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 Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:02 am
Akio Yoshida was not used to the boyfriend scene. Preferring one night stands and casual flirtations, the duties of a committed boyfriend had not been first and foremost on his mind when he had clicked onto the Expedia website. The expectations of a boyfriend during the month of February were not his priority as he packed his suitcase, ensuring each shirt was tucked away without a wrinkle or crease. Even the night before his plane was scheduled to depart, thoughts of the impending holiday to come did not enter his mind as he gave his girlfriend a chaste kiss on the lips, excusing himself to an early night of rest as his international trip was due to leave in the wee hours of the morning.
He also did not notice her pout, nor her slightly perturbed stare that lingered long after the door had been closed to her apartment.
So when Spring Break arrived for the University, conveniently landing across the week of Valentine's Day, the young man thought nothing of it when he hopped on an airplane and begun his fourteen hour journey back to his home country.
It was only days later, amidst a family dinner full of nostalgic smells and foods, that his mother - dear, sage woman that she was - pointed out that American customs when it came to Valentine's Day were very different than their own in Japan. In fact, there wasn't even a White Day over in the States!
Akio Yoshida knew that he had royally screwed up.
His cell phone lacked international minutes - he'd never needed to call home from his phone, having used Skype in the past - there was no way to call her, there was no way to redeem himself as the days continued to slowly pass by. He tried to enjoy himself while he was there, teasing his little sister as she returned the banter, visiting his parents' studio, catching up with old friends. In the back of his head, however, lurked the knowledge that thousands of miles away, a pink haired young woman was probably stewing over the fact that her new boyfriend had missed the most sacred of Couples Holidays.
Upon returning home, Akio did not immediately seek out the lovely Miss Eos. In fact, he went into hiding as soon as he returned home, spending the jet-lagged Friday night busy in his apartment, fumbling and cursing under his breath as he continued to scratch his fingertips and hands, slaving for hours on his Special Project.
It was not until the following Monday morning that Serah was even made aware of her (thoughtless?) boyfriend's return, arriving to work that afternoon only to be greeted by a shoddy looking basket on the counter, surrounded by several giggling waitresses.
The basket itself was normal enough, save for the pink color. There was paper grass scattered across the bottom and dangling off the sides. This would have been more distracting, had it not been for the various Japanese-style charms that were pinned and/or dangled from the basket's handle. Inside the basket sat various candies, all the wrappers labeled in foreign writing with cheerful, happy faces painted across their paper. Centered among the chaos sat a stuffed rabbit, its eyes closed as it held on tightly to its own tiny stuffed animal.
Once the hovering staff members cleared, a note came into view. Unfolding it revealed a page of overly-happy stationary and one very apologetic message.
revenant aria serah why do you bother with him
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:10 am
She couldn't deal with this man. Nope. Why did she continue to do so, she should never try this again.
She repeated this set of self-doubt to herself a multitude of times, while he was away. She never considered herself small-minded but this had to be the furious exception. From now on, she absolutely refused to care. So then, she spent her days in a mixture of exhaustion, resentment and exasperation, topped off with the reminder that he wasn't native to the states. But he had lived her long enough to recognize Valentines was an actual holiday right?
Stupid Akio.
Perhaps he simply was going to make it up to her. But days dragged by without a single word, effectively shooting that hopeful thought to pieces. This was no better time for insecurity to hit, the cold silence as effective as a break-up line. Her she was, surrounded by couples who remembered the holidays, and she was stuck opening and closing the cafe alone on this very special holiday. She had no clue when he was returning either - but he could stay in that country forever, for all she cared. With that final declaration, she threw himself back into her work, with more vigor than usual. Hey, that energy had to be redirected somewhere. Even if it was slightly misdirected to the snickering waitresses who gossiped that surely, Akio must have tired of his latest conquest and broken up with Serah.
Her empty pillow agreed with the statement.
