by Imari Jade
“Second. It’s a beginner’s class.”
“I am so proud of you.”
Tricia picked up her cup again and sipped. The tension between them was thick in the air. Normally, the two of them would be in each other’s arms. He hadn’t even given her a hello kiss.
“Have you seen Kevin lately?” Damien asked.
“Yes,” Tricia answered. “He stopped by the restaurant yesterday for dinner.”
“Was he with a date?” Damien asked.
Tricia nodded. “A pretty girl. They seemed to be having a good time together. So I guess that theory of yours about him being gay was wrong.”
“Maybe,” Damien said. “Was she Japanese?”
“No,” Tricia answered. If Kevin wanted him to know then Kevin would have to tell his brother that he had eaten dinner with her.
“What about you? Have you been getting out much lately?”
“Who me? Yes, I went shopping on my own today to the mall near your office. I picked up some really cute stuff.”
“You were at the mall today?” Damien asked.
Tricia nodded. He sure looks nervous.
“Are you going out to any clubs?”
Tricia put down her cup. “Does it matter?”
Damien nodded. “I think you should apologize to Barbara. I know you’re better than this.”
Tricia shook her head. “No.”
Damien scowled at her. “Why not?”
“Because she started the fight. I can’t believe you’re still siding with her. She started with me and I whipped her ass. Both of you should get over it.”
“I didn’t come here to argue,” Damien said.
“What did you come here for?” Tricia asked. “It’s been weeks.”
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you but you blocked my calls,” Damien said in defense of his actions.
“You started calling me yesterday,” Tricia said. “Where have you been? No, forget about that. I already know the answer since I saw the two of you together at lunch today. I hope you’re happy with her.”
“I’m not with Barbara. I’ve been busy with Kazumi,” Damien said.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Damien. I saw you with her today and now it’s over between us.”
Damien finished his tea. “What about our engagement?”
“So over,” Tricia said. “I can’t marry someone who doesn’t trust me or who will stick up for some lying bitch. She came into that ladies room accusing me of sleeping with Kevin and talking trash about my mother. And then she shoved me and slapped me across the face. That’s when I hit her.”
“Is that what really happened?” Damien asked.
“Yes, but you didn’t want to hear my side of it. You just assumed she was telling the truth. It’s over.”
“You don’t mean that,” Damien said. “You love me.” He rose and walked out, leaving her alone.
Not anymore. Without trust, there is no love. Tricia followed him through the house and slammed the door behind him. She marched back to the kitchen so upset she could scream. He doesn’t know me as well as he thinks. She fixed herself another cup of tea and went back to her room to finish soaking her feet. She had a message from Kevin on her cell phone.
“How are you feeling?”
“Rotten,” Tricia texted back. “Your brother just left here. It’s over between us.” She pressed the send button and tossed her phone on the bed.
Chapter Eight
With just one day before the next performance, Takumijo was anxious to get in a good rehearsal even though he and Terrie had gone out again last night and had gotten back late. The rest of his group looked refreshed and raring to go.
Their junior group Distraction did too, but that was no surprise because these guys were always super-hyper like they were hopped up on sugar. They had just finished with their rehearsal and weren’t even sweating. Takumijo sighed. The young had it so good, while he and the others were just praying to make it through the tour without passing out. Of course, he was never going to admit that to anyone.
“Aomori, you’re up,” the stage manager said.
Takumijo rose.
Yori, Satoshi, and Ichiro followed. They were all dressed in athlete gear, just in different colors.
Satoshi and Ichiro wore sweat bands around their foreheads.
Yori, unfortunately, wouldn’t put anything on his head that could potentially mess up his hair. They walked up the stairs and positioned themselves on the stage.
The first number was a fast one, TVXQ’s ‘O Jung Ban Hap.’ It was one of their favorite songs to showcase their dancing skills, and the audience always loved it.
Distraction used this song too, but just to warm up and they never performed it on stage. Thankfully, because they could really dance their asses off and often put Aomori to shame.
Their next song, one of their newer ones, was still a dance number, but a little slower and they had a lot of fun with it because each one of them got a chance to sing a verse. It was written by Ichiro and Satoshi.
Takumijo spotted his girlfriend Amaterasu as she strutted her fine ass on the stage. The two of them hadn’t had a chance to be together at all since the news broke that he was also dating Terrie, and she had been trying to get him to meet with her since they arrived in Spain. He had been successfully avoiding her because Terrie was usually always with him, but today his luck ran out. Terrie had the day off even though Ken Chikako and his people were still busy filming the dance rehearsal for his documentary on their group.
Amaterasu was waiting for him as soon as Aomori came out of the dressing room after the rehearsal ended. One of the other groups was on stage now and it would be another hour or two before they could leave the arena.
“We need to talk,” she said with her arms folded and a pissed expression on her face.
“You guys go on,” Takumijo said. “I’m going to the coffee shop. I’ll join you in the arena later.”
“Call me if you need backup,” Satoshi said as they walked away.
