98. Lunch
487 Words
Satsuki almost trembled with anxiety, as they walked along the street. She clung to Ken's arm like a drowning person held onto a rope, hoping to find the balance, hoping for the world to stop whirling around her. She was so giddy with nervousness that everything was just spinning. The whole thing just felt too surreal to be true. She – Yukino Satsuki the pathetic inexperienced virgin – was out on a date. Just a simple lunch date, but nonetheless a real date. With Narita Ken. She stole a glance at him and he immediately peeked back at her out of the corner of his eye, the familiar crooked grin briefly gracing his lips. Her nervousness erupted anew at the sight of that grin, it made a funny flutter come alive in the pit of her stomach.
The restaurant he led her to was located near the studio. It was a fancy place, but not in the intimidating kind of a way, Satsuki was not only on her first date, she didn't really have experience with fancy either. But this restaurant didn't add to her nervousness, and for that, she was grateful. They got their own privacy, not a booth but actually an entire room for themselves, a Japanese styled room. She sat down onto a cushion. Ken took his seat across the low table. He gazed at her, his dark eyes gleaming. Satsuki swallowed quickly and picked up the menu, hiding behind it. Her own heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.
But then, Ken started talking to her, drawing her into conversation. Brushing over light, casual, everyday topics like work. He told her about the movie he had started filming, what an interesting and challenging character he needed to portray and how honoured he was working with a famous director. She listened to it all, feeling excited, and then said to him that she, too, hoped to get new and thrilling work opportunities after they would stop filming Inuyasha. He assured her she would get new offers. Together they speculated about how Inuyasha would be received once the episodes would start airing. They gushed together about Nishida-sensei's novels, as they both greatly enjoyed his series. The waiters came and went, they started to eat while still holding a good conversation, and Satsuki didn't even realise that the nervousness had melted away. Because this might be a date, with Narita Ken, but it was still just a lunch, one of many she had had with him before this day, the only difference was that now they were not in the cafeteria at the studios, but out in this fancy but yet oddly comfortable and inviting restaurant.
There was nothing to be afraid about.
She might be ignorant and inexperienced, but Ken was not. And he watched closely at the woman who had caught his interest, bent on coaxing her out of her shell one short step at a time.