Prisoner of Love (fanfic)- Chapter 5
To read previous chapters, they can always be found here!
Chapter 5: Playful? Intentions
The man’s name is Masahiro Matsuoka. He owned the dojo that Selina was going to nowadays. Jun went to his aniki to discuss Selina’s situation. They must have some kind of relationship in the past. Jun clearly showed respect for this man that he called Aniki. She didn’t know how Jun paid for the lessons. She offered payment once but Masahiro-san declined and stated that Jun already took care of it. When she asked Jun about it, he refused to answer. It was always the same reaction. He never answered why he was doing this for her. He patiently waited for her after class or fetched her from her dorm. He never missed a night for classes. He must have also worked something out with Nishikado-san so that his shifts would end so he could fetch her.
She looked over Jun that was busy cleaning the dojo floor. Class was finished a few minutes ago. Jun stayed to clean up and tonight, Selina offered to help. He was very serious with all of his work. Something that he applied to every aspect of his life. Whether it was work or training. Sometimes Selina wondered if he ever laughed. Or if she could make him. Not that she cared of course. Selina went back to polishing to her side of the floor.
Jun did not miss Selina’s stare. She suddenly offered to help and he thought it would make the cleaning faster. But in the middle of it, she stopped. Since a couple of minutes ago, her face showed her thoughts of confusion. Good thing that Jun was better in keeping his emotions in. Because he was probably as confused as her. On why he did this. On why he kept doing it. He had been trying to think about it all the everytime he came with her to Aniki’s dojo. She asked him once on why and all he could do was ignore her. Because he didn’t have the answer himself. But beside this problem, she actually did better. Selina had started to come out of her shell. She started to learn that to tackle a problem, all one needed to do was move. Hiding was never a good answer. So with Aniki’s instruction, she started to learn to face her problem, her fear. That there is something that she can do about it. Jun didn’t know how effective it might work in real life but it at least it did not leave her unprepared.
A wet rag hit Jun in the face.
He removed it to the sight of her laughing face. “Baka! We’d be here all night if you don’t stop staring. Its the floor that needs your attention!” Jun almost smiled but caught himself. He threw the towel back at her and they got back to work.
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Being with him wasn’t as stifling as before. They weren’t friends but the animosity wasn’t there. There was still some tension underneath but she just couldn’t place what it was. They were almost in front of her dorm door.
Selina turned to Jun. “I know we didn’t start on the right foot but I truly appreciate what you have done for me.” Before he could reply, she continued. “I still cannot figure out the reason why you are doing this but maybe the reason isn’t as important. I have learned a lot during the past couple of weeks.”
“Like what? Tell me,” was all he could answer back.
“Oh like, to make sure I always have my cellphone with me. And its better to be safe than sorry.” They stopped in front of her door and she fished around her bag for her keys. “If my defensive move doesn’t work, then I just probably have to use my womanly charms to get out of it.”
Before she could could the key into the lock, he spun her around and pressed her to the door. The wrist that was holding her key was pressed against the wall. His other arm entrapped her from the other side. He loomed against her as if to threaten her.
“And how would your womanly charms save you from this?” he asked in a low voice. It irritated him a bit on how nonchalant she was being. As if she have not learned anything from the training that he had asked for her. He did not want to scare her, only school her.
Something that Selina did not miss. From the second he asked the question, he was probably asking her if it was worth bringing her out. If the efforts he pulled were not in vain. But she didn’t like giving straight answers. And it seem like Jun didn’t like being teased either. Or he won’t be pressing her against the door all of a sudden.
She answered back softly with a smile. “Should I be afraid of you, Matsumoto?”
This made him more angry. He knew that she knew she was doing it to further infuriate him. He almost snarled in irritation but kept himself in check. Instead he leaned close which elicited a hitch of breath from her. “You should be afraid of me, Selina-san. You really should,” he almost whispered.
And she should have been. But instead, it turned into something else. Something fun. And one more other thing.
Selina unconsciously licked her lower lip. Whether she did this one on purpose or not, it produced the desired effect. Jun’s eyes were drawn to her lips. As if it hypnotized him to come closer, much closer. When she noticed that it produced such a reaction from him, Selina slowly smiled. And repeated the process. Ever so softly as to not break the atmosphere, she whispered back.
