DISCLAIMER: THE SONGS THAT I USED FOR THIS CHAPTER DOESN'T BELONG TO ME BUT I CAN SING IT IN A VERY HORRIBLE VOICE.
SETTLE FOR LESS BY BEFORE YOU EXIT
LET'S LOVE BY ECHOSMITH
CHAPTER 5
A cold breeze caressed her face. Shizuru closed her eyes as she inhaled the crisp autumn air—a warm ball of fuzzy feeling settled in her stomach as she released a relaxed sigh. She could feel her hair being swept away occasionally by air. It felt so long since the last time the supermodel had time to relax and a soft smile settled on her face.
It had been a whirlwind when she agreed to her first photo shoot. Shizuru wasn't really planning to be a model—but it seems the fate has its own agenda. Haruka almost beg—when she said almost, meaning the blonde almost got onto her knees just to ask a huge favor to replace the missing in action model and wham—bam, she instantly became one of the fastest raising new models.
Her mother got disappointed, well, not that it surprised her but she really can't blame her mother. She just graduated with her degree in Behavioral Science and her mother was expecting her to work for their company—well, technically, her mother's company.
Thinking about her mother made her stomach churn with anxiety. With her recent discovery about herself made Shizuru worried once her mother got a wind of it. It would be considered a miracle if their subtle flirting hadn't made it to the public.
Shizuru suddenly wished her dad was still alive. It would be much easier if she was still with her father—maybe he was the reason why she was a laid back kind of person. Tanaka Fujino was one heck of a father—and by just thinking about him made Shizuru miss him more.
She could make a list of how her parents were completely different from each other. Her mother is assertive, her dad was patient—her mother can be difficult but her dad was easy going. Maybe she even got her dad's uncanny way to avoid conflicts—and avoiding conflicts were one of the major abilities to survive her mother.
When her parents divorced, her father fought for her custody and won it—thus granting him their only child's guardianship. He was the kind of father that would encourage her to be happy—to do everything that she wants but within the boundary of law. He wasn't the kind of person who will force you to do something he wants—and Shizuru's pretty sure that her father will accept her despite her current sexual preference.
Her throat tightened, it's was such a shame that he died early. He was probably the best 'best friend' she ever had—not that she doesn't have any friends but with her dad, everything was easy. She never had to pretend to be okay when she's not, she doesn't have to force herself to communicate with him but with her mother. Shizuru shook her head—slightly berating herself from thinking depressing thoughts when she's got a hot date tonight.
Thinking about Natsuki—a warm jolt of pleasure settled in her stomach. Shizuru couldn't believe that someone can be that sweet and cocky at the same time. Even though the woman was in the center of the stage, she could see those dark emerald eyes trying to catch her gaze—not that she's trying to avoid it but Natsuki's eyes were so intense and if she tried to hold onto it, she will melt into a helpless puddle.
Now, here she was—waiting for the rock star to finish her last song for the first act. She silently giggled when she remembered how Natsuki made her agree to wait for her to the rooftop of the bar. While the trio was chatting and having fun listening to their catchy songs, a waitress appeared with a tray—inside of it was a cup of steaming green tea and a note saying,
I'm due after five more songs. Can you wait for me in the rooftop after the last song? And please listen to the last one because that is for you. *smiley face*
-Natsuki
How the hell the woman did know her quirks? Her smile stayed until the last song, and when she heard the song dedicated to her, she snorted in her tea. It was a song about a girl pining for a guy who the singer thought the girl deserves more or deserves the best.
Everybody deserves somebody,
But, girl, nobody can love you like I do.
And I'm not perfect but you're so worth it.
I wanna change the world for you,
The woman was seriously a sweet talker and if Natsuki kept this up, she doesn't know how long she would be able to resist her charming ways. The door behind her creaked open and a steady beat of musical instruments penetrated her consciousness. Her stomach automatically lurched—not from dread but from excitement. Shizuru still doesn't get used on how her whole being responded at Natsuki—it sounded too cliché but she found it exhilarating and scary at the same time.
