I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.
~~Magical Summer Trip~~
~Part~4~~2nd day~
~ …~
She woke up in a daze. Her dreams had been filled with water battles. If only, of another kind.
Humid hands roaming against naked skin. Shadowed wet bodies embracing under the water. Her own nudity pressed against a hard chest, captured by arms that wouldn't let her go. Skins that slipped against each other. Long fingers gliding, grabbing, massaging everywhere. Palms clutched around her nude hips, then moving and replaced by arms scrolling around her thighs. Tight. Bodies crashing on the sand, washed by tiny sprinkles of waves at their legs. An ample back undulating. Strong hips between her legs. Motion. Boiling male body. Feverish. Pressure of lips. Febrile. Ravaging.
She had woke up spent, and in sweat. And tingling between her legs.
She groaned as she checked her phone and saw it was eight in the morning. She was in for a chilling shower. Since she didn't have work until two in the afternoon, it wasn't an issue but she hoped Ren hadn't been already awake and waiting.
She took a fresh prolonged shower and grabbed Snow, padding softly to the kitchen in case he was still sleeping upstairs – which she took note later, had been ridiculous as she was barefoot – , the guest room being on the second floor.
He was not up, however, and she realized he must have been even more exhausted she had thought.
She fed Snow, trying to talk low to her cat. She was too used to be alone with her and to talk to her to stop now. It wasn't like it would change anymore.
She began to cook some rice and fish for the both of them. Knowing he would be here for the next days made her feel odd. It was like he was living with her. She could nearly imagine him waking up and his feet carrying him to her, hugging her from behind with a little yawn. And kissing her.
She groaned and hit her head against the fridge door. Bad her.
She pulled at her hair.
Get a grip.
Her phone rang just as she was finishing cooking, and a knock on the door followed. A precise tempo of a knock. She picked up her phone first, checking and saw it was the assistant director number.
He explained schedule had changed and asked if she could be there at noon at most, instead of two. She looked at her phone. It was a quarter before 9. am. Driving to the studio would take thirty-five minutes at least, plus a margin. Even so, she still had plenty of time. She hadn't planned anything in particular, besides in the evening, and Ren was still sleeping. She had just been hoping to have some time to herself to compose before he would wake up. And she had already showered and just needed to eat. She guessed she would have to scratch off composing for today.
She accepted, went to answer the door.
Kayla was standing there, looking like she had been pacing the floor like a mad dog, her camera dangling from her neck in crazy spins, and a plastered smile she wished polite on her face. Behind her, Jake was waiting, sending her apologetic gazes through his snorts.
"I knocked." She grumbled.
Kyoko contained a snort.
"I noticed. Don't you have a job besides coming to ravage my fridge in the mornings?"She asked her.
"You didn't come."Her friend replied ignoring her sarcasm.
"I needed to answer my phone. Work."
Kayla barged in.
"That's why I don't like to wait to enter. People always take forever to open their damn door." She said pointedly before taking pictures of Kyoko breakfast on the counter.
Kyoko smiled, resigned, and turned back to Jake, letting him in.
"Hello Jake."
He hugged her briefly and she returned the hug before he put her down.
"Hi there."He said with a smile. "Glad to see you back."
He tilted his head to her and whispered.
"Sorry about the hurricane. She is on the rampage since yesterday. Would you happen to know why?"
Kyoko paled a little hearing this but didn't get a chance to reply as Kayla threw.
"So where is ?"
Jake shot her surprised eyes, pointedly asking as he sat besides her while she returned to her seat to her half-disappeared breakfast. She grabbed an apple in her fruit basket to complete the now light meal.
"He is sleeping. Would you keep it down? You are going to wake him up."
She saw Kayla eyeing upstairs before letting her gaze down to the corridor leading to Kyoko's room.
"Where did he sleep?"
Kyoko held back a groan.
"I'm going to throw you out."
She chuckled, and started perusing her pictures on her camera.
