Chapter 7- Thoughts of You
I gasped and sat up in my bed. I was drenched in sweat, almost as if I had just jumped out of hot water. It was a dream . . . I grabbed my chest, feeling my heart excitedly beating. My body was raging with so many different sensations. My mind and my heart were racing. I was astonished by the thought of him and I in the shower . . . together. I regained my breath and laid back down. There was light outside, so it was definitely daytime. I looked over at my clock. It read 9:48. I guess I didn't set the alarm, I thought to myself. I sat up again. My mind had many thoughts to sort out. One after another . . . after another . . .
'Yusuke . . .'
'I have to get up now.'
'We were . . .!'
'I'll be late.'
'Did we . . . did that really happen?'
'I have to. . . open the Ramen Shop today.'
I got out of bed and walked to the door. I ran to the bathroom. Oh my God . . . I . . . I thought . . . that we had . . . I looked at myself in the mirror as I sorted out my thoughts, my body still raging. I must have been rolling around a lot last night . . . My hair's a mess. I quickly brushed my hair and my teeth and scampered back to my room. I found a dark blue sweater and I put it on with a light blue skirt. I grabbed up my hair and tied it up into a bun so that it wouldn't be in my way. I left my room and I walked quickly down the hallway.
I entered the living room. I looked around and saw no one. They must be down in the diner, I thought. I slipped into my shoes and walked out of the door. I walked downstairs, hurrying to see if my mother and father were busy. As I came down, I could hear people talking . . . a lot of people. When I was at the bottom of the stairs, I saw them. People chattering, happily eating breakfast. Oh yeah . . . Saturday is always a big business day, I reminded myself. I walked behind the counter.
"Keiko!" My father greeted. "Hon . . . looked who decided to wake up?"
"Good morning, Daddy." My mother peeped around the corner and waved. I simply smiled at her. "I have to go open up the Ramen Shop. I'll see you two later."
"Be careful!" my mother yelled. I nodded at her and went out of the door. I ran in the direction of the Ramen Shop. It was six blocks away and . . . I lost some time oversleeping. I looked at my watch which read 9:55. I can make it, I thought.
I managed to get there . . . but not on time. I got there five minutes after ten. Dammit, I thought. I'm late . . . but not too late! I went to the door realizing that it was already opened. Upon my entry, there wasn't a single customer in sight. Yusuke must have forgotten to lock the door the last time we were here, I said to myself, worrying for a moment that something may have been stolen. My moment's worries faded as I went around to the back of the counter and put on my apron. As I put on my apron, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Welcome to the 'Ramen Shop'. How can I . . ." I realized who it was as I turned around. "Yusuke . . ."
"You're late today," he said to me. "Good thing I live close by. People do want Ramen sometime today!" Yusuke spoke to me harshly. I couldn't blame him . . . I left him while he 'needed' me. I laughed to myself.
"Sorry . . . I overslept," I said gazing into his brown eyes. He sighed as he broke our glance. I stared at him, still laughing to myself. He was wearing an apron too. I looked at his jeans and then his black sweater, clinging to his broad shoulders. His hair was free still, waving gently as a small breeze passed between us. He hadn't slicked it back in a while, I thought. Without warning . . . an image from my dream flashed in my mind.
His wet body . . . my wet body . . . together in such . . . pleasure . . . as one.
I gasped remembering the heat of that moment. Yusuke's glance suddenly came to me, confused by my small outburst. One of his eyebrows shot up.
"What in the hell are you staring at? Start working . . ." I blinked, regaining my focus. Yusuke walked to the counter and started fiddling with the cash register. I looked at him with his back toward me.
His strong . . . muscular . . . back.
I diverted my eyes and went to the stoves in the kitchen. I clicked all of them on and started boiling pots of water. It never takes long for them to boil, I said to myself. I walked to the storage room to pick up the noodles I needed. As bent down to pick some up and realized that we were starting to run low on our specialty noodles. I might have to put in some overtime... I said to myself. I need to start making more before we run out completely. Those thoughts on my mind, I picked up some soba and ramen noodles and carried them out. When I came back, I went over to the sink and washed my hands. I should be set . . . at least for now, I told myself.
I could see Yusuke greeting people at the door as they walked in, when I returned to the kitchen. He was so polite when it came to work. So unlike his school persona he worked so hard to keep up. Why couldn't he be like that all of the time? Kind. . . friendly. . . maybe even gentle . . . all the time.
