Luka follows the man to the deck, where Mr. Couffaine observes the stage a bit before making himself comfortable on the couch.
"Well? Aren't you going to sit down?"
The boy scoffs at his word, sitting on a chair opposite him. It's only been a few minutes and Luka already feels his patience is running thin due to the odd silence between them. The man said that he wants to talk and yet, he chooses to say nothing and observe the place like it's his own house.
"Luka…"
"What do you want?" he finally snaps, unable to hold back his anger "Why are you here? Why the hell did you return?"
Looking at his son, Lukka sighs. Those eyes, those aqua orbs… Despite having his mother's eyes, his son's appearance looks more like him. The more he stares at his face, the more he realizes that he and Luka are like two peas in a pod. Just like Himawari said, he can see himself in Luka.
The man doesn't know where to start, he doesn't even remember why he's here in the first place. Anarka has asked him to talk to his son but he is afraid that talking won't justify anything that he has done to this family. Luka is clearly very upset about him, the boy doesn't want to see him, even if it's just for a few seconds.
"If you're not going to talk, then leave!" he growls "The door is over there, leave and don't return ever again!"
"Luka, son…!"
"Don't call me your son!" the young guitarist glares at him "You have no right to call me your son when you decide to abandon us."
With that, Luka leaves. He can't stay here, he can't face him. If he's still here, the boy is afraid that he might do something that he will regret. But before he can walk past the older man, a hand stops him from going any further.
"What are you doing?"
"Luka, sit down…" he sighs "Sit down so we can talk…"
"There's nothing for us to talk about." the younger one replies "If you want to apologize, you already did it through the letter."
Biting his bottom lips, Lukka sighs again and guides his son to sit at the spot near him. The young guitarist doesn't respond and lets the older man does whatever he wants, aqua orbs still flare with hatred as he looks at him.
"I'm sorry, Luka…"
He lowers his head, ashamed to even look at his own son. Luka has grown up in the hands of Anarka, although he has his mother's love and support, his father wasn't there for him throughout his childhood.
Ever since the day Luka was born, he knew that his son was his everything. He had been by Luka's side, teaching him the beauty of music and the art of playing the guitar. Every music lesson strengthened the bond between them and before he knew it, he and Luka were inseparable. The young boy would follow him everywhere, from grocery shopping to his concert with Jagged Stone, Luka had always been right by his side.
Both his children had a gift of music but Luka, his talent was beyond the skill of a little kid. He would hold the big guitar in his hand and strummed any song that came to his mind, laughing when his parents praised him. The boy was simply amazing and he knew that one day, his son would be so successful in his music career.
Lukka loves his children, and he loves Anarka, but his love for them was not enough to stop him from falling into the pit of financial problems. The pressure of being the only breadwinner of the family broke him and before he even knew it, Lukka had drowned himself in alcohol and ignored his family.
"What about your kiss with that woman?"
"It was my fault, too…"
That day, when he was drowning himself with alcohol, he had an affair with another woman. Despite knowing that his action was wrong, Lukka wasn't able to fight back the temptation and cheated on Anarka with that woman. However, even with thousands of kisses and hugs and dates, Lukka never found himself attracted to anyone but his partner.
His mistake, however, was having Luka find out about his affair. When he was confronted by his son, Mr. Couffaine could see the hurt and disbelief in those aqua eyes. His father, the man that he had the utmost respect had made his mother cry. Not only that, he hurt his mother and made Juleka cry in fear. That was unforgivable…
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Luka, we both know why I'm here…"
"You're here for forgiveness. You want me to forgive you." he says it blankly.
The boy nonchalantly looks at his dad, he doesn't know how to feel. Just a few minutes ago, rage was running through his veins and now, he feels nothing. No pain, no anger, no sadness, just nothing…
"Luka, I just want to say…" he sighs "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting our family through all of this, I'm sorry for being an awful father to you and Juleka, I'm sorry for betraying your trust."
"Isn't saying sorry in a letter enough?"
"I…" Lukka sighs again "I think that Anarka, Juleka and you deserve an apology from me. Besides, hearing it sounds so much better than writing it on a piece of paper, right?"
Luka snores at his comment, feeling amused at the way his father mocks himself for writing an apology letter.
Should he forgive him? Is it time for him to let go of the past and focus on the future? Will this man ever betray him and his family again?
All of these questions pop into his mind as Luka stares at the floor, feeling uneasy for a second. He doesn't want to make a decision so fast that he will end up regretting it in the future, he also doesn't want to dismiss his father's apology just because he's too stubborn to accept it.
Mr. Couffaine smiles at his son as he stands up and takes his leave. His actions surprise Luka, aqua eyes follow him as the man walks to the front door.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah… I…" he sheepishly scratches his head "Oh, I almost forgot…"
He puts his business card in Luka's hand, telling him to give his assistant a call to schedule an appointment. The young guitarist frowns, asking him whether or not he's trying to bribe him but his father's answer takes him by surprise.
