. My name wasn't attached in any way. At least, it won't be until I finish the job. My name was to be revealed then.

"I had no personal qualms about telling my close friends, though. I just wanted to wait until I was sure it would stick. Of course, you had to be there that night, looking the way you did." She seemed to shrink in her seat as she traced a pattern on the marble surface of her island. "I can't stand seeing you upset. It breaks my heart and makes me so...so-" Her breath seemed to get stuck in her throat and she had to stop speaking, blinking rapidly to clear her vision of all the blurriness it was clouding with.

"So I came up to you. But of course, what business did I have helping you? You hated me at the time- and don't say you didn't!" She snapped when she saw Ren open his mouth to argue, "I had no right to approach you. But a complete stranger looking for her way back? Why not? And it gave me a chance to be Madam one last time, with probably the greatest actor I'd ever have the pleasure of working with." Sai chuckled humorlessly and tightened her hands into fists on the table.

"Little did I know that you'd open up so readily to her. It seemed easy, effortless. You trusted her immediately, clicked like you'd known her your whole life. The trust was so instantaneous, so simple, and yet it seemed impossible for me to earn with you. When I walked away that day, I knew I could never tell you. You wouldn't forgive me. I had no business invading your privacy like that.

"And from there...it just escalated. I used Madam to feel closer to you, to understand you better. I was the easy way to connect with you; it didn't have our baggage, didn't have our tension or stress. From there, it stopped being to protect myself against your wrath and instead turned into a way to get closer to you, even if it was just one-sided. I just wanted to understand you." She wasn't explaining this as well as she wanted. Her words kept catching in her throat and they didn't form well in her head. She could feel the stinging behind her eyes, the stabbing pain that signified she was close to tears. But she wouldn't cry. Not at this. She wasn't the one who got hurt. She didn't have the right to cry.

Ren ground his teeth together and dug his nails into the counter behind him that he was leaning on for support. Screwing his eyes shut, he focused on just listening to her and not reacting yet. It was always hard seeing her struggle like this, so determined not to show her weaknesses, and it broke his heart to see her close off from him.

"Look where that's gotten me, Mr. Tsuruga…" She said with a crack in her voice and a self-pitying smile. "I can't even do this much right. My only way to get closer to you ends up driving you away too, I can't win, can I?" She looked up at him as she lost the battle with her emotions and he watched as if looking at her through the television - unable to touch or interact with her - as a tear traced its way down her skin, dripping heavily from her chin and falling to the counter below.

But he wasn't watching her act. There was no tv. No screen. She was right in front of him. And he wasn't going to let her be on her own anymore. No more suffering alone. He let the countertop go and cupped her petite fists in her large palms, surprising her.

"Ms. Akai...you don't have to use such tactics to 'win'. I...hadn't realized I was driving you to use such indirect methods to get to know me. I'm so used to having to mine you for any information that I suppose I was a bit blind to how closed off I was myself. You don't have to worry about that anymore, though. If you ever want to know something, if you ever need me to tell you something, ask me. I'll always do my best to open up to you. No more backchannels. No more lying. Just you and me. Like normal people."

Ren paused for a moment and just looked at her, sitting across from him, staring at their joined hands with no expression on her face. A single drop that had streaked across her skin fell and landed right below his knuckles. He grimaced at the sight of it and pulled his hands back. She winced when he did so and looked up at him with a guilty expression and a shaky sigh.

Distantly, he wondered just what she knew from her time as Madam. He'd told Sai about his affections for her. To her face. But he didn't think he ever mentioned her by name. The redhead was aggravatingly perceptive at times, though. It was possible, then...wasn't it?

Saiyuka watched as the actor's eyes dimmed and hardened, their earthy hue holding an obvious question within them. One she wasn't prepared to answer. Tilting her head, she feigned curiosity and blinked a few times. She opened her mouth and found her voice wavered more than she was prepared for. She cleared her throat and tried again,

"Have I done something else wrong, Mr. Tsuruga?" Her eyes were staring up at his, doe-like and glistening. He couldn't ask her, because if he did and she wasn't aware, he'd be giving himself away. And that might ruin what he was just about to get back from her.

