Chapter 14: The Meeting

Disclaimer: Maria-sama ga Miteru and its characters are not mine. Credits to the author.

Yumi

Yumi took hurried steps towards the designated meeting room to avoid being told off by Kiyonori-san again. As soon as she saw the door, she slowed her pace. She paused, straightened her posture and stood at her full height before proceeding to open the door. She held her breath as she scanned the room and exhaled in relief to see that no one else was there except for her boss.

"You women really take your time in the restroom, don't you?" he said pointedly.

"Sorry sir." Yumi bowed again, losing count of the number of times she had apologized in the short period they had been together.

While waiting for the client, Kiyonori-san took the opportunity to explain to Yumi that the meeting was a design for a multi-billion yen leisure resort in Okinawa. Her boss had been prepared for the meeting and as expected, would be doing all the talking. While she was tasked to just sit still and be quiet, nod her head from time to time when talked to and agree to everything Kiyonori-san will say. Simple enough…if your mind stops thinking of countless scenarios involving someone walking out of the room or someone giving her a icy glare.

Kiyonori-san had just finished his explanation, when the door opened and a woman entered the room. Yumi's heart skipped a beat, but soon enough relaxed when she saw that it was just another one of the company's employees. She was filled with hope that this is the person that is their client. But her optimism was easily crushed when the woman said, "They will be arriving shortly. For the meantime, would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, we will be having coffee." Kiyonori-san replied with a smile.

Yumi wanted to protest that her nerves don't need another shot of caffeine. But she held her tongue and nodded in agreement at what her boss said, just as she was ordered to do.

The coffee had just been served and Yumi was about to take a sip when the door opened again. This time, she didn't find the courage to look up because surely, it could be them this time. And she knew she had been right when she heard a familiar male voice.

"Good morning Mr. Kiyonori, I am so glad you both could make it at such short notice."

Her boss kicked the foot of her chair, signalling for her to stand up and greet the client. Not having a choice, she placed her hands on the table for support as she slowly stood up. She took deep calming breaths before she lifted her head and forced a smile as she faced Ogasawara Suguru. After greeting him, Yumi's eyes fell upon the door as if expecting someone else to step in after him.

"Looking for someone Fukuzawa-san?" Suguru smiled meaningfully.

Yumi blushed and averted her gaze, not missing the questioning look Kiyonori-san gave her.

The man then stepped forward and shook Suguru-san's hand, dissipating the awkward silence. They exchanged business cards before saying, "Good morning Mr. Ogasawara. Thank you for considering our firm for this project. We have prepared a short presentation about our company and about past projects of a similar nature."

Suguru-san gestured for them to sit down, as he settled himself across from them. It seemed the meeting was about to start.

"That is precisely what I wanted to hear from you, to know what your company can offer. I apologize for being late, we had some important matters to address this morning." Suguru-san's tone had been professional as he addressed the man. But Yumi was sure that she saw a playful smirk on his face as he quickly glanced her way.

We? Yumi wanted to ask as her stomach churned as her nervousness intensified. She was massaging her hands under the table, trying to calm her nerves. If her heart keeps beating this fast and she keeps holding her breath, she would surely pass out sooner or later. She rubbed her hands together and steadied her breathing in a desperate attempt to relax. But just as her nerves started to settle down, the door was opened and someone entered the room.

Yumi's eyes followed as the woman in a deep blue business suit walked in and settled herself beside her cousin. Her senses sharpened as her nose inhaled the familiar scent of her perfume, her eyes watched the graceful way she moved and her skin tingled as if her body knew that her former lover was at arm's reach. Even the simple gesture of demurely folding her hands in front of her mesmerized Yumi, as she kept her eyes glued to the older woman.

Sachiko seemed to have noticed her staring. And as if in slow motion, Yumi watched as she turned her head to look at her. The look in her eyes was unsettling for Yumi, but she still found it impossible to look away. Yumi held her gaze, as she searched for answers - why she was not fazed upon seeing her, or why her eyes didn't seem to hold any anger. She thought Sachiko would be angry and predicted that she would immediately walk out of the room, fuming that her cousin had set her up. But Sachiko just looked at her steadily and firmly.

What is she trying to say? Yumi pondered.

"Good morning Mrs. Ogasawara." Kiyonori-san suddenly said, breaking the silence. The man stood up and approached Sachiko, business card in hand.

Sachiko accepted the card offered to her and said "I didn't bring any with me. But my husband's would be enough."

Kiyonori-san said it wasn't an issue and just proceeded to sit back down.

"Ah yes, we haven't exchanged business cards yet Yumi-chan." Suguru-san said with a mischievous smile.

Her boss gasped, but immediately coughed to mask his obvious surprise at the familiar way Ogasawara Suguru addressed her. She chose to ignore it and just proceeded to pull out two business cards from her bag. She stood up and handed a card to Suguru-san, which he gladly accepted, as he gave his' to her in return.

She then walked closer to Sachiko, who remained seated and had her back to Yumi.

"Excuse me…" she said in a barely audible voice.

Sachiko didn't react.

"Excuse me…" Yumi said louder.

