" Tsu?" Joyce calls timidly as she tiptoes into their room. Tsuyoshi is bending over the desk hard at work on new assignments. On hearing her voice, he looks up in a hurry.
" Yes, honey?" His eyes are half-closed from fatigue and his face is paler than usual.
" I made you some supper. Won't you like to have some now?" Joyce replies softly. Tsuyoshi took a brief glance at the clock and saw that it is after one in the morning. No wonder he is feeling so exhausted and his wife is whispering. He nods with a smile and got up to follow her into the kitchen.
While he sat waiting, she bustles around getting the cutlery. From the smell lingering in the kitchen, he knows she prepared his favorite snack. True enough, she sets a bowl of curry-flavored instant noodles before him. A long luxurious sniff brought color back onto his cheeks. Taking up the chopsticks she laid by his right hand, he slurps the noodles happily and very quickly his lips are fiery red too.
" Aren't you eating any?" He asks after half of the bowl of noodles had settled in his stomach and his chest cavity is warmed.
" Nope. I have to watch my figure ~" Joyce said demurely. She has no intentions of telling him about the tub of ice cream she had finished with ima earlier on after dinner.
On an impulse, Tsuyoshi leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss. He was actually enjoying this little intimacy with his wife, and she is sucking on his lower lip entusiastically. After a few more intense moments that left his pulse still racing, he wanted to pull back but she is sucking so hard on his lower lip he couldn't! When she does let go finally, his lower lip is visibly ruddier than his upper one. To his amusement, she is licking her lips with a look of dissatisfaction.
" Honey?" He tries to stifle his chuckles.
" Hmm?" Joyce replies half-heartedly, looking denied and sad.
Tsuyoshi pushes his half-finished bowl of noodles towards her. " Will you like to share?" He asks gently, his eyes sparkling with amusement and love.
" I ~" Joyce hesitates ruefully.
" C'mon, I'll feed you ~" He offers with a persuasive smile.
" What are you doing?" Pam asks when she sees Nakai inspecting the clothes she had laid out for him.
" Checking." He replies as he pulls on the pair of pants. Both fell silent as he continues to dress himself.
" You are still angry ~" She said at last. Avoiding his questioning stare, she played with her fingers like a brooding child.
" Yes, and no." Nakai bends to whisper into her ear. She flinched sharply at the sudden close vicinity since she wasn't aware when he had moved to her side. " I am not angry because you misunderstood."
" Really?!" She brightens up quickly.
" I am angry that you took it out on me with spite." Nakai adds solemnly. " You put yourself in possible danger just to get back at me."
Immediately her smile droops again. " ... "
His hand went under her chin and gently pries her face upwards so she has to look him in the eye. " I love you, I have to live with your waywardness but I won't tolerate it if you compromise your own safety." Without waiting for her to answer, he pecks gently on her lips and left the room.
" You look badly flustered these days, what's wrong?" Goro asks cj.
" Me? Flustered? No, I am not!" cj replies nervously and turned to tidy the already spotless study desk in the room.
" cj, something is wrong." Goro said shrewdly. " Why won't you tell me?"
" Stop asking!" cj yelled back tearfully and ran out of the room.
" cj!" Goro followed her out of the room but she is already out of the front door.
" Goro?"
" Sis ~"
" She still won't tell you?" I ask after he flops into a nearby armchair dejectedly.
" I am beginning to wonder if she stayed married to me out of convienence." He mutters tiredly.
" Stop flattering yourself. There is nothing convienent about staying married to you." I chided. An immediate change came over him and he raised his eyes challengingly towards me. " If you can't even find out what she's hiding from you then your marriage is indeed one of convienence."
" Baby?"
" Yes?" ima looked up from the magazine she is reading in bed.
" No more crazy night cravings for sashimi?" Shingo asks sadly.
" Nope." ima shakes her head innocently.
" I thought so."
" What's wrong?" She asks but he only sighed in return. " Why don't you paint something if you are feeling restless?"
" Don't feel like it ~" Shingo pouts.
" You miss reeanne, don't you?" ima asks shrewdly.
" I ~ no, of course not ~ I.....yes ~"
" Tell you what." ima smiles understandingly. " We'll go see her tomorrow evening."
" We?!" Shingo's eyes widen in pleasant surprise.
' Yes, can't have you go meeting a pretty girl all alone. What would people think of us?!" ima sniffs with mock severity.
I am aware of the amused grin he directs at me from time to time as he wipes all the shelves in the shop. Trying to concentrate on feeding the carrot in my hand to a bunny rabbit became impossible to concentrate.
" What so funny, Mr Takuya?" I snap at last, catching him off guard.
" Nothing ~" He swallows his chuckles hurriedly.
" It's already so late, will she come?" I grumble after a quick glance at my wristwatch. As if answering me, the bell at the door began to chime as it opens.A tall and slim lady slithers in.
" Welcome ~" Takuya greets cheerfully. For some reasons, our eyes locked like two cats preparing for a fight. Something flashed in her eyes before she turned to her target with a sugary smile.
" That fur conditioner you recommended last week worked wonders. I will be needing more today." She purrs.
" That was a three month supply I sold you last week!" He exclaimed in shock but she only laugh.
I waited as he grabbed a bottle off the shelves behind him and began wrapping it up. The moment came when she lean forward towards him.
" I have eaten him and only one comment." Leaning towards her, I whisper softly with a malicious smile. To my delight, her body tensed up. " He is de-li-cious ~"
With utmost satisfaction I watched as she fumbled with her purse to bring out her cash. Throwing it down on the counter, she grabbed the package from his hands and left as fast as her spike heels can carry her.
" What was that all about?"
" Nothing men should know." I smiled triumphantly.
