[Fanfic] Like We Used To (Chapter Fifteen)
NEW LAYOUT! Yey! It's ending soon and I need a Sho appreciation on my journal. lol.
The focus on this chapter is on Aki, not enough Sho but I hope you'll still read, guys. lol. Some drama in this chapter. I dunno if I overdid it though, so tell me what you guys think. :) Happy reading! ^^ ohhh, it's a bit short, I'm sorry about that but I'll make it up on the next one. :)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The past two days have gone smoothly for Aki, she finally met her friends again and she’s glad that she has made that decision. It’s like going back to college once again, having dinner, going to karaoke, partying and drinking until the wee hours of the morning, the only difference is that now they don’t have examinations to cram, deadlines to beat and strict professors to worry about. They are all grown up and doing well in their chosen profession but the same friendship is still there. She can’t believe she detached herself from them all this time, she worries for nothing as her friends stayed the same until now.
The next night, Aki have spent it with Sho and his family. His mother invited them over for dinner and they told them about their relationship now and those three years of being together back in college. Everyone was surprised except for Mai who knew all about it from the start. His mother even said that they are a good pretender for keeping it for three years and even suspected her two younger children for doing the same which causes everyone erupting in laughter. Aki told them about her career plan of going back to New York and they supported her decision. Just like her friends, the whole Sakurai family has never change. She felt like she has never been away but looking at the youngest in the family, Sakurai Shu, she realize that she’s indeed away for a long time, he used to be a little boy that she takes care of together with Sho but now he’s a grown teenager. It was another fun and productive night for her but highlight of the night was when Sho’s father talked to them in private.
“I’m happy for the both of you.” Sakurai Shun started as soon as Sho closed the door of his study room. “Finally, right?” he smiled at the two nervous people in front of him. “I support your decision of going back to New York and keeping your relationship with my son, Aki. But your father might not be happy with that decision.”
Aki’s hand reached for Sho’s, they doesn’t have any idea on where this conversation is going.
“With Rina backing out from the wedding and leaving home, your father’s mood for the past week is dreaded by his whole staff.” He continued.
“What does it have to do with us, Otou-san?” Sho asked.
“Both of you knows how much he wanted to get the two of you together. If he finds out about this he might force you to marry each other. Your marriage will somehow cover up the shame that Rina has cause. You know how your father’s mind works, Aki. He will do everything to protect your family’s name from embarrassment.”
“Will you allow him to do that to us?” Sho questioned his father.
“I wouldn’t.” He answered immediately. “But will that stop him?”
“I will talk to him, Oji-san.” Aki said for the first time since they entered this room. “Marrying Sho is something I would love to do.” She paused to look at Sho who is smiling at her. “But I will never allow my father to force that to us when we’re not yet ready.”
That talk they had that night adds more pressure to Aki. Her plan to fix everything before she go has been going well so far, the only thing that’s left to do is talking to her parents and she plans on doing so tonight.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Sho asked her over breakfast.
“Ready or not I should do it, right?” Aki replied, sipping on her orange juice.
“You still have four days.” Sho reminded her.
“I should do it today as planned, if it goes well then I have four days to spend time with my family, right?” Aki manages to give out a nervous smile.
“You have a point there.” Sho agrees.
“I have to go or I’ll be late for work.” Sho said while glancing at his watch. He took his coffee in one go and heads to the door.
“Wish me luck?” Aki said, while standing by the door.
“Good luck. You can do it, Aki.” Sho smiled and planted a kiss on her lips.
“Thanks.” Aki mumbled, forcing a smile.
“Come on, don’t be so nervous.” Sho tried to lighten the atmosphere.
“Try getting in my shoes and you’ll know why I’m this nervous.” Aki reasoned out.
“Whatever happens tonight, life goes on, Aki. You swallowed your pride and tried your best to be a good daughter now it’s up to them to do their part. If they don’t understand you it’s their lost, they missed out on the chance on seeing how amazing their daughter is. And remember, you have a lot of people behind your back. That includes me, Rina-chan, my family, our friends and even the Arashi members are supporting you. Imagine the support system that we built just for you.”
That manages to ease some nerves for Aki. Sho is right, she’s overwhelmed by the show of support of everyone around her. “You never failed me on delivering such nice speech, Sho-chan.” She smiled.
