Love & Cherry Blossoms

by Amara Kent

  Her sharp elbow digs straight into my ribs. “Watch it. Your elbows are like blades.”

  “Well, be quiet or I’ll do it again.”

  We reach the vestibule door and I take a few minutes, not wanting to open it. I contemplate leaving, but I know I have to face them one day. If I don’t, my stepmom will be knocking down my door, and I won’t have Aiya to act as a buffer.

  “Would it be so bad if you got a girlfriend? Surely, it would ease the pressure,” she says softly.

  I scoff. She knows my stance on relationships. Monogamy isn’t for me. I’ve seen enough failed relationships and marriages in my life to know that the only complications I want in my life, concern my work. The complications of relationships? You can think you have it fixed when in reality you don’t. Who the fuck would want to deal with that?

  “You know why, Aiya.”

  “I know, I know, you’re a commitment-phobe—”

  “I’m not afraid of commitment, I would just prefer to not be tied down.”

  “Same thing, different words.”

  I go to argue back when the door opens and Hachiro’s wide smile greets us. “Kon’nichiwa, sir.” (Hello, sir) He goes to bow, but I stop him.

  “Hachiro, what did I say about calling me sir and bowing at me? There’s no need for such formalities with me.” I frown.

  “I’m sorry, s—” I shoot him a look and he stops before he can say sir once more.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Hattori are out back on the terrace. Please come in. Lunch will be ready soon. Welcome, Miss Funai.”

  “Hello, Hachiro. It’s nice to see you again,” Aiya greets him with a smile and a hug.

  I look on at how at ease she is. It would be so easy if we were together. Both our parents would be over the moon about it. She has a career—which matters a lot to my parents—as a fashion designer. Her career has gone down the same path as mine. We both built our empires from the ground up and all on our own. There was no relying on our parents to get us to where we are. They taught us well and always said that one of the greatest accomplishments in life is when you can stand proud in your kingdom and say that you are the reason you are standing in it. You are the one that helped you get there. It could have been very easy to allow the name of my father to help make the ride smoother, but it wouldn’t have been as rewarding.

  We walk through the expansive living area and out onto the terrace where my parents sit at the outdoor table, exquisitely furnished to perfection. My stepmother’s eyes light up when she sees us and she all but sprints up to me, pulling me into a tight embrace before pushing me away and slapping me lightly on the arm. It’s just a damn shame that the prospect of Aiya and me becoming an item in this life was destroyed when she came out to me years ago.

  “Don’t you dare make me wait another four months to see you again. I’ve missed you,” she whines a little, adding a pout for extra effect.

  “Sorry, I’ve been quite busy. I promise not to wait so long next time.”

  “I’ll forgive you this time because you brought Aiya.” She moves on from me and gives all her attention to Aiya while I head to the table and hug my father, acting as if she doesn’t see her most of the time I come here.

  “I’m sorry it’s been so long,” I apologize to my father.

  “It’s okay. Please don’t make it too long. Your mother has been driving me crazy, talking about when she was going to see you again,” he says quietly.

  “You were whining too!” she exclaims quickly before returning to her conversation with Aiya.

  “Like a bat.” I chuckle.

  “It is good to see you again, son.” He gestures to the seat next to him and I take it. “How is the business going?” he asks.

  “Exceptionally well. Shares are good, and we have just launched new tech on touchscreens. Currently, we are in the process of working on a type of technology that could revolutionize the design industry.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m so proud of you,” my father says, patting me on the back. “And how are you, Aiya?”

  “Great. I’ve set my new fashion line in various stores all over the world,” she says brightly, taking a seat next to me.

  “Yes, I saw the new line in the latest issue of Vogue. Not the Japanese one, but the French one. That British actress was wearing it. Um, what’s her name?”

  “Giselle Van Der Hassett,” Aiya fills in.

  “Oh yes. You’re right. She looked beautiful, but I know it was because of your dress,” my stepmother gushes.

  A fierce red marks Aiya’s cheeks and she bows her head. She’s always been embarrassed about her success. Though she’s fiercely proud of her accomplishments, when people praise her like this, she falls into herself. It’s what I love about her. She never takes her success for granted and is always grateful when people adore her work. There’s no parading it around in an obnoxious and obvious way. She believes that people should always remain humble and live life as if they weren’t filled with success. Aiya lives by one quote in life:

  Success can go as quickly as the wind blows.

  It’s a blessing, not an entitlement.

  She told me she saw it written on a wall once. Because of this one quote, she’s remained grounded.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hattori. It’s so nice of you to say.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re brilliant. You deserve all the success in the world.”

  Aiya catches me looking at her and I shoot her a wink. Yeah, it would be so damn easy if we were together.

  “I spoke to your mother yesterday, and she said that you will be traveling to America in a few days. You’ll be opening another store? That must be very exciting.”

  “Yes. I’m very excited. I think fondly of America, they’ve been very supportive of me since my designs went international.”

  “I can see why. Your designs are amazing,” I compliment. She looks up at me with a gracious smile on her face.