“Do you want to taste these lips...Jun?”
Jun visibly swallowed and almost cannot help himself but just get much more closer. When their lips are almost touching, she spoke once more.
“Just a bit more closer, Matsumoto. Just a little more so I can do....this.”
Without him noticing, Selina have slowly raised her left leg, almost touching a man’s most vulnerable spot. She was indeed clever. And she might have proven her point. But Jun didn’t like to lose. For some reason, specially not to her. With the other arm that was entrapping her to the wall, Jun slowly let his hand slide down beside her, tracing her waist then her hip. His fingers gently traced the back of her thigh until it reached the back of her knee. From there, he repositioned her knee closer to the area of offense.
“You should aim better, Selina.”
She stopped breathing when she felt those hands travelling down. It skimmed her ever so gently and without knowing that he would get the upper hand. Selina didn’t even notice that he addressed her so casually. Not that it was the main point at that time.
Both of them were still for a moment. Their breaths turned shallow and either one was afraid to move that might break the tension that suddenly rose. Their brief sparring had suddenly turned into something else.
Jun moved slightly, just inching closer to her. Selina’s eyes were half-shut, anticipating the contact.
A door slammed somewhere near.
This ultimately broke their connection. With a slight push from her, Jun dropped her leg and moved away. Selina took a deep breath as if she have not breathed for a long time. She managed a shaky smile.
“Oyasuminasai, Mastumoto-san.” She can’t even believe she sounded so normal.
“Oyasuminasai.”
Selina turned, inserted the key without incident and closed the door. She leaned against it, sighing loudly. What was this turning into?
Matsumoto stepped away from her door, the same thoughts ran through his head.
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After that incident, Jun had slowly lessened the days when he would come for her. He would still accompany her home but often left at the front entrance of the dorm. To be honest, it bothered Selina just a bit that he was the one who was trying to avoid her now. It was hard to put into words what was going through them now but she believed in just moving on. When they were together, they never talked about it.
One thing that she intended to go through was treating Jun out. Since he had a shift at the Bishounen Cafe, they both agree to meet at Toma’s restaurant. Jun had already called ahead to Toma to expect them both that night. After her class, Selina went straight ahead to the restaurant.
She was humming while she walked, careful to take note of her surroundings. One of the few things she learned is that for one not to get into trouble, one must always be aware of their situation and their surroundings. So instead of insisting that one is not lost, it is better to start asking for directions. The way to the restaurant was fairly easy coming from the university. Along the way, she saw Malvika heading towards the same direction. Before Selina could call out to her, a couple of guys strayed to her path. She could not hear what they were saying but based on Malvika’s expression, it was not something that she agreed to. Selina hurried to her.
“Hey guys, what’s up?” she casually approached them. Their attention briefly went to her. Relief was evident on Malvika’s face. Selina walked towards her and stood beside her, dislodging one the guy’s arms around Malvika.
“I’m sure, there are plenty of other pretty ladies that are willing to play with you. So if you could let me and my friend pass, we’ll let you get to those other ladies.” There were only two of them so the odds were in their favor. This pleading did not go well with them. One of them came from behind and held both of Selina’s arms. With the weeks of training kicking in, Selina stepped on the instep of the guy holding her and then with her elbow, aimed a blow at her attacker’s nose. The other guy was going to help his friend but was thwarted by Malvika’s shopping bag. This just provided enough distraction for the women to make a run from them.
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Jun slammed the door open to Toma’s restaurant. Startled, the three stopped their conversations. He marched up to the counter where Selina sat and made her face him. There was a band-aid on her forehead and hand.
“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?” he demanded.
Before she could answer, Toma placed a hand on Jun’s shoulder. “No need to shout, Jun-kun. She’s just scratched.” Jun took one seat away from her as if trying to distance himself from the situation, from her. Toma looked at Malvika, frowning. He had seen Jun upset before but nothing like this. Malvika on the other hand just smiled back at him. Liked she knew something that he did not. This was definitely not the time for smiling. He knew that when Jun got upset, it took him awhile to calm down.