“That’s my job, you know. The supportive boyfriend.” Sho gently pinched her cheeks making her scrunched her face a little. “If I finish earlier tonight, let me know how it goes and I might drop by your parents’ house if it turns out good.”
“Okay.” Aki nodded and Sho steals another quick kiss before he goes.
Time is running faster than usual in Aki’s watch this day, Rina is already knocking at the door at seven in the evening.
“Ready?” Rina flashed her sweet smile at her sister as soon as she opened the door.
“Why are you so happy? I’m getting all nervous here.” Aki said while leaving the door for Rina to close, she’s still halfway on her make-up.
“Don’t let that get into you, sis. It wouldn’t do any good.” Rina followed her sister into the room.
“Have you managed to think of what you’ll say tonight?” Aki asked, putting on her lipstick.
“Yeah, I’m all ready.” Rina is still smiling.
Aki wonders what has gotten to her sister for being this happy tonight, she smiled to herself thinking that it may be someone named Matsumoto Jun.
“Do you think it will go well tonight?” Aki asked. She told herself that she wouldn’t say Matsumoto Jun’s name unless Rina opened about it.
“It really depends in his mood, you know.” Rina answered, walking around Sho’s bedroom.
“Well, I heard he’s not in a good mood lately.”
“Because of me, he is now.” Rina said, still poking around the room.
“What?” Aki is completely lost.
“I talked to him last night.” Rina finally said, settling on the edge of the bed.
“You did?” Aki stopped what she doing to face her sister.
“I figured that he won’t let you off easily if my issues with him are still hanging so I went home last night to talk to him.”
“What happened then?” Aki asked, getting curious.
“At first it was hard, our father is the epitome of stubbornness as we both know but I get to talk my way into him.” Rina is wearing a proud smile on her face. “I told him my reason for backing out from the wedding and he didn’t accept it in which I kinda expected anyways. In the end we dropped that topic because the damage has already been done according to him and that Ren-kun’s family is not talking to him anymore. I told him that the Murata family will not do any damage to our family’s image because we are much more influential than them and you know what? Otou-san kinda smirked with that statement of mine.” She laughed and Aki smiled with how Rina is all cool talking about this. “He asked me if I will continue working under Okaa-san’s company and I said yes, that delighted them a little. I told them that I’ll continue to live on my own from now on and they began lecturing me again, I still insist on my reason and in the end they just gave up. They actually allowed me to live on my own after much talking.”
“So now everything is fine between you and our parents?” Aki still don’t get how it’s been that easy for Rina.
“Yes. It’s better now. After all my issues have been discussed I opened a topic about you and you have to thank me coz I did so well in backing you up last night.”
“What?” Aki asked in surprise. “What did you told them?”
“I told them that you’re coming back to New York in a few days and Okaa-san was kinda sad although she doesn’t show it, Otou-san began talking again like usual and I just ignored him because he’s talking about the same stuff again. After his speech, it’s my time to talk. I told them that they’re missing out on a lot of your achievements in the past years and Okaa-san was kinda happy, her face lit up when I said that you’re a supermodel now and every American and European designers are going crazy over you. I really think that Okaa-san likes to say that she’s looking forward to see you doing your thing abroad but Otou-san is there so she didn’t dare to say it.” Rina paused for a moment before saying her next line.
“I did something without your permission but I really think I need to do it.”
“What is that, Rina?” Aki is having a bad feeling about this.
“I told them about you and Sho-kun.” Rina softly said in a low voice, she’s looking down on the floor.
“You did what?!!” Aki raised her voice. “How could you do that?” she’s standing in front of her now.
“They are happy about it, Nee-chan.” Rina still maintains that low tone.
“That’s not the issue, Rina! They should be hearing that from me not from you!” Aki is getting mad.
“I figured that if I told them, tonight will already be easier for you. I just want to help.” Rina defended herself.
“Will you be happy if I told them about you and Matsumoto Jun without your permission?! Do you think dating him will please our parents?! Tell me, how would you feel, Rina!!”Aki’s screamed so hard it can disturb the next door neighbor. “It’s like stabbing in the back, right?!” her voice is trembling but she manages to stay fierce with her words.
Aki doesn’t want to do that to her sister but she blurted it out of frustration. She can’t believe Rina would do this to her and she feel so betrayed. Rina is frozen in her seat, looking at her sister with tears ready to come out from her eyes.
