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Coffee Shops and Cameras
Chapter 22
{6 Days until the interview}
HIKARU
Hikaru found he had an unusual spring in his step as he whistled his way around the kitchen in his pyjamas. The kettle hissed on the stove as he spread peanut butter on 2 slices of fresh toast and placed them on separate plates. Without even thinking about it, he realised he had been whistling the same song he'd heard Haruhi listening to that morning as she took a shower. He'd never been a huge fan of 80's ballads like Haruhi was, but for some reason he couldn't get 'Stairway to Heaven' out of his head. He'd amused himself by imagining her hopping around in the shower playing air guitar, he'd listened to her belting out the words in what had to be the worst singing voice he'd ever heard as he climbed out of her bed. She'd gotten up before him and had already escaped to the bathroom before he could suggest they share the water. He thought about waiting for her but came up with a better idea instead.
Olivier didn't work in the mornings which meant breakfast was an independent task. Hikaru didn't usually enjoy making his own food, he simply wasn't used to it. But a lightbulb had made him leave the bedroom and make his way to the kitchen. He had the overwhelming urge to do something...nice.
The night before had been one of the strangest and most uneasy nights of his life. Because not once, not even once, had he spent a night in a woman's bed and just...talked to her. And it wasn't like they'd just talked about the weather – no, not even close, because somehow Haruhi had managed to get him to open up. He'd found himself telling her everything, spilling his emotions out to her with no walls or hesitation. And she listened. He'd never told anyone about Seika in such a black and white way before, he thought it would be horrible, in fact he could almost have considered it his worst nightmare. He hated wasting his breath saying her name, the mere thought of her was enough to make him seize up. And yet, that conversation with Haruhi had somehow made him feel...close to her.
He didn't know what reaction he'd been expecting from her if she found out.
You mean when she found out...
He always knew she would find out eventually, all it would take was one google search and voila, hundreds of photos of himself with the cold hearted Seika would appear. It's not like he'd tried to actively hide it, he just hadn't chosen to dig that corpse up. His Mom had obviously assumed the subject would have come up sooner, as she seemed to have broken the news for him instead. And it made Hikaru wonder why Haruhi hadn't brought it up sooner with him? She had clearly wanted to understand what had happened, yet she'd waited until he'd wanted to tell her. He recalled the look of admiration in her eyes, as if she were proud of how open and honest he had been. It gave him a completely alien feeling, one that he couldn't help but want more of.
Those eyes...those caring, selfless eyes...
He was so lost in his own train of thought he barely heard the sound of footsteps pause in the doorway.
"What are you doing?" his brother asked, his voice sounding puzzled as he leaned against the doorframe.
Hikaru looked up from the breakfast he made, doing his best to tone down the smile he'd woken up wearing, "Making toast" he said simply.
"You? You're making toast?"
Hikaru shrugged, "It's breakfast. I'm hungry"
"Just you?" he nodded to the 2 mugs sitting on the counter and a knowing smirk touched his lips, "Are you treating Haruhi to some breakfast in bed? I noticed you didn't sleep in your room last night"
Hikaru exhaled, knowing that there was no use in trying to hide anything from his brother.
"I'm guessing things are going well between you two?" Kaoru walked into the room and gave him a firm pat on his shoulder, "Have you worked things out?"
Hikaru shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure" he admitted, "Last night we just...talked. We didn't talk about us, but I told her about...you-know-who"
"You did?"
Hikaru nodded, "Yeah"
"Wow"
"Why 'wow'?"
"Because you don't talk about sentimental stuff like that"
"I'd hardly call it sentimental"
"Well, no. But Seika isn't exactly an ice-breaker" Kaoru offered a small smile, "You must trust Haruhi a lot to get that off your chest"
"I owed her an explanation"
"Are you glad you told her?"
Hikaru nodded, "Yeah. Yeah I am" he turned to his twin and did his best to calm down his smile once more. But the more he tried, the more it seemed to sneak through, "Anyway" he cleared his throat, "I better get this to her before her tea gets cold"
"No need" a female voice made the men jump suddenly. They looked to the doorway and stood there was Haruhi with damp hair, wearing one of their mother's blue sun dresses from last year's collection. It was unusual to see her dressed in anything but jeans and a t shirt, so the sight of her bare legs and cinched waist made the air in Hikaru's lungs freeze in his windpipe and his chest burn with an unfamiliar sting.
