Chapter 5
It was a month later and Haruhi was examining herself in the mirror. Black pencil skirt, white silk blouse and a stylishly cut houndstooth jacket that stopped just below her waist. Shiny black kitten heels and her smooth, glossy hair falling to her chin in a blunt, swingy cut. With just a touch of makeup and tinted lip gloss she looked perfect.
After all the sweat and work, all the fuss and fakery, she was starting her first day in the legal support office as part of the court-appointed defense division.
She had been surprised at how willing they were to hold the position for her when they were told about her impending nuptials. Apparently, Yuzuru had been right—they did desperately want her and her prospective supervisor was so relieved to find out that Haruhi would indeed be able to start work in the very near future without any fear of the bad press the work visa process could yield. Her excellent scores and exemplary performance during her internships—her shrewd intellect paired with strong empathy a rare commodity among the elite attorney class—had made her their first pick.
But it wasn't all straightforward—getting married to Tamaki. She got her first taste of what being a Suoh would be like when she presented the prim and grim HR lady with her new spousal visa.
"Suoh?" she gasped, her reserve slipping when she saw Haruhi's new last name. "The Suohs?" She squinted at Haruhi and then turned around and excitedly flipped through a glossy magazine she had sitting on the counter behind her. "Is that you?" she said holding it up.
Slightly aghast, Haruhi looked at a photo of her coming down the aisle on Tamaki's arm. What on earth? How did that happen?
"Ah—yes, that's me," Haruhi said uncomfortably with a tight smile.
"I've seen him in magazines before—he's so dashing…" she giggled girlishly much to Haruhi's surprise. Then her eyes narrowed slightly again at the petite woman before her, this time with more scrutiny. And it was quite clear what she was thinking. This was the wife of Tamaki Suoh? The HR lady glanced down and up a few times from the magazine to Haruhi.
"It's definitely me," said Haruhi, getting irritated. "I don't generally wear a lot of makeup." Or do my hair. Or wear heels. Or care that much about her appearance at all.
"Well, of course, there are photos, Haruhi," said Ayame, later that day when Haruhi called her. "It was a Suoh wedding. I had professional photos taken and distributed to various outlets. That way I could keep them away and not have a bunch of paparazzi snooping around the new Suoh spouse."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," said Haruhi. "But will they try to photograph us from now on? That makes me kind of nervous."
"Don't worry too much," she said. "Now that Tamaki's married, the press will probably not be around much—it's only the bachelors they're interested in. You should see how they flock Kyoya. Drives him nuts. You've actually done Tamaki a favor, when you think about it. Just act like you don't hate each other in public and you'll be fine."
"Oh, and Haruhi…" added Ayame before hanging up. "You may want to talk to the twins about your wardrobe."
"What? My wardrobe?"
"Yes—part of this whole deal is looking the part…"
Thus the beautiful first day of work outfit she was now looking at in the mirror. It made her a bit uncomfortable to take clothes from the twins—but they had positively swooned when she called them.
"This is a dream come true!" they chorused together. "Wait until we tell mom that her sweet doll needs a new wardrobe!"
And now here she was, a Suoh, walking down the sweeping staircase in this gigantic mansion. It was all so surreal, the past few weeks. The wedding, moving in with Tamaki—they'd be taking a honeymoon "later, after Mrs. Suoh has started her new prestigious job… you know she graduated first in her class…" Ayame had put out to the press—the photos, the clothes.
Tamaki stood up as she entered the dining room, eyes wide as he looked her over. "Haruhi, you look gorgeous!"
"Oh, stop," she blushed as she helped herself to some coffee. "It's the suit. It seems Hitachin clothes render me unrecognizable," she laughed as she recalled the HR lady's reaction.
He didn't know what to say to that. He could gush about how she would look beautiful in a paper sack—because she would to him—but he just smiled and sat back down.
Haruhi noticed how different he seemed when they were alone these days. There was a restraint, like he was unwilling to indulge in his zany personality around her. He had put away the host persona, but what he replaced it with didn't seem like himself either.
They actually hadn't seen much of each other since she had moved in—he worked at his father's company now and was rarely home. And with her own guest suite, equipped with TV, desk, and laptop, as well as equipment to make tea or coffee and a small fridge, there really wasn't much reason for her to venture out to the larger mansion except to pull together some food for herself, in which the kitchen staff gladly indulged her. Feeling self-conscious in the opulent setting, she had mostly kept to her room. This was the first time she had joined him for breakfast.
