Destination Wedding (3/6)
Destination Wedding, 3/6
"So do you have any big plans tomorrow? Nino's a stick in the mud, so we'll probably just lounge around the room," Yuriko was saying as she escorted Keiko from the restaurant to the lobby.
Though Keiko usually wore a serious expression, she'd always been terrible at holding her liquor. Even though she was nervous, scared almost about what awaited her at the hotel's front desk, she found herself smiling anyhow. The champagne had definitely helped get her through the meal and the many introductions to Yuriko's friends.
"The beach maybe?" Keiko replied. In fact she'd planned to spend the day in the room on her laptop if she could, balcony doors wide open to let in the breeze while she did some research. It had felt confining to be in her apartment, searching the Internet for fetish and BDSM websites, but down here maybe it would be easier. She had to do her homework on the scene if she was going to have any sense at all about where Puppy Play might find its niche. After all, wasn't that what Yuriko was paying her for?
"Sounds nice," she said, bringing them up to the desk. The woman working there wore an unflappable expression, even as Yuriko ordered her to "bring out the garment bag for my friend Keiko" in less than polite Japanese.
Garment bag? Keiko swallowed, trying to stay calm. Whatever was in the bag was needed for the bachelorette party. Keiko had tried her best, packing a cute skirt, top, and some strappy heels for the ladies' night out. Apparently that wasn't good enough as the employee returned, holding a bag labeled "PADDLE ROYALE."
Yuriko accepted the bag with a smile, bringing Keiko to the elevators. "Paddle Royale is Kou-senpai's line of clothing. I'm being forward again, I know, but not only does this help support my friend's business, you're going to look amazing, I swear."
For a bachelorette party? Why did Keiko have to look amazing? It was going to be Yuriko's night, wasn't it? Yuriko wouldn't let go of the bag, and they rose up in the elevator, gabbing about how well Shibasaki-san's business was going, how happy she was to finally be settling down with Matsumoto-kun (who wasn't a "pet" like Nino seemed to be, but he was apparently submissive to Shibasaki-san nonetheless).
They made it to Keiko's room, and Yuriko followed her in, giggling like a school girl. She unzipped the bag as Keiko tried not to sway on her feet from all her champagne.
"Okay, so on Tuesday night, as you know, we're going out for the bachelorette party," Yuriko explained. "It's a pretty tame club as far as the scene goes, and you'll be with us. We'll take care of you, I promise. But I didn't realize until just the other day that there's a theme night on Tuesday. Uniform night!"
"Uniform night?" So they were going to one of...those clubs? Keiko was going to stick out like a sore thumb if she was going to be out and about with Yuriko and her friends.
She watched in surprise as Yuriko let the garment bag fall. "Kou picked it out for you. All I told her was what I thought your size was and what I knew about you and she just got you. She's wonderful that way."
Keiko blinked at the outfit before her, the outfit that Yuriko and her other guests would now be expecting her to wear in just a few short days. It seemed to be a fetish version of a sailor-style schoolgirl uniform with a ridiculously short red leather skirt, a white top with a plunging neckline, a red collar, and a purple bow. Yuriko also held up a pair of elbow-length white gloves.
"Is this from Sailor Moon?" Sailor Moon for grownups, Keiko thought nervously.
"Sailor Mars, actually," Yuriko explained, wiggling the costume on its hanger. "You're going to look so cute!"
Keiko accepted the hanger, chewing her lip. It could be worse. She didn't have to go to the bachelorette party in tight latex. "Thank you, Yuriko-san. I'm sure it'll be a fun time."
Yuriko wished her a good night and headed down the hall to the suite she and Nino were sharing. Keiko blinked away the memory of the sex swing Aiba-san had gone on and on about, shutting and locking her door. She brought the silly costume into the bedroom, opening up the closet.
Inside she'd hung up all the clothes she'd brought, simple dresses and skirts. Plain colors, simple patterns. Cotton cotton cotton! As she hung up the Sailor Mars costume next to it, she realized just how out of her element she was here. And yet Yuriko believed in her, had treated Keiko kindly (at least her own odd version of kindness). She owed it to Yuriko to work hard, even if it meant wearing a costume. Even if it meant enduring days of people who spoke so frankly about their sexual habits and fetishes.
Still a little woozy from drinking, she filled up one of the supplied glasses in the kitchen with water, sliding open her balcony door and heading out into the night.
The air was so clean and fresh, after both the warmth of the hotel's restaurant and the heated, downright naughty conversation there. She moved to the edge of the deck, setting down her glass and sighing happily. This was a nice place, a straight view to the beach and the water beyond. The price was right too, she thought with a grin, knowing she'd never go to the expense of staying at a place like this, especially since she was single.
She sipped her water, looking forward to the following day, and a few minutes later she heard the other balcony door slide open. "Oh," Sho said when she turned. "I'm sorry to bother you."
He made to go back in, but Keiko waved her hand. "No, it's fine. Please come on out. The air is great."
"So it is," Sho said, looking downright normal after the evening she'd been through. Most of Yuriko's friends, men and women both, wore designer clothes that probably cost what would be an entire paycheck for Keiko. She had to admit that Sakurai-san seemed more in her bracket of living, even if he looked a little underdressed in comparison to everyone she'd met at dinner (the groom and his t-shirt aside).
He moved to the balcony beside her, exhaling in seeming relief and leaning on his elbows. He seemed in good spirits, which Keiko imagined was her fault. She'd lost track of how many drinks she'd poured for him in lieu of making conversation with the middle-aged retired dominatrix who'd been sitting on her other side.
"Kitagawa-san, have you ever been to a dinner like that before?"
With millionaires and TV stars and people who tied one another up for fun? "What do you think?"
He looked at her with a knowing smile, and since her alcohol intake had lowered her inhibitions, she smiled right back at him. Co-conspirators, the two of them. The two outsiders of the raucous group. Sakurai Sho was cute, if a little awkward. Keiko would be glad to spend the week as his neighbor, if only for the blessed normalcy of the man.
"What was waiting for you at the concierge?" he asked.
She merely brought a finger to her lips. "Secret."
He laughed. "Unlike most of our company, you don't reveal all your cards at once."
She took another sip of water, listening to the sounds of a few people down below splashing around in the hotel's pool. "Who knows? Maybe by the end of the week we'll change and tell all our secrets. They might rub off on us."
"Literally," Sho replied before wincing. "Sorry, sorry. It's not every day my friend's fiancee sits on my lap."
"It's not every day that you work for someone like Yuriko-san." She chuckled, raising her glass. "To a week full of weird," she toasted.
He raised an invisible glass of his own. "To a week full of weird. Cheers to you."
--
Sho woke with a slight chill. He'd slept with the balcony door cracked open the slightest bit, crashing on the ridiculously comfortable couch in the living room. His bed remained completely untouched, and he sighed. He was already getting too relaxed in this slowed down vacation lifestyle.
He got up, heading for the shower. Once he'd dressed, he headed downstairs, finding a small convenience store in the lobby. As part of the package deal Nino had purchased, Sho was entitled to the full buffet breakfast in the restaurant every morning. But he refused to be one hundred percent on vacation. He loaded up a basket with some instant rice and miso, the store not having much by way of fresh ingredients.
Back in the room he made his own breakfast, desperate to not fail in upholding at least this one routine. The rice ended up slightly overcooked, and the miso was mostly flavorless. Well, Sho decided, maybe it wouldn't hurt to hit the buffet once or twice.
After that disappointment he pulled out his folders and his laptop, already imagining Nino complaining in his ear about Sho working too hard. Maybe he'd go out later, take a nice long walk on the beach. The morning, at least, he could commit to Okada & Morita.