Ouuuuch...that doesn't feel normal.
"You made tea?" she asked with a smile.
Hikaru nodded, holding it out to her.
She grinned, "Thank you" their eyes met, and suddenly Hikaru felt the temperature in the room heat up.
Say something you idiot.
"No problem" he blurted, "I made you some breakfast too"
Haruhi looked at the plate of fresh toast and her eyes seemed to light up.
Christ, was there anything this woman did that didn't take his breath away?
"I can't tell you how hungry I am" she beamed.
Hikaru could feel Kaoru's eyes flitting between them, questions on the tip of his tongue.
"Well...I guess I'm gonna go and...shower..." Kaoru exhaled, swinging his arms awkwardly.
"Sure, bye Kao..." Hikaru's eyes didn't leave Haruhi's, in fact he was barely aware that Kaoru had left the room until Haruhi broke their gaze with a blink and flushed a deep shade of pink, "You look amazing..." the words left Hikaru's lips before he could help himself.
Haruhi looked down and fiddled with the hem of the dress, "It's uh...laundry day"
"Laundry day?" Hikaru chuckled, "Maybe I'll start dirtying your usual clothes if this is what you're left with"
Haruhi rolled her eyes with amusement, "I'm not much of a dress enthusiast. This is one of the outfits your Mom stocked my closet with"
"You look like a doll" Hikaru smirked, reminding himself of the nickname his Mother had given her. Precious doll...and she was exactly that.
The pair decided to eat on the patio by the pool, the sun beat down and the sky was clear making it the perfect morning. Hikaru felt puzzled that he'd noticed how nice the weather was, he'd never wasted time admiring something so pointless, and yet the moment they went outside he found himself enjoying it.
"Are you okay?" Haruhi asked, sipping at her tea. Hikaru's gaze trailed over to the petite brunette beside him, her legs crossed, skirt fanning out around her. In the sunlight her hair seemed to shine in different shades of mahogany browns and deep reds, making her alabaster skin glow and her freckles stand out like-
Suddenly the sharp ache in his chest returned without warning, causing him to brace his palm against it. He cleared his throat, trying to jar the sensation then cocked his head, "I was actually just wondering that myself"
Maybe I'm coming down with something...
She smiled brightly, "You definitely slept well. You took up most of the bed"
"I took up most of the bed? Do you have any idea how you sleep?"
She shrugged with a grin, "I don't share beds, I like to spread out"
"How kind of you to make an exception for me"
"Well I guess you're not so bad to share a bed with" she smirked, "Especially if it means you make me breakfast in the morning"
Hikaru shook away the odd fluttering sensation in his gut, "Well...I was making some for myself anyway..."
Haruhi gave him a knowing look but said nothing, instead she took a long sip of her tea and sighed.
"Look uh...about last night" Hikaru looked away from her to avoid catching her expression, "I didn't mean to uh...unload like that on you"
Haruhi offered an understanding smile, "You don't need to explain" she said, "I'm actually really touched that you felt like you could share everything with me. I think this means we are officially friends"
"It took me talking to you about my past to make you see that we're friends?" Hikaru raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "But not the flirting and the mindblowing night of sex?"
Haruhi smirked, "I have the feeling that you find sex a lot easier than sharing your feelings. Something like that takes a lot of trust"
Hikaru couldn't help but find himself agreeing with her. He'd never told anyone other than his family about what happened with Seika, especially not a woman in his bed.
"Well, I think it's only fair that you tell me something about your exes, since I let the proverbial cat out of the bag with mine" Hikaru set down his empty plate on the patio and leaned back on his elbows.
"There's not much to say" Haruhi chuckled, "There's no drama, no real heartbreak"
"Tell me anyway, a normal relationship story seems like a breath of fresh air"
He couldn't help but wonder to himself why he cared. But for some reason, no matter what the story was, he found himself wanting to know more about this woman. It was an alien feeling, one he wouldn't necessarily call unpleasant, it was just...weird. His morbid curiosity seemed to overpower the usual desire to not give a damn.
Haruhi shrugged, "I've had like...maybe 3 boyfriends" she said, "Nothing serious, just a couple in high school and one I met through work"
Hikaru scoffed, "A minimum wage barista, what a catch"
"There's nothing wrong with working a 9-5 job" Haruhi defended, "But no, I used to work in an administration office. He sat in the cubicle next to me"
"So what happened?"
