-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 32-
Kyoko wasn't sure how long Ren was planning to rest his head on her shoulder, but she was starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the whole thing. She was sure he was debating if he could do this or not. Not that she could blame him really, it had to be hard to pretend to like a child. More so one he knew for a fact wasn't exactly pure anymore, he could have any pick. Hadn't she been shown that as well? The only reason he was here was due to the contract between not only herself and him but between him and the twins. It hurt her heart to know that he was more like Shoutaro than even he seemed to realize. 'No he's better than Shoutaro I'm sure he would never force himself on anyone' she mentally sighed 'At least not that I ever heard of and I'm sure Shoutaro would have said something if he had been caught in a scandal of any kind.' Guilt was starting to eat her alive, even with the contract the fact was that there was likely a scandal to be found here, something that would make him look bad, she lifted her hand running it through his hair slightly as she closed her eyes tightly, 'I'm so sorry' she didn't want to destroy anyone's career, let alone his. Yet that was what she very well could do to this man. Maria would never forgive her if she did that to him, even if it was for a good reason she doubted she could ever forgive herself either.
She found herself thankful that the waiter appeared, though she was surprised how quickly Ren seemed to pick up on his presence even before he was at their table as he shifted pulling her to his side she could tell he looked more annoyed than anything else. Not that she could blame him, though she was sure their annoyance was for the different reason was how even if she tried to keep herself from budging he could hold her in place, as if she weighed nothing, almost like she was a Chihuahua, he was even petting her in a way as if she was one of those small dogs. That thought amused her a bit the idea of Ren Tsuruga as one of those over processed blondes holding a chihuahua under his arm. She stared at him slightly 'He wouldn't look bad as a blonde' she thought silently to herself. 'No I think it would be an improvement to his looks' if he was able to gain women without issue with dark brown hair, the thought of how many women would fall over him with blonde hair. She couldn't even imagine the numbers. She lowered her eyes from him, 'If he got any better looking, no one would ever believe it for real... maybe I should see if he would be willing to dye his hair...' it would make her look like she really was using him that way. She mentally laughed 'Not that I need much help in that actually, no one would believe we were a couple. It would be clear I had something over him, right?' she hadn't been born pretty enough. She had nothing to find appealing, she had to shut down that useless feeling, the bitterness that he seemed to bring out of her. Besides it wasn't like she really wanted him to fall in love with her, it would be no good to hurt this man any more than she would be.
"Milady" her eyes turned towards the waiter, "Sir," he said with a bow of his head to them. "Cuisine Amour is very sorry for the inconvenience to your meal tonight and we would like to offer you your drinks on the house or perhaps if you rather one of our finest desserts," she was sure that Ren would rather get the drinks for free but he had hardly eaten and she was sure he wouldn't have eaten at all if it hadn't been for the fact she had insisted so before he could say anything she smiled sweetly at the man.
"I think we would love to have the dessert" she placed her hand on his knee his eyes turning towards to her as she did so. Perhaps she was worried for nothing but she didn't want his anger to rise and if it had to rise she could only hope that he would be bothered by the fact her hand was touching his knee to move. Still, she didn't feel him flinch. Which made her question how he could so fine with such a movement surprised her, she herself was having a hard time keeping her hand there and she dare not look at him as she leaned into him. No, she likely wouldn't be able to keep from pulling away instead. "What would you recommend?" she could only hope her voice was steady enough that no one would notice her discomfort at the moment.
"Are you sure Milady?" he said his eyes trailing towards Ren for a moment "It would bring down your bill a great deal"
"Now, if you say that your tip wouldn't be nearly as impressive." she could feel Ren eyes on her and she was trying her hardest not to let that show. "Anyways, I'm afraid he hasn't eaten nearly enough, he needs a good calorie count" she heard him groan under his breath. "Sugar is a good way to increase one's appetite" Kyoko cringle slightly she could feel the holes burning into her from him but she couldn't do anything and most of all she didn't dare a peak even if she really wanted to. Due to where her hand was at the moment.
