I'm not here for your entertainment.
You don't really want to mess with me tonight.
Just stop and take a second,
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it begins.
Keep your drink,
just give me the money.
It's just you and your hand tonight.
- Pink "U+Ur Hand"
"I hope you like it," Machida quipped, talking about the restaurant that they had just walked into, while moving his gaze away from Haru's own. Thankfully for him, the brunette failed to notice, as she attempted to swallow her growing excitement and moved to sit down at their table. She allowed him to push in her chair for her. Her boyfriend spoke with a tone of indifference, "It was quite expensive to be honest."
In response, Haru feigned embarrassment and playfully blushed at the man. She placed a comforting hand over his arm, as he sat down across from her and lamented, "Oh Machida, you should know by now that you don't have to spend any money on me in order to make me happy, but the sentiment is really sweet of you. Thank you for bringing me here. This place truly is beautiful."
Haru looked around at the glowing candles surrounding them and completely missed the forced upward turn of Machida's lips, as he glanced up at her. She blinked when he quickly threw his gaze back down, but all that she could categorize his behavior as was pre-proposal jitters. Yes, that had to be the reason. A heartfelt smile edged its way across the woman's features. It was understandable that her boyfriend would be nervous. Anyone in his current position would be at least a little on edge. The response was only natural.
Haru's hand lightly continued to stroke his arm.
Machida swallowed and looked uneasily down at her hand. He cleared out his throat awkwardly, "Right. Um… Wow, I don't entirely know what to say."
Haru felt a giggle building up in her throat, and she crossed her legs daintily beneath the table. She squeezed his arm one last time, before moving it down to hold her hands politely in her lap. A beautiful, red-lipped smile lit up her features.
Oh, my Machida can be such a big silly-head at times.
"Just say whatever is in your heart, sweetie," the hazel-eyed woman crooned sweetly. She could already feel herself beginning to get swept away by her strong affections for her boyfriend. She sent him a flatteringly loving beam, "You know that you can tell me anything, right?"
The question made Machida pause, his dark eyes lifting a little. Finally, he nodded and gave her a weak smile. His girlfriend gifted him with a comforting gaze. She watched with relieved eyes, as he ultimately let out a grateful sigh.
Suddenly, Haru felt overly confident, "And besides, it is just like what Jiminy Cricket said. 'Always let your heart be your guide'."
Haru felt completely cheesy, but it was okay to be at least a little sentimental when your significant other was about to propose to you, at least, she assumed so. Just a little bit of cheese to beautifully top an otherwise perfect night.
Machida allowed himself a thin laugh at that, but ever the stickler for perfection, the man quickly and curtly corrected her, "Well actually the quote is 'always let your conscience be your guide', and I definitely see your point Haru, but I think that it would be nice to just wait until we have finally ordered our food before we start to really talk. I just-"
Machida took in a deep breath. He then let it out slowly.
He looked into Haru's eyes and admitted, "I just really want this night to be about us, Haru."
The woman in question felt her heart flutter at his words, and a dopey grin overtook her features. A slightly uncomfortable expression entered Machida's gaze. He knew that she was absolutely love drunk for him, and although he had actually joked about that fact on numerous occasions afore, the jokes had been coming from him less and less over the past few weeks-
No matter though. Haru was unwilling to think about her conversation with Hiromi earlier.
Haru knew that she loved him, so surely he loved her too, right? Machida had to love her. He had to. Who would have been crazy enough to stay with someone that they did not even love? Surely not Machida. The man was her drug, filling her with an amazing warmth and a firm sense of belonging. It fueled a certain desire within her. Sure, she loved alcohol. Liquor was great. Alcohol was wonderful, but this was the kind of tipsiness that the Japanese girl craved. The heart palpitations and the tears; all of it had been worth it for when their love came to fruition.
Deep within her very soul, Haru believed that the two of them were meant to be together. They were soulmates, herself and Machida, and they had been together for so long already with no real qualms between them. They were meant to be together. They simply had to be.
