I see new comments. Will reply to them soon. And here is the next chapter
Glass SlipperChapter 7 – Queen Eri was glad she picked out a pair of flat shoes on this cold winter night. The lack of heels facilitated her need for speed as she raced with all her strength towards the venue she was supposed to be at roughly two hours ago. The taxi she had flagged down had dropped her off at the next street as the lane on which the cinema was located at was closed off to cars at certain times of the day. Regrettably, the early hours of this weekday morning fell exactly onto that period. Flipping open her cell phone with the intention of calling her date to inform him of her impending arrival, she realized to her dismay that the icon representing the battery level was at a single bar. In such a state, calls could not be made nor received.
Stupid, stupid STUPID! How could I have forgotten to charge it? Groaning miserably at her forgetfulness, Eri dumped the device back into her purse and continued sprinting. She could only hope Gaki hadn't departed. The faint glimmer of hope which Eri harbored faded rapidly when she arrived at an empty cinema lobby. Not a single soul was in sight. Not even the ticketing booth was occupied. In fact, the lights inside the selling cubicles were already turned low.
How could he possibly still be waiting? With a downcast expression, Eri trudged with slack shoulders back outside the deserted complex.
"Kame!"
Her ears pricked up at the all too familiar voice and Eri spun around just in time to see Gaki slide off the railings situated at the side of the building.
"I thought you left!"
Running to meet him halfway, Eri hugged him tight. Almost a whole week had passed since the last time they saw each other and Eri couldn't describe the immense loneliness she had gone through without being able to see him on a regular basis. The pair had been secretly dating for the past three months and these ninety plus days have been peppered with as many meetings as they could afford. Juggling her demanding school schedule and the intense training under her grandmother in the art of Ikebana left her barely any spare time of her own.
"The movie…"
"… ends in twenty minutes."
Replying her question before she could say it in full, Gaki uttered a resigned sigh along with his glum answer. It wasn't the first time they had missed viewing a film due to Eri's inability to be punctual.
"We could see the next one. Any genre is fine."
Swinging their entwined hands while suggesting the idea in a hopeful tone to the person whom she had daringly sneaked out to meet, Eri subsequently pointed to a random poster being advertised on one of the many billboards. Producing a small stack of tickets from his jeans pocket, Gaki fanned them out with one hand.
"I bought tickets to every show hoping you would make it in time for at least one. Unfortunately…I'm going to have to add these to the collection of tickets at home."
"I'm sorry."
Hanging her head in shame, Eri bit hard on her lower lip. She had lost count of how many times she had subjected Gaki to aimless waiting or skipping their appointment completely. Ridden with guilt for her numerous no-shows, Eri couldn't prevent a lone tear from rolling down her cheek.
"Hey, it's okay. Just seeing you is good enough for me."
Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Gaki smiled reassuringly at the woman he loved. He would do anything for her if she asked him to. What was spending a little bit of time waiting for her appearance?
"Thank you."
Returning his gentle gaze gratefully, Eri instinctively tiptoed to peck him on the lips. Her unexpected action stunned even herself, not to mention the lad who has by now grown accustomed to her apprehensive ways. Having taken the initiative, Eri's gesture was akin to an unspoken declaration affirming her readiness to take their relationship one step further from the innocent act of hand holding. Gawking at Eri's perfect features and how beautiful she looked while being surrounded by the sparkling Christmas decorations lining the street, Gaki held his breath and gingerly brought one hand up to caress her face.
"No. Thank you, for choosing me."
Lowering his head to plant his mouth over Eri's, Gaki deepened the intensity of the kiss when she didn't resist his advances. Snaking his free arm around her slender waist, he pulled her in to eliminate any inch of space separating them. The transient breezes this December night failed to induce shuddering from the duo. Truth be told, a burst of warmth was surging throughout Eri's thinly clothed body and it resulted in her experiencing a tingling sensation from the very end of her toes to the tips of her fingers. Permitting the entry of Gaki's tongue through her parted lips, Eri relished the untried sensation of having his hands roam her back and being connected to another human through her orifice. Eri wished that the kiss would never end as she had developed an obsession for the addicting excitement of speculating where his hands will next materialize and the pleasurizing taste of his lips.