Amaterasu rolled her eyes at Satoshi.
Satoshi just sneered at her and followed Yori and Ichiro.
“Come on, I’ll treat you to a snack,” Takumijo said. He escorted her from backstage and through the building to the coffee shop. The place was almost empty except for a few members of some of the other groups who had already finished rehearsing. He ordered two cups of coffee and a couple of slices of sugar-free cake and they sat down at one of the little tables. “Talk.”
Amaterasu scowled at him. “Why have you been avoiding me?”
Takumijo added creamer to his coffee and two sugar packets. “What are you talking about? I haven’t been avoiding you.”
“You know I can always tell when you’re lying to me.” Amaterasu sipped her coffee. “I want you to break it off with Terrie.”
Takumijo cut into his cake and sampled it. The cake wasn’t as good as the ones Ichiro baked, but it could kill hunger. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I love him,” Takumijo answered.
“I thought you loved me.”
“I do,” Takumijo admitted. “But I’m in love with Terrie.”
“What’s the damn difference?” Amaterasu asked.
“I can’t explain it,” Takumijo said. “He makes me happy and I enjoy coming home to him every day.”
“Does he know about me?”
Takumijo nodded. “I’ve told him everything.”
“And he accepts the fact that you also sleep with women?”
“Yes, but I don’t plan to sleep with anyone other than Terrie.”
Amaterasu laughed sarcastically. “I’ll give you another month or so before you crack.” She shook her breasts at him. “You are going to miss these.”
Takumijo ran his gaze over her generous bosom. “Probably. They are nice, but like I said before, I love him, so I have to make sacrifices.”
“So are you trying to say it’s over between us?”
“For n
ow,” Takumijo said. “Who knows what the future might bring?”
Amaterasu frowned. “It was very selfish of you just stringing me along all these months.”
“Perhaps,” Takumijo said. “I enjoyed the times we spent together and hope to remain friends with you, but the sex part between us is over.”
Amaterasu continued to frown. “So selfish, but I understand.” She sighed. “What about Osamu? How is he taking all of this?”
“Not well,” Takumijo said. “He wants me to get rid of Terrie too and date only him. It’s worse than when he learned about my involvement with you. He also thinks I’m being selfish, but I’m not. I’m being honest for the first time in my life.”
“And it has nothing to do with the fact that he resembles Ichiro?” Amaterasu asked.
“I’d be lying if I said no. That’s what drew me to Terrie in the first place. But Ichiro is not gay and I’d rather have his friendship than his love.”
They finished their snack.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” Amaterasu said. “I guess we’d better get back.”
They stood up and Amaterasu hugged him. “Don’t think I’ll be waiting around for you as you did for Osamu.” She released him and walked out of the little shop.
Takumijo finished his coffee. No, he didn’t expect her to wait. He only hoped Osamu could be as understanding. He had no plans on being unfaithful to Terrie, not now or in the future. And to prove his point he was going to find a house for him and Terrie to move into as soon as they returned to Osaka.
****
Rehearsal ended early, which gave both groups very little time to get comfortable before their managers whisked them off to attend a fan meeting at a local hotel.
Cristal peeped out of the window. “My Lord.” It seemed like every teenager in Madrid had come out to meet and greet Distraction. Shiro drove around to the employee entrance where the hotel manager and staff waited to accompany them to the adjacent hall where the function would take place.
“Only about one-thousand of them will be able to enter the hall,” Saburo said. “The rest will be allowed to walk through the reception area to take pictures and to buy Distraction paraphernalia.” Distraction’s items sold well, almost as well as Aomori. Both super-groups kept Niigata Entertainment rolling in the dough. And the Niigatas treated both groups like royalty—spoiled them, really.
Cristal and Saburo were escorted to some seats in the first row center. The room was crowded with both male and female fans of all ages. Like Aomori, Distraction also had a healthy following of older women in their 30s and 40s, and some a little older like Shaundra. Wow, Cristal hadn’t thought of her good friend in a while and wondered how she was enjoying sunny California. Maybe she would call her soon and she also needed to check up on Damien to make sure he hadn’t strangled all three members of Kazumi.
Cristal chuckled to herself. She was so glad Keiichi had assigned the young women to Damien and not to her because they were a handful, especially the leader Manami.
The fan meet went really well, but it all proved exhausting for Crystal. She decided to stay in her seat and rest until the activity ended.
“My fingers hurt from signing so many autographs,” Hiroyuki complained.
Saburo smacked him on the back of the head.
“Ouch,” Hiroyuki said. “What did you do that for?”
“Be thankful you’re popular.”
“I am thankful,” Hiroyuki said. He pouted and rubbed his head.
“My face hurts,” Izanagi said “I’ve been smiling for hours.” He stood a safe distance away from Saburo.
Cristal tried not to smile. They sounded like two babies. She turned to Kioshi. “What about you? Do you have any complaints?”
“Yes, you look tired. Aren’t you feeling well?”