Haru smiled through her sudden unease and moved a playful foot to gently prod at her boyfriend's leg. She moved it up and down, and mentally savored the subtle contact. Brown, faintly lusted eyes locked hard onto Machida's dark orbs. The slight guilt in his eyes had her immediately frowning in worry.
"Machida, what's wrong?"
"Haru, I-"
"Your bottle of wine, sir," a waiter came by, placing an empty glass beside both of them. He showed the front of a fancy bottle, "The best of the best from our vineyard's shipment."
The at odds couple watched in a joint silence, as the waiter craftily popped the bottle open and smirked elegantly down at them. He poured the blood-red liquid skillfully into both wine glasses. Machida murmured his thanks, as their waiter placed the bottle of fine liquor softly onto their table and bowed politely, silently trotting away.
Haru reached for her glass and took a confused sip, staring pointedly at her boyfriend from over her wine. She quietly took in his appearance, and her eyes scrolled carefully over him. They narrowed somewhat. He did seem particularly suspicious tonight, but there had to be a reasonable explanation for his behavior. Machida was going to propose to her… right?
The woman's thoughts immediately turned back onto the nervous tone that had been in Hiromi's voice earlier. Perhaps she was right. Maybe there was something wrong with Machida…
No, of course not.
Haru's gaze moved up to meet Machida's orbs, and she took a second sip from her wine glass. The brunette stopped cold, her eyes widening in surprise. The look in his stare told her everything. It was sad and heavy.
Haru lowered the glass of wine from her lips. She stared resoundingly at her boyfriend. A deep frown overtook her face, and her jaw gave a hard clench at the realization. Hiromi had been right. The woman's brown eyes narrowed heatedly.
"Machida, what did you do?" Haru softly questioned, her lips tightening in suspense. Her tone demanded an answer.
Machida stared guiltily down at their table. He held both of his hands tightly within his lap, and his thumbs twiddled nervously, the colors of his knuckles turning a stark white.
Haru's voice came out in a low threat. She slowly enunciated her words.
"Machida. Tell. Me. What. You. did."
In his eyes was a terribly guilty gleam. It was a look that practically screamed of adultery. Haru swallowed hard at her throat. On Machida's shoulders sat a heavy weight. It stood over his head and seemed to bring him down. Good. At least Haru could find solace in the fact that her boyfriend felt terrible for whatever the hell it was that he had done behind her back.
The brunette straightened her spine and sat up in her chair, a steely expression taking over her features. Her dark eyes brimmed with an upset rage, and she stared down at him from across the table. Wordlessly, she begged him to admit his sins. Her fingers which were wrapped securely around her wine glass, tightened in a vine-like vice.
"Machida, I won't ask you again. What did you do?"
The man in question visibly shook in his chair with a sincere apology trying to force its way out from under his tongue. He attempted to swallow it down, but suddenly his voice came out in an upset rush.
"I slept with Hiromi, Haru, and I know that it was terrible of me, but it just happened, and I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me."
The brunette could only stare. That was all that she could do, as she was honestly too shocked to do anything else.
A whimpered question finally bubbled out from under her lips, "W-What-"
Her eyes filled with mistrust.
Machida hurriedly reached for her other hand from across the table and held it tightly, softly caressing her appendage. He acted as if he were a bad puppy merely asking her for her forgiveness, looking into her eyes pitifully as if he had simply pissed on her shoes, not the entirety of their relationship.
"Please forgive me, but I just had to tell you. Hiromi didn't want me to mention it, but I thought you deserved to know the truth. Just please know that I don't love Hiromi, Haru. I love you. I truly do, and I love your forgiving nature so much more, so please forgive me for my mistakes Haru. Please."
