99. Problematic
440 Words
Since the lunch date, they had met two times: once they had simply taken a stroll in a park, and the other time they had gone to a concert.
Today, however, was the first time they had to work together since they had started seeing each other, and Satsuki was struggling to keep her act together.
Seeing him now, when they were dating, always made her feel a rush of emotions ranging from anxiousness to attraction. She had to fight hard not to blush every time their eyes met, and it was no wonder that she had trouble with her concentration in such nervous circumstances. Working was difficult, and especially keeping in character was a struggle. Satsuki tried to cling to Kagome, but her efforts were in vain; she kept slipping, like she was grasping straws. It was frustrating, and she hated the fact that Ken could mess with her head to such an extent, by simply existing.
What aggravated her further was that he did not seem to have any problems working even if she was present. That irritated Satsuki to no end, but also evoked a grudging admiration from her. But then again, Narita was a professional, who had been acting for 11 years, and she was a newbie filming her first show ever.
Satsuki's temper spiked then and she resolved not to let Ken get under skin, to not let her acute awareness of him to render her into one of those annoying simpering females who could do nothing but make eyes at their prince charming. Satsuki grimaced at the mental image and then quickly shrugged it off. She needed to concentrate now, she needed to stop being herself and become Kagome instead. Satsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to fade away. She was not sure exactly how she did it, but she did succeed then, slipping into her character as easily as changing clothes.
The rest of that morning went well, and she managed to act together in a scene with Ken without falling to pieces. Later, when they had lunch together in the cafeteria, he told her she had done a great job. Nervously, she confided to him about the trouble she had first experienced with her character, but to her relief Ken nodded understandingly, and did not mock her about it. He simply commended her resolve and how she had managed to take control of the situation. In the end, he told her, she had acted Kagome well and naturally, and that was all that mattered. Satsuki averted her eyes from him then, but flushed gratefully at his praise.