He easily lost himself in work and the hours slipped by, the breeze keeping the room cool and relaxing. It was just about time for lunch when there was a knock at the adjoining door. Ah, Kitagawa-san, the one person in Okinawa he could count on to be normal right now. He found himself absent-mindedly running his fingers through his hair before opening the door.
But before he could address his new neighbor, Aiba-san came barreling into his room. "You too?" the man cried, seeing Sho's laptop on the coffee table and the papers strewn every which way. "I don't believe this!"
Kitagawa-san appeared behind Aiba, hiding a bit in the doorway, offering Sho a weak smile.
"What do you mean?" Sho asked as the celebrity seemed to have no trouble wandering around and poking at Sho's computer.
He was in undercover celeb mode again, dressed in a t-shirt, baggy jeans, and a Chiba Lotte Marines cap. You'd never know he was on the cover of magazines. "You and Kitagawa-san! Both working!"
"Yuriko-san is my client. I have to help with..." Keiko tried to explain, but Aiba shook his head.
"No no no, I won't hear it!" he insisted. "If I can't get Nino to come, I need to get someone to join us."
"Us?" Sho asked, only to hear the familiar laugh from dinner the night before.
"Whale sharks!" he heard Rola-san giggle as she gently pushed Keiko before her into Sho's room, smiling brightly before oddly sticking out her tongue. "Gosh, Masaki-chan, all these people don't seem to care that they're in Okinawa, huh?"
Keiko saw Sho's laptop and passed no judgment. Had they really both spent their full mornings working? They were even more alike than Sho had realized. "Whale sharks?" Sho asked.
Aiba came up, wrapping an arm around Sho's shoulders. Everyone was rather touchy-feely on this trip. "Ro-chan and I are going up to the aquarium, and it seems like everyone around here was up late doing god knows what. We can't get anyone to come with us!"
Keiko shrugged. "I like aquariums," she admitted, even though from the look on her face he could tell she was a little upset about being interrupted. Sho could recognize a fellow workaholic when he saw one.
Sho looked mournfully at his pile of work. But then he could tell that Aiba Masaki would not be deterred. "You think it's okay to go, even if you're...you know, both famous?"
Rola's hands covered her mouth as she giggled again. "Oh, just let them photograph us, right?"
"Right?" Aiba agreed. The two of them, more laid back than Sho could ever hope to be. And he wasn't even famous! "Better to be photographed on a double date than coming out of a love hotel."
Sho saw Keiko look away at the mention of "double date" but already Rola was giving her a poke in the arm with her pink-polished fingernails. "Come on, Keiko-chan! You even told me about picking me for your campaign! We're destined to be friends, I just know it! Let's spend the day together!"
"Rola-san was kind enough to endorse the shampoo brand I used to work on," Keiko explained.
Aiba clapped his hands. "Alright, alright, we can chat in the car, let's go!"
Sho discovered he wasn't even going to have a moment to change, only having time to hastily grab his wallet and room swipe card before Aiba tugged him into the hall. He and Keiko trailed behind the two lovebirds, who refused to go to the aquarium unaccompanied. Well, Sho thought, a few hours in front of the big tanks would be pretty nice. Work would still be waiting for him when they got back.
They left the hotel corridor behind, although Sho distinctly heard the sounds of what could only be sex behind several doors. In the middle of the day. These people couldn't get enough of each other. Sho felt the slightest pang of loneliness creep back into his heart as they rode the elevator down and headed for the rented convertible in the parking lot.
Aiba and Rola-san walked hand-in-hand unashamedly despite both being well-known. At his side, Keiko seemed to have a white-knuckle grip on her handbag. Perhaps she too had heard the goings on in the hallway of the hotel. No wonder Aiba was so bored - he had nobody else to talk to, if the entire wedding party and guests seemed to be more interested in staying in their rooms.
The ride to the aquarium in Motobu on the northwest part of Okinawa Island took a good hour, but Aiba enjoyed showing off the benefits of convertible rentals, leaving the top down as they drove up the coastal highway. He and Rola-san chatted merrily about the whale sharks and other aquarium tank dwellers, the two of them seeming more like a couple of excited kids than two adults in a relationship, but Sho couldn't help envying their simple happiness.
He and Keiko stayed in the back seat, and he couldn't help but watch his quiet companion, her long black hair flying around in the breeze. For the first few minutes of the ride, he watched her try to tuck her hair behind her ear, moving it away from her face as Aiba picked up speed but she finally gave up and let it fly freely. Between the loneliness of his solitary hotel room and a year without anyone in his life, it was all too easy to be drawn into her orbit, into the simple act of watching her enjoy the car ride, her soft eyes squinting out into the sunshine at the waves crashing into the shore.
He'd only known Kitagawa Keiko for a day, barely any time at all. Then he thought back to Yuriko's voice on the phone the previous day, telling him to look for the most beautiful woman at the Haneda gate. He'd found her so easily.
Sho prided himself on being a practical person. But where had practical gotten him so far? It couldn't hurt to just enjoy his week of vacation in the company of a pretty woman, even if they were strangers. At the very least they were strangers in a strange land of celebrity aquarium visitors and the sexually ambitious. They had their ordinariness in common.
Keiko turned then, catching him staring. He looked down, focusing on his sneakers or the back of Aiba-san's head for the duration of the car ride.
--
A double date, Aiba had so easily called this. Rola-san too, Keiko thought nervously. How could the two of them be so carefree and easy with their famous faces? If anything, she and Sho-san seemed to be the more uptight ones, acting as though anyone might discover them at any moment as they waited in the ticket queue, Aiba insisting on paying for all of them with a rather macho look on his face.
Rola-san was as different from her cool, untouchable ads as Keiko could imagine. She was noisy and silly, immature and a little pushy. She and Aiba had just barged into Keiko's room, demanding she come along to the aquarium. Even though Keiko was very fond of aquariums, she hadn't wanted to be a third wheel. Thus she had sacrificed Sakurai-san, encouraging them to knock on his door and invite him along.
Now here the four of them were, two celebrities arguing over the aquarium map ("The big tank first!" "No way! The coral reef!") while she and Sho hung back. "You brought work with you on vacation?" she asked him, knowing she was equally guilty.
"I haven't been on vacation in a long time," he admitted. "I'm still adjusting to all this free time."
She definitely understood him there. She'd gone on a few girls' weekends here and there, but this was her first full-fledged trip in ages. "You and me both."
He sighed a bit at their present company. "They're never going to decide, are they?"
Keiko found herself grinning, seeing Rola's cheeks puff a bit in protest at all of Aiba's suggestions. "We could always ditch them."
"Us mere mortals? When we could be gazing at whale sharks with the likes of a TV chef and a giggly model?"
"They sure make for an interesting couple."
Sho raised an eyebrow at her. "I think you could say that about everyone staying on our floor at the hotel."
They both seemed to remember at the same moment just what was going on back at the hotel, and they quieted down. Rola won the argument, and they proceeded at once to the room with the large tank, Keiko immediately cheered by the sight of the three whale sharks swimming slowly around with smaller schools of fish trailing them. The room was a solid, beautiful blue, the glow of the tank leaving everyone in the vicinity in shadow.
They'd come at a busy time, a Sunday afternoon. A crowd of tourists had clustered up at the front of the tank, unmoving, and Keiko hung back, standing up on her tiptoes to try and get a better look. Eventually she heard her name in a rather noisy whisper, finding Sho all the way up at the front waving her forward. She hurried over before the spot he'd found for her was taken, squeezing in between him and a guy with a massive camera. As the tourist adjusted his lenses, swinging his camera back and forth, she found herself having to stand closer to Sho, taking her purse from her shoulder and holding it down to give them some breathing room.
