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Far From The Tree
Chapter 12
HIKARU
I wasn't sure who made the first move, but one moment we were simply staring at each other, silence hanging between us aside from our increasing heart beats. I took in the glow of her perfect face in the disappearing sunlight, the way it cast a delicate shadow on the point of her chin, and the bridge of her nose, the rich chocolate colour of her darkening eyes and the rosy tint of those rounded cheeks. But as her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, lust simply overcame me, clouding every thought and feeling that didn't feature her.
Then our lips met. In a deep and longing kiss.
One that made my soul scream out, and my entire body melt into her. I felt every trail of her fingertips journey up my back before settling around my neck, pulling me closer against her soft heated body. Our tongues met in a primal dance, not teasing, just pure unwavering lust, causing every cell inside me to crave more of her, calling her name, pleading. My arms snaked around her waist, crushing her small, sweet body to mine, as if I couldn't get close enough.
I hadn't experienced a kiss like it before. Not once. And I was drunk on it, and not because of the 2 sips of scotch I'd managed between the lulls in our long conversation. She'd let out a soft sigh that only made me groan hungrily into her mouth, the vibrations igniting every dormant desire this woman had slowly been awakening since the moment I'd first met her gaze all those months ago.
She straddled me, her skirt riding up as she ground herself against me, lips still connected, just like all of my sordid fantasies HR would have a field day with.
It was dangerous.
So so dangerous.
You shouldn't be doing this – my mind scolded me.
But her warmth, her taste, the sounds she made only made me want her more. My first bite of the forbidden fruit. So sweet. I couldn't bring myself to pull away. I was completely and utterly under her spell. She felt incredible in my arms. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her skirt revealing those creamy thighs, her stockings calling to my desperate hands. I wanted more. No. Needed more.
I splashed another handful of water in my face, washing away the memory. And looked back at my tired face in the mirror, before finishing the scene in my mind.
She'd pulled away.
A look of regret in those lovely eyes.
And left.
I have royally, and famously, fucked up.
I scolded my reflection. Hating myself for even reminiscing over Monday night's events. Clearly she regretted it. I could see as much when she leapt off my lap and gathered her belongings. She'd flashed me an apologetic look, one that gave me false hope. Before telling me she was sorry and running from the building, leaving her drink hardly touched, and me on the couch feeling like the world's biggest bastard.
We'd both wanted it right? She'd kissed me too...she'd climbed onto my lap, and moaned against my lips. I could feel the heat and desire radiating off her, matching my own overwhelming lust. But then...why did she leave?
She must have had more sense then I had. More will power.
The reality was that we shouldn't have done it.
I knew it in the moment. And I knew it now. But I was enjoying myself far too much to care.
She was my attorney, I was her boss. Not to mention she had a kid to think about, and we had work to do. We were treading dangerously. Teetering on the edge. Perhaps she had enough strength to pull away and focus on the bigger picture. Whereas I could only focus on the growing desire in my pants.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It was Friday now, and since Monday evening I'd barely seen her aside from in the halls as she scampered into her office. She still handed me my coffee each morning, but whenever I tried to bring up the subject of the kiss, she quickly left the room, her heels clicking urgently on the tiled floor.
Did she hate me now?
I expected so. I mean why wouldn't she? I crossed a line. A big, fat, bold line.
I'd spent months rehearsing all the reasons why I had to resist this woman, all the reasons I shouldn't pursue her. Like a mantra. Over and over, every time I caught sight of those big brown eyes. I'd hoped it would eventually sink in, and suppress all those urges I knew I couldn't act on. But one moment of weakness when I'd left a lose thread for her to tug on, unravelled all those nights of will power. And probably destroyed all semblance of a friendship we had.
She was already in her office when I arrived, which struck me as odd since she usually showed up after me. I also found my usual black coffee waiting for me on my desk, still hot, placed beside Emi's card that still stood in prize place amongst my pen pot and paperwork.
I stared at it for the longest time. Until it became too much.