The woman could only stare in dubious shock, as the man began to grovel before her, leaning over the table and continuously rubbing her hand in a soothing circle. The way he had his head bent kept him from being able to see her eyes, but Machida was glad for that. He hated seeing the blatant hurt in her eyes; the heartbreaking pain that had been caused by the betrayal performed by both him and Hiromi.
"Y-You and H-Hiromi," Haru barely muttered, and she weakly stuttered over her words, "Y-You and…"
Drenched in sweat, the way her voice trailed off made Machida look up with a hopeful gaze. There came a flash of movement, and the gleam in his eyes was suddenly dashed when Haru splashed her glass of wine in his face. She let out a shuddering breath. Quickly, the woman's backbone straightened, and she stood up from amidst the crowd of candlelit tables.
"You and Hiromi?" Haru roared her angry question, while knowingly catching the attention of many bystanders and not caring in the slightest, "You and Hiromi?"
Machida shook visibly from his seat and glanced nervously around himself at the other patrons. He put up his hands in a placating gesture and tried desperately to reign in his girlfriend's anger, "Please control yourself Haru! It was a mistake, nothing but a horrible, terrible mistake! Seriously, it was a fling. It meant nothing-"
"Well good, because obviously it's not the only thing that meant nothing!"
"Haru, please sit down," Machida quietly begged her, nervously edging away from their table. He glanced around at the hundreds of eyes that were staring pointedly in his direction and shook his wine-drenched hair, "You are starting to cause a scene."
Haru screeched, "A scene, Machida? A scene? Oh, I cannot believe this. I cannot believe you. Oh my god, I cannot believe that Hiromi would-"
The brunette raised a knuckle up to her lips and bit nervously at the bone. She stared dubiously over it, as Machida stood up to glare angrily from his stance.
"Now I paid a lot for this meal Haru, and you know that, so would you please just sit down before we end up getting thrown out of this place and onto the street?"
Haru's eyes widened, and she threw down her arm, shaking her head painfully at his stupidity. God, he was so ridiculous! This entire situation was so ridiculous!
"How did this seem like a good idea? How did any of this seem like a good idea?" She shrieked up at him, referring to the beautifully decorated and expensive restaurant that sat around them, "I am so done with you Machida. I am so done."
As Haru was bending down to grab her purse, her now ex-boyfriend let out a barking laugh and audibly chided her behavior. He stared hatefully through his wet bangs. The man made a show of looking toward their audience as he spoke, "Honestly, the maitre d' will probably be coming over here at any minute to escort you out, Haru. You're just crazy. Completely out of control."
As Machida continued to talk her down, he felt his heart turn colder when she turned away from him, only to pause and glare blazingly over her shoulder. The hand around her small purse tightened brutally. Her hazel eyes shone with a hateful threat, and they heatedly met his own. She deliberately lifted her nose in distaste.
"No need. I can escort myself out."
Haru's voice came out blunt and distant, and Machida could only watch in silent shock as she began to walk out of the crowded restaurant, mutely maneuvering her way through the mass of stunned couples. Their eyes followed her every movement with an intense focus until she finally walked out the front door, before their gazes eventually returned to stare patronizingly at Machida. The stunned man slowly fell back into his seat. He stared wide-eyed in front of himself, as a brisk waiter came up from behind him and asked him to leave.
"I am sorry sir, but you and your lady friend have distracted all of the other guests for far too long tonight. I shall promptly escort you out, if you do not mind."
Machida could only nod heavily at the man's request and stand up, before taking a drained step forward. It was all he could do, but follow the man guiltily out the front door, while numbly staring down at the floor beneath him. He mutely passed by all of the restaurant's occupants, and shied away into himself, as they gazed in incrimination at his back. Once he was finally brought outside, a low murmuring broke out across the room. A deep frown was on every person's face.
