Love After Marriage
"Don't cry for a man who's left you, the next one may fall for your smile."
- by Mae West -
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Chapter 2: Maybe I Love You
It had been almost thirty minutes after the three guys arrived and ten minutes since they started eating the food they ordered. None of them felt like speaking, or even know what they should talk about. The obvious topic of the dinner should have been the marriage arrangement between Goenji and Suzuno, but no one brought it up, even the two in question. The six teenagers had been eating in silence, while whispering some minor things to their own friends. The atmosphere in the private room gets more tense as time passes by and the silence's deafening to the point of making them pray that something happens.
And something did happen.
"I have something to say."
When the words left Goenji's lips as the ace striker lowered down his knife and fork and stared at the silvery-white haired girl in front of him while their friends' eyes darted towards him. Then to Suzuno. Slowly, Suzuno lifted up her chin and teal meets onyx. As she braced herself for whatever Goenji's going to say, she could still feel her heart beats fast. And now, even faster since they're staring at each other. How she hoped that she could tear her eyes away from his intense gaze, but she can't pull away. Not when they're both threading carefully around each other.
"I'm listening." She said coolly, leaning over her chair to make herself comfortable.
A few moments passed before Goenji said, "But first you'll have to promise me that you'll listen until I finish talking. I'm just going to say this once and I have no intention of repeating it again."
Suzuno thought over for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Kay, I promise. So, what is it?" Her tone was neutral.
The ace striker inhaled sharply before he continued. "Ever since I was little, I know that I don't have any say in the matters of choosing my life partner. Once a man in the family turns eighteen, he's bound to marry the one his the head of the family and his parents deemed suitable for him. That is my family tradition and no matter what outsiders think, I accept the tradition as part of my very being and I fully intend to fulfil my role as the son in the family." Then, he paused. "If my family thinks you're the one for me, then so be it. I will marry you. But," He paused again, his gaze soften. "I still want to hear it from you. What do you think of this arrangement?"
"Well, I..." Suzuno breathed out. "...I honestly don't know what I think or what I feel. At first I was just overwhelmed. Someone actually wants me as their granddaughter-in-law? Me, an orphan? That's what first crossed my mind." An empty laugh came from her. "Part of me says 'Just marry him! You'll save your family from debt!' while the other part says 'No! What about your happiness?'. It's just confusing. But, Otou-san told me that I don't have to accept your grandparents' proposal if I don't want to and that my happiness is more important to him and the rest of the orphanage. I came here tonight just to meet you and talk and hopefully, come to a decision. If you're decent, I'll accept. If you're not, then I would. But so far you're decent. I'm sorry, I was rambling, am I?" She suddenly looked embarrassed, her eyes downcast on her lap.
Her confession about her insecurities regarding her happiness and wanting so much to help and protect her adoptive family stunned him. Why wouldn't he, Suzuno just gave out a hint that she'll agree to marry him! Because he's decent! Oh...just decent, eh?
"Hey." Goenji said softly and when Suzuno lifted her face to look at him, he smiled gently. "One of the reasons why I decided to go through with this arrangement is that, so far, all couples lead a peaceful and happy marriage. Most recent one, my older cousin got married with a woman of my family's choosing three years ago, and this year, they're expecting their third child. If their marriage turns bad, they wouldn't keep having children, correct? And divorce is unheard of in my family. I believe in my grandparents to choose my bride for me, and I think they chose well."
"T-they chose well? What makes you said that?" Her cheeks reddened a bit as she asked shyly, a bit out of her usual character.
Goenji laughed. "Well, think about it. We're both cool and calm, so that means we'll yell less at each other. We both love soccer, so there probably won't be any arguments over anything related to soccer. We at least know a bit about each other, which is better than knowing nothing at all. We're both, of our own free will, agree to this marriage, which is a good start. We'll just work on things from there. We have much to learn, but I'm positive we'll make it. If you ask me," Goenji smiled warmly, "I think we're well-matched."
"Y-You..." And now, Suzuno's positive that her cheeks couldn't go any redder than this. This is not the first time she felt like this, but this one is completely different from anything she's experienced before!
