Chapter 2

It took about forty-five minutes to get from Naru's apartment to mine. He had gotten something about ten minutes away from the SPR's office, but sense I'm poor and use to be a high school student, even with Naru's wonderful paychecks, my apartment was thirty minutes away from SPR in the other direction. Therefore, do the math, and by the time I was home I had begun to doubt my genius plan to lure Naru away from his parents. All that waited for me until I fell asleep was an empty, quiet apartment. At least I had had dinner with Luella so it wouldn't be so much time.

Sighing to myself, I got my mail out of the apartment complex's mail box and went through the envelopes as I climbed the stairs. An ocher summer's evening spread my shadow out long and thin out of the corner of my eye.

I paused as I came to, not an envelope, but a post card, displaying a beautiful coral reef. I flipped it over to find, to my delight, a short note from John.

Thought I'd let you know I got home safe. Also I wanted an excuse to write in Japanese. I always thought the characters so exotic compared to old English. Hoping you are safe and happy.

Sincerely,

John

Underneath this was a small scribbled address, all in English, for somewhere in Australia. Something warm blossomed in my chest, along with a curious ache I couldn't quite understand. Shrugging it off, I slipped out my keys from my small backpack (I still hadn't bothered to get myself a purse when my school backpack still worked perfectly well), and unlocked my apartment.

Inside smelled of home and was warm from the lack of A/C. The setting sun lit up the room with a single square of orange from the kitchen window. I put my mail on the counter, slipped off my sandals, then stood their stupidly for something to do.

"Guess I should do some cleaning," I said aloud to myself. "And…I guess I could pop some popcorn and watch some Columbo. Yeah…yeah that actually sounds pretty good. A mystery marathon. Maybe I could even bother to paint my nails. That'd be something."

So I set about to cleaning and scrubbing the place. Since it was just a little studio apartment, with the only other room being a small bathroom, it took a grand total of one hour to get everything squeaky clean and my laundry done up in a bag in the corner to take down to the washing room in the morning. By then the sun had set, though its orange glow hadn't. I showered, taking my sweet time and singing nonsense tunes. Scrubbed my feet, daydreamed about Naru and weddings, wondered about the case and played with particularly horrifying, but exciting possibilities.

By the time I had gotten out, my tiny A/C unit had had its time to cool down the place and the sun's glow had set along with it. Twilight was setting and the digital clock on my TV-less Roku box said 9:24pm.

I found my laptop and while I waited for it to turn on I checked my phone for messages.

Naru: Why must you tease me?

If I didn't know him better, I'd say he was sounding somewhat whimsical and flirtatious saying that. But, since I knew him better, I knew he was glaring up a storm at his phone as he typed this in frustration.

As before, I started off feeling bad, and then remembered he wouldn't even hold my hand in front of his parents when they obviously didn't give a damn.

And since it's always best to be honest with Naru, since he can be a bit thick at times:

Me: Because you're ridiculous. Your parents obviously don't care if you show that you love me. Your mom even likes it when I force you to.

Naru, not the most avid of texters, took his usual forever to respond. By the time he did, I had Netflix rolled up on my computer and an episode of Columbo loading.

Naru: I don't see what this has to do with talking about inappropriate subjects in the company of others as well as lounging in a miniskirt in someone else's house.

Okay, that irritated me. I had to take a second to collect myself in order to write up a response. I did these sort of things so much better when I had the said person there to yell at.

Just remember, I had to tell myself. You have to be stupid with him. He doesn't understand normal people's emotions.

Me: Okay, one: your parents didn't even hear me. If you recall I was speaking in a lower voice than her. Two: it's my fiancé's house, not a stranger's. Also, for someone who acts like they're all that and don't care what other people think, you care way too much what other people think.

It took a long time to type this all down as Naru didn't do well with txt speech. As far as I knew, I was the only one he texted on an extended basis.

The episode started and I became captured up in the story. The murder had already been committed before I remembered my plans for popcorn. When my phone vibrated, my fingers had been doused in butter and I almost didn't catch the message as I was caught up in how Detective Columbo would throw off the murderer and find the vase used to smash over the poor victim's head. Oh, I loved how he talked about his wife. Detective Columbo was the best. If only Naru could be so sweet. Knowing him, once he was married he'd pretend I didn't exist to other people in the name of 'privacy.' What a wet rag.