"Need help…" Natsuki croaked. Shizuru turned and she saw the rock star struggling to hold the door and a huge basket at the same time. Shizuru quickly ran to help her—she held the door open for her to pass. Even at the rooftop, she could still hear a band playing inside the bar and this time she could almost discern the name of the vocalist.
"Is it Echosmith?" She strained her ears to hear it clearly.
"Yeah, you like 'em too?" Natsuki grunted as she adjusted the basket and moved towards the center of the rooftop.
She gently closed the door to follow the rock star—making sure to stop herself from ogling Natsuki's butt. She could almost hear Yukino saying 'eye-fuck' in her mind—it made her snickered silently.
"Do you have the entire kitchen in there?" Shizuru said with a smile. Completely relaxed—she followed Natsuki at a slow pace.
The bluenette grunted and she slowly set down the basket on the floor. "Nah, it's just the whole refrigerator," Natsuki opened it and pulled out a blue blanket to place it near her. "The chef wouldn't let me raid the whole kitchen."
Shizuru eyed her silently with a soft smile on her face as the rock star smoothed a black blanket and took some of the contents of the basket. Natsuki was holding two beers and she turned at her—her stomach fluttered at her sweet innocent smile. "Are you up for another beer?"
"Sure," Shizuru slowly walked towards the grinning woman and settled down beside her. She watched as Natsuki opened one of the bottles and took it when the rock star offered it to her. After a few gulped, she observed Natsuki as she took sandwiches, chips, and chocolates out of the basket and spread it in front of them.
"Someone's hungry," Shizuru said with a smile.
"I haven't eaten anything since lunch," Natsuki took one of the sandwiches and she carefully unwrapped it. She took a huge bite—as she chewed her food, Natsuki took one of the sandwiches and nudge it to Shizuru. "Eat."
"Yes, Ma'am," Shizuru took it and unwrapped it. She nibbled on it as she observed Natsuki moaned in her food. She could feel her face heating up as the rock star continued to eat with much gusto.
"Do you always play in here?" Shizuru asked as she continued to watch the eating woman.
"Nah," Natsuki swallowed the last scrap of her sandwich. "This was my third time in here when one of Chie's bands didn't make it—she'll always call and blackmail me to play a few songs."
"She's the owner?" Natsuki took a swig of her own beer before answering her.
"Yep, after our band broke up—she bought this place and we rebuilt it." The bluenette reached out for one of the chips and she opened it. "We always wanted a place where we could jam—where we could play all of our favorite songs, where we could just chill and be ourselves but as you can see," She took a chip and chewed. "We weren't expecting it to be famous but I'm glad," Natsuki smiled wistfully. "I'm glad that one of our dreams came true despite being disbanded."
Shizuru could see how much important this was to the rock star by just watching her talk about her friends. "Why did you break up with your band?" Natsuki flushed—sensing that it was an uncomfortable topic to her, Shizuru broke her silence. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to,"
Natsuki adorably scratched her cheek—still red from embarrassment. "It's not that I'm hiding something but," She looked away, chewing her lower lip. "We disbanded because I am the only one who wanted by the Tokiha Group of Companies. They want me to go solo," Natsuki said quietly.
Shizuru waited for more and as if breaking from a sudden thought—Natsuki continued. "I actually tried to hide it. I disagreed at the terms given by the company but Mai, my handler—she told Chie and they let me go. They assured me that it was okay but for me, it's not. It's our dream—we grew up together dreaming and planning about it so when they pushed me to accept the offer of Mai's father I felt like I was ditching them." She sighed. "What made me feel worse was they told me to do it for them—to reach for our dreams. When I signed the contract, I cried and they were all laughing at me from being such a crybaby."