The waiter nodded his head, his eyes looking once more towards Ren before falling back towards her, she wondered what he was seeing. Yet she felt no anger coming off of Ren still perhaps if he was glaring at the man she should do something. Deep inside she was screaming as she ran her fingers up his leg she couldn't believe she was touching him like this but he didn't seem to notice at all, she stopped moving to trace small circles on his thigh instead, she dare not go any higher mainly because she didn't know exactly how much higher she would be before she touched something she didn't want to touch. That thought was already making it very hard on her and she looked down slightly, not wanting anyone to see what she was sure her face turning slightly red as the waiter spoke.
"Many of our young lovers enjoy the Chocolate Truffle Cake is highly recommended. It is a creme fraiche-spiked chocolate layer cake that is more like a perfect fudge, it is layered with dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache, covered in dark chocolate frosting." Her eyes slowly turned towards the waiter, she heard Ren groan as the man finished. It sounded fatting actually and extremely unhealthy but she found herself wondering how far she could push him eating something, it was slightly twisted she knew she could just ask him what he liked and didn't like but she told herself that if he ate this without much complaint that perhaps he really did like sweets things.
"Sounds amazing, let's get that." she did this time risk a look at Ren who wasn't looking at her at all. She wasn't sure exactly why he looked so grumpy but perhaps it was because of the food, he always seemed grumpy about food. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, sounds good" he still wasn't looking at her as he flashed one of his gentlemanly smiles. Sighing in disappointed really that even her touch didn't seem to be calming down at the moment. She wasn't sure what she was going to do if he stayed so grumpy looking it wouldn't look good, would it? She silently wondered what she should do as the waiter nodded his head.
"Very good Milady, Sir. I will bring it back right away." the man said giving another bow of his waist before disappearing. She pulled her hand away from him as the man left, as she quietly thought to herself on what she could do to make this better.
Then silently told herself she wasn't supposed to be the one to make things better, it was his job to make her want him. She felt a inner anger burning inside her that she was slowly repeating her actions just like when she was with Shoutaro all those years. Always trying to make him happy, always trying to calm down whatever upset him, whatever sour his mood. Now she was doing it with Ren. Was she that hopeless of a person that she couldn't even play the role of someone who didn't care for men other than what they could do for her? What could they give her? 'How can I be a player, when I never been one?' she should have asked her father a bit more when it came to acting. If this was the limit of her acting skills she was going to blow this whole thing before it even went anywhere.
If someone had asked Ren Tsuruga what his happiness memory was up to that point. He would have a hard time answer, as Kuon he supposed it would always be the little stream where he had met Kyoko all those years ago. Yet for Ren, it would have to be the moment her fingers began to run through his hair. Actually, it might have been a tie even for Kuon it was without a doubt would be one of his favorite memories. The action was innocent, there was nothing more she wanted from him. It calmed him and she seemed to even enjoy running her fingers through his hair, it wasn't the first time she had done so. It was odd most women would focus on other parts of his body, rarely did they run their fingers through his hair and up to that moment he wouldn't have known how soothing it could be to have someone do such a simple gesture when it came down to it.
He heard the footsteps before he ever laid eyes on the waiter that appeared. It had crushed something inside of him to pull away from her, to no longer feel her fingers running through his hair as he leaned back in the booth pulling her to his side with ease. His fingers traced small figure eights down her upper arm. No matter how he thought about it, this was more than he had ever thought possible when he had realized he wanted to make her acknowledge him to accept him. To mark her as his, his friend. He mentally checked himself because that was what she was. It was making him weak, making it harder for him to stay as Ren but it would be fine. She would never have to know the truth, just like the rest of the world would never need to know. Corn was a role a role he loved more than anything else. One that no one but he knew the truth about, he would allow her that one memory he would only darken it and ruin it in the end if she learned the truth. His eyes turned towards the waiter as he stood in front of their table.
