In case it was never made clear enough, goddamn, I love night air. Especially in cities. It seems to be a little heavier, but I never knew much difference until Kasanoda and I took our last minute road trip to Hakone. As nice as that was, nothing beats a big city at night. When the streets come alive and the rest of the world goes quiet. The best part about my new penthouse in Tokyo? I got rooftop access. And it's nice not being up here alone.

"You know," I laid on one of the lounge chairs, "I've never been to my roof before."

"Really?" Kasanoda gave me a look, "I would've thought you'd be up here every night."

"Not yet," I shook my head, "I've had too much shit going on and I'm always deadass tired when I come home. But this? It's nice to get lost in the white noise, you know?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I get it. And you get better views from up here. Better perspective on things."

"Oh yeah," I let out a heavy sigh, "It's kind of like back home."

"What's it like?" Kasanoda wondered, "I've never been to New York. Hell, I've never even left Japan."

"Honestly," I thought it over, "It's not much different from Tokyo. Tokyo's got all the districts. New York has the boroughs and all the neighborhoods within those boroughs. And depending on where you were brought up, people look at you differently. My dad grew up in Williamsburg and my mom grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Daddy would spend his summers working his ass off in the city while Mama would go to the family house in the Hamptons. I'm sure there's something like that around here, too."

"Omotesando," he confirmed, "I'm guessing that's probably the closest to your Manhattan we could get here. It's really ritzy. Everything's upscale as hell. Anywhere in the ballpark?"

"I'd say so," I hadn't been to Manhattan in years, but from what I remember, that's pretty accurate.

"Where did you grow up?" Kasanoda rolled over, making himself more comfortable.

"I grew up in Williamsburg," my heart melted at the thought of home, "Mama always made the joke that she was slumming it with commoners when she moved to Williamsburg, but that couldn't have been further from the person she was. She was definitely born in the wrong neighborhood. That's what my grandma would say."

"Her mom?"

"No," I shivered at the thought of that bitch, "My grandma. Daddy's mom. She's sweet. You'd like her."

"You sound awfully sure of yourself," Kasanoda teased.

"Trust me," I promised, "Not liking my grandma is a sin. She moved to the US from Spain with Daddy and my uncles when Daddy was two after Grandpa died and raised those boys on her own. She always told me, and I can hear her voice in my head, 'Reila, you never need a man in your life, but dammit, they're nice to have.'. She only had room in her life for four of them. One of them was Grandpa, one of them was Daddy, the other two are my uncles. And she never remarried after that."

"Sound like a tough old lady."

"Oh, yeah," I damn near gave myself whiplash, "Grandma is not someone to be fucked with. She has killed a man and is not afraid to go to prison."

Kasanoda's eyes grew to the size of the moon, "Are you serious?"

"I mean," I shrugged, "It wouldn't surprise me. I can't confirm or deny that. But I do know that, according to some of the stories Daddy's told me, she's not to be fucked with. She is really easy to love, though. She won't hesitate to go up to bat if she has to. I think she's half the reason why Daddy and I got to stay together."

"Wait," he perked up, "What?"

"Story for another day," I bit my tongue, not intending for that to come out, "I'm too tired for that rigmarole tonight."

"Ok," Kasanoda let it go, "Tell me more about New York."

"What more is there to tell?" I wondered, thanking every deity in the book that he changed the subject. Crying in front of him once was plenty for tonight, "I already told you. It's a lot like Tokyo, but with a little different vibe. There's something magical in those streets that make it feel like a whole other world. Especially on our rooftop."

"Your rooftop in Williamsburg?"

"Yeah," I smiled a bit, "We had some really killer views of the city from our rooftop. I never had much of a view of the stars at night, but I had marquee lights and neons. They were so damn pretty at night. After it rained, they'd reflect off the puddles and it'd be a whole different monster. Ever since I can remember, I've always found comfort on a rooftop. I miss it so much."

"I'm sure you do," Kasanoda empathized, "You know, Rei, I'm glad I didn't scalp my other ticket."

"I'm glad you took me along," I shut my eyes for a minute, "And I'm glad we came up here, too."

"It is peaceful, isn't it?" he moved a little closer.

Ring, ring.

"Hold on," I took my phone out of my bag, "Shit!"

"Is everything ok?" Kasanoda worried.

"Yeah," I winced, "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead."

I slid my finger across my phone screen, "Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, princess," Daddy answered, "Are you ok? You sound like you just ran a marathon."

"Yeah," I assured, "Everything's fine. What's up?"

"Nothing too exciting," he brushed me off while I switched to speakerphone, "Wondering how I share blood with your uncles some days, but that's no surprise."

"What'd they do?" I could only imagine.

"You know how they are," Daddy giggled to himself, "Lucky they have their heads attached some days, but it wasn't anything too major. They're still alive."

"Of course they are," I squeaked, "They may be idiots, but they're still family."

"That's my girl," he praised, "It's nice to know you listen. So, what's new with you? I'm sure you're off on an adventure every day."

"What makes you say that?" I scoffed, "Maybe I've been staying home every night, behaving myself like a good little girl should."

"Because you're my little girl," Daddy teased, "And you got a lot of Mama in you, too. There's no damn way you're staying home. I know you too well, Reila. I know you're not staying home on a Saturday night. So, where did I catch you?"

"I tried," I bit the inside of my cheek, "I'm actually at home right now."

"No shit?" he gasped, "I would've figured you'd be out sampling local night life."