Another shrug, "He was nice, we went on a few dates, I wasn't even sure if we ever became official, we never had that talk. Then one day I woke up and realised that his toothbrush was in my bathroom and his socks were in my drawer and I...panicked"
"You panicked?"
She nodded, "Without realising the relationship went from 0 to 100 in a couple of months. It was like I was on a bullet train and I couldn't get off"
"Ohhh" Hikaru nodded knowingly, "You're a commitment-phobe"
"What? No I'm not"
"Sounds like it" Hikaru smirked, "You start dating a guy, its going well, then suddenly you're wearing 'his and hers' robes and watching love boat together and you realise "oh shit when did this happen?!""
"I just...I don't know...when I settle down I want it to be with someone I love. Not someone I can settle for. And he was really nice but there just wasn't that...'butterflies in the stomach' and 'arrow through the heart' feeling"
Hikaru furrowed his brow. Was that really what people thought being in love felt like? Sounded like the symptoms to salmonella. He chuckled darkly, "You know love is a sham right?"
"Huh?"
"Love. It's bullshit made up by publishers and writers to sell movies and books. The best anyone can hope for in this world is to 'settle' with someone you can tolerate"
"What about your parents? Seems like they're pretty deeply in love"
Hikaru considered it, "I think after a while you learn to be what each other needs. But that's not love, that's making the most of a commitment you've made"
"Is that what happened with Seika? Is that what you felt I mean?"
As soon as the words left Haruhi's mouth her lips slammed shut, as if she instantly regretted what she'd said. Typically, a question like that would have made Hikaru's stomach churn, and already he could feel deflective remarks formulating in his throat. But for some reason he didn't let those words out. He shrugged.
"This was 10 years ago now, I was just a kid. I thought love was as real as the grass was green, but we know how that shit-show ended. Case and point. Love isn't real"
"Wow" Haruhi exhaled, "That's a pretty bleak way of looking at it"
"Accept it. The sooner you do, the better off you'll be. No use in chasing something that will only give you blisters"
Haruhi seemed to consider his words, her lower lip disappearing between her pearly teeth, "I don't know if I believe that" she said, "because my parents were definitely in love"
Hikaru remembered Haruhi saying something before about her Mom not being around anymore, but he'd never cared to ask what that meant exactly. Maybe she'd told him more? Maybe someone else had? But for the life of him he barely remembered half the shit people spouted at him.
"Were?" He questioned.
Haruhi nodded, "From the day they met"
"But it ended?"
"Obviously"
"Because love isn't real?"
Haruhi rolled her eyes, but there was something pained behind her tough exterior, "Clearly you've never listened whenever I've spoken about my mother"
"You said she wasn't around anymore" Hikaru replied, "Where'd she go?"
"West-Bunkyo Cemetery"
Hikaru's lips tightened.
Crap Hikaru you're such a piece of shit.
"Oh...I'm so-"
"Please don't say you're sorry. It's what everyone says - and you're not 'everyone'"
"Okay" Hikaru lowered his eyes, "So, what happened?"
"Cancer" Haruhi said matter-of-factly, like she'd explained it 100 times before. To be honest, she probably had done, "It was pretty aggressive, there wasn't a lot anyone could do for her so we just kept her comfortable at home until the last day"
"How old were you?"
"14 when it started. You know I almost got a scholarship to Ouran Academy? But I missed the last entrance exam when Mom got too sick and I flunked"
Hikaru couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like had Haruhi gotten into Ouran. Would they have met? Would they have been friends? Would she have kept him from making that stupid decision to be with Seika? He stared at her, noticing that her expression was neutral with the smallest hint of sadness.
His hand unconsciously laid atop hers, and was relieved when she didn't pull away, "What was she like?" he asked.
"Mom?" Haruhi questioned, "She was amazing. Strong, smart, determined...no matter how stressful a situation was she always made it seem like she had everything under control, even at the end. I remember she'd always tell me – 'never let them see you sweat' and I always knew I wanted to be as fearless as she was..."
"I guess that makes a lot of sense" Hikaru couldn't help but crack a smile, "That explains our first encounter" he thought about the strong way she held herself when he challenged her, and how no matter what he said she wasn't shaken even a little bit by him.
"Never let them see you sweat" she repeated with a wink.
"Sounds like your Mom was a smart lady"
"The smartest" she grinned, "Anyway, let's not dampen the mood today, I have plans"
"Plans?"
