Salty Coffee
Chapter 9 – Surprise Bells Ringing
" Get up, get up, and get out of bed you silly, silly sleepy head." Tsukushi heard someone sing. She unfolded herself and peered over the blanket towards the door, it was opened but there was no one there. Then she turned around and found the other side of her bed empty.
" Domyouji?" Tsukushi called out, sitting up and embracing herself. Without the morning light through the heavily draped windows, the room was quite dark, but there was some light coming through a window in the corridor.
" Domyouji!" Tsukushi demanded and noticed Tsukasa stepped into the doorway.
" Yes, yes. I am here." Tsukasa finally responded and took a seat next to Tsukushi.
" Don't ever do that to me." Tsukushi added, forming as serious a face as she could, " I hate to hear you and yet not seeing you." She said, changing her expression quickly to a smile, " Ohayou."
Tsukasa smiled a satisfaction smile and cupped his wife's face with his big hands, " Ohayou."
Both exchanged one long glance before they ended it with their routine morning kiss.
" Oh." Tsukasa suddenly recalled something; " I have just gotten this from the maid." From his pocket, Tsukasa retrieved an envelope with the imprinted words of " Mr. And Mrs. Domyouji Tsukasa" on its cover.
" Invitation card?" Tsukushi asked.
" Yes and it is a wedding invitation." Tsukasa said.
" Wedding? Who is getting married?"
" Don't be surprised," Tsukasa smiled before he went on to reveal the answer, " Soujirou."
" What?" Tsukushi's eyes widened with disbelief.
" Come on, get dressed. They are waiting for us." Tsukasa added as he gently pulled Tsukushi out of their gigantic bed.
" Who?" Tsukushi asked, wondering who would visit them at such an early hour.
" Rui, Akira, Shigeru, Sakurako and Neechan." Tsukasa informed.
" By the way, didn't you notice the date of the wedding on the card?" Tsukasa withdrew the card from the envelope and flashed it in front of Tsukushi. " Its today." Tsukasa quipped, rolling his eyes.
" What?" Tsukushi exclaimed in disbelief, rubbing her eyes and breathing deeply as she read the content of the card.
*****
The wedding ceremony was held in garden behind a small chapel outside Tokyo. The music started, and the guests rose as the bride, holding her father's hand, began her walk along the aisle. Soujirou smiled their way while waiting for his father-in-law to pass his precious daughter's hand into his. Strands of his neatly combed hair caught the sun's brightness, as did his chestnut brown eyes.
Akira was the cameraman of the day and he was busy snapping all the special moments of his buddies on this special occasion. I guess falling in love does make a person brave. Akira thought after seeing how Tsukasa and Soujirou were fighting so hard in order to be with their loved ones. When would it be my turn? Akira let out a sigh before getting back to his photo shooting.
" Is this a dream or what?" Tsukushi whispered to Tsukasa because everything seemed so unreal.
" Ouch." Tsukushi let out a moan when Tsukasa gave her face a pinch and immediately she knew it wasn't a dream after all. It was real.
Their wedding was real. His love for her was real.
Soon, Tsukushi relaxed her shoulder and nodded, " I guess Soujirou had really proved me wrong." Tsukushi added, her tears burning behind her eyelids as she gazed at Yuuki's blissful expression when Soujirou put the ring onto her finger as he said out his vow to her.
" I now pronounce you two, husband and wife."
*****
" There you are!" Tsukushi cried. Yuuki's eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at Tsukushi smiling down at her with her hands on her hips. Yuuki was never happier to see her. She hadn't been seeing Tsukushi since the day she became Mrs. Domyouji during one year ago.
" They were looking for the both of you and I was being assigned to do so. In fact, I've been a while looking for you. I almost didn't find you and gave up. I walked past this room once, but you two were down behind this high back sofa, so I didn't see you. Just lucky that I decided to take one more look." Tsukushi added and Yuuki stuck a tongue at Tsukushi as she pointed at her lap.
Soujirou was drunk and remained fast asleep with his head on her lap. Exhausted, Yuuki had slipped down on the sofa and quickly fallen into a deep sleep herself. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it looked so late. With her fingers balled into fists, she ground the sleep out of her eyes.
" Tsukushi, I am so glad you are here." Yuuki said. " I know you have always been against this relationship, but I am glad you really came." Yuuki continued and then it all came rushing back over her – those coincidental nights when they met each other, Soujirou's unusual taste in coffee, how he had confessed his love for in the rain, the horribly disappointing meeting with Soujirou's parents and the hurried and secret wedding.
Without giving Tsukushi a warning, Yuuki simply burst into tears, the floodgates holding them back collapsing completely.
…To be continued