Life Got in the Way

Sometimes first kisses never happen at the time, or place, you planned. And some people have to work a little harder than others just to make it happen in the first place.

The first time was, predictably, right after they confessed their feelings to each other. Unfortunately, it was quite late at night and Kyoko ended up falling asleep beside him as they talked about various things regarding this sudden change in their relationship dynamic. They agreed to not tell anyone while they sorted things out. Ren smiled at the young woman before picking her up and taking her to his guest room to sleep. He tucked her under the covers and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.

When she woke the next morning, she found a note on the bedside table informing her that he had to leave early for filming and that he hoped to see her again that night. She cursed herself for falling asleep when she did. It was fairly obvious what he wanted from her then by the way he kept looking at her lips. Kyoko couldn't deny that she wanted the same thing. That night couldn't come fast enough for her, but she would be content to wait. She'd waited so long already. They both had.

Of course, as wretched luck would have it, they did not manage to see each other again—short of several quick meetings with their manager—for another week.

The second time they tried, their manager walked into his office that morning just as they were in the midst of an embrace. The man let out an excited squeal at the sight, even though they already entrusted him to secrecy about their relationship. Profuse apologies were made and the bespectacled man offered to leave them alone for a few more minutes, if they so desired.

Their moments together had been so few and far between at that point that any additional minutes they spared would eat into their working time. Kyoko sighed and assured the Yashiro that it was alright and they should probably leave so they would make it to their next jobs on time. Ren begrudgingly agreed. He reasoned with himself that he already had the woman of his dreams and he could remain patient until they were able to enjoy some quality time together again.

Still, it was one of the few times that Ren really hated being the Never Late King.

They only just barely managed to jump apart before Maria caught them together not long after that. Both of them had encountered difficult days and managed to see each other for a few minutes. They spent that time in an empty classroom in the training section comforting each other with hugs and words of encouragement. Their mouths were a breath apart when Kyoko pulled back to check the time and both of them hesitated, wanting nothing more than to close the distance.

That was right about when they heard the telltale sound of tiny feet walking the halls. The little girl found them sitting a respectable distance apart when she entered the room. They were chatting casually with each other as if they weren't about to fervently tangle their lips and tongues together mere seconds before.

When asked what they were doing, the lie came easily enough. Kyoko was considering auditioning for a role in a drama and had questions about her approach to portraying the character. She wanted Ren's opinion and guidance so that she could make the best effort possible. Thankfully, Maria never questioned this and, instead, jumped onto the bench on which they sat, wriggling herself between them with a wide grin. She then began to talk loudly about her upcoming plans to visit her father, completely unaware of the longing stares that were being exchanged over the top of her curly hair.

The LoveMe room was a dangerous place to even attempt anything with the amount of people who came and went from there. Of course, that didn't stop them from trying. Chiori wanted to have lunch with Kyoko one afternoon when she found them together. Kyoko was leaning against her locker and he had one hand on her waist while the other gently brushed the hair out of her eyes. Ren nearly broke the sound barrier with the speed at which he pulled away from her when they both heard the door open.

As far as they could tell, Chiori didn't witness anything incriminating. They both breathed a silent sigh of relief for that.

The first time Ren ever heard Kyoko curse was when Kanae came to collect her from TBM and found them in a… somewhat compromising position in an unfrequented hallway. They had planned a girls' night together since he had to work late, but Kyoko still tried to connect with him before she left the building. Now, Kyoko had been smart enough to tell her best friend early about her—currently undefined—relationship with Ren, so there was little surprise in that respect. Instead, Kanae's righteous indignation stemmed from the fact that they had yet to go on a real date together as a couple and there was no way she was letting 'some man put his hands and mouth all over her friend' without, at least, taking her out to dinner first.

"Well, we would, if we could actually find some goddamned time to do it!" she nearly screamed.

Kanae looked at her, dumfounded.

"Sorry, Moko-san, it's just been a little frustrating, is all," she immediately apologized, ruffling her hair with both hands. "We just want some time to ourselves to figure out how this relationship is going to work and we can't even seem to get that right."

Though her friend seemed apologetic, it was little comfort to Kyoko. Apparently accepting herself enough to accept the love from another wasn't the largest hurdle she needed to overcome. Actually finding the time to act upon said love was proving to be an even greater challenge. And it wore on her more with each passing day.

"I think I can get Yashiro-san to move my meeting tonight with the director to another day if you're still free," Kyoko looked up at Ren with hopeful eyes when she saw him again several days later.

He just shook his head sorrowfully.

"I accepted an invitation to audition for a role tonight because I thought you'd be working. I'm really sorry," his voice was earnest and repentant.

Kyoko growled, clenched both of her hands into fists for a moment and closed her eyes. Ren watched her take several slow breaths, inhaling through her nose and out through her mouth. However, when she opened her eyes again, they were still aflame with rage. She turned away from him, trying desperately to collect herself as her shoulders shook with anger.

Eventually, she gave up.

"That's it! I've had it up to here with all these interruptions," Kyoko screamed in frustration.

She turned back to Ren and reached up to grab the collar of his jacket with both hands.

"I love you. And, at this point, I don't really care who knows it."

With a forceful tug, she brought his head down to her level and pressed her lips to his. Right there in the middle of the LME lobby. There were at least two dozen other people around them to witness the scene as it unfolded. The few surprised gasps were mostly drowned out by intermittent rounds of applause and raucous hoots and whistles.

Neither of them cared in the slightest.

They could have been in the middle of Shinjuku station. They could have been on the observation deck of Tokyo Skytree. Nothing mattered in that moment except the feel of their lips melding together and the gentle stroke of Ren's thumb across Kyoko's cheek. Both of them struggled to remain standing as the release of their pent-up emotion over the last few weeks threatened to bring them both to their knees.

It was far from perfect and nothing like the romantic dinner date they had anticipated for so long. But, it was long overdue and it was still incredible.

From his chair, Lory witnessed the entire scene, broadcast live from the lobby security camera onto the large television screen in his office. He was quite pleased that he invested extra money into installing cameras that also recorded audio. Turning to the others he had asked to join him, he grinned with overwhelming satisfaction.

"Well, everyone, I must say that you all did an excellent job."

"Honestly, I think Yashiro-san deserves extra accolades. He did the most work trying to manipulate their schedules to keep them apart," Kanae pointed out.

"Oh, it was nothing, really," the manager protested, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue.

"Three cheers for Yashiro-san!" Maria giggled, flinging her hands in the air.

Ruto had just finished distributing crystal flutes of various beverages to everyone who was present when Lory raised his glass in a toast.

"And three cheers for love."

-END-


MORE TALES FROM THE 'UNFINISHED' PILE: Two Christmases ago, I was writing a Secret Santa story for Daamile and one of the prompts she requested was "delayed first kiss." I started and rewrote this one countless times but was never quite satisfied with it. So, I gave up and wrote All I Want for Christmas is (a date with) You instead.

I could never bring myself to delete it since I really wanted to finish it someday. It was a lot closer to being done than I originally thought so I just added a little glue here and a little tape there stick it all together.

So, here is a little gift from me to you in celebration of the release of Chapter 279.

AUTHOR OUT!