CHAPTER 37: THE CUTE COUPLE

“How long do you know him?”The question broke the silence between Maki and Nanako as the tall woman helped her wearing a dress.

“Two years….”Nanako lifted her eyebrows in strange manners when she heard Maki’s answer.

“That long?”

“I….just knew him as one of the colleagues. Not more than that…..”Maki muttered softly, making Nanako smiled.

“I know….”Nanako told her as she patted the woman’s shoulder. Her dark brown eyes lingered on the dress Maki wore, checking on it before she continued her words.

“It is an arranged marriage, isn’t it? Between the two of you….” Nanako asked her once again, as she brushed the dress that Maki wore. The owner of the round eyes silenced at first before she nodded her head.

“Yes.”Calmly Maki replied to the woman. For her, no need to hide the real situation because it was obvious that they are not lovers. Oddly, Nanako just let out soft laugh when she admitted it. No surprising gasps or a shocking face.

“Strangely, I found you the two of you are really compatible between each other despite the two of you have been arranged for the marriage.” Nanako told her excitedly.

“No. We are not.”Maki denied what the woman said. Deep inside her heart, she still thought that the marriage was a mistake. The biggest mistake that she ever made.

“Yes, you are. Believe me. I never see him acting like this before. Not even in front of his ex-girlfriend.” Nanako informed her. The woman’s statement made curiosity ignited inside Maki’s mind.

“Tomo brought his ex-girlfriend here too?” The question flew out from the owner of big brown eyes’s mouth fast. Shaking her head, Nanako replied.

“No. He never brought her here. We met accidently when Yamapi took her to a restaurant six months ago.  By the way my dear, you are the first woman that he brought here. Although he always bought dresses for the woman, usually he came alone. Just bring the cash, and he went back with the clothes for them.”

“Ohh….okay.”Maki responded nonchalantly, as if those things were not that important. This was eyed by Nanako.

“Aren’t you jealous?”Nanako shot the question to her. Maki lifted her gaze and found the tall woman looked at her intently.

“For?”She raised her eyebrow slightly.

“Knowing that Yamapi bought dresses for other women....don’t you jealous over that fact?” Maki blinked her eyes for a few times, before she shook her head.

“No….”

“You don’t? Don’t you know that he has more girlfriends in his life before this, and most of them are beautiful models? Don’t you feel jealous over that one too?” Nanako tried to pry the issues into Maki’s mind. Innocently, Maki nodded.

“I’m not.”Upon hearing Maki’s answer, Nanako laughed softly.

“You are sure a special one. No wonder he acts differently around you compare to the other women….” Nanako told her making Maki became silenced once again. Tomo acts different when he is with other women? The thought suddenly disturbed inside her mind.

                Unknowingly, Nanako just grinned when she noticed the woman thought what she had said about her husband deeply. Glancing to her watch, she found that they had been spending nearly an hour trying all the clothes. Then, she eyed Maki back who was in the beautiful dress. Yamapi is going to like this for sure. Nanako muttered alone inside her heart.

“Anyhow, let us forget the issue. We should come out right now.”

“Come out?” Maki slightly raised her eyebrow.

“Yes. Yamapi should see you in this dress himself.” Nanako told her.

“Why would he see it? The rests of the clothes that I tried before do not need for him to see it.”Nanako smiled while walking toward the curtain.

“Well, this one is special because he chose himself.”With that, Maki widened her eyes in surprise.

                Turning around, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The pink dress that she wore fit her perfectly. He chose this dress for her? Why? And….how does he know my size? The thought bothered her. Clutching her hands over the skirt, Maki eyed herself in it. The material of the dress was smooth on her skin. The fabric hanged loosely over her shoulder, revealing the white smooth shoulders. What made the dress more beautiful was the flowery lace at the bottom of the dress. Even, white pearls were sewn over it, making the dress looked classy and elegant. Maki bit her lower lips as the view captured her.

It is being a long time already she did not wear that kind of dress….

