A Cup of Lust, Beauty and Affairs
Summary: Taichi, a photographer and artist fascinated by the beauty of the world, becomes captivated by the beauty of a customer at his parent's coffee shop. Innocent desires soon blaze into an unforgettable, insatiable affair.
D-Angel: Hey lovelys. Thanks for the wait! This chapter is so significant... I took the time to get it the way I wanted. Or near enough. We are also nearly at 200 reviews, holy balls! Lol. Thanks so much!
Responses to the most recent reviews:
Caliboy- Half your life? That's crazy :O Thank you for sticking with it for so long ;) I guess I have been working on this story for a long time now. I love it so much though. I keep writing little side stories, which I may end up posting up as a compilation at some point. They're all pretty much M rated, obv, lol.
AnotherStar- Haha, I'm so glad you're still following this story :D I hope you squealed in delight when you received the notification for this chapter ;)
Lori de Bartoni - Aww, glad you rediscovered this story :) Here's chapter 24 for you!
Dealice - Thanks! It will certainly reach its end :) Until then, enjoy the journey!
Cloe Lockless - Ah yes, I loved that line as well :) It's true though... When you start to realise you're with someone who is more of a negative influence than a positive one, it's a horrible way to feel :( You're right, Takumi is a ticking time bomb...
Thank you so much for your kind words btw. As long as I can, I will never give up on this story :)
That's all for now. Read on and enjoy! (It's a long one, approx 4,500 words).
Chapter 24 - Restless Love
'They say to never love a man if he won't change, But I... I've made my choice and it's too late to change my mind'
"Come back to my hotel room," Yamato openly said the moment we had stepped outside the coffee shop.
My skin prickled. Naturally, I felt reluctant. In such a private and intimate setting, I was certain that we would end up doing more than just talking. Still, I found myself caving in, eager to learn what Sora's letter had said, and to try and establish the fate of our relationship.
The lobby to the Shibuya Tobu Hotel was far more basic than the Tokyo Park Hyatt, but at least I didn't feel too out of my depth. As we strolled past the reception desk, heading towards a nearby door, the staff eyed us warily. I bit back my tongue and followed Yamato into a long corridor with bright red carpet and several doors laid out on either side.
Our silent journey quickly came to an end when we reached Yamato's room, which was about halfway down. The awkwardness that had shrouded us suddenly washed away when his teary eyes met mine. In an instant my arms embraced his trembling body. His soft hair tickled my skin, and his sweet scent toyed with my nostrils as we held each other quietly for what felt like an eternity. Then, finally, with his head still resting on my shoulder, he spoke.
"I received a message from Sora on New Year's Eve, just before I was about to head back to Tokyo. She asked if I'd read the letter she left behind with her engagement ring."
Slowly freeing himself from our embrace, Yamato reached into his pocket and pulled out his notepad. Opening it, he shook the object until a piece of paper fell out, fluttering down onto the bed next to us, like an autumn leaf descending from a branch it had held onto for so long.
"I thought I knew what she'd already written. It was clear she had fallen out of love with me, and she knew I was cheating on her again."
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he picked up the piece of paper- Sora's letter - before he looked back up at me and exhaled deeply.
"Sora slept with Makoto."
My eyes widened. His words were like an actual slap to the face. I stared over at the letter clenched in his hands, his face contorted with frustration. This was the real deal. Makoto was meant to be Yamato's best friend. And Sora, she had seemed so committed to Yamato, despite knowing he was cheating on her.
"What the hell?"
"Exactly." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "The night Sora first met Mimi at Zaru, that was the night she first slept with Makoto."
I remembered how attentive Sora had been over Yamato that evening, and how defensive she had sounded when Mimi had asked about Yamato's engagement ring.
"Instead of returning home, she went to him that night. He caved in."
Makoto. That bastard. He had the balls to lecture me about sleeping with Yamato behind Sora's back, yet he had done the same with Sora behind Yamato's back.
"What a hypocrite," I said between my clenched teeth.
"Yeah, something like that," Yamato said, his voice contemplative. "It annoys me how he tried to play the good Samaritan by discouraging me from seeing you. Now it's clear he was only doing it to mask his own guilt."
Yamato's arms suddenly dropped down by his side, like a ragdoll.
"He's liked Sora from the very start. He always resented the fact I asked her out first," Yamato explained, his fingers scratching against the fabric of the bed sheets. "I never thought he would overstep the mark though."
I shuffled forward and settled down next to him on the edge of the bed.
