A/N: Welcome back. Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it. We've arrived at the chapter where both Chris and Gure shed the final mental blocks that have been keeping them apart. This of course doesn't mean that things will be easy, but at least their inner worries will be calmed. And for the outer troubles, there's Haa-san and Aya. They're in good hands.
Mayu interlude
The next morning, I got a call from my parents. They sounded excited but nervous. "Mayu, what do you suggest we do for refreshments for a book tour signing? Do you think they'd like it if I baked cookies?"
"You're getting an author on a book tour?"
"Yes, your friend Shigure wrote a book, and we thought it would be nice to have him do a book signing at the store. It would give us a lot of publicity. Plus, it would be lovely to see him, he was always such a good boy."
Ignoring her comment, I said,
"Wow, he's on a big tour, you must have impressed his publisher."
"Yes! We wrote a letter to his editor who got us in touch with the Deputy Director for Client Relations who was planning his tour. He was so nice what was his name?"
I heard a muffled response from my dad, saying,
"Chris Grrurd."
"Yes Chris, Chris Gerard."
"Hmmm. I can only think of one Chris involved with that company. And he's a photographer. Was he American?"
"Yes, he's American. But his Japanese was quite good."
"Must be him, I can't imagine they have many Americans on staff. Well, I'm sure the company will hire a caterer."
"Ok. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!"
"We will."
I turned to Tori and said,
"Chris certainly has gone up in the world."
"How so?"
"Well, he went from a freelance photographer to a Deputy Director of Client Relations in the space of a few days."
"Their promotion system works fast huh?"
"Do you think Shigure knows?"
"Well, if he doesn't, he likely will. People with titles are generally very protective of them."
"Why do you suppose he said he was a photographer?"
"You know Gure with authority. He probably thought he'd be easier to handle if he didn't know."
"Or he was worried his title would get in the way of getting to know him. By the way, they're going to my parents' bookstore."
"Is that wise? it's tiny."
"I know…well it will put them on the map for sure."
He turned to his paper and noted that the first photos from Gure's tour had hit the papers. Chris was in few given that he was often behind a camera himself. But when he did appear, he was generally standing slightly behind and to the left of Shigure. Within earshot and arm's length. There was nothing on his face to suggest anything beyond a genial professional relationship.
"You're right he has a great poker face."
"Gure's a loose cannon though."
"Oh, it would be great if this works out. I want the best for him."
I was pleasantly surprised to find Chris sitting on the edge of my bed when I woke. He was gently stroking my hair, a wistful look in his eye. Seeing I was awake, he leaned over and kissed me. I sat up and pulled him closer. We came up breathless.
"Well," I said, "That's a nice way to wake up. But I suppose we have to run to get breakfast."
"I thought you'd enjoy a bit of a break from rushed hotel breakfasts. I got this from a local restaurant."
"Are you this attentive to all your clients or am I getting special treatment?"
He gave me as smile and said,
"If that's a round-about way of asking if I often make out with my charges, I can categorically say that I don't. Have they tried to kiss me, yes a few have, but I've rebuffed them. Now please come and eat before it gets cold."
Getting up, I threw on my robe and joined Chris at the table. I began eating while Chris looked through the paper. He put it down hard, got up and started pacing saying,
"We were off the clock; the event was over."
"What's wrong Chris?"
He showed me the paper that had a picture of us standing waiting for the car. It was blurry, and dark as the photographer relied on the streetlights for lighting, but it could possibly be read that we were kissing. But we could also be having a private conversation. Later in the paper there was a photograph taken during the receiving line that had been cropped down. Chris was leaning close to me whispering in my ear. It looked quite intimate from that angle. The article strongly suggested that we were in a relationship.
I said, "Well that's a problem."
"It was Tak, it must have been. Shit, Gure, I'm sorry."
I put on a brave face as I didn't quite feel as strongly as my words suggested, but it was time to be brave.
"Chris. I'm out. I've never made it a secret that I'm Bi to those I care about. I'm not sure I care what the rest of my family thinks."
Then something occurred to me,
"Wait, are you not out?"
"I'm out too. I just generally try to not be seen out with a client."
"Is this going to be a problem?