Fine. If she wasn't going to come to me, I would go to her.
We needed to talk about the kiss. We needed to fix this.
Kaoru's words suddenly struck me from the last family meal. Haruhi isn't like those other girls. He's said.
I needed to know that I hadn't completely lost her. Because no matter what, she was still important to me and my work. I couldn't lose that. Even if that meant burying those desires deep deep down to never surface again.
Because that worked so well the first time huh?
I strode from my office, ignoring the look of concern on Hinako's face as I headed for Haruhi's office. I entered without knocking, causing the lovely brunette to jump in her seat as her eyes leapt to mine.
"M-Mr Hitachiin" she gasped.
"Mr Hitachiin? Really? We were back to formalities now?"
Even after she rode my lap with our tongues down each other's throats?!
"Hikaru" she corrected, swallowing.
"We need to talk Haruhi"
She was already shaking her head, "I don't think that's a good idea. I have work to do"
"I respectfully disagree" I replied, taking the seat in front of her, and resting my elbows on her desk, "Please. We haven't talked all week. I'm going insane"
"There's nothing to talk about"
"We both know that's not true"
She blinked, and I could see all those conflicting thoughts swimming behind her gaze, "What needs to be said?" she asked.
"We kissed!" I said bluntly "And...and you just left. All week I've been terrified I did something wrong, like I made you do something you didn't want to do"
"That's not true" she answered, trying to avoid my eyes, "At the time, yes admittedly, I wanted it"
"Then why have you been avoiding me?"
"Because" she hissed, "This is...wrong. It was wrong. We were both feeling vulnerable, we were both feeling alone, we got close and we weren't thinking straight"
"Says who?"
Obviously I couldn't say we were exactly thinking straight, the atmosphere had been so sexually charged even a priest would have struggled to keep composure. But it wasn't loneliness, nor vulnerability. No. It was months of sexual tension finally meeting it's crescendo on my office couch.
"We work together" she breathed, "So I thought it best to just remove the temptation and stay away"
"And you didn't think to include me in that discussion?"
"No"
"Why?"
"Because I knew you'd be like this"
"Like what?!"
"Like this!" she snapped in reply, "It was a kiss, that's all, we got carried away and it won't happen again. It can't happen again. We have too many things to focus on, too much work to do. I can't be getting myself wrapped up in some office fling. If Mr Suoh found out I'd lose my license!"
"You know I'm not going to tell anyone" I said, finally catching her eyes, and ignoring the kick in gut she just delivered.
"I can't get distracted" she admitted apologetically, "It was a moment of weakness, and I wasn't thinking. I just...I don't have space in my life for..."
"For me?"
She blinked, "No, that's not what I'm saying"
"Then what are you saying?"
"I can't lose focus" she replied, "We need to land this deal with Nekozawa, and I need to do my job. I liked being friends with you. I liked how we were"
I'm not sure why I felt so annoyed by this rejection. Because she was saying everything I was thinking. I didn't have time for some office affair either, I couldn't afford the distractions, not when I was so close to landing the deal of a lifetime.
So...why did the idea of not kissing her again make me want to hit something?
Maybe I just hated how she'd distanced herself from me. I missed our morning chit chat, I missed hearing about how Emi was doing at Yochien.
I missed...her.
I took a deep sobering breath. She was right. We were on the same page. It was a slip up. A momentary lapse in judgement. And maybe now that I'd finally scratched the itch to kiss her, my unusual desire would start to vanish.
We could go back to how things were.
Not that I could remember a time that I hadn't wanted to kiss her...
"We're still friends aren't we?" I breathed.
"I don't know" she breathed, "Are we?"
"Of course we are" I said quickly, not needing a moment to think about it, "You keep my head on straight. I want to go back to how we were before Monday...I still need my attorney"
It took a long moment, but finally she gave a slight nod.