Malvika put a glass of water in front of Jun. He bowed in thanks and drank the glass in full. She looked over at Selina. The other girl definitely tried to control her anger. She would as well but looking at both them just made her grin wider.
Jun clenched his fist against the empty glass. When he received that call from Toma telling him that Selina encountered some trouble on the way to his restaurant, he almost failed to breathe. The last thing he heard from him before Jun cut him off was that Selina was already there. He sneaked a glance at her. She was silently eating some curry and chapati from her seat. She looked ok. It did not look that her wounds were too serious and they have obviously been treated. He took a deep breath and let it out. All that mattered was that she was safe. Both of them were safe.
Toma put some curry rice in front of him. Jun looked up to his friend’s face. “Eat up. Its on the house.”
Malvika nodded. “If Selina did not come along, I wouldn’t know...”
Selina waved a hand in dismissal. “Think nothing of it. All of that training has paid off.”
Toma looked over at Selina. “I got your meal tonight as well. You have my gratitude. And if you ever want a free meal, you’re always welcome here.” She gave him a great smile. Jun looked sharply at his friend. “Of course, you too, Jun-kun.”
When they both finished their food, Malvika pulled Selina aside.
“I really am grateful, Selina.”
Selina smiled. “Although I love your food, I would also love if we could be friends.”
Malvika gave her a big hug as an answer. Selina hugged her back. “One more thing, Selina.”
“Hmm?”
Malvika hesitated to make a statement. She mustered her courage and just asked it. “I know we’ve just met and all but...is there something going on with you and Matsumoto-san?”
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“So, is there something going on with you and Matsumoto-san?” Chri asked.
Selina sputtered her chai tea all over the table top. Chri and Pi both raised their drinks to avoid being spitted on. “Let me get a towel to clean this up.” As she stood up, she turned around and collided with another waiter. He spilled his cold drink on her shirt.
“Ah! Gomenasai!” The young waiter pulled a wash cloth and tried to wipe the drink that seeped into her shirt.
“Its ok. Really. “ Selina took the cloth from his hand and applied it to the wet spot.
The young waiter kept apologizing profusely to her. Jun just walked in to this scene and approached their table.
“Is there a problem here?” Jun asked.
Selina looked up to his voice.
“Matsumoto-san,” the other person acknowledged in a worried voice.
Ever since his outburst that night, not that they have been avoiding each other, but they had not seen each other. This was the first time since then. He had altogether stopped from coming to get her, whether it was before or after class. It maybe just proved to both of them that she finally got over her fear. But for Selina, she missed the easy camaraderie they made during those walks. Now it was like back to square one. Tense and awkward.
Instead of giving in to those emotions, Selina gave Jun a bright smile. “Matsumoto-san, it is good to see you. Ano...” She looked over the young waiter. “What was your name?”
“Tegoshi Yuya,” he politely answered.
“Ano, Tegoshi-san here, we had an accident. I bumped into him and spilled the drink he was carrying,” she explained. Tegoshi started bowing again in apology. “Don’t worry about it. Its my old shirt anyways.”
Matsumoto bowed as well in apology. He needed to do it since he was on the clock and the other customers were looking as well. Selina waved his apology off. Jun faced Yuya. “You probably have to pay for her dry cleaning.”
She laughed. “No, no. I can do my own laundry. If you really want to make it up to me, Tegoshi-san, why don’t you become my server for the day?”
Chri gasped and Pi looked oddly at Selina. Even Jun cannot hide his surprise. He had always been her server. Not that she could not ask for someone else. Was this retaliation?
Both Selina and Yuya were unaware of such reactions.
“Really?” Tegoshi did not believe her.
Selina nodded and smiled. “Now if you get me some more rags, I could go and clean up the mess I did at my own table.” Tegoshi hurriedly went to get some rags to clean up the table and the spillage on the floor. He soon joined the trio afterwards.
Matsumoto looked at her oddly. Was this revenge for what happened the other night? Or was she just trying to make the other waiter feel better? Another customer called his name before he could reflect on it further.
