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Coffee Shops and Cameras
Chapter 28
Well, here we go.
I stood motionless in the hallway of Haute Magazine's lobby, surrounded by individuals from every fashion, publishing and modelling profession you could think of.
This was nothing like the interview Yuzuha had had with that horrible Ayame woman.
That interview seemed so quiet, so casual, just a brief face to face chat that ended in under an hour. But this, this was a goddamn production. There were journalists everywhere, photographers practically climbing the walls, PA's running back and forth between offices as if their lives depended on the cups of coffee they carried.
"This is insane" I murmured, catching Hikaru through the corner of my eye.
He shrugged, "I know right. I've been here 10 minutes and no one has taken my coat yet"
I rolled my eyes, "Not what I meant"
"I know" he smirked, "But this is a pretty standard set-up for exclusive interviews. Not to mention I think I threw them all off by showing up on time"
"They must think you're eager"
"Yeah" he said, "Eager to get this over and done with"
At that moment a woman with neatly cropped brown hair in a simple black pants suit approached us from across the hall, her tall red stilettos clacked on the marble floors and suddenly it was the only sound I could hear. I swallowed as I felt my nerves ignite across my entire body. She looked so goddamned intimidating it made my teeth hurt as they ground down against each other.
"Mr Hitachiin" she greeted with a wide smile, she stuck out her hand to him, "I'm Benio Amakusa, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person"
I looked at Hikaru, waiting for his response.
Come on Hika, time to show me how much you paid attention during our sessions...
I was pleased to see him offer a warm smile, then he outstretched his own hand and clasped hers in a professional firm shake, "Likewise Ms Amakusa, and it's a pleasure to be here"
Yes you beautiful man! You nailed it!
Then he smiled wider and placed his hand on the small of my back, "This is my assistant, Miss Haruhi Fujioka. She'll be overseeing our interview today along with my brother. Be sure she's treated as if she were an extension of myself, if it weren't for her I may not have made it here today"
Caught off guard I smiled perhaps a little too wide, "Pleasure to meet you Ms Amakusa"
She gave me a quick once-over from head to toe, as if she were trying to sum me up in her head. The she smiled too, a genuine one that put me at ease, "In that case I thank you Miss Fujioka, we've been looking forward to having Mr Hitachiin here with us" she reached to shake my hand, which I quickly reciprocated, "If there's anything you need don't hesitate to ask one of my PAs or interns"
"Thank you" Hikaru nodded politely, and holy shit was I impressed.
The old Hikaru would have thrown a fit over being left waiting in the doorway, even if it were only for a few minutes. He also wouldn't have bothered introducing anyone without being prompted beforehand. And the fact that he said 'It's a pleasure to be here' and 'Thank you' near enough knocked me on my ass.
I gave him a mental fist-bump, wishing like hell we could communicate telepathically or something.
"How about a tour whilst the team finish setting up? Your hair and beauty team will be ready shortly to take you aside" Ms Amakusa gestured further into the building and began walking slowly for us to follow.
When she turned her back I gave Hikaru a quick grin and thumbs up, to which he stifled a laugh.
We were led through to the elevators as Ms Amakusa gave a brief history of the company and its publications. She highlighted all their best achievements and awards they'd been given as she took us up towards the top floor. When the doors slid open we were presented with even more staff and teams arranging themselves. I was struck with another thought as I watched them bustle from door to door, and that was how the old Hikaru would have found it highly unprofessional and disorganised to have to see people preparing themselves. He was never one who enjoyed seeing the 'behind the scenes' aspect of his work, he simply just expected everything to be ready for him with no fuss. But as I looked at Hikaru I saw that his expression was one of interest in Amakusa's words and seemed completely unphased by the staff. His extreme attitude change made him so freaking attractive I could feel my legs go weak.
He must have sensed me staring at him, as he turned to look at me and flashed a confident wink as if he knew exactly what I were thinking.
A blush heated my cheeks as we continued following Amakusa.
