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Far From The Tree

Chapter 15


HARUHI

Nekozawa thanked everyone for coming, then went into great detail about the charity this gala was all in aid of.

His speech was inspiring, and not a single person in the vast room said a word as he spoke.

I felt a little guilty. Honestly I'd been so wrapped up in feeling out of place, that I'd barely thought about the fundraising aspect of the gala, even though it was the entire reason Nekozawa was even holding it. The charity was in aid of children in low income households, children from broken homes, abusive homes, neglectful homes. And as Nekozawa went into detail as to why he'd wanted to support them, he spoke about his own children and how heartbreaking it was to think of them being in such situations.

I tried not to think about Emi as he explained, but it was difficult not to imagine her little face looking back at me as Nekozawa referenced stories and scenarios he'd been made aware of whilst working with the charity. Those poor poor innocent beautiful children, no different from my own.

My heart wept as a tear fell down my cheek before I could catch it, and I quickly wiped it away before anyone could see.

At least I thought I did, as barely a second later Hikaru's hand clasped mine from under the table, squeezing it reassuringly. I glanced at him, to see he was watching me intently. I attempted a smile, but failed.

He leaned in close to my ear.

"Do you want to step out for a moment?" he asked in a whisper that sent chills down my spine.

I shook my head, "No" I replied, "No, I'm okay"

He searched my eyes, then nodded, but his hand still remained cradled around mine. I probably should have pulled away. The gesture was so intimate, and just to my left was my literal boss. If Mr Suoh were to look close enough he would have seen. I knew I should have let go of Hikaru's hand. But honestly, I couldn't. His touch was so...I wasn't sure how to describe it. It felt...Right? As if his hand was made for mine. I squeezed his fingers laced between mine, and opted for hiding our hands further under the table, more out of Mr Suoh's view. Hikaru seemed to understand my efforts, and slid himself closer to the table, shielding the view of our hands.

He doesn't want to let go either.

Sweat gathered at my brow and I turned back to Nekozawa, painfully aware of Hikaru's grounding touch.

It was only when Nekozawa finished his presentation and the room erupted into applause, did Hikaru and I release each other's grip. My hand felt sweaty as I clapped along with everyone else. I cleared my throat awkwardly, grabbing my wine to soothe the lump that silenced me.

"Are you alright?" Hikaru suddenly spoke in my ear.

I tried not to shudder as his warmth neared my cheek.

"I'm fine, really" I answered.

"That was heavy" Tamaki spoke up from the seat beside Hikaru.

I nodded in agreement. Honestly I could have donated my entire life savings after a speech like that. But I knew that would only leave Emi in a low income household just like the children I wanted to help. My fingers itched towards my clutch, wanting to grab my phone and call Renge to check on my daughter.

"Do you want to call Emi?" Hikaru asked.

I blinked, and for a moment I wondered if he could read minds.

I swallowed, "No" I replied, "She and Renge will be busy. I don't want to be one of those overwhelming mothers"

Hikaru smiled, "You can call her if you want to Haru"

Haru? He'd never called me Haru before. It was even more familiar than just plain 'Haruhi'.

My heart began hammering.

Maybe the wine had already gone to his head, lowering his inhibitions. But even so, I liked it.

Maybe the wine is lowering my inhibitions.

"No" I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "Not right now. Maybe in a little while"

Hikaru didn't press me further, he simply nodded, offering me his familiar smile.

That was enough to bring me back to my regular self. I smiled back, and took another sip of wine.

Our food was delivered a few minutes later, and I noted how not a single person touched their silverware until each of the 14 people around our table had received their plate. As we waited, everyone seemed to be deep in conversation following Nekozawa's speech, discussing the charity and how they intended to donate. It almost seemed like a competition between many guests, battling out who would donate more as if it were a declaration of their wealth. I supposed as arrogant as it was, it was still for a good cause at least.

Aside from the Suoh's, I didn't recognise any of the other guests around us, aside from the dark haired woman across from us who I'd seen staring at Hikaru when we'd first arrived.

He seemed none the wiser, barely lifting his eyes from his meal to glance across the table cloth. Although she seemed incredibly interested in him. Once I noticed her staring the first time, I couldn't help but check in on her every few minutes. Each time I caught her peering over at him, her eyes dark with lust as if she were reliving some past encounter with him.

