He was the perfect tour guide. He watched to make sure Hikari didn't get winded, and took breaks when he thought she needed them. Chase led her down a steep hill towards a beach, where they removed their shoes to let the waves roll over their feet. He didn't say anything more about his time in the city, and instead he asked questions about her life.
"Why were you there that night? At the bar, I mean." Chase asked after some time, withdrawing his foot from the water to poke his toe into the sand. The question caught her off guard. She was held down by those dulled purple eyes, and she found herself wondering if she would ever see them really light up again.
"I found out that my father had cancer." Hikari's voice was weaker than she had intended it to be. She cleared her throat, then looked back out to the waves as they crawled up the shore and over her toes. "He has terminal liver cancer. He doesn't have much longer left to live. Hell, he might not even be alive long enough to see his grandson."
She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her back, her head turning up to meet his gaze. She stifled back a choke, her lips pressing into a thin line as she flickered her eyes away from his. She couldn't handle the sympathy and comfort he seemed to give her in just one expression. "You know you said that you weren't the man I thought you were, but you keep contradicting yourself." She whispered when she could control her voice.
Chase couldn't help but sigh, dragging his gaze back to their feet. "I'm no prince, Hikari." His hand dropped, but not before his fingers could linger across her lower back. Hikari ignored him, slowly beginning to learn that he would only contradict his words with his kind actions. She crouched down, sticking her palms into the sand and digging them in. When the next wave came rushing in, she felt the tickle of shell fragments brushing past the back of her hand.
She took a moment to collect herself, then stood straight once more. "So, what do you do for fun on this island anyways? Seems pretty boring." She asked as she flicked her hands dry as best she could. She watched as Chase's mouth opened, then clamped back shut.
He could only smirk in response. "Not much, honestly. On the weekends I stay home or visit friends. We don't have the same kind of entertainment options like on the mainland. Sometimes we hold festivals, but there aren't any this weekend."
Hikari's lips pursed in a pout. "I hope you have something we can do. I don't want to go back to the inn and be bored for the rest of the day." Chase reached over to ruffle her hair, prying his feet out of the wet sand. "Then there's someone I need to introduce you to. She's sort of the closest thing I have to a family." He said with a small smile on his face. Hikari's brow arched, and she followed him after they put their shoes back on.
She noticed as they walked that he was leading her back to Harmonica Town. "I thought you said that Harmonica Town was closed on Sundays?" She asked, her hand resting on her stomach. "Yes, but since some people live in their business, they keep the doors open." Chase answered. Hikari felt her stomach fluttering again, and her fingers grazed over the spot she felt it strongest.
It was almost as if the baby was responding to their voices, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"You know… this morning, and again just now, I've felt what I think is the baby moving around." Hikari said as she turned her smile up to Chase. He stopped, his hand reaching out to feel her belly as proof. She giggled and shook her head, patting his hand. "It's too soon for you to feel him." Chase withdrew his hand, shrugging. "I honestly know nothing about pregnancy." He admitted, his hands stuffing into his pockets.
It wasn't long before they were standing in front of the inn, making Hikari frown in confusion. It must have been apparent on her face. "Yolanda lives here, on the side of the inn customers aren't allowed to go to. So does Maya, the waitress that took your order." Chase explained, letting her inside and guiding her over to the left side of the building. He led her into a hallway, to the furthest door where he knocked.
"Yolanda, it's me, Chase. We've gotta talk." He called through the door.
In a few moments, the door was opened to a short and stout middle aged woman. Her wrinkles donned her face heavily, with her smile lines being the most prominent. "Well hello, girly. Who might you be?" A large grin was tugging up her cheeks as she looked between the two young adults. Hikari saw Chase's hand rub the back of his neck from the corner of her eye.
"My name is Hikari, Chase said good things about you." She bowed her head in greetings, to which the woman scoffed. "Oh please, don't tease an old woman like that. Chase is as stubborn as a mule. I'd be more likely to believe that he had been badmouthing me because I won't give him a raise." She swatted her hand, a chuckle leaving her before she shuffled to the side. "Come in, come in. What is it that you want to talk about, Chase?"
Chase had an amused smirk on his face from her stab at him. "You might want to sit down, old lady. I wouldn't want you falling out on me." He returned her harassment equally as he and Hikari walked into her room. They were led to a small, two person table. Chase chose to stand, insisting that Hikari sit down across from Yolanda. "Oh my, how rare. You must be something for him to be so generous!" Yolanda said in surprise.