He looked at the photo again and said,
"Well, It, could be that I was telling you something that I didn't want overheard, or I could have just been getting rid of an eye lash on your face as I said. I am particular about how my clients look as I'm a photographer."
Chris got a call from Mit-chan who said that she'd be coming over for party line control.
I got dressed and sat on the couch and waited. Chris paced the floor until she knocked. She had a blow up of the photo with her so we could really see it as she was convinced others would do the same. The blowup was so pixilated that it barely showed anything. In fact, it looked even more like Chris was telling me something while taking with his hands.
Mi said,
"Well, you're lucky. I don't think the reputable papers would even care about this photo if it were shopped to them."
"Reputable papers?"
"Yes, that's a rag. Here are the photos that the national newspapers ran."
One showed me dancing with Mei. We were both smiling. It really was a beautiful shot. Another showed me shaking hands with the president of the company, but Chris was cropped out. It saddened me that these were the generally accepted pictures. No matter how unstudied the composition was, I preferred the clandestine shot of the two of us.
She said,
"I don't think the brass cares what happens behind closed doors, but you need to be extra careful as someone is gunning for you. Especially given what happened last time."
I looked at Chris and he said,
"Later."
Mit-chan continued,
"Actually, I hope you're hitting it off. How are you two doing?"
Rather than answering her actual question he said,
"Pretty well, given the fact I generally have a whole team with me on a tour. But right now, I don't think I'd trust anyone who came on board."
He smiled and added,
"I must thank you because I wouldn't have considered this if there were extra people milling around."
"Wise. Well, we have the press junket and then the lovely bookstore. Have you figured that out?"
"We're setting up a series of ropes to control the traffic into the store. We're fortunate that there is a little raised landing above the rest of the store. We can set up a desk and have minders let them up one by one. We can't do a reading, but the couple will get lots of exposure as the line will run through the stacks. The way out will pass by the register."
"That's great. They sounded so excited. Well, the party line is clearly to answer that it was a conversation caught from a strange angle. What were you doing anyway?"
"He had a lash on his cheek."
"Right. Well, if that happens again let him get rid of it himself."
She left and Chris sank down on the couch next to me and said,
"Well, I knew you weren't going to be boring. I just didn't know I was going to be the cause of most of the drama."
"Does this change things?"
"No. But I need to talk to you beforehand as there might be things that will come out."
"Such as?"
"We don't have time to talk unfortunately."
"I'm going to take your watch away as well."
"My cellphone also has a clock, and an alarm set to go off, so we won't be late. And it's about to go off."
I sighed as I was now feeling how Mayu must have felt while Haa-san delt with Akito. We had both managed to choose men with highly developed senses of duty. Plus, they both looked fabulous in Armani. However, as Chris looked nothing like him, I didn't have to contend with what the good Dr. Freud would say. And he'd say a lot given Haa-san's resemblance to me.
He walked out to get his clipboard and I picked up the sketchbook. It showed a picture of us kissing next to a koi pond. The sun was rising, and the fish were jumping out to meet it. I added,
"Well, I would have expected fireworks, but I guess the fish scales are pretty sparkly in the sun."
I heard him snicker behind me, and he said in a totally deadpan manner,
"Come on you. The fireworks show is scheduled for later."
We arrived downstairs to the grand ballroom where members of the press sat. Stopping on the balcony that overlooked the ballroom, Chris looked nervous. I asked,
"Is everything ok?"
"The magazine I used to work for sent someone. My assistant handled the calls for press representation. And she didn't give me the final list as there were cancellations last minute."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it shouldn't be, that was a while back, and the rep is pretty young."
He composed himself and led me in, got me situated, and gave me a glass of water.
He then said,
"Shigure has an hour for questions and we're on a tight schedule. Try to focus them on the book please? He's answered several questions about himself already and you can get the answers elsewhere."
As most of them were from art magazines, they were polite and steered away from my love life. Rather they asked me questions about how I got started drawing, what my favorite art style was, who I saw as my greatest influence, and if I thought about having a gallery show of my work. The reporter from the magazine Chris used to work at, a fashion magazine, was very quiet until she said,
"What's it like to have Mr. Gerard follow you around all the time?"
I looked at Chris to see if I should answer.