"Good" I whooshed out a breath, and stood up, ushering her to the door, "Now get your ass in my office. I'm expecting to see the greatest goddamn contract I've ever read in my life since you've had the whole week to finalise it"
She raised a defiant eyebrow at me, and closed her laptop.
There's my girl.
HARUHI
I could still taste him on my lips as I rolled over in bed, the memories hitting me just as they had done every other night these last couple of weeks.
I thought about his hands, as if every inch his fingers caressed had left a mark behind on my skin. His eager lips, the hardness beneath me as I spread my thighs over his hips, the way his palms journeyed my bare legs, the scent of his aftershave engulfing me. It was all I could think about. Which was wrong. So so wrong. No matter how right it felt at the time.
But it was over now. As quickly as it had begun. And that was for the best.
It's done. Now stop thinking about it.
Things at work had returned to somewhat normalcy since he thundered into my office demanding an answer as to why I'd freaked out and fled after our kiss. Honestly I was a little surprised. He'd tried bringing it up during the week, but each time I avoided the conversation and busied myself in my office. I'd assumed he'd have a pretty similar monologue prepared for me, about how it was a mistake and he regretted it etc. But I wasn't sure I could handle hearing those words from his lips. I preferred being the one to deliver that line, even if I wasn't 100% sure it was true. But I knew I couldn't be indulging in some office affair with my boss, so thoughts on my attraction to him had to be pushed aside. Removed. Obliterated.
Thankfully neither one of us had spoken about it since then, and our days returned to how they used to be, with perhaps a little less joking around. Maybe we were both doing our best not to cross into flirting territory. I missed the easygoing nature of our conversations. But I was there to work, not to fool around.
It was Saturday. Exactly a week before Nekozawa's gala. And today I had been invited by Kimiko to choose the perfect outfit from a collection Mrs Hitachiin had designed. All stocked within the Hitachiin estate.
I'd voiced to her previously about my concerns with feeling out of place at the gala. Not knowing what to wear, if my behaviour would stand out, if I struggled to know what to say. But after speaking with Hikaru about it, I was feeling far more at ease with my worries. Which drove me to taking Kimiko up on her offer to dress me up like a doll.
Of course I'd declined at first. I wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of going to the Hitachiin house, in a strange way it almost felt like I were going behind Hikaru's back or something. It probably didn't help that I deliberately didn't tell him. It made me nervous. Though I wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't like Hikaru would be there, he didn't live on the Hitachiin estate, and from what he'd told me before, he only ever visited once a week for an extravagant family dinner. And I was pretty sure that had been scheduled for the previous night.
As well as Kimiko, Renge - who would behead me if she found out she missed out on playing dress up - was coming too. As well as the harshest critic of them all when it came to dresses. Emi.
"Momma! It's like a castle!" Emi squealed, bouncing up and down as she stared up at the mansion.
She wasn't wrong. This place was huge. I knew the Hitachiin's had money but...wow. They had money money.
"I bet just the door handle could pay for my whole apartment" Renge whistled.
I ignored her musings and stroked Emi's curls, "What do we say when we see Kimiko and Mrs Hitachiin sweetie?"
She glowed up at me, "Thank you for having me, and your castle is really pretty"
I chuckled, "Good girl"
We were welcomed inside by what appeared to be a butler, who bowed so low I couldn't even note their face as we stepped over the threshold. Even Emi seemed taken aback by the gesture, something we hadn't been expecting yet probably should have done. Moments later Kimiko came bouncing down the hall, baby Kazue cradled in her arms and he happily nodded his head towards us.
And of course when Emi instantly caught sight of him and began leaping up and down like she'd seen a unicorn. Completely in awe of the tiny baby boy.
"I'm so happy you came" Kimiko beamed.
I smiled back, "Thank you for inviting us"
Emi immediately jumped into action, "Thank you for having me, and your castle is really pretty" she recited, grinning at me when she nailed her lines.
Kimiko cooed, "Oh you are just the cutest" she pouted, "Yuzuha will be so happy to hear that you like her castle"
Yuzuha?