The basket sitting on the counter was a relief that he hadn't broken up with her. But it also reminded her of what a thoughtless idiot he was, ambushing her at work. Her eyes narrowed, shoving the basket (gently) into her locker to keep it from prying eyes. Although by now, she was sure the whole cafe had read the message. His lack of thought for a possible private apology only darkened the storm clouds on the horizon.
Everything in the basket would have worked on any other occasion, except this one. The most sacred of couple's holidays could not be fixed by sweet treats and a adorable present, that came weeks late. As far as she was concerned, there was no "making it up" to her. She was sure that this time, he wouldn't walk into the cafe to greet his "favorite bubble babe," considering there was no way he could get ahold of her schedule in his absence. So the only option left, was that eventually, he would approach her apartment.
As soon as she glimpsed the brunette outside of her door, she flashed her most charming smile, with a single line -
"You look like you had a good time back home. Great."
- and promptly shut the door in his face.
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:42 am
As the door opened, his face lit up. It was a great sign that she was still willing to talk to him, face-to-face, right? Her lips curled up into a smile, which only widened his own grin in response.
Then she spoke.
And slammed the door.
"Serah, wait!"
He knocked on the door again. Silence. He dared to knock a second time, only to be greeted by more silence.
"C'mon, beautiful, can't we talk?"
He'd dressed as charmingly as he could, a nice white buttoned-down shirt and a pair of chocolate colored slacks. His hair was meticulously arranged, his eyes looked well-rested and the only thing out of sorts were the various tiny cuts peppered across his slender, tanned fingers. Those same fingers spread out from the fist he'd used to knock on the door, planting themselves against the wooden surface.
He continued to stare at the peephole, on the off chance that she hadn't wandered away yet and was still lurking, watching him do his best attempt at groveling. Akio was not used to having to grovel, but he was also not used to being the one doing the chasing.
"Look, babe, I'm sorry." Brown eyes blinked, continuing their stare. "Can't I make it up to you somehow?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 3:38 am
She couldn't say she wasn't mildly satisfied with the sound of the door slamming. Her relief was short-lived as the second knock sounded. She sighed, with the intention to completely walk away. She told herself she had no intention of opening the door, but curiosity got the better of her. She leaned against the door, forehead pressed against the uneven wood.
Now that he was in front of her, she had to think about it.
She was forced to compromise, since he seemed to clearly regret his decision. After all, he never needed to make that sort of holiday commitment. For all she knew, the christmas before her, he was probably juggling five different girls. At least she knew that no other girl had a handmade gift basket. She also doubted he would be waiting on another female's doorstep either, by now, she expected him to walk away.
Which he clearly hadn't.
She let out a deep sigh, rubbing the creases deepening between her brows. A headache was building, from her anger and resentment all day. Being angry was exhausting. Before she could let pettiness reverse her decision, she unlocked the door to let the sorrowful male inside. Before he could speak, she pulled him inside to envelop his toned frame in a tight hug. Her fingers balled themselves into fists, nails digging into her palms. Her weight pressed against his, threatening to knock them both over, if Akio's back wasn't against the closed door. She recognized that under all the negative tornado of emotions, she missed him above all. Her muffled voice was soft, her face pressed against the curve of his shoulder, connected to his collarbone.
"On a scale of sorry to extremely sorry, how sorry are you? And on a scale of sure to absolutely sure, how sure are you on that apology?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:35 pm
Her words were muffled against him, but the threat that laced her question was audible enough for him to know that he'd better answer appropriately, if he cared to keep himself intact, much less the shirt she'd taken hold of. It didn't matter that she said it in that adorable voice of hers or the fact this short, precious woman was attached to him like static cling. She was like an angry adorable bunny - soft and precious but still capable of biting and clawing, if she saw fit.
"On a scale of sorry to extremely sorry, how sorry are you? And on a scale of sure to absolutely sure, how sure are you on that apology?"
One hand moved to gently rest itself on the back of her head before leisurely making its way down the soft waterfall of sunset pink, fingers toying with its blonde ends. He held her there for a moment, simply remaining silent as he stroked her hair slowly. Finally, he drew back, adding a small space between them - wide enough for his free hand to raise up, his thumb and forefinger catching her chin and lifting her face.