Cristal stopped smiling. “I’ve been resting all evening. I’m just older than you guys and don’t have as much energy.”
Kioshi made her stay in the room the next day when they went off to rehearse so she could regain her strength.
The nausea had finally subsided. As long as she stayed away from eggs and didn’t drink anything red, her food stayed down.
Cristal dressed for the concert and once again joined Saburo and Masaaki with getting the groups on the buses and to the arena.
The opening acts took the stage, followed by Distraction, and then finally Aomori.
Aomori and Distraction performed together toward the end.
They repeated the same routine the next night and Sunday. With Distraction safely in the hotel rooms their last night in Madrid, Cristal decided to join the older people in the hotel lounge for drinks. She ordered a non-alcoholic iced green tea.
Later, she had the privilege of being left at the table with Satoshi.
“There is something different about you,” he said when the others had gone off to dance.
“What are you talking about?” Cristal asked.
“Normally you can drink us guys under the table, but lately I’ve noticed that you’ve been staying away from alcohol.”
“I’m trying to stay healthy,” Cristal said. “After all, I’m dating a toddler, remember?”
“So you’re doing this for him?”
“Sort of,” Cristal said, trying to avoid eye contact.
Satoshi was very shrewd and could probably tell that she was lying.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Cristal almost choked on her tea. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, Cristal, this is me. I know your body and your breasts are sitting big and begging to be stared at. Your ass is getting wider too. You can’t hide it, Cristal. Would you like to go somewhere to talk about it? I promise I’m a good listener. And you can cry on my shoulder and press those big breasts against me.”
She didn’t know why she laughed. Satoshi could be so stupid at times. She stood up. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”
They left the lounge and went outside.
“Are you pregnant?”
“Yes,” Cristal answered. “Three months. I found out a day or so after we arrived in Madrid.”
The bright lights went out of those chocolate brown eyes. “Does Kioshi know?”
Cristal shook her head. “No, I can’t tell him. He’s only nineteen years old and has such a promising future.”
Satoshi reached over and took her hand. “If he’s man enough to knock you up, he’s man enough to handle the responsibility.”
“I can’t do that to him,” Cristal said. “This is my fault and I have to fix it.”
Satoshi stopped walking. “What do you mean fix it? Cristal, honey, don’t do anything rash.”
“I can’t put this off too long,” Cristal said. “It’s going to be impossible to hide.”
“Think about what you’re about to do. It’s a human life, honey. And even if Kioshi can’t handle it, you have us. You have me.”
Oh, why is he saying all the right words now instead of being a jackass? “I know. I’m so fucked up in the head right about now that I can barely do my job. I’ve spent the first leg of this tour with my head buried in the toilet. And I know he suspects something.”
“I’ll marry you,” Satoshi offered.
Cristal had to sit down. A year or so ago she would have jumped at the chance to be Mrs. Hayashi. She started to cry. “Thank you, but you are destined for greater things too. Plus, Shaundra would kill me.”
Satoshi actually blushed. “This isn’t about her.”
“Aw, come on, this is me, Satoshi. I know you are still in love with the woman despite her being married to your best friend.”
“I’d fuck Ichiro up if I had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting with her. But both you and I know that’s not going to happen, Cristal. And it doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you.”
“Yeah, I fucked that up royally too, didn’t I?”
“I arranged the date with Yi-jun,” Satoshi said.
“You don’t owe me an apology, Cristal. It was the biggest mistake I ever made and I will forever regret it.”
Cristal knew Satoshi still loved her in his own special way, but she couldn’t marry him just to save face.
“I also regret what happened between us last year. I have never acted so irresponsible in my life.”
“It wasn’t you, Satoshi, it was the drugs,” Cristal said.
“Yes, but I made the decision to take them.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Believe me, I would never want to hurt you for anything in the world. You are so precious and you deserve to have a good life.” He kissed her on the cheek and removed his hands.
“That is water under the bridge,” Cristal said. “We’re still best friends.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, Takumijo kicked my ass.”
Cristal gasped. “He did what?”
“He came to my hotel room and beat the shit out of me after he found out what I tried to do to you, and I deserved it.”
Cristal shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I’ve seen him fight before.”
“But we’re cool,” Satoshi said.
They walked back to the hotel holding hands.
“Please don’t do it, Cristal. Kioshi will be able to handle this. He’s a pretty together guy for a shrimp. And he loves you. Don’t do something you will regret.”
“I still have a little while before I have to make a decision,” she said.
“Just promise me that you’ll think this out completely. Just think, little Kioshi Junior will have two older best friends to grow up with. Who is cooler than our godchildren?”
“I have thought about that.”
“If it means anything, I think you will make a wonderful mother. You’re already experienced in dealing with juveniles.”
“Don’t make me laugh, Satoshi. You guys aren’t that bad.”
“I’m talking about the members of Distraction,” Satoshi said to her.
“Sure, you are,” Cristal said as they re-entered the building. She felt a thousand times better but no closer to a decision. “You guys are a handful too.”