"I think that your band has the potential and I rarely choose who to work with." said the man as he smirks "Just because you and Juleka are my kids doesn't mean you guys will have special treatment."
"Are you trying to sign us up for a record deal?" he looks at the business card in his hand.
"If the Kitty Section can prove their talent, of course…"
He gathers the jacket in his hand and takes his leave. Before he walks out of the door, Lukka turns to his son one more time, smiling cheekily.
"One more thing, don't make a lovely girl like her wait for your apology, Luka!"
With that, he leaves the houseboat. Luka stares at the door, frowning a bit as he looks down at the card again. The record deal is the Kitty Section's biggest dream and yet, for some reason, he doesn't feel like it's the most important thing right now.
His father just told him not to let Himawari waits for his apology. Does he know something that Luka doesn't know?
Well, forget that… He has to gather his confidence back to say sorry to the raven head. He really misses her and he wants to see that lovely smile on her face. However, an apology is one thing, he should show how sincere he is for her forgiveness. For Himawari, she deserves more than just a plain apology, so what can he do to take this up a notch?
Himawari is minding her own business, sketching and drawing in her sketchbook when her aunt runs in and tells her that she won't be back till tomorrow due to some business she has with the editor. The raven head raises a brow at her aunt's odd behavior but ignores it anyway.
Staying alone in this house, the girl lays flat on the bed, feeling tiresome and uninspired. Not only that, she has to push back the deadline because she can't focus on anything after the incident. It has been a week since Luka lashed out at her and she still hasn't been able to recover from it. She has been better, yes, but that doesn't mean she can ignore the painful thought of the guitarist and his words and how his family is doing and many more.
Juleka informs her that Mr. Couffaine had talked to her and Luka. Hearing this makes her relief a bit, but the thought of Luka's possible reactions freaks her out as she thinks of how the matter can be worse if the older boy can't control his anger. Mr. Couffaine did say that his partner has given him a second chance and he's not going to waste it. That's Anarka, what about Juleka and Luka? How do they feel about this?
The younger Couffaine said that she's fine with everything and she's very glad that he admitted his fault for ruining the family like that. Despite being angry and disappointed, Juleka believes that it's time for everyone to move on rather than just live in the past. She doesn't comment on Luka's behavior and says that it's his choice whether or not he accepts the apology.
Himawari sighs again, thinking of all the situations that Luka might get himself into after the talk. She just hopes that he's fine and that he won't do anything crazy this time.
Talking about Luka, she really misses talking to him regularly.
She misses his guitar and how he plays it, how he expresses his thought through music, his charming smile as he helps her through all the trouble.
The raven head blushes as she remembers his smile when he took her back to her house, holding her hand tightly in his large one. Those memories are so sweet and they make her heart swells with happiness. But now, she will no longer experience that…
Marinette and Alya told her to confront him but she declines, the more she wants to meet him, the more vulnerable she finds herself to be. As much as she wants to walk up and talk to Luka, her heart clenches as those words just come back to her mind, stopping her dead track. Himawari knows that she should not let those words affect her like that but every time she thinks about talking to him, her mind just goes straight to the 'mistake for trusting you'.
"Come on, Himawari! Pull yourself together!"
Hitting her face lightly, she sighs in defeat. As long as she keeps avoiding this problem, she will never be able to get through this.
Try to focus on the sketchbook again, the raven head is interrupted by the doorbell. Walking down to open the door, she finds herself staring at the person standing in front of the entrance.
Black locks dyed in teal color, aqua eyes full of worries and the familiar guitar on their back.
"L-Luka?"
"H-hey…"
She stares at him, eyes open widely, unsure if she's delusional or not. Stepping back and closing the door, Himawari frowns a bit before opening it again, just to make sure that she's not dreaming or anything. Standing in front of her is Luka, who looks at her with amusement in his orbs. As he lets out a small chuckle, the raven head realizes that she's no longer in her dreamland.
"L-Luka? W-what are you doing here?"
Luka chuckles again, unable to hold back his soft laugh. Her beautiful amethyst eyes stare at him in awe and surprise, her lips form a small 'o' as she lets out a small gasp, realizing that her odd behavior is quite rude. Himawari lowers her head, a hand covers her mouth as she mumbles out an apology. She looks at him again, this time noticing how he has stood in the cold weather for quite a while.
"Oh, I-I'm so sorry. Please, come in…"
He follows her inside and weirdly hides his hands behind his back. Himawari walks into the kitchen to heat up the water to prepare some tea and get some of the cookies that she baked yesterday, hoping that Luka will like them.
Is she excited?
Himawari blushes at the thought. Of course, she feels happy when he comes to her house like that but…
"Himawari?"
Oh…the way he calls her…
"H-hey, make yourself at home." she smiles "I'll make some tea."
He looks at her and smiles fondly when she walks around the kitchen to get the tea and sugar and milk. He also notices the cookies on the dining table, this time, matcha with white chocolate chips. Luka takes a bite of it, feeling the mild sweetness melt in his mouth, her cookies are always the best of the best.