  The giddy one on my stepmother’s face doesn’t escape my notice, and I force myself not to roll my eyes at her. She knows there’s no chance, yet she has held onto a thin thread of hope that we’ll turn around one day and say “surprise, we’re together!”

  I release a sigh of relief when Hachiro and the maids arrive with the food.

  A plate of salmon comes out, along with some marinated meats, rice, noodle dishes, and some nigiri. I will say, there are some upsides to coming here. Hachiro’s first love is food. He loves creating all kinds of dishes and when he’s not working, he’s watching cooking shows or reading cookbooks. My mother and father hired him when his little food stand was being shut down by the local council. If it weren’t for them, Hachiro and his wife and three kids would have been left to fend for themselves on the street. It’s actions like these that make me respect my parents so much. Kindness was never hard for them.

  “Thank you, Hachiro. You always treat us so well,” I praise him.

  “It is a pleasure to serve all of you.” He bows, leaving us to dig into our banquet.

  “So, Ren darling, do you have a girlfriend yet?” my stepmother asks innocently, taking a bite of her salmon, acting casual as if we were discussing the weather. I drop my knife and fork onto the table and place my head in my hands. Aiya gives me a supportive squeeze on my leg and I push down the annoyance bubbling inside of me.

  “Mom,” I warn her.

  “What? It’s just a question. Surely, you can’t be too annoyed by a question,” she states, blinking quickly.

  “It’s the same question you ask me every time I visit. Why does it matter if I have a girlfriend or not?” I ask sourly.

  “Darling, you’re forty-three now and not getting any younger. Don’t you want to settle down and be able to give your love to something other than your father, me, and your business? Don’t you want a child to pass on your legacy, the empire you’ve built?”

  “No, I haven’t thought about it.”

  “I don’t understand why you don’t want a girlfriend. Why woul
d you want to stay single for the rest of your life?”

  “I don’t care about it, why should you?” I practically shout.

  “Ren,” my father warns me and I shoot him a look that shows my disapproval of his warning. She is the one that continues to harass me on the issue. My answer isn’t going to somehow change one day because of her pestering.

  “Because I want what’s best for you. And I know it’s what your mother would have wanted for you,” she says softy. My teeth grind against each other at the mention of my mother. Aiya takes my hand in hers and I squeeze it tightly, holding my anger and sadness in. I want to yell at her for daring to mention my mother. For thinking that she knew who she was and what she would have wanted from me. My mother—my birth mother—was the kind of woman that was always pushing against the social norms and expectations. She would have been happy no matter what I did, so long as I’m happy and healthy. “And having someone in your life is the best feeling in the world.” She continues, laying a loving hand on my father’s, and he smiles at her with the same adoration.

  “I’m just not interested in a relationship.” I sigh, scrubbing my hand down my face. “Relationships and marriage aren’t for everyone.”

  “Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman,” my stepmother says softly. “I know some wonderful women that would love to go on a date with you. Why don’t I set you up with one.”

  “No,” I grit out between clenched teeth.

  “Why—”

  “Because we’re dating,” Aiya announces.

  My jaw drops and I look at her in shock. What the fuck, Aiya?

  “Oh my goodness. You are? Why didn’t you tell us!” My stepmother gleefully shouts, throwing her hands in the air.

  Aiya looks at me apologetically and mouths sorry. “Yes, Mother,” I say through clenched teeth. You have a lot to explain when we get out of here, Aiyah. “We are. Sorry, we were trying to keep this under wraps in case it didn’t work out.” I force the words that are tainted with vexation, out of my mouth.

  “This is wonderful news! I’ve always prayed you two would get together.” Tears well up in my stepmother’s eyes and my father congratulates me for a relationship that doesn’t even exist.

  “We would appreciate it if you kept it quiet. Once the media gets a hold of this, it will blow up out of control. We want to see how it goes before we announce it.”

  “What the fuck were you thinking?” I blow up at Aiya as soon as we get into the car. Waiting until I hear the click of her seatbelt, I slam the car into gear and speed down the driveway of my parent’s property and onto the streets of Minato. Ever since she dropped the bomb on me, I’ve wanted to talk to her about it, but I knew that during lunch with my parents, was not the time to have such a discussion because controlling my voice would be something I would not have had the power to do. Aiya grips onto the handle of the car door, and I slow down just a bit to put her at ease.

  “I’m so sorry, it just came out. I wanted to save you. You looked as if you were about to explode and say something you would come to regret later on. It’s the only thing I could think to say at the time,” she explains weakly.

  I don’t buy it for a second. “Let me get this straight. In all the years you’ve been there with me through this fucking goddamn shit show, you think now is the time to inform my parents of a fake relationship?”

  Squeezing the steering wheel of my car, I attempt to quell the rage within me. There is something more to her doing this, I know there is… This isn’t her first rodeo, yet she acted as if it were and then tried to pass it off as something…

  “How bad?” I ask when it becomes clear why she had done what she had.

  “They asked if I was a lesbian, and when I told them that I was to gauge their reaction, they weren’t very happy.” She hangs her head. “When I told them I wasn’t, they were so relieved and then went into this rant about how awful it would be if I were.”

  “I’m sorry, Aiya.” It’s the only thing I can say.