The waiter by all standards was very respectful "Milady, Sir." Ren's eyes focus on the young man even with a part of him watching for any hint or sign that this young man wanted Kyoko. Yet that wasn't the case, he felt nothing come off from the man, he was simply respecting her. Her place in their society, more so with the way he bowed his head towards her more than him. He mentally scolded himself for being so childish as if every man wanted Kyoko. "Cuisine Amour is very sorry for the inconvenience to your meal tonight and we would like to offer you your drinks on the house or perhaps if you rather one of our finest desserts."
Kyoko smiled sweetly, "I think we would love to have the dessert."
He would have spoken up, disagreed with such a thing but her hand had fallen on his knee and he was doing everything he could to hide his surprise. He could tell she was uncomfortable but she was trying. So while he didn't speak up he was still very annoyed that she was going to take the free dessert over the free drinks. The thought of eating anything was making him grumpy it must have shown on his face with the way the waiter looked at him. He was slipping but it worked in a way he supposed. Maybe the young man would simply believe that he was intruding on their date. The fact that it was all a lie only made a bitterness grow inside of him yet again. The fact she was only touching him to get what she wanted in the end, the fact that those two knew that she clearly had no clue how to handle it such a thing so they were aiding her.
"Are you sure Milady? It would bring down your bill a great deal."
Well, he couldn't deny that it would likely bring down the bill, he had perhaps overdone it while she was trying to gather herself again. He had to gather himself and he had done it the way he always did. Not to say he wasn't in complete control over himself because he was. He also knew he had a high tolerance to alcohol he blamed his Russian blood on it seeing as his father was a lightweight and his mother could outdrink both of them. There had never been a case of him being so drunk he didn't know exactly what was going on. That he couldn't function within society without anyone even realizing he had been drinking heavily either. He also knew he should worry about becoming an alcoholic but he didn't worry about it. Wasn't like anyone really gave a damn about him well there was his parents, perhaps Lory and Maria. His eyes moved towards Kyoko, 'And Kyoko for her Corn perhaps' but he couldn't live as Corn.
"Now if you say that your tip wouldn't be nearly as impressive" he wanted to smile at that comment as he looked down at her.
'Of course, she would be worried about this man's paycheck' hadn't she proven that over and over again that to her people's jobs meant more than causing problems. It was something that hadn't changed even when they were children. She had always worried about being a problem for the people in her life. That was what made him feel so special back then because she had spoken to him so honestly. She let out her fears and tears for him. Something he learned quickly she no longer shared with Shoutaro who was to be her future husband. He as Corn had been special.
"Anyways, I'm afraid he hasn't eaten nearly enough, he needs a good calorie count" he couldn't help but groan at that. There had been a secondary reason and while he knew he should feel special that was worried about him getting enough to eat the thought of food was just too horrible and the fact she knew he didn't like to eat and was still wanting him to eat more. "Sugar is a good way to increase one's appetite" and he couldn't help but glare at her.
'What is she trying to do stuff me with more food?' he thought bitterly he wasn't exactly angry at the moment but he wasn't happy either. Then his mind went almost completely blank, he knew the man was talking, yet he was fighting a far different battle. One where her hand slid up his leg, he had to treat this as a role. There was a slight inner battle though if she had been anyone else. He would have pulled away from her, it was unwanted attention and yet a part of him did want it. He focuses on the way her fingers began to trace small circles on his thigh and he knew that had been a mistake all on its own. 'Fifteen. Fifteen' he chanted in his mind. It would prevent him from doing more, which he rarely did these days but sometimes he had urges and this was one of those moments. He just hadn't had any real urges as Ren in the last couple of years. As Kuon well sometimes he did allow himself to fall into those urges. He didn't know how to play the middle ground in this. More so when he was pretty damn sure Kyoko had no clue what she was doing to him.
"What do you think?" He felt her eyes on him but he dare not look at her. He knew he wouldn't see any desire in her eyes and that meant the urge he was feeling due to her touch was all innocent at least he damn well hope they were.