So gentle . . . like he was in the shower last night. . .
The thought caught me off guard as it passed through my head. I shook it off and focused on what Yusuke was doing instead. I watched him as he took orders from a group of four people through a glassless window in the wall that separated the kitchen from the front of the working area. "Keiko . . .! I'm going to need two chickens, one shrimp, and a special," Yusuke said to me leaning over the counter. I nodded to him as I opened up a bag full of fresh soba noodles and began adding them to a medium-sized boiling pot. Then I tore into some of our special ramen noodles and put them in a large pot of nearly boiling water. After a few minutes of the noodles cooking, I took out three seperate bowls and put some of the then flavorless ramen into each one. For each bowl, I added some spices; to two of them I added some cooked chicken pieces that I had prepared earlier during the week; I stir-fried some shrimp and added them to one bowl. I stirred the bowls up, adding herbs and a little extra kick before carefully checking for taste.
"That's pretty good. . . " I whispered to myself.
"Keiko, I need three more chickens." I continued to cook, adding about three more servings of noodles a new pot, though its water wasn't boiling yet. I frantically scooped out the noodles and waited for the water to get to boiling point. Jeez . . . thank goodness I realized the water wasn't boiling . . . or I would have messed them up, I said to myself, mad at my mistake yet relieved taht I had corrected it. I went to another pot and took out the soba noodles. Quickly, I started preparing them accordingly for the special that was ordered, adding in onions, peas, other vegetables and some tofu.
For a few minutes, I scurried between bowls and somehow managed to keep myself from mixing up anything (like Yusuke would do sometimes . . .) Once I had the first four bowls prepared, all ready to go and full of flavor, I placed the bowls onto a tray. I made my way out of the kitchen and carried them to the counter.
"Order one," I called to him. He walked over to me and picked up the tray. He looked at me and said, "I need an oriental, beef, and . . ."
" . . . And what?" I questioned. He hesitated as he stared at me. "Yusuke . . . what's wrong?" His eyes were so intense . . . I blushed. His senses returned to him.
"That's all," he replied. He slowly turned around to go to his first table. I went on my way to the stoves and finished up some nearly done ramen noodles. After a few minutes of preparing seasonings and meats, I had three bowls ready and rearing to go. Just a few extra touches, I said to myself, smiling. It was getting so hot in the kitchen. I looked down at the contents in the pot as I thought of Yusuke. I thought of him and I in the shower, hot water pouring all over our naked, heated bodies. I sighed trying to get rid of my excited emotions. Focus, I told myself. I poured each one into its own bowl and placed them on a tray.
"Order two," I called, placing it on the counter. He walked over and picked it up. I watched him walk away from me. His legs . . . his back . . . Another image from my dream flashed in my head.
I was pressed up against the wall of the shower by his hot body. Moaning with him . . . absorbing him . . .
I felt a hot shiver throughout every part of me. I held myself trying to shake the intense heat that overcame me again. I walked back to the kitchen, preparing to finish the next order.
"I need two shrimps . . . to go," ringed Yusuke's voice after a couple of minutes. I walked to the counter to place the next order.
"Here's order three," I said as I placed the hot food on the counter in front of him. Yusuke picked up the tray.
"She'll have your 'take out' in a moment . . ." said Yusuke to two people standing in front of the register. I returned to my station at the stoves. Yusuke joined me in the kitchen to help out moments later. He went over to the sink and washed his hands before he started stirring a pot of cooking noodles. He walked to the storage room. I looked at him as he walked away. He returned just moments later with some more seasonings and such. He looked at me. I averted my eyes almost immediately. I blushed as I walked to the counter with the 'take out' order.
"Here's your order. Two shrimp Ramen. That will be . . . 10500 yen," I smiled at the couple standing in front of me.
"The food here is worth the money!" the man said enthusiastically. The women next to him clang onto his arm, grinning at me. I smiled at them. The man handed me the money.
"Enjoy your meal and have a nice day," I responded. They nodded and walked out of the door. I walked back to the kitchen to join Yusuke and continued to finish the rest of the orders. He looked over at me, leaning over to see something. I looked up at him.