She suddenly felt his hand on her arm. "Here, you stand in front," he said quietly, moving behind her so she could watch the tank.
"Oh, thanks," she said in gratitude, still feeling the slight warmth where he'd touched her. It was chilly inside the aquarium, but Keiko didn't seem to be feeling it now, thankful for the relative darkness of the room.
Since she was little she'd loved coming to aquariums, content to watch the creatures in the tanks circle them on a constant loop. The whale sharks, massive and spotted, were the kings of the tank, gently swimming their way around. The manta rays glided serenely through the water, some of them flipping in a graceful arc, while clusters of tiny fish patrolled the areas remaining to them. Then there were a few other fish who seemed to be content to stay still, resting at the bottom of the tank without moving a muscle.
She forgot her worries about promoting Yuriko's products, forgot the lonely feelings that attending a wedding solo surrounded by couples induced in her. Instead she allowed herself to get lost in the deep sea. She put her focus on one fish, watching it loop around until another caught her eye, floating somehow to the beat of the light, ambient music that was piping into the room through the speakers. One fish became another fish of interest, then another.
Before she knew it, the crowd of people around the tank slowly started to change. The photographer vanished, replaced by a father explaining the whale sharks to his young son. She turned, realizing she'd overstayed her welcome at the front of the tank only to find Sho still standing diligently behind her, hands in his jean pockets. She looked around, embarrassed at her selfishness, unable to find Aiba or Rola anywhere.
"They headed off for the coral reef a while ago," he explained.
She felt her face grow hot. "How long was I standing there gaping at the fish?"
He held up his wrist, pointing to his watch with a grin. "Forty-seven minutes."
Keiko immediately moved away from the glass. "Oh my god..."
He followed her, heading through the blue shadowy room with amusement in his voice. "What? You looked so happy, I didn't want to interrupt."
But he stood there for the better part of an hour? Waiting for her when he could have been enjoying the other exhibits? "Sakurai-san, I'm so sorry..."
"You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently as they entered the next room.
She walked a little quicker between tanks now, eyes lingering only a short while on jellyfish and coral reef recreations. Sho-san had waited for her, quietly and without judgment. She couldn't help remembering a date she'd been on a year or two earlier, one of those her "Kitagawa, stop being so serious!" friends had set up for her. It had been the quickest trip through an aquarium she'd ever experienced, as her date had been more interested in trying to get her to a hotel with him. The memory made her more angry than sad now.
They covered the entire aquarium, and she couldn't help teasing Sho when they passed by a tank full of giant crabs. He crouched down and hid behind her, saying they were "good to eat, unpleasant to look at up close." A grown man, scared of crabs behind glass! Just one more odd thing about him. After at least another full hour of moving from exhibit to exhibit, they finally happened upon Aiba and Rola, sitting together on a bench outside the aquarium's restaurant with sullen faces.
Keiko felt immediately ashamed. "We're so sorry! It's my fault entirely, we didn't mean to lose you."
Aiba waved off her concerns. "No, please have a good time. It's actually Rola-chan..."
The model, with her normally flawless, gorgeous face, was looking a little green. Even her trademark cheek puffs were at 50% effort. "I think it was the breakfast buffet," she said, her voice low and miserable. "I don't know what it was, but it's not agreeing with me."
"We can all head home," Sho said immediately. "If Rola-san is sick, we should definitely go back."
"I'm not sitting in that convertible for an hour," she moaned, clutching her stomach. Keiko held back the urge to roll her eyes. The top could easily be put up on the car! And wouldn't the open air do her good if she was ill?
Aiba looked apologetic. "We didn't have your phone numbers or we would have told you. I'm glad you found us now because we were going to have the staff page you in a minute or two. We're taking a taxi back..."
"Wait...what?" Sho interrupted. "What about the rental car? There's room for all of us, and Rola-san can lie down in the back, right?"
Aiba, as casual and unconcerned as he'd been all day, fished around in his pocket and tossed Sho the car keys. "It's only what, 3:00? Stay, enjoy the rest of the day."
"I'm not insured on this car," Sho mumbled. Aiba and Rola were leaving them alone here?
"That's no big deal, I trust you." After knowing him for a day!? Aiba would not be deterred, his phone buzzing. "That would be the taxi company. Honestly, the directions back to the hotel are programmed into the GPS. You'll be fine. I can just tell that Keiko-chan isn't close to being done looking at the fish, right?"
"Aiba-san..." Keiko stuttered.
He got up, helping Rola to her feet. "Really, it's okay! We'll see you back at the hotel!"
And just like that, the two of them were gone, leaving Sho and Keiko in the middle of the aquarium alone. "How do you like that?" Sho muttered, dumbfounded. He jingled the keys in his hands. "We have a convertible."
"We have a convertible," she echoed.
He shook his head. "This is why celebrities have managers, I think. To avoid situations like this."
She nodded, looking around. The aquarium would be open for another few hours, and Keiko did have to admit that Aiba was partially right. There were still plenty of exhibits she hadn't looked at. Before, Keiko had been able to rationalize the day - they were here to accompany Aiba and Rola. But now they were here, just the two of them, surrounded by families and couples on dates.
"We can stay as long as you want," Sho said, looking at her kindly. She knew there was a ton of work he probably wanted to get back to, but he was being a real gentleman. He had been all day, indulging her as they wandered through the exhibits. It was almost too much to handle. Keiko wasn't used to this sort of thing at all anymore.
She decided to compromise. "How about we see what we haven't seen yet and then head back?"
"Sure you don't want to check out the big tank again?"
She couldn't bear the thought of him standing around waiting so patiently again, having already been dragged to this place at the last second. "It's either the big tank or the crabs again," she teased, watching him shudder.
He started to walk, heading for the deep sea exhibit. "Crabs are no joke, Keiko-san. Let's go."
She laughed, hurrying after him.
--
It was irrational, Sho decided, falling so easily for Keiko-san. But yet he'd done exactly that the entire afternoon. Sure there'd been fish and other marine life, but the exhibit that most caught his eye was his companion's face, the way it seemed to change as soon as she stood in front of the tank glass. Her eyes lit up, her rather serious expression becoming a non-stop smile.
And now they were alone.
Was it really a date now? Sho wasn't too sure. It had been ages since he'd even been on one. In the last few months he and Asami had been together, he'd been pretty terrible in that department. They'd go to dinner, maybe take a walk around the neighborhood, but Sho had always come up with excuse after excuse to not do much more. He kept putting work ahead of her, and he'd been an ass to do so.
Maybe he could make up for it during this short week with Keiko. Maybe he could remember how to be a decent guy again.
They went through the aquarium at a steady pace, Aiba's car keys heavy in his pocket. He prayed the GPS had been programmed accurately. He wouldn't know what to do if he got them lost. She finally turned to him at the end of their last exhibit, looking a little tired.
"You know," she said, "we didn't even eat lunch, did we?"
She was right, of course. "Should we eat at one of the overpriced restaurants here or stop on the way back?"
She smiled. "I think you have your answer already."
They headed back to the parking lot, skipping the crazed group of noisy children and harried parents running around the gift shop. He got behind the wheel of the convertible, suddenly feeling more nervous than he had the whole day.
She patted him on the shoulder. "It's not every day you get to show off in a car like this, right? You can do it, Sho-san."
