Theme #14 – Somei Yoshino

Chapter 15: Under The Blossoms

She played with the strap of her black handbag, biting her lower lip while wondering what she could say to break the silence that had fallen between them in the last five minutes. Well, they had just left the apartment and were making their way to his…

“We are going to ride on that?” she asked incredulously, staring at his motorbike.

Adam, who had been reaching for their helmets, froze at the slightly condescending tone. Reminding himself that he was being nice to get her to agree to his foolhardy plan, he turned to smile warmly at her. “Yes, we are. Is there a problem?”

Aurora gawked at him as if he had lost his mind before waving a hand before her dress. “Hello? Dress? Flapping in the wind? Likelihood of having my underwear shown for the entire world to see?”

Adam’s cheeks flushed with color at the brief image of white cotton panties (although he had the feeling she might be more likely to wear something racier) flashed through his mind.

“Tuck your dress between your legs,” he replied brusquely. “Every girl does that here when they wear dresses.”

She scowled at his tone, wondering what had happened to the nice stranger that had shown up on her doorstep. Had it all been an act just to get her out here? Unwillingly, Yunta’s warning words about Adam and his current girlfriend came to mind causing her scowl to deepen.

“I need to change my clothes,” she replied curtly. “I’m not riding on that thing with my dress! When you said we were going out, I didn’t think it would be on a motorbike…”

“I’m sorry I have no white carriage or a horse or even some expensive limousine waiting for you, Miss Freewill, but we’re just going to have to make do with my little old motorcycle. Or is Your Majesty too distressed at having to travel by such lowly means?”

As soon as the words escaped his lips, he kicked himself inwardly for not being able to control himself. This was supposed to be a day to ‘woo’ her to his side, and yet he was allowing her antics to get to him again.

“Aurora…”

“You can go on this damn date on your own,” she snapped coldly, even though her voice trembled a little. “I don’t have to put up with this shit!”

She spun on her heels to walk away, her eyes beginning to sting with unshed tears. She had no idea why she was even allowing him to get to her like this. She should have known he wasn’t really that nice. Everything that had happened upstairs was merely an illusion and to think she had been so happy to see him. She thought of poor Yunta she had left alone and hoped he would forgive her for this crucial mistake.

But she had hardly taken a step, when she felt Adam’s strong hand around her wrist. She gasped at the contact, her cheeks flushing with color at the sharp jolt of electricity that raced up her arm.

“Don’t go,” he said softly, ignoring the looks of interest and curiosity they were beginning to receive from passersby. “I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

Please let me go, she begged fervently. I don’t like how dizzy you’re making me feel. So please don’t stand so close to me.

But oh God, he smells so good!

“Aurora?” he asked softly with concern in his tone as he noticed her swaying a little. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she finally replied while releasing her wrist from his grip and stepping away quickly. “Let’s just go already. I’ll tuck my dress between my legs or whatever it is I have to do.”

“Are you sure? I can wait for you to get changed--”

“I’m fine.” She met his gaze with determination. If other girls could ride around on motorbikes with their dresses, then she could very well do it too. She would show him she wasn’t such a delicate flower to be taken care of. “Let’s go.”

Adam watched her carefully, not knowing if he wanted to laugh or yell at her stubbornness. Settling for a light shrug, he tossed a helmet to her.

“You do know how to put that on, don’t you?” he asked with a light smirk as he slipped the black object over his head.

“Yes, I do,” she retorted, unaware of how cute (at least to Adam) she looked with that sulky pout. She had been on a motorbike with Tony before – an experience she never wanted to go through again – so she was more than able to handle wearing a helmet.

I wonder if his girlfriend has put this on her own head, she thought with an inward sigh as she laced the straps beneath her jaw. But as soon as Adam straddled the machine, Aurora had to swallow tightly as the enormity of the situation dawned on her. She’d have to sit behind him…wrap her arms around his waist and hold on tight.