"I have a name you know." Sachiko said in a whisper.

Yumi felt her face flush and was aware that both men were watching her closely.

How should I address her? Should I be formal or not? Yumi agonized.

Thinking that there was no other way out of her situation, she steeled her resolve and in a small voice, she said "Excuse me Ogasawara-san."

Sachiko still didn't move. And as if on cue, Yumi heard Suguru-san engage Kiyonori-san in a conversation about landscape architecture and eco-friendly building designs.

"That was not how you addressed me the last time we were…together." Sachiko whispered.

Yumi glance nervously at her boss, afraid that he heard what Sachiko just said. She was only able to breathe when she noticed that he was busy speaking with Suguru-san.

"I'm waiting" Sachiko said.

Yumi furrowed her brow, finding her situation utterly perplexing. Is she toying with me? And in front of my boss nonetheless. Yumi was starting to get irritated. What's going on here?

"Excuse me Sachiko" Yumi said a little louder than she had intended, her voice coated with annoyance. This caught the attention of her boss and the man stopped speaking. But Yumi didn't register his reaction as Sachiko turned to face her and with a smile said, "Yes Yumi?"

Sachiko

Suguru-san informed her about the meeting on their way to the office that morning.

"Why is this meeting so early?" Sachiko complained, turning away from the window to look at her cousin who was seated beside her in the car's back seat.

"This meeting is important, and it could not wait." Suguru-san said with a seemingly bored expression.

"The project was not even budgeted to happen this early. Based on the last management committee meeting, it was originally scheduled towards the end of the year. Also, what I don't understand is why I have to join it as well."

"We have talked about this." Suguru-san sighed as if bracing himself for another argument.

"This project was not even assigned to me or to you. It was given to the head of the Recreations group."

"It was reassigned to me."

"I don't have time for this." Sachiko argued.

"You do have time. You have no meetings until after lunch."

"That is another question I wanted to ask you, did you bully my secretary to clear my morning meetings just for this?" Sachiko asked heatedly.

She was still not a morning person and as much as she could, she tried to schedule most of her meeting a little later than Suguru-san did, unless it was really important. But that day, her personal maid woke her up earlier than necessary, which undoubtedly, was due to her cousin's orders. And during breakfast, Suguru-san kept nagging her about the Okinawa expansion, saying he needed her help. And after a lengthy discussion, she reluctantly agreed to his request.

"You can ask Keiko, I had nothing to do with it." He said, averting his gaze.

"Then perhaps you influenced the people I was supposed to meet. You asked them to cancel on me, didn't you?" Sachiko was sure that her cousin was scheming something.

"I am not that influential Sa-chan. And besides, who would be bold enough to cancel a meeting with you? But its fine, I'm used to being blamed for everything." He said in resignation. "Just attend the meeting. It would just be a few minutes of your precious time."

They have arrived in the office, but she was still having second thoughts about this meeting. Everything about it was suspicious. So instead of going to the conference room, she went to the direction of her office. Suguru-san soon caught up to her and got hold of her arm. "Where do you think you're going? We're already late."

"I will just be going to my office and leave my bag. Can't I at least do that?"

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this meeting to happen."

Sachiko stared at her cousin's face. And noticed, though only for a brief moment, that he was anxious. Like her, he was trained to hide his emotions well and to always appear professional, if not stoic, in front of others.

"Just go on ahead. I will be there." Sachiko seriously said.

Suguru let go of her and left, while she went the opposite direction towards her office.

Keiko had also just arrived. She was still in the process of organizing her table and suddenly jumped in surprise upon seeing her. "Good morning ma'am. You're early today."

"Good morning" Sachiko greeted back, then proceeded to open the door. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Keiko fidgeted in her seat and looked like she was about to say something else. So Sachiko stopped and turned to face her secretary.

"What's the matter Keiko?" She asked, her tone a little harsher than she intended due to her mood.

Keiko clenched her fist before trusting herself to speak, unsure how her boss would react to her news. "Your friend Ms. Sachiko…" she started.

Sachiko snapped to attention. "Which friend?" she asked, but already understood who the younger woman was talking about.

"I saw her heading towards the conference room just a few minutes ago." Keiko finished.

Sachiko didn't even ask if Keiko had been sure it was her. Judging by Suguru-san's apparent excitement about this meeting, there could only be one possibility. She then placed her bag on Keiko's table, "Can you bring this inside for me? I'm already late for my meeting."

She had been waiting for this.

Since her grandfather's confession, Sachiko had wanted to rush to see Yumi and apologize for what her grandfather did. She wanted to explain that no one blamed her for the accident, not her parents and definitely not her. However, when she remembered that Yumi was already in a relationship with someone else, she found it difficult to make her move. Sachiko knew that she should fight for her…for their love. But she didn't have the confidence to do it, not anymore. Not after Yumi rejected her. Time and again she reasoned with herself that Yumi's refusal was because of the guilt she was carrying, that she almost died because of her lover's request to see her on that fateful night. But what if she was wrong? What if Yumi had indeed changed and her heart already belonged to someone else? Sachiko never shared any of her apprehensions with anyone. At least not until she spoke with Rei.