Natsuki snickered. "They thought that I'll abandon them but all of my songs were co-authored by them. We might not be a band now but I made sure that with every song that I'll release, they are always a part of it so," Natsuki grinned at her. "Even though Chie and the others are calling me clingy, I could see in their eyes that they are grateful."
"Where did you grow up?" She asked the rock star and she sipped her beer.
"In London," Natsuki nudged the chips to her and Shizuru took one. "We all grew up together in the district of Belgravia."
Shizuru's brow furrowed. "Isn't that one of the—,"
Natsuki waved her off, clearly embarrassed of what she said. "It's my parents' money, not mine." Her crimson eyes crinkled at the rock stars' embarrassment. Natsuki really is a modest person, she said to herself.
"How about you? Where did you grow up?" Natsuki resumed her eating.
"Japan," Shizuru said casually.
"Really? That must be where your accent came from," Natsuki said.
"Yes, I spent my childhood in Kyoto with my dad and after graduating high school, I moved alone to Tokyo to finish my degree." A fleeting memory of her laughing dad passed, suddenly making her sad.
"With your dad? What about your mother?" Even though Natsuki didn't want to ask about Shizuru's homophobic mother—but still she was curious.
"They went through a divorce when I was thirteen years old," Shizuru said in a quiet voice.
"I'm sorry…" With nothing to say about the sudden revelation, Natsuki cleared her throat.
"It's all right. It was a long time ago." Shizuru gave the rock star her usual timid smile. "It's not really a chaotic and dramatic divorce. In fact, I remember both parties were quite amenable to it." She remembered how her parents readily agreed to end their relationship. It only became chaotic when both of them wanted the custody of their only daughter. She could remember the quiet voice of the judge whenever he'll ask who she wants to be with. Shizuru wanted to answer truthfully but it felt like, she was abandoning her mother for her father. She might be difficult to be with, but blood is blood.
"Where is your dad now?" Natsuki asked—still watching for any sign of distress from the supermodel.
"He died two years ago from cancer." She said, looking away from the prying emerald eyes of Natsuki.
Crap—talk about being a great conversationalist. "I'm sorry damn, why do I always asked stupid questions—," Natsuki sputtered but Shizuru just laughed at her.
"Ara, Natsuki is quite cute when she's embarrassed," Shizuru said gleefully.
"Ara?" Natsuki snorted, she could feel her grin growing wide.
"I'm sorry, basically it's 'oh, my' in English." Shizuru smiled sheepishly. "There are times that I can't stop myself from using Japanese words."
"Nah, it suits you." Natsuki grinned at her. She can't believe that she was spending a glorious night with her long time crush. "It's one of the reasons why I like you."
As soon as the words left her lips, Shizuru blushed. "I can't believe you said that with a straight face,"
"But it's the truth," She sincerely said—making Shizuru squeaked.
"You're embarrassing me," The supermodel breathlessly said. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears. This is it—they've been trying to shun away from this subject for the whole time they were together but the rock star broke the tension and it excites her how much exploration they can do with what they feel in each other.
"You're not dating Kanzaki?" Natsuki asked her. The woman doesn't really know how to be subtle.
"Of course not," Shizuru shook her head. "What gave you the idea?"
"Well, almost all of the tabloids were saying that you're dating—," Shizuru snorted at her.
"You found tabloids reliable?" Shizuru asked incredulously.
"Well, what can I do? The picture says it all." The rock star huffed at her.
"We hang out but we're not dating and most of it was actually planned by my PR people. They told me that we garner more popularity when we are together and Reito is one of my closest friends so, in the end—we both agreed to hang out regularly in public." Shizuru explained at her.
"So you're single?" Shizuru moaned in embarrassment. "What?" Natsuki giggled at her.
"Yes, I'm not dating anyone but…" She looked away. "This is the first time I felt this way, Natsuki. I'm not even sure if I'm…gay."
Natsuki's eyes widen at her revelation. "You mean I'm the first woman?"