"So? Ready for the big day?" He asked warmly.
"I am. It's been such a long journey—with some admittedly odd twists and turns. But, yes, I am ready. Maybe a little nervous—but ready." She smiled and reached over and squeezed Tamaki's hand. "And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thank you, Senpai."
"Of course," he squeezed her hand back. "I'm so glad I was able to play a part in you achieving your dream."
She could feel his sincerity in every one of his words, even if he did seem restrained. She supposed it couldn't be easy for him having to fake a marriage to someone like her. She was certainly not a society head-turner like he was and had absolutely no pedigree. How he explained it to his colleagues, she had no idea. So she was glad of the new clothes—as extravagant as they were. She didn't want to make it any harder for him by coming off too much as the commoner she was.
But when she looked up from her coffee, she caught that look again. The one from the Hitachin studio. And the old feeling came back to her once again.
What was it exactly? Her mind flashed back to their kiss on their wedding day—how, well, passionate it had been. How it very well took her breath away.
She had tried hard not to think about it—and had tried very, very hard not to think about her behavior that evening in the bridal suite. She only had a vague recollection of lingerie and drunkenly coming on to Tamaki. What had triggered that? She wondered for the millionth time. She had been so stressed and so unsure of what they were doing—but she really didn't know why she had thrown herself at him. Had it been the kiss?
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and somehow Tamaki got her into her own bed. She woke up the next morning with a crumpled dress, a splitting headache, and a boatload of embarrassment. Of course she was glad Tamaki hadn't taken her up on her offer. But there was some tiny part of her that maybe wished he had. She had to admit that was where some small part of her shame came from. That she had wanted him—and he hadn't wanted her.
But now she smiled at him over their morning coffee and chalked up the look to his sympathetic nature. It was kind of him to try to make her feel beautiful on a day like today when her nerves were more than a bit high. That was Tamaki—he cared for all of his friends and she no less. But also, no more, a small voice in the back of her head ruefully asserted.
Tamaki's phone then buzzed and he looked down critically at a text—and sighed heavily.
"Anything wrong?" asked Haruhi, as she poured milk into her second cup of coffee.
"It's this one board member—he just keeps questioning the new sustainability measures I'm trying to implement… and now my assistant tells me he wants to meet with me before I head into the office."
"Why won't he agree to them?" asked Haruhi, impressed that Tamaki was heading up such an important effort.
"He's just stuck in the old way of thinking—that anything good for society must be bad for the bottom line…"
"Well, is it?" She asked playing devil's advocate.
"No—it isn't at all. It will easily pay for itself in long-term energy savings… I figured money savings would be important to him."
"Some people can't think long-term," she offered. "Especially when it comes to money. You may need to give him other reasons. Are there any?"
"Frankly, the most important is that it will show investors and customers that we are serious about global warming—that there will be tangible impact along our value chain. We have to do more than just asking guests to re-use towels in our hotels…"
"What else?" she asked. "And can these reasons also be tied to monetary gain?"
"They most certainly can…" He then went on to explain the measures they were taking to reduce their carbon footprint and how each step would eventually improve efficiency by nearly 30 to 40 percent.
By the time they both had to leave, Tamaki had clearly organized his thinking and come up with a new approach.
"Haruhi—you're brilliant. That's just what I needed to get ready to meet with him, especially as all my slides are in the office."
"He doesn't sound like a power point kind of guy… I think you'll do great."
"Here you are helping me when it's you who has the big day today!" cried Tamaki.
"I'm happy to repay a favor, Senpai," she smiled warmly. And suddenly, that smile melted his reserve. Maybe living with her wasn't going to be as hard as he thought. Maybe he should just try to enjoy having her here instead of stressing out about his feelings.
It actually would be nice to have someone to talk to at home, he realized as he made his way to meet the board member. It was tough to talk about these kinds of things with his dad as he was trying so hard to impress him. And his mom—well, she didn't really have that kind of mind. She would just tell him he was doing beautifully.
But having Haruhi there could really be an asset, with her ability to see right into the heart of an issue, dispassionately but with empathy. It was one of the things that he had always loved about her. And even if she wasn't his love for real, there was no reason he couldn't make the most of her company. Yes, maybe this wouldn't be so bad …