She was absolutely stunning. I expected her to be probably around my age, if not younger. With long, sleek brunette hair coupled with perfectly cropped bangs. Her cheek bones were high, her chin rounding off in a sharp point, and she was either wearing contact lenses - or she had the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen. She was stunning. Even in the simple black dress she wore. Perhaps she was doing all us women a kindness by wearing it, because I knew had she worn a priceless jewelled gown – the rest of us ladies would have looked like utter dirt in comparison.

I felt almost...jealous whenever I caught her looking at Hikaru. As if I had some kind of primal ownership over the man sat at my side. Each time I noticed her gaze shift towards him, the image of Hikaru and I on his office couch with our lips hungrily coaxing out moans, seemed to enter my mind without my intention. It were as if my head were claiming him with that memory, even though I knew it was wrong.

The meal was unbelievable, as I expected it would be. And although I sat in comfortable silence, I still enjoyed how everyone aside from myself indulged so deeply in conversation, mostly centred around business. Apparently we were sitting at the CEO table, as 90% of these guests seemed to own some sort of company. I learned that the woman who continued to stare across at Hikaru was called Seika Ayanokoji who was an heiress of royal heritage, she was sat beside a man of similar age who I would have assumed to be her partner, but the way she so brazenly stared over at Hikaru made me question my theory. Although the man appeared awfully familiar with her as he snaked his arm across her shoulders and traced circles on her knuckle with his thumb.

Hikaru, as confident as ever, made sure to weigh in on discussions. I enjoyed listening to him speak, although what I didn't enjoy was being within everyone's eyeline whenever attention was directed towards him. I kept catching glances my way from several attendees, some admiring, whilst other's were confused, as if they were unsure as to why the hell I was there. Clearly amongst the guests at the table, I was by far the most insignificant when it came to status, although no one had yet asked me who I was or what I did for a living. I supposed I seemed like a mystery to these people, who were so well informed of who travelled within their social circles, that not a single one could place where the hell I fit into that same group.

As the evening drew on, guests left the table to mingle with other elites, the dance floor opened up and filled with tipsy guests, the lights dimmed and music became louder. The bottles of wine and champagne on the table emptied and soon enough I was relatively foggy; not drunk, but comfortably warm enough to smile without hesitance.

Hikaru seemed more relaxed too as I caught him smiling back at me in amusement whenever I caught his eye.

"Having fun?" he asked.

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "I suppose"

"I'm heading to the bar" Tamaki then spoke up, leaning on the table to meet my eye, "Care to join me?"

I smiled back, but quickly reined it in as I noticed Hikaru's face transform from careless joy, to stern irritation. I tried not to react, even though my head filled with question over the sudden aggressive change. It was then I wondered if maybe he felt somewhat neglected. I mean, I had spent a lot of time talking to Tamaki before the speech. Then of course during said speech no one really spoke, and following that there wasn't an awful lot of dead air to have a conversation with him...

I cleared my throat, "Actually, I think I'm okay for now"

Tamaki blinked, "Okay. I can still get you something? More wine maybe?"

"She said she's okay" Hikaru interjected, a smile parting his lips. Although I wasn't sure if it were a genuine smile or not.

Tamaki stared at him for a long moment, then stood from his seat.

"Can I offer you a drink Mr Hitachiin?" he said, his tone a little more stern than the one he'd used to address me.

"No thank you, Mr Suoh" Hikaru replied.

Tamaki nodded curtly, then with a brief glance my way, he walked away in the direction of the bar.

"You know I could have done with a water" I grumbled.

Hikaru immediately moved to stand, "I can get you one"

I chuckled, "No. It's fine"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure" I answered, lifting my glass to my lips and draining it to it's last few drops.

I hated to admit it, but I was enjoying this new found feeling of freedom. Being a Mother meant that all my free time was consumed by entertaining Emi, and though I loved spending so much time with her, it was still nice to have an evening where I could let my hair down. Dad always said I shouldn't allow myself to become nothing but a 'Mother', but that was easier said and done when I was the only parent. I couldn't even keep track of the amount of times Renge had invited me out for drinks and I'd had to cancel or simply say no because I didn't have anyone to watch Emi. Or rather I didn't want to be parted from her.

