Chapter 46

I felt reassured seeing her coming out of those glass doors in her cute blue coat, the wind blowing a strands of hair into her face she squirms and I fix it tucking it into the back of her ear. I don't even fight the urge to kiss her and neither does she dodge my public display of affection. She just squeezes my arm and says, "Lets go in… it's freezing out here."

We go in and the rest are already all ordered and drinking mid-day; a chorus of hey's and pats on the back occur as we take our seats.

"Soujiro… too bad you weren't there to see Tsukushi in the bridesmaid gown..," cooed Shigeru.

"Too lucky," muttered Tsukasa catching Tsukushi's eye.

They exchanged high five's.

"What? Didn't quite catch that…Hey, don't leave me out!" I yelp over my menu.

"Nothing darling… we should order, you need to go back for meetings remember?" replied Tsukushi deftly patting my thigh.

We quickly call the waitress over and ordered, Akira the Turkey Feta Ravioli, Tsukushi the Pink Sauce Salmon Pasta and myself the Mushroom Lobster Panini. "Good to see your magnet still works," said Akira smirking as the waitress leaves with our orders.

Everyone seems to get what he means but me so I ask, "What magnet?"

Then Tsukushi replies, "Her twins we just short of air-bagging your face and you didn't realize?"

"Ahh the changed man…" sighed Shigeru fakely.

"I never thought I'd see the day," stated Tsukasa shaking his head.

"I never thought I'd see the day," emphasized Akira on all his I's.

"People are allowed to change when they find their other halves. Come on look at him, the mad bad tempered footloose I-am-always-right Domyouji Tsukasa is now a mewing kitten going to a 9-to-9 job under the leash of Ms. Okahawara. If we didn't know any better sounds more like he's going to turn into Mr. Shigeru Okahawara than she into Mrs. Domyouji," I said finishing my rather long speech which turned D's face into a semblance of his former self.

But all that came out was, "Eyy!"

We all barked in laughter as Tsukasa tried to find the words to fully describe his profound state of distress.

"Aww baby…" cooed Shigeru further proving my point as she tried to comfort him and sooth his constantly distorting facial feature.

"It's a good thing that Shi is doing for Dom… Just like my effect on you being oblivious to air-bagging," said Tsukushi putting her hand over mine and giving it a squeeze.

I stared into her eyes and see her pure amusement and smile back as I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss them.

As Akira broke the bubble with groans of agony, "Come on… Why is my world now fully populated with sticky gooey cooing lovebirds in heat? Urggh… Where is Rui, where are my single eligible bachelor buddies!!!"

I pretended to not hear the R word as suddenly there was an expression cast over everyone's face to something going on behind me.

"You asked for me? Whisky-neat," says Rui as he sits down and waves away the oncoming waitress.

There is a silence at the table; tempted to bolt with fiancée in hand I clench my fingers round the wine glass stem. The next sound that arrives is the waitress placing the drink in front of him. Scared away by the silence the waitress cowers away without asking what he wanted to eat but comes back to place our lunch in front of us.

There is more silence, the silence seemed to span for an eternity as I think of the most appropriate thing to say or do at this point. Then Tsukushi picks up her cutleries and takes a mouthful of her lunch.

Everyone is looking at her waiting for her reaction and she eats. Suddenly this is all very comedic and we erupt in laughter; Akira, Tsukasa, Shigeru, Tsukushi and myself. And as per regular fashion Rui was being Rui by skulking quietly in the corner but with an added feature of staring eyes; staring at Tsukushi.

"We are here for lunch right?" asked Tsukushi rhetorically.

"Yes, food oh food…" said Akira beginning on his ravioli.

And as much discomfort as this poses somehow it seems normal and whole that we are all together again. And as if she knew how I was feeling, which she probably did from my spacing out she drew an invisible heart on palm. I looked at her and she smiled and mouthed, "Eat."

I smile back and eat.

Rui waves the waitress over and proceeds to order the Pink Sauce Salmon Pasta, exactly what Tsukushi is having. Oh joy… more telepathy or I'm probably delirious seeing things that aren't there. And Tsukushi's, "No." disrupts my train of thoughts.

"No… I think there's cherry in this. You're allergic," says Tsukushi.

"Is there cherry in that?" asked Rui to the waitress and she leaves to check.

She comes back in a flash and confirms that the fish is marinated with cherries.

"You nearly killed me. I'll have Smoked Salmon Panini unless there are cherries in that too," said Rui dismissively to the apologetic and shocked waitress as he turns his attention back to Tsukushi just staring her down.

"Hey I don't remember you being allergic to cherries… Tsukushi saved your life dude!" said Tsukasa trying to lighten the strain.

"Hmm… She saves my life then takes it away, it is definitely most interesting to be little miss makino," mutters Rui sarcastically.

Shigeru lets out a nervous choke and Akira hits on his chest to relief the indigestion.

Just then one of the board members walk by and stop at our table.

"Ahh Nishikado-san!" greets the elderly man floundering by his sides his son and daughter.

"Just finished your lunch Fumiko-sama?" I bowed courteously and inquired remembering his name just in time.

"Yes yes, you've met my son Kenji and daughter Kyoko, whom you should remember…if not for your engagement with the Makino's I was intending Kyoko for you," barked the man in jest.

"Ahh, yes she will have to be someone else's fortune." I said quickly before the pudge of a daughter could give me another suggestive glance.

"Oh, I didn't see you there… Makino-san, or shall I say Nishikado-san already?" said the old man spotting Tsukushi. The old man seemed to think everything was a joke as he laughed some more.

Tsukushi stood up to give her greetings and linked her arm with mine.

"Yes, indeed what seems most fit to Fumiko-sama. Will Fumiko-sama and your wife be gracing us with your presence at the dinner tonight?" asked Tsukushi courteously.

"The dinner tonight…Of course. Nishikado-san will be there right... My wife very much enjoys your company. We shall see you tonight then. For now…" said the elderly man as we exchanged bows and he went on his way.

"I see you are playing your role very well," said Rui snidely then taking a bite of his panini.

"Is this going to be how it's going to be?" asked Tsukushi monotonously as she took another bite of her food.

"What honest and to the point… inquiring and insightfully comentative? I've always been like this," said Rui unblinking staring at her.

"No, snide and inappropriate," replied Tsukushi still concentrating on clearing her plate.

"Me? No… it is you who doesn't know how to give appropriate responses to situations."

"I'm done, I'll leave first," stated Tsukushi wiping her lips and she proceeds to stand up.

I stand and pick up my coat to follow her very willing to escape this situation.

"Leave?! I come back after your exiling me, shamelessly crawl back, tell you how much I need you, how much I cannot live without you, how I don't know how to live without you! I cry, I beg and I cling on to you and all you can say is I'm done? Did you even ever love me!" shouted Rui his voice cracking and getting louder as he got to the end.

Tsukushi didn't turn around but just walked out the doors. I turned to look at Rui as he broke down. Tears, anger, frustration and a slew of emotions I've never seen on his face. He let out a strangled scream of frustration as the rest tried to rein him in. Being the central cause of all this pain all I could do was leave.