63. Birthday

457 Words

Satsuki was really excited. It had been a while since she had seen her friends, but tonight, they would all meet up! It was Yuka's birthday, and the plan was to eat out and go see a movie.

Arriving at the restaurant Yuka had chosen, Satsuki hugged her friends each in turn. It was curious to see how little everyone seemed to have changed even though they had gone their separate ways after high school. Yuka was in a junior college, studying to become a stylist. Ayumi was studying medicine in a university, and Eri was working in the restaurant her family owned.

There was a lot for them all to catch up on, and they happily chattered away while enjoying their dinner. It was very pleasant, to be eating a delicious meal together with her much missed friends.

After the dinner, the four girls headed for the movie theatre. Each of them paid for their ticket and they stepped into the dark room and sat down on their seats.

Satsuki almost shrieked aloud when 3 minutes into the movie, Narita Ken's face took over the huge screen. She actually retreated to the back of seat as if the face had belonged to the antagonist of a horror movie and not to the nation's heartthrob. Recovering from her initial shock she began to gradually relax as the movie swept her away. It was a very intense, romantic story, and at times it made her hold her breath. The acting was amazing, but then again, it did star Narita. And even Satsuki couldn't insist that he wasn't a brilliant, talented actor. At one point Satsuki almost forgot how to breathe, for the on-screen Narita Ken had, for the briefest moment, a very familiar predatory gleam in his eyes while watching the heroine.

All in all, the movie was very impressive, and it took Satsuki awhile to collect herself while the ending credits rolled on. Even though she should have been used to having Narita mess her head by now.

After the movie, they went out for drinks, and Satsuki's friends couldn't stop gushing about the movie and its male lead.

"I can't believe you're actually working with Narita Ken! That must be so amazing!"

"Are you sure it's just working, though?" Yuka asked with a teasing grin. "I remember the article about you that was published a while ago and it seemed to imply you had met with him on your spare time."

"We bumped into each other, that's all," Satsuki shrugged offhandedly. Inside, she wanted to scream, but if there was something acting had taught her, that was self-control.

The stupid article and its blatant misleading wording had once again come to bite her in the behind.