Hikaru's lips moved, his eyes locked to mine. I realised then that he had said something, but I had been far too distracted by my own thoughts to hear what he'd said.

"Sorry?" I hummed.

"Would you like to dance?" he repeated, his expression slightly less confident than it had been the first time he'd wordlessly asked.

I stared at him silently, my thoughts immediately turning to the fact that my boss was somewhere within this same room.

"Dance?" I questioned, "With...with you?"

He raised a brow, "No, with that man over there" he gestured to an elderly and incredibly intoxicated man trying to keep his balance as he clung to the wall across the room, "Of course with me"

"But..." I hesitated, "I'm a terrible dancer"

"Then it's a good thing that I'm an amazing dancer. I'll lead"

"But, what about Mr Suoh?"

"What about him?"

"He'll see us"

"And?"

"And wouldn't it look...unprofessional?"

A puzzled look cloaked his face, "I'm asking you to a waltz, not for a lap dance"

My bottom lip clamped between my teeth, as the image of me straddling his lap on his office couch instantly came to mind.

Hikaru stood from his seat and undid his bow tie, then flashed me his most confident grin. The same grin that could probably move mountains. It was irresistible. But I expected he knew that.

He offered me his hand, "Will you do me the honour Miss Fujioka?"

I bit back a giggle, then hesitantly took his hand.

"Don't blame me if I fall" I said.

"No need to worry" he winked, "I'll catch you"


HIKARU

"You lied. You're not a terrible dancer" I smirked as Haruhi followed my lead with flawless ease.

She lifted her eyes from her feet, staring back at me with caution.

"That's because I'm concentrating on not stepping on your feet" she answered. Her arms tightened around my neck, as if she were afraid of stumbling all the time she wasn't focused on her footwork.

She wouldn't fall. I was holding her far too securely for that to happen.

Her small waist felt incredible between my hands, her warmth engulfing me like a comfort blanket as her chest pressed firmly to mine. And the way her perfume and scent surrounded me was almost enough to cause intoxication. This woman was overwhelming all my senses in the most arousing way possible, it made me want to dance with her all night long.

"Has Mr Suoh seen us yet?" She asked.

I did my best to ignore how close her face was to mine.

I looked over her head.

Mr Suoh was sat at another table in the far corner, talking very animatedly with the head of the Ootori corporation. It was clear he'd had plenty to drink from the lazy grin on his face and the way he seemed to emphasis his words with his hands.

I knew he wouldn't care if he saw us anyway. It wasn't unusual at all to simply pick a partner and dance at these events, and it wasn't like Haruhi and I were dancing during working hours. In that moment she and I were simply two people enjoying the party, not an attorney and her client.

The other Suoh however continued to stare over at us from where he sat at our table. Beside him sat a few other guests we had shared our meal with, but it seemed his mind was elsewhere as he answered their questions with barely a glance their way. He didn't seem best pleased to witness Haruhi and I together, and the moment he caught me looking at him, he immediately diverted his eyes back to the man beside him.

"So you and Suoh? The two of you are friends?" I probed.

"Tamaki?" she questioned, "Yes. We've been friends for...well, years now"

"He looks like he wants to kill me"

Haruhi raised a brow in confusion, "Don't be ridiculous"

"I have a feeling he would have asked you to be his date had you not been coming with me"

"Now you're starting to sound crazy. How much wine did you drink?" she chuckled anxiously.

I smirked, leaning close to talk in her ear, "Then why is he watching us like he wants to rip you from my arms?"

"Probably because he's wondering why the hell a business attorney would be dancing with her client in front of her boss and a room full of people so brazenly" she muttered in reply, "Besides, aren't you concerned how this looks? That lady from our table has been throwing daggers at me since we stepped onto the dance floor"

"Lady?" I questioned.

"The pretty one from our table. I think her name was Seika or something"

"Ohh..." I drawled. Yes. Seika. Her.

Seika and I had...history I supposed. Nothing major, but a few years back she and I spent a night together after a different event.