After that, Tegoshi made a point to always say a word or two everytime Selina visited the shop. She was always friendly to him and joked around him a lot. He noticed that somehow Matsumoto-sempai disapproved of him being that chatty with her. Although he never said a word. Selina also acted strangely towards Matsumoto-sempai. He had been there during the first day they met and Yuya was sure that the two won’t get along. And then something happened after that that made them somewhat friends. If being that competitive is what you call friends. Yuya noticed that there was something going on between the two but couldn’t put a finger on. But since in the Bishounen Cafe, customers can decide which server they want, even change them everyday, he get some days to spend with her.
One day while Yuya was attending to her, he put a flyer on her table. Selina glanced at the paper.
“Its the Annual Summer Outing for Bishounen Cafe. Nishikado-san was kind enough every year to close the cafe for one day to do a summer outing by the beach for the staff and the loyal customers. All of the staff could come but only the servers can choose to bring one of their patrons to this outing,” he explained.
“Beach, huh?” she commented as she looked over the invite.
Yuya fidgeted a bit. What’s the worst that could happen? “Ano...Harvey-san.” She looked up to him which made him more nervous. “Ano...if you would like to...to...come with...me?” he said haltingly.
It was just for a brief second that she hesitated and locked eyes with someone else. It was so fleeting that Tegoshi didn’t even notice it.
“Call me Selina.” She smiled. “Sure, Tegoshi-san. It looks like fun.”
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Selina stretched her arms. The weather was definitely right for the outing that day. A lot of people were already setting their towels on the sand. The Bishounen Cafe staff was barely recognizable without their trademark formal uniforms. There was a barbecue stand being set up and a place for all of the cold drinks. Someone even put up a shaved ice stand. It was nice to see all their relaxed faces outside of the cafe. Ryo and Ayumu was setting up tables and chairs for people to sit on along with the other staff. Selina came with Chr and Pi. Even the old staff was invited back. Toma was already wearing an apron, cooking something with Malvika lending help.
She agreed to meet Tegoshi at the place and she smiled as he came running up to her. He bowed in greeting.
“Harvey-san! I’m so glad you came!”
She chuckled. Tegoshi was surely enthusiastic. She can’t say the same thing with other people. “Selina would be ok, Tegoshi-san. And I wouldn’t miss this for the world! I haven’t been to the beach for awhile.” Selina might have lived in America for all her life but never adjusted to the cold weather. She preferred the humid and warm climate.
“If only you would call me, Yuya, Selina-san,” he shyly replied.
She gave him a bow. “Yoroshiku, ne? Yuya-kun.”
“Hai!”
“Jama!” a voice intruded.
Selina was pushed back a bit from behind as Jun passed them with a tray of fish. Yuya frowned at his sempai’s treatment of her. But she only laughed, reminding her of that first day.
“You better cook those right, Matsumoto!” she shouted. “I don’t want to get food poisoning!”
The day started with Ryo addressing everyone and thanking them for coming. He also thanked his staff for all the efforts they put into their work. Customer service isn’t always a pleasant business but if they keep on treating their customer’s right, the Cafe would be alright as well. During the speech, Ryo squeezed his fiance's hand. Selina smiled at that small gesture of affection. He ended the speech wishing everyone to enjoy their day and to continue with their best efforts with working with him in Bishounen Cafe. After that, people dispersed to do their own thing. Some had already gone into the sea for a swim. While others eagerly went to form a line for the barbeque and the food. Selina was also hungry and she wanted to eat first before going to take a dip. Chri and Pi were already in the water. Selina removed her shirt to reveal her tie-dyed bikini underneath. As she was putting sunscreen on, Yuya approached her.
“Do you need help, Selina-san?”
“That would be great, Yuya-kun. Thanks!” She pushed her hair out of the way so he can put on the sunblock. It only took a couple of minutes. When Selina turned to thank Yuya, she noticed someone else lying on the sand underneath the direct sun with only a hat to cover his face. She grabbed the bottle from Yuya’s hands and walked over to the sleeping figure. Selina squirted a generous amount of sunblock directly to the stranger’s chest.
