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Coffee Shops and Cameras
Chapter 4
"Are you waiting for the sun to rise? Ring the bell!" Dad complained beside me, tapping his stiletto heel impatiently on the stone paved path. I grumbled and stared up at the door, it was tall, wide and demonising, painted in a glossy black. It was hard to believe that Yuzuha Hitachiin - probably one of the sweetest human beings I'd ever met - actually lived behind a door this domineering.
"Give me a minute" I sighed.
"Why? What are you waiting for?"
"For you to change your mind" I mumbled.
"Not a chance" Dad replied, and before I could think of a witty quip to come back with, he had leaned in front of me and rang the doorbell. A loud echo of a bell sounded from behind the door and my heart just about stopped.
I could feel sweat begin pooling in my hairline, and my breath hitching in my throat. I'd rather be anywhere but this house right now. An undertakers, a haunted graveyard, a fucking footlocker crammed with screaming babies and wailing dogs – literally anywhere. The door clicked open effortlessly, and the small smiling face of an elderly maid poked out with a gracious nod.
"Mr and Miss Fujioka, welcome" she breathed sweetly, "Please, come in, and we would appreciate it if you could leave your shoes by the door"
Dad glanced down at his heels sadly, I knew how long it took him to choose them. I laughed quietly and unlaced my sneakers. When the door closed behind us and I straightened up, I took in the surroundings, my mouth falling open in shock and awe.
The immaculate house was furnished with antique mahogany, had fine wood panelling on the walls, and towering latticed windows draped with heavy ornate curtains. The carpets were deep red and felt like velvet between my toes and the air smelt like freshly cut lavender and sweet vanilla. Every pleasant sensation enveloped me, my sight, my scent, my touch, it was other wordly.
"This way" The maid smiled, stepping further into the foyer, I noticed that she too had no shoes on, just white cotton socks. She led us at a wide birth towards the left side of the house, approaching archways and pilars that looked like they'd been carved by Michelangelo himself.
"Would you like a drink?" She asked as we stopped beside a tall cream door with rough wooden swirls carved up the panels.
"A drink?" I murmured, distracted by the cut crystal door knob that clearly cost more than my entire prized Patrick Swayze memorabilia collection.
"The lady of the house recommended her finest red wine from her mother's vineyard" the maid beamed, "I'll bring some right over" she pushed the door open and gestured for us to enter. Once we took a step inside she disappeared.
"Now entering the twilight zone..." I grumbled, earning a nudge of disapproval from my father who stood close behind me. I willed my legs to walk further into the room, and with each step another person came into view from the other side of the door. Yuzuha...her husband...Kaoru...and...ah yes, there's the sour face. Hikaru. As soon as his eyes fell on me, a cold tightness encased my chest, drawing out a mixture of anger and frustration inside me. I kept my lips in a firm straight line until Yuzuha lit up my view with arms open wide.
"Oh welcome my dears!" She chirped warmly, pulling me against her in a vice. I tried not to make it too obvious that her hug had winded me and smiled politely.
"Lovely to see you again Mrs Hitachiin" I strained.
"Yuzuha, please" she chuckled, "Ranka darling, wonderful to see you" she moved to my father who eagerly awaited her greeting, his pearly white teeth on display in the brightest and most enthused smile you could imagine. "Take a seat, I hope you've been offered drinks"
"Yes, thank you" I replied, "Red wine I believe"
"Oh yes, my mother makes the most incredible wine this side of Japan. You lucky ladies get to try the first glasses of a 1937 vintage"
I practically choked, "Oh...wow..." my reaction probably wasn't nearly as shocked as I felt. I didn't know much about wine, but vintage usually translated to 'expensive as fuck'.
"Haruhi sit here" Kaoru grinned from across the room. He sat on a long white sofa suite, embellished with pearl beads and a satin throw. My father was already deep in conversation with Yuzuha, so I knew I didn't have to worry about being his emotional support for the evening and therefore - probably didn't need to stick to his side. It gave me flashbacks to his high school reunion when he dragged me along so he wouldn't be alone in the corner feeling awkward. I took the empty space beside Kaoru, practically clenching my entire body in hopes I would fold up and vanish, just from sheer uncomfortableness.