"Of course not, Ms. Akai...I'm just a little concerned about some of the things I told you. You're right, of course, some of the information you learned wouldn't have been spoken...had I known I was speaking to you. There's no guarantee that I wouldn't tell you if you directly asked, of course...but…" He trailed off, aware he was repeating himself as he tried to tread carefully through the minefield that was this conversation.

She looked so confused. It was blatantly obvious, even though it was more muted than a normal expression would be. Her eyebrows were all wrinkled and furrowed together, her lips were parted and she looked like there were a million questions on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes scanned his in question and it shut him up immediately. She wouldn't be making that kind of face if she knew what he was talking about...would she? She would have no reason to be so confused. So she didn't know. Thank god.

He was about to open his mouth to assure her that he'd been babbling about nothing when the buzzer for the oven when off. Turning around, he saw that his meal was mostly complete and he swiveled to offer her an apologetic smile. She nodded in silent understanding and moved to the table.

Before she could reach the dining room, though, the actor jumped between her and the chair she was heading for and flashed her a confident, playful grin. She couldn't stop herself in time and ended up nearly crashing into him, if he hadn't put his large hands on her shoulders to brace her.

She found that the moment his skin touched hers, arcs of delicious electricity raced through her veins and she choked for a moment before swallowing heavily. She blinked three times in rapid succession as her mind and mouth synced back up and she parted her lips, "Hey! You make a much better wall than an open door, sir. What were you thinking stepping in front of me like that?" She let out a light chuckle as she fully recovered and gestured with her head to the still ringing buzzer, "Don't you have something you should be taking care of?"

"Ah, yes, yes. No need to remind me. Your kitchen appliances do a fine job of that on their own," he joked with a lighthearted twinkle in his eye. "This is more important right now," he said as he released her shoulders, having a tough time purposely breaking skin contact. Swivelling on his heel, he moved to her seat at the table and pulled it out for her.

The gesture was tiny and ridiculous, especially considering how he'd practically run in front of her to do it in the first place, but for some reason it was absolutely precious in that moment. The redhead looked up at the dark haired man and was immediately overcome with something she couldn't control.

She raised her hand up to the taller man's cheek and placed it there, the cold metal of one of her rings sending incredible jolts across his skin. Bringing herself up to her tiptoes, she placed a gentle, incredibly soft kiss on his cheek before pulling back and meeting his shocked eyes just long enough to see them soften and melt when they saw her smile. "Why, thank you, kind sir. You're such a gentleman."

It took all of Ren's self control to not throw himself at her right then and there, just to see what she'd do in response. Compromising, he reached out for hand and took it, guiding her into the seat. As a final touch, he placed his lips below her knuckles and flashed her a positively seductive smile. "Of course, my fair lady. Anything for you." And he meant it.

Heading back into Sai's positively immaculate kitchen, the actor quickly finished preparing the rest of his meal, bringing each dish to the table to be served while topping them off with his practiced garnishes. Instead of making two plates himself, he allowed the actress across from him to serve herself as the apartment became fully saturated with the distinct, mouthwatering scent of perfectly charred rib-eye steaks and the kind of heavenly garlic that made your nose tingle and induce the best kind of salivating.

"Wow, Mr. Tsuruga, really...this looks amazing…" Sai finally said when he'd finished serving and she was left with a true masterpiece of sauces, spices, garnishes, and practiced searing techniques.

"Taste before you flatter. Who knows what I could have accidentally managed to poison us with," he said with a chuckle, gently picking up one of the redhead's impressive set of chef's steak knives.

The gorgeous woman let out a flowing, ringing laughter, the sound echoing off of her soft white walls like the chiming of tiny bells. The actor closed his eyes for just a moment as he savored it. There wasn't a sound he'd heard in his life so far that could even come close to comparing to it.