Her encouragement was more than enough to motivate him. More than enough to make his heart beat a little faster. Together they got the GPS going, and he pulled back onto the highway. It took all his concentration to stay focused on the road rather than on the palm trees, ocean, and long stretches of sand. It was even more difficult not to watch her. After the long day of walking through exhibit after exhibit, Keiko reclined the seat beside him slightly, putting her feet up on the dashboard, crossing her ankles the way Rola had on their way up here earlier that day.
The Kitagawa-san beside him was relaxed, happy, letting the wind mess her hair without a single worry. He decided then and there, as the GPS beeped out directions for him, that maybe he should take a chance on her. He enjoyed her company, found her effortlessly beautiful. From the second they'd met, they'd had a lot in common, from their devotion to work to being unattached to their shared naivete about their hosts. And here they were in paradise (despite the gaudy billboards on the highway and the tourists with their cameras).
When they stopped at a greasy spoon diner for a meal, she tried to pay for her share and he refused. Their fingers touched when he grabbed the check, and he decided to just go for it, which for Sakurai Sho was an impulsive act almost unheard of. It had taken him months to gather up the courage to ask Asami out. Maybe Okinawa was doing something to his brain.
"I had a nice time with you today," he said. "If you're not busy tomorrow, would you like to spend some more time together?" He backtracked a little at the slightly stunned look on her face. "I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you had other plans with Yuriko-san or whatever..."
"I'd like that," she said quietly. "I'd really like that, actually."
He let out a breath in relief at her response. "Great. Let me just go pay and we can get going."
The air in the car was a bit more charged as they continued their way south back to the resort. Tomorrow he'd see her again. Tomorrow he'd have to come up with some sort of plan to impress her. He had his laptop - he was already a step ahead of the game, research-wise. Sho rested his left hand on the gear shift, tapping his fingers nervously. He saw that Keiko's fingers were lingering, tapping on the edge of her own seat. He itched to grab her hand but held himself back. In just two days, Sho had found someone amazing, someone he was comfortable talking to, someone he was comfortable remaining in silence around. He wanted to know her better.
When they parked in the lot, he cleared his throat nervously, telling her not to move when he shut the car off. He exited hurriedly, running around so he could open her door for her.
"You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to," he said quietly.
"Oh."
They walked back into the hotel, side by side, neither of them making another move. It had been tricky enough, nerve-wracking enough to get to this point, Sho decided. He knew Kitagawa-san was devoted to her job - had she been alone as long as he had?
"Do you know which one is Aiba-san's room?" he asked as soon as the elevator dropped them off at their floor.
But before she could answer him, one of the doors opened and out came Rola, dressed in a polka-dot bikini and holding a bottle of wine. And, Sho noted, looking perfectly healthy. "Masaki-chan, Yuriko had the wine we wanted..."
The door just opposite Rola-san opened, revealing Aiba himself in a pair of swim trunks and holding a picnic basket, as though they were both on their way to a romantic meal on the beach. "Sho-chan!" Aiba sputtered, nearly dropping the picnic basket. "We...we didn't expect you two back for a while yet."
"I got better!" Rola declared, holding up a peace sign.
"That's great," Keiko said diplomatically.
"Thanks for the car," Sho chimed in, fishing the keys out of his pocket and tossing them over.
"Right," Aiba said, him and Rola bouncing their way back down the hall. "See you later!"
"I got really better!" Rola shouted over her shoulder needlessly, Aiba hushing her with a giggled warning.
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, he turned to look at Keiko. "I think we've been tricked," he said.
She smiled a bit shyly. "I think you're right."
"All tricks aside, can I still see you tomorrow?"
She pulled her room key out of her purse, flashing it over the reader on her door. "You know where to find me."
--
As soon as Keiko found herself in the room, she was shaking in surprise, beaming from ear to ear in what to her was silly, uncharacteristic joy. Just yesterday morning she'd been miserable and lonely in rainy Tokyo. Things certainly had changed for the better.
Of course, there was still plenty of time for Sho-san to change his mind. Her laptop was still where she'd left it, all set for her to spend hours on work. Maybe he wasn't looking for someone like her, someone so serious and mostly lacking in the feminine charm department. Maybe he was just looking for some fun in the sun, and she just happened to be the only fun available.
Oh, stop it, Kitagawa, she chided herself. He'd been close to perfect at the aquarium, an entertaining dining companion at the diner (a full hour about rocking chairs and she hadn't grown bored once), and he'd focused on the road and not on looking for places along the way to pull over and make a move. Although she had found herself wondering during the car ride home if he would in fact make a move. She'd also discovered that she wouldn't be so averse to him trying.
It was moving much quicker than Keiko was used to, but she wasn't complaining. Tomorrow they'd spend more time together, just the two of them. No Aiba and Rola-san faking an illness to push them together, although Keiko had to admit that it had led to nothing but good things. It was like the others in the party were cheering them on in some way.
Well, she decided, no matter what happened between her and Sho-san over the next few days, she'd just have to let it happen. Keiko lived by solid work deadlines and planning things diligently. Things like fate, things like her and Sho-san, two single people with something in common just happening to be neighbors in the hotel on this strange vacation...Keiko had never put stock in coincidences like these before.
She was invited to a late dinner with Kou-san and Matsumoto-san at a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel, the two of them having heard she was in advertising and wanting to know a little more about it. Despite her first impressions of both Kou-san and her boyfriend, they were relatively subdued in comparison to the bride and groom.
The pair had met while Kou-san was launching her fashion line, Matsumoto-san a fashion designer in his own right. It certainly explained their clothes - Matsumoto in a rather loud jacket and tight designer jeans, Kou in a form-fitting dress and knee-high boots. Away from the hotel and in more mixed company, Kou did not see much need to feed her boyfriend in front of anyone. Instead they spoke animatedly about clothing, taking turns shoving their phones at Keiko to get her input on a few designs they were considering and asking what kind of apparel clients Dentsu worked for. Despite dining with a couple, they made her feel completely welcome. They made it halfway through the meal before the topic of Sho-san came up.
"And your friend, the polo shirt from last night?" Kou asked, taking a sip of beer.
"What about him?" Keiko blurted out a little too quickly. She had to stop drinking so much on this vacation or she'd spill everything to anyone who'd listen.
Jun grinned. "She's done it again, hasn't she?"
"Hmm?" Keiko asked while Kou and Jun exchanged a look.
Kou shook her head. "Yuriko," she said. "She's playing her favorite game. She just so happened to introduce me to someone at an opportune time too, hint hint."
Jun continued. "I got a call one day about a year ago from someone called Yoshitaka of the Snake and Earring Club. Never heard of her before, but she said she was a fan of my newest line. And she's got a friend looking for a partner to start a line of adult cosplay and fetish wear."
"And two months later," Kou said, ruffling Jun's hair. "He was all mine."
Was everything with Sho-san a ploy by Yuriko? Was it just an attempt at matchmaking? Keiko shook her head. "Yuriko-san is a client. We have a professional..."
"You're young and beautiful, he's gorgeous and looks pretty malleable," Kou teased. "Go for it."
Jun smiled, pulling out his business card and sliding it across the table. "Maybe you can get him out of that polo shirt. Fashion-wise, of course."
"Of course," Kou chimed in, giving her boyfriend a rap across the knuckles for his implication.
Keiko spent the rest of the meal trying to deny what was becoming so obvious. The same flight, the adjoining rooms, the overflowing condom baskets. She and Sho were being set up.
But, she realized as she walked back to the hotel with Kou and Jun, maybe Yuriko had pegged her completely right. Kou and Jun had been nothing but a Yuriko set-up, and they were a perfect match. Intelligent, witty, and had what she assumed was quite a happy life behind closed doors.