She rephrased,
"Our readers our interested in knowing what it's like to be on a big book tour. We like to include pieces like that along with our fashion material as it rounds out the magazine."
"It's a lot of its hurry up and wait. And wearing tight shoes. At heart I'm most comfortable in my traditional dress."
"Well, you look fabulous in that suit, it's Hugo Boss am I right? We would love to do a photo shoot of you. You could be a model."
I blushed and said,
"Thank you."
Chris looked concerned about the direction her questions were going and opened his mouth to ask her to change tacks. But before he got out the words she asked,
"Has Mr. Gerard asked you to pose for him yet? You should see some of the photos he's taken over the years. We have his photos on file at the magazine. They're beautiful. He was particularly taken with one of the models who used to work for us. You could be the next Masaru. You look a bit like him actually."
The other journalists looked confused. Chris looked at his watch, and I stared back at I was sure she meant something beyond the official press photos Chris had been taking. Taking a moment, I coolly said,
"Yes, I've seen his portfolio. He does capture the essence of his subjects beautifully."
Chris said,
"If there are no further questions…."
One of the other journalists said,
"Thank you, Mr. Sohma. We look forward to seeing your future books."
We shook hands, the young woman smirked, and we left, leaving the journalists to gather. I heard one mutter,
"What was that about?"
We walked in silence for a bit, and I said,
"Well, that was interesting. Do I have time to change before we leave for the bookstore? I think I'd like to get out of these shoes since we aren't resting before dinner."
"We have time."
He trailed me to our living room, and I sailed into my room.
"Shigure," he said, through the door.
"I know we have a lot to unpack, and I know we need to wait until tonight, but let me just say I'm sorry for not being honest with you on so many levels."
I thought for a bit while I dressed, and then I said,
"You'll find I'm not easily shocked or offended and I don't t blame you for not telling me your truth right up front. If anything, my family has taught me the need to conceal secrets and I'm sure my truth could blow yours out of the water. But this will have to wait until after tonight's festivities."
"You're right of course. I said that didn't I."
When I walked out, I picked up the sketchbook and flipped back to the scene with the couch. He smiled and said,
"It is a very comfy couch."
We kept our conversation light in the car. Until the scenery out the window started to look familiar.
"Chris, where are we going?"
"To the bookstore."
"What's the name of the bookstore?"
He flipped pages on his clipboard and said,
"Shiraki's Books."
As we approached Mayu's parent's bookstore, I began to feel faint. My past and present were about to meet, and I felt confusion rise in me once again as I hadn't quite shed the vestiges of my old life.
Chris, pouring me a seltzer looked at me worriedly and said,
"Are you ok Gure?"
"I know the owners of that bookstore. They're her parents."
"Oh, you are just one ball of complications aren't you. Well, I should talk."
"Later."
"Yes later."
We got to the bookstore and crews were already setting up the lines. Mayu's parents rushed out to meet us. I introduced Chris and they excitedly said,
"Thank you, Mr. Gerard for setting all of this up. We're so excited!"
"It's our pleasure."
They turned to me and gave me a hug.
"And Shigure! You've become such a success! It's too bad that Mayu isn't here to see this."
"Well, we'll be going to Okinawa, so we'll see them soon."
"That's great! Well, you'll have to sign a copy for us, and we can't wait to read it!"
I got a bit worried. It occurred to me then that it was a bit racy at the beginning, and while I never said it was Mayu, I had said that the princess was someone I knew in college. But then I shrugged it off. The wizard and princes were very much living out their happily ever after. I hoped that I would just have to wait a bit longer for my happy ending.
The caterers had set up a spread while we went through the procedures. I couldn't eat anything as I was extremely nervous. Chris seeing, I was worried pulled me aside and said,
"Are you going to be ok?"
"Yes, you know me, I'll pull on a mask and play the serious artist."
"I'm going to cancel tomorrow's booking. You and I need a day to relax and talk about things."
"Can you do that?"
"It's important that the talent is feeling comfortable. It wouldn't be good for you to run yourself ragged. It was just another set of press talks and another book club meeting. There is such a thing as too much exposure."
He flashed me a looked that said,
"Although not always."
I sat down and the Shirakis joined me.
"Are you all right Shigure?"