Naru: Can't you respect my comfort levels? If you want something from me, just say it. You don't have to humiliate me for it.

Sizzle. Talk about guilt trip…and crap, it worked.

A little miffed at my inability to handle it when it was dished out on me, I finished the episode before picking up my phone again to find, to my surprise, another text.

Naru: I read over the texts and I'm assuming you will wonder why I am self-conscious about showing affection towards you in front of my parents. I believe it is because I am afraid they will tease me for it. I loathe teasing, as you are so fond of reminding me, and my mother can be rather…vocal.

The way he said that made me imagine her jumping up and down beside's him screaming his love to me for the world. Instead, I scratched that, and corrected it with how she had behaved the first few hours off of the plane by hugging and kissing and glomping Naru and every opportune moment she could.

…I guess I could get that.

I thought for a bit, glanced at the clock (10:43pm), and replied.

Me: I'm sorry. I got carried away in my playing and I had fallen in love with the idea of taking a nap on your lap when you pushed me off. You smell nice, and I love being around you. I want to be around you all the time, it kind of makes me feel like a desperate puppy. How's that for dignity? Well, I hope you sleep well.

Figuring that would be the end of our conversation (as stated above, Naru isn't a big texter), I turned back to the next episode with full intent, bowl held up on my knees and practically scooping popcorn into my mouth. The fingernail polish I had gotten out from my medicine cabinet went forgotten and at the end of the episode, I put it away as I went to brush my teeth.

I clicked around the next episodes before yawning and deciding I was too tired to really enjoy more. I closed my laptop, crawled into my futon, and checked my phone one last time for any last minute notes.

Naru: I want you. I can't comprehend how any man could not want you as much as I do, especially on late nights such as these when I remember your teasing, your smiles, your intuition, your warmth against me. Please don't tempt me more than you already do, as I don't have much left to hold onto. Because I love you and want to make what happens between us what it is meant to be and not what the world has made it into; I want it to be making love and not a recreational sport.

…Okay, I don't think I've ever blushed so much completely alone in my life. If his intention was to stun me speechless and leave me laying awake like a brilliant red glow stick in the night, he did it.

I bit my lip. How did one respond to that? Sometimes Naru threw me off guard with the depths of his passions. For the longest time he had fulfilled all my expectations as a cold, heartless narcissist. Now that I was so close to the cold flame within him, it startled me to realize it could burn. Sometimes it left me in awe that someone could feel so deeply in a world where so many sought to numb up their souls. Sometimes it unnerved me, as I was afraid of treading wrong or being mistaken in his depth.

Even as I was thinking, another text from him came in.

Naru: Because of that I don't want my feelings for you or you yourself to be held up for others to tease or mock or make light of. I'm afraid they might demean you to the level of perverted jokes or pop songs about mediocre puppy love or make you any less delightful to behold than my Mai. I'm afraid they'll try to poke their noses between us to gossip and wonder about something that isn't their business in the first place. You are…sacred to me. Because of that I'm afraid I might unnerve you at times with how aloof I am. I worry you might think I don't care for you or don't want others to know I do, which is not the case. Perhaps you are right and I pay too much attention to what others think. For that, I apologize. I will do my best to do better at that.

Needlessly to say, I had found Naru to be much more eloquent and better spoken in text than he was in person.

It took me a while before finally penning down the safest answer I could think of.

Me: I'm sorry if I haven't respected you in that regard. I'm sorry if I have been rude. I really have been an idiot this time.

I pushed my phone aside, a little stunned, a little touched, but mostly aching for him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to press him close to me till my soul touched that certain something burning inside him that made him Naru. Then I could hold it close to me until he comprehended to the upmost degree that I would give my life for him…that he was fast becoming my life, if he wasn't already.

And then he might know just how desperately I wanted him to be happy. I would give anything to make him happy.

My phone buzzed. Past midnight now.

Naru: We're both idiots.