He flashed a smile towards the waiter, "Yeah, sounds good," he wasn't exactly sure what he just agreed too. Some sort of dessert of course but what that dessert was, he had no damn clue. 'How could she distract me so much?' His eyes trailed towards her hand for a moment before he looked up towards the ceiling 'Right... I feel like a damn hormonal teenager.'
"Very good Milady, Sir. I'll bring it back right away" he said with a bow and disappeared.
To his disappointment she withdrew her hand, it bothered him that he was so disappointed by the lack of her touch. He reached taking the hand that had been drawing circles on his leg and began to kiss each of her fingertips softly. He watched as her face began to turn into that lovely shade of pink that he was starting to enjoy all the more. "If you want me to eat more," he said kissing her palm of her hand as he slowly moved up her arm, "you only have to cook for me" he felt her shudder under his touch and he couldn't help but smirk at it, "Though I must admit I'm used to a different type of dessert" he noticed how that seemed to make her three shades redder as she pulled herself from him completely.
"Or you could just learn to eat properly" he couldn't help but feel happy with her anger that was held in her voice, it was clear that she was worried about his eating habits. "Didn't your mother teach you how important it is to eat a proper meal?" The way she sighed heavily as if he was a child who hadn't listened to his mother made him smile softly.
"Yes but she's also the reason behind it." Her eyes trailed towards him, yet she shifted slightly closer to him regardless and he couldn't help but feel happy about that. To many things made him happy when it came to her and that was starting to trouble not just Ren but Kuon as well. Just like whenever he thought of her as his, as if he had some right to her. His father would be pissed at Kuon for such thoughts.
"You shouldn't look so... unhappy" she clearly was choosing her words carefully. "I don't know what to do with you when you are like that" her eyes looked down and away from him, he worried she would move completely away from him and found himself pulling her closer to his embrace.
"Sorry, it was hard with you distracting me." Just like it was a battle not to kiss every inch of her he could reach the moment, 'Damn these hormones' he normally had them under better check, no it wasn't even that. He could normally act on them without thought. So he was struggling at the moment in a way he never really had to do before. He would have to take care of that on his return trip to Japan.
Her eyes shot up to look at him, "I was distracting you?"
The way she looked at him he knew that she had no idea what she was doing to him at the moment. He sighed heavily as he looked up at the ceiling, "Clearly you weren't taught all that well," he winced as she smacked him hard across the cheek. His hand touching where she had smacked even more as she clearly pulled away from him the waiter had been smart, he left the dessert quickly on the table as he rushed away. Though Ren hadn't missed the surprise and shock that had crossed his face. 'Fuck' he swore as he looked towards her. "That's not what I meant," he said rubbing his face, it wasn't so much that he hurt, no it was more in surprise someone actually had smacked him in the first place. "I mean it's a good thing, you still have your pure-heart" he said pulling her towards him, she didn't fight him which he took as a good sign as he nuzzled his face into her neck, "I am glad that you are still so pure-hearted to not know those sort of things" he really was but it also likely would mean she would put herself into positions that would drive him crazy. "Just be careful with other guys, they wouldn't understand," he said softly as he felt her relax for a moment and then she was pulling away from him grabbing her phone and a fork.
He watched as she stabbed the large slice clearly meant for them to share with the fork, "Eat it. All of it." she said darkly, "Then I'll think about forgiving you" she said turning towards her phone.
He sighed as he stared at the large piece of the cake, he groans as he flicked the fork slightly in the piece of cake. "You do know I'm a model right?" he was hoping to get out of it or at least most of it. She shrugged her shoulders. He was sure he would die tonight. Death by chocolate cake, a lot of chocolate cake. The only nice thing about his for sure death was that she once he had taken the first bite willingly she had curled up next to his side, taking the plate in her hands and the fork and began to feed him, it was different. So different than when his mother had done it, she was not forcing it on him. It made him actually want to finish every bite, even if it did kill him.