The focus on this chapter is on Aki, not enough Sho but I hope you'll still read, guys. lol. Some drama in this chapter. I dunno if I overdid it though, so tell me what you guys think. :) Happy reading! ^^ ohhh, it's a bit short, I'm sorry about that but I'll make it up on the next one. :)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The past two days have gone smoothly for Aki, she finally met her friends again and she’s glad that she has made that decision. It’s like going back to college once again, having dinner, going to karaoke, partying and drinking until the wee hours of the morning, the only difference is that now they don’t have examinations to cram, deadlines to beat and strict professors to worry about. They are all grown up and doing well in their chosen profession but the same friendship is still there. She can’t believe she detached herself from them all this time, she worries for nothing as her friends stayed the same until now.
The next night, Aki have spent it with Sho and his family. His mother invited them over for dinner and they told them about their relationship now and those three years of being together back in college. Everyone was surprised except for Mai who knew all about it from the start. His mother even said that they are a good pretender for keeping it for three years and even suspected her two younger children for doing the same which causes everyone erupting in laughter. Aki told them about her career plan of going back to New York and they supported her decision. Just like her friends, the whole Sakurai family has never change. She felt like she has never been away but looking at the youngest in the family, Sakurai Shu, she realize that she’s indeed away for a long time, he used to be a little boy that she takes care of together with Sho but now he’s a grown teenager. It was another fun and productive night for her but highlight of the night was when Sho’s father talked to them in private.
“I’m happy for the both of you.” Sakurai Shun started as soon as Sho closed the door of his study room. “Finally, right?” he smiled at the two nervous people in front of him. “I support your decision of going back to New York and keeping your relationship with my son, Aki. But your father might not be happy with that decision.”
Aki’s hand reached for Sho’s, they doesn’t have any idea on where this conversation is going.
“With Rina backing out from the wedding and leaving home, your father’s mood for the past week is dreaded by his whole staff.” He continued.
“What does it have to do with us, Otou-san?” Sho asked.
“Both of you knows how much he wanted to get the two of you together. If he finds out about this he might force you to marry each other. Your marriage will somehow cover up the shame that Rina has cause. You know how your father’s mind works, Aki. He will do everything to protect your family’s name from embarrassment.”
“Will you allow him to do that to us?” Sho questioned his father.
“I wouldn’t.” He answered immediately. “But will that stop him?”
“I will talk to him, Oji-san.” Aki said for the first time since they entered this room. “Marrying Sho is something I would love to do.” She paused to look at Sho who is smiling at her. “But I will never allow my father to force that to us when we’re not yet ready.”
That talk they had that night adds more pressure to Aki. Her plan to fix everything before she go has been going well so far, the only thing that’s left to do is talking to her parents and she plans on doing so tonight.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Sho asked her over breakfast.
“Ready or not I should do it, right?” Aki replied, sipping on her orange juice.
“You still have four days.” Sho reminded her.
“I should do it today as planned, if it goes well then I have four days to spend time with my family, right?” Aki manages to give out a nervous smile.
“You have a point there.” Sho agrees.
“I have to go or I’ll be late for work.” Sho said while glancing at his watch. He took his coffee in one go and heads to the door.
“Wish me luck?” Aki said, while standing by the door.
“Good luck. You can do it, Aki.” Sho smiled and planted a kiss on her lips.
“Thanks.” Aki mumbled, forcing a smile.
“Come on, don’t be so nervous.” Sho tried to lighten the atmosphere.
“Try getting in my shoes and you’ll know why I’m this nervous.” Aki reasoned out.
“Whatever happens tonight, life goes on, Aki. You swallowed your pride and tried your best to be a good daughter now it’s up to them to do their part. If they don’t understand you it’s their lost, they missed out on the chance on seeing how amazing their daughter is. And remember, you have a lot of people behind your back. That includes me, Rina-chan, my family, our friends and even the Arashi members are supporting you. Imagine the support system that we built just for you.”
That manages to ease some nerves for Aki. Sho is right, she’s overwhelmed by the show of support of everyone around her. “You never failed me on delivering such nice speech, Sho-chan.” She smiled.