"We have both been hurt before." He suddenly said, catching her interest immediately. The face of her ex boyfriend flashed in front of her in a split second, and she was sure that the same thing happened to Goenji. The platinum blond had a painful expression on his face, as if remembering something he'd rather forget. "I just thought that since we both fell in love with someone and we chose to be with them, but we still ended up getting hurt. So why not give us a try? Sure, marriage is not something to be taken lightly, but at least it'll make us try harder, right?"
Their friends who had been watching from the start, now feeling all embarrassed and wishing they'll magically disappear to anywhere but here. They glanced at each other before blushing even more furiously and quickly looked away.
What he said just now really made her think. She had been in love with Haruya for a long time that she couldn't even remember exactly when. She loved seeing him playing soccer with their other siblings with a bright smile on his face, she enjoyed how he treated her differently than other girls, she treasured each little fights that they had and how he seemed to make her his top priority in everything that he did. But things have changed. They've changed. She becomes more independent and his feelings changes. And before they realize it, they slowly grow distant from each other, despite living under the same roof.
Maybe it's time to give themselves a chance.
"I think you're right."
Their heads turned swiftly to the silvery-white haired girl, who now has a confident look on her face.
"I accept the proposal."
"So you don't mind marrying someone who barely knew?"
"I don't know for sure, but we'll do our best to go through this marriage, right?"
Goenji smirked. "Aah. Let's learn to love each other, then."
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kumo wa nagarete'ru kaze wa utaidasu / The clouds are floating by... The wind is singing
itsumo hashitte'ta kono michi no soba de / Even now, along the streets I always used to run along,
ima mo shiroi hana ga saite waratte iru / white flowers are blooming and smiling.
In front of him is a long line of small children, all smiling and lively, chattering all the way. Goenji sweatdropped, overwhelmed by the number of children in the orphanage. Beside him, Suzuno supressed her laugh, not wanting to make her new fiancé any more anxious. She hugged his right arm and smiled mischievously at him. "Right, let's start the introduction. Since you're marrying me, you must be on good terms with ALL of my family members. You've heard of the saying 'Marry me, marry my family' right?" She shot him a teasing look.
Goenji sweated more profusely as the children in front of them cheered at the top of their lungs.
"Yea, but-"
"Right, so this boy's name is Yamamura Kazuki, he's turning five in two months. He loves soccer and he completely adores Inazuma Japan, especially you. Next, we have his younger sister Yamamura Kina, she's four years old. She loves playing with dolls and pretend that she's their mommy. Isn't it sweet? And this chubby little guy is Wataru Itsuki. Despite his height and all, he's four years old. Yes, I know, he looks like he's seven. Moving on, we have little Kanna. This little angel has a habit of sucking her thumb. We tried to make her stop, but- "
From a distance, Hiroto and Midorikawa watched their friend slash teammate slash future brother-in-law being 'tortured' by his fiancée and most of the children who instantly take a liking to him and wanting to hug, kiss, lick and even climb him. The two hold their laughter when they saw three boys climbing up the ace striker like he was a human ladder, making him wobbling around before he ungracefully fall behind comically. With a mild DUSH sound and a small earthquake, Goenji was found lying on his back on the cold and unforgiving floor, groaning in pain while the kids hugged him and patted his cheeks, shrieking a toddler laugh at him.
Suzuno crouched on the floor as she stared down at her fiancé, an amused smile on her lips. "Daijobu ka? I hope you are. We have twenty-five kids left waiting to be introduced to their future older brother-in-law."
Shooting a glare at his 'beloved' fiancée, Goenji gently pushed away a little girl's fingers from pinching his nose. "I'll get you for this. Mark my words."
"Hmm...I'll be waiting."
demo tomaranai mune ga tsumaru hodo / But it's unstoppable. It chokes me up inside
ima ga daisuki de dakedo sugite-yuku / I love the present, but it will always pass...
sore wa mukashi naita yume no kakera no you / It's just like a fragment of the dream I cried over long ago
fuwafuwa to ukabu yasuragi mo / The serenity that floats by like a fluffy white cloud
namida koboreru fuan mo / And the worries that make my tears spill over
daiji na mirai ni tsunagatte-iru / are both connected to the precious future
hazu dakara / so...
"So, tell me a few things about yourself." Goenji started a conversation between them.