"Yes…" She said quietly. "And this is the first time someone asked me…"
Natsuki gasped at her realization. "Don't tell me you are a…virgin?"
Shizuru croaked. "I'm not! I do short hookups but not long term dating!"
"What? Why?" Natsuki asked her. Dreading her answer, Natsuki bit her lips.
Not aware of the sudden dilemma of the woman beside her, Shizuru shrugged helplessly. "I didn't find them…," She tried to find the correct term for it. "I don't feel any connection to them. What we have is overwhelming—in fact, I find it hard to believe that I could actually feel this way. This is the first time, Natsuki…"
Natsuki swallowed hard, suddenly not sure of herself. Her worst nightmares are coming true—here again was a woman who was not sure of her sexuality and was completely attracted to her. Would she risk her heart again for something that was not certain? "I…" She was completely speechless.
Shizuru grasped her hands and she almost jolted when she felt the familiar spark every time they touch each other. "I know you're scared but this…" She rubbed it slowly and Natsuki gasped. "I can't just ignore this. I don't know about you but I need to know what this is…"
Uncertainty etched in the rock star's forehead. Natsuki heart wanted to try but her whole logical being was protesting at the thought of risking her heart again—she could almost feel her heart hammering with fear, her palms covered in cold sweat. The same heart-wrenching pain she felt when she found her ex-girlfriend naked with a man beside her—she choked like she swallowed her tongue. She wanted to say anything—to protest, to tell Shizuru to back off but Shizuru grasped her face and all Natsuki can do was to gaze deeply into those crimson eyes.
"You look like you're about to bolt…" Shizuru murmured. She could feel the slight tremor that passed at the rock stars' face. Shizuru was treading a thin line—and anytime she could either lose everything or gain something that everybody desires in this world. Love. For someone who never had experience with a relationship, she sure was fearless risking everything—including her heart.
"I'm about to…" Natsuki murmured back. She continued to search for any sign that it's a mistake to trust the supermodel but all she can see was sincerity—naiveté. Hope flared in her chest but Natsuki quelled it. She felt like it was too good to be true. A woman like Shizuru? No.
"There's a but…" Shizuru said quietly.
"The naïve part of me wanted to try…" Natsuki said in a hushed voice—like a scared child and it broke Shizuru's heart. Someone had hurt Natsuki—hurt her enough to make her think twice at risking for another relationship.
"Do you trust me?" Shizuru said suddenly, still holding the dark emerald gaze of the woman in front of her.
Trust. Natsuki grew rigid. Can she trust the woman? She asked herself as she met Shizuru's crimson eyes. "Yes." She found herself answering with the truth.
Without realizing it, Shizuru released a sigh of relief and she gently laid her forehead to Natsuki's forehead. She couldn't help but smile—she closed her eyes and she giggled like a girl.
"What's funny?" Natsuki slowly smiled. Shizuru's sunny laugh was contagious and it made her heart burst with happiness. Totally smitten, the rock star reached out a few strands of brown hair at Shizuru's neck and stroked it.
"I'm used to being chased by my admirers so I find it funny when I'm trying to stop you from running off." She giggled.
To her amazement, Natsuki blushed which prompt Shizuru to laugh heartily. "Meanie..." Natsuki mumbled but her attention was riveted at Shizuru's glistening lips. She swallowed hard, scared or not, nothing changed—she wanted those lips to her mouth. "So what now Miss Experienced?" Natsuki teased her.
Her mouth ran dry when she saw those dark emerald eyes watching her lips. All she wanted was to put that mouth to use—to sink into those lips but the rock star was asking her something important. Focus, she told herself as she dragged her attention to Natsuki's face. "We go on a date, spend time with each other."
"You don't mind being seen with me?" Natsuki said in a surprised voice.
"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Shizuru said in a confused voice. It's a date—are they supposed to keep it a secret?
