Standard disclaimers apply.
Part 2
Katsumi arrived home feeling pretty pleased with himself. He briefly considered going out and getting drunk but as he'd only just got over the day's hangover that was probably a bad idea-no, make that definitely an absurd idea.
Oh, well… what to do this evening?
Well, first off, he had to find some way to break the news gently to Miyako. He wasn't really sure of what had possessed him to ask the girl out in the first place when he didn't have any strong feelings for her. Sure, she was a good friend like a lot of the girls he knew were good friends, but not much more than that. Well, she wasn't much more to him, but he didn't know if he was anything to her.
Okay, they'd gone out casually a couple of times and she'd let him try to kiss her-Katsumi had no illusions about where he stood in this respect, he was not one of the world's great kissers and certainly no Koji Nanjo when it came to attracting girls. He reminded most girls of their little brothers or those of their friends and how unerotic was that? It didn't help that most of the girls he met day-to-day were not girls at all but women in their twenties whilst he was an eighteen year old who looked and acted younger most of the time. Guys like Katsumi just didn't appeal to older women. Still, in the eyes of the world (or at least in the eyes of Koji's band and the make-up girls, which was Katsumi's world pretty much), he was seeing Miyako and couldn't honestly try anything on with Taka-chan whilst she was still technically his girlfriend.
The direct approach wouldn't work. "I think we should stop seeing each other." "Why?" "Because I want to sleep with Takasaka." Nope, that was definitely out. And as he'd never been very subtle he couldn't think of any approach but the direct one.
Whatever happened, Katsumi reasoned, he'd probably end up getting slapped. Still, that'd be an overreaction, he hadn't been dating her for that long.
He wondered if he should phone Taka-chan and ask him if he was doing anything, if that wasn't a bit premature.
Still, it wasn't as if he'd dragged the guy to a love hotel, thrown himself on his back and blatantly propositioned him so what the hell was he worrying about?
Shrugging, he picked up the phone.
***
Fast-forward a few weeks and find Katsumi in a state of sexual and emotional tension.
He still hadn't worked up the nerve to tell Miyako about Taka-chan, but was hoping she'd get the hint and drop him quietly so as to save herself the social embarrassment of having her boyfriend drop her for an older man. Taka-chan himself was still being incredibly anxious about everything and since the day in that office they'd met up in private less than half a dozen times and had got practically nowhere (Okay, Katsumi had kissed Taka-chan rather inexpertly three times, but nothing else. He'd got further with Miyako. That was a depressing thought).
The fact that Koji had caused a near-scandal by being photographed by a journalist having a very public row with Izumi in a park then kissing him passionately by means of an apology had added to their problems. Izumi had refused to speak to Koji for over a week following Katsumi breaking the news of the situation, so he had been kept busy trying to prevent Koji from killing himself with remorse and hard drink whilst attempting to persuade Izumi to forgive Koji. It had taken him ages and he hadn't liked it one bit.
As for Takasaka, he had practically lived on caffeine over the problematic few days that he had spent in delicate negotiation with the newspaper, and had barely slept at all. Eventually after threats, bribes and a bit of outright blackmail the matter had been laid to rest, the photographs burned along with the negatives and the journalist who had witnessed the incident had been given a lot of money to forget all about what she had seen. Following the settlement Takasaka had been off work for a few days so he could calm down.
Still, that had been a while ago (well. Nine days.) and Katsumi was frustrated. What he needed was money.
***
He had to wait a few days to get cash, but when he finally did it was far more than he had imagined and what was better was that he was under strict instructions to spend it.
"Hey." Katsumi greeted Takasaka with his customary formality. "You've got the evening off, haven't you?"
Takasaka frowned, this conversation was making no sense, Katsumi was being deliberately vague and he swore he could feel his blood pressure climb slightly. He was on the verge of a panic attack just talking to Katsumi, this relationship was a seriously bad idea. "He just gave you money for no reason?"
***
The city was crowded, it being a warm night in late summer, and Takasaka apologised his way through the concourse following Katsumi who was in a ridiculously good mood and had determined not only that he was going to enjoy himself but that Takasaka was going to enjoy himself too. To this end Katsumi wanted to get his friend/partner drunk. He'd never seen Taka-chan drunk and wondered if it would make the man relax. Something had to make him relax although Katsumi privately suspected that he looked stressed even when he slept. This was another thing he intended to find out. He'd taken on as a life goal trying to get the guy to calm down, even just a little.
He was going to sleep with Taka-chan even if it killed him.
All the same it was not a good idea to kiss him in public and following the Koji incident he was not terribly keen on the idea anyway. Society didn't really like that sort of thing and it would no doubt induce panic attacks in Takasaka anyway. It probably wasn't a good idea to try and walk arm in arm either, but Katsumi honestly couldn't be bothered with that particular taboo so he induced the first panic attack of the evening that way and couldn't help but laugh at it. It was going to be that sort of night.
***
The problems began at Katsumi's attempt to find somewhere to get drunk in that also wouldn't mind coping with the idea of two men trying to flirt with one another (or rather one trying to flirt, the other anxious in case someone he knew came in). Also he had to find a place where they could guarantee they wouldn't see or be seen by anybody they knew. Easier said than done. True, they didn't have Koji's problems (since when were the tabloids interested in the private life of a pop star's manager or the star's best friend? Katsumi was only newsworthy when he was around Koji) but there were plenty of people who knew the two of them by sight if not by name.
The bar they had finally found was small and quite discreet, and seemed to be frequented by businessmen in their forties and fifties accompanied by girls in their early twenties. Married men having discreet affairs and a few groups of teenage office girls. And after about fifteen minutes there was Miyako accompanied by a tall, dark-haired guy who was about as unlike Katsumi as it was possible to get. Katsumi did a double-take and spilt some of his drink.
"Good God, she's worse than a courtesan. I don't believe that girl." Katsumi had been stung by the fact that Miyako had another boyfriend, but he was secretly rather relieved. If she was cheating on him too then all he needed to do was tell her he'd seen her with another guy and as they weren't that close it would be easy then to drop her.
Yes, it definitely was going to be one of those nights, Takasaka thought, and with a sigh began to search his pockets for his nerve pills.