One woman even scowled fumingly from her seat and pocketed the tiny, black velveteen box that she was just about to give her girlfriend of thirteen months, that is, until the pair had been so rudely interrupted by the repercussions of the wine-covered prick's actions. Surely infidelity, the black-haired woman assumed. She moped delicately, as she heard her girlfriend give a small croon from beside her, audibly lamenting the sadness that had been practically tangible in the tiny brunette's eyes. Oh, that poor, straight Asian girl.
"She looks so heartbroken… Poor young thing. How could a man just go and do that to a girl?"
The annoyed woman only tightened her hand into a complacent fist and placed it thoughtfully under her chin, "I don't know, but this is exactly why I don't date men. Too much thinking with the parts and not enough with the heart, but that's just my humble opinion… Granted, not all men are complete sleazebags. Just a fair portion of them."
"Like him," her girlfriend surmised and pursed her lips into a concerned line. She could not help but feel completely sympathetic for the poor woman, as the girl's heels had clicked out of the front door. No one deserved to have their trust broken so publicly and crudely; no one.
Both could only stare with narrowed eyes, as the dark-haired man was led out of the establishment. His head was held down in shame, and his shoulders sagged from under the weight of his accountability. The awarding sight of witnessing his heavy guilt forced a proud gleam to enter their eyes. Perhaps karma was not real, but it damn sure felt like it was. Funny how fate always manages to come back for someone in the end.
Good riddance, the two women silently agreed.
Sullenly, they both continued on with their meal, but soon found that their night had been ruined. Nothing could bring back the mood; the laid back flirting and the deep conversation that they had been enjoying.
Concerned thoughts for the hazel-eyed female had only seemed to waver the women's attention, and they both eventually called the night quits, before returning home to their shared apartment. Though the women's future had been put on a slight hold, the pair still loved each other and nothing could ever change that. They were soulmates, and they could take however long they needed to determine their lives, and besides, they were almost certain that no one was having as terrible a night as the woman who had stalked out of the restaurant earlier.
Haru felt like screaming at the sky, as she stepped outside the dimly lit restaurant. A thin, heartbreaking mumble escaped her lips, and she muttered softly with each step. The woman trudged indignantly and wobbled unsteadily down the edge of the sidewalk, a new tear forming with every footfall. Each entered from the very corners of her eyes and stung her retinas, turning her orbs a striking shade of red.
Haru airily kicked off her heels and picked them up, holding the precious shoes tightly up to her breast. The edge of her hand held taut against the piece of skin that was left open from her one shoulder dress. With a small start, she discovered that her heart was hammering in her chest. A broken sob escaped her. Suddenly, the woman felt like bawling her eyes out. Life was unfair. Her life was unfair. She felt like everything was falling in on her. Then, it was as if all of the fight had suddenly left her.
Haru began to cry, starting off as a thin whimper, until the sorrow in her heart began to make her body wrack in pure anguish. She shook heavily, as she wobbled along and accidentally tripped over her own footing, rushing to lean her body precariously against the dimly lit wall of a building. She leaned her back against the cool stone. Slowly, she fell to her knees and threw her head down, weeping softly into her hands. As she cried, one hand moved down to finger at the inside of her purse, and she desperately felt around for her cellphone. Finally grasping it, the woman sniffled heavily and brought the phone up to stare tiredly at its screen. She struggled to press the required buttons and let out a curt curse word, before she finally managed to call someone.
The sound of dial tone rang in her ears.
Haru's eyes closed in a pitying sorrow, and her head fell back onto the wall behind her. A few more sobs wracked through her body. There came a clicking noise, and a beautiful voice entered her ears.
"Haru?" The woman felt a rush of relief when she heard the soothing sound of her mother's voice. She sniffled indelicately in reply, and a quick intake of breath was heard. Her mother's voice took on a sharp edge, "Haru, baby what's wrong?"
All of the pain from the night came rushing back to her, and Haru's heart broke all over again. She began to shed a new, fresh set of tears; a mournful wail leaving her lips and traveling into the phone, "M-Mamma, p-please come. I need you."