She felt a light hand at her shoulder, pushing her to shift to him, Jake was looking at her in question and mouthed the words at her.
She shook her head.
"He is just a friend but Kayla has been making a mountain of it."
Jake hummed in response.
"Is it the same friend I met the other time?"He asked.
She gaped at him.
"How did you – ?"
"There is not that many friends you let sleep over." He told her quietly, actually paying attention to keep his voice low. Not just enough to bother her guest, but enough so that Kayla wouldn't hear.
"I don't see how it busted me."
He smiled, slipping an arm around her shoulders, and asking if he could help himself on one of her fruits. That's what something she appreciated about him. He was not a savage like someone she knew.
"You are the private kind. It tells everything. Any progress?"
She nearly choked on her grilled fish.
"Not you too."
He chuckled, and Kayla suddenly popped in near their faces. Her black curls waving wildly as she grinned happily, blue eyes in her darker skin popping out with mirth.
"Our friend finally has some juicy love life, of course, we want all the crusty details." She said this a little loud. Jake even had the audacity to do a slight nod filled with interest.
Kyoko threw her chopsticks back, pointing them threateningly at them.
"I don't. And none of it is any of your business," She said, waving the little wood sticks at their nose. "Stop poking."
She couldn't wait for the time to leave to come so that Kayla couldn't try to pry more.
She gathered her dishes and washed them without a care for the stares remaining on her back. She was barely finishing when her door rang again. She pinched her nose. Could people stop popping at her house like they had a free card or something…
She looked at her two friends, asking in silence if they knew something. They played innocent. Which meant they definitely knew.
She went to the door, warily opening it to discover Kyle, and even Mei on the other side of the door. She showed them her most murderous smile as she turned to Kayla who was busying herself on her camera again. What a coincidence.
"To what do I own the pleasure of your presence of you all on my doorstep this cheerful morning?"She asked with so much sarcasm dripping that she saw Kyle and Mei grimace in their fake innocent looks. She heard Jake snort and a low 'I told you so' coming from behind her.
"Mei and Luke wanted to greet your new friend."Kyle chirped, looking shameful, yet not.
They had all come to poke the bear and sneak some intel from her, concerning her (lackof) love life. She couldn't believe it. The damn pry fries.
That was it. She was leaving early. She might not have work yet, but they didn't need to know that.
She gave her new friend gossipers a brief salute and twirled around, grabbing a paper and pen on her way before sitting at the low table in her living room.
"What are you doing?" Asked Kyle very softly. Oh yes, you could be ashamed, she thought.
"You should have known better." And she knew precisely her words had hit the two targets her words had been aimed at. She wasn't surprised at Kayla attitude. She wasn't as close to Mei, even if she got along well with her. But Kayla was a charmer and knew how to convince anyone. But Kyle and Jake should have known. They were the more mature ones of the band. They should have known she would be furious.
She finished her note and stood.
"Where are you going?"Kayla asked.
She plugged her note on the fridge with a little magnet as she replied.
"I'm leaving, I have shooting in a bit." She said the blatant lie easily as she hustled. "And all of you are coming out too before I lose my cool."She said as she turned to quickly change in clothes that would work. She would need to some time to cool down.
"Don't be like that, sweetie, we just wanted to – " Kayla started but gulped down when Kyoko shot her a glare.
"No. You are leaving. You pushed it Kayla."She said. "You know very well I hate people who pry, you dragged everyone in it, and worse, you did it so shamelessly it's even more irritating. This. Is. None. Of. Your. Business. So, leave it alone."
She looked down, actually looking remorseful for the first time but Kyoko wasn't ready to let go of her anger just yet. She had really gone too far this time. She already hated busybodies in normal times but she didn't want anyone looking into her relationships with Ren. It was just too intimate. God, was she furious.
"Do you want help pulling out the engine?"Asked Jake in the hall when she was halfway into it.
She didn't reply and just closed the door behind her.
§§§
Jake sighed.