When Ren opened his eyes again, he saw that the petite woman across from him was just raising her first piece of meat to her lips. She ate it delicately, her eyes closed as she focused on the taste of it. Without warning, she set her utensils down with a loud clank and startled him. Those icy blue eyes snapped open to meet his and she let out an appreciative hum and shook her head.

"I...cannot believe you managed this in just two months." She finally managed, laughter bubbling through her glossy lips.

"Is it...any good?" Ren ventured, wanting to hear her say it.

"'Good?' Oh, please! Mr. Tsuruga!" She picked up her fork and pointed to the steak on her plate as she tilted her head with raised eyebrows. "This is the best steak I've ever eaten in my entire life. Have you been lying to me all this time? Can you secretly cook like some genius?"

"No, no!" The handsome, dark haired man insisted as he waved his hands in front of him, smiling so widely and purely that his cheeks were aching already. "I promise I am a terrible- or, uh...was a terrible cook. I just...put of lot of heart into this. Is it really that good?"

"Oh, yes. You know how brutally honest I can be sometimes, can't you? And if I committed to helping you with this, there's no way I'm going to lie. In fact, I was planning to go a little harder on you the first few times, for motivation's sake, but I'm shocked. You're...a natural. Which is incredible when I consider just how awful you were just two months ago…"

"Well, thanks…" He said with a slight grimace, before watching her face shift in horror and she sat forward in her seat urgently.

"I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry!" She laughed and put her face in one hand, "Oh, I'm hopeless, I'm so sorry. You weren't awful, just inexperienced. And it's impressive that you've come this far in such a short amount of time. That's all I was trying to say-"

Ren placed his hand over hers and gently stroked her knuckles, effectively shutting her up. "It's alright, Ms. Akai…" He said with the most genuine smile, "I understand what you meant. I was just teasing you, I am actually very grateful for your compliments." He blushed softly and flicked his nose casually. "I worked pretty hard...so it's nice to see that it paid off. Your smile is an amazing reward...as cheesy as that sounds."

The redhead laughed again, watching the way the colors in the actor's eyes shifted and spiraled, growing lighter or darker, melting and mixing together. It was mesmerizing. And it was a thousand times more gorgeous when he was so intently focused on her smile.

They continued their meal, working through the various dishes the actor had made and devouring them amidst bouts of spirited conversation and merry laughter, each enjoying their time together more than words could ever express. In those few hours together, they made up for weeks and weeks of constantly missing one another. And each minute was precious.

Wiping her lips, the petite woman set her napkin on the table and stretched out, a pleasant expression on her face as her muscles cheered in gratitude. She'd been sitting with the man across from her for a long time throughout their meal.

"That was fantastic," she told him as he finished as well. She didn't know it, but the expression that she was making was so perfect in that single moment that the actor had to wrap his fingers under the table in a vise grip to keep from reaching out towards Sai. He didn't care about how the wood bit into his fingers, though. Watching her made him happy to the deepest corners of his heart.

"I'm really glad you liked it, Ms. Akai." He said sincerely, smiling at her warmly, having given up on concealing that emotion around her at that point.

Sai blinked once at his statement and an idea formed in her head. Had she been thinking rationally, she wouldn't have given that idea another thought...but being around the actor made her do things she knew she shouldn't. "I really, really did. So, thank you...Ren." The syllable dripped off her tongue and made her dinner partner that evening cease all motion, even breathing.

Her normally so cold and glacier-filled orbs seemed to melt watching him. Her gaze grew so warm, so affectionate, and so intensely adoring that the blue turned to something more akin to a sugar blue iris. The color rippled and ruffled like the curling petals of the flower, which looked as if it was unwrapping layer by layer until it revealed its core, surrounded by the gorgeous fold of color, like a skirt of soft taffeta. It was just like her. And in this moment, he was pulling back another layer of petals.