"What . . .? Have you never seen noodles before?" I smirked, amused by his strange behavior. He quickly continued doing his job. He put some bowls on the tray and began walking out of the kitchen. But he suddenly stopped. He turned around and looked at me. Our eyes locked onto each other. Why is he staring at me . . .? He was gazing at my soul. Can he read. . . my thoughts? I asked myself, my nervousness taking over me. Maybe he has new spiritual powers that allows him to look into my head. The thought was a funny one. . .but it was quickly replaced by another image from last night's dream.
I saw him, once more, squeezing me . . . touching me . . . sucking on me. . . his hungry mouth searching for. . . something hidden in my hot skin. . .
I quickly turned away, breaking his glance. My beating heart raced. I needed to catch my breath. Oh my God . . . That dream, I thought. How could a simple dream do all of this to me? I shook off my racing heart and turned arounda again to the stoves feeling uneasy. It . . . it just . . . felt so real.
Hour by endless hour, the day went on. I wanted to get away from him. I tried to work, but I kept daydreaming, remembering my dream. I felt myself . . . wanting him . . . craving the heat that I felt in my dream. If only a fraction of that heat could be mine, my wanting would fade away. . . or so I wanted to believe. I looked at my watch; it read 4:27. This place closes at 5:00. I had to serve a table of four people. I finished up the bowls I'd been working on and headed out of the kitchen. I moved toward the people at the table.
"Who wanted chicken?" A man waved at me and smiled as I placed the bowl in front of him. "And . . . who wanted the beef?" A woman raised a finger and I came to her. "So . . . I'm guessing you two got oriental?" The two girls in front of me nodded as they tried to reach for their bowls. "Be careful, it's hot," I warned as I placed the food in front of them. The little ones dug right into their noodles, slurping and playing with the fishcakes floating on the surface with their chopsticks. I turned to walk away . . . but I felt a tap on my back. I turned around to notice one of the girls looking at me. "What is it, sweetie?"
"What is that boy's name?" the girl asked me. I bent down so I could hear her clearly. She looked about ten years old. She had a cute, pleasant smile on her face.
"Oh . . .? You mean him . . . over there?" I pointed to Yusuke. The girl nodded. "That's Yusuke. He's my . . . partner." She looked at him and giggled.
"He's so cute," the girl giggled.
"Yeah . . ." interrupted her sister, who looked a few years younger. "He's so tall and dreamy. He must be the handsomest guy in the world."
"Is he nice?" asked the older girl.
"He's pretty nice . . . when you get to know him," I looked over at him; he tilted his head up from the cash register as he looked at us. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I could tell he was listening to the girl's comments. The girl gasped.
"He's looking at us," the younger girl said, blushing. The older girl leaned over toward me and said in a loud whisper, "Could you tell him that I love him and that one day he'll be my husband?" Her parents laughed at the question. "We'll keep coming back as long as he serves us Ramen." The younger girl nodded at that remark. I glanced over a Yusuke, now looking down at the register, smiling.
"Yeah!" I answered her. "And . . . if he doesn't . . . I'll make him! I promise. " The girls smiled gleefully. I stood up and bowed to the family. "Enjoy your meal . . ." Still grinning, I walked away. I got past the counter. The family was the last table we needed to serve. No one else was coming. I started cleaning up the counter as I watched the family eat and talk. The little girls were so cute, so innocent. Yusuke was in the kitchen. He was washing the dishes. I went into the kitchen to join him. He looked at me as I stood next to him. "You heard them . . . they like you." I smiled at him.
"I heard," he answered. He was looking down at the bowl in front of him.
"If they come back, they want you to serve them Ramen..." I said to him, unable to look at him completely. "They're so adorable . . ." Yusuke gazed over at me and smiled.
"You did a good job today." He acted as if he had something else to say to me. I looked at him, turning toward him.
"Is something wrong . . .?" I asked him. He turned and faced me. We were facing each other, staring. I touched his face as he gazed into my eyes. His hand came up to caress the hand I had placed on his cheek. His eyes were calm now, kind even. They were nothing like they were in my dream. In my fantasy, they were so intense, flaming with a passion surrounded by so much heat. I wanted him to lean to me . . . to kiss me. . . to hold me again . . . So badly I wanted this, but I couldn't let my anger go. . . not yet. No! I told myself. I realized that I had to go get the check for our last table. I let go of his face, slipping out of his hand's grasp, and walked away from him. I went to the cash register to get the bill. I saw the family sipping up the last of their dishes.