  I understand how she must feel. Her parents are fairly open-minded people. They are kind and generous to everyone and aren’t homophobic, so knowing that they would have a problem with her being a lesbian must have felt like shit.

  “My mom then went to set me up with this asshole who is so full of himself. I said no, and she asked why not. I told her I didn’t want to. I wish I could have told her what I really thought of him, but she’s close with his mother and thinks the world of him. It wouldn’t have gone down well. I had to do something, so I told my parents that I was dating you. I asked them to keep it quiet because we were trying to see if this would even work between us. I’m so sorry, Ren.”

  Tears well in her eyes and I clasp my hand with hers and squeeze it.

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll keep it up,” I assent.

  A beautiful tear-streaked face looks at me. I wipe the moisture from her face. “Really?” she asks.

  I nod. I’m not a relationship type of person, but I’m also not an asshole. I would do anything for this woman. Even if that means lying to the people we love the most.

  “I know what it’s like to constantly be set up with your mother’s friend’s kids. There might as well only be one miserable person having to put up with that shit. I’m happy to be your beard,” I say lightheartedly, which earns me a hug.

  She scrunches up her face. “I think that’s only for gay men.” She cocks her head to the side, in deep thought. “Is there a lesbian version of a beard?”

  “I think it works on both ends. The point of a beard is hiding who you are to those around you, which is exactly what a beard does with your face. Things you don’t like, you can hide with a beard.”

  “I don’t like that term. I’m going to call you my purse.”

  “Purse?” I ask.

  “Yeah, purse. Women hide all kinds of things in their purses. It works like a beard, but is more feminine,” she explains with a smile.

  “No. I’m your beard. I don’t want to be thought of being feminine. I’m far from being feminine,” I retort.

  “Aw. Is big ole Ren not secure enough in his sexuality?” she mocks.

  I slap her playfully. “You know I am. But I’m a guy, therefore I should be known as a beard.”

  “Whatever you say, big boy,” she says with dramatic seductiveness.

  “So, I guess we’re doing this,” I say after a few minutes.

  “I guess so. There have to be rules though.”

  “Of course,” I agree, pulling into her driveway and killing the engine.

  “You can sleep with other women, but don’t make it your usual amount, I don’t want to see it plastered all over the media,” she requests with a slight frown.

  “Okay, so put a short leash on the cock,” I note.

  She cringes at my words, and I chuckle, mussing her hair up a bit. She swats me off. “I know we’re meant to look as if we’re available, but try not to make yourself look too available. The last thing I need is to get a phone call from my parents about your actions. And the last thing you need is to get a phone call from your parents because of a phone call from my parents.”

  “No PDA if we can avoid it.”

  “Most definitely. The thought of kissing you kind of grosses me out… no offense.”

  “I left that bad of an impression the first time, aye?” I say in mock offence.

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “There’s no offense taken. Anything else?” I ask.

  “Nope,” she says.

  “Good.”

  “Good. Well, I better get going then… hubby,” she says with a little giggle and a smirk.

  I groan from the use of the annoying pet name. “Don’t you start with this shit. All your time in America has scrambled your brains.”

  “Oh, but, hub—”

  “Out, Aiya!” I demand with a laugh.

  She lands a light kiss on my cheek before vacating my car and waving at me with two fingers before entering
her house.

  Aiya:

  Goodbye, hubby. I’ll see you when I get back from America.

  XOXO

  Fucking little shit. I throw my phone lightly onto the passenger seat and drive off.

  Chapter Six

  Kerri

  I look at the choices on the banner in front of me. I’ve been walking about for the past hour and a half trying to figure out what to have for lunch. Indecision. It’s such a damn problem. They say not to hold personality traits and behaviors in star signs seriously, but honestly, this is a sure thing. It’s true. It is one of the few faults of a Capricorn. All of it looks too damn good and the smells wafting out from the front doors is not making the decision process any easier.

  “Do you think if you keep staring at it, it’ll be magically delivered to your hands?” a sardonic voice asks from behind me.

  I whip around to face… Oh, fuck off with your gorgeous self. My face falls and I flip him the bird, spinning back around and intently looking at the pictures of food, hoping they would just magically appear in my hands so I can get away from him. He doesn’t move, but steps closer to me. I inadvertently draw in his scent. God, he smells good. I can’t believe this is happening. Baader Meinhof, the phenomenon where you experience something over and over again. In this case, it would be the annoyingly sexy stranger from the plane. Otherwise known as Ren Hattori. Why me? Why am I being punished?

  “Are you that bored with your life that you have the time to stand here and annoy me?” I drawl.

  “Oh, you’re talking to me now,” he sniggers.

  “Just to tell you to piss off and leave me alone.”

  “What’s with the attitude?” He presses himself into me. his already hard cock pushes up against my ass and I suppress the moan that’s edging its way up. “You were much more compliant on the plane. Or do you need me to remind you?” he asks, licking the skin behind my ear, and I bite my bottom lip.

  Damn sexy asshole. I don’t need him to complicate things for me. I have a perfectly good thing going on. Screw a guy and show him the door. Rinse and repeat. Except he’s making it awfully difficult to repeat.