Matsumoto got startled with the feeling of cold cream on his chest. “Tsumetai!” He removed his hat to see the standing figure of Selina in her top and shorts. She looked pissed.
“Matsumoto! Do you want to get skin cancer?”
He shrugged as he put his straw hat back on his head and sat up. This agitated her more as she squatted before him to rub the cream on his front. Then she proceeded to put some on his back. Lastly, she faced him and almost rubbed the cream too hard on his face.
“Geez lady! Can’t you be more gentle!” he complained.
“All it takes is just a couple of minutes to put on to protect your skin. You’ll be sorry the next day if you get all sun burnt! Then who would reserve a server like you with a pretty burnt face, huh?” she lectured him.
Jun just chuckled. She did have a point “You’re just like my mom.” he commented.
That got a laugh out of her. “Then she must be very young and pretty then!” she said back. When she finished, she pushed Jun back to his towel. “All done!”
Someone watching did not like that. Not at all.
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The day went by pretty fast. Time passes when one is having fun. And what fun it was. Yuya was pretty attentive to Selina the entire time. He brought her food and drinks. He was able to be comfortable hanging around Chri, Pi, Toma, Malvika, Ryo and Ayumu. The upper management also prepared some games for them. There was a 3 legged race in which Selina and Yuya were partners. They seem not to be able to coordinate their steps hence the repeated falling on the sand. There was also a tug of war between the servers and the ladies. The ladies think that the guys intentionally let them win so they would come back to the cafe. Whatever the reason was, the ladies did not mind boasting about their win. As the boys tried to break a watermelon with a stick, the girls sat in the shade eating their shaved ice.
“So, it appears like Yuya-kun really likes you.” Chri made a statement as she ate her shaved ice.
Selina looked over her friend. Was it true? Sure, Yuya was friendly but was it more than that?
“What I am more interested on,” Ayu followed, “is what’s going on between you and Matsumoto.”
Selina laughed aloud. Just a little bit too loud. “Is everybody on my case today? What’s with my love life becoming a hot topic all of a sudden?”
“Well, you never answered the other day,” Chri commented.
Malvika agreed. “I asked her about it a couple of nights ago. Matsumoto-san was obviously worried about you, Sel.” The girls haven’t heard about the incident in Toma’s place. Malvika had to repeat what happened and on how panicked Jun looked after he arrived and learned that Selina got injured.
“I don’t understand that as well, Malvika.” Selina licked her spoon. “I mean, Toma probably told him what happened. We were both ok and I just slipped which caused the wound on my forehead and hand. Nothing bad happened.” She paused. “Now, he’s just all avoiding me. I don’t get it.”
All the girls, except Selina, gave each other a look. “Hey, Sel?” Chri asked. “You’ve had boyfriends before right?”
Selina shook her head. Everyone was surprised. She shrugged. “Father’s really protective so only a handful of boys ever get to be my boyfriend. But after they meet with Father, they all back out. Not that I care. Boys are boys. I’m happy being not tied down.” She grinned apologetically to the girls. “Not that having someone loving you is a bad thing. I mean, I see how happy all of you are. Just right now, I’m fine without it.” Chri wanted to argue but Malvika put a hand on her arm and shook her head. Falling in love had its own way, its own time. There was no need to force Selina to understand. It will come in time.
“By the way, Malvika, after we left that night, did you notice anything?” Selina suddenly asked.
Malvika looked at her friend. “Well, its probably just me. I feel like that someone has been following me. I mean I just get that feeling.” Selina stated.
“Have you caught this person?” Ayu inquired.
Selina shook her head. “Again, it just might be my imagination. I’m not really worried about it I guess.
While the girls were talking, Jun was just coming back from having bought some fireworks. What would be a beach gathering without fireworks? As he neared the location for the cafe’s gathering, he noticed a man standing off to the road looking towards that direction. There was nothing too weird about him. Except he was not dressed for the beach. The man had eye glasses on and was wearing a pink polo shirt paired with beige khakis. Loafers finished his attire. Jun wondered why the man was looking so intent towards their group. Before he could ask the stranger if he was looking for someone in particular, the man got into his car and drove away.
