CHAPTER 6 - GETTING ALONG
I didn't feel like going to work the following day so upon waking up, I made a call to my office to tell them I was taking a leave of absence. I walked out of my room and was surprised to see Tsukasa at the kitchen having a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
"Good morning," he said as he saw me.
"Hey there. Good morning. I didn't expect to see you still here. Don't you have work today?" I asked as I got a bowl from the dish rack and poured some cereal into it.
"I decided to take the day off. God knows I deserve one, since I've been working my butt off ever since I arrived from the States," he replied as he poured me a cup of the coffee he had brewed earlier. He was staring at me openly as he spoke.
Wondering if there was something on my face, I suddenly remembered I was still wearing his jacket from the night before. I quickly removed it as I felt the blood rush to my face. "Thanks for lending me your jacket," I said shyly as I handed it back to him. "It kept me warm through the night."
He took it and mumbled, "You're welcome."
We spent the next few minutes in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Then suddenly I burst out laughing.
"What?" he asked, looking at me as if I'd just sprouted an extra head.
"I just remembered. Akira and Soujiro are gonna have a heart attack if they find out you spent the night at my place."
"True." He smiled. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him smile. I think this was the very first time he ever really smiled at me. I could feel my knees growing weak as I felt the warmth in that smile, his sensuous lips stretched across perfect, white, even teeth, a dimple deepening in his left cheek. I gave myself a mental shake as I heard him speak again.
"I'm glad you're okay enough to be able to laugh. Are you going to work today?"
"Nope. I didn't feel like working. I just wanna relax and gather my bearings after what happened last night."
"Wanna go out jogging? You look like you could use some fresh air."
"Sure but you can't go out jogging like that." I looked at him. He was wearing his clothes from the night before -- a black button-down shirt, tan slacks, and loafers.
"Tell you what. Change into your jogging clothes now, then let's drive to my place so I can change. There's a nice park near my building where we can jog. Maybe you better bring a change of clothes too so you can shower at my place afterwards."
"Sounds good." I smiled at him and went into the room to change. I came out with a bag slung across my shoulder containing my change of clothes. Tsukasa had finished washing the bowls and cups we used for breakfast. "Let's go."
==============
There were very few people at the park since it was a weekday. Only a few mothers with their toddlers and some elderly people were around. Tsukasa and I ran a few times around the park, both of us keeping in pace with each other in companionable silence. Funny how we seemed to feel so comfortable with each other now after only one night, considering the animosity between us for the last few months. Once in a while I would sneak a glance sideward, my breath catching in my throat as I marveled at how handsome he was. We slowed down and sat at a bench to rest for a while.
"I guess I'll have to find myself a new gym to go to now," I remarked as we sat and watched some other joggers go past. When he asked why, I told him that I met Junpei at the gym I currently went to.
"There's one in my building. It's where I go to work out. The rates are reasonable and the equipment is top-of-the-line. We could go there later and you could check it out."
"Sure."
We ran a few more times around the park then set back for Tsukasa's condo to take a shower. I took my turn first, then as I was waiting while he showered, I looked around the place. His condo was very tastefully decorated, with its bleached wooden walls and sparse but stylish furnishings. Most of it was in black, white and beige, but a few modern paintings hung on the walls, providing a splash of color to prevent the place from being drab. A large plasma TV sat in front of the king-sized bed in the bedroom. Beside it were state of the art stereo system and DVD player. His collection of DVDs was stacked neatly in a rack by the stereo. I scanned the titles and was surprised to find we shared the same taste in movies. There was a small balcony outside the bedroom where he had placed a table and some chairs. It had a fantastic view of the city.
I turned around as he came out of the bathroom clad only in a bathrobe, his hair still wet and beads of water trickling down towards his partially exposed chest. I felt a blush creeping from my neck to my cheeks and muttered something about leaving the room so he can change. I was out the door so fast he didn't even have time to reply.