"Interesting shirt" Kaoru commented, gesturing at my outfit, "Always liked Iron Maiden"
I shrugged, "Laundry day" I lied, looking down at my grey band shirt and black skinny jeans.
"Suits you. Gives you a bad girl look"
I scoffed, "Thank you? I think"
He gave me a quick wink before glancing at his brother, who had made no effort to speak or even acknowledge our entry.
"Hey pouty, we have guests" Kaoru smirked.
Hikaru swigged his drink and darted his eyes towards me. He was drinking scotch, and seeing it made me instantly regret asking for wine, had I known there was whiskey, I'd have asked for the bottle.
"Nice to see you Hikaru" I spoke through gritted teeth, doing my best attempt to sound pleased.
"Good evening Miss Fujioka" he murmured, barely meeting my eyes. Although for that, I was thankful. He looked breathtaking sitting there in a plain black suit and open collared blue shirt, if he'd have looked at me I probably wouldn't have been able to look away.
"Hika" Kaoru hissed.
The older brother rolled his eyes, "Its nice to see you too Miss Fujioka"
"Haruhi" I corrected.
"...Haruhi" he replied, straining to say it like it physically hurt him to utter my name.
Moments later, the maid reappeared with two glass of red wine, she handed one to me and the other to Dad. The couch then became uncomfortably cramped as Dad nestled himself down beside me, forcing me to shuffle up towards Kaoru.
"So how has your day been?" Yuzuha addressed us both.
"Uneventful" Dad answered.
"Working?" she asked.
"I only work nights, I had this evening off though" Dad replied.
"Where do you work?" Kaoru questioned.
"Ricochet"
"The bar?" Yuzuha said. Dad nodded.
"You've heard of it?" Dad questioned. Ricochet was a popular bar, but not that popular.
"I had a make up artist who went there a lot" she shrugged with a smile, "How are you liking the wine?"
I looked down at my glass and took a sip, the liquid ran down my throat, warming me. It tasted like rich berries and the purest spice. No longer did I regret my decision on wine over whiskey.
"Oh wow" I gulped.
Dad continued to compliment, dragging Yuzuha down into a long conversation I only half paid attention to. All the while I busied my hands with the wine glass, taking sips to hide my face behind the rim. I took the time to observe my surroundings, taking in all the extravagant furnishings, statues, art, everything...all the while ignoring the constant ongoing stare I received from Hikaru. I struggled to understand his issue with me, he'd jumped from 0 to 80 on the hate scale in about 5 seconds of meeting me. And it was starting to piss me off. I shot him a glare, as if to tell him to back off, but instead of doing what I wanted him to – being, to back off, he smirked. He actually smirked at me. In his typical sexy arrogant fashion.
Cocky bastard.
In the time that passed, conversations flowed and drinks were poured, music hummed softly in the background, and eventually a maid appeared from the door way – her hands poised delicately on the front of her crisp white pinafore.
"Mrs Hiatchiin, dinner is served" she announced quietly, a small smile on her thin pink lips.
"Wonderful" Yuzuha chimed, rising to her feet with grace, "Allow me to show you to your seats"
She clasped her hands together and smiled as the rest of us followed her through from the reception room into the large dining room. A huge ornate carved wooden dining table greeted us, illuminated by the stunning overhanging chandelier that appeared to be even bigger than me.
"This is beautiful" I commented as I placed my napkin onto my lap. Dad did the same beside me.
From the head of the table Yuzuha beamed, "You're too kind"
As I looked around I was reminded of the fact that mine and Dad's dining table was a small square plastic topped table with 2 wooden chairs we had been given by a neighbour, there was barely room for 2 cereal bowls in the morning. The Hitchaiin table was a display of wealth and class, I felt the need to shout to the end of the table for Yuzuha to hear me. A silver tray of antique china glided into the room on the skillful outstretched arm of a man dressed in a crisp white shirt, a delicious smell accompanied him, making my mouth water almost uncontrollably.
"It smells incredible" I said dreamily, "What are we having?"
"Tonkatsu" Kaoru replied with a smile, "Olivier our chef made it specially"
"You didn't need to go through so much trouble" Dad practically gasped.