"I know I'm no saint myself, but hearing that they'd slept together completely floored me. It's why I couldn't bring myself to see you until now."
His lips remained down turned as he stared ahead vacantly at the blank TV screen opposite the bed. My hand brushed against his. He barely reacted to my touch, until I laced our fingers together. His pupils dilated, although his posture remained rigid.
After a few more moments, he released a soft sigh.
"Sora said she didn't sleep with him out of spite. Just loneliness. I don't blame her for that. You can't help who you fall in love with, can you?"
His eyes caught mine. I tightened my grip on his hand. He had a point. Love, it was a funny thing. A chemical reaction no one could control, and it drove people to do the most reckless things without a second thought.
"So, what now?" I asked as he rubbed his hand against his forehead, "what are you planning to do?"
Yamato explained that he had messaged Makoto on New Year's day to say he was quitting his job at The Broken String. The lease had run out on the place he had been renting with Sora a few days ago, and the remainder of his belongings were currently crammed into his car. (He had already off loaded the rest with his dad back in Osaka).
A sad silence crept between us again. Yamato stared over at the door, then back at me. Perhaps I had looked over at it without realising. The truth was, I wasn't ready to leave. There were still answers I needed.
"Stay with me tonight, please." Yamato's voice almost cracked as he uttered the final syllable of his unexpected request. My eyes widened. Before I could answer, my stomach started to growl. Blushing, I realised I hadn't eaten anything else since breakfast.
Yamato's shoulders relaxed as he laughed softly.
"Shall we go get some food?"
"Yeah, ok, " I replied, answering both his request and question in one.
We ended up in a local izakaya for some nomihodai. We spoke about trivial things as we devoured our fill of yakitori and beer. An hour or two later, when Yamato placed his hand on my thigh, we mutually agreed it was time to head back to the hotel.
"I'm gonna grab a quick shower." Yamato announced once we were back in his room. He stepped into the en-suite bathroom, peering briefly over his shoulder before he shut the door.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I tugged my phone out from my pocket and checked the LCD screen. No new messages. I dropped my phone onto the mattress. Listening to the therapeutic muffle of the water gushing out from the shower head in the room next door, pounding rhythmically against ceramic, I bit down on my lower lip. Thanks to the beer, the image of Yamato wet and naked was well and truly clouding my senses. All I could think about was holding him, comforting him in the way I had become all too familiar with.
To hell with it.
I stood up and marched over to the door. It was unlocked. I stepped inside the small room quickly, closing the door behind me. Yamato jumped when he turned away from the wall and saw me staring at him through the glass partition, but then the corner of his mouth curled up into a compelling smirk. It was the only encouragement I needed.
Stripping out of my clothes, I slipped into the cubicle with him. My lips were locked with his before the water even had the chance to touch my aching flesh. Slowly sinking down, I trailed my mouth and fingertips down his chest, briefly swirling my tongue around his belly button as I settled onto my knees. Maintaining eye contact, I gently kissed the crown of his erection. Shivering, he placed the flats of his hands against the walls of the shower. His long legs sagged as his length slid between my lips.
"Nggh," he moaned, biting down on his lower lip, trying to suppress his sweet lyrical sighs as the warm water continued to patter down against our skin. My mouth and tongue continued their assault as my fingers dug into the cheeks of his perky bum.
Releasing one final gasp, his fingers curled tightly around strands of my wet hair and his muscles tensed. He was still panting deeply as the water washed away the final remnants of his ecstasy. Ignoring the heavy ache between my thighs, I savoured his sweetness still lingering on my tongue as I climbed back onto my feet. As I gazed directly into his eyes, body still trembling, a wave of yearning washed over me, despite just having him.
"I love you."
Yamato's pupils widened and a breathless sigh eased out from his throat. My stomach flipped as his lips crashed against mine, at around the same time I realised that was quite possibly the first time I had ever directly told him that. Love. It wasn't a word I threw around casually. Truthfully, Seiji was the only other guy (outside my family) I had ever said it to.
"Bed," Yamato purred into my ear. "Now."
For the next couple of hours, I forgot about everything else. Yamato's erection pressed against the small of my back as his hands rubbed me and his lips and teeth worked their way across my neck and collarbone. I pressed my rear firmly against him, yearning for him to slip inside me. Deliberately ignoring my hint, he sat up and forced me onto my back and straddled me, continuing the delicious onslaught with his mouth, probing me with his talented fingers before I came.