"The interview will take place in my office over here" she gestured towards a dominating frosted glass door with her name printed in rose gold in the centre with a grin, "Present will be our own photography team, as well as a secondary journalist, 4 personal assistants and obviously Miss Fujioka and Mr Hitachiin. I've tried to keep the staffing to a minimum to avoid distraction"
Speaking of Kaoru, where the hell is he?
Kaoru hadn't left home when we climbed into the awaiting town car, in fact he was still rushing around doing his hair when we slipped on our shoes. When he'd strolled down for breakfast and saw us there fully dressed and ready to leave as we went over last minute interview prep he lost his mind.
"You're already up?!" he'd gaped.
According to him, all previous interviews and meetings Hikaru and he had attended always started late. Meaning Hikaru never aimed to get there on time. The way he always saw it was - "They're ready when I'm ready" whether that were an hour before or after scheduled.
The fact that Hikaru wanted to be there early to make a good impression was almost enough to make Kaoru faint.
I pulled out my phone to shoot him a text, only to see that he'd already sent me one telling me he would be here in 5. I breathed out a sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted was for Hikaru to be thrown off by the unexpected absence of his twin.
"I just want to say once more that we are so honoured to have you here Mr Hitachiin" Amakusa beamed as she paused in the corridor.
I glanced up at Hikaru who remained as calm and collected as I'd hoped.
He returned her smile and bowed politely, "Believe me Ms Amakusa, I am the one who is honoured. Thank you so much for this welcome, I really do appreciate all the work and effort you seem to have gone through to make me feel at home"
My jaw dropped.
I didn't miss the blush that lit up Benio's cheeks. For someone who I'd been told had the reputation of a dragon, she seemed to be in awe of Hikaru who flashed his charm effortlessly. 'Impressed' was an understatement.
" My assistant Nekozawa will take any drink or food orders you may have and take you through to our beauty team" she cleared her throat, "Do you have any other requests Mr Hitachiin?" the way she asked him made it seem like she were expecting him to shout out a barrage of demands, but instead of coming out with his usual 'I want a bottle of sparkling water at room temperature and a bowl of only red skittles' he simply smiled and thanked her, telling her we didn't need anything else but would let her assistant know if we changed our minds.
Honestly I had never been more turned on in my life.
"You're blowing my mind" I said wide eyed as we followed Benio's assistant.
He shrugged as if it were nothing.
"Honestly" I grinned, giving him a playful shove, "You're doing amazing"
"You shouldn't be praising me, you're the teacher, I'm just using everything you taught me"
"I only take half the responsibility" I smirked, "The rest is all you"
We were taken into a side room that was filled to the brim with make up artists and hair stylists.
The moment Hikaru entered they looked at him as if a feral lion had just been let off the leash. Eyes wide and even some trembling legs met us as the door closed behind us.
"Mr Hitachiin" one of the women finally stepped forwards and bowed. I could see her shaking as she stood in front of him, "My name is Kanako Kasugazaki, I'll be doing your make up today. It's an absolute pleasure to be working with you"
Hikaru simply smiled and bowed back, "Lovely to meet you Ms Kasugazaki, I'm happy to leave my face in your hands" he flashed her one of his signature smiles and I swear I witnessed the woman have a mini orgasm in front of us.
"Shall we go over some last minute questions?" I asked as Hikaru sat down in the seat Kanako guided him to. I seated myself on the couch beside him and crossed my legs, my nude coloured pencil skirt lifting over my knee as I settled in place.
I caught Hikaru staring at my legs and clicked my fingers in front of his face, "Focus" I smirked.
"Sorry, can't help myself" he winked and I felt my core tighten.
Dammit man, don't do this to me.
I cleared the lump in my throat, "How are you feeling?"
He shrugged, "I feel great"
"Really?"
He nodded.
I wooshed out a sigh of relief, "Good. That's good"
"Are you?"
"Huh?"
"Nervous I mean"
I pursed my lips, "I shouldn't be"
"But you are?"
"This is foreign territory for me, I'm scared that what I've helped you with will end up being redundant. Although you seem to be doing just fine so far"
He gave me a look that told me he wasn't taking me seriously, "Later I'm going to tell you all the reasons why that statement is wrong"
"Oh you are?"