"What do you want to know about me?" Suzuno asked, frowning a bit.
The two, at the urge of their family, go out to the park for some 'alone' time together. Maybe they're hoping that they will bond and learn about each other better. It was Sunday, and the park was filled with couples on date, children playing outdoor games and few young mothers taking their baby out for a stroll. Goenji and Suzuno bought ice-cream from the ice-cream man. Goenji bought chocolate flavour with nuts sprinkled on top while Suzuno ordered a strawberry flavoured one with rainbow sprinkles. The newly engaged couple sat on a bench under the shady tree, with the grass field in front of them as scenery. A few children are playing soccer a few metres from them.
"Since we don't know much about each other, anything will do." Goenji said before taking a small bite off his ice cream.
Suddenly, his ice cream looked like it tastes better than hers.
"Well..." She trailed off, unsure of what she should tell him of about her. "...I'm not good at cooking."
A surprised look crossed his face for a second before he went back looking neutral. "Really?"
"N-not that I don't know how to cook at all! It's just...well...I can cook, but my cooking is not as tasty as Hitomiko nee-san...or Clara."
She noticed that he was staring at her for awhile now, and she quickly averted her eyes. "Y-You don't have to stare at me like that! It's creepy!"
"That's okay."
"Huh?" Suzuno blinked in surprise, and she turned to him with a confused look.
Goenji nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I'll teach you."
"You're not going to say something like 'A girl should know how to cook' or 'What kind of girl are you that doesn't know how to cook'?" She said, doing her best at imitating the way Haruya told her cynically some time ago.
Goenji stared at her with a cool expression. "It's alright if you don't know how to cook at all. Just by trying your best to learn is much better than taking no interest in it at all. No one's perfect and good at everything they do."
His words left her speechless. He's different than Haruya. The red-headed tulip would have tease her mercilessly and sneered at her, but this guy in front of her take everything in calmly, considerate of her feelings and thinks about it thoroughly. He accepted her for what she is.
A warm smile curved up her lips. "Arigatou."
"Aah." Goenji said after he stared at her, losing himself as he watched a few strands of her hair being blown softly by the wind. Her hair looked soft...
"Hey, your ice-cream's melting."
"...shimatta."
Although his best jeans had been soiled by the ice-cream stain on his thigh, hearing the delightful laughter from his fiancé made it worth it.
Now, if only he can find more ways to make her laugh.
ashita ni natte mo / Even when tomorrow comes
itsuka otona ni natte mo / Even when someday I become an adult
kitto omoidashite ne / I'm sure I'll always remember.
anata ga koko ni ita koto / that you were here with me.
wasurenai de ite / I'll never forget,
hiroi sekai no hate de mo / even when I'm in the very ends of this vast world.
zutto kienai ima wo / For this moment that will never disappear,
minna arigatou / I thank you, everyone.
"Ehem," Endou pretended to clear his throat to draw everyone's attention. He's standing on the stage of the banquet hall under a very colourful banner with 'Shuuya and Fuusuke, Engaged!' on it made by Suzuno's little siblings, wearing a smart black tux with orange tie. In front of him is a microphone on a stand. "I propose a toast to the newly engaged couple, my best friend, Goenji Shuuya and his lovely fiancée, Suzuno Fuusuke. May this ace striker pair have a happy, loving and blissful marriage! Konyakuwo omedettogozaimasu!" He cheered with the biggest grin ever, raising his orange juice as he do so.
"Konyakuwo omedettogozaimasu!" The many family and friends that attended the private wedding engagement cheered as well, raising their drinks too. Despite all of them wearing formal clothes, the engagement party is stated to be informal, in order to allow more freedom and avoiding uptight protocol and stuff like that. Most importantly, everyone is enjoying themselves. Some of the active children from the orphanage are running around as they play their kiddy game, the handsome ones (ehem-Hiroto-ehem-Fubuki) entertaining the ladies compromised of the Sun Garden girls and single, eligible, Goenji's family members.
Kira, Hibiki-kantoku, Endou Daisuke and Natsumi's father are having a drinking competition, with Goenji's grandfather as the referee and Goenji's father, Kazuya as commentator. Although he's commentating on how over drinking too much can affect one's health. From the rate they're chugging the glasses down, Daisuke's victory is sealed.