Were Sho and her a perfect match too?
Part Four
"So do you have any big plans tomorrow? Nino's a stick in the mud, so we'll probably just lounge around the room," Yuriko was saying as she escorted Keiko from the restaurant to the lobby.
Though Keiko usually wore a serious expression, she'd always been terrible at holding her liquor. Even though she was nervous, scared almost about what awaited her at the hotel's front desk, she found herself smiling anyhow. The champagne had definitely helped get her through the meal and the many introductions to Yuriko's friends.
"The beach maybe?" Keiko replied. In fact she'd planned to spend the day in the room on her laptop if she could, balcony doors wide open to let in the breeze while she did some research. It had felt confining to be in her apartment, searching the Internet for fetish and BDSM websites, but down here maybe it would be easier. She had to do her homework on the scene if she was going to have any sense at all about where Puppy Play might find its niche. After all, wasn't that what Yuriko was paying her for?
"Sounds nice," she said, bringing them up to the desk. The woman working there wore an unflappable expression, even as Yuriko ordered her to "bring out the garment bag for my friend Keiko" in less than polite Japanese.
Garment bag? Keiko swallowed, trying to stay calm. Whatever was in the bag was needed for the bachelorette party. Keiko had tried her best, packing a cute skirt, top, and some strappy heels for the ladies' night out. Apparently that wasn't good enough as the employee returned, holding a bag labeled "PADDLE ROYALE."
Yuriko accepted the bag with a smile, bringing Keiko to the elevators. "Paddle Royale is Kou-senpai's line of clothing. I'm being forward again, I know, but not only does this help support my friend's business, you're going to look amazing, I swear."
For a bachelorette party? Why did Keiko have to look amazing? It was going to be Yuriko's night, wasn't it? Yuriko wouldn't let go of the bag, and they rose up in the elevator, gabbing about how well Shibasaki-san's business was going, how happy she was to finally be settling down with Matsumoto-kun (who wasn't a "pet" like Nino seemed to be, but he was apparently submissive to Shibasaki-san nonetheless).
They made it to Keiko's room, and Yuriko followed her in, giggling like a school girl. She unzipped the bag as Keiko tried not to sway on her feet from all her champagne.
"Okay, so on Tuesday night, as you know, we're going out for the bachelorette party," Yuriko explained. "It's a pretty tame club as far as the scene goes, and you'll be with us. We'll take care of you, I promise. But I didn't realize until just the other day that there's a theme night on Tuesday. Uniform night!"
"Uniform night?" So they were going to one of...those clubs? Keiko was going to stick out like a sore thumb if she was going to be out and about with Yuriko and her friends.
She watched in surprise as Yuriko let the garment bag fall. "Kou picked it out for you. All I told her was what I thought your size was and what I knew about you and she just got you. She's wonderful that way."
Keiko blinked at the outfit before her, the outfit that Yuriko and her other guests would now be expecting her to wear in just a few short days. It seemed to be a fetish version of a sailor-style schoolgirl uniform with a ridiculously short red leather skirt, a white top with a plunging neckline, a red collar, and a purple bow. Yuriko also held up a pair of elbow-length white gloves.
"Is this from Sailor Moon?" Sailor Moon for grownups, Keiko thought nervously.
"Sailor Mars, actually," Yuriko explained, wiggling the costume on its hanger. "You're going to look so cute!"
Keiko accepted the hanger, chewing her lip. It could be worse. She didn't have to go to the bachelorette party in tight latex. "Thank you, Yuriko-san. I'm sure it'll be a fun time."
Yuriko wished her a good night and headed down the hall to the suite she and Nino were sharing. Keiko blinked away the memory of the sex swing Aiba-san had gone on and on about, shutting and locking her door. She brought the silly costume into the bedroom, opening up the closet.
Inside she'd hung up all the clothes she'd brought, simple dresses and skirts. Plain colors, simple patterns. Cotton cotton cotton! As she hung up the Sailor Mars costume next to it, she realized just how out of her element she was here. And yet Yuriko believed in her, had treated Keiko kindly (at least her own odd version of kindness). She owed it to Yuriko to work hard, even if it meant wearing a costume. Even if it meant enduring days of people who spoke so frankly about their sexual habits and fetishes.
Still a little woozy from drinking, she filled up one of the supplied glasses in the kitchen with water, sliding open her balcony door and heading out into the night.
The air was so clean and fresh, after both the warmth of the hotel's restaurant and the heated, downright naughty conversation there. She moved to the edge of the deck, setting down her glass and sighing happily. This was a nice place, a straight view to the beach and the water beyond. The price was right too, she thought with a grin, knowing she'd never go to the expense of staying at a place like this, especially since she was single.
She sipped her water, looking forward to the following day, and a few minutes later she heard the other balcony door slide open. "Oh," Sho said when she turned. "I'm sorry to bother you."
He made to go back in, but Keiko waved her hand. "No, it's fine. Please come on out. The air is great."
"So it is," Sho said, looking downright normal after the evening she'd been through. Most of Yuriko's friends, men and women both, wore designer clothes that probably cost what would be an entire paycheck for Keiko. She had to admit that Sakurai-san seemed more in her bracket of living, even if he looked a little underdressed in comparison to everyone she'd met at dinner (the groom and his t-shirt aside).
He moved to the balcony beside her, exhaling in seeming relief and leaning on his elbows. He seemed in good spirits, which Keiko imagined was her fault. She'd lost track of how many drinks she'd poured for him in lieu of making conversation with the middle-aged retired dominatrix who'd been sitting on her other side.
"Kitagawa-san, have you ever been to a dinner like that before?"
With millionaires and TV stars and people who tied one another up for fun? "What do you think?"
He looked at her with a knowing smile, and since her alcohol intake had lowered her inhibitions, she smiled right back at him. Co-conspirators, the two of them. The two outsiders of the raucous group. Sakurai Sho was cute, if a little awkward. Keiko would be glad to spend the week as his neighbor, if only for the blessed normalcy of the man.
"What was waiting for you at the concierge?" he asked.
She merely brought a finger to her lips. "Secret."
He laughed. "Unlike most of our company, you don't reveal all your cards at once."
She took another sip of water, listening to the sounds of a few people down below splashing around in the hotel's pool. "Who knows? Maybe by the end of the week we'll change and tell all our secrets. They might rub off on us."
"Literally," Sho replied before wincing. "Sorry, sorry. It's not every day my friend's fiancee sits on my lap."
"It's not every day that you work for someone like Yuriko-san." She chuckled, raising her glass. "To a week full of weird," she toasted.
He raised an invisible glass of his own. "To a week full of weird. Cheers to you."
--
Sho woke with a slight chill. He'd slept with the balcony door cracked open the slightest bit, crashing on the ridiculously comfortable couch in the living room. His bed remained completely untouched, and he sighed. He was already getting too relaxed in this slowed down vacation lifestyle.
He got up, heading for the shower. Once he'd dressed, he headed downstairs, finding a small convenience store in the lobby. As part of the package deal Nino had purchased, Sho was entitled to the full buffet breakfast in the restaurant every morning. But he refused to be one hundred percent on vacation. He loaded up a basket with some instant rice and miso, the store not having much by way of fresh ingredients.
Back in the room he made his own breakfast, desperate to not fail in upholding at least this one routine. The rice ended up slightly overcooked, and the miso was mostly flavorless. Well, Sho decided, maybe it wouldn't hurt to hit the buffet once or twice.
After that disappointment he pulled out his folders and his laptop, already imagining Nino complaining in his ear about Sho working too hard. Maybe he'd go out later, take a nice long walk on the beach. The morning, at least, he could commit to Okada & Morita.