"Nope," I chirped, "I'm kicked back on my roof."

"Why am I not surprised?" Daddy awed, "Leave it to you to be on the roof."

"Sue me," I grumbled, "I like being in high places."

"You know why that is?"

"No."

"When you were a baby," Daddy explained, "You'd be miserable when you were teething. Mama would take you up to the roof, so the neighbors wouldn't bitch about the noise. Some nights, it'd be the only way to get you to stop crying. Some nights, I'd go up there and both you and Mama would be asleep. It's weird how that shit sticks with you."

"Well," I admitted, "It is hella serene up here."

"I'm sure it is," he figured, "It must be getting late there, yeah?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "It's knocking on midnight, I think."

Kasanoda showed me his phone screen. Yep. Straight up midnight, "You must be getting tired then, huh, baby? I'm sure you already got into shenanigans tonight."

"Yeah," I bit my lip, "I went to a concert tonight with Ritsu."

"Ritsu…" Daddy thought for a moment, "That's the kid you told me about, right?"

"Uh-huh…" Kasanoda looked at me weird. Subliminal message received. He knew that Daddy knew of his existence, but he didn't know I talked about him, "He's actually right here with me."

The unsettling quiet on the other end did no one any favors, "It's getting kind of late for him to be there, don't you think, Rei? You need to get some sleep and I'm sure you're still fighting jetlag."

"I'm actually pretty ok," I reported, "My jetlag is virtually nonexistent these days. He was just taking me home."

"And you're playing nice?" Daddy asked, his tone a tad threatening.

"Yes, Daddy…" I rolled my eyes. I know he's protective, but he also knows that if shit were to go sideways, I'd be able to kick Kasanoda's ass into next week.

"I wasn't asking you, baby."

"Oh," Kasanoda jolted up, "Um…Yes, sir."

"Are your hands above the covers?"

"We don't have any blankets," Kasanoda told him.

"Not what I was asking."

"Yes, sir."

"Daddy," I stepped in before Kasanoda could get a nosebleed, "We're fine. We were just bullshitting on the roof. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"That's good to hear," Daddy allowed, "Now, Ritsu…"

"Yes, sir?" Kasanoda responded quickly.

"I think it's time you go home," he ordered, "Reila, go to bed."

"Ok," I gave an apologetic look toward Kasanoda.

"I love you, princess."

"I love you, too," I hung up with him and tossed my phone back in my bag, "I'm sorry about that. I'm all he's got left. Daddy's going to be a little protective."

"That's fine," Kasanoda let it go, "I understand."

"So," I wondered, "I know Daddy told you to go home, but are you crashing here or…"

All of a sudden, my words were cut off by Kasanoda's mouth. Quite literally. His arm snaked around my shoulders. His lips pressed against mine. His hand rested on my cheek. And my body going into some kind of shock. I think. I kind of blacked out a little. When Kasanoda pulled away, I blinked the stars out of my eyes, "Um…"

"Uh…" my head felt a bit fuzzy, "Where the fuck did that come from?"

"I don't know," he got flustered…and angry, "I just wanted to know what it felt like, ok? Don't think so much about it!"

"And?" I spoke softly, "What did it feel like?"

"Well…" Kasanoda's anger was short lived, but his cheeks remained a bright shade of red, "It kind of felt like I might want to do it again sometime. Your dad was right. You should go to bed. Good night, Rei."

He got up from the chair next to me and started heading back toward the door. I snapped out of my haze just long enough to follow him to the elevator, "Ritsu, wait."

"What?" he hit the down button and the elevator doors slid open. Before they had a chance to close, I threw myself into his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist and my face was on his yet again. This time, much deeper, much more passionate. Much hungrier than the last time. And no one wanted to pull away, "Care to tell me where the fuck that came from?"

"All you had to do was ask nicely," I smirked between breaths, "I wouldn't have said no."

"So," Kasanoda asked, keeping a hold of me, "What are the chances we could run into each other like this again?"

"If I'm not too busy tomorrow night," I offered, "You think you could point a girl in the direction of a good ramen shop?"

"I think I know one," he smiled, melting me to my very core, "And it's not too far from here."

"I'll see you tomorrow," I kissed his cheek before the elevator could open up to the lobby.

"You can count on it," Kasanoda walked out and I took the elevator back up. My heart couldn't stay still for very long. At one point, I thought it would come out of my chest. Damn, tonight was a good idea.

Oh…

Oh, shit…

What have I done?

Hey, Rei? It's past Rei. Didn't you say when you moved to Tokyo that everything was going to be a temporary situation? To not get attached to anyone because you know damn well you're going to be leaving as soon as you graduate? To likely not return because you'll be busy running the family? Yes, past Rei, you passive aggressive bitch. I know I said that. Did I just screw that up by making another date with Kasanoda? No. I'm sure he knows this is temporary. It's just like Grandma said. I don't need a man, but dammit…They are nice to have around.

A/N: You have no idea how badly I couldn't sit still after writing this. It was horrible. And I'm hoping to God my headache doesn't turn into a migraine, so moving too much is a really bad idea for me. I'm nauseous enough. But all that aside, these two…They're so damn cute, don't you think? Look at my awkward children being adorable. Because I fucking love them. And I love watching them being cute. Does that make me a voyeur? Does that make all of you voyeurs? I don't know. And quite frankly, I don't care. As long as my babies are thriving, that's all that matters. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish my Moon Pie and get to work on some other cheeky projects I have going on. See you next chapter! xx