Naoko Yoshioka could be heard already getting dressed on the other side of the line. She threw on a pair of old pajamas and tennis shoes. As she got ready, the older woman spoke worriedly into her phone, "Haru, what happened? Where are you right now?"
When nothing but heart wrenching sobs answered her, Haru's mother let out an irritated groan. She yelled, "Haru Yoshioka, you answer me this instance!"
The sound of an engine starting rang throughout Haru's ears. Her daughter softly whimpered, "T-The old butcher's shop. I'm sitting out f-front."
"But that place is so far from home-"
"M-Machida was t-taking me out on a d-date," Haru managed to stutter. A renewed rush of sorrow shook through her, "I c-can't explain. Just p-please come get me."
Her mother paused in understanding, although she had no clue as to what had happened, and sighed sadly. She finally murmured, "Okay, hun. Okay. It is all okay. Everything is fine. Just stay on the line with me and take in a few deep, calming breaths, alright? In and out. In and out. That's my girl."
Like a child, Haru followed her mother's instructions and tried to take in a slew of soothing breaths, before she accidentally hiccuped over her cries. She shook from her place on the ground and looked through her red-stained eyes at the world around her. It was all so stifling yet bright. Too bright; too stifling. The neon lights were simply too much for her at night. They hurt her eyes and helped to further blur her vision. She blinked at the tears that had smudged the view from within her mind's eye.
"Okay, I am getting close hun. Could you head towards the curb?"
Haru gave a mute nod through her cellphone and sniveled quietly, blearily using the wall behind her as a tall support to stand against. She stared flatly down at the road before her. After a long moment, a pair of headlights sullenly brightened her vision, and then reflected on the dank pavement before her. The slam of a car door hit her ears, and Haru blinked silently. She felt the warm hardness of her mother constricting her within her arms and gave a melancholic smile. Her head fell forward. She cried hopelessly into her mother's shoulder.
Naoko Yoshioka shushed her daughter gently and held her up close to her chest, crooning soft nothings into her ear. Her hand rubbed gentle circles into Haru's back. She held onto her daughter with a death-like vice and hugged her consolingly.
Haru cried and cried. Eventually, she stuttered, "I-It happened a-again Momma."
Naoko blinked, but tightened her grip, and held her daughter even closer to her front. After a lengthy minute of gentle consoling and a few hot tears from Haru, she finally asked, "What happened again sweetie?"
Haru gave a small whimper and rested her head on her mother's chest. She took in a steady, calming breath, before she was ultimately able to reply a weak, "H-Hiromi."
Naoko stopped cold, her hands locking on instinct. Regarding Haru nervously, the elder Yoshioka gave a shuddering sigh. She laid the crown of her head consolingly atop Haru's hair and silently closed her eyes. Though the woman was still not entirely sure of what her daughter meant by her statement, the redhead was intelligent enough to be able to lock the pieces together, and she was pretty sure of what Haru was trying to tell her. The implications were far too similar, eerie even, although the fact of that failed to lessen the immediate pain in Naoko's gut. A heavy weight settled over her heart.
Naoko's arms loosened in their hold against Haru's seemingly fragile form, and the brunette shut her eyes in over-tiredness. The two women stood in a joint silence.
Finally, Naoko raised a hand and ran it gently through her daughter's hair, soothing Haru with her calm touch. Her crafty fingers dug softly through her extended tresses, before coming to rest behind her daughter in another embrace. The devoted mother felt a surge of regret bitterly strike her heart.
"Oh, Haru. Just what has this boy done to you?"
And scene. This is so beautiful, I just- I can't. So much drama for one little chapter. I hope that you're all not too upset with me for putting Haru through some stuff... Anyways, I am on vacation in Disney World right now, but it is about to end, so maybe I can really get to work on manufacturing some more chapters for ya'll. I hope that you'll all decide to stick around for what's to come. Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews and follows, and I hope to meet more of you in the future. (:
Till next time, xoxo.