"To anyone who wants to wish the newly engaged couple, they are greatly encouraged come up the stage and do so!" Urabe Rika assumed the role of the MC enthusiastically, her left arm linked with Ichinose Kazuya's right arm. The American comer sweatdropped as he chuckled awkwardly. Some distance from them is a fuming Kino Aki, who's glaring at them like a lioness would to an intruder that comes into her territory.
And thus, begin the well-wishing bizarre of all time.
"Goenji, how dare you get married before your sempai! I just graduated today, cut me some slack!" Tsunami wept on the stage, pretending to wipe his sad tears using his polka dots tie.
"Keh. Whatever. Congrats Goenji-kun, you got THE big fish." Fudou smirked at him from the stage before going down.
"Ano...congratulations, Goenji-kun. And Suzuno-san too. I wish you both happiness." Fubuki said in a soft tone and smiled demurely, making most female in the hall awe-ing and going KYAAA! KAWAII!
"Goenji, you better take good care of our sister. If you so much as make her cry, I'll cut both of your legs off and make you suffer from lack of soccer." Hiroto said, flashing a deadly glare at the ace striker. Goenji swore he could hear the sharp sound of swords clashing.
"Goenji-san, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! You're very lucky to have a lovely fiancée!" Toramaru actually cried on the stage.
"Fuusuke-chan, be a good wife to Goenji-kun, alright? And Goenji-kun, please take care of our precious Fuusuke-chan. Ahhh! My daughter's getting married! And to such a fine young man! I'm so relieved!" Kira bawled as he delivered his well-wish. Suzuno chuckled awkwardly while Goenji only nodded his head politely. "I intend to do so from the start, Kira-san."
tsuki wa terashite'ru kaze wa nemutte'ru / The moon is shining down. The wind is sleeping.
itsumo waratte'ta kono machi no sora de / In the sky above that always smiles down on this town,
ima mo nagareboshi ga negai kanaete iru / even now shooting stars are granting wishes.
demo wakaranai toki ga sugiru hodo / But I don't understand... I don't want us to ever part
hanaretaku nakute dakedo tooku naru / for as long as time passes, but we end up being far apart
sore wa kinou yonda hon no shiori no you / It's just like the bookmark in the book I read yesterday.
"I think this house's perfect." Suzuno whispered to her fiancé as the penthouse's estate agent went down to the first floor in order to give her clients some privacy. This penthouse, she believed, is the most suitable home for them so far.
Goenji turned away from the greenery outside of the balcony to his fiancée who's standing beside him. "You too, huh? Since both of us like this house, I'll buy it."
"Y-You'll buy it?" Suzuno asked, uncertain if she heard him correctly. They're only teenagers and she knows that he doesn't have any job.
Her question made him frowned, but he nodded in confirmation. "Yes, why? Did you change your mind about buying this penthouse?"
"N-No! It's not that!" She shook her head, colour flooded her cheeks. "I mean, you're going to ask your grandfather to buy this penthouse or you have your own money?"
It took a few seconds before understanding dawned into him. "Aah, I didn't tell you, huh? Actually I own a construction company, a few hotels and some estates across the globe - inheritance from my mother's family and my father's family. They're currently run by the trusted board of directors, but I'll drop by once in a while to see how the business's doing. So I have money, yes." He explained sheepishly as he rubbed his neck
"...wow, honestly, you really are a young master." She said in surprise. But she should have figured that he'll have some property of his own, since he came from a wealthy family.
"Fuusuke." He called her name softly when she had been in her train of thoughts for too long. "Especially now that we're getting married, I'll become more involved in the business."
"You will?"
"Of course I will. I now have a wife to support." Goenji chuckled, making her blush deepened.
"Y-You-!"
"So we're buying the house?"
Suzuno broke their eye contact and looked around. She turned to him with a smile and a small nod. "Yes, we are."
"Good. I'm glad you like this penthouse. So long as you like it, I have no complains." He said, leaning forward to kiss her left cheek before he left her on the balcony, stunned by what just transpired between them.