"I told you, you should have refrained this time, Kayla."He said. He didn't know much, but he had known it was a sensitive subject to her. He had also known from last time he saw her in Japan an inkling of what her thoughts were about it, and was quite sure that had not even been a scratch to what was really under. More than that. She had reacted like a downright hedgehog, full of spikes the moment they had been there. And they had barely said anything she had been ready to strike them all.
"You can talk, you are just as guilty."Kayla grumbled, looking sad. "I hadn't expected her to react as badly."
"The only reason I came was because Kyle convinced me. And what did you expect?"He shot back, barely managing to keep his voice low. "I'm pretty sure she didn't want you to know anything and that the only reason you had a glimpse was because she couldn't help it."
He saw her friend twist her fingers around her camera cord, looking worried. He turned to Kyle.
"Why did you even insist I should come? Can't you see she is already suffering from the situation and leave her alone with this?!"He whispered angrily at him.
Kyle leaned back against the kitchen wall and replied in an even lower tone.
"He came all the way from Japan to see her, Jake," Stretched Kyle. "There is no way there is nothing there! Come on." Kayla nodded in approval.
Jake breathed in deeply.
"You don't know what's in his head, you don't even know the man. And you don't know what's in her head either. A feeling isn't enough to stir things into a mess."He countered. "It was reckless."
Kyle looked away, a sad frown taking place on his face as he tilted his head and glanced back at Jake, the depth shown in his eyes sharing a secret emotion.
"… You should have seen them…"
Jake frowned.
"When? What do you mean?"
"Yesterday."Kayla provided.
" … if you had seen them…"
Kyle shook his face, as if he was pulling himself out of a dream.
"No friends look at each other that way…"Mumbled Kayla on the side.
Kyle snorted and for some reason it sounded a little bitter.
"I don't think many lovers even do…" He let out.
Jake crossed his arms, rubbing his face as he felt a headache pointing its nose.
"Even if you are right, it doesn't mean you can intervene."Jake said after a second of pondering. "It's up to her and that man."
"You know just as well that she isn't very skilled at seeing herself clearly."Kyle pleaded.
"Even though…"
"She is miserable." Kayla said.
Jake shook his head. He understood but it didn't change anything.
"You can't force her to see something she is not ready to, even more when you are not sure it's there."
"I'm sure of it."Kyle said.
Jake sighed, he got it. They meant well, were worried and all. But it wasn't their choice. They had no rights to mingle. They didn't know what they were doing. And Kyoko had always been the secret type. Who knew what happened between those two? Even what happened between her and him years ago, no one knew.
"What if you complicate matters even more? What if it doesn't resolve anything?"He asked, at last.
"Or worse," Talked Mei for the first time, "What if you hurt her irremediably because of your actions? What if- …-you are wrong? Would you be able to handle that?"She asked. "To endure having hurt her even more?"
Both of their other friends hung their heads down in defeat, the answer lingering deep in the heavy silence.
Their friend came back a few minutes later, sporting thin black leather pants, a shirt, black Harley Davidson ankle boots barely heard on her kitchen floor with the small two centimetres heel of the shoes. She had a small carry bag hanging from her shoulder and a black vest clutched in her left hand on top of a glossy sombre blue helmet dangling from her fingers. She slipped a script, a snack and a bottle of water in her bag in efficient quietness. Not looking at them once.
Then she turned at them and pointed at her door before going and opening it for them.
They went in silence, not even daring to ask about the evening, and she slapped down the panel of the door a little hard, wincing as the sound echoed a bit but Ren didn't come down, and she figured he was still sleeping soundly.
She turned left to the small door by the stairs that led to her garage, and headed down the few steps to it. She opened another door, a hard full wooden panel layered in grey tones, and grabbed a pair of leather gloves she dropped inside her helmet. She picked up the sturdy keys hanging from the little hook, and figuring she had the time, looked through a couple of her USB keys storing some of her music to plug while she would be driving. Once decided, she unhooked the cords holding the cover preventing dust to land on her engine, and threw the cloth to the side table on her right.
