One Shared Memory
[ L's Room 6:45 pm]
"I still don't quite understand why I have to do this." L says with mild reluctance.
"Sir, Ms. Kensington has given us funding in times of need, and helped us in so many ways it would bore you for me to list them. This is the least that we can do." Watari replied with mild frustration in his voice.
Ms. Kensington was a friend of Watari's and a sponsor of Wammy's House and the L Project. She was a very successful mystery author, and had recently held a competition where the winner of her writing contest would go on a date with an esteemed detective. She was so astonished by a submission, she ended the contest early knowing that no other entry would surpass this writer. Unfortunately for Ms. Kensington, that meant she needed to find a detective last minute, and so Watari received a phone call.
L sulked as he looked at the clothes Watari had laid out for him. A white button up shirt, a blazer, and a pair of black pants all sprawled over his bed. However, the worst part was the shiny loafers set neatly under the bed. L could not believe that Watari, knowing how much he hated shoes, purchased him the most uncomfortable looking shoes he could find.
"Watari, you could not have chosen a worse person to do this. I have never been on a date in my life. This girl- "
"Enough!" He exclaimed "You will give this young lady a lovely evening, you will dress nicely, and be yourself. Which, sir, is more than enough." Watari left the room with this remark, slamming the door a bit behind him.
Is it? He thought. Or am I just going to make a fool of myself.
[ Beatrice's Room 6:45 pm ]
I am going to make a fool of myself.
She lifted up the hanger and examined her royal blue cocktail dress. It was an off the shoulder dress, she loved those deeply, and the way it flared out seemed reminiscent of the renaissance to her. She truly was a bit excited for the date, but the fear that this detective would see her as a chore terrified her. She wanted a single night of real company, someone to share a moment with, a memory and nothing more.
Maybe, if we really hit it off though, then I could consider… No, tonight is about one untainted memory. Not about finding love.
She threw the dress on and looked in the mirror. She was surprised at how stunning she looked in it. She was so used to her casual wear that it was easy to forget that she actually did clean up pretty nicely.
The date she planned herself, as a rule of the contest. First, a visit to her favorite cafe downtown, then a trip to the art museum, and finally a late night walk through the park. She figured that somewhere within these familiar locations had to be the moment she was looking for.
[ Outside of Sweetest Lovers Cafe 7:15pm ]
Maybe I should just leave. L thought.
I feel ridiculous. Whoever this girl is I'm sure she would prefer to spend this night alone instead of with…
L looked at his reflection in the coffee shop window. The blazer was a little baggy on him because of how skinny he was, and the pants, he felt, were too tight. He wished he could take off the shoes, but Watari forbade it.
He noticed his slouching even more when he was in formal wear.
I look like a shrimp.
Overwhelmed by his own self consciousness. He began to step away from the coffee shop, having made his decision to leave.
Just then, a young girl dressed in a silky royal blue dress approached him.
"Excuse me, would you happen to be Toshiro Sato?"
That was the cover name that Watari decided to give L.
"Uh, yes that's me. Toshiro is fine, granted the circumstances." L blushed a little.
The circumstances were that he was on a date. A date with a girl who actually looked quite nice.
"Beatrice, pleased to meet you." She extended her hand and grabbed his long slender hand in hers. He felt warm, and admittedly a little clammy.
"Well, we should head inside." He said, barely audible, "I have to ask, does this shop serve cake?"
She smiled, excitedly. "Oh ! Yes, absolutely. They have amazing cake, the strawberry vanilla is my favorite. It's like biting into a sweet cloud."
L walked into the shop behind her, mouth watering at the thought of such a cake.
Like a sweet cloud. Rung in his mind.
The two placed and received their orders, and sat down by the large bay window of the shop.
Don't sit weird, don't sit weird. L chanted internally. Watari had told him that it could be considered rude to sit in his usual odd way on a date, and that he may embarrass the girl if he did.
L forced himself to sit upright, shoved his fork into the cake, and put it to his lips. He could smell the sweet strawberry cream, it was very strong. His teeth sunk into the cake without any effort, truly as if biting into a cloud.
"So… have you ever been here before ?" Beatrice asked, trying to spark conversation.
L, still enveloped in his cake, but not wanting to ignore her said: "No, not on a date. Well -uh no not at all, and I've never been on a date." He was fumbling, and the word vomit seemed impossible to stop.
I'm an idiot. He thought. I am considered one of the smartest men in the world, and I'm an idiot.
"This is your first date ? I'm honored!" She said with a small smile.