And colours…..

The last time she was in that colour is when….

                Horikita Maki stopped her thinking instantly. Just remembering the past, painful feeling crept inside her heart, squeezing it painfully. Unknowingly, her soft hands gripped the materials even stronger, trying to erase those hurtful feelings now.Nanako called her once again, waking her from deep thought.

“Ready?” Nanako asked her while winking as Maki looked at the woman through the mirror.

“Wait…I…”Before she could say anything, the curtain was wide opened, revealing Yamapi sitting comfortably on the chair while looking through the magazine.

                Upon hearing the sound of the curtain opened, Yamapi lifted his gaze from the magazine. At that moment, he froze. The black and dull dress that Maki wore earlier was now stripped into the soft pink dress. Even, it fit her perfectly. Amazed with the sudden changes on her, Yamapi became speechless as his eyes fixed on the woman.

“How?”Nanako shot a question to the hunky man who’s his eyes still glued on Maki. The sudden question was asked to him and this made Yamapi startled and stuttered.

“Wh-what? Ah…yes….well…it is……” y and gorgeous on her. The thought rambled inside his head when he let his sentence hanged just like that.

“It is….?”Nanako was still waiting for his words to be continued. Even it attracted Maki too.Slowly, she turned around and stared at Yamapi who was still haven’t finished commenting on her.

“It is ….looking….fine.”Yamapi nodded fast as his ran his eyes to somewhere else. Nanako touched her chin and she thought deeply.

“Really? Just fine? I thought this is the best dress for her. You sure know her size after all…..”Nanako commented as she eyed Maki from the top to the bottom.

                Yamapi coughed a little bit as the Nanako hinted the words sizes hit within her sentences. Frankly, it was not like he knew it, but…he could guess it. Strange how he had that ability, in guessing woman sizes. Maybe…he is so used to it since he lives with two women inside his life before this. His mother and his sister….

                Looking at Maki right now, his heart beat accelerated once again. The dress that he chose earlier was fitting nicely on her body.Extremely nice….especially when it reveals those beautiful shoulders. The thought came once again. Truly, he did not mean for her to wear it. It just, the dress captured his interest most when he reached at the boutique earlier. Even, his mind ran wild imaginations thinking of the dress on her. At first, he was hesitating to let the woman wearing it. However, Nanako was so nice by grabbing the dress from him when he was in deep thought and brought along with her into the fitting room. Damn Nanako!!

“I don’t like it.”The statement flew out from Maki’s mouth grabbing yamapi back to the reality.

“What!!”The man stood up as he shrieked on horror. Nanako was taken a back with the man’s sudden loud voice.

“I said….I don’t like it.” Maki repeated the words once again. This time she stressed on the last word.

“You sure know how to oppose me, whatever good thing that I do on you, right Marina?”

“Well, I prefer black rather than pink.” Yamapi sighed before he talked back.

“Well, I don’t want you to wear black when you met my family tomorrow. Not with the funeral colour.”

“Pink is not the suitable colour for a family gathering too….”Yamapi stared at Maki irritatingly upon hearing her sarcastic answer.

“Still, it is much better than black.”Yamapi shot back to the woman.

“But…”

“No but for me. I’ve decided already, you are going to wear this for tomorrow.”Yamapi cut of her sentence before she could retort back. For him, he should finish their stupid arguments before it dragged to something else. Turning around, he spoke to Nanako.

“We’re done. Swipe my card for it.” Yamapi took out a gold credit card and handed in to Nanako, who was smiling cheekily to him.

“Is that why your nickname has pink in it, Tomo? Because you obsesse with the pink.” The woman’s sudden question made Yamapi snapped his head back to the woman.

“WHAT!?”Yamapi rounded his eyes as he yapped back.

 “So, it is true,Tomo? That you nickname has pink in it because you love pink so much? Like that? No wonder you force me to wear this pinky dress. Tch…you sound like a girl to me for liking this colour.”