"I'm just a bit tired, it's been a lot of rushing around."
"Well, can we offer you a home cooked meal? I bet you haven't had one of those in a while. Mr. Gerard is welcome too."
I looked at Chris who said,
"I don't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal."
"Then it's settled."
The extra help arrived, and Chris explained the need for crowd control and provided them with methods of protecting me from being rushed. I was happy to see the bouncer from the club there. While I could likely hold my own in a fight, it was nice to have someone there to make people think twice before they tried it. He welcomed me with a hug and said that he hoped I'd come and visit soon and handed me a VIP pass compliments of the club owner.
"I'm Ken by the way."
Chris, who had been settling the minders who would lead people up the stairs to see me, turned and smiled at him saying,
"Glad you could make it; this was pretty last minute."
"Anything for Sohma Senpai. Oh, would you sign my book?"
I happily did so, adding my chibi Dog.
As the minutes ticked down Chris checked in with me.
"I'm doing ok. I think this will be fine."
And then it began. Everything went well. I felt calm and cool as people trickled in. The line moved efficiently, and Chris captured the moments while keeping an eye on things.
Aya came in and said,
"Gure! You didn't tell me you were back in town! I had to hear it from Tori-san."
"This was a surprise."
"Well, will you be in town long?"
I turned to Chris who said,
"Well as I canceled tomorrow's venues, he's free for the day."
"We should get a drink then!"
I saw that the line was getting antsy, so I said,
"We'll talk later, have a seat."
And the fabulous Aya sat and took in the scene.
We got through the signing, and I turned to Aya and said,
"Now about that drink!"
"No clubs!" Chris said emphatically.
Remembering the craziness of the night we met,
Ken reassured him,
"Tomorrow is our day off. The boss does his paperwork and ordering then. And sometimes we host small parties for friends. I don't think he'd mind if you came in for a private party if you promised to do an event for us in the future."
"Well, not on this tour but maybe in the future."
"I'll give my boss a call if you like."
I turned to Chris who said, "Yes. I'd like a night out."
He called and the owner was thrilled by the idea, especially when it was suggested that we might do a future event.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow."
He gave me another hug and left as did Aya.
While Chis oversaw the breakdown of the event Mayu's parents came to see me saying that they had sold out of my book and had made a mint on the other sales.
"I'm so glad to help."
The crew had finished, and Chris returned and gave us a big smile.
"Well, I hope this was beneficial to you?"
"Oh, it was wonderful, we haven't had that many customers, we'll ever. And I know it will die down, but I hope we found some new patrons."
"Are we all set?"
"Yes, everything is back in order."
"Let's go and get you something to eat."
The company had sent a BMW to make travel through the narrow streets near the bookstore easier. We were happy as it also blended better with the upscale yet not opulent neighborhood. It however put us closer together than normal. I could smell Chris's spicy cologne. And it made me feel heady once again. He also accidentally sat on one of my sleeves, pinning me close to him.
He discovered this when he turned to say something to me and found that I was right next to him.
I whispered,
"Um Chris, you're sitting on my sleeve."
"Oh, sorry. This is a first."
"Don't get many clients in kimonos?"
He looked at me and said,
"You're quite possibly the most unique client I've ever had the privilege to manage."
I smiled and said,
"You don't know the half of it."
The driver pulled into the Shiraki's driveway, and the glowing couple led us in.
"We only have leftovers; I hope that's fine."
"Believe me, I've been eating at restaurants for the last few days, that sounds great."
We took a seat in the living room. Chris caught sight of a picture of Mayu and I at a dance.
"That's you, isn't it?"
Yes, and that's the Princess."
"She's beautiful."
I hadn't seen the photo for years. I looked at my younger self and wondered what would have happened if we had been allowed to continue. I knew that at one point I had wished my power was to go back in time rather than to watch how it unfolded. But when Mayu's father handed me the photo he had just received of Mayu and Haa-san in Okinawa and I put the two photos together, I knew that the Fates decision was correct. For while one captured endless love, the other was filled with dissonance.
"They're both pretty pictures but they tell vastly different stories."
"Well, said Mayu's dad, I'm sure you'll find a nice girl soon. You're a nice boy, you're talented and smart. I'm sure someone will see that."