Still breathing heavily, I reached across and grasped his shaft. His eyes widened at my sudden action, but then he purred in approval as I started to slide my hand and up his length. It wasn't long before he threw his head back and groaned deeply, his seed covering his stomach, as well as my chest.
Afterwards, as we laid side by side, I could have quite happily starved to death with Yamato embracing me from behind in the hotel bed. The warmth of his body and steady beat of his heart slowly putting me in a meditated state, like he was some sort of natural sedative.
"Are you ok with me seeing Takumi?" I asked as my mind started to drift, my thoughts swaying towards the black haired singer.
"Of course I'm not," Yamato replied bluntly. I smirked; his honesty was what I loved the most about him.
"There's only one way to stop you," He added after a few minutes.
"Which is?"
Silence.
"Yama?" I asked, just to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep on me. He released a heavy sigh, indicating he was still very much conscious, and that I wasn't going to like his answer.
"He'll leave you alone if I get back with him."
My eyes instantly snapped open. I sat up and gazed down at him, lips parted in bewilderment.
"What? How will that solve anything?"
He rolled onto his back and then slowly sat up, allowing the covers to drop down to his waist.
"Isn't it obvious?" Yamato's eyes locked onto mine; his mouth a thin straight line. "He's using you to get back at me."
His words sliced through my heart. It was a thought I had entertained, but one I had also dismissed.
"He can't be that petty," I quickly said, although I had no reason to defend him.
"You haven't dealt with anyone like Takumi before." Yamato's hands clenched onto the bed covers tightly, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. "He is dangerous. He will break you."
"Break me?" I echoed. Surely not?
"He's possessive," Yamato said in a whisper, the layer of ice across his eyes cracking. As I peered between the jagged gaps, the truth was suddenly obvious. When Yamato had started sleeping with Takumi again, it hadn't just been just so he could get the notepads back. As much as he probably wanted to deny it, he must of still had feelings for Takumi. The notepads were just his excuse, a reason to justify the hold Takumi had over him.
The words that Yamato spoke afterwards truly cemented my theory.
"I don't think I ever stopped belonging to him."
There was a chilling edge to his words, as if he was only just realising the spell Takumi still held over him. Suddenly, Yamato's rhetorical question from earlier resounded through my head:
"You can't help who you fall in love with, can you?"
His words clawed at my mind, digging up something I now realised I'd been too scared to ask him before.
"If you were still in love with Takumi, why did you get engaged to Sora?"
He winced, as if he had just tasted something bitter. A contemplative expression flashed across his face. I knew he was hesitating to tell me the truth. Then, his shoulders sagged and he sighed.
"When I was nineteen, Sora fell pregnant. We'd been a bit careless, but it still came as a surprise. I was fucking terrified."
Another bombshell. I hadn't anticipated that was reason, but suddenly, it made so much sense as to why they had remained together for so long despite their relationship seemed so strained.
"Things changed, Sora's family put pressure on me to marry her. I caved in. We got engaged. I wasn't ready. There was the band, and Takumi…"
Yamato's voice trailed off. His eyes were watering, shimmering against the light like ripples in the ocean.
"Literally days after confronting me about Takumi, she lost the baby." A single tear rolled down Yamato's cheek. "It destroyed us. We were never the same after that."
Yamato's hands covered his face, knuckles turning white as the bone strained against his skin. It took him a few moments to regain his composure. He wiped away a few more teardrops before he carried on with his revelation.
"Still, we carried on pretending. I fell into Takumi's arms again to try and get my notepads back. Sora suspected I was screwing him again, but she never said anything. I think that's probably when she started to give up on our relationship."
Yamato brought his legs up to his chest.
"Things ended between me and Takumi when he joined Vertical Illusion. After that, I tried my best to focus on Sora... but then, I met you…"
And now here we were.
A few more minutes fluttered by, then Yamato apologised. What for, I didn't know. I suspected maybe he wished he could rewind time and avoid setting foot in the coffee shop altogether. Meeting me probably hadn't done him any favours.
"What's happening with us, Yama?"
A simple question, but it had been so difficult to summon the strength ask until now. The importance of it seemed to pale in comparison to the news of the child Yamato and Sora had lost. How could anyone get over that kind of grief?
Yamato's gaze panned up to the ceiling, his body tensing.
"I want to be with you," Yamato confessed, his voice cracking slightly as he peered back over at me, his eyes locked with mine. "But as things are right now, it's just too much."
"Yeah, I get it," I admitted. I wasn't just referring to the fact I was technically with Takumi. I understood Yamato's predicament. To have your fiancé and best friend betray you in such a way, it was a lot to take on board. On top of everything else he had been through with Sora, that kind of hurt must have cut deep.