Everybody enjoyed the fireworks. Half of the people had left a little bit early. Yuya-kun apologized profusely to Selina that he could not accompany her home because he had to work the opening shift the next day. She told him that she did not mind and thanked him for inviting her and that she had fun.
Others were slowly packing up. Selina offered to help but they told her to just enjoy the sea and to give them a few minutes to finish. She had decided to go home by herself since Chri and Pi had left early. She promised to get in touch with the girls and maybe have an outing with just them. The sun was slowly setting and she took a seat near the shore. The day was indeed fun and although she liked to be around people, being alone sometimes is what she needed to declutter. It was easier to listen to her thoughts without all the outside distractions.
“Hey.”
She turned her head to the voice. Selina was surprised to see it was Jun. After she put the sunscreen on him, she didn’t see him a lot. He did join some of the games but otherwise he mostly stayed out of sight. She did note that he didn’t bring anyone with him. She gave him a small smile.
“Hey.”
He tilted his head towards the side as if asking for permission to join her. She just nodded and continued looking out to sea. They were both completely silent for a couple minutes. Not that type of silence where it was uncomfortable. It was the silence between two people lost in their own thoughts.
“Thanks for the sunscreen. My skin definitely appreciates it,” he started.
She just nodded. She liked them like this. No sparring. No words. But just being. With all the movement in the world, it has become an art to stand still. And when the world stands still, all of the movement sometimes becomes unnecessary.
“Ne, Matsumoto-san?” she asked.
“Un?”
“Don’t you sometimes wish that time would stop?”
The question came out of nowhere all of a sudden. He let her continue.
“There are so many things that I want to capture in my hands. Just keep them there forever.” She wasn’t referring to anything particular but just voicing out her thoughts.
“If time stopped, then we can never more forward. Nor appreciate what happened in the past. We’d be stuck in the present forever,” he commented back.
Selina saw his point. “I guess everything would lose meaning, wouldn’t it? Because if you always have something and won’t lose it, you’ll never appreciate it.” She shivered.
Jun draped his outer polo on her shoulders and stood up. “And now you know to bring a jacket,” he gently reprimanded her. He turned and started walking away. “Be sure to bring it back next time you visit the shop.” For some reason, Jun grinned.
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Both Chri and Selina were both hunched over their pile of papers. They were trying to get their final papers done before their summer break could start. Matsumoto had bought them their drinks and constantly replenished it. Selina and Jun exchanged only a couple of words the entire time they were there but it did not look like they were fighting again. Chri probably just better give up guessing what is going between her friend and Matsumoto.
During their break, Chri asked if Selina was going back to America for her summer break. Jun knew that Selina was born there but have not heard anything of her going back. He was mildly curious.
Her friend yawned. She was almost done, just a couple more to write. She had been pondering about that as well. Her father had hinted that he missed her and would welcome the visit. Not that her father would express that with words.
“I don’t know Chri. I mean I only have a couple of years here and I would have to go back there anyways.” Selina took a sip of her cold drink. “Father would like me to come back there so I can learn the trade but I still want to experience life here as much as I can. It has been....fun so far.” That she truly believed.
Someone entered the cafe which the patron was greeted enthusiastically by the staff. Jun turned around and recognized the man from the beach.
“So you don’t even miss me too?” the man spoke.
Selina couldn’t believe her ears. She stood from her table and rushed towards the stranger. He welcomed her with open arms. She hugged him tight while he twirled her around.
“SHO!”
Chapter End Notes: Whew! That was a lot and hope that it wasn’t too much in one chapter. Thank you for waiting for this. Who was this Sho person? Really? Do I really have to tell you? Importantly, how is he going to affect Selina and Jun? Tune in for the next chapter! Again, comments and spazzing are welcomed!
Definitions:
Oyasuminasai - Good night.
Sempai - A title that you call someone that is of higher rank or level than one’s self
Yoroshiku- Asking for someone’s cooperation, best regards
Jama- Hindrance. It was used more like, “You’re in the way!”
Tsumetai- Cold(to the touch), chilly