Chapter Five
It didn't take long for the whole school to hear of the impossible.
"Eri has a boyfriend?" They all gasped. She had turned down any other guy who asked her out but this time she accepted someone and it happened to be the ex-womanizer Sanji who now, was so infatuated with her, that he never turned so much as an eye to other women.
He always walked her to school every day, and engaged in small talk with her friends, he always made her lunch and spent all his free evenings with her. Sanji even made the effort to do the tremendously frightening; he went to meet her parents. Which was pretty hard since her father was always in and out of Japan, but Sanji kept insisting that he meet them both and he was as polite as ever. They never even minded that he wasn't a rich fellow. Her father gave him his full approval in dating his daughter.
"Now it is time for you to meet my family." Sanji smiled pleasantly at her. He had become less hyperactive as he got used to the fact that she was now his girlfriend, but not once did his devotion ever die down.
"Oh, sure." She said nervously, she was worried that Sanji's parents wouldn't like her.
"Don't worry, they will like you my sweet lady!" He said softly, pinching her chin gently between his thumb and index finger. He leaned in close to her to give her an innocent sweet kiss. That was their first kiss.
It was as though he could read her mind.
Eri felt flustered, her cheeks blushing a bright red, and she was stunned at how confidently he had approached her too. But then when he broke off the kiss he looked forward again, his fringe covering his face. She couldn't see it but he was blushing like a dork, a goofy grin on his face, and he was too shy to look her directly in the face when they started talking again.
The day had finally come when she would meet his parents.
Eri waited patiently at the coffee shop where Sanji had worked, ever since she had found out that he wasn't rich she refused to make him pay for expensive dinners, but he refused to let her pay for anything. So for the most part they just did simple things together like going for walks in parks, spending time together at school, and a lot of their time was spent at the coffee shop where she would always get anything she wanted for free.
"After this we will go to my place." He said to her, giving Eri her cappuccino and cake. He was still working but was going to be finished in about twenty minutes. Tenma, Mikoto and Akira offered to keep her company while she waited for Sanji.
Sanji couldn't give things for free to everyone, but he did manage to sneak the ladies some discount cards.
"I will have two slices of cheesecake please!" Tenma squeaked, and then gave the employee at the register a "two for the price of one" discount card. He looked at her suspiciously; she didn't look like the type of girl who could eat so much due to her tiny petite figure. "I'll also have a hot chocolate with that please!" She smiled her arm in the air in an excited pose.
"Ok then." The employee said flatly.
Akira ordered a cappuccino, and Mikoto got some tea.
"Wow isn't this great Eri?" Tenma cheered, "You're boyfriend is very nice, isn't he?" Her pony tails were bouncing, fists clamped to her chin, and a petite excited grin shone on her face.
"Y-yeah I guess you could say that." She replied feeling embarrassed.
"Yeah, Eri way to go getting a guy like Sanji for a boyfriend, whoo whoo!" Mikoto cheered excitedly.
Akira sat silently sipping her cappuccino, her eyes glided from one person to the other listening contently.
"Ok will you stop with the compliments already!" Eri snapped, all of these compliments were making her feel embarrassed, but she did appreciate the support of her friends very much.
"This is a nice place his got going here." Mikoto looked around the room.
It was a modest little coffee shop, but it looked so comfortable and classic with its shades of browns and wooden style. The tables were wooden and rectangular, some were square for the smaller groups, at the windows there were couches leaning up against the walls, long tables in front of them, and the tiles beneath them and the walls were white.
"Yeah it is nice." Eri commented. She liked coming here.
Sanji's coffee shop became a common gathering spot for the group after that, they went there on weekends, and just for a quiet relaxed chat.
Eri and Mikoto were having a deep conversation when she felt someone's hand gently rest on her shoulder.
"It's time to go my sweet." Sanji said, then leaning down and kissing her forehead in front of her friends.
Tenma squeaked with excitement, her hair bouncing, "Oh my god Eri. I am so jealous!" She squealed.
Everyone said goodbye at the door, Eri's three friends went one way while Sanji and herself went the other.
"Are you ready for this?" He said, gently pulling her closer to him.
"Y-yeah sure." She was more nervous than anything right now.
Sanji's arm gently slid off of her shoulders and down her right arm, he started lightly nudging her hand as he walked. Eri looked down at it; she wasn't sure if it was nudging hers because it was swaying as he walked or if he was prompting her to hold his hand. She quivered and blushed nervously.
Sanji looked at her, a curious uncertain look on his face; he then curved his fingers around her hand and held it firmly but softly in his own.
Eri was so flustered that she couldn't look at him; her face was pink, and her eyes wide with surprise.
They turned into a quaint little street, small to medium sized houses were stationed beside the path, their gardens filled with beautiful flowers, the trees between the path and road were tall and lush, and many of the houses were occupied by sweet looking old people. The ladies attending their gardens and the husbands offering them some tea, there were some young people too and they looked just as kind and sweet as the old people did, mothers playing ballgames with their sons behind their white picket fences, the fathers attending their daughters while they rode their tiny bikes down the street.
It was like olden times were people were family oriented, neighbourly and friendly.
"Wow this is a nice place you live in, Sanji." She looked up at him; he had a sweet content smile on his face.
"Yes,yes it is." He said. "Well here we are." He said opening a brown painted picket fence; the gardens were filled with orchards, roses, snapdragons and other flowers she had never seen before. A small path lead to the wooden veranda that was simple and quaint like the other houses. There were gnomes in the garden by the steps, and a very old rocking chair under the veranda. Eri could tell that this house was probably done up by his mother, and it seemed, by her style, that she 'must be a nice lovable lady.' She thought.
Sanji reached for the door knob and looked at Eri. She was sweating a little from nerves. He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. She took a deep breath and walked into the snug looking lounge room.