You & Me - The Second Act - Chapter 5
as promised, a new chapter before the weekend ís here.
i won't be home the next two days.
have fun!
Chapter five
“Good morning, Asako-san” Toni greeted her when she entred the room.
“Good morning.” Damn it she was way too early today. She had expected much more traffic, where were all that stupid cars today when she needed them? Dropping her bag on one of the benches she hoped someone else would arrive soon.
“May I have a word with you?” Toni asked, and stood right at her side. Startled, she looked at him; she hadn’t heard him move over.
“Sure.” She said, busying herself with her bag.
“I... uhm Asako-san, would you please look at me?”
Asako put down her bag and reluctantly looked at him. “So, what is it?”
Some other people were now arriving, throwing greetings at them.
“I wanted to asked if... you wanted to go and have dinner with me...” His voice actually sounded nervous.
‘Are you an actor or what?’ “Toni-san, I’m sorry, but I’m busy tonight.” Asako declined while shaking her head.
“Oh, then what about tomorrow, or any other day maybe...”
Osa sat down beside Asako, wishing a good morning.
“No, I’d rather not.” Asako shook her head again.
“Alright... If you change your mind about it, just tell me.” He stood up and went back over to his place.
“What did he want?” Osa asked after Asako had hugged her as she did every morning.
“Wait wait, Moretti-san, Haruno-san, could you please do that conversation again? I think you could do it better. Wait a moment! You did it better just yesterday. What’s up with you?” They had heard these sentences now what, six times in a row, or even more?
“Are you sure you want us to do it all over again? Maybe we should go on with it tomorrow, since obviously something’s wrong today.” Toni said throwing Osa a nasty look.
“Yeah, whatever that could be.” Osa muttered under her breath.
“Okay, you’re right. We’ll stop it for today. Go on, have a break.”
The first month of rehearsals was over and they all got to know quite a bit of each other. Since right now it was lunch break, most of them sat on the benches or on the floor of the rehearsal room eating bentos and chatting.
“Haruno-san we heard you’re a great singer. Will you sing something for us, please?!” An actress called Sachiko asked and some of the other girls nodded enthusiatically.
Osa looked at the girl who had sponken to her wide-eyed. “You heard I was?”
Sachiko nodded.
“Who told you?”
“Asako-san did.” The girl was all smiles.
“Ah, is that so?” Osa shot Asako, who smiled innocently back at her, a wry look.
“And now we want you to sing something for us!” Another one repeated the request. “Please, sing something for us!” they now all pleaded.
“But... I haven’t sung for some time now... and my voice isn’t warmed up...”
“Masa-chan don’t be overmodest, really... you’re great and you pretty well know it.” Asako had walked over by now.
Sachiko looked at her. “You’re a good singer as well, so why don’t you both sing for us? Together?”
“Should have stayed where I was.” Asako muttered only for Osa to hear.
“Since this is actually your doing you could at least fight at my side, you know.” Osa grinned at her. Then she asked “So, is there something special you want to hear?”
A few moments of silence followed.
“Ai areba koso!” Someone said. It hadn’t been more than a whisper. Everyone in the room was now looking at them; even Toni had stopped reading his newspaper. Osa and Asako looked at each other uneasily.
“You surely don’t mean that...?” Asako made a small try to get them out of it.
“Well, I would like to hear it.” Toni called from the other end of the room. Some girls turned around to watch him and giggled.
“Asako... do you remember the text?” Osa wanted to know.
She shrugged “I guess I do... wow, that’s creepy... I really think I still know every word of it.”
“Same here...” a disbelieving look lay on Osa’s face.
“And Masa-chan is doing Oscar!” Asako now declared pointing a finger at Osa grinning
“But... no... why...?”
“No talking back!”
“Alright.” Osa sighed in defeat. Who in their right mind would want to argue with Asako anyway? The other actresses looked at them, full of expectation; and even the actors looked interested, while pretending not to care at all.
“You know, I really was so close to freaking out. That song of all songs! It has burned itself into my brain and will never go away. I did not want to sing it...” Asako sat in Osa’s car rambling about everything and nothing.
“Well... you didn’t look as if you minded it too much.” Osa concentrated on the afternoon traffic.
“They were so eager to hear it, it would have made them sad if we had rejected the request.” Asako looked at her from the side.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Don’t be stupid, of course I’m not. It was just a bit of singing after all. But I want to know... why did you tell her? And when?”
Asako didn’t answer right away and blushed slightly. Irritated by the sudden silence, Osa made a sidewards glance.
“I hoped she would have forgotten about it.”
“Sachiko-san, you mean?”
“Yes. I met her when I did another show. My first... or second after leaving the Company. We had a song in that show you used to sing often and it made me quite sad to hear it. Sachiko wanted to know why I always got sad when it started and I told her some things about you. I’m sorry, I am...”
Osa lifted one hand and reassuringly squeezed Asako’s shoulder. “Everything’s okay now, Asako.”
“They even sound good together, don’t they?” Nami asked over her dinner. Toni looked at her and his eyes narrowed. “I mean... It’s amazing! Funsbashi-san never has to explain things twice when he wants them to do something in a certain way. He is always content with the way they interact with each other. You on the other hand... You have to try what? Four, five times before he even begins to like it. As if you had no chemistry at all with any of them. Ah, but... I guess you just don’t have.” Nami suppressed malicious grin.
“You are trying to make me angry, right?”
“Yes, Because I am furious. All you think about is her. Never me. Or even about us. Does it make sense.. to keep it going on?” Nami’s voice was shrill.
Toni sighed then said in an indifferent tone “No. I don’t even think it made sense at any point from the beginning.”