"Nonsense" Yuzuha waved away his comment, "This is more for me, I just love dinner parties, I don't need much of an excuse to bring out Olivier"
"Mom once threw a dinner party for the mailman for the 6th month anniversary of him delivering our mail" Kaoru scoffed.
"Lucky guy" I smirked, "My boss gave me a bag of almost expired bread rolls on my 6th month anniversary"
"Free food is free food" Kaoru chuckled.
I smiled to myself and looked down to admire the food on my plate. Artist seemed like a more appropriate title for this 'Chef Olivier'. It almost looked like he'd placed each grain of rice down perfectly with tweezers, the whole plate looked like a work of art. As I admired the plate, I felt eyes on me. I looked up to see Hikaru raising an eyebrow at me from across the table.
"Are you going to eat it or make love to it?" He mumbled quietly in an exasperated tone.
I scowled in response, but collected my knife and fork anyway. I took one bite and immediately felt each one of my taste buds erupt into a rehearsed rendition of 'Amazing Grace'. I couldn't help but let a satisfied moan hum from my lips.
"This is delicious" I breathed, taking another bite.
"I'm so glad you like it" Yuzuha grinned, "I worked hard with Olivier to choose something perfect"
Well you succeeded, I thought to myself. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten something so tasty. It was probably back when Mom was alive, she used to make the most incredible dumplings. I remembered taking them to school in my lunch box and sharing them with my friends. I'm pretty sure they were only my friend because of Mom's cooking. A sneaky tactic from Mom, but I had no reason to complain as long as the stove was on and my belly was full.
I polished off my plate in record time, each bite tasting better than the last. If it wasn't for Hikaru's continuous glare, I'd say that it was the best meal of my life. As our china ware was cleared away and we sat back in our seats antisipating dessert, Yuzuha looked over at me and clasped her hands on the table in front of her.
"So Haruhi darling" she addressed me, "I hear you enjoyed my designs at the show"
I nodded, "I don't know an awful lot about fashion-"
Hikaru scoffed, "Understatement"
I scowled, "However...I thought your drawings were stunning. I was amazed by how you managed to capture every detail on paper, then turn it into a real outfit"
"It took a great deal of practice" Yuzuha smiled, "I used to do all my own designs by hand, but in recent years I had someone who does that for me. He would listen to my ideas and draw them down, however I recently lost him so I'm back to doing my own. I found that I had to relearn after relying on someone else for so long. I was quite flattered that you took such a liking to them"
"I couldn't tell you'd taken a break, they looked magnificent" I bowed my head to her with a polite smile.
"Do you draw Haruhi?" she asked.
I hesitated, not quite sure how to answer.
"She used to fill sketchbooks on a weekly basis, I remember how she used to save her milk money to buy art supplies at school" Dad chimed in.
"That was when I was younger though" I interjected, "I'm not much of a...creator anymore"
"You still carry around that little book of yours" Dad commented.
"Yeah...for doodles" I replied.
"Ooh! Can we see?!" Kaoru spoke up.
My eyes widened, "No, no, they're nothing special"
"I snuck a peek once" Dad chuckled, "I got the cold shoulder for a week, she treats it like her secret diary"
"Secret diary? I'm not 10 anymore Dad" I grumbled.
"Then why not show Mrs Hitachiin? You've nothing to be embarrassed about, they're amazing"
"I...I didn't bring it with me" I mumbled.
"Of course you did, it's always in your bag. Here, let me look" Before I could answer, Dad grabbed my bad from the back of my chair and opened it up. I opened my mouth to stop him but he'd already pulled out my pocket notebook and had started flicking through the pages.
"Dad please, now's not the time..."
"Wow!" Kaoru blurted, "These are actually pretty good" Dad handed it over to him, and my hang ups fell on deaf ears as the book was passed down the table. Even Hikaru curiously glanced over as Kaoru went over every drawing.
This is so embarrassing.
I slumped down in my seat and chewed my thumb anxiously.
"Hey! It's me!" Kaoru exclaimed.
Oh shit no.
Not that one.
I squeezed my eyes shut and wished a hole in the ground would open and swallow me whole.