He easily lost himself in work and the hours slipped by, the breeze keeping the room cool and relaxing. It was just about time for lunch when there was a knock at the adjoining door. Ah, Kitagawa-san, the one person in Okinawa he could count on to be normal right now. He found himself absent-mindedly running his fingers through his hair before opening the door.
But before he could address his new neighbor, Aiba-san came barreling into his room. "You too?" the man cried, seeing Sho's laptop on the coffee table and the papers strewn every which way. "I don't believe this!"
Kitagawa-san appeared behind Aiba, hiding a bit in the doorway, offering Sho a weak smile.
"What do you mean?" Sho asked as the celebrity seemed to have no trouble wandering around and poking at Sho's computer.
He was in undercover celeb mode again, dressed in a t-shirt, baggy jeans, and a Chiba Lotte Marines cap. You'd never know he was on the cover of magazines. "You and Kitagawa-san! Both working!"
"Yuriko-san is my client. I have to help with..." Keiko tried to explain, but Aiba shook his head.
"No no no, I won't hear it!" he insisted. "If I can't get Nino to come, I need to get someone to join us."
"Us?" Sho asked, only to hear the familiar laugh from dinner the night before.
"Whale sharks!" he heard Rola-san giggle as she gently pushed Keiko before her into Sho's room, smiling brightly before oddly sticking out her tongue. "Gosh, Masaki-chan, all these people don't seem to care that they're in Okinawa, huh?"
Keiko saw Sho's laptop and passed no judgment. Had they really both spent their full mornings working? They were even more alike than Sho had realized. "Whale sharks?" Sho asked.
Aiba came up, wrapping an arm around Sho's shoulders. Everyone was rather touchy-feely on this trip. "Ro-chan and I are going up to the aquarium, and it seems like everyone around here was up late doing god knows what. We can't get anyone to come with us!"
Keiko shrugged. "I like aquariums," she admitted, even though from the look on her face he could tell she was a little upset about being interrupted. Sho could recognize a fellow workaholic when he saw one.
Sho looked mournfully at his pile of work. But then he could tell that Aiba Masaki would not be deterred. "You think it's okay to go, even if you're...you know, both famous?"
Rola's hands covered her mouth as she giggled again. "Oh, just let them photograph us, right?"
"Right?" Aiba agreed. The two of them, more laid back than Sho could ever hope to be. And he wasn't even famous! "Better to be photographed on a double date than coming out of a love hotel."
Sho saw Keiko look away at the mention of "double date" but already Rola was giving her a poke in the arm with her pink-polished fingernails. "Come on, Keiko-chan! You even told me about picking me for your campaign! We're destined to be friends, I just know it! Let's spend the day together!"
"Rola-san was kind enough to endorse the shampoo brand I used to work on," Keiko explained.
Aiba clapped his hands. "Alright, alright, we can chat in the car, let's go!"
Sho discovered he wasn't even going to have a moment to change, only having time to hastily grab his wallet and room swipe card before Aiba tugged him into the hall. He and Keiko trailed behind the two lovebirds, who refused to go to the aquarium unaccompanied. Well, Sho thought, a few hours in front of the big tanks would be pretty nice. Work would still be waiting for him when they got back.
They left the hotel corridor behind, although Sho distinctly heard the sounds of what could only be sex behind several doors. In the middle of the day. These people couldn't get enough of each other. Sho felt the slightest pang of loneliness creep back into his heart as they rode the elevator down and headed for the rented convertible in the parking lot.
Aiba and Rola-san walked hand-in-hand unashamedly despite both being well-known. At his side, Keiko seemed to have a white-knuckle grip on her handbag. Perhaps she too had heard the goings on in the hallway of the hotel. No wonder Aiba was so bored - he had nobody else to talk to, if the entire wedding party and guests seemed to be more interested in staying in their rooms.
The ride to the aquarium in Motobu on the northwest part of Okinawa Island took a good hour, but Aiba enjoyed showing off the benefits of convertible rentals, leaving the top down as they drove up the coastal highway. He and Rola-san chatted merrily about the whale sharks and other aquarium tank dwellers, the two of them seeming more like a couple of excited kids than two adults in a relationship, but Sho couldn't help envying their simple happiness.
He and Keiko stayed in the back seat, and he couldn't help but watch his quiet companion, her long black hair flying around in the breeze. For the first few minutes of the ride, he watched her try to tuck her hair behind her ear, moving it away from her face as Aiba picked up speed but she finally gave up and let it fly freely. Between the loneliness of his solitary hotel room and a year without anyone in his life, it was all too easy to be drawn into her orbit, into the simple act of watching her enjoy the car ride, her soft eyes squinting out into the sunshine at the waves crashing into the shore.
He'd only known Kitagawa Keiko for a day, barely any time at all. Then he thought back to Yuriko's voice on the phone the previous day, telling him to look for the most beautiful woman at the Haneda gate. He'd found her so easily.
Sho prided himself on being a practical person. But where had practical gotten him so far? It couldn't hurt to just enjoy his week of vacation in the company of a pretty woman, even if they were strangers. At the very least they were strangers in a strange land of celebrity aquarium visitors and the sexually ambitious. They had their ordinariness in common.
Keiko turned then, catching him staring. He looked down, focusing on his sneakers or the back of Aiba-san's head for the duration of the car ride.
--
A double date, Aiba had so easily called this. Rola-san too, Keiko thought nervously. How could the two of them be so carefree and easy with their famous faces? If anything, she and Sho-san seemed to be the more uptight ones, acting as though anyone might discover them at any moment as they waited in the ticket queue, Aiba insisting on paying for all of them with a rather macho look on his face.
Rola-san was as different from her cool, untouchable ads as Keiko could imagine. She was noisy and silly, immature and a little pushy. She and Aiba had just barged into Keiko's room, demanding she come along to the aquarium. Even though Keiko was very fond of aquariums, she hadn't wanted to be a third wheel. Thus she had sacrificed Sakurai-san, encouraging them to knock on his door and invite him along.
Now here the four of them were, two celebrities arguing over the aquarium map ("The big tank first!" "No way! The coral reef!") while she and Sho hung back. "You brought work with you on vacation?" she asked him, knowing she was equally guilty.
"I haven't been on vacation in a long time," he admitted. "I'm still adjusting to all this free time."
She definitely understood him there. She'd gone on a few girls' weekends here and there, but this was her first full-fledged trip in ages. "You and me both."
He sighed a bit at their present company. "They're never going to decide, are they?"
Keiko found herself grinning, seeing Rola's cheeks puff a bit in protest at all of Aiba's suggestions. "We could always ditch them."
"Us mere mortals? When we could be gazing at whale sharks with the likes of a TV chef and a giggly model?"
"They sure make for an interesting couple."
Sho raised an eyebrow at her. "I think you could say that about everyone staying on our floor at the hotel."
They both seemed to remember at the same moment just what was going on back at the hotel, and they quieted down. Rola won the argument, and they proceeded at once to the room with the large tank, Keiko immediately cheered by the sight of the three whale sharks swimming slowly around with smaller schools of fish trailing them. The room was a solid, beautiful blue, the glow of the tank leaving everyone in the vicinity in shadow.
They'd come at a busy time, a Sunday afternoon. A crowd of tourists had clustered up at the front of the tank, unmoving, and Keiko hung back, standing up on her tiptoes to try and get a better look. Eventually she heard her name in a rather noisy whisper, finding Sho all the way up at the front waving her forward. She hurried over before the spot he'd found for her was taken, squeezing in between him and a guy with a massive camera. As the tourist adjusted his lenses, swinging his camera back and forth, she found herself having to stand closer to Sho, taking her purse from her shoulder and holding it down to give them some breathing room.