She cleared her throat. "You'll be labeled as gay, Shizuru…"
Shizuru just shrugged—not at least perturbed of the rock stars' concern. "We're supposed to explore what we feel and it means I'm not going to keep this a secret but that doesn't mean I'll tell everyone about it. I want us to be sure first before confirming things to media but I'm comfortable at the thought of being an item with you so, it's not an issue for me."
"What about your mother?" Natsuki saw the woman visibly flinched.
"Well, in terms of my mother I suggest that we have to soften it to her a little." Shizuru cleared her throat. "She's homophobic so if worse comes to worst, I'll run interference and you," Shizuru pinched her cheeks and grinned. "Run."
Natsuki snorted at the images at her head. She can't imagine her elegant Shizuru trying to hold her mother from murdering her. The woman was hers, Natsuki thought. A warm pleasure enveloped her—the woman agreed to date her. One of the most eligible bachelorette in Hollywood agreed to date a lesbian like her.
"You're smiling like that again," Shizuru said with a smile.
"What?" But her smile grew wide and Shizuru mirrored hers.
"That wicked smile of yours…" Shizuru narrowed her eyes at her but the rock star just shook her in denial. She watched Natsuki as her gaze landed on her lips—again. Her stomach tightened and her heart thumped hard in her chest.
"Now that we had our first date," Natsuki slowly reached for her face and her thumb slowly rubbed her lower lip. Shizuru avidly watched as Natsuki's emerald eyes darken with desire. The woman wants her—and Shizuru couldn't deny herself anymore. She wanted this.
"Now, it's time for our first kiss…" Shizuru said in a breathless voice. Her desire was making her dizzy and her navel tightened deliciously. Her body was screaming for it—she needed to quell it with Natsuki's mouth and her face moved on her own.
Both women leaned in and brought their lips together softly and they both moaned quietly at the mind-numbing assault of sensations. Wanting more, Natsuki sucked Shizuru's lower lip and she swiped it lightly with her tongue. She heard Shizuru gasped and felt her hands slide to her face and cupped her nape. Natsuki answered her by grasping the supermodels' waist closer to her, and she slipped her hand under Shizuru's shirt to trace lazy patterns on the skin.
Shizuru could feel herself tremble at the rock stars' lips—she knew that it will be good but she never thought that it could be this good. With each swipe of Natsuki's tongue in her lips was making her insane—with shuddering hands, she gripped those blue locks of hair to steady herself from the onslaught of sensation evoking by the rock star beneath her lips.
Shizuru breathed in the warm breath that the rock star let out. Shizuru's pulse throbbed in her ears as she tried to wrestle the control of rhythm from Natsuki. She shut her eyes as Natsuki whimpered—their tongue danced slowly as they circled one another. The supermodel cupped Natsuki's face in her hands and she pressed her mouth harder against her. Both women trembled at the wild chemistry that erupted with their mere kiss.
Burning with the need of air, they both shuddered when they parted. Suddenly weak from the heat-searing kiss, they press their foreheads together.
"Wow…" Natsuki said while panting softly. She could still feel her lips tingling from their kiss.
Shizuru quivered and she grasped the rock stars' collar. "Wow doesn't even cover it…" Still humming from their kiss, Shizuru snuggled at Natsuki's neck and she breathed in her musky scent.
Both women settled in each other's arms as the music inside the bar floated in the air. Shizuru smiled at the song that was currently playing. It's about taking a risk in love, being young. "You were the one. That came with the sunrise. Dark brown hair and emerald eyes." Shizuru sang while she continued to play Natsuki's hair.
The rock star smiled to herself—thinking that it's been a long time since the last time she let anyone near her and it felt heavenly. Natsuki buried her face to those soft curls of brown hair and she breathed in the sweet scent of Shizuru's shampoo. The supermodel answered by wrapping her arms around Natsuki's ebony locks—she was not even bothered by the fact that she was almost sitting on the rock stars' lap.