“That’s my job, you know. The supportive boyfriend.” Sho gently pinched her cheeks making her scrunched her face a little. “If I finish earlier tonight, let me know how it goes and I might drop by your parents’ house if it turns out good.”
“Okay.” Aki nodded and Sho steals another quick kiss before he goes.
Time is running faster than usual in Aki’s watch this day, Rina is already knocking at the door at seven in the evening.
“Ready?” Rina flashed her sweet smile at her sister as soon as she opened the door.
“Why are you so happy? I’m getting all nervous here.” Aki said while leaving the door for Rina to close, she’s still halfway on her make-up.
“Don’t let that get into you, sis. It wouldn’t do any good.” Rina followed her sister into the room.
“Have you managed to think of what you’ll say tonight?” Aki asked, putting on her lipstick.
“Yeah, I’m all ready.” Rina is still smiling.
Aki wonders what has gotten to her sister for being this happy tonight, she smiled to herself thinking that it may be someone named Matsumoto Jun.
“Do you think it will go well tonight?” Aki asked. She told herself that she wouldn’t say Matsumoto Jun’s name unless Rina opened about it.
“It really depends in his mood, you know.” Rina answered, walking around Sho’s bedroom.
“Well, I heard he’s not in a good mood lately.”
“Because of me, he is now.” Rina said, still poking around the room.
“What?” Aki is completely lost.
“I talked to him last night.” Rina finally said, settling on the edge of the bed.
“You did?” Aki stopped what she doing to face her sister.
“I figured that he won’t let you off easily if my issues with him are still hanging so I went home last night to talk to him.”
“What happened then?” Aki asked, getting curious.
“At first it was hard, our father is the epitome of stubbornness as we both know but I get to talk my way into him.” Rina is wearing a proud smile on her face. “I told him my reason for backing out from the wedding and he didn’t accept it in which I kinda expected anyways. In the end we dropped that topic because the damage has already been done according to him and that Ren-kun’s family is not talking to him anymore. I told him that the Murata family will not do any damage to our family’s image because we are much more influential than them and you know what? Otou-san kinda smirked with that statement of mine.” She laughed and Aki smiled with how Rina is all cool talking about this. “He asked me if I will continue working under Okaa-san’s company and I said yes, that delighted them a little. I told them that I’ll continue to live on my own from now on and they began lecturing me again, I still insist on my reason and in the end they just gave up. They actually allowed me to live on my own after much talking.”
“So now everything is fine between you and our parents?” Aki still don’t get how it’s been that easy for Rina.
“Yes. It’s better now. After all my issues have been discussed I opened a topic about you and you have to thank me coz I did so well in backing you up last night.”
“What?” Aki asked in surprise. “What did you told them?”
“I told them that you’re coming back to New York in a few days and Okaa-san was kinda sad although she doesn’t show it, Otou-san began talking again like usual and I just ignored him because he’s talking about the same stuff again. After his speech, it’s my time to talk. I told them that they’re missing out on a lot of your achievements in the past years and Okaa-san was kinda happy, her face lit up when I said that you’re a supermodel now and every American and European designers are going crazy over you. I really think that Okaa-san likes to say that she’s looking forward to see you doing your thing abroad but Otou-san is there so she didn’t dare to say it.” Rina paused for a moment before saying her next line.
“I did something without your permission but I really think I need to do it.”
“What is that, Rina?” Aki is having a bad feeling about this.
“I told them about you and Sho-kun.” Rina softly said in a low voice, she’s looking down on the floor.
“You did what?!!” Aki raised her voice. “How could you do that?” she’s standing in front of her now.
“They are happy about it, Nee-chan.” Rina still maintains that low tone.
“That’s not the issue, Rina! They should be hearing that from me not from you!” Aki is getting mad.
“I figured that if I told them, tonight will already be easier for you. I just want to help.” Rina defended herself.
“Will you be happy if I told them about you and Matsumoto Jun without your permission?! Do you think dating him will please our parents?! Tell me, how would you feel, Rina!!”Aki’s screamed so hard it can disturb the next door neighbor. “It’s like stabbing in the back, right?!” her voice is trembling but she manages to stay fierce with her words.
Aki doesn’t want to do that to her sister but she blurted it out of frustration. She can’t believe Rina would do this to her and she feel so betrayed. Rina is frozen in her seat, looking at her sister with tears ready to come out from her eyes.