A wave of ease fell over L after she said this. It didn't matter to her that it was his first date? He thought for sure it would, or at least he wasn't expecting a response like that. He felt a growing warm feeling in his chest when he saw her smile, it made him want to see it more.
"Have you been on many dates?" He asked. He cringed at himself a bit and wondered if that was rude to ask.
"I suppose" she said. "I've had a few relationships, but none of them have ended well… It's a shame. So many happy memories can be ruined when things end." She looked pained as she said this. It was evident that she had recently been through heartbreak. L considered that this date may be a palate cleanser for her. It made him sad that she appeared hurt, but if he was going to be a distraction for her, then he was going to be a good one.
A silence fell between them. L was determined to fill it.
"I suppose it's better to get to experience those happy memories though. Then to be like me and have no memories of the sort."
Her eyes opened a bit wider when he said this. He hoped he wasn't out of line.
"Maybe." She said after a small pause.
They talked for a while after that about each other's interests and experiences. L asked how Beatrice became interested in mysteries, and learned about her love of crime stories. He sweat when he found out that she had a particular interest in the detective L.
"He's remarkable!" Beatrice said. She revealed she had followed his every case, and with mild awkwardness, admitted that she had never heard of detective Toshiro Sato until she had received the phone call stating that she had a date with him. L assured her that it was okay, and that he was more of an underground detective who didn't get much publicity.
She appreciated the reassurance. She asked L what his favorite case was and he said he didn't have one. He told her that his cases were done to challenge himself, not for enjoyment.
A waitress came up to them and interjected.
"Can I interest either of you in some wine to go with your dessert?"
"No thank you." L stated.
"Uh, none for me either." Beatrice agreed.
The waitress left and L turned to his date.
"I don't drink," he said "it fogs my brain."
Beatrice felt a slight comfort in the fact that her date wanted to have a completely clear mind while they spent time together.
"Are you ready to go ?" She asked him.
He nodded his head and the two exited the establishment.
[ The Art Museum 9:00pm]
They walked to the art museum in the dim lit night. The streets were freshly damp, the lights of businesses bouncing off of them. They began walking up the many stone stairs of the museum. Beatrice, who was not used to walking in heels wobbled a bit.
"Whoa!" L spoke as he grabbed the girl, stabilizing her. He figured that this was a good time to ask something that he had desired to do for a bit of time now.
"Perhaps for your safety," he said "you should hold on to my arm."
Beatrice nodded her head. With their ever fading night only getting closer to an end, there was no time for bashfulness. She wanted to feel him against her, and had he not offered, she would have requested it herself.
The two temporary lovers entered the museum and took in the clean modern setting. There were sparsely any people in the building, making the grand venue feel even more monumental.
"So, what exhibit would you like to see first?" He asked her, overwhelmed by the options.
"Mannerism, it's by far my favorite time period of classical art." She replied almost immediately.
Beatrice almost seemed to be dragging L through the museum to the mannerism wing. Her eagerness ran through him as well. He thought that since this was a smart, cultured, young woman, whatever her favorite art period was had to be worth seeing.
When Beatrice's feet finally seemed to touch the ground it was in front of a painting that L thought was, well-
Grotesque. Their limbs are over elongated, and their facial expressions are disturbing. This can't really be her favorite.
L was in utter disbelief, but he looked at Beatrice's eyes and saw the light moving within them. He could tell that this wasn't a joke. After a few moments he gathered the courage to ask her:
"Why is this your favorite time period?"
She smiled.
"Well, mannerism was the time period after the renaissance. People were so tired of perfection that they purposefully made things look-"
"Disgusting?"
"Well, I was going to say disproportionate, but sure. I think it's lovely though, the paintings are beautiful even if the subjects are not. It shows that anything can be beautiful."
L dropped his shoulders at that comment. He thought that if Beatrice believed that anything could be beautiful, then perhaps-
She could think that I'm beautiful.
He pushed that thought away for as long as he could, and suppressed any excitement that could come from it. The pair combed their way through the museum, Beatrice offering small packages of information on each piece. A particular piece that stood out to L was a sculpture of Dante from the Divine Comedy holding his beloved. Beatrice noticed him staring and decided to inquire.
"You like this one? Have you ever read the Divine Comedy?" She asked.
L shook his head.
"I was trained specifically in logic and reasoning, literature certainly was not my main focus."
"Oh! What a story you have ahead of you then. I love the Divine Comedy! Let me give you some insight so you can enjoy this piece." Beatrice gestured over different parts of the sculpture as she spoke.
"This is Dante, he journeys through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven respectively. This is the love of his life, who guides him through heaven thereby helping him reach enlightenment. Can you guess what her name is? I'll give you a hint, we have something in common."