Peace. Hearts slowing down and it resumed beating as one. Natsuki's throat burned for some unknown reason—she wanted to capture this moment and bottle it up, to store in somewhere safe—where nobody can taint it with ugliness in the world. The woman was making her feel vulnerable and powerful at the same time. Hating to be the voice of reason, Natsuki pulled away. "It's getting late, I'll take you home."
Shizuru tightened her arms around the rock star, suddenly wishing that she can spend more time with the woman. "Okay…" She said quietly but didn't move. Natsuki smiled—giddy at the thought of Shizuru being adorable.
Natsuki patiently waited for the supermodel to move—she too was reluctant to move away from their comfortable position and the warmth was too sweet to let go. She managed to stifle her smiled when Shizuru pushed herself away from her and most likely—spoke to herself. "Okay, there's still next time. Time to go home,"
"Definitely a genius," Natsuki drawled and Shizuru punched her in the chest.
"Let's go, rock star." Shizuru stood away from the woman and together, they packed away their trash and leftover foods. After few minutes of working simultaneously, Natsuki once again took the light basket. Basking at the comfortable silence, Shizuru suddenly felt the urge to once again, hug the broad back of the rock star and without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Natsuki's back. They were both surprised at her hasty gesture. Shizuru felt her face heat up because she was not usually a showy person while Natsuki fought back her own blush.
"When will I see you again? " Shizuru inhaled the rock stars' scent. Natsuki's body felt good.
Her body hummed with recognition and she leaned slightly at Shizuru. "I was gonna ask you the same question," Shizuru heard a smile in Natsuki's' voice. "I have a rehearsal tomorrow and I was planning to ask you to watch it but I'm not really sure if that's okay with you. I don't want you to get bored—," A fit of laughter broke Natsuki's flustered explanation and the rock star bit her lips. "Awkward right?"
Shizuru tightened her arms around Natsuki and she smiled softly. "Nah, what word was that in British?" She paused a few seconds before answering. "Poppycock!"
Natsuki threw her head, laughing at Shizuru's ridiculous accent—it felt good laughing freely around her. Natsuki knew that it was still early to assume things but this feeling of security was something she could get used to.
"Come on, mate," Shizuru released Natsuki and sauntered away. "We still have a date tomorrow, so buckle up." And Shizuru playfully winked at her—leaving her grinning like a fool.
"Blimey," Natsuki mumbled to herself. That woman would be the death of me, she said to herself while she checked out the swaying hips of the supermodel.
Light enveloped her bedroom when Natsuki flipped the switch. It's already two in the morning, but she was still keyed up—not a bit sleepy. She threw her keys on her bedside table and she shrugged out of her hoodie. As she pulled up her jacket, a whiff of Shizuru's perfume surrounded her—making her smile. She had fun—she told to herself as she flopped down on her bed and stared above.
She knew that it's wrong to compare Shizuru to her exes but compared to Anh, she could let her goofiness show to the crimson eyed beauty. It felt good to be hug like that, Natsuki mused. She closed her eyes, and she felt a few tugs of imagination. Just like before, words flooded her consciousness. Her hands itched to string her guitar, to write the words that suddenly popped in her mind—Natsuki suddenly grinned.
She pushed herself up and walked towards her connecting room—as she opened it, her collection of musical instrument greeted her. She moved towards the array of acoustic guitars and took the white one. She plucked it a little—straining her ears if the guitar was in tune, she continued to play it a little and adjusting it. Satisfied with the sound, Natsuki took it and walked towards her work table. Determined to write, she turned on the recorder beside her and took the notebook from the drawer. Natsuki closed her eyes and let the words that were rumbling inside her head emerged—slowly she wrote her next hit song.
Shizuru woke up next morning lying on her stomach, she groaned softly when her bed shifted and a meow echoed beside her. She took one of her pillows to cover her head but her cat was persistent—Lancelot jumped to her butt and kneaded it. Feeling its claws digging into her flesh, Shizuru rolled away from the cat and groaned out loud. Her cat meowed loudly making her cringed—finally relenting, Shizuru got out of the bed.