All the way down the stairs, Goenji clamped his mouth with his palm. The first time I kiss her...
kirakira to hikaru akogare mo / My longing to shine like the twinking stars
donna kanashii kimochi mo / And my feelings, however sad they may be
daiji na mirai ni tsunagatte-iru / are both connected to the precious future
hazu dakara / so...
kisetsu ga sugite mo / Even when the seasons pass,
dokoka shiranai machi de mo / even if it's in some unfamiliar place somewhere
kitto hirogatte-iku / I'm sure the future is unfolding.
minna ga koko ni ita koto / I'll never forget
wasurenai de ite / that you were all here with me.
chiisa na kono basho kara / For what has quietly begun
sotto hajimatta koto / from this little place,
minna arigatou / I thank you, everyone.
"You remember this place?" Goenji asked her, his arms spread as a gesture.
A small laugh escaped Suzuno's lips as she looked around the said place, memories flooding in. "Of course I remember. It's the place where we first met."
The two stared at each other before they burst out laughing.
"Oh, I was terrible at that time. Being evil and all." Suzuno said, wiping her tears away as the last of her laugh left her lips.
"Evil? Yes. But, you're a beautiful, evil alien." He said teasingly, and he raised his hands in defence when she threatened to hit him. "Okay, okay! I'm just joking! Don't be mad!" He said and laughed hit chest playfully.
"You can't beat me like this. You're like a small hamster fighting with the biggest hamster in the cage over the last piece of cheese." He said in amusement, staring down at the girl who's hitting his chest in a playful manner. Suzuno ceased her attempt at 'hurting' him and pouted.
"We're not even married yet, but you've already tease me so much."
"Well," Goenji wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and kissed her head, "don't you tease me just as much? I'm merely returning the favour, Suzuno Fuusuke."
"Well," Suzuno copied his tone. She pulled herself away for a bit to stare up into his eyes. "even if you want to tease me so badly, why here, specifically, Goenji Shuuya?"
A few silent moments passed by before Goenji unwrapped his arms and took a more serious demeanour.
"I know our marriage is arranged by our family. And I'm glad that you're the one my grandparents chose for me. I can feel that you're everything I could ever hope for in a bride. You're diligent and thorough in everything you do, you deeply care about your family and friends, you carry yourself well and most importantly...you're sincere." Goenji took a breath and sigh before he continued. "You simply said that you accept my family's marriage proposal and we're engaged, just like that. But every girl deserves to be romantically proposed, and I don't want you to miss that."
Her eyes widened at the last statement. C-Could it be-?!
Opting to follow the Western style, Goenji took both of her hands into his and slowly knelt down on one knee, not breaking the eye contact with his fiancée. "Suzuno Fuusuke, I ask of you to let me into your life, to let me know who you truly are little by little, to let me bring many smiles of happiness to your lips, to let me wipe away every drop of your tears and to let me protect you from everything that might harm you. We barely know about each other, I know, but I sense this pull towards you that I cannot explain. Now, I just want you by my side. You're the one I cannot live without. Will you marry me?"
His speech brought tears to her eyes. It's short, but definitely the sweetest thing she has ever heard. She stared into his eyes and found nothing but full acceptance, sincerity, warmth and love.
He fell in love with her!
She nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes! I'll marry you!" She said with a bright smile and Goenji stood up, wiping her tears with his thumb. "Although you look beautiful even when you cry, I'd hate to see you with red, puffy eyes."
"See, you're teasing me again!"
Goenji laughed and pulled her into his embrace, his forehead against her. "Maybe I love you." He said with full confidence.
"Maybe I love you too." Suzuno replied with the same confidence out of amusement.
His eyes lowered down to her lips and darted back to her eyes, silently asking for her permission to kiss her. She smiled as she nodded, and Goenji closed the distance between them as he leaned down to catch her lips with his. After what feels like an eternity, they broke the kiss and Suzuno hugged his arm, dragging him as they leave the place.
"So...we came all the way to Okinawa so that you can propose to me?"
"Yes." Goenji nodded. "Why do you think I brought you here for?"
"I thought we're eloping."
"Sorry, we can't do that. I promised Endou he'll be my best man."
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Kiyomi-chan789: Thanks s much for being my first reviewer! Now I'm pumped up to write even more. ;) I hope you continue to read this story.