She suddenly felt his hand on her arm. "Here, you stand in front," he said quietly, moving behind her so she could watch the tank.
"Oh, thanks," she said in gratitude, still feeling the slight warmth where he'd touched her. It was chilly inside the aquarium, but Keiko didn't seem to be feeling it now, thankful for the relative darkness of the room.
Since she was little she'd loved coming to aquariums, content to watch the creatures in the tanks circle them on a constant loop. The whale sharks, massive and spotted, were the kings of the tank, gently swimming their way around. The manta rays glided serenely through the water, some of them flipping in a graceful arc, while clusters of tiny fish patrolled the areas remaining to them. Then there were a few other fish who seemed to be content to stay still, resting at the bottom of the tank without moving a muscle.
She forgot her worries about promoting Yuriko's products, forgot the lonely feelings that attending a wedding solo surrounded by couples induced in her. Instead she allowed herself to get lost in the deep sea. She put her focus on one fish, watching it loop around until another caught her eye, floating somehow to the beat of the light, ambient music that was piping into the room through the speakers. One fish became another fish of interest, then another.
Before she knew it, the crowd of people around the tank slowly started to change. The photographer vanished, replaced by a father explaining the whale sharks to his young son. She turned, realizing she'd overstayed her welcome at the front of the tank only to find Sho still standing diligently behind her, hands in his jean pockets. She looked around, embarrassed at her selfishness, unable to find Aiba or Rola anywhere.
"They headed off for the coral reef a while ago," he explained.
She felt her face grow hot. "How long was I standing there gaping at the fish?"
He held up his wrist, pointing to his watch with a grin. "Forty-seven minutes."
Keiko immediately moved away from the glass. "Oh my god..."
He followed her, heading through the blue shadowy room with amusement in his voice. "What? You looked so happy, I didn't want to interrupt."
But he stood there for the better part of an hour? Waiting for her when he could have been enjoying the other exhibits? "Sakurai-san, I'm so sorry..."
"You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently as they entered the next room.
She walked a little quicker between tanks now, eyes lingering only a short while on jellyfish and coral reef recreations. Sho-san had waited for her, quietly and without judgment. She couldn't help remembering a date she'd been on a year or two earlier, one of those her "Kitagawa, stop being so serious!" friends had set up for her. It had been the quickest trip through an aquarium she'd ever experienced, as her date had been more interested in trying to get her to a hotel with him. The memory made her more angry than sad now.
They covered the entire aquarium, and she couldn't help teasing Sho when they passed by a tank full of giant crabs. He crouched down and hid behind her, saying they were "good to eat, unpleasant to look at up close." A grown man, scared of crabs behind glass! Just one more odd thing about him. After at least another full hour of moving from exhibit to exhibit, they finally happened upon Aiba and Rola, sitting together on a bench outside the aquarium's restaurant with sullen faces.
Keiko felt immediately ashamed. "We're so sorry! It's my fault entirely, we didn't mean to lose you."
Aiba waved off her concerns. "No, please have a good time. It's actually Rola-chan..."
The model, with her normally flawless, gorgeous face, was looking a little green. Even her trademark cheek puffs were at 50% effort. "I think it was the breakfast buffet," she said, her voice low and miserable. "I don't know what it was, but it's not agreeing with me."
"We can all head home," Sho said immediately. "If Rola-san is sick, we should definitely go back."
"I'm not sitting in that convertible for an hour," she moaned, clutching her stomach. Keiko held back the urge to roll her eyes. The top could easily be put up on the car! And wouldn't the open air do her good if she was ill?
Aiba looked apologetic. "We didn't have your phone numbers or we would have told you. I'm glad you found us now because we were going to have the staff page you in a minute or two. We're taking a taxi back..."
"Wait...what?" Sho interrupted. "What about the rental car? There's room for all of us, and Rola-san can lie down in the back, right?"
Aiba, as casual and unconcerned as he'd been all day, fished around in his pocket and tossed Sho the car keys. "It's only what, 3:00? Stay, enjoy the rest of the day."
"I'm not insured on this car," Sho mumbled. Aiba and Rola were leaving them alone here?
"That's no big deal, I trust you." After knowing him for a day!? Aiba would not be deterred, his phone buzzing. "That would be the taxi company. Honestly, the directions back to the hotel are programmed into the GPS. You'll be fine. I can just tell that Keiko-chan isn't close to being done looking at the fish, right?"
"Aiba-san..." Keiko stuttered.
He got up, helping Rola to her feet. "Really, it's okay! We'll see you back at the hotel!"
And just like that, the two of them were gone, leaving Sho and Keiko in the middle of the aquarium alone. "How do you like that?" Sho muttered, dumbfounded. He jingled the keys in his hands. "We have a convertible."
"We have a convertible," she echoed.
He shook his head. "This is why celebrities have managers, I think. To avoid situations like this."
She nodded, looking around. The aquarium would be open for another few hours, and Keiko did have to admit that Aiba was partially right. There were still plenty of exhibits she hadn't looked at. Before, Keiko had been able to rationalize the day - they were here to accompany Aiba and Rola. But now they were here, just the two of them, surrounded by families and couples on dates.
"We can stay as long as you want," Sho said, looking at her kindly. She knew there was a ton of work he probably wanted to get back to, but he was being a real gentleman. He had been all day, indulging her as they wandered through the exhibits. It was almost too much to handle. Keiko wasn't used to this sort of thing at all anymore.
She decided to compromise. "How about we see what we haven't seen yet and then head back?"
"Sure you don't want to check out the big tank again?"
She couldn't bear the thought of him standing around waiting so patiently again, having already been dragged to this place at the last second. "It's either the big tank or the crabs again," she teased, watching him shudder.
He started to walk, heading for the deep sea exhibit. "Crabs are no joke, Keiko-san. Let's go."
She laughed, hurrying after him.
--
It was irrational, Sho decided, falling so easily for Keiko-san. But yet he'd done exactly that the entire afternoon. Sure there'd been fish and other marine life, but the exhibit that most caught his eye was his companion's face, the way it seemed to change as soon as she stood in front of the tank glass. Her eyes lit up, her rather serious expression becoming a non-stop smile.
And now they were alone.
Was it really a date now? Sho wasn't too sure. It had been ages since he'd even been on one. In the last few months he and Asami had been together, he'd been pretty terrible in that department. They'd go to dinner, maybe take a walk around the neighborhood, but Sho had always come up with excuse after excuse to not do much more. He kept putting work ahead of her, and he'd been an ass to do so.
Maybe he could make up for it during this short week with Keiko. Maybe he could remember how to be a decent guy again.
They went through the aquarium at a steady pace, Aiba's car keys heavy in his pocket. He prayed the GPS had been programmed accurately. He wouldn't know what to do if he got them lost. She finally turned to him at the end of their last exhibit, looking a little tired.
"You know," she said, "we didn't even eat lunch, did we?"
She was right, of course. "Should we eat at one of the overpriced restaurants here or stop on the way back?"
She smiled. "I think you have your answer already."
They headed back to the parking lot, skipping the crazed group of noisy children and harried parents running around the gift shop. He got behind the wheel of the convertible, suddenly feeling more nervous than he had the whole day.
She patted him on the shoulder. "It's not every day you get to show off in a car like this, right? You can do it, Sho-san."