She looked up in time to catch his gaze as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead. "I am extremely sorry."
His words were quiet, his voice hushed as lips moved down to kiss the bridge of her nose. "Absolutely."
Then lower, brushing against the tip of her nose. "Sorry."
His lips moved even lower, his fingers nudging her chin higher and allowing his mouth only a brief moment to hover over hers before they pressed lightly together. She tasted of candy - perhaps not the candy he'd given to her - but her lips were as sweet as sugar and he realized just how badly he had missed this craving. He missed her.
The hand entwined in her hair guided her forward, pressing her body against his as the kiss deepened. Neither was willing to let go, both caught up in the embrace that seemed to last forever. A delicious, lingering forever.
It was Serah who parted from his arms first, pulling back to give him one of her many looks. Her cheeks were flushed and Akio couldn't help but brush his fingertips against one, stroking her soft, blushing skin with the pad of his thumb. She knocked his hand away, clearly able to see through his romantic tactics.
"Taking me out for dinner would be a good start at making it up to me."
He grinned and slowly stretched until his back rested against the door like a satisfied feline. A wink was tossed in her direction before he finally gave a languid shrug, turning to an angle that allowed him to open the door for her like a proper gentleman. "Alright then, beautiful. Have it your way."
He gave her an exaggerated bow, his playful side resurfacing to break the seriousness of the mood. Lifting his head from the bow, he grinned. "Whatever my lady wishes for is my command."
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:38 am
"You might want to be careful, wishes can't be granted if the actual person isn't there to hear it." Despite Akio's success in closing that argument with a sweet kiss, she couldn't help that remark. She felt Akio's hand slide to grip her waist, fitting there as if it had never left. She couldn't help but seek the lingering traces of his embrace, small perfectly manicured fingers slipping into Akio's palm, to link her own digits with his. She simply took pleasure in his company, refusing to admit how sorely missed it had been.
She couldn't help but lean into his shoulder, encouraging Akio to pull her close as cars passed them loudly on the sidewalk.
"I trust that reservations at (INSERT HERE IDK) pleases you, my lady?" His lips curled against the sunset strands of her hair, careful to take the lead as they crossed the street. It was close enough to enjoy the cool air, the feathery chill still lingering as winter transformed into spring.
He could see Serah perk up, recalling how she enjoyed the desserts there. Occasionally, he could see her mind's process, occasionally reminding her that cake was was not considered a meal. He timed it perfectly, if he could say so himself. Not to mention, at the end of the meal, there would be a certain custom-ordered sugar bunny, decorated on top of the restaurant's valentines day themed cake.
"I suppose it'll do." Her feigned effort to play it cool didn't convince either of them. A helpless smile met Akio's knowing eyes, soft lips pressing a kiss against her strawberry tinted cheek. A brief period later, they arrived outside of the crowded restaurant. Her fingers tightened with his, as they struggled to the front, to list their appointment. It appeared that no matter the season, the restaurant only heightened in popularity.
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 2:53 pm
"I appreciate your benevolence."
His hand gave her waist another squeeze as they pressed close together, making room for the dozens of other couples and groups that lingered around the restaurant's entrance. There were several groups of girls who had clearly come for the desserts as well, but three or four young couples also sat huddled with one another against the nearby benches. Most had chanced their dinners without a reservation, so Akio was silently relieved at having made advanced plans and reserving a spot ahead of schedule. The hostess verified his name and told them it would only be a moment more while they waited for the next available server.
This gave him time to bend down and steal one more kiss - a chaste one, planted quickly and softly against her temple as he turned to glance back towards the crowded tables scattered across the darkened restaurant. It didn't look as though any of the diners had plans of leaving anytime soon, but he thought he could make out a few empty tables here and there.
"So at the risk of getting myself into even more trouble - how have you been, beautiful? Besides having the most awful of boyfriends, of course." His sheepish smile reappeared as brown eyes found hers, "Anything new happening at the cafe?"
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