Throwing both arms around his neck, Eri clung onto Gaki like a baby koala bear. In her alacrity, her fingernails accidently scratched his ear. Nevertheless, Gaki didn't even flinch. His lack of a reaction was obviously due to being too caught up in the moment, of being overly preoccupied with
her. For some unknown reason, simply thinking about the huge effect her presence had on him brought a satisfied smirk onto her pretty face. Gaining a newfound boldness, Eri removed her arms from encircling his neck and slithered her hands beneath his shirt, tracing her fingers over the bare skin of his well toned abs. Their intimate actions were in full view of vehicles cruising pass on the road adjacent to the sideway they were standing on. However, that little detail was far from the minds of the young couple who were excessively engrossed in each other. For Eri, what was of paramount importance at the current moment was savoring the feeling of having Gaki nibbling on her ear.
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"She's here again."
At hearing his colleague's words, Taka increased his grip on the brandy glass in his hand. It was only after noticing Jun's concerned expression did he release his tightly clenched fist to allow blood to return to his whitish knuckles.
"Do you want to see her?"
"No. Tell her I'm booked for the night. Just like all those other times."
Whirling back to face the bar counter, Taka recommenced drinking from a bottle his previous customer left behind. It was clear from his reluctance to talk that this conversation was finished. At seeing Taka's adamant resolve, Jun could only oblige by his friend's wishes. He didn't desire the post as a bringer of bad news except that there was no one else who could be allocated with this dreaded task.
-----
The petite and fairly scrawny female sat in the middle of the pumpkin shaped couch, her legs dangling lazily from the seat. Placed on the low table in front of her were half a dozen empty tequila glasses.
"How many shots have you drunk?!"
Speaking in accented Japanese, the tall and good-looking host with a set of approachable features demanded whilst he snatched away the drained glass in her hand.
"Don't wo-wo-rrry bbout pay-ment.... My credit card has EEE---NOOOOOOOOOOR-MOUS limit."
Stretching her arms wide apart to demonstrate the size of her bank account, she announced through slurred words and hysteric laughter.
"That's enough.
ENOUGH!"
Grabbing onto her wrists, Jun shook her hard, he wished there was some way he could snap her out of her negative wayward conduct. Three whole months had passed and on every one of these nights, she had visited the club faithfully merely to be coldly rejected. On one hand he should be thankful for his morose coworker's determination at pushing away the young woman. This presented the opportunity for himself to become her replacement host. Nonetheless, it pained him to see her being hurt by the callous Taka. Jun was no simpleton and the street smart immigrant to Japan knew from first glance that the lady with copper-red tresses was as strong-willed as she was willful. Hence he hadn't anticipated her to be so unwavering in her affections towards the most admired escort of 'Glass Slipper'.
"Do you know why I was named Reina?"
The abrupt question caught him off guard and Jun hemmed and hawed while struggling to think of an appropriate reply. Fortunately, none was needed as Reina answered her own query.
"It means queen in Spanish. My parents hoped I would be treated like a queen. And I have indeed been enjoying this privilege. Everyone worships the ground I tread on, everyone but him."
The sudden confession spoken in a calm and collected manner surprised the foreign twenty year old. Leaning nearer to pick up her exceedingly soft voice, Jun listened intently as he watched her eyes glaze over with tears.
"Why doesn't he want me around? Why does he hate me?"
The rush of anger pulsating through his veins at seeing Reina weep made Jun's blood boil. No one should be made to undergo such coldhearted treatment, especially not someone as lovely as Reina. If Taka wasn't going to treasure her, then he would step in to envelope her with all the love he could possibly muster.
He would show Reina what it was like to be cherished.
-----
The earliest train of the morning was anything but packed. Unlike the hours prior to and following the stipulated rush hour, empty seats were abounding. Riding in the high speed bullet train with an entire carriage to themselves, were Gaki and Eri. The foolish girl had insisted on taking the train instead of opting for a shorter taxi commute citing the reason of wanting to spend more time with him. On the contrary of clinging onto Gaki to chat for the duration of the journey, she had fallen asleep barely seconds after sitting down. Shifting Eri's body carefully so she could lie comfortably on his lap, Gaki re-adjusted the scarf he had untied from his neckline to ensure it was positioned properly on top of her.
"I promise we'll get to see the movie next time."
She twitched slightly after mumbling that statement and soon her soft regulated snoring resumed. Grinning as he watched her comical antics, Gaki bent down to whisper a pledge tenderly into her ear.
"I'll always protect you. I won't let anything hurt the queen of my heart."
Topic: More Than One Story...[111016 Loving You Forever] (Read 236731 times)