“Well?” Adam asked over his shoulder as he revved up the engine. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yes, I am, Mr. Impatient!” Grumbling beneath her breath, she threw her handbag across her shoulders so it would fall off, tucked the sun dress carefully between her legs and straddled the machine. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist. His rich, musky scent invaded her nostrils making the world swim for a moment. He felt so warm and strong and…

“Comfortable?” Adam asked and she jerked in awareness, her lashes flying open as her cheeks flushed with heat.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good. Hold on tight!”

She didn’t need to be told that twice as memories of her near-death experience with Tony on his bike came rushing back to mind. She felt the world rushing by as they sped along the streets and as she dared to open her eyes to look, Adam seemed to be weaving his way in and out of traffic almost effortlessly.

“…breathe!”

“What?!” she yelled over the rush of wind.

“I said I’d really like to be able to breathe! You’re hugging me too tight!”

“Oh! Sorry!” You bastard, she thought and yet couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped her lips.

Adam heard the happy sound and felt a smile come to his lips as well. He was glad to know that things were turning out well…at least for now. He hoped that he would be able to keep her in good spirits when he proposed his plan to her. But for the meantime, he would enjoy this close proximity and relish it for as long as he could. He could feel the swell of her breasts pressed gently against his back and her grip around his waist, albeit tight, was a welcome sensation that sent blood rushing to several parts of his anatomy.

Smirking lightly, he decided he’d have to take a much longer route to their destination.

---

“Wo…wow!” She almost fell off the bike in her haste, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at the endless rows of somei yoshino sakura trees before her. Completely forgetting her companion, she ran through the archway and into a world filled with white petals seemingly everywhere! They continued to cascade to the ground like tiny snowflakes and feeling like a princess taken to another world, she twirled around in delight, her happy laughter garnering a few looks of admiration.

Adam strolled casually between the trees, hands sunk in the pockets of his pants as he watched her antics with amusement and yet undeniable pleasure. Her laughter was infectious and it seemed to light up her features making her even more prettier than before. He wished he could tell her that but was sure she’d either think him crazy or run as far away from him as possible.

“It’s so beautiful, Adam!” she called out from across the boulevard, waving her hands frantically for him to come closer. “Come see this!”

Hardly waiting for him to join her, she made her way towards the bank of the lake where several other couples and families sat watching the festive activities taking place. “Oh? What’s going on?” she asked as she felt Adam stand beside her.

“It’s hanami,” he explained patiently. “Or a flower viewing party. Many people come down to the gardens at this time of the year to view the trees and relax.”

“I can imagine,” she replied with a breathless sigh as watched the beautiful young geishas entertain the crowd on the moving boat which was decorated with an array of flowers, beads and origami.

“Let’s sit over there,” Adam said, reaching for her hand to lead her towards an empty spot beneath one of the many sakura trees. He eyed the grass for a moment, wishing he had planned this afternoon in a much better fashion. He had no jacket to place on the ground for her to sit on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked watching the light frown on his visage.

“Well…I can’t let you sit on the ground,” he replied with a small smile. “I was just telling myself that I could have planned this afternoon better.”

To his surprise, she burst out laughing. “Yeah, you definitely haven’t been on a real date in a long time. We don’t even have any food or drink either!”

Adam slapped a hand against his forehead, his cheeks blazing with color. “I’m sorry,” he began with a small bow of apology. “I’ll go get us something to eat really quickly, okay? Will you wait here for me?”

She nodded in agreement, her gaze now trained on the dancers again. “I’ll be on the bench over there when you return.”

---

Aurora watched with slight awe and faint amusement as Adam spread out the goodies he had gotten for them. Not only had he managed to get a picnic cloth for them to sit on, he had bought a small basket filled with pre-made bento lunches, several fruits, two cans of soda (she noticed he had selected her favorite, to her surprise) and a bottle of wine with two plastic wine glasses to go with it. He looked flustered and almost cute with how embarrassed he looked.