Nami glared at him for a few seconds, then stood up and stormed out of the room.
~*~
i won't be home the next two days.
have fun!
Chapter five
“Good morning, Asako-san” Toni greeted her when she entred the room.
“Good morning.” Damn it she was way too early today. She had expected much more traffic, where were all that stupid cars today when she needed them? Dropping her bag on one of the benches she hoped someone else would arrive soon.
“May I have a word with you?” Toni asked, and stood right at her side. Startled, she looked at him; she hadn’t heard him move over.
“Sure.” She said, busying herself with her bag.
“I... uhm Asako-san, would you please look at me?”
Asako put down her bag and reluctantly looked at him. “So, what is it?”
Some other people were now arriving, throwing greetings at them.
“I wanted to asked if... you wanted to go and have dinner with me...” His voice actually sounded nervous.
‘Are you an actor or what?’ “Toni-san, I’m sorry, but I’m busy tonight.” Asako declined while shaking her head.
“Oh, then what about tomorrow, or any other day maybe...”
Osa sat down beside Asako, wishing a good morning.
“No, I’d rather not.” Asako shook her head again.
“Alright... If you change your mind about it, just tell me.” He stood up and went back over to his place.
“What did he want?” Osa asked after Asako had hugged her as she did every morning.
“Wait wait, Moretti-san, Haruno-san, could you please do that conversation again? I think you could do it better. Wait a moment! You did it better just yesterday. What’s up with you?” They had heard these sentences now what, six times in a row, or even more?
“Are you sure you want us to do it all over again? Maybe we should go on with it tomorrow, since obviously something’s wrong today.” Toni said throwing Osa a nasty look.
“Yeah, whatever that could be.” Osa muttered under her breath.
“Okay, you’re right. We’ll stop it for today. Go on, have a break.”
The first month of rehearsals was over and they all got to know quite a bit of each other. Since right now it was lunch break, most of them sat on the benches or on the floor of the rehearsal room eating bentos and chatting.
“Haruno-san we heard you’re a great singer. Will you sing something for us, please?!” An actress called Sachiko asked and some of the other girls nodded enthusiatically.
Osa looked at the girl who had sponken to her wide-eyed. “You heard I was?”
Sachiko nodded.
“Who told you?”
“Asako-san did.” The girl was all smiles.
“Ah, is that so?” Osa shot Asako, who smiled innocently back at her, a wry look.
“And now we want you to sing something for us!” Another one repeated the request. “Please, sing something for us!” they now all pleaded.
“But... I haven’t sung for some time now... and my voice isn’t warmed up...”
“Masa-chan don’t be overmodest, really... you’re great and you pretty well know it.” Asako had walked over by now.
Sachiko looked at her. “You’re a good singer as well, so why don’t you both sing for us? Together?”
“Should have stayed where I was.” Asako muttered only for Osa to hear.
“Since this is actually your doing you could at least fight at my side, you know.” Osa grinned at her. Then she asked “So, is there something special you want to hear?”
A few moments of silence followed.
“Ai areba koso!” Someone said. It hadn’t been more than a whisper. Everyone in the room was now looking at them; even Toni had stopped reading his newspaper. Osa and Asako looked at each other uneasily.
“You surely don’t mean that...?” Asako made a small try to get them out of it.
“Well, I would like to hear it.” Toni called from the other end of the room. Some girls turned around to watch him and giggled.
“Asako... do you remember the text?” Osa wanted to know.
She shrugged “I guess I do... wow, that’s creepy... I really think I still know every word of it.”
“Same here...” a disbelieving look lay on Osa’s face.
“And Masa-chan is doing Oscar!” Asako now declared pointing a finger at Osa grinning
“But... no... why...?”
“No talking back!”
“Alright.” Osa sighed in defeat. Who in their right mind would want to argue with Asako anyway? The other actresses looked at them, full of expectation; and even the actors looked interested, while pretending not to care at all.
“You know, I really was so close to freaking out. That song of all songs! It has burned itself into my brain and will never go away. I did not want to sing it...” Asako sat in Osa’s car rambling about everything and nothing.
“Well... you didn’t look as if you minded it too much.” Osa concentrated on the afternoon traffic.
“They were so eager to hear it, it would have made them sad if we had rejected the request.” Asako looked at her from the side.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Don’t be stupid, of course I’m not. It was just a bit of singing after all. But I want to know... why did you tell her? And when?”
Asako didn’t answer right away and blushed slightly. Irritated by the sudden silence, Osa made a sidewards glance.
“I hoped she would have forgotten about it.”
“Sachiko-san, you mean?”
“Yes. I met her when I did another show. My first... or second after leaving the Company. We had a song in that show you used to sing often and it made me quite sad to hear it. Sachiko wanted to know why I always got sad when it started and I told her some things about you. I’m sorry, I am...”
Osa lifted one hand and reassuringly squeezed Asako’s shoulder. “Everything’s okay now, Asako.”
“They even sound good together, don’t they?” Nami asked over her dinner. Toni looked at her and his eyes narrowed. “I mean... It’s amazing! Funsbashi-san never has to explain things twice when he wants them to do something in a certain way. He is always content with the way they interact with each other. You on the other hand... You have to try what? Four, five times before he even begins to like it. As if you had no chemistry at all with any of them. Ah, but... I guess you just don’t have.” Nami suppressed malicious grin.
“You are trying to make me angry, right?”
“Yes, Because I am furious. All you think about is her. Never me. Or even about us. Does it make sense.. to keep it going on?” Nami’s voice was shrill.
Toni sighed then said in an indifferent tone “No. I don’t even think it made sense at any point from the beginning.”
Nami glared at him for a few seconds, then stood up and stormed out of the room.
~*~