Prisoner of Love (fanfic)- Chapter 6-A
To read previous chapters, they can always be found here!
Jun took another glance at the stranger already sitting with the group. He definitely WAS the same man that he saw watching the group from the beach outing. But he wasn’t looking for someone. He was probably observing her. The man knew Selina.
Sakurai Sho.
From what he had overhead from the table, Sakurai was a childhood friend of Selina’s. The man had degrees from Harvard and Keio University in Business and Economics. He ran his family business as president of the company. He was witty, polite and good-looking. He was charming and fit in easily with the group. He was already telling jokes and some childhood stories. He sat close to Selina at all times and glanced at her often.
He seem like the perfect man for her. But something didn’t sit right with Jun. Because no one can be perfect. Even if the specimen was obviously before him.
Selina could not believe that Sho sat beside her. It had been ages since the last time they met. Even though they were the same age, he always had been bright. He graduated early and took over his family’s company. He was too busy trying to keep the business on the right track that he even missed her going away party. It had indeed been awhile.
Sho glanced at Selina once more. He regretted missing her party. Not that he was a party person. He would have attended if not for the family business. No one else was going to inherit it and he learned early on on how bad of a shape it was. So instead of the parties and maybe, even love, Sakurai Sho focused all his energies on graduating early and took over the reigns. Not that he minded the responsibility. He actually liked what he did. He found satisfaction in running the business and interacting with the employees. They refer to him as the “savior”. For Sho, he just found another more effective way of doing things. But there was a small part that he did regret. He missed her, missed being with her. Sure, she might act a little bit spoiled at times but she was smart, funny and warm. She was brash but loyal to her family and friends.
Now that everything has calmed down in America, it was time to make-up.
Chri’s laughter brought Sho’s attention back to the table. Sho thanked the waiter, Matsumoto-san, when he brought his black coffee before him.
“Geez, Sel. We can’t even believe that you are still here with all that stuff you did when you were young? How did your dad ever let you go to a foreign place and so far away?” her friend asked.
Selina smirked. “That is going to be a secret.”
Chri took a bite out of her cake. “Well, whatever it is. It hasn’t saved you from getting into trouble,” she remarked.
Sho perked up. “Trouble? What kind of trouble?” He sounded a little bit worried.
Selina laid a hand on his arm, as if to comfort him. “Sho, its no big deal,” she denied.
Chri shook her head. “You probably already know about her sense of direction. Well, she got lost one day trying to find this cafe. Got into some trouble with the locals. If it wasn’t for Matsumoto-san,” Chri pointing her fork to Jun in reference,” Sel here would be in a lot of trouble.”
Surprise appeared on Sho’s face. When he first met the server, he thought that he was just one of those guys that worked in the cafe. That he was no different from everybody else. But it seem like there was something more that’s going on between his best friend and the server.
Selina waved her hands in front of her. “Think nothing of it, Sho. I’m here and I’m safe. I’ll always be grateful to Matsumoto-san for helping me that night.” She took a quick glance at him and smiled.
Even before he realized what he was doing, Jun caught hold of that glance, nodded his head briefly and smiled back.
All the while, Sho observed them. And did not like what was going on. But he kept his calm and addressed the server. “Domo arigatou, Matsumoto-san. Selina can be a real pain in the ass but someone has to save her sometimes.” That earned him a punch on his arm from her. Sho turned away from Jun and joined the others in laughter.
Jun nodded back in acknowledgement. What was going on with him? Had he gone soft towards her? What was that smile about? It didn’t appear like she was mocking him. That her thanks had been genuine. What bothered him more was when Sakurai-san thanked him for saving her. As if the other person regretted it more that she was saved by a stranger rather than him. The man was almost territorial when it came to her. Could it be?
“Yeah. If it wasn’t for Sho during those other times...” Selina enigmatically trailed off. Her tone somehow hinted of another story.
“Hey, now. None of that gloomy aura.” Sho lifted her chin with a finger and smiled fondly at her. She naturally reciprocated the smile. There was something deeper between the two than just being friends. Chri, not totally oblivious to this pair, decided to probe further.
“So did you ever hook up?” Chri asked curiously.
Jun stopped momentarily. He was curious to hear this as well. It was obvious that Sho liked Selina, more than a friend. Did she like him that way too? He can’t deny that he wanted to know. He would have enough time later to think why he should care.
Selina blushed but remained silent. Sho answered for her. “I got busy. Things were not going too well with our family business and I had to take care of that. When we were younger, I thought we’d be together forever.” He sighed. “But life have different ways of doing things and we drifted apart. I’m hoping that...it’s not too late.” Sho reached over to hold her hand.