"The food was good," the older girl said.
"Yeah! Really . . . really delicious!" exploded the other girl.
"I'm glad to hear it," I said smiling at them. "Here's your bill," I said as I passed the small paper to the man sitting nearby. I stacked all of bowls on top of each other and picked them up. "I hope you enjoyed your meal. Come to the register when you're ready." I walked away from them as I had moments ago. I went to the kitchen and put the bowls next to Yusuke. He looked at me as I placed the bowls down. I headed toward the door, looking at him as I walked out. I stood and waited at the register for the family to leave. I looked at my watch; it was 4:58. I looked up and saw the family walking toward me.
"The food was good as always," said the man with cheer. I looked at him and then at his children.
"I'm glad to hear that, sir. That will be . . . 24500 yen." The man brought out some money and passed it to me. I gave him change and smiled. The family started on their way out of the door. The cute girls waved . . . but didn't look at me as they left. I couldn't help but wave back. I turned around to see Yusuke behind me, waving. "They're waving at you?" I laughed. Yusuke was blushing.
"They are cute, aren't they?" he replied. He looked at me and smiled. His curved lips made my back tingle. He looked so kind . . . so charming . . . at least in my eyes. It's been so long since I've seen him smile like that, I said to myself, wondering why I was so fascinated by his caring face. I was so glad to see his smile for some reason. I never realized that I missed his smile so much until that moment . . . but then again, I missed a lot of the little things that Yusuke used to do. He's so handsome today . . . I said to myself.
Attempting to ignore my wandering thoughts, I walked away to the kitchen and began putting away the dishes. I removed my gloves and laid them on the counter. I was happy that the work day was finally over. I reached up to put the last bowl into its proper place when I felt Yusuke's hands caress my sides. His strong hands rested on my waist as he squeezed me carefully. My back froze as I closed the cabinet, my body quivering with his unexpected touch. What is he doing? I asked myself, feeling his gentle fingers on my body. His hands lingered upon me, waiting for my next move. Each squeeze full of such power. . . yet holding back somehow. . . I turned around, shocked to feel him holding me for what seemed like a dozen moments.
"Why are you--?" Out of no where, Yusuke's lips came to mine, brushing against them and . . . teasing me. I was taken by surprise by his warm lips on mine . . . but . . . I did nothing to stop him.I . . . didn't want him to stop. I allowed my hand feel on his face as his lips continued to lightly press on mine. He carefully pulled away from me, leaving me swooning in his embrace. That's strange. I thought he was still furious about yesterday. But I guess . . . I was . . . wrong. I looked into his dazzling, brown eyes. His strong hands pulled me closer and closer to him.
Suddenly . . . there came an urge deep inside, telling me that the touch of his lips wasn't enough. I needed more than his lips . . . I wanted the warmth . . . of his mouth. "Kiss me . . ." I whispered to him before I could catch myself, remembering the passionate kisses we had shared just yesterday. He slowly leaned in and did so. I closed my eyes. His tongue came into my mouth just moments later. His tongue tasted so good. I could feel him taking my breath with every passing moment. Even though his kiss was simple, it was so passionate . . . so sweet . . . so warm. Never let me go, I begged him in my mind. I just wanted him to hold me in his arms.
I sucked on his mouth, unable to stop myself. This kiss slowly deepened, stealing us both from reality. His hands moved more tightly around my waist, hugging me. I indulged upon feeling the fabric that covered his strong arms. Suddenly . . . I saw more flashes in my mind.
One moment: I could see him saying, 'Do you know how much I love you?' as his hot, wet chest pressed . . . against my breasts.
The next instant: His wet hips coming towards me . . . then moving away from me. . . and the sensations that followed each push and pull.
My overpowering memory took me over so quickly that my mind began seeing the dream over in my head, each moment and picture captured in a horrible yet wonderful memory. Just by remembering the dream, my whole body wanted him so much more. I couldn't take it . . .! I backed away from his kiss immediately; I was getting too excited. He stared at me as I looked at him with small tears in my eyes. As I stared at him, I could see the worry written across his face. Why do I want you so badly? I asked myself in my mind. Why do these thoughts keep coming to me . . .? Slowly, I walked away, moving toward the exit of the kitchen. "I'm going . . . home."