She pushed her garage door button, and waiting for it to be fully raised open, she filled one of the sides compartments with her carry bag.
Sun shined brightly outside and cast shadows on the edges of her house and on the concrete floor by areas. Rays caressed the metallic paint, brightening the contrasts and bringing sparkles and reflects to the metal as she carefully pushed her bike in the fresh air outside. She would have perked up a way more at the perspective of a refreshing ride if she hadn't noticed her friends still there. She was not ready to talk to them just yet.
She finished pulling it out, giving an unwelcoming gaze to her friends as she unfold and let it stand on the provided crutch her heavy engine.
Once in the sunlight, she took note of the light layer of dust that had still landed on the windscreen despite the cover she always put. She went to fetch some soft cloth, and carefully rubbed off the dust from the glass screen. She placed her jacket, and her safety helmet with the gloves in on the seat. It was a rather recent one, besides the spare in case she would carry a passenger. But it was in those times, she regretted not having kept her old one. This one was still brand new and the light varnish that coated the strong material shined when hit by the sun. But since she was leaving early, she was planning to take a longer detour to enjoy the surrounding landscapes. She needed some time to cool off but the areas she had in mind would be dusty, especially away from the city and close to the shore. And dust and sand weren't too kind on fabrics when thrown at you in a gust of wind. So, it was just too bad she hadn't thought about that before throwing her old helmet away.
She shrugged internally, finding herself ridiculous. Her old one hadn't been safe anymore. So she had been bound to use this one in every condition sooner or later. There was no point being so hung up on fresh look of what were only handy tools, at the end of the day. She wanted to laugh at herself. She wasn't so clingy to belongings usually. Unless those were presents from him. But biking stuff appeared and she turned into a maniac about it, apparently. Foolish.
Her thoughts returned to the discussion she just had.
Her friends were not responsible, truly. They might have been nosy but at the end of it, she had already been in a poor mindset. They just had added salt to her wound. One she had known was open but didn't think was actively bleeding. But her recent realizations had left her raw. And yesterday had just added more anguish to what she couldn't have.
"We are sorry."Kayla said softly, and despite her anger she could hear the sincerity in the voice of her friend.
Kyoko sighed.
"We are."Jake relayed strongly, and he cleared his throat purposely.
"Really, really sorry."Kyle added, understanding the silent message of his friend. "We won't do it anymore?"He attempted and she dropped her head in defeat. She didn't have the heart to stay mad at them if they apologize so deeply.
"Alright. Forgiven as long as you don't try any of this anymore. Ever." She pressed with a half threatening, half genuine smile, and they grinned with a hard nod. "Good. But I still need some air for now. Could you move your cars so I can have some space to pass through?"
They looked back and sure enough, their cars were blocking the path for her to drive through and join the road.
She waited as Kayla and Kyle both climbed in their respective cars to drive them to the side.
Jake bumped her shoulder as she dropped her vest on the seat and started plugging the helmet and Bluetooth service.
"You are really okay?"He asked.
"I am. So long as no one poke in my affairs."She said and made a roger military wave with his hand from his forehead and she snorted.
Kayla came back and bid her goodbye with Mei, still looking sheepish.
Only Jake and Kyle remained, on the departure too but wanting to have a few more words with her before leaving. Feeling it was already pretty hot, she stuffed her jacket in another compartment. Then, leaving only a few locks out so it wouldn't be too tight, she knotted her hair in a long braid at her back.
She climbed on her bike as she talked with them, glad they had dropped the subject but Kyle was still portraying a sad frown at the ground, and she stopped talking with Jake.
She fixed her friend in silence, waiting for him to look up and tell her what the issue was. When he did, he saw she was looking at him, and rushed to the side of the huge bike to give her a one-arm hug.
"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry for being so dumb."He mumbled, looking really grumpy with himself. Both her and Jake couldn't help their little smile.
"It wasn't your fault. But it's not like you to poke."She told him, still a little surprised Kayla had managed to convince him in whatever of this mad-gossipy plan it was.