She nodded, "We only have 6 days left until your interview so I want to put everything we've done into action"
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning we have a lot of work to do" she laughed.
HARUHI
"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Hikaru scowled at the plastic wrapped deli meat in his palm, "You know this stuff is probably the off-cuts no one wants right?"
I shook my head and took the package off him, throwing it into the cart between us.
"Well, Dad and I like it" I replied.
"You're earning decent money now, you don't have to shop in places like this anymore"
"You mean in a grocery store?"
"Olivier could get you fresh meats and vegetables from his own land ordered straight to your Dad's door"
"I'm sure he could, however, today I'm trying to give you an insight into regular life. And this place is where Dad and I have been doing our grocery shopping for years"
Hikaru rolled his eyes before pushing his sunglasses back up his nose. Unlike the last time we entered a 'commoner' shopping district, we decided that today he wouldn't be in disguise. Being dressed as someone else meant that he could hide behind a different identity, and I didn't want him to have that excuse today. Unfortunately the down side was that he was getting a lot of looks from passers-by. There weren't exactly crowds of people, quite the opposite in fact, the grocery store was only around the corner from Dad's apartment, which was in a particularly quiet part of residential suburban Bunkyo, so there were only small handfuls of people scattered around the store.
But honestly, even if not a single person in the area had ever heard of the model 'Hikaru Hitachiin' he still stuck out like a sore thumb. Dressed in a deep grey button up shirt and tailored pants, shined leather shoes, and a rolex worth more money than my car...also lets not forget that he was gorgeous. I couldn't blame people for staring at him.
Ironically, I was also dressed unusually for this side of town. That morning when I left the shower and found that Hikaru wasn't there I took a moment to really look through the closet Yuzuha had packed for me when I moved in. Don't get me wrong, I was in no way hanging up my baggy jeans and thrift store tee's any time soon, but for some reason I felt...different that morning. Optimistic almost, maybe I wanted that to show in the airy sun dress I found myself wearing...
I watched as Hikaru wandered with his hands in his pockets, studying the shelves of tinned tuna and soup. He didn't look like the same man I'd come to know 3 weeks ago. I didn't know if it was down to the progression of our intimacy, or the talk we'd had the night before. But I no longer felt like we were at war. Usually I always came equipped with armor whenever I had to spent time with him, knowing that in a matter of seconds he could go from calm and collected to defensive and on the war path. But even he seemed to be relaxed, I hoped he'd left his armor at home too.
"What is it?" Hikaru questioned.
It was only then I realised I'd been staring at him, "Oh, uh...I was just thinking about something"
"Anything interesting?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I chuckled, "No, nothing like that"
He didn't pry further, instead he picked a jar of salsa off the shelf and laughed, "This reminds me of the day I came over to offer you to job. You had this stained on your shirt"
"Well, I wasn't expecting guests"
"Clearly not"
"Does it really bother you?"
"Does what bother me?"
"The way I dress" I replied.
Hikaru cocked his head, as if he were considering his answer, "Yes and no" he replied.
"Well at least you're honest" I scoffed.
"I'm not saying the clothes you wear are...bad. Okay, yeah they're bad, and ugly, and just...old and they smell weird-"
"Okay okay I get it"
"What I'm saying is you are a decently attractive woman, and it seems like such a waste burying yourself in clothes that don't express who you are"
"Express who I am?" I raised an eyebrow, "Are you analysing me now?"
"Well, you did just praise my honesty" he shrugged, "Anyway, I didn't bring up the salsa to insult your clothes"
"Then why did you?"
He shrugged, pulling his eyes away from me, "I think that was probably the first time I'd really started warming to you..."
That took me by surprise, "Really?"
He cleared his throat and nodded, obviously not used to speaking so...complimentary, "You've never...not once...tried to impress me. And that day, in your huge oversized salsa stained t shirt and batman shorts, you tried to throw me out of your house, you called me a self-centred jerk, shared a bottle of cheap whiskey with me and flipped me off"
"And that's a good thing because..."
"Because from the moment I met you you showed me your genuine real self. You never tried to suck up to me, you never censored your words, what I saw was what I got with you. So I always knew that even though you may do or say stuff I didn't like, it was always going to be the truth"
"But...that doesn't make any sense...didn't you hate me because you thought I'd use you for your money? Like Seika did?"