“I wasn’t sure if this was what you liked,” he said as he waited for her to take a bite of the meal. “I’m sure you’ve had much better…”

“Mmm…delicious!” she squealed in delight as she took another bite of the octopus-shaped sausages. “And you picked my favorite drinks too. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” he mumbled and began to eat his own meal, refusing to tell her that he had known because he noticed her drinking it in school during her lunch break.

She stared at his lowered head for a long minute. “You know what?” she finally said, a small smile coming to her lips. “You can be such a cutie when you’re not being a total and complete jerk.”

Adam flushed at the indirect compliment. “Same goes for you,” he replied, smirking at the indignant look on her visage. “You do have your moments…oops.” Several sakura petals had fallen into their food.

“Are they nutritious?” Aurora asked with a laugh as she plucked them out carefully.

“Not if you want to suffer a massive tummy ache in the morning.”

She grinned and drank the soda, her gaze drifting towards his dark hair which was now filled with even more sakura petals. She longed to run her hands through it but doubted he would let her do so.

He might think I’ve gone nuts and besides, I don’t want him to think I’m that desperate or anything…

“Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor,” Adam began quietly. He picked at his food and took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn’t take this the wrong way.

With her heart thumping faster within her chest, Aurora tried to act as cool as possible. “What favor?”

“Well…it’s about my grandmother.”

Aurora blinked in confusion. “Your…grandmother?” For a brief moment she couldn’t actually picture anyone being a mother or father let alone grandmother to Adam.

“Yes, I do have one,” he replied with faint amusement as he watched her cheeks become red with embarrassment. “When my parents passed away, she took care of me. However…”

“Oh my gosh, I had no idea,” she cut in, reaching out to place a hand upon his. “When did they pass away?”

He eyed her hand, relishing the warmth of the gesture but to his dismay, she withdrew it quickly. He cursed himself inwardly, hoping he hadn’t given her cause to react that way. “I was young at the time,” he said quietly. “Car accident…but as I was saying, she took good care of me when growing up and now…”

An image of his grandmother stuck in that narrow hospital bed with tubes and wires all over her, filled his mind and caused him to sigh heavily.

“She’s dying,” he finished softly, placing his bento on the ground. He lowered his gaze and stared blindly at the swirling wine in his glass. A sakura petal fell into the red liquid and he made no effort to pluck it out. He barely heard Aurora’s gasp of shock or the pained look in her eyes. He was lost in his world now, only seeing his grandmother taking her final breath and the anguish it would cause him.

“She doesn’t have much longer to live and the doctors had predicted that she would die a few months ago. But, she’s a strong and stubborn woman and won’t go until…until I show her a woman…my woman.”

Aurora swallowed tightly and tried to stop the sudden rush of heat that seared down her spine. She didn’t dare hope that he was going to ask her to do something along the lines of…

“You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend,” she found herself saying before she could control herself. Adam’s widened gaze, as he lifted his head, was all the answer she needed.

Pretend, huh? She tried hard to hide her disappoint.

“Why me though?” she suddenly asked as a thought occurred to her. “What about your current girlfriend?”

Adam frowned in bemusement. “I don’t have a current girlfriend…”

“That Miyabi-san person…what about her?”

“Who told you about Akari?” Although he had an inkling of who the culprit might be.

“It doesn’t matter who,” she said with a wave of a hand. “I just want to know why you didn’t ask her.”

Because I’m falling for you not her…

“She’s out of town,” he said and promptly kicked himself for saying that. He watched the flash of pain that flittered across her features for a moment and swore softly. “Aurora, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Oh sure you didn’t,” she retorted angrily, although her heart felt like it had been shattered. “Whenever she’s not around, let’s just go to the next available female, right?”

“No, that’s not true…!” Christ! He couldn’t afford to lose her now! “Aurora listen to me…”

“I’m not listening anymore!” she yelled, no longer caring if people stared at them or not. “You’re just a selfish, son-of-a-bitch, who only thinks about him…mmmphff!”

She hadn’t seen him move neither had he expected to go this far to get her to listen but as their lips finally met in the sudden kiss, their hearts seemed to blossom with the many sakura flowers which surrounded them, in perfect harmony.