He came out to the living room minutes later casually dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white shirt. We went down to the floor where the gym was located. I liked what I saw, and was delighted because it was so close to my place of work. I decided to enroll then and there. By the time I completed the paperwork it was already noon so we decided to have lunch. Tsukasa took me to a restaurant nearby. I insisted on treating him as a gesture of thanks for what he had done the night before. Over a lunch of sushi and sashimi, we talked about the movies we liked. Later on the conversation drifted to books and once again I was pleasantly surprised to find that we liked the same authors as well. We went back to his condo after lunch and vegged out the whole afternoon in front of his wide-screen TV, watching movies from his DVD collection and pigging out on junk food.
Before it got dark, we went down to a convenience store nearby to buy some food for dinner and a six-pack of beer. We ate the dinner al fresco, out in his balcony, enjoying the cool breeze. The view of the city was breath- taking, the beer was ice cold, the company was superb, and all in all I was having a really great time. The transformation in Tsukasa totally amazed me. Gone was the sullen grouch I had known for the last few months. In his place was a completely different guy, friendly, open, and a sparkling conversationalist. It was with regret that I glanced at my watch and realized it was getting late. Tsukasa too seemed sad that the day was over. He took me back to my apartment in his car.
Before I went in, I turned around and smiled up at him. "Thank you for being with me today. I really had fun. I'm glad we became friends."
"So am I," he said as he smiled back at me. "Are you sure you're okay now?"
I nodded wordlessly.
"Good night then. I'll see you soon," he said softly as he turned around to leave.
"I'd like that," I whispered to myself as I watched him go back to his car.
******************
A/N: A happy chappie!!! So how'd you like it? See, I wasn't planning to post this update 'til next week at least but I didn't want you guys waiting too long. What can I say, I love my dear readers, especially those who post their reviews, haha. ^_^
Thanks to venus_goddess, o0itzjeanna0o, xXSwtDreamerXx1, Haruka605, syaoranbabe17, and Toinks for your wonderful reviews!
As always, please let me know what you think by posting your comments if you have time! Here's a tip: speed of updates is directly proportional to number of reviews, hahaha. Just kidding. Aaaargh, I'm such a review slut! ^_^
I didn't feel like going to work the following day so upon waking up, I made a call to my office to tell them I was taking a leave of absence. I walked out of my room and was surprised to see Tsukasa at the kitchen having a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
"Good morning," he said as he saw me.
"Hey there. Good morning. I didn't expect to see you still here. Don't you have work today?" I asked as I got a bowl from the dish rack and poured some cereal into it.
"I decided to take the day off. God knows I deserve one, since I've been working my butt off ever since I arrived from the States," he replied as he poured me a cup of the coffee he had brewed earlier. He was staring at me openly as he spoke.
Wondering if there was something on my face, I suddenly remembered I was still wearing his jacket from the night before. I quickly removed it as I felt the blood rush to my face. "Thanks for lending me your jacket," I said shyly as I handed it back to him. "It kept me warm through the night."
He took it and mumbled, "You're welcome."
We spent the next few minutes in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Then suddenly I burst out laughing.
"What?" he asked, looking at me as if I'd just sprouted an extra head.
"I just remembered. Akira and Soujiro are gonna have a heart attack if they find out you spent the night at my place."
"True." He smiled. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him smile. I think this was the very first time he ever really smiled at me. I could feel my knees growing weak as I felt the warmth in that smile, his sensuous lips stretched across perfect, white, even teeth, a dimple deepening in his left cheek. I gave myself a mental shake as I heard him speak again.
"I'm glad you're okay enough to be able to laugh. Are you going to work today?"
"Nope. I didn't feel like working. I just wanna relax and gather my bearings after what happened last night."
"Wanna go out jogging? You look like you could use some fresh air."
"Sure but you can't go out jogging like that." I looked at him. He was wearing his clothes from the night before -- a black button-down shirt, tan slacks, and loafers.
"Tell you what. Change into your jogging clothes now, then let's drive to my place so I can change. There's a nice park near my building where we can jog. Maybe you better bring a change of clothes too so you can shower at my place afterwards."
