CHAPITRE 42

I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.

Our paths intertwine ~First knot~

The car is moving and Ren is seeing the landscape scroll as they moved away from the city center. The buildings passed and went away as they drove but he couldn't take his thoughts off the lunch of three days ago. He had been able to call her. He knew he could see her in the future days but time seemed mired.

A new frenzy had been tapping him since her return and he could not detach himself from the feeling that he had only a short time, that she would only be there from time to time. And so would he.

The disturbing feeling that he no longer knew who she was haunted him. And the impossibility of remedying this because she wouldn't let him, because she might not want to be close or just because they would be busy drove him mad.

He forced himself to watch the road as he progress in the peripheral zone of Tokyo. He stopped in one of the polished but slightly less populated areas. His GPS indicate he had arrived.

He opened his door and came out of the vehicle. Yashiro came out from the other side, a neutral expression perfectly calculated on his face.

"Do you think it's near from here?" Ren asked.

"I'm sure it is" Yashiro assured.

Taking his phone into hand, Ren followed the directions and climbed up the steps of a porch leading to a renovated old door. He rang the bell after a second of hesitation. It didn't seem like the right place to have a professional meeting.

He waited patiently and after a few seconds, a locket was unlocked and the door opened. His eyes popped out of their sockets at the view that greet him.

What…the hell… is that…?!

"Ren? What? How?" She said, surprised but he wasn't able to answer. His mind was blank.

In fact the only part that still worked was his eyes. A bit too well even. And those ones were raking her silhouette with astonishment, marvelling as much at the paint than at the attraction's impetus her attire had on him, at the curves showing. He breathed in and out. In and out.

"You…Paint…"He scrambled to get out noticing his brain had just given up on him at the moment. She had paint everywhere. On her t-shirt, pants, the part of arms uncovered, on her smooth tight belly, in the neck and sensual collarbones, on her face, a little bit in her hair and even on her cute little toes.

"Wow, Kyoko-chan, you're coloured today Yashiro commented, biting his cheek to repressed throttles. I hope we are not bothering you but is the president here?" She nodded to him then turned back to Ren.

"Yes, I was painting back my walls when the president came and I still didn't get a chance to change" Kyoko uttered as she brushed hair out her eyes and tuck it back behind her ear, embarrassed. "Sorry for my attire" Kyoko said extending her arm to the inside not noticing it make the cloth clutch her bust nor how it rose revealing more skin of her belly as she showed him in and stepped back.

He let out a very weak whimper.

He wanted to die.

Why…

Yashiro pushed him so he would move forward but he locked his feet to the grounds.

Where is the modest girl…

Why aren't you wearing a fucking bra?!

He turned an angry and yet desperate face to Yashiro and harshly whispered so that Kyoko wouldn't hear but it sound more like a plea.

"I'm not entering"

"Come on, she's waiting for you and the president too. It's for the job and it's the occasion to see her. I know you're dying to discover who is this new Kyoko-chan" Yashiro whispered with a smile.

He groaned.

He was ready to plead with his manager and friend, hell, he would even have used puppy dog on him but Yashiro patted on the back.

"There, there"

"It's insanity"

"More like torture but it's been a long time you turned into a masochist with her. It's nothing you can't handle" Yashiro assured and Ren could tell his manager didn't believe a word just said.

He sighed and entered.

"Sorry, I needed a word with Yashiro" Ren gave her as an excuse for the delay.

"No problem" she answered back and closed the door behind them and a new jittery feeling begun in his core.

They all went to living space in development and the president greeted them.

"Hi, you too"

Observing with acuty, Ren looked around her flat with curiosity registering every details with interest. The boxes still unpacked. The common little garden. The paints on one wall and a half. Her cat in a corner also covered of spots of paint.

He also used that as an excuse to look at anything but her until they started discussing the subject which was surprisingly quickly settled. They both didn't have any complaints about working together which they indicated in their contracts. They will meet the third party later so it wasn't a problem at the moment. And they couldn't discuss much about it because they only had a short script they had both already read and agreed to it. They were interested. They wouldn't know further until third party had agreed to it.

So they were finishing the discussion when Kyoko excused herself. Her cat, Snow, was starting to lick the paint on her fur and it wasn't safe for her so she said she was going to wash her quickly. They nodded and Kyoko quickly apologize again she bent and took her cat to the bathroom.

Ren watched her leave the room with this enhanced elegance until he realized where he was starring at, her butt, and he hit his forehead on the counter.

The two others didn't show him any pity and exploded in laughs beside him before starting to spoof him to whom the better will do it.

