Sahoko twirled around in her pink dress, she admired her reflection in the mirror as she beamed with pride.
She quickly ran towards the door, ready to help her future mother in law to prepare for dinner
When she accidentally hits a table with her side, she heard a crack, the beautiful girl crouched down to investigate as her jaw fell open in horror to the sight of a broken compact mirror.
A cold shiver ran through her spine as she threw the item away,
Sahoko shook the thought off her mind as she made her way downstairs , trying to stay as positive as she can.
The irie's hosted a dinner for the aihara's visit. Noriko was happily preparing the food when the doorbell rang.
She happily skipped towards the front door, the rest of her family sat in the living room.
Her husband was watching tv, and both yuki and naoki were reading ,
Sahoko had her usual apron on, since she was assisting her future mother in law.
Shigeo had a cheerful smile as his hand cradled a large bento box. Kotoko happily arrived with a basket full of fruits, hirosaki had a huge gift box beautifully wrapped, and hanako held ryuu's hand as they were let inside by the welcoming noriko.
"Kotoko chan! You look so lovely in that dress!
Kotoko was wearing a yellow sun dress that had blue flowers on it.
Hirosaki wore a matching blue dress shirt, they seem to be fond of this color, noriko noticed.
"Thank you okaa-san! Hanako designed it !"
Hanako gave a respective bow.
"Nice to meet you, call me hanako-chan " she beamed. "This is my son ryuu, we'l be in your care"
Ryuu replicated his mother's gesture.
Noriko's smile got bigger , the boy was extremely cute, he looked very similar to hirosaki.
They happily started eating dinner as the families talked
Yuki seemed to be incredibly interested in hirosaki, the last time he came over, the boy asked alot of questions regarding business management, and how the market was slowly changing.
It bothered naoki a little, sharing his brother's admiration stung a bit
But something else caught his attention,
Kotoko was sitting beside the 4 year old, naoki secretly watched them from the corner of his eye, kotoko was helping him cut his meat.
She was happily talking to him and asking him how his day went.
He couldn't help but smile , thinking that she would make such an incredible mother.
Hanako and noriko got along in an instant, sharing recipes and meal plans.
Her personality was a replica's of kotoko's , cheerful and bright.
Sahoko comfortably listened in on the conversations going around her, she felt a little left out since naoki was now talking to kotoko and ryuu.
She secretly rubbed her belly, imagining the future of their little family.
Her mother in law might not like her now, but once the child comes out.. She will eventually have no choice but to treat her legitimately like a daughter sahoko thought
And with that, the bulb in her mind was lit up.
She instantly had an idea. Tugging unto naoki's shirt.. She mouthed the words "we should announce it"
Naoki felt a cold rush through his spine as he panicked inside,
But before the two could make their announcement, hirosaki got up and presented the big box he held unto earlier, setting it on the dining table , he presented the gif towards the couple and stated that it was his and kotoko's early wedding gift.
Naoki had a puzzled look on his face, just how generous is this goodie know it all, he thought
Sahoko was excited, she quickly jumped in , tearing off the wrapping paper to reveal an elegant box, she slowly opened it and grinned when she saw what was inside.
It was a beautiful traditional japanese tea set. Hirosaki was aware that she loved having tea parties as a child, and knew the tea ceremonies like a champion.
"Amazing! How lovely! Thank you so much"
Naoki had no idea that she was this materialistic, it was a little bit of a turn off considering she had such great assets. His usual mask remained on his face as he thanked the couple as well.
"Remember when we used to have tea parties when we were kids?"
Hanako reminisced
"I remember!" hirosaki shot his hand up "you ladies would drag me into it and make me do it even though i refused to join!"
Everyone in the room laughed.
But all naoki heard was kotoko's cute giggle, the small sound made him want to laugh as well.
"We should go out for tea again sometime !" sahoko suggested.
Sahoko had no friends, most females saw through her fake facade, some were afraid she might take away their significant others, and despite what happened years ago, sahoko was eager to fix her broken relationship.
This was her biggest regret in life, this was the only sin she regretted upon.
Hanako was nothing but a great friend towards her, and now that she was going to be a mother herself, she wanted to start befriending woman who would be able to give her relatable company.
Hanako felt kind of awkward. The past was truly the past, but sahoko never apologized for it.
"Sure ! me, you and kotoko! It will be so much fun"
Sahoko frowned but managed to pretend like she was delighted.
"Of course! I know this beautiful cafe"
Noriko couldn't be any happier to see the girls getting along.
And at this point, naoki was now having a conversation with hirosaki, she listened in carefully and smiled even more when she heard them talking about kotoko's struggle to focus while studying
The atmosphere was warm and happy.
It's been awhile since their house was filled with endless conversations and joyful laughter.
But the happiness didn't last long until the topic shifted towards the wedding, it was only in a few days and everyone was nervous about the topic, the aura changed.
"Me and naoki would like to announce…" sahoko took a deep breath to keep the suspense
"That were pregnant!"
The room was silent, noriko's smile disappeared and everyone felt the awkward tension that filled the air.
Hirosaki quickly shifted his gaze to kotoko who was frozen in shock.
His reflexes kicked in as his hand reached for hers, as soon as kotoko felt his touch, she instantly looked at him.
Seeing hirosaki's assuring face gave her strength to stay seated and not run away.
She had to face the reality, and for once in her life, she shook of the pain that remained stabbing her chest, her fingers sank in tighter interlocking into his.
It took everything in her to stay composed, hirosaki refused to give sahoko the satisfaction.
And for a moment there he thought her heart shifted a little.
Apparently seeing hanako and being reminded of her sins wasn't enough to change her course and evil intentions.
Naoki's eyes stared blankly at the kitchen floor.
He didn't have the strength to look at kotoko or hirosaki, his head felt a little heavy, dizzy even, but the headache couldn't compare to the pain and agony he was feeling inside.
Naoki was starting to fully accept his fate, his selfish thoughts no longer visited him, all he could think about is how he could be a better man, and the responsibilities fatherhood held in store for him.
AN:
Quickly inserted this small chapter in literally 30 minutes
now… are you ready for the wedding of the year? ;)
(specifically planned this fanfiction to be uploaded just in time for wedding season LOOL)
Waiting to hear everyone's thoughts! Enjoy!