"Sounds good." I smiled at him and went into the room to change. I came out with a bag slung across my shoulder containing my change of clothes. Tsukasa had finished washing the bowls and cups we used for breakfast. "Let's go."
==============
There were very few people at the park since it was a weekday. Only a few mothers with their toddlers and some elderly people were around. Tsukasa and I ran a few times around the park, both of us keeping in pace with each other in companionable silence. Funny how we seemed to feel so comfortable with each other now after only one night, considering the animosity between us for the last few months. Once in a while I would sneak a glance sideward, my breath catching in my throat as I marveled at how handsome he was. We slowed down and sat at a bench to rest for a while.
"I guess I'll have to find myself a new gym to go to now," I remarked as we sat and watched some other joggers go past. When he asked why, I told him that I met Junpei at the gym I currently went to.
"There's one in my building. It's where I go to work out. The rates are reasonable and the equipment is top-of-the-line. We could go there later and you could check it out."
"Sure."
We ran a few more times around the park then set back for Tsukasa's condo to take a shower. I took my turn first, then as I was waiting while he showered, I looked around the place. His condo was very tastefully decorated, with its bleached wooden walls and sparse but stylish furnishings. Most of it was in black, white and beige, but a few modern paintings hung on the walls, providing a splash of color to prevent the place from being drab. A large plasma TV sat in front of the king-sized bed in the bedroom. Beside it were state of the art stereo system and DVD player. His collection of DVDs was stacked neatly in a rack by the stereo. I scanned the titles and was surprised to find we shared the same taste in movies. There was a small balcony outside the bedroom where he had placed a table and some chairs. It had a fantastic view of the city.
I turned around as he came out of the bathroom clad only in a bathrobe, his hair still wet and beads of water trickling down towards his partially exposed chest. I felt a blush creeping from my neck to my cheeks and muttered something about leaving the room so he can change. I was out the door so fast he didn't even have time to reply.
He came out to the living room minutes later casually dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white shirt. We went down to the floor where the gym was located. I liked what I saw, and was delighted because it was so close to my place of work. I decided to enroll then and there. By the time I completed the paperwork it was already noon so we decided to have lunch. Tsukasa took me to a restaurant nearby. I insisted on treating him as a gesture of thanks for what he had done the night before. Over a lunch of sushi and sashimi, we talked about the movies we liked. Later on the conversation drifted to books and once again I was pleasantly surprised to find that we liked the same authors as well. We went back to his condo after lunch and vegged out the whole afternoon in front of his wide-screen TV, watching movies from his DVD collection and pigging out on junk food.
Before it got dark, we went down to a convenience store nearby to buy some food for dinner and a six-pack of beer. We ate the dinner al fresco, out in his balcony, enjoying the cool breeze. The view of the city was breath- taking, the beer was ice cold, the company was superb, and all in all I was having a really great time. The transformation in Tsukasa totally amazed me. Gone was the sullen grouch I had known for the last few months. In his place was a completely different guy, friendly, open, and a sparkling conversationalist. It was with regret that I glanced at my watch and realized it was getting late. Tsukasa too seemed sad that the day was over. He took me back to my apartment in his car.
Before I went in, I turned around and smiled up at him. "Thank you for being with me today. I really had fun. I'm glad we became friends."
"So am I," he said as he smiled back at me. "Are you sure you're okay now?"
I nodded wordlessly.
"Good night then. I'll see you soon," he said softly as he turned around to leave.
"I'd like that," I whispered to myself as I watched him go back to his car.
******************
A/N: A happy chappie!!! So how'd you like it? See, I wasn't planning to post this update 'til next week at least but I didn't want you guys waiting too long. What can I say, I love my dear readers, especially those who post their reviews, haha. ^_^
Thanks to venus_goddess, o0itzjeanna0o, xXSwtDreamerXx1, Haruka605, syaoranbabe17, and Toinks for your wonderful reviews!
As always, please let me know what you think by posting your comments if you have time! Here's a tip: speed of updates is directly proportional to number of reviews, hahaha. Just kidding. Aaaargh, I'm such a review slut! ^_^