L looked up at the large statue, and stared into the woman's eyes. They looked soft and kind. She looked like forgiveness, and a place to rest.
"Beatrice?" He asked.
"Yes! Her name was Beatrice. Granted, in real life she married someone else and he was exiled, but Dante's love was immortalized in his writing regardless."
L looked at the people carved into marble and then back at Beatrice.
"Um, Beatrice?"
"Yes?"
"Do you… am I attractive to you?"
She was mildly taken aback by this question. She put careful thought into her wording before answering.
"I do. I think that you're very attractive. What about me ? Do you think I'm attractive?"
He swallowed a little hard and coughed a bit before answering that question. The world renowned detective acting flustered and uncomposed because a girl asked him a closed ended question. He had never felt more vulnerable.
"Of course I do. This... is the closest I've gotten to someone in a while." He forced out the words, the night was dwindling down and she needed to know.
Beatrice thought that was kind of sad. They had talked to each other all of a few hours and this was the closest he had gotten to someone for a while? There was certainly undeniable chemistry between the two of them, but closeness? Then Beatrice realized she hadn't had this much fun in, well she couldn't remember how long. Nobody had shown this much interest in her. Perhaps this chemistry was forcing the two of them to expose what they had both been hiding from everyone else.
"Toshiro, let me take you somewhere."
[ The Eternal Fountain Park 10:50pm]
Beatrice strolled with L though the dimly lit park, their footsteps hitting quietly against the cobblestone beneath their feet. The park was famous for its large fountain placed in the center, the cobblestone path wound around it in a spiral, bringing people from all entrances towards the fountain.
"Can I tell you the truth, Toshiro?" Beatrice asked as they inched towards the fountain.
"If you must." He said with a dash of sarcasm.
Their feet stopped at the fountain. In the light of the streetlamps it glistened and shimmered into the night.
"My last boyfriend- um drank too much. He needed help, and refused to get any. I loved him, and I watched him destroy himself. I think in that process it destroyed me a little. You know? I think it made me ... associate love with pain? Maybe." Her speech had quickened, trying to get through these points as quickly as possible.
"But, tonight was different. Tonight was not about forcing things to work or trying to fix each other. It was only to enjoy each other's company. That's why I'll always remember it, and you."
L felt his heart pound against the walls of his chest. He wanted to pour all of his emotions on her, he wanted to tell her that he was L. He wondered if he did would it make this night complicated? He decided against it, truly in this small world he had created with her, his name didn't matter.
"Toshiro… I hope this isn't too straightforward, but I'd like for you to-"
He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. He pulled her in close and grabbed the back of her head. She leaned into him, wanting to be even closer. Her stomach fluttered and she shook just a bit from surprise. His lips were soft and even though he was being a bit aggressive, the kiss itself was gentle. It was both a first and a farewell kiss, and the sentiment was not lost on either of them. They savored the moment for as long as they could before pulling away.
"Beatrice, I like you. Even if I never see you again after tonight, I want you to know without a doubt for the rest of your life, that on this date I thought you were the most beautiful and astonishing woman I've ever met." He said, this time with confidence.
The blood rushed into Beatrice's face. She had been secretly hoping all night that he would come right out and say it. She tried, futilely to conceal a widening grin. Her words raced out before she could show refrain.
"I-I like you too."
[ Outside of Beatrice's Apartment 11:30pm]
They walked through the quiet apartment complex; all of the windows of the building were dark. The cold brick stared at them, seemingly exasperating the unforgiving finality of the moment. Beatrice halted at the door of her apartment.
"Well, this is it." She painfully forced out.
This was the inevitable goodbye that the two of them had been dreading. It was bittersweet in a way, this goodbye solidified their perfect night together, but also meant that it was over. There was nothing more to do but part.
L secretly hoped that he could see her again. A thousand possibilities ran through his brain on how he could buy more time with her.
I need to tell her that I want more than this.
"Beatrice, I-"
"Shhhh." She said, placing her index finger over his lips.
"You've said all the right things tonight. You've been perfect, there's no more words to speak that could make me feel any more content with how this night has gone."
He swallowed his words, and held her hand. He squeezed it lightly as she entered her home. He didn't want to let go, but he knew he had to.
"Thank you." He said to her, with a melancholy tone.
She rubbed her thumb against his hand as she stood in the doorway.
"No Toshiro, thank you. I'm forever grateful that we could share this memory."
Writer's Note: Hey! Jester here. This is a short one-shot, but if anyone messages me asking for a follow up I would absolutely make one. I have a few WIP right now so if you enjoyed this stick around. Thanks for reading!