Neither of us really slept that night. There were a few moments where I drifted off with Yamato's head resting comfortably on my chest, but, sensing his apprehension, I was unable to fall into a deep slumber. At one point I awoke to a soft harmonious humming. The tune was slow and unfamiliar, but, like Yamato's guitar playing, it was relaxing. Wrapped up warm in his arms, I didn't ever want to move.
Morning came about all too quickly. After a Family Mart breakfast (consisting of onigiri and melon bread, washed down with lukewarm canned coffee), I walked with Yamato to his car in the hotel's car park.
"I'm heading over to The Broken String," he explained as he fished his car keys out from his coat pocket.
"Great, I'll come with you," I chirped, keen to watch the showdown between him and Makoto. However, my excitement faded abruptly when Yamato shook his head, a stern fire burning in his sapphire irises.
"I need to do this alone, Tai," Yamato explained as he lingered by his car door. "I'll message you later."
Ignoring the hot flush of rejection stinging across my chest, I managed to muster up a small polite smile.
"Right, ok. Good luck then."
I was about to walk away before he suddenly grasped my wrist and pulled me against his slim frame, his lips grazing against mine before he spoke into my ear.
"Don't sulk." His voice was firm. He analysed my expression, smiling once he was satisfied that my mood had lightened. I was terrible at hiding my true emotions from him and he knew this all too well. Perhaps that's how he had managed to coil his sexy self around the strings of my heart so tightly.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
After returning to the flat, I tumbled straight into bed for a nap. I awoke a few hours later to the front door closing. Frowning, I looked over at the digital display of my alarm clock. It was only 4pm. These days, I was used to Takumi returning well beyond 8pm, and some nights not at all. Still feeling drowsy, I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and t-shirt before I went to greet him.
"Rehearsals finished early today," Takumi explained as he emerged from the kitchen, walking over to the sofa, still chewing on whatever food he had managed to find in the fridge. "Thought we could spend some time together."
My cheeks flushed. I had a feeling what Takumi had in mind. As I started to head over to the kitchen, Takumi glanced down at the coffee table and then back up at me.
"Oh, have you seen a black notepad by any chance? I'm sure I left it on the coffee table."
I stopped in mid-stride. Shit. The notepad had been the least of my concerns. I slapped my hand against my forehead then rushed over to my coat, tugging the object out from my pocket.
"This one?"
I walked back over to him. He politely took the notepad out from my extended hand and flicked through the pages, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement.
"I picked it up by accident," I said. "Thought it was one of mine."
My voice hardly sounded convincing. I hadn't had time to practice the line in my head. I was so convinced he wouldn't buy my excuse.
"I see." He tucked the notepad into the pocket of his jeans. His posture was relaxed as he slid down onto the sofa; there were no visible signs of suspicion or apprehension.
"You said you were visiting Mimi?" Another lie I'd told him to cover up my rendezvous with Yamato. It was not unusual for me to spend the night at hers
"Oh, yeah. Isamu asked me to keep an eye on her whilst he was visiting his family. She's still got the worst morning sickness ever." The second part about Mimi's morning sickness was true at least.
Takumi's eyes lit up when I mentioned this.
"Is she taking any medicine for it?" He asked, trailing his index finger across his lower lip.
"I think just some anti-sickness meds..."
"Over the counter stuff I'm guessing? That stuff is shit. I know something that my Dad got hold off for my cousin... it helped ease her morning sickness. I'll see if I can get hold of some for her."
A strange bubble lurked in the pit of my stomach. Takumi raised an eyebrow as he analysed my facial expression.
"It's legit stuff, just super strong," Takumi reinforced.
"I'll run it by her," I said, making a mental note to call her later. It was still something I couldn't agree to, not at least without talking to her and Isamu first.
I went to edge past the sofa, but Takumi caught me by the wrist and yanked me onto his lap, his green eyes shining with lust. Moments later he had me pinned down on the sofa, his lips hot and heavy against mine. It was suffocating.
It wasn't long before we were both naked and my legs were coiled around his waist. One of his hands was pressed against my upper chest, pinning me down, the other running up and down my shaft as he drove in and out of me. His technique, so masterful, I knew I couldn't hold back for long.
"Aah..." My hips shuddered as the familiar warm waves of pleasure stated to radiate through my body, each one more intense than the last. At the same time, his hand glided up my chest, along my damp skin, before he curled his fingers around my neck. As he squeezed down lightly, my eyelids snapped opened and a final chorus of satisfied gasps simultaneously escaped from my parted lips.