"Good morning to you too, Lancelot." She grumbled to the cat. Lancelot slowly blinked at her greeting. Still groggy from the interrupted sleep, Shizuru yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes. A familiar scent flooded her when she got a whiff of air at her wrist and Shizuru smiled dreamily. She had a date with Natsuki, Shizuru thought while she squealed internally. She bit her lower lips and a blush rose to her cheeks. She felt giddy. Like she was floating in the clouds.
She remembered their first date. How funny the woman was—how she expressed herself freely and it felt—good. Perfect. Shizuru collapsed in her bed grinning like a fool. So this is how it feels like…, Shizuru said to herself.
She remembered how gentle the kiss was when Natsuki walked Shizuru to her front door. Remembering Natsuki's reminder to text her once she wakes up, Shizuru rolled and reached out her phone at her bedside table. She quickly opened the lock of her phone and was greeted by the rock stars' message.
It's already three am but I'm still thinking of you. *winking smiley*
Grinning like a teenager in her first crush, Shizuru typed for a reply and her smile grew wider when she sent it to Natsuki.
Good morning! I hope I didn't keep you awake for the whole night *winking smiley*
Shizuru closed her eyes as she waited for the rock star to reply but her cat was thinking otherwise—Lancelot jumped to her stomach and Shizuru released a strangled cry at the sudden heavy weight of her cat. Lancelot meowed loudly, most likely demanding to Shizuru to feed her. "All right, all right. I'll feed you, geez."
Like an infant, Shizuru lifted the cat in her arms and stood up to walk towards the kitchen. "You need to exercise more, you are getting fat." The cat answered her with a meow like he was able to understand her sentiments.
"Don't you meow me," Shizuru shook her forefinger at her cat as if reprimanding him. "How can you live up to your name when you can't even lift yourself up?"
Shizuru winced when Lancelot meowed loudly and her phone rang at the same time. Shizuru quickly answered her phone. " Hello?"
As Lancelot, being a son of a bitch—he meowed annoyingly. Shizuru dropped her cat at her feet but the cat was insistent as he rubbed his body against her legs. "Hello?"
"Shizuru?" Yukino's voice echoed at the other line. Hiding her disappointment, Shizuru walked towards the cupboard above her and took one of the cans of cat food and opened it.
"I'm here, Yukino. Wait a sec, I'll just feed Lancelot to shut him up." Without waiting for her reply, Shizuru placed her phone at the kitchen counter and proceeded to feed her cat. As soon as she placed the bowl in front of the cat, Lancelot quickly dug in.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Shizuru took the phone and answered her phone again. "Hey, sorry about that, what's up?"
"I know you're happy and I don't really want to burst your bubble of bliss but we need to talk," Yukino said. Shizuru's heart rate tripled and she gripped the edge of the kitchen counter to steady herself.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to my mother?" Shizuru said in a panicky voice.
"No that's not it, I'm sorry. It's not about your mother." Shizuru sagged with relief—her legs felt wobbly but she stood her ground. "You need to open your email, Shiz. I sent you a link. I want you to open it now."
Still weak from her sudden fright, Shizuru mumbled okay to Yukino. She walked towards the direction of her bedroom. Waiting for her laptop to boot up, Shizuru settled herself in front of it. Rapidly typing her password, Shizuru waited for it and she quickly opened her email. After a few clicks, she found what her manager was telling her and her jaw fell at the caption.
Supermodel Shizuru Fujino and Rock Star Natsuki Kuga spotted at Music Nut House in an intimate position.
One of Kuga's fans tweeted a very compromising picture of Fujino and Kuga inside of the rock star's establishment. Even though the picture was kind of dark, you could clearly see how the close their face was to each other as if they were going in for a kiss. A reliable source told us that these two will eventually be a love interest in their hit series "Unscripted Life". Will this be the end of ReiZuru and the beginning of ShizNat?