She saw him look up in Jake direction in question who in return gave him a stern look, and Kyle's shoulders hunched down.
"I was stupid. And I mingled like I knew everything, I'm sorry. I thought – …"He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"You are forgiven, already. No need to continue apologizing." She told him, and he looked up at her with a grateful smile that had a tint of sadness in it. And something more. Indulgence? She shook her head. She was reading too much into this.
They talked a couple of minutes more, and then she started her motorbike. Her bike roared with the last song she played last time. When I see your smile from Bad English band. She grinned instantly at the rock ballad played on. She adored that band so much she actually had all their CDs, and the music playing at the moment was coming from one nested comfortably in the player. And she had been very grateful when she had bought the machine that it was one with a CD player still included. Still, she toned down the volume. She used USB sticks most often but it was still handy to have one.
She bid goodbye to her friends, though they didn't seem in any hurry.
"Pulling roots?"She teased as she checked stuff on her bike, and Jake shook his head with a smile.
"Kyle is waiting for a call from Tray because we might not be going in same direction, depending."
She planted her helmet on her head, and pulled down the screen before connecting it to her bike, and the music began to play softly in her ears, instead of from the speakers. She brought up the stand of the machine and waved at them.
Making a half circle on the parking area, she pushed gears up, and turned the handle as she sped up on the road and into the sun.
The bike buzzed as she accelerated even more. Wind rushed in, flapping her collar against her neck and framing her shirt to her front. Blaze of air whooshed through the sides of her engine to the slow pushing rhythm of her bends when she met a curve on the road. The exhilaration pulled in her belly and tingled in her palms, on the tip of her tongue. The ocean blue, the green landscapes, the white houses, everything raced by in a colourful blur. Forgotten. Disappearing into an unseeing background as she narrowed her focus and tilted forward on the motor case, her gaze locked on a single white line to follow. A movement. The machine clasped tight between her thighs, the handles rough feeling in her hands clutch, the music blasting her ears, her hips moving in pace with the turns. To the left. To the right. And again.
Left, right. Left. Curving. Right, curving. She loved that curvy road.
The racing gush of air engulfing itself under her shirt, hitting her nerves with the speed strength, shaping the wind into a solid form forever more eluding.
Nothing in her mind. At last.
A held breathe escaping.
Freedom.
She drove for a little while.
Slowing down when she reached one of the smaller neighbouring towns to San Francisco huge city. She stopped on a little parking area by the shore and just overshadowing the beach from a little above. She removed her helmet, placing it in one of the compartments as she unmounted the engine. She wanted to change her shirt because the col hitting her neck had been irritating to her skin. Plus, the shirt was also getting slightly too hot.
She dropped by a little bakery and bought some puff pastries before seeking some cafe to buy herself a drink and change.
When she came back, she was sporting a loose short sleeve off-shoulder tee that she tightened at her midriff as she felt the sun hit harder and warmer.
She drank her coffee lost in thoughts while she leaned her elbows on the dike, and enjoyed the quiet morning around the area. Everyone was too busy already working in town or further ahead in the main city, thus people by the sea were sparse. Only a few runners and dogs walking down their owners could be spotted here and there. But they didn't linger. Which made some alone time not that rare as she was one to have slowed down her pace. She removed boots and socks to go walk on the sand for a little, taking huge inhales of sea breeze and grabbing in the new area. She felt her shoulders relax with each breath taken, and the wind messed her air, pulling out some strands of her braid. She smiled.
The lulling quiet crashes of waves falling down and eventually onto shores stroked her ears like a soothing caress, slow and steady. Unchanging, never out of beat, never stopping. It rose goosebumps on the uncovered pulp of her arms' skin and nape, finishing to unwind her as she let her stress seep into the ground, into the sand.