She was caught unawares of Sho’s confession. It was said simply and true. Selina had to agree that when they were young, she thought of the same thing. That nothing was going to tear them apart. She understood on why Sho had to be there for his family. Because she would have done the same. And this was the Sho she had come to know ever since that incident. But that took time and with the deteriorating relationship with her own father, Selina had to move away. Sho had already done too much for her and coming to him with her own troubles would be too much of a burden. Even though they were physically apart from each other, he had never been too far away from her thoughts.
Selina squeezed his hand back, thinking nothing of the gesture. “So you didn’t come here for the food then?” she teased.
Sho laughed. “Nope. That would always be first in my heart.” That earned him another punch.
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This week was full of surprises. There were too many things going at the same time and Jun wished he had the time to just breathe and think. He wished it was work that preoccupied his time. But all he could think about is her. On why this is happening to him. Why did she affect him this much? Why even affect him at all? And what then? Should he do something about it? What should he do about it? The questions continued to churn in his mind. Curdling would be more like it ,bringing a snappish Jun to the surface. Even Nishikado-san gave him a warning about being too strict with his co-workers and sometimes the customers. There must be a better way to deal with this, with her. And he have to deal with it soon, before he loses his job. There was that one condition that came with the job. One has to quit if they fell in love.
And this is certainly NOT love. Was it?
Jun needed to get a hobby. That would probably help.
But until then, he just had to deal with everything, one at a time. Like this one for instance.
He was sitting across Sho in one of the outside tables. The man had come in a few minutes earlier and requested for him. There was nothing wrong for a server of the cafe to cater to male clients. But all the female customers were definitely staring at the two handsome men who faced each other outside.
Besides that one day that he came in to surprise Selina, Jun did not have any chance to talk to the other person. He was dressed smartly today with jeans paired with a black shirt and blazer. It was the middle of the summer and he must have been sweating underneath all that. Jun was right as Sho removed his blazer and laid it across the empty seat beside him. After Jun placed his ice tea, Sho asked if he could talk to him for a couple of minutes.
“Relax, Matsumoto-san. I’m not here to take over your job.” He laughed. Jun didn’t find it amusing. The man could definitely replace him anytime he wanted to. But then, why would a CEO even be interested in a job serving customers?
Sho took a sip of his drink and bowed before Jun. “Again, I would like to thank you for taking care of Selina. Her father and I definitely appreciate it.”
Jun just nodded. “So is this why you are here? Because her father wanted you to check on her?” He had always been straightforward. The more he stared at this person, the more irritated he got. But this was all irrational. The man was just thanking him.
“No. Her father is unaware of what happened and will remain so until she tells me it is ok to tell. Or she can tell him herself. I dislike liars but I hate people who tell on other people. Everything has its own time,” he explained.
Although Jun did not agree with the whole lying part, he understood about betrayals. He at least knew that Sho had his own morals. He liked the guy. Even just for a second.
“I agree. So if you aren’t here to spy, what can I do for you, Sakurai-san?” he asked.
Sho put both of his hands on the table, palms up. “I need your help, Matsumoto-san.”
Jun raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Sakurai Holdings, named after the family, was one of the big import-export business in Japan. For the CEO to ask help from a lowly server from a cafe was quite interesting. “If I can,” was all he said back.
“You probably heard the other day in the cafe about making it up to her.” Sho did not have to say her name for Jun to know who he was referring to. “The thing is, even if I was partially raised here, a lot of things have changed. And,” he smiled shyly, as if he was embarrassed by the fact. “the view has changed. I could have asked someone to make the research for me for all of these but I wanted to ask someone who is more familiar with the area.” Sho paused and asked his question.
“So where do you take a girl out for a date over here?”
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He didn’t tell her where they were going or doing. The only instruction that Sho gave to her was dress nice. Selina didn’t know what “dress nice” meant. So she opted for a white Grecian type of dress. The material was made out of silk with straps on her shoulders that knotted when it connected to the main dress. There was thin strips of silk that criss-crossed under her bust. The dress ended just a little bit before her knees. She finished the attire with a modest heeled silver sandals. Selina put her hair up in a bun with ringlets softly falling to frame her face. The only accessory she wore was a simple pair of drop earrings.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Sho remarked as she met him by her doorway when he picked her up. She blushed and complimented him back. He was the perfect contrast to her. While Selina wore almost all white, Sho’s attire compromised of different hues of gray and black. His blazer and vest on the inside was stripped. To tone down the whole thing from resembling a suit, he settled for a button down black shirt. No tie of course.
“I guess you clean up pretty well, when you make the effort, Sho,” Selina remarked.
If she guessed right, Sho would be taking her to somewhere fancy. Ever since he picked her up from her dorm, he blindfolded her. It scared her a little but she trusted him that he wouldn’t put her in harm’s way.
“You’ve been pretty good with not cheating. And we know, good behaviors always get rewarded.” With that, he removed her blindfold.