He nodded, "You've done amazing. I'm tempted to officially ask you to be my PA"
I rolled my eyes, "And have to deal with your demands all day? No thanks"
"You didn't seem to mind my demands last night" he spoke in a hushed tone so no one else could hear.
I bit my lip as images of the nights previous flashed to mind. Remembering how Hikaru would pin me down onto the bed, his hands and mouth exploring every inch of my body, his voice in my ear telling me to cum.
I shuddered, and he noticed, giving me a wink and a cocky grin.
"Time to focus Mr Hitachiin" I replied.
"That's not easy when you're dressed like that" his eyes motioned down my white blouse and pencil skirt and landed on my Christian Louboutin heels, "Request; keep those on tonight"
"Request pending" I raised a brow and opened my notes, "Last minute questions Mr Hitachiin?" I repeated.
He grinned wider, "Anything to speed this up. The sooner we're back home, the better"
HIKARU
Hikaru was shitting himself.
Honest to God, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. Stress levels seemed to be so high that he had no idea how he would get through this without losing his mind. His chest was beating so hard it was impossible to ignore the constant thumping in his ears, and his knee seemed to bounce uncontrollably as he sat in the hair stylist's chair. He had to grip his knee with his nails just to stop the damn thing from flying up off the cushion.
Haruhi had been going over the bullet points they'd put together. Discussing possible questions and answers for once they were inside Amakuza's office. She seemed completely focused today, maybe even more than Hikaru was. She even came prepared with a notebook and pre-prepared questions and scenarios for when the time came for him to sit in that chair and bare his soul to the world. He thanked the gods that one of them seemed to know what they were doing, because fuck if Hikaru knew what he was going to do when the cameras were on him.
Your first solo interview. Don't fuck it up.
This had become his mantra since waking up that morning. His biggest fear was that he would say something he shouldn't, or he would be coerced into answering a question wrong and come out of that interview looking like a bigger prick than he already was.
You mean 'used to be'.
He wasn't that man anymore. He refused to be that man. Haruhi was counting on him, his family was counting on him. He was counting on him. There was no way he was going to screw this opportunity up.
Besides, he needed the confidence boost. Because afterwards he planned to do something 100 times more nerve-wracking.
When he woke up that morning the first thing he saw was Haruhi lying there fast asleep. Her pursed lips slightly parted, her breathing calm and steady, her long lashes closed and fluttering with every breath. He stared at her for the longest time, thinking about how badly he wished he could wake up to that sight every morning. To see the woman he loved sleeping so peacefully and trusting at his side. When she started stirring, and her eyes opened sleepily before settling her gaze on him with a smile, the only thing he wanted to do was tell her he loved her. Just to say the words and let out everything he was keeping inside.
So in that moment he'd decided. He was going to fucking tell her.
How hard could it really be?
People tell other people they love them all the time. And now that she'd agreed to officially be his girlfriend it wasn't like it would come as a shock. Right?
Fuck, what if she rejects you? Remember when she told you about her ex who she broke up with because things were moving too fast? That could be you.
"You look good" Haruhi grinned, studying him as the stylist did some finishing touches to his hair.
"Only good?"
She rolled her eyes, "Great. You look great. Very handsome"
"Thanks" he winked, then threw his phone onto the table and stood from his chair, shrugging on his blazer. Haruhi stood too and helped him straighten his tie and smooth out his sleeves.
"I made it!" Kaoru's voice suddenly burst through the room as he stood in the open doorway.
"Took you long enough" Hikaru replied, "What took you so long?"
Kaoru shrugged, "I got distracted by something outside, my bad. But I'm here now, and I'm on time"
At that very moment Amakuza appeared at his side, holding a tablet in one hand and a coffee in the other.
"Would you like to follow me through to the office Mr Hitachiin? We're almost ready for you" she said brightly.