Mayu's mom said,
"Dinner's on the table."
We enjoyed a wonderful meal and friendly company. We talked about the tour, and they told us about their cruise and tried to set me up with the daughter of a couple who they had met on the cruise. They thanked Chris once again for adding them to the tour.
"It was so kind of you!"
"We love to support indie bookstores."
I was still reeling from seeing so plainly that what we had shared had been a moment in time. The picture had been taken days before that fateful day. Mayu didn't love me. And while things might have developed between us it was likely that they wouldn't have. She had always loved Tori. As Chris turned to me to ask me something, I felt the last of the ice melt away and I let my hand rest on his leg briefly.
He turned to Mayu's parents and said,
"Well, this has been lovely but it's getting late."
"Don't be strangers!"
'We won't."
As we left, I heard Mayu's mother say,
"It looks like Gure might have found someone after all."
"Well, I hope it works out, he is such a good boy."
We rode quietly for a while. I was drained so I rested my head on the seat. I had forgotten how close I was to Chris as I felt him gently kiss the side of my face. I opened my eyes and smiled, saying,
"Hi there."
Chris answered,
"I'm glad I called tomorrow off, you're in no shape to meet the press."
"Am I in any shape to meet Chris?"
"If I have to dump a pot of coffee down your throat we're talking tonight."
We arrived back in the room and Chris made a pot of coffee.
While it brewed, he said,
"I'll be right back, you're right, this suit is not comfortable, and we might be here for a while."
"I told you kimonos are superior."
He returned in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t shirt.
He sat down on the couch beside me, ran his fingers through his hair and let me take a drink of coffee. Looking at me with his deep blue eyes he said,
"So, are you ready?"
He looked so earnest that I just wanted to hug him, but I knew the look of someone who had things to say. So rather, I took a hold of his hand I said,
"Ready."
"The year I left New York I needed a change. I was a vagabond spirit looking for a home. My family had long since disowned me. I was the gay son of a French-Canadian father and Japanese-American mother. I found my way to my Grandparent's ancestral home and found a job working as a photographer for a fashion magazine. I was young and talented, and I lived the high life: Going to clubs, going home with boys, partying until late at night. The magazine loved my photos, especially my photos of male models, especially my photos of a young model named Masaru. He was beautiful and highly sought after and my photos made bank for the magazine."
He paused, looked at me again, and said,
"She isn't wrong, you look very much like him." I squeezed his hand until he continued.
I broke the canon rule of never getting involved with clients and I fell in love.
Well, there's only so long that you can keep up that life. I never got into hard drugs. But Masaru did, and I didn't see the signs. He overdosed at my apartment during a party, and he never woke up. There was a huge scandal about my connection to his death. It was ruled accidental, but for a while I was persona non grata. And some probably still believe I had something to do with it, which is probably where the magazine rep's attitude came from. As it was, I was asked to leave the magazine because of the scandal, and if an editor at Hinode hadn't approached me about doing a book of my club photos from New York I'm not sure where I'd be. Well, we hit it off, they loved the book, so they offered me a job. As I needed a steady gig, I worked up the ladder from taking photos of book covers for the trade magazines, to shooting small events, to going on book tours. I also went to school and got a degree in photography. They found I was great with the talent and asked if I'd like to work as an assistant to the deputy director of client relations. I said yes, and the rest is history."
"So that's why you've been nervous about getting involved with me."
"Yes, I've avoided relationships with those I've worked with because of Masaru. In fact, it's been a while for me at all since my promotion. Ghosts, as you know, follow you. And it appears I've chosen an interesting target to break my rule about not getting involved with clients…."
"I've never been accused of being boring. Does this change anything for you?
"Well fortunately, unlike Mi, you won't be my client for long. Until of course, you write another book."
I wasn't sure what he needed at that moment, so I just sat with him for a while and held his hand until he said,
"You're not a ghost."
"No, I'm very much here."
He reached out, touched my cheek, and said,
"Yes, you are."
A/N: So, there we go! Both Chris and Gure have done some rearranging in their memory houses in giving each other some more house room. Onto the next chapter when we see the benefits of Spring cleaning. Please r and r as aways and I remain- Acta!