She was attractive enough, and she threw herself at me pretty much the moment she first saw me. I barely I had to turn on my charm before she was all over me and we were drunkenly fumbling our way to the closest hotel room. Honestly I barely remembered that night. I think we'd rolled around in bed for maybe 10 minutes before we fell asleep. When I woke up she'd claimed my shirt as her own, wandering around the hotel room in it as if she were strutting the cat walk. It was a shame, I'd liked that shirt. But she'd already stained the collar with her foundation and I wasn't going to try prying it off of her, especially since I had no intention of repeating the night before.

I'd left and since then I'd only seen her in passing, usually at events like this.

The man she'd come with was her fiance, one of many. Honestly she was the last person who should be considering marriage, the woman couldn't help herself when it came to pining after the approval of other men.

"I'm sure someone else will catch her eye" I replied, "Her attention span for men doesn't last more than the length of an evening"

"She's beautiful" Haruhi said, and I noted the way her eyes refused to meet mine as she spoke.

Was she...jealous?

I tried not to grin.

"Maybe under the make up and fillers she could be. But inside she's ugly as hell" I replied, "Besides, I barely noticed. I've been far too busy looking at someone else"

"Someone else?"

I rolled my eyes. This woman was so oblivious.

"You, you moron"

Her cheeks flushed and I couldn't help but wind my arms tighter around her, pulling her into a close embrace.

"You are beautiful" I breathed, my forehead practically pressed to hers.

I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to kiss her so damn bad.

Maybe I had drunk too much wine. I could feel my self control slipping by the second.

She made a sound that told me she didn't quite believe me.

"You don't think so?"

Her eyes dulled with sadness.

"I know you wear contacts, but how blind are you?" I joked, "I've practically been marking my territory all night to keep the lions at bay"

"Cute" she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not trying to be cute" I said, "Just trying to make you see what everyone else can"

She bit her lip, her eyes meeting mine as they darkened. I inwardly groaned at the sight.

"Thank you" she uttered.

"Anytime" I replied.

We stared at each other in silence for the longest time, simply swaying to the gentle orchestral music that echoed through the room. I barely heard the laughter and voices around us, as the only thing I could focus on was her.

I wanted to kiss her. To claim those full lips and feel the hammering of her heart beat against my chest. I couldn't recall a time I'd ever wanted someone so much. No. Not wanted. Needed.

Her gaze flickered to my lips for the slightest of moments, and it took all my slipping self control to keep myself from giving in to all my urges and desires. I struggled to keep the memory of our previous kiss buried, as it crept out to worsen my resolve. I remembered how soft her lips were, how sweet she tasted on my tongue, how hot her body became under my desperate fingers.

But she'd pushed me away that day. And made it very clear that she never wanted to repeat it.

But the look in her eyes, as we swayed in each other's embrace, told me she was reliving the same memory.

My resolve slipped, and I began to lean in to her.

Closer and closer, until our noses slid against one another, my lips parted, and her eyes fluttered shut in anticipation. I could feel her breath on my lips, hear her heart thump with adrenaline against my chest, feel her desire pour from her soft skin.

Then a ringtone forced our eyes open again, and she straightened her back to fumble through her clutch, ripping her gaze from mine.

I cursed under my breath.

"Ren?" Haruhi answered, her cell pressed to her ear, "Wait, calm down, what's happened?"

I watched silently as her expression changed from concern to full swing panic, her breathing turned to panting, and her eyes went wide and glassy with tears.

"Is she okay?!" she blurted.

I frowned. Emi? Was something wrong with Emi?

As if it were infectious, I felt myself begin to panic too, all desires to take Haruhi to bed vanishing from my mind as I too was consumed with worry.

"I'm on my way" Haruhi said urgently, and the second those words left her mouth I was pulling her from the dance floor towards the door. She went with me, struggling to keep up with my long strides.

Her shaky breathing then turned to sobs. I looked at her to see she'd hung up and was trying to hold back tears.

I hailed a driver, practically throwing us both into the back of the car.

"What's happened?" I snapped.

"Emi" she whimpered, "hospital"

I didn't press further, I simply shouted to the driver to take us to the ER.

Then Haruhi buried her face into my chest.


I'm sorry for this cliffhanger, I'd be mad too :O

Don't worry, I won't make you wait long for the next chapter!

Please remember to Review/Favourite/Follow, it really helps to let me know that you're liking this story :D

- Yuli xxxx