Hikaru nodded, "Lead the way Ms Amakuza"
The 3 of them walked back out towards the main hallway, following Amakuza as she took Hikaru through everything step by step reassuringly. She entered the office first, closely followed by Kaoru who stepped inside with skip in his step. But before Hikaru could follow his lead, Haruhi put a hand on his chest and paused him where he stood.
She smiled a little, her eyes touching his, "You okay?"
He nodded, "I will be once this is over..."
"You're going to be amazing" the sincerity in her eyes made Hikaru's heart jump in his chest. If there weren't so many people around he probably would have kissed her, "Has your Mom called to wish you good luck yet?" she asked.
Hikaru shrugged, then began a quick pat down of his pockets. He frowned after a few moments, then pursed his lips in embarrassment.
"Uh, I think I left my phone in the other room"
"You're serious?" Haruhi replied with a chuckle, "You want me to run back and grab it for you?"
"Nah, I'll handle it. You get them warmed up for me yeah?"
"I'll do my best, but I can't promise I'll be as confident as you are"
He smiled thankfully, "I'll see you in a minute okay?"
Haruhi nodded in quick succession and wooshed out a breath, "Okay" she replied, then grinned, pushing all the nerves out of her until she stood there with all the determination and confidence he'd always admired in her.
"Since this is the last time we're alone until afterwards, how about a quick kiss for good luck?" Hikaru winked. With a quick glance around he'd seen that there was no one else left in the hallway, and like hell was he not going to take advantage of that.
Haruhi smirked, "You don't need luck, you've got this" then she leaned in and brushed her lips against his, "Be quick"
He watched Haruhi approach the door where Amakuza and Kaoru had entered moments before, but before she went inside Hikaru spoke up with one last thing to say.
Here goes nothing.
"I have something I need to tell you afterwards by the way" he said, "Something important"
She raised a brow, "Nothing bad I hope"
Only that I love you.
With a grin he shook his head, "No. Nothing bad"
"Okay then" Haruhi beamed, then turned with deliberate slowness, and went inside.
Hikaru found himself trying to hold back a grin as he walked in the opposite direction towards the cluster of rooms where the make up and clothing teams had been setting up. Even though there was absolutely no guarantee that she would return his feelings, he still felt as if he were on top of the world. Never in his life had he felt so much for another person other than his family. But even the thought of telling her his feelings was enough to make his heart swell with joy. Because it meant that he'd accepted he was capable of love. For some reason that epiphany made him feel as if he'd truly gained back the soul people had been telling him he'd lost. He was officially the person he wanted to be. One who could love. One who was worthy of someone like Haruhi.
When he re-entered the room he and Haruhi had been ushered into for hair he had a quick look around to see if he could spy his cell phone laying in the spot he'd been sitting.
"Fucking dammit" He grumbled when he saw nothing but a cushion with a black and white print of a Haute cover embroidered on it, "Where the hell did it go?"
He searched the vanity table, only to find nothing but a few hair pins and a colour corrector.
I could have sworn I'd left it here...
"Looking for something?" a voice suddenly said. The unexpected sound made him jump out of his skin.
"Fuck, you scared the shit out of me" he grumbled into his palm. He turned quickly to follow the source, finding a woman sat down in the corner with a wicked grin on her face. A face that looked all too familiar, so much so that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.
That's no fucking woman, that's a monster...
Hikaru felt his entire body shrivel up and die in place, his cheeks burning red, and teeth aching as they ground down on themselves. He hadn't seen that face in almost 10 years, but he knew her the moment he felt his heart shatter and rage ignite inside him. She simply smirked back, legs crossed over one another, his phone settled in her evil little hand.
"Seika?" the name fell from his lips like a curse, and suddenly he felt his stomach turn.
She grinned back, "I need to have a little word with you. Now's a good time? Right?"
Hey hey hey everyone! Feels like forever since I last updated, so I hope this was worth the wait!
I was so overwhelmed by the last responses I had for Chapter 27, literally blew me away! Not only for this story, but also Let The Wind Blow, I'm so glad you seem to be enjoying it!
Please remember to Review/Favourite/Follow!
Love y'all,
Yuli xx