As he gazed down at my flushed face, a crazed look flashed up in his eyes. Without any warning he tightened his grip, crushing my windpipe hard, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. My hands shot up instinctively, I started clawing at his arms in a wild panic as I writhed underneath him, my vision clouding, reddening.
Then, still panting heavily, he suddenly let go. Takumi's eyes were bloodshot as he stared down at me watching me rasp loudly, trying to regain my breath. His face was deadpan; eyes unblinking, lips neutral. Unnatural. Moments later, he pulled out of me, his body trembling, whether or not as the result of his climax, I couldn't tell.
"What the hell?" I gasped when I finally had the ability to speak again. I was unable to wrap my mind around what had just happened.
"I have a thing for choking."
His answer was one I didn't anticipate, and for him to come out and confess something like that so quickly, not to mention casually, it was disturbing. I placed a hand against my sore neck as his heavy breathing drowned out my own. With his body still looming over me, his bare skin still pressing against mine, I felt so uncomfortable.
"You seemed ok with my hand being there, I just thought..." He trailed off and sighed. "It's fine. I don't need it to get off."
I wasn't entirely convinced by his words. They lacked empathy, and it seemed like he had enjoyed doing it, up until when I'd clawed at him in a bid to make him let go. It was like he'd just wanted to do it.
"Do you like having it done to you?" I asked, my mind trying to comprehend his hidden fetish, and how much it actually played a part in his sex life, if ever at all.
"Not really," Takumi replied after a few seconds of thought. An all too familiar chill rolled down my spine.
Avoiding eye contact with me, he climbed off the sofa and disappeared off into the kitchen to grab a glass of rum or whisky; whichever spirit he could locate first.
My hands were still shaking as I cleaned up our mess using the box of tissues sitting on the coffee table. Afterwards, I gathered up my clothes and headed into the bathroom.
Standing in front of the full length mirror, I analysed the aftermath of our session. The usual bite and scratch marks were scattered across my body, but I was surprised to see that, even against my tanned complexion, the angry red pressure marks from Takumi's hand evidently stood out on my neck.
Yamato had actually mentioned Takumi was into some weird stuff, but I had never pressed to find out what. Asphyxiation wouldn't have been my first guess though. I doubt Yamato would have willingly let him do it to him either.
Regardless, for me, sex -rough sex in particular- had its limitations. Takumi had crossed that line, and this time it wasn't something I could just overlook.
I showered quickly and tugged on my clothes. My heart was thudding heavily against my chest as I stepped back into the living room. Takumi was on the phone. A near enough empty glass of amber liquid was held in his other hand. His eyes met with mine for a brief moment before he disappeared into the bedroom. Knowing not to follow him, I lingered on the sofa, waiting.
Several minutes later, he returned, but before I could speak, he announced that he was going out.
"Takumi..."
"...I'll be back tomorrow," he curtly said as he slipped on his shoes and then threw on his designer parka coat. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to stand up and try and stop him from leaving. I knew all too well it would be a fruitless attempt.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Song lyrics (At the beginning of the chapter)
Amy Steele- "The Wolves (Koven Remix)"
D-Angel: More exposed secrets, more drama. Oh, and some long awaited Tai and Yama action! ;) Tai finally dropped the L bomb! :O But yes, Takumi... He's becoming a bit, unpredictable.
Some cultural stuff: An izakaya is the Japanese equivalent of a pub / tavern, and nomihodai is essentially 'all you can eat and drink'. It's a thing apparently, although I struggled to find a place that did it when I went to Japan in 2015 :')
I should also let you know... At the end of August I'm actually going off travelling around South East Asia for about 3 or 4 months! It's something I've wanted to do for a while, so I figured to get it done before I turn 30 (Not too long to go!). I'm both excited and terrified, lol. Chapter 25 is already underway, so I will try and post it either before I fly out on my adventure, or at some point during the trip.
There's only a few more chapters left, so anything can happen now. Eeep! I'm also planning to amend the summary description for this story... I feel it's a bit misleading now as the story has developed beyond what I originally had in mind.
Anyways, as always, thanks for your continued support and love! You guys are the best :D Also, please feel free to check out my Instagram if you wish to follow my crazy travel antics (it's the same as my Twitter username, which is on my profile). Hopefully I'll be heading back to Japan at some point in November / December, where I'm hoping Digimon Tri is still popular ;)
See ya next chapter!
D-Angel
01/08/17