Selina has to adjust her eyesight because it was pretty dark on where he took her. She uttered a gasp. She knew they were going up a building when she heard the ding of the elevator doors. But she didn’t expect he would take her here.
They were at the special observatory, the higher level than the public one at Tokyo Tower. Sho must have rented the entire floor just for them. There was no one else but the two of them. There were candlelights that was sprinkled on the ledges and on the floor. In a corner, there was a table set up for two. Tokyo was alight with its nightly glow. The view was spectacular from where they were. The whole atmosphere was magical and intimate.
“Irrashaimase.”
She didn’t even notice him. But she couldn’t be mistaken about his voice.
Matsumoto stepped out of the shadows dressed in his best server attire. There was a certain aloofness that emanated from him. This added to the professional person that he was.
When he saw Sho enter first, Jun prepared himself for tonight. He was hired to do a job and he was a person to see it through. But when he saw Selina, Jun had to remind himself to breathe.
She was captivating. Totally different from the usual girl that wore jeans and a shirt when she visited the cafe. She was elegant but simple. She did not need to show much skin to let any man know she was a woman. He definitely noticed that she was a woman tonight.
Jun reminded himself that this was not his date, that she was NOT his date. That Selina did not dress like THAT for him. Not for him. She was not here FOR him. As Jun repeated this, he also tried to ignore the pain that suddenly bloomed in his chest.
Selina gave a slight nod. She suddenly felt awkward. Sho must have needed some help to accomplish all of this. He could have asked for anyone else. He just had to chose Jun. Why him?
Before she could say a word of greeting to Jun, Sho already lead her to the dinner table. Sho seated her himself, not even waiting for Jun to do it. He sat himself and dinner commenced. Unlike what she was thinking, dinner turned out to be a more comfortable affair. Jun almost had become invisible during the entire course. His presence was only felt when he presented and took away the dishes or refilled their drinks. They both talked about the past, their adventures and their times together. Sho wanted to make it up to her. Most importantly, he wanted to remind her. Of him. Of them. And maybe the possibilities after.
“I don’t think I can eat one more bite, Sho.” Selina rubbed her tummy. Even with the formal attire, she never let herself be too stuck-up. Except when she’s in her father’s company. “The food was certainly fantastic. Kudos to your catering, Matsumoto-san.” This she directed her thanks to Jun. Somewhere in the shadows, he bowed.
“What about the company?” Sho asked.
She put a finger to her chin. “Hmmm....I need to think about that a little bit longer.” Sho laughed and knew she was teasing him.
“Come on, I have one last surprise for you.” He laid his napkin on the table and helped her from her seat. Sho led her to the area to view downtown Tokyo. The lights twinkled below them. It tried to replicate the stars that cannot be seen anymore in this city.
“It really is beautiful, Sho,” Selina said.
“You’re not seeing it, Sel. Look harder. What do you see?” he prompted.
One can get easily distracted by the lights and sounds. Selina tried to see what her friend was referring to. Sho stepped behind her and took her hand. He guided her hand to trace the shape of something down there. He whispered in her ear.
“What do you see?” he repeated.
That is when she saw it. Down in the center of those lights formed a pathway. A shape similar to somewhere she is right now. Selina laughed in delight. Amidst all the light, formed another Tokyo Tower. “That is amazing, Sho. I wouldn’t have noticed if you didn’t point it out,” Selina remarked.
“And do you see me too?” he asked, serious all of a sudden.
Sho slowly spun her around to face him. Selina could not clearly see his face in the dimness of the light. She reached up a hand to his face. He held that hand against his cheek.
The world continued to spin and yet, time stopped for them.
“Yes, I do, Sho. I always have,” she replied softly.
Jun had finished his job. It was time to leave. For some reason, he wanted to see her one last time. Maybe in the future, he might learn to forget. Maybe.
But as Jun saw them kiss, he can’t help hear his heart shatter.
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Author’s note: I noticed that my previous chapters were way too long and decided to divide this one into two. Chapter 6-B would be posted soon. Finished this at midnight and I don’t think I can write another chapter. Way too sleep.
This chapter was brought to you by Utada Hikaru: Flavor of Life ~Ballad Version~. She is my fave female singer and love her songs! Ironically, this was used for Hana Yori Dango season 2 where Matsumoto Jun starred in. This part of the song resounded well for Sho and Selina:
At the meddle point between friends and couple
I'm a green fruit longing for the harvest day
Since I cannot take a step forward
Why impatient? Baby
"What's wrong?" suddenly you ask me so "I'm okay, nothing much"
"Good Bye", after that, my smile disappears, it's not the way I am
The more I wish to believe, the more painful it is
It's more like you to say "I really like you" than "I love you"
The Flavor of Life
Appropriate isn’t it? Listen to the entire song! Listen to Hikki! You won’t regret it!
Also I credit Gackt for giving me the Tokyo Tower date idea. Read, Enjoy and Commet~