The wake and the service had been exclusive. The family wanted to grieve in peace, away from the public's eyes. And that was why Rei only visited her a day after the funeral. Her onee-sama was overseas at that time, and just gave her a call to offer her condolences and to apologize that she would not be there for her beloved petite seour.

In the beginning, Sachiko had no intention of sharing her struggles with Rei. However, she was still emotionally and physically weak at that time, especially since her grandfather's confession was still fresh in her mind. She was also confused and unsure of what she wanted to do upon finally learning about the reason why Yumi broke up with her in the past. So when Rei asked if Yumi knew that her grandfather passed away, Sachiko wasn't able to control her tears and cried in front of her friend. Rei didn't push her, but she still found herself telling Rei everything that had happened between her and Yumi during the past months. How her feelings for Yumi never changed, how hope crept into her heart when she saw her that cold November morning, how she ran after Yumi when she went to the Ogasawara office only to be rejected, and how she proved the rumours to be true when she witnessed Yumi with someone else. Rei never uttered a word as she shared her story, because she knew that it was what Sachiko needed. Just having someone to listen to her had been more than enough.

Rei stayed until late in the afternoon and it was only when Sachiko had calmed down that she said it was time for her to go home. Sachiko's heart felt lighter after that conversation, as if she was able to unload some of her sorrow and pain. But as Rei was about to leave, she said something that filled Sachiko's heart with hope.

"I know I shouldn't be telling you this" Rei said hesitantly, "but I think this is something you should know. Yoshino spoke with Yumi-chan just the other day, and she told her that Yumi-chan will come and clear things with you when the right time comes."

Sachiko was elated. She would prefer for Yumi to initiate the conversation, because she doesn't have the courage to do it. She was unsure if she could ask her to leave Nagisa Kyouya, just to be with her, because the thought of being rejected again frightened her. Another fact to consider is that she was not sure if she trusted Yumi's words that she hasn't been in love with anyone else. But despite all these fears, one thing was certain – she wanted to see her. She may not know what to say or what to talk about on the moment she was given the chance to speak with Yumi, which was so uncharacteristic of her, but it didn't matter.

Sachiko knew that Yumi was considering the fact that her grandfather just passed away and probably gave her time to mourn. But 6 months had passed and she was beginning to doubt if Rei's words had indeed been true. She was so close to asking for Suguru-san's help to get Yumi's number from Hagane-san or Nagisa-san, but eventually decided against the idea. She didn't want to owe anything to her cousin, and she didn't want him meddling with her personal affairs.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize she was already standing in front of the conference room door. She could hear Suguru-san's voice, but not hers. After taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside the room.

She immediately saw her from the corner of her eyes, but she chose to act impassive. She knew that Yumi's face flushed as soon as she saw her. Yumi even involuntarily bit her lip as her eyes continued to follow her every movement. Sachiko was finding it hard to suppress the smile threatening to grace her lips. She clenched her hand and forced her lips into a deep set frown to hide her true emotions.

But Yumi kept staring at her even after she settled herself beside her cousin. She wasn't able to hold back any longer, so she met Yumi's eyes. She matched her gaze and the world around them shut off, as if it was only the two of them in the room.

In Yumi's eyes, Sachiko saw that the other woman wanted to see her just as much as she did. In her eyes, there was a hint of hesitation and if she was not mistaken, longing.

"Good morning Mrs. Ogasawara" the man which she assumed was Yumi's boss suddenly spoke, making her break her eye contact with Yumi. He then stood up and approached to give her his business card.

She accepted it and said, "I didn't bring any with me." Sachiko mentally sighed, thinking that she was not able to bring anything with her due the rush to be in this meeting, not even her phone. "But my husband's would be enough" she continued nonchalantly.

The man, Kiyonori-san based on his business card, said it wasn't an issue and sat back down beside Yumi.

"Ah yes, we haven't exchanged business cards yet Yumi-chan." Suguru-san said.

Sachiko rolled her eyes at the obvious excitement of her cousin. Then it hit her, she will be getting Yumi's number. Sachiko swallowed hard and was lost in thought that she didn't hear the first time Yumi spoke.

"Excuse me…" the younger woman repeated, a little louder this time.

Excuse me? Sachiko was appalled at the way she was being addressed.

"I have a name you know." she whispered.

After a long pause, "Excuse me Ogasawara-san."

Yumi's voice quivered slightly and Sachiko knew that the other woman was nervous, unsure of how to address her while her boss was present. Thankfully, her cousin engaged the older man in a conversation about mundane things.

So she boldly replied, "That was not how you addressed me the last time we were…together."

There was another long pause and Sachiko was starting to get impatient.

Did that last comment irritate Yumi? She thought.

"I'm waiting" she said.

She heard Yumi exhale before she said with a loud voice "Excuse me Sachiko."

She was not able to suppress her smile this time as she finally turned to face her "Yes Yumi?"

A/N: You have no idea how fun it was to write that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, just as I did. Good day everyone! Please share your thoughts with me. \(^_^)/