"Issues with keeping your gaze to eye's level Ren?" The president asked smugly and Ren didn't even bother to answer. He was coaching himself to right behaviour.

"I think it's more about being able tearing his eyes away from her at all than well.., and at the Yashiro eyed him suggestively, just managing to stay a gentleman to the end"

Then Yashiro mimed claws climbing and whispered to Lory:

"He's already climbing to walls" and they burst in laughs again.

"Will you shut the hell up he grumbled and tried to ignore the two meddling idiots.

It's my manager and my boss, it's my friend and my uncle; you can't murder them…

Kyoko got out soon after that, rubbing a towel on a now wet but clean cat in her arms. She put the cat down and they wrapped up the discussion.

"Well, said at last the president as he stood from his seat, I wish you good luck in your paintwork, we bothered you enough. I think we are finished" Yashiro and Ren stood after him and Ren gazed at the unfinished walls. There were at two and half left. A lot but not unmanageable if there was nothing else.

"What do you have left?" Yashiro interrogated Kyoko as he eyed the president subtlety.

"Oh, hmm…", She began as she turned in direction of her unfinished affairs," Four walls counting the kitchen ones and the ceiling I suppose, why?"

"That's a lot" commented the president and Ren glared at both of them, knowing very well where this was going.

Still, it was a lot and he hadn't seen her in three days.

Who was he kidding…He knew from start that the moment he stepped inside he would do his upmost to stay with her as long as possible, no matter the hurdle.

There is no point fighting it…

"Maybe I can help?" He proposed gently and victory grins bloomed on the two other men's faces of the room. Kyoko started to argue immediately that it wasn't necessary. Another thing that didn't changed. She still didn't like to impose on people.

He smiled.

"I insist"

She groaned, brushing her hair away, frustrated and Ren felt his pants tightening. It was definitively becoming one of his favourite moves he loved to watch her execute. He could now already tell she was doing it when she was embarrassed or frustrated. It so cute and so so sensual. He still didn't comprehend how and when the changed had happened. She had always been very gracious and polite so he supposed her innocent graciousness of her teenager self could have a morphed result looking like this in adulthood. So, he shouldn't be surprised. But it remained inexplicably unsettling to see.

He had chills running his back each times she was doing for god's sake! He couldn't that affected by her, could he? He hadn't even seen her for years, how come his case could have worsen?

Kyoko looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. Why does he want to paint my damn walls?!

"I can do that on my own, it's not that tiring" She protested, the tone still disbelieving. There is too much crowd in my flat. Get out all of you.

I was already nervous enough with the chit-chat…Can you not all leave so I can relax…

Him, dropping at my door had her in a mess all along.

"I'm sure you've work to do. Acting, remember" Kyoko argued turning to Yashiro to make a point.

"Actually countered Yashiro-san, "He's finished for today. We didn't quite know how much time the meeting will take so we let the afternoon open"

"Come on, Mogami-kun, intervened the president, it wouldn't be very gentlemanly for Ren to not propose his help. Plus I think the boy could appreciate doing something than work once a while, he doesn't do anything beside it and sleeping"

Ren grumbled but turned to Kyoko.

Screw them! I don't care what they think of me, I can't stand it anymore!

Please said Ren, activating puppy's eyes level one and Kyoko took a step back. "You agreed to spending some time together when we will have free time, isn't it the best occasion?" And he added a level of puppy when he saw her ready to protest again.

She opened her mouth several time but found nothing to say and smiled, defeated.

"It's that funny, she commented, don't blame me later because you bored to death"

He eyes suggestively her attire and she blushed lightly.

"You clothes could really suggest otherwise" he said in a rumble.

"It's messy" she rolled her eyes.

His shoulders tipped very slightly forward, diminishing the distance unconsciously.

"I don't care"

The president shared knowing eyes and backed away saying they had to leave and they absent-mindedly answered goodbye.

Kyoko shook her head with a smile. It's not like she didn't desperately want to see him. She couldn't deny that.

"I admit defeat" she stated raising her arms in the air and turning to prepare a share brushes.

"Great!"

A little grating feeling coming back inside her seeing his overly cheery attitude, she teasingly chirped up:

"I hope you have change of clothes because considering the price of the of the ones you are wearing it's that or painting in the nude"

There was a short intake of breath before he replied he had some in his car.

PS: So…

I was planning to keep going…But I like to tease and it was too good of an occasion to pass up…You will have the other part shortly after…lol

Hope you'll like this one…Kekeke…

Kisses,

Mimagfan.

Author out.