He covered his mouth, his hand just barely masking the incredible, heavenly smile that had lit up his face, making all his features soft and joyful. He couldn't tell, but it made the redhead's heart stop beating for just a moment to see him so touched and moved by a simple word.

"Is that going to become a regular thing, now?" He asked, referring to his name.

The petite woman blushed at the tips of her ears and cast her gaze down towards the table, breaking the contact the actor had had with those incredibly soft blue orbs. "Only if you want it to," came her words, soft and floating like a dandelion in a gentle spring breeze.

"I'd love that, Saiyuka." He told her honestly, savoring the feeling of the syllables of her name rolling across his tongue.

She raised her head and drank in his expression far more than she should have allowed herself to. It made her go warm and tingly in all the right places. "Sai." She said definitely, "Call me Sai." There was just something about the single sound coming from the man's deep voice that made her go crazy.

"I love that even more," he told her with a smile, rising up and gathering his dishes. "Would you do me the honor of helping me with the dishes...Sai?" He already craved saying that word a thousand times over. It was like rich cocoa on his tongue.

"With pleasure," she told him with a gorgeous grin.

Together, they made their way to the sink with the rest of the dishes and stood next to each other. They'd done the dishes together countless times at Ren's apartment and Sai's sink was even bigger than his, but for some reason, the two actors stood directly next to one another that night. Every time either moved, their shoulder brushed or their elbows touched. Even that little physical contact was enough to keep both parties incredibly pleased and embarrassed.

Neither made even the slightest move to put distance between them, though. If anything, they only moved closer together as they washed up, any excuse to get closer and closer to the other person. Ren handed her the last washed plate and she dried it off with her towel and held it back out so it could go in the cabinet above his head.

Taking it, he felt his fingertips brushed against hers one last time, the skin ever-so-slightly pruney from holding the wet towel for so long. It was enough to nearly drive him over the edge. But he couldn't seem to move after putting the plate away. He couldn't back away. He couldn't lean forward.

Doing the only action available to him in that moment, he cleared his throat and gazed into the gentle eyes of the woman who held all of his affections. "Tell me, Ms. Akai-"

"Sai." The redhead reminded him, a light smirk on her face. He'd already forgotten. He must have been quite nervous to forget so soon.

"Right…" Ren said, cursing himself for such a slip up already. "Sai. Did you have anything else planned for tonight?"

She looked away and twirled a strand of hair around her finger in nervousness. All it did for the actor was draw his attention to her collarbone and shoulders, making him shudder as he suppressed another wave of desire.

"Actually...I recorded quite a few episodes of A Match Made in Showbiz...you know, just in case. Would you…be willing to watch them with me?" She looked up, her expression completely dedicating to looking more pleading than the actor had ever seen. She was trying to reach out, to incorporate him in the job more. To see if he'd forgive her. But she didn't know he'd already forgiven her.

Finally regaining control over himself, Ren took a step backwards and headed toward the living area, "You know? I'd love to see those, you're quite magical when you're at work, I've heard."

"Have you seen any of it?" Sai asked as she started a pot of coffee.

"Only a few every now and then. I saw the one with the tennis player earlier this month, and I was there for that kei singer you had on before you left. I sat in the audience."

She brightened beautifully and clapped her hands together, "I loved that one!" She exclaimed, a laugh escaping her lips, "Wasn't it hilarious?"

The actor couldn't help but let an equally bright smile light up his own face. His cheeks were going to hurt the next day. "I would say so. Although I've heard you're capable of some rather serious humiliation techniques you employ, and I've yet to see that."

"Oh, that shtick?" Sai asked with another, even larger smile. "Yeah, that's only when the player's got a 'special someone' already and I can't get a read on them," she said while tapping at the side of her head. "You game for watching some of those?"

He wasn't sure what he would have said earlier that day if she'd asked him that. But now the answer was obvious. Knowing what he knew now and seeing her face and smiling to mirror her brilliant smile, he knew what he wanted to answer with all of his heart. "I would love to, Ms. Aka-uh, Sai. I would love that."