"I do have manners." Chase grumbled under his breath, to which Yolanda cackled. "You better. I've been watching after you for long enough that I'd hope I would have rubbed off on you."
"Granny." Chase's serious voice caught her attention, and all traces of teasing left as her eyes flickered back to him. Hikari felt herself getting nervous at his tone and the older woman's reaction. Yolanda glanced over to Hikari when she saw her fidgeting in her seat, and she leaned back slowly. Her eyebrows rose as she folded her stubby arms across her stomach. "Well?" She pushed when Chase hesitated to answer.
"You remember when I came back from the mainland a while back?" He started, his fingers flexing in his pockets. He maintained eye contact with Yolanda, unlike with the older woman at the clinic that he had shied away from. When the woman nodded, Chase gestured to Hikari. "Before I came back, I went out with my classmates to celebrate. That night I met Hikari. We… both had too much to drink, and we spent the night together."
Yolanda's brows tugged together as he continued his story, her face setting on a neutral expression. Hikari could only assume that she was hiding what she was thinking from spilling onto her face. She needed to practice that herself, seeing as she was an open book half of the time.
"She's four months pregnant with my baby." Chase finished, his jaw setting as he waited for her response. Yolanda sat silent, still maintaining a perfect poker face. Hikari could feel the sweat beginning to form on her palms.
"I expect you'll be helping raise the child." Yolanda said slowly, to which Chase nodded. "Yes, I will be."
"And you?" She turned her question to Hikari next. Hikari quickly bobbed her head. "Of course!" She cradled her stomach in her hands reflexively. Yolanda let out a long exhale, sinking further into her chair.
"Well, boy, you've dropped a bomb on me. I know I shouldn't go talking about love in a situation like this, but a child is best raised under parents that love each other. They learn by example, you know." She reminded, strongly hinting her desires for the two of them. Hikari cringed back into her chair, intimidated by what loving each other would entail. She refused to move from her job to this island.
Yolanda seemed as if she read Hikari's thoughts from her reaction. She shook her head, a grimace forming. "At least try to love each other. If not for the baby then for yourselves. No one should be alone forever."
Hikari's gaze fell to the table. She didn't want to argue with the old woman, especially since Chase was so fond of her. Chase accepted the woman's chiding, nodding his head in understanding. "I know, you don't need to worry. We've agreed to get to know each other better under good circumstances."
He glanced to the quiet Hikari, noticing how she clammed up at the mention of love. He fought a grimace. It was hard trying to make her more receiving of the idea. Sure, it was complicated, but he felt like things would work out if both people tried.
But was she as willing to try as he was?
Chase could hear Yolanda making some mention of how she had thought he would end up dating Maya, and he rolled his eyes so hard he thought they would be stuck facing his skull. "That would never happen, Granny."
For the rest of the visit, Hikari listened in as Chase and Yolanda conversed. Yolanda would think of some old embarrassing story to recount, and Chase would protest despite being completely ignored by both women. They didn't leave until two hours later, due to hunger demands.
While they headed back to Chase's house, he seemed much more relaxed than before. Even his eyes seemed a little less dull. "I never asked, but what is it you do for work anyways?" Chase asked once they were back at his house. She hummed as she followed him into the little kitchen area. "I'm a secretary. The manager I worked for recently quit, but they're saying that they have a few potential replacements already."
"What do you do?"
"Paperwork, dealing with clients, scheduling things… Basically anything the manager needs me to do." It wasn't all that fascinating being a secretary. She had no special skills, and she was actually quite envious of those that did. All she could say about herself was that she had good organizational skills, which wasn't as impressive as being skilled enough at what you loved to make a career out of it.
She envied the passion that Chase had for cooking, and even more so his talent at it.
She didn't realize her expression had turned sour until Chase was looking back at her with an eyebrow arched. "Doesn't look like you enjoy it too much." He noted before turning back to continue cooking. Hikari sighed, drawing her finger across the table in random patterns. "I'm good at it, and it pays the bills. What more could I ask for?" She murmured, to which Chase snorted.
"You ever thought of doing something that interests you?" He inquired. Hikari let out a short laugh, her gaze flickering to the table. "It's not that easy on the mainland, Chase. Jobs are hard to come by, and even more so the ones that people are actually interested in. The blander a job is, the higher the chance is that someone is hiring." Chase shook his head at her words, stirring the pot of soup in front of him with a bit more aggression than he had before.