Oh. Mrs Hitachiin.
"It's been a little hectic this morning, this one woke up at 4 and hasn't slept since" Kimiko chuckled, "Come, let me get you something to drink"
We followed her through the long hallway, the walls lined with beautiful bright paintings, framed in gold, before turning a corner into a large open living room space. Greeted by dark blue couches that were bigger than my entire bed, embellished with rich embroidered cushions that matched the floor to ceiling curtains, covering pristine latticed windows. And don't even get me started on the chandelier.
Emi must have felt like she was walking through a real life Princesses palace from the way her mouth hung open in amazement.
Screw the zoo. I should just bring her here to sight see.
It was almost overwhelming as we were invited to sit down, and offered drinks I couldn't even pronounce, in crystal glasses, served quickly by maids and butlers.
So this is how the other half live?
No wonder Hikaru had his arrogant moments. When you came from a world were you didn't even have to pour your own refreshments, why would you even bother being surprised when someone went above and beyond - by average standards?
A familiar woman who I'd only seen once before entered the room shortly afterwards, wearing a stunning cream jumpsuit and blue silk head scarf, brightening it ever further with her beaming grin and radiant aura.
Mrs Hitachiin.
"It's so wonderful to see you all again" she greeted, taking my hands in hers and grinning between Renge and myself, "Although I'd been hoping to see you a lot sooner"
"Thank you so much for having us over Mrs Hitachiin, your house is beautiful" I replied.
On cue, Emi once again resited her lines. Word for word.
Mrs Hitachiin practically tripped over herself as she crouched down to her level, cupping Emi's little cheeks with her jewelled fingers.
"You're very welcome little one" she cooed, "You're even lovelier than I remember"
Emi snorted, "I was poorly then. But I'm all better now"
Mrs Hitachiin studied at Emi for the longest time, a smile fixated to her perfectly made up face, "And that makes me so happy to hear precious"
After some more small talk, we found ourselves being led upstairs to a large room that very well could have been it's own department store.
Rails of clothing lined the walls, coupled with framed drawings and designs that seemed to tie everything together. A simple sewing machine sat upon a glass desk, beside a mannequin that wore the most beautiful chiffon gown in a deep burgundy. This must have been Mrs Hitachiin's workspace, where she created all those incredible designs I'd seen in Dad's magazines. I was pretty sure I'd even seen him wear a pair of her shoes once or twice before. I could only guess as to how much he had to save to afford them.
"Thank you so much Mrs Hitachiin, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble" I stated, suddenly feeling a little too much like the centre of attention as I struggled to tear my eyes away from the many garments laid out on display.
"It's no trouble" Mrs Hitachiin answered, "I consider this somewhat of a business endeavour. You'll be representing the family name after-all, and I always make sure the Hitachiin's are seen wearing the best"
Her confidence made me smile. It was once again, another trait Hikaru seemed to have inherited.
I pushed the image of his cocky grin from my mind.
"Momma look!" Emi remarked in excitement as she ran to admire a full length pink gown that swelled with lace and net, spilling out like the bottom tier of a wedding cake, "You could be a Princess!"
I chuckled in reply. Of course out of all the beautiful dresses in the room, she had to choose the bright pink Disney gown.
But thankfully Mrs Hitachiin never steered me towards that pink dress. Instead she kept me close to the rail of neutral and elegant evening gowns, in a variety of blacks, dark blues, greens and burgundy. She told me darker colours brought out the glow in my complexion. I wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but she seemed to be right – as each time I tried on a dress, I found myself staring at my reflection in awe. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so pretty, especially when we finally found the dress.
It was a rich royal blue, off the shoulders with a sweetheart neckline, and a full floor length skirt with a tasteful slit up the right leg. At first glance I wasn't sure if I liked the fullness of the skirt with the petticoat underneath the heavy blue fabric, but with some convincing from the other women and of course Emi – who loved the dress the moment she laid eyes on it, telling me I looked like Cinderella – I easily conceded. And it truly was such a sight to behold.