"No" Hikaru looked me in the eye, causing me to freeze, "I hated you because I knew you wouldn't. And I don't like being wrong"
His lips lowered to mine and I found my train of thought disappearing. I forgot we were in public, I forgot there were people around us, the only thing I could think about was him.
We finished up in the store a little while later, the cart full and practically overflowing. In all the years I'd been to this store, this was one of the few occasions I'd even needed a cart. We never had enough money to buy more than a small basket's worth, so leaving there with bags and bags of groceries for Dad was like an unusual dream come true. Hikaru even spoke to the lady at the cashier with a smile, not surprisingly she recognised him and he happily handed her an autograph. A vast improvement from the last time someone had asked where he told them he had better things to do.
"I forgot how tiny this place was" Hikaru strained as he lowered the bags onto the floor in the kitchen, "Where are you even going to unpack this stuff?"
"Good question..." I mumbled. I may have gotten a little ahead of myself with the shopping. I bought everything Dad liked, and everything we always wanted to get but could never afford, which meant that I'd pretty much bought everything at the store. Looking around the kitchen I'd forgotten that we only had a small fridge/freezer and 2 food units, "Maybe I should get him a pantry closet..."
"Wouldn't you want to move him into a bigger place?" Hikaru asked as he began to unpack some of the food into the fridge.
I sighed, "I told him I was planning on buying us a place, but we ended up having a fight about it"
"A fight?"
"He doesn't want me spending my money on him"
"He sounds just as stubborn as you"
"Where do you think I get it from?" I smirked, "Oh well, he and I have plenty of time to discuss it when I'm back here"
Hikaru paused suddenly just as he placed the milk in the fridge, "So uh...does this mean at the end of the week you're moving out?"
I nodded, "Of course I am. I moved in to help you, you won't need me after the interview"
"Oh...right"
I couldn't help back take note of his tone, I'd expected him to be excited to have his house back. When he'd first found out I was moving in he'd been so outraged he'd disappeared to a bar for 12 hours. And yet now he seemed so...disappointed?
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yeah. Fucking amazing"
"Really? Cause you seem-"
"Look I'm fine alright" his voice was a lot more aggressive than I'd been prepared for. I took a step back against the counter and folded my arms.
"You don't have to snap at me"
"I'm not snapping"
"You so are"
He took a deep breath through his nose, closing the fridge door with more force than he probably intended. Then his palm pressed to his chest and he hissed a little.
"Hikaru?"
"Fuck" he grumbled.
"What's wrong?"
"My fucking chest, all day it's been..." he trailed off with a deep breath as the pain seemed to subside, "It's like the worst fucking heart burn ever"
I let out a small laugh, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a drama queen?"
"On a daily basis" he removed his hand from his chest and reached out for me suddenly, winding the free arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him. For a moment he just stared at me, like he was trying to decipher something cryptic, then he said quietly, "Kiss me"
The request caught me off guard. "Huh?"
"You heard me" he breathed, "Kiss. Me"
Desperation. That's what I saw in his eyes. Need and desperation. But for what?
Slowly, I raised myself up on my tiptoes, bringing my face closer to his as he lowered his head to meet me in the middle. My palm went to his cheek, allowing my thumb to trace circles around the unshaven stubble on his jaw. I let myself get lost in his gaze, feeling a mixture of desire, need, anticipation and apprehension all merged together. Then I kissed him. Slow and deep, leaving the promise of more on the tip of my tongue. I breathed him in, feeling his hands gliding gently down my sides, the heat of his skin radiating with mine, and the hard thumping of our chests vibrating through me. I clung to him, wanting to pour everything I had into that kiss, every question I was too afraid to ask, every feeling I hadn't unpacked...silently I wanted him to feel me. To feel all of me.
After a few moments, we pulled away with weak gasps, resting our foreheads together.
"Wow" he smirked, "Now that. Was a kiss"
Then without warning, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground caused us to jump and look up, towards the front door where none other than my father stood. Eyes wide, bag at his feet, with a look of utter shock on his perfectly painted face.
He stared at us.
We stared back.
"Hi Dad" I breathed, breaking the deafening silence, "Uh...how was work?"
Hello hello!
I loved writing this chapter, nice and sweet and simple with all the feels wrapped in!
As always I love all the support I've gotten from all my readers, I love hearing what you think and answering any questions you have! I'm so happy most of you seem to be enjoying this story as much as I am!
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Yuli xxx