"Here you go, do you want to add any sugar or milk?"
The guitarist smiles at her, nodding his head as she puts the sugar cubes and milk in his and her cups. Passing the tea to him, Himawari makes herself comfortable on the chair before noticing something on the table. She doesn't remember putting any flowers there and she surely doesn't think that sunflowers can grow in the winter season.
Luka is aware of it, smiling to himself as he sets down his cup and holds the small bouquet to her. The raven head stares at the beautiful yellow flowers and looks at him again, this time, unable to process what just happened. The guitarist is offering her this bouquet, but what for?
"Uhm, for me?"
He nods his head in response and finds the cute blush that is soon to adorn her face. As she gracefully accepts it, Himawari smiles fondly at the sunflowers and gives them a sniff, inhaling the beautiful scent. She is very surprised, not only did Luka give her the flowers but also her favorite flowers, how did he know that she likes sunflowers?
As she softly touches the petals, the raven head comes across the small piece of paper in the bouquet. She feels heat rushes up to her face, her heart begins to beat faster and louder as she holds onto her chest, afraid that the other person might hear it. Taking a look at the paper, she sighs heavily, preparing herself to read the content inside it.
Luka is patiently waiting for her, smiling to himself when she finally finds the message he has for her. He knows that just writing an apology on a piece of paper is not enough, just like his father had said, 'hearing it sounds so much better than write it on a piece of paper'. It's no surprise that he may have learned from the older man, but he's definitely not ready to tell her that.
Himawari looks at the words on the paper, she wants to cry and laugh at the same time. Covering her face with one hand, she lets out a soft giggle as she looks at the guitarist, eyes gleaming with fondness and amusement.
Seeing her happiness lightens him up a bit as Luka tenderly takes her hand into his, making her blush in response. Her hand is soft and warm and it fits perfectly in his hold. She stares at it in awe, unable to hold back her smile. Luka looks at her, the girl in front of him is so gentle, so lovely that he can feel his heartbeat thumping loudly in his chest.
Dear god, Himawari is so beautiful…
"I'm sorry…" he says "I'm sorry for all the things I said to you, for hurting you with those hateful words."
"Luka…"
"I never meant any of them, for you are and will always be the person that I trust the most."
She looks at him, amethyst eyes sparkling with joy. As he speaks again, Himawari walks up and touches his lips with her fingers. She doesn't need a long apology, she doesn't need a bouquet of flowers or any other gifts, just 'I'm sorry' is enough for her. The raven head smiles, feeling his cold lips against her fingertips.
"Luka, I'm sorry too…" she says "I'm sorry for not telling you about the meeting…"
From her view, she can clearly see all of his features. His skin feels soft against her touch, his beautiful aqua eyes gleam with tenderness, his soft black locks that are craved to be touched. Luka in her eyes is simply gorgeous.
The guitarist looks up at her, his arms circling around her waist as he unconsciously pulls her closer, feeling the warmth and softness of the raven head. The silky black locks fall down and cascade onto her shoulders, her signature blue ribbon is no longer holding her hair together and instead, stays in his hand.
Luka reaches up, running his hand through her hair and touches her face. He studies her expression, searching for any disapproval and all he receives is the amethyst orbs filled with fondness and adoration. Himawari is not backing away and instead, leans down to him. Her eyes close, feeling his hand guides her down as she can scent his earthy cologne and feels the soft breaths against her skin.
The guitarist holds onto her waist tightly, a sign that he's not going to let go, even if she decides to back away. He can feel his heart thumping loudly against his chest, the feeling of nervousness is soon to be replaced by excitement, adoration and love…
Luka leans in, ready to share this sweet moment with Himawari.
That is until…
*PING PING*
Their eyes snap open as a weird noise interrupts the moment, Himawari looks over to her side, embarrassed when she realized that it's her phone that is starting to ring. She steps back a bit, too ashamed to even look at the older boy as he covers his face with one hand, and silently curses at anyone who dares to intrude on them.
Himawari stares at the phone, feeling her whole body heats up as her aunt is messaging her.
'Sweet one, you can have fun, but not TOO MUCH fun!'
Closing her eyes, the raven head lets out a sigh. She can't believe it, she can't believe that she is going to kiss Luka…
As the poor girl tries to gather her thoughts, Luka stands up and walks out to the living room with the teacups in his hand. The raven head looks at him a bit before joining the guitarist on the sofa, hoping that the sweetness of the tea can calm her mind a bit. As she is sipping her tea, Luka pulls out his guitar and begins to tune it.
"Erm…"
Her soft voice catches his attention as he turns to her, raising a brow.
"Will you play me a song?"
He chuckles, unable to chase away the thought of how adorable she is right now. Blushing, she twiddles her fingers together, amethyst eyes avert from his gaze as she makes herself comfortable next to him.
"For you?" Luka smiles as he catches her chin, guiding the girl's attention to him "Anything!"