I found myself feeling somewhat calmer knowing I had something to wear now. Something that would fit in with the other guests in attendance. No longer did I have to worry about digging that old linen sundress out of my closet and praying it still buttons up.
It had taken a couple of hours to find the right dress, but if the other ladies were bored – they gave no indication. In fact they seemed to solidly enjoy the day we'd spent in the beautiful dress-up room. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had fun too. Strangely enough, I sort of liked being fawned over and made all pretty. In fact they'd made me feel almost beautiful, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time someone made me feel beautiful.
Well.
Aside from Hikaru on Sunday...
When he told me I'd be the most beautiful woman in the room...
"Another drink?" Mrs Hitachiin asked, grinning at me from over the dining table as she gestured to the large decanter of water.
I nodded, "Yes please"
I wasn't sure how it happened. But somehow I'd been coerced into accepting a dinner invitation. Obviously I hadn't planned to stay, otherwise I might have dressed up in more than just jeans, a tank top, and a cardigan with holes in. But something about Mrs Hitachiin's winning smile made me feel as if I couldn't refuse. Also Renge jumped at the chance to sample how the other half lived, whispering musings of lobster and caviar into my ear as we caught the floating scent of the kitchen as the chef prepared the evening meal. Emi was all in the moment she heard the word "food".
Definitely my child.
I could only hope she didn't ask for the same sort of food back at home. Because god knows I couldn't replicate whatever delicacy the Hitachiin household could provide.
"Momma" Emi grinned beside me, her legs swinging off the edge of her seat, her feet a good foot off the floor.
"Yes sweetie?"
"Are you going to wear your Cinderella dress everyday now?"
I laughed, "No baby. It won't be special if I wore it all the time"
"You look super pretty"
"Thank you baby" I smiled, my cheeks flushing with joy.
Who has the best child?
Me. That's who.
"Can I wear my Snow White dress when we get home?" she beamed.
"You'll be getting into your pyjamas when we get home baby. You get to stay up a little later tonight so you'll be heading straight to bed"
She mused thoughtfully, "I wear it tomorrow then?"
"You wear it tomorrow" I confirmed.
Mrs Hitachiin chuckled across the table, "So precious" she grinned, "This is why I always wanted a daughter"
I laughed. Everyone always said that. However they hadn't seen how difficult Emi could be when she didn't get what she wanted. The tantrums she could throw could overthrow a country, "Trust me, she has her moments" I replied.
Mrs Hitachiin smiled, "When I fell pregnant with my boys I was convinced they were going to be girls" she said, "I was so prepared. Their nursery was Alice in Wonderland themed, and I designed so many dresses and bonnets for them. I stitched, I sewed, I appliquéd for months, all ready for them when they arrived. Those poor boys wore nothing but dresses and pinafores until they were 18 months old"
I bit back a laugh as the image of adult Hikaru wearing a frilly pink gown entered my mind. But that laugh quickly turned into a blush as I imagined how his arm muscles would bulge under the capped sleeves, and how toned and strong his bare legs would look in that skirt...
"Of course I wasn't disappointed. My boys were the most precious little treasures. Always keeping me on my toes. And it wasn't like all that work wasn't a lost cause" Mrs Hitachiin continued, "I actually found that I had quite the talent for children's clothes after that, and the boys were a new challenge. I'd never worked on men's clothing before then, and they were a huge inspiration for me"
I bet they were always the best dressed at school. It made me think about Hikaru, and his suits in the office. He wore nothing but his mother's designs. Perfect, pristine, stunning suits that made him stand out so elegantly. She certainly had a talent for all gendered clothing.
"I still have that extensive collection of their little girl's attire in storage" a slow grin spread her perfectly bowed red lips, "If you're interested that is?"
"Interested?" I questioned.
"I'm sure Emi would enjoy them. No use in allowing them to collect dust in an old musty room"
My eyes widened.