Minutes ticked by. But soon her mind wandered to her unexpected guest again, wondering if he was okay. If he had everything he needed when he would wake up. She tried to shake the thoughts off but was forced to admit defeat to her own mind. It refused to let it go. She was on her bike again then, having confirmed she still had plenty of time. She had settled on making a quick stop back at home to check on things and him before heading to work.
Propelling the motorbike alive, she headed home.
§§§
He woke up to a weird sound. And it took him a grudging while to process where he was. His eyes popped open when it did. He was in San Francisco, at Kyoko's. Jet lag was a true pain. Ren searched for his phone blindly, having closed back eyes at the first ray of light striking his retina. He thought the sound was coming from it before his hand landed on the silent device lying by the bed on the nightstand.
His ears got attracted to the window he had apparently left opened a tint last night, the odd rumbling was coming from there. His mind picked up on the sound and recognized it as a motor's vroom as he woke up further. The sound stopped shortly after that. He thought he perceived voices too, but it ended fast and he gave up trying to make sense of this.
He rubbed his face and drank some water, letting sleep slowly ebbs away before thinking about going down to greet her. Kyoko was surely up already if the hour on his phone was right. That's when he heard the door of the home he was in, closed. Smothered mumbles of words came back from his window, and he had suddenly a doubt.
He stood and hasted his gait to the door, opening it to make his way into the corridor, still barefoot and only wearing his pyjamas pants. The reason for this was the same he had left the window ajar. It had been quite hot that night and he hadn't known where to set up the AC, neither had wanted to bother Kyoko with this.
He walked down the hall, placing elbows on the banister leading to the stairs to look down if he could see her. He didn't want to go prod around in her house and walk too much into her privacy while he was looking for her. He didn't see her, though. Ren climbed down the stairs to the kitchen dived into shadows, only lightened by the garden glass doors' curtains remained open by a creak.
He looked around, wondering if he had imagined it all, and if she was still sleeping. But the motor sound came back to life. He turned to the front door. It had been real. Was she leaving? Was it this late? But hadn't she said she didn't have work this morning? It was still a bit soon for her to leave, then. It couldn't be close neighbours, she didn't have any. They would have had to come from all the way to the other houses. Her own was off-centred from everyone. Or was it a person visiting and she was actually still inside?
He looked around the kitchen, taking a few steps as his gaze searched for any sign of her, but he didn't see any. The house was silent. He heard some voices from outside again but they were too muffled for him to make out anything. He walked two steps before looking down at his state of undress. It's not that he would mind much but if it were acquaintances of Kyoko…
He was about to turn back to go put on a shirt or something when his eyes landed on a paper on the refrigerator a little on the left. One that he could have sworn was not there yesterday. He should know, he had looked absolutely everywhere around since he had entered. With a little too much enthusiast, one might even say. He hadn't been able to contain it. He just wanted to know everything about her life here, in San Francisco. And it was ridiculous, he knew, that he could already pinpoint those sorts of details. And a little creepy, he had to admit.
Plus, it might just be a memo for something she didn't want to forget or a grocery shopping list. Yet, he still closed in and picked it down from under the little magnet. It was her writing. And it was addressed to him.
He quickly perused it, sighing at the end.
Shit.
She must have left already. He had missed her by one hour or so if his calculations were right. He cursed jet lag even more, wishing he had remembered to put an alarm after all.
Then, he heard some sound from outside again. A tint louder this time. He thought it sounds a bit like Kyle's voice but he couldn't have sworn on it. He just didn't know him well enough to be sure. A motor he thought he heard earlier roared to life again, and then music.
He padded to the door, fast and efficient. Even if her friends were there, it didn't mean she was still. Yet, them being there when she wasn't there would have been strange. So, if there was one chance she was still…
He turned the handle and opened the door.
He froze.
Fucking hell.
§§§
End of chapter.
PS: Yes, me again. Last chapter of this year. I hope you will enjoy it. I wanted to surprise you with this one.
We are entering deeper into the Summer Arc.
Kisses to everyone.
Reviews are food, feed me.
Mimagfan,
AUTHOR OUT.
