Chapter 18
- Wake up My love, Ren whispered, we have to go home, or my parents will be worried.
- Hmmm.
- Kyoko, we have to go home.
She stretched like a cat and opened her big amber eyes. She slept well. Ren softened looking at her sleepy gaze.
- You're going to wear my shirt ... He spoke.
- But you will be cold, Kyoko worried.
- We are going to run to the house. I hope that my parents didn't wait for us.
She modestly put on her panties, wet and cold, and Ren's shirt warm and full of his scent. Ren took her dress and the beautiful shoes. They follow the trail to the house. The light in the living room was lit but his parents were sleeping. Ren breathed a sigh of relief. They went up to bed in silence.
In his room he put the dress to soak. A flood of memory and sensation invaded his brain. Her silhouette, the texture of her skin, the sound of her moans ... Before he got too excited he lay down, regretting not being able to sleep in her arms.
It was breaking down, she had a migraine, the blood was pounding under her temple with much fury. She stood up, surprised to be wearing Ren's shirt... The Margarita... the ocean... and Ren. She blushed, remembering too well what had happened in the beach house. She was ashamed but more than anything, she wanted to renew the experience. The evening before had been perfect ...she wanted to discover more about him. But without alcohol, she was suffering way too much! How would she explain to Julie about the dress? And, in addition, she had lost her shoes... She wasn't really proud of herself.
There was a knock at the door, it was Ren, a lunch tray in his hands. He entered put his tray on the bed and turned around to kiss her .
- Hello Kyoko.
- Ren, I lost my dress and my shoes.
- They are in my room, the dress is soaking to remove the salt. I'm going to fetch the shoes.
He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later with the shoes. He sat her down on a chair and tried on the shoes. Kyoko let him do, surprised.
- It fits! So, you are my princess. You will be forced to marry me, he said as a joke.
- ... .
- Well, in the meantime, your Majesty's lunch is ready. Do you want paracetamol pills? Tequila is good but traitorous!
He held out a glass of water and a yellow and red capsule. She took the capsule and swallowed it with a fat sip of water .
- Thank you, I'm sorry I misbehaved yesterday evening.
- Everything is fine, but if you catch a cold don't be surprised. My parents are away, we won't have to lie. Take your time Honey.
They ate their breakfast. Kyoko suffered a little less from her migraine. When they had finished, Ren went to the kitchen to put away the tray and the remains of their meal. Kyoko showered and got dressed, when she joined Ren downstairs, he was looking desperately for a place to store cereals in the cupboard. At the sight of Kyoko, he left them on the counter and approached her. He hugged her tightly.
- My heart broke to wake you up yesterday evening. I would have loved to sleep with you. Wouldn't it be just to see you blush this morning, he said mischievously. She blushed.
- You see, as now! he mocked .
She looked outraged.
- Sorry, sorry! Do you want to visit Hollywood and the Warner studios? He continued.
- That would be great. She kissed him. He held her against him.
- I'm writing a note for my parents while you get ready. He kissed her forehead and released her.
They parked near the Chinese Theater and walked hand in hand down the Walk of Fame, passing stars for James Dean, Michael Jackson and Madonna. They took pictures with fake Oscars in their hands and with Marilyn Monroe. Past the glitter of the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood district was quite badly frequented. They came across a lot of homeless people, drug addicts and prostitutes.
Ren explained that this was all what Hollywood was about, a steamroller that crushed dreams. Only rare ones elected! He explained that he also could have ended badly. It was his departure for Japan that had saved him. He explained that now his country was Japan, that he didn't want to live here anymore, even if his parents were longing for him. Kyoko listened to his version of Hollywood, feeling the pain behind his words. She was happy that they may share all this from now on.
He took her to a dark alley. The houses were separated by high rusty fences. He squeezed her hand very hard and stopped. She was scared, the place was gloomy.
- It is here where the accident happened ... It is here where Rick died because of me, he said.
- It was an accident, this it's not your fault, Kyoko corrected.
- I know. But I think I'll never completely forgive myself. Ren looked dark and sad.
- Let's go, this place scares me, Kyoko murmured, squeezing his arm.
- You're right, let's go to the studios.
Back on the busy streets they ate a burger before visiting the studios. Kyoko was disappointed to see so few filming sets, but she took anyway lots of pictures. It was huge and so disproportionate compared to Japanese studios.
They returned home early, and Kyoko decided to prepare dinner. Kuu would be delighted to eat Japanese specialties. They went shopping and Ren helped peel and cut the vegetables. The chef congratulated him in kissing him. When Julie and Kuu came back, a wonderful smell welcome them. Enthusiastically they sat down around the table and Julie asked them about their date. To Ren's surprise, Kyoko confessed that she had loved the Margarita too much and that, drunk, she had fallen into the sea. She just wanted to relieve her feet in the cold water. Kuu laughed but Julie was worried.
- I hope you didn't catch a cold; she said looking concerned.
- No, everything is fine. Just a little headache this morning but Ren took good care of me. He even brought me breakfast to bed.
They ate the delicious food that Kyoko had prepared. The meal was very happy. Ren showed pictures of Kyoko holding an Oscar. Kuu wished them to have a real one someday.
After the meal Ren and Kyoko tidied up the kitchen then joined Julie and Kuu in the living room. They spoke about their days and made plans for the next day, Saturday, February 10. As it was his birthday, it was Ren who had to decided: they would go to see the whales that pass off the Pacific coast to breed in Mexico. Ren loved the sea and all the creatures that inhabited it. They said goodnight and went to bed.
On the luxurious Hizuri yacht, Kyoko was slightly seasick. She was glad she only had coffee this morning. The sea was calm but the swell was strong. Kuu piloted the boat while eating peanut butter sandwiches, Kyoko wondered how he managed not to be sick. Julie was beautiful as ever in his designer jeans and his ponytail blowing in the wind. Ren, next to his father, was looking at the sea with binoculars.
It was sunny but cool. Kyoko suppressed a shiver. She had borrowed a jacket from Julie, but she didn't dare get inside the boat for fear of aggravating her nausea. The air that whipped her face felt good.
Suddenly Ren spotted whales. Kuu cut the engine and let himself derive towards the cetaceans. It was a group of 5 adults and a young one. They were passing so close that Kyoko was afraid. The mammals were passing peacefully a few meters from the boat, and they were so huge that they could have flipped the boat over with a flick of their fin. Ren was overjoyed.
But, as it stopped the boat began to rock even more, and Kyoko became livid. Finally unable to hold it any longer she threw up overboard. Ren was sorry, she looked really bad, he blamed himself enormously.
- Why haven't you say anything? He asked.
- I didn't want to ruin the party, Kyoko replied. You looked so fascinated by these whales.
- Let's go back.
Kuu put the engine on, and they came back to the harbor. Ren held Kyoko's hand. He was sorry to have imposed this on her. Arrived at home she lay down an hour and finally fell asleep. At noon she could not swallow anything for fear of being sick again. She drank a lot of water and ended up feeling better.
After the meal she suggested walking on the beach. She wanted to give him his birthday gift. They went down to the beach; he took out two deck chairs from the beach house and sat down in the sun. Ren took off his shirt to get a little tan, Kyoko was a little troubled. She rolled up her pants and took off her sweater to be in tank top, February was warm in Los Angeles.
- Happy birthday Kuon.