"Free of charge of course. Although I would be very interested in getting some photos for my portfolio. Lord knows if or when I'll have a granddaughter to gift them to"
Kimiko laughed, "I'm sorry but after having Kaz, I'm binding my legs shut. No way am I going through pregnancy again"
I wasn't sure what to say. Mrs Hitachiin's clothes went for...I wasn't even sure how much. Probably millions of yen?! Emi wore pre-loved clothes from goodwill, sales items from 'Baby Gap', and dress-up from Amazon. Technically I could afford more of course, but I made sure any extra money went into her Yochien and our home.
Emi was already leaping with excitement before I could even answer.
"I can have dresses like Momma's?!" she bounced.
"I'd love to finally see them worn and loved" Mrs Hitachiin beamed, "And I think you'd love them so very very much" she looked at Emi with adoration, as if she were the most precious, priceless item in the room. Which was saying something since we were sat under a pure crystal chandelier.
"I'm not sure what to say Mrs Hitachiin" I admitted, "I don't know if I can accept such a gift"
"You can" Kimiko said from beside me, "She'd saved them for when I fell pregnant, but unfortunately for the dresses... he was another Hitachiin boy"
"I'll have them cleaned, pressed and sent right to you" Mrs Hitachiin smiled, "It would honestly be such an honour for me. Those poor neglected dresses have been waiting for a lovely girl to wear them for decades"
I bit my lip.
Of course I wanted to accept. And I knew that Emi would be over the moon to wear Mrs Hitachiin's dresses. Not to mention my father. Who would die the moment he found out his granddaughter was more fashionable than him. But...but...
Dammit I can't think of a 'but'...
I glanced at Emi, "What do you think Em? Would you like to wear Mrs Hitachiin's pretty clothes?"
She nodded so hard her head probably came loose, "Please, please, please!"
Mrs Hitachiin beamed with delight, "We shall drink to it" she held up her glass of wine, "Emi?"
Emi held up her apple juice, her tiny hand barely wrapping around the small cup. They clinked glasses and a little giggle passed her lips.
"I already know you'll look lovely. Kaoru and Hikaru looked so adorable, and your hair is almost...uncanny...to theirs" Mrs Hitachiin cooed in awe as she admired Emi's red waves, pulled up in sweet pigtails, "Such an unusual whimsical colour..."
It's not from my side of the family... I thought, uncomfortably.
I sipped my drink in silence, and turned to look at Emi who was turned to look back towards the door – just as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.
Then her sweet little face suddenly lit up, her eyes going wide and excited as she leapt down from her seat, as if Elsa herself had just entered the room.
"Mr Hikaru!" She shrieked. And my heart seemed to stop.
No. no.
He wasn't meant to be here today. And I hadn't told him I was coming. A sudden wave of guilt washed over me.
Should I have told him?
Would he be mad if I hadn't?
Would he be mad that I came over without permission?
Did I need permission?!
I couldn't have turned any faster, only to see Emi running into the arms of Kaoru standing in the doorway.
My heart rate returned to normal, and I whooshed out a breath.
Kaoru laughed loudly, happily accepting the hug regardless. Then Emi looked up at him, her head tilting quizzically as if she were trying to decipher a word she couldn't yet read. Her eyes narrowed.
"You're not Mr Hikaru" she said accusingly, her tone somewhat disappointed.
Kaoru raised a brow in confusion, "No?"
She shook her head, "No" then she pointed further out the doorway. And I froze when I saw what she was gesturing towards. She grinned, just as the blood rushed to my ears in panic, "That's Mr Hikaru!"
Quick new chapter update! I couldn't wait!
I'm writing this weekend so more chapters are soon to come! My goal is to complete this story waaaay quicker than my others! Haha!
Please hold me to that goal!
On my twitter I share photos, updates and general posts if you'd like to be in the loop first! - YulisanWrites (I'll be sharing image references such as outfits etc if you'd like more accurate images! i.e. Haruhi's gala dress)
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- Yuli xxx