"It's not all about the money, Hikari." He stated in a serious voice. "I know people that are broke doing what they love, but they're happier than the rich people doing a job they hate."
"I never said I hated my job."
"But you didn't say you liked it, either."
"God, Chase, not everyone can get a job that they like. It just didn't work like that for me." Chase turned and pointed a large spoon at her. "It can, if you're willing to try hard enough. Tell me anything that you like, something you enjoy whenever you're not working." Hikari rolled her eyes as she huffed.
She leaned back in her chair, meeting Chase's stare before finally throwing her hands up. "I don't know! Painting, I guess," she rushed out the words, watching as Chase began to grin, "but I'm nowhere near good enough to even consider it as a career!"
Chase turned back to the stovetop. "Did you even try?" He questioned, drawing a groan from Hikari. "No, and it's too late to even consider it anyways. I'm done with college, and I wouldn't be able to even if I really wanted to." She just wanted him to drop the subject.
Her hands found themselves on her stomach again, feeling her insides tighten in a small contraction. Hikari took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in hopes to help relax her muscle once more.
Chase seemed to have taken the hint, as he didn't push the issue any further. She was grateful for it. She could tell he itched to talk about it, judging by the way he shifted more than usual. It wasn't much longer before he brought two bowls of soup for their lunch.
This time, he asked her about her painting. The questions came relentlessly, even after they had finished eating. Eventually she turned the tables on him, asking why he was so passionate about food. He clammed up for a moment, his lips pressing together as he flipped his spoon over between his fingers. He seemed to be debating something, and it worried Hikari that she might have asked a touchy question.
"When my parents died, they left me with my aunt back on the mainland. Eventually she couldn't take care of me anymore, so around four years old, Yolanda offered to raise me. I guess you could say I got my love for cooking from her." Chase looked up to Hikari and gave her a smile to ward off any awkwardness she might have had.
Instead he was met with a look of pity, one that he quickly looked away from. "I'm fine, though, of course. I got a full ride to a university for a culinary degree, and came back to work for Yolanda here. I want to repay her for what she's done for me."
Chase's fingers flinched back at the unexpected feeling of Hikari's fingers brushing over his own. He quickly looked up before he relaxed his fingers under hers. "I don't need any sympathy. I'm happy with how my life turned out. Really, I am."
Hikari's grimace softened and she withdrew her hand, but was stopped when his fingers lightly gripped onto hers. "Even with what happened between us." He gave her a soft smile, and she felt her cheeks growing warm. She cleared her throat, and withdrew her hand once more, a bit firmer this time. "'I'm not the man you think I am', he says." She teased, smirking as her eyes fled from his gaze before it would enrapture her.
There was a flicker of disappointment across his face before he sighed, and stood. "Because I'm really not. I'm not some prince." He gathered their dirty dishes, heading to the sink to clean them and his cookware.
Hikari frowned, toying with her fingers. "You don't have to be a prince to be the nice guy I know you are. And don't say you're not! Because you've been nicer to me than anyone I've dated before."
"Sounds like you know how to pick the winners." Chase chuckled, walking back to the table and settling back into his seat. Hikari smirked, leaning forward against the table on her elbows. "Then what does that make you?" She giggled as he paused, his eyes widening slightly when he realized the mistake in his sarcastic wording.
"Obviously the real winner, considering that you're here, and not with the other guys." He said after another moment of contemplation.
Before she could counter his words, her phone began to vibrate in the pocket of her dress. "Sorry- I really need to take this call." Hikari said quickly once she saw 'Mom' written across the screen. She rose from her chair, hurrying to step outside of the house. "Hello?" She said once pressing accept.
"Hikari, I'm sorry to have to call you. I know you said you were going to be visiting that Chase boy during your break. It's your father… He collapsed, and he's not doing very well." Her mother's voice was shaky as she spoke. She sounded so tired. "How bad is it?" Hikari clutched onto her stomach, her brow furrowing as her head was cast down.
"The doctor said his cat scans are looking worse. He's estimating maybe another month to live." Her mother's voice choked for a moment, then a stuttered sigh left her. "I just think you should come see him if you can. Do you have everything settled with Chase?"
"Don't worry about that, mom. I'll be there later tonight, okay?" Hikari reassured her, then ended the call after sharing goodbyes.