She smirked as he fumbled to say her name as she picked up two mugs filled with steaming coffee and brought them over, handing one off to the dark haired actor. Slowly, the dark liquid drained from their cups as they spent their time laughing and loving the various scenes of Madam's talkshow.

The actor was beyond impressed at her skill and dexterity as the character, and astounded at how believable and realistic the woman was. She was perfectly in character all the time. Nothing seemed to phase her. Nothing shook her. There were skeptics of her ability as well as believers on the show, but she treated them all with the same haughty air. It was incredible how well she reacted.

As they finished the last episode that the redhead had recorded, the actor stretched as he rose from the couch and attracted the icy stare of those glacier-like irises. "I'll be right back," he assured her, giving the tiniest smile. "Stay right there."

She blinked a few times and her eyes followed his broad, tall form as it moved around the couch, but he caught her gaze and shook his head, "No, no. Don't peek." His words only made her more confused, but she did as he asked and didn't watch him. She could hear her refrigerator open and close, and a few distant noises of plates and forks. They'd already had dinner, though...so what was he getting?

His heavy footfalls approached her from behind and suddenly there was a piece of her china hovering in front of her face. Hesitantly, she took it from his hands and observed what was on it. Two soft white squares sat in the center of the plate, topped with shreds of white and riddled with beige ovals. She knew what it was the moment she saw it. "Is this…?"

"Coconut fudge, yes." He rounded the couch with a plate of his own and sent her a gorgeous, proud smile. "It was a french recipe I found online. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

Sai was shocked he'd made something without her help already, and how he'd found what looked to be a wonderful recipe on his own was even more surprising. Recipes were hard to decipher and decide if they were good or not. She was far prouder than she figured she'd be and she sent him the most precious smile he'd ever seen. Those two burns on his fingers were well worth it if they'd granted him even just that smile.

She sliced off a part of one square and raised it to her lips. Savoring the perfect blend of white chocolate, coconut, and macadamia nuts, her face lit up even more, her features softer and rounder as she enjoyed the perfect end to their meal.

"You're too much," she said with a gentle voice, the joy she felt blatant in her tone. "Far too much."

"Does that mean you like it?" He asked, loving the glow that seemed to be coming off of her.

Scoffing, the actress playfully smacked him in his shoulder and grinned. "It was a low blow using my favorite food and you know it."

He laughed loudly and nodded, sending her a silent apology as he began eating his own dessert. They talked periodically and enjoyed the treat, eventually switching the tv back on and continuing their string of jokes and pleasant conversation. It was much later when either of them actually realized just how late they'd let it get.

"Oh, sh…" Ren trailed off as he caught sight of the digital clock underneath the microwave oven.

"What?" The redhead asked, immediately concerned. "What is it?"

"Is that really the time?"

Sai glanced at the tiny clock underneath the entertainment center and her eyes widened. "When did it get so late?" She asked, flinching in surprise as the actor leaped up from the couch.

"I have to go." He said curtly, moving toward the foyer for his coat.

"Wait, wait!" She called after him as he turned around to look at her, "You can stay here for the night, there's a guest bedroom just off of the dining room," she added, pointing to the large door to the left of the spiral staircase.

"I couldn't possibly impose…" The actor told her, beginning to slip on one shoe.

"Are you kidding, Ren?" She asked, his name making him snap out of his action and steady his gaze on something stationary. It really rocked him to hear her say it so beautifully. "You know how many times I've stayed with you, right? You're telling me that staying over here would be imposing on your part?"

"It's different at my apartment-"

"Oh, is it?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "How is it different?"

"Well...because…" Ren tried, his mind coming up empty when he searched for anything to say.

Sai raised an eyebrow and then scoffed, "That's what I thought. Now, you stay here and I'll get you some clothes."

She disappeared into the guest bedroom and returned with a stack of men's cotton pajamas. They looked soft and bore a tiny crest over the breast pocket. Both pieces were a pleasant navy blue, but they didn't look very well worn.

