Chapter 8: Apologies
"Congratulations Kotoko! Congratulations Naoki!" The adults cheer. I force a smile as I clink my glass with everyone around the table. I take a sip from my wine glass as does everyone else except for Yuki-kun. As the chatter rises around me, I sit still, quietly thinking about the solid warmth to my left. Much to the surprise of everyone, as the Irie family joined dad and I in the restaurant, Irie-kun immediately claimed the seat next to mine. Mrs. Irie bore an expression of utter delight at his actions and was quick to sit across from us, proceeding to stare constantly at us with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Dad leaves the table briefly, and comes back with his two assistants. Together they lay several platters of appetizers to share. We dig in to the food, the parents talking and laughing. Yuki-kun, sitting next to his mom, quietly ate his food, looking up periodically to sneak peeks at his brother and I. I ignore all the looks, quietly munching on the food dad has prepared.
A couple hours later, we all leave the restaurant and dad stays behind to close for the night. I was exhausted, ignoring the obvious stares from Mrs. Irie and Yuki-kun, while trying to ignore Irie-kun beside me all night was more than I could handle, especially since I wasn't sure how to act around Irie-kun as of late. Needing to clear my head, I mention to Mrs. Irie that I was going to walk home for some air and to digest my food. Waving goodbye, I took off towards the park.
Alone, I take a deep breath, sitting down on the first bench I come across. Closing my eyes, I lay my head back, embracing the sounds of the wind rustling through the trees. I open my eyes, looking up into the clear night filled with stars. What should I do? I know I love Irie-kun and will probably love him forever, but the way he looked at me that night…I have been nothing but faithful towards him, never even giving him a reason to doubt me…is this really the relationship I want to be in?
Footsteps shuffling through leaves have me looking up. Standing in front of me, Irie-kun stares back at me; guilt and pain shine behind his eyes. I pat the bench and he sits down beside me. For a moment, we sit in silence. I can feel Irie-kun's eyes on me. I avoid them by looking up at the sky again. Just then, a shooting star flies by. I close my eyes, clasping my hands together to make my wish. Besides me, Irie-kun chuckles at my actions.
"I remember the last time you saw a shooting star." Irie-kun says. I open my eyes to look at him. He's no longer facing me, but looking up at the sky as well. "On our first date, I took you out for dinner and I walked you home afterwards. You took us through the park because you wanted to see the lake at night. While we were staring into the water, the reflection of a shooting star passed through. You did that same action, closing your eyes and clasping your hands, I remember thinking how adorable you were." He looks down at me, he's smiling fondly at the memory. "I took your hand," He continues, quietly clasping our hands together. "I pulled you towards me and asked what you wished for." He looks back up from our joined hands to meet my eyes, there's sadness lying there. "You gave me the biggest smile, and told me it was a secret. You never asked me what I wished for." I blink in surprise.
"I didn't think you believed in wishing on a shooting star. What did you wish for?" I ask curiously.
He smiles briefly, looking back up at the sky, "The same thing I've been wishing since the day I met you: That you'll love me forever, because I can't think of any other person I want to be with." I look up at him flabbergasted. I know he loves me, but not to this extent. He releases my hand, standing up from the bench. He pulls me up with him, tugging me into the warm embrace of his arms as he buries his face into my neck. I hear him take a deep breath, hugging me tighter. "I am so sorry Kotoko, I was jealous and unreasonable. I should have never accused you of fooling around behind my back. You're my light Kotoko, I can't be myself without you in my life. I was terrified that Ikezawa was going to steal you away. His obvious love for you is something I wish I could express myself." He pulls back to look at me. I stare into his pleading eyes, begging me to take him back. I smile, tugging him back towards the bench. Sitting him down, I sit sideways on his lap, wrapping my arms around body, leaning my head against his chest. His arms tighten around me again.
"I love you, Irie-kun. You hurt me when you accused me of being unfaithful when you know I always tell you when Kin-chan has done something and you see me every day trying to avoid his affection. I love you, not Kin-chan. He will always be a friend and I will probably meet more guys who will become my friend." I sit up straight, placing my hands on his cheeks, "You'll probably meet other girls who will throw themselves at you and I will be jealous, Irie-kun. I don't like other people getting close to you anymore than you like guys around me, but I respect your boundaries because I know you're faithful to me and our relationship. I need you to have that same trust and faith in me." I wrap my arms around his neck, bringing is lips closer to mine. He sighs at the contact of our lips, kissing me back harder. Eventually, the need for air separates us. He kisses the top of my head as I snuggle back against him.
"I will always be possessive of you, Kotoko, because I know what my life was like before you walked in and I never want to go back. I'm not saying this will be easy, but I will try not to jump to any conclusions before talking to you first. I love you, Kotoko. Thank you." He whispers reverently, kissing the top of my head again. In silence, we revel being in each other's arms again.
Hey guys, sorry for the long delay, I started this last weekend then got swamped with a Chemistry Test, Calculus Test, and a Biology Lab. Plus I had my Semi-formal on Thursday, which was fun, but didn't give me a whole lot of time to work on my Fanfic. Anyhow, I'm back, the term is wrapping up and most of my university applications are done so I should be around for a while. Back to the story, hope you like Naoki-kun's apology. To Heroina, I originally planned to write this fanfic with a mix of Naoki and Kotoko POV but none of the the Naoki chapters properly portrayed our handsome genius so I focused on Kotoko's POV instead. Well that's all for now, I'll start the next chapter, see if I can get it out today as an apology but otherwise, click the button below and give me your thoughts. Ciao.