"You call that compromising?" Shizuru said in a strangled voice.
"I take it that you have read it?" Yukino said in an amused voice.
"Reito and I were not even together!" Shizuru continued to screech. She knew that the media would eventually catch them but it was too soon. Shizuru needed to tell her mother first but somebody took a picture of them without their consent and exposed them—now she dreaded how her mother would react once she got a wind of it.
"Shizuru, calm down," Yukino said in the other line. Yukino failed her friend—it was supposed to be her job to think of the possible media backlash once the two was caught but she was so caught up in happiness for her friend—too caught up that she let her guard down.
"I was planning to tell my mother…" Shizuru said in a weak voice.
"You were?" Yukino said in a surprised voice.
"Why not?" Shizuru said. Why was everybody thinking that she'll keep Natsuki a secret? "Is there something wrong with that?" She said in a sharp voice.
"No, it's not that…" Yukino was confused. "But your mother hates Natsuki…"
"My mother hates homosexuals, not Natsuki—well, not directly." Shizuru rubbed her temple. Yukino doesn't make any sense—she knew that her mother is a homophobe but that doesn't mean that she will hate Natsuki automatically.
"Oh, my… you didn't know." Yukino felt terrible for telling Shizuru the truth.
Her attention perked up and felt her hair rose from her nape. "What do you mean? What am I didn't know?"
"Your mother knows Natsuki…personally…" Yukino waited for Shizuru's reaction.
"Could you please be more specific?" Shizuru said in a cold voice.
Yukino cleared her throat before answering. "Your mother is the number critic of Natsuki," Sensing that her friend was still waiting for her to continue, Yukino swallowed her nervousness. "Your mother always tries to challenge Natsuki's concerts, a charity in LGBT communities and she always said some really god-awful things to Natsuki…"
"Basically, they hate each other…" Yukino finished silently.
Shizuru could feel her head spinning with the sudden revelation. Just when she thought that she finally found someone whom she could completely invest herself into, this happened. Her first… Shizuru gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming with frustration but Yukino caught her attention.
"I know this was probably not the right time but your fans…" Yukino hesitated before continuing. "Your fan base was in an uproar, they were suddenly divided into two. Those who wanted you to be with Natsuki were kicked out from the fandom and those from the ReiZuru fandom was already siding with Reito…"
Shizuru groaned out loud. Who cares about her fans? Were they supposed to be happy for her? She smacked her head into the kitchen counter with aggravation.
"And, most of Natsuki's fans were calling you a two-timer slut and they were screaming that you stole her from them…" Yukino could hear her friend groaning at the other line—sympathizing with her friend, Yukino tried to coax her. "Don't worry about it Shizuru, we'll do something about it. So we need you here, I'm meeting with your whole PR team to spin this around and we need your input."
"Fine, I'll just get dressed…" The supermodel answered weakly.
"We're in our house and just a fair warning. There might be a few paparazzi lurking around your condo, so let some security from your building aid you." Yukino warned her.
Great, paparazzi were the least of her problems. Shizuru bid her goodbye to her manager and she slowly let herself collapsed on the floor. After a few minutes of staring blankly—the coldness of the floor pierced through her consciousness. Shizuru's attention was caught by Lancelot as her cat walked towards her and plopped his fat butt to sit. Lancelot raised his one leg to the air and started licking himself.
Shizuru felt like her cat was mocking her. Just when everything was falling into place, life jumps out and surprised the heck out of you.
To be continued…
A/N:
Sorry for the delayed update of CF. I just wanted to clarify Shizuru's personality here. As you can see (and I hope I managed to project it clearly) Shizuru is an Ambivert and Phlegmatic. I am trying to describe her slowly as the story progressed but eventually you'll understand why her personality was important in this story :)
I'll update RS next okay? My readers from RS are threatening me and most of them were *ahem* crying. So see ya next update! Ciao!