"How can you tell?" Hikaru replied calmly. Hearing his voice again after nearly 45 minutes of silence from him made my pulse quicken. I opened one eye and watched him and his brother stare intently at the book. I could see him judging the drawing, his eyes flickering from one side of the page to the other, "Looks more like me"
"You're right..." Kaoru murmured, "That grumpy pout is uncanny"
Hikaru smirked and slapped the back of his twin's head. They laughed cooly at each other with huge grins on their faces, but when Hikaru's eyes met mine, his lips formed an emotionless line. Not angry, not annoyed, just...emotionless.
"Do you mind if I take a look Haruhi?" Yuzuha asked.
Why not?
Hey, why don't we invite that mailman? And I'm sure Olivier would love to have a peek.
I plastered on a smile, "Feel free"
The game of pass the book moved down another seat, and my tattered, prized notebook found its way into the pristine hands of Yuzuha, who turned each page just as delicately as she performed every task. Her rosy lips pursed and her perfectly manicured fingers glided over the pencil lines marked in the canvas pages. For some reason I found myself holding my breath in anticipation, waiting for what I hoped would be a positive response to my pictures. I'd never shown this book to anyone. Dad often saw me doodling in it after work, or when I sat idly in front of the TV with a ball point pen in hand. But I'd never really pulled it out and let someone leaf through it.
My notebook started on a long bus journey after an admin training day for my previous job. I was sat on the bus for 4 hours and flicked through the 'goody bag' the training providers gave out during the seminar, when I found the blank notebook hidden at the bottom. During that bus ride I'd drawn a characiture of the leader of the seminar dressed in her hideous green pant suit, and a sketch of the landscape outside the window. Ever since then I'd drawn little elements of my days inside. Drawings of customers, the neighbours dog, Dad in and out of his Ranka persona, even a perfect copy of Mom and Dad's wedding photo. Over the years I'd had to add more pages and slip loose sheets between the covers as the more things I'd see, the more things I had to draw. It was a little security blanket to me now. And obviously after the runway show, I found plenty of inspiration to add to my collection.
"These are beautiful" Yuzuha smiled, not looking up from the book, "You even drew one of my dresses"
"The peacock one was awe inspiring" I smiled, a little embarrassed.
"You added some detail to the bodess" she commented.
"Sorry" I bit my lip, "I got a bit...carried away when I drew it...I don't mean any...insult by it"
"No, no darling, actually...I love it..." she breathed, trailing off as if she were in deep thought. I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched her continue to analyse my work. A few moments later, our desserts were carried in, and the conversation switched to something else. I tucked my book back into my bag, catching Hikaru's curious gaze as I collected my spoon.
"I can't move, I'm so full" I whined, collapsing down on the living room sofa. We'd just taken a cab back home from the Hitachiin estate. After dinner we enjoyed a long tour of the house, marveling in the incomparable beauty of the décor and structure of the home. It seemed other worldly being back in our tiny dimly lit apartment. I groaned, placing my hands on my full stomach, "I don't think I'll ever need to eat again"
"I think we should get some of that Tonkatsu stuff they served. I looked in the fridge, we have week old yogurt and half eaten box of twinkies in there"
I pursed my lips, "Twinkies eh?"
"You said you were full"
"You can never be too full for twinkies"
Dad chuckled, "I'm gonna turn in, I have work tomorrow. And so do you" he patted me firmly on the arm, nudging me off of the couch. I groaned and rolled onto my front, my knees sliding onto the floor. I rested my chin on the cushion and huffed. "I'll see you in the morning baby"
"Okay, okay" I grumbled.
"It's been a nice evening" he smiled.
"It has hasn't it..." I murmured, "I wasn't expecting it to be quite so nice actually"
"Well, you surprised me tonight. I had no idea you had so much creativity in that little book of yours. You should get back into your art, I still have that blank wall-space above my bed, I think it could use a little...sprucing up"
I chuckled, "I'll think about it"
"Yes please" he giggled, planting a sweet kiss on my forehead, "Night night"
"Night Dad" I replied.
I kept my position half on the floor as he left the room, unbraiding his long red hair as he went. I smiled to myself and sighed, making myself more comfortable on the sofa. I hugged a cushion to my chest and stared up at the ceiling. It had been a crazy kind of day.
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Lots of love guys!
- Yuli xxx