"Where did you get those?" Ren asked, feeling something negative and unwanted clawing at the back of his head. He had no right to be jealous, but the thought of her holding on to clothes for a partner of hers and then letting him borrow them...it sent a small fire raging through his body.

"Relax," the talent told him when she saw his face and she let out a soft chuckle. "They're my brother's. I keep a lot of Hikaru's clothes on hand for when he comes on a business trip and decides to stay a day or two longer."

"And...he wouldn't mind?" Ren asked, visibly relaxing when he realized they didn't belong to a boyfriend of hers or anything.

"Course not. He's a pretty laidback, forgiving guy. You'd really like him, Ren."

"Well...tell him I'm grateful, when you get the chance."

"Oh, he'd get a kick out of that," she told him with a playful smirk, but before Ren could question her, she'd already moved on. "There's a bathroom down that hall by the kitchen and a linen closet right before it with fresh towels. There should be spare toothbrushes and the like under the sink and Hikaru keeps a few things you might need in the blue basket next to the soaps. If you get cold, there are a few throw blankets in the closet in your room, and if you get warm, your window opens by flipping the latch up and pushing out."

Ren blinked a few times before a smile broke out on his face. She was always so meticulous and planning like this. It was actually really comforting at that point. "Thank you, Sai." He said with his deep, soothing voice. Her heart practically leapt out of her body.

Clearing her throat, she smiled brightly, "No problem! If you need anything else, just call up the stairs and I'll come down."

"Will do. Goodnight, Sai."

"Goodnight," she said with a faint color touching her cheeks.

Disappearing up her stairs, Sai was acutely aware of the actor's eyes on her back the entire time. The moment she was out of sight, Ren sighed and moved to his own room, slipping into his pajamas and busying himself getting ready to sleep. He drifted off faster than usual and was shocked to wake up to sunlight without any trouble at all.

He wasn't even sure that it was the light that had woken him up. Perhaps it had been the smell drifting underneath his door. It was practically heavenly. Swinging his legs over his bed and stretching out the kink that had settled in his spine, he stood up and moved toward his door, opening it and poking his head out.

He immediately saw the redhead showered and dressed and standing over her stove. He cleared his throat and caught her attention, watching the surprise turn to happiness and then blossom into laughter.

"Oh, Ren...your hair!" She said with clear joy and she approached him and ran her fingers through the mess that was his dark locks. They were so tangled and messy that they were beyond help and it was the most adorable thing the redhead had ever seen.

Ren slapped her hand away and blushed heavily at the tips of his ears, "Don't laugh! I just woke up!"

"Yeah," the redhead laughed out, "I caught onto that."

Doing everything he could to change the subject and keep her from continuing to wind her fingers through his hair, he cleared his throat and gestured to the kitchen, "So, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Oh, this? It's a traditional French style breakfast, I think you'll like it." Sai smirked and gave him a smart wink. The actor responded with an unamused stare as he contemplated why on earth she had felt the need to do this much so early in the morning. "Hey, you. I had to top your performance yesterday. You know that."

"Top me?" He laughed loudly, "You're kidding, right? Are you really that competitive?"

"Of course I am!" She insisted, pleased with herself. "Can you do better the next time?"

"You're on, sweet cheeks." He drawled at her and helped himself to the spread in front of him and enjoyed his continued conversations with the wonderful woman in front of him. After eating, he took a shower in her truly impressive guest bathroom and got dressed before gathering his things and meeting the lovely woman by her front door.

"Will I see you at work today?" The redhead asked shyly.

"Of course." He said with a smile, enjoying the moments where she was more reserved.

They both exited her apartment, laughing all the way as she made fun of his first few reactions to her apartment. Reaching the sidewalk, they exchanged smiles and goodbyes as Ren headed to his car and Sai to her bike, both well and truly happy. If anything, there was no way she could have pictured her welcoming any better.