Her encouragement was more than enough to motivate him. More than enough to make his heart beat a little faster. Together they got the GPS going, and he pulled back onto the highway. It took all his concentration to stay focused on the road rather than on the palm trees, ocean, and long stretches of sand. It was even more difficult not to watch her. After the long day of walking through exhibit after exhibit, Keiko reclined the seat beside him slightly, putting her feet up on the dashboard, crossing her ankles the way Rola had on their way up here earlier that day.
The Kitagawa-san beside him was relaxed, happy, letting the wind mess her hair without a single worry. He decided then and there, as the GPS beeped out directions for him, that maybe he should take a chance on her. He enjoyed her company, found her effortlessly beautiful. From the second they'd met, they'd had a lot in common, from their devotion to work to being unattached to their shared naivete about their hosts. And here they were in paradise (despite the gaudy billboards on the highway and the tourists with their cameras).
When they stopped at a greasy spoon diner for a meal, she tried to pay for her share and he refused. Their fingers touched when he grabbed the check, and he decided to just go for it, which for Sakurai Sho was an impulsive act almost unheard of. It had taken him months to gather up the courage to ask Asami out. Maybe Okinawa was doing something to his brain.
"I had a nice time with you today," he said. "If you're not busy tomorrow, would you like to spend some more time together?" He backtracked a little at the slightly stunned look on her face. "I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you had other plans with Yuriko-san or whatever..."
"I'd like that," she said quietly. "I'd really like that, actually."
He let out a breath in relief at her response. "Great. Let me just go pay and we can get going."
The air in the car was a bit more charged as they continued their way south back to the resort. Tomorrow he'd see her again. Tomorrow he'd have to come up with some sort of plan to impress her. He had his laptop - he was already a step ahead of the game, research-wise. Sho rested his left hand on the gear shift, tapping his fingers nervously. He saw that Keiko's fingers were lingering, tapping on the edge of her own seat. He itched to grab her hand but held himself back. In just two days, Sho had found someone amazing, someone he was comfortable talking to, someone he was comfortable remaining in silence around. He wanted to know her better.
When they parked in the lot, he cleared his throat nervously, telling her not to move when he shut the car off. He exited hurriedly, running around so he could open her door for her.
"You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to," he said quietly.
"Oh."
They walked back into the hotel, side by side, neither of them making another move. It had been tricky enough, nerve-wracking enough to get to this point, Sho decided. He knew Kitagawa-san was devoted to her job - had she been alone as long as he had?
"Do you know which one is Aiba-san's room?" he asked as soon as the elevator dropped them off at their floor.
But before she could answer him, one of the doors opened and out came Rola, dressed in a polka-dot bikini and holding a bottle of wine. And, Sho noted, looking perfectly healthy. "Masaki-chan, Yuriko had the wine we wanted..."
The door just opposite Rola-san opened, revealing Aiba himself in a pair of swim trunks and holding a picnic basket, as though they were both on their way to a romantic meal on the beach. "Sho-chan!" Aiba sputtered, nearly dropping the picnic basket. "We...we didn't expect you two back for a while yet."
"I got better!" Rola declared, holding up a peace sign.
"That's great," Keiko said diplomatically.
"Thanks for the car," Sho chimed in, fishing the keys out of his pocket and tossing them over.
"Right," Aiba said, him and Rola bouncing their way back down the hall. "See you later!"
"I got really better!" Rola shouted over her shoulder needlessly, Aiba hushing her with a giggled warning.
As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, he turned to look at Keiko. "I think we've been tricked," he said.
She smiled a bit shyly. "I think you're right."
"All tricks aside, can I still see you tomorrow?"
She pulled her room key out of her purse, flashing it over the reader on her door. "You know where to find me."
--
As soon as Keiko found herself in the room, she was shaking in surprise, beaming from ear to ear in what to her was silly, uncharacteristic joy. Just yesterday morning she'd been miserable and lonely in rainy Tokyo. Things certainly had changed for the better.
Of course, there was still plenty of time for Sho-san to change his mind. Her laptop was still where she'd left it, all set for her to spend hours on work. Maybe he wasn't looking for someone like her, someone so serious and mostly lacking in the feminine charm department. Maybe he was just looking for some fun in the sun, and she just happened to be the only fun available.
Oh, stop it, Kitagawa, she chided herself. He'd been close to perfect at the aquarium, an entertaining dining companion at the diner (a full hour about rocking chairs and she hadn't grown bored once), and he'd focused on the road and not on looking for places along the way to pull over and make a move. Although she had found herself wondering during the car ride home if he would in fact make a move. She'd also discovered that she wouldn't be so averse to him trying.
It was moving much quicker than Keiko was used to, but she wasn't complaining. Tomorrow they'd spend more time together, just the two of them. No Aiba and Rola-san faking an illness to push them together, although Keiko had to admit that it had led to nothing but good things. It was like the others in the party were cheering them on in some way.
Well, she decided, no matter what happened between her and Sho-san over the next few days, she'd just have to let it happen. Keiko lived by solid work deadlines and planning things diligently. Things like fate, things like her and Sho-san, two single people with something in common just happening to be neighbors in the hotel on this strange vacation...Keiko had never put stock in coincidences like these before.
She was invited to a late dinner with Kou-san and Matsumoto-san at a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel, the two of them having heard she was in advertising and wanting to know a little more about it. Despite her first impressions of both Kou-san and her boyfriend, they were relatively subdued in comparison to the bride and groom.
The pair had met while Kou-san was launching her fashion line, Matsumoto-san a fashion designer in his own right. It certainly explained their clothes - Matsumoto in a rather loud jacket and tight designer jeans, Kou in a form-fitting dress and knee-high boots. Away from the hotel and in more mixed company, Kou did not see much need to feed her boyfriend in front of anyone. Instead they spoke animatedly about clothing, taking turns shoving their phones at Keiko to get her input on a few designs they were considering and asking what kind of apparel clients Dentsu worked for. Despite dining with a couple, they made her feel completely welcome. They made it halfway through the meal before the topic of Sho-san came up.
"And your friend, the polo shirt from last night?" Kou asked, taking a sip of beer.
"What about him?" Keiko blurted out a little too quickly. She had to stop drinking so much on this vacation or she'd spill everything to anyone who'd listen.
Jun grinned. "She's done it again, hasn't she?"
"Hmm?" Keiko asked while Kou and Jun exchanged a look.
Kou shook her head. "Yuriko," she said. "She's playing her favorite game. She just so happened to introduce me to someone at an opportune time too, hint hint."
Jun continued. "I got a call one day about a year ago from someone called Yoshitaka of the Snake and Earring Club. Never heard of her before, but she said she was a fan of my newest line. And she's got a friend looking for a partner to start a line of adult cosplay and fetish wear."
"And two months later," Kou said, ruffling Jun's hair. "He was all mine."
Was everything with Sho-san a ploy by Yuriko? Was it just an attempt at matchmaking? Keiko shook her head. "Yuriko-san is a client. We have a professional..."
"You're young and beautiful, he's gorgeous and looks pretty malleable," Kou teased. "Go for it."
Jun smiled, pulling out his business card and sliding it across the table. "Maybe you can get him out of that polo shirt. Fashion-wise, of course."
"Of course," Kou chimed in, giving her boyfriend a rap across the knuckles for his implication.
Keiko spent the rest of the meal trying to deny what was becoming so obvious. The same flight, the adjoining rooms, the overflowing condom baskets. She and Sho were being set up.
But, she realized as she walked back to the hotel with Kou and Jun, maybe Yuriko had pegged her completely right. Kou and Jun had been nothing but a Yuriko set-up, and they were a perfect match. Intelligent, witty, and had what she assumed was quite a happy life behind closed doors.
Were Sho and her a perfect match too?
Part Four