Thankful Second Encounter
Beautiful Intentions
It felt like Chisato was constantly running from one place to another today. Just as she was leaving the boutique she got a call from her mother, reminding her that they were having guests over for dinner tonight and that they would be there around six. So with tension filled steps and a sense of curiosity of whom the dinner guests were, she ran faster down the street leading to the apartment.
On top of all this, upon getting on the train to Ginza, she noticed she was missing a more than important item from her purse. Her mother’s medication was suddenly absent from the various items she carried with her.
‘It must have been when I bumped into that guy….’ She had thought at the time. Chisato’s frustration and annoyance had tripled since then, this had never happened before therefore she had no idea how to handle it. After all, what were the odds of running into that guy again…?
“I’m home…” She whispered, holding in her negative emotions, if her mother read her distress then it would surely cause Akiko to get one of her headaches brought on by anxiety.
“Welcome home, Chi-chan! How was work?” Akiko chirped, skipping to her daughter with a wide smile. She was clearly excited about tonight’s dinner get together. Chisato forced herself to smile back, while her mind tried to find a solution about the lost prescription.
“Well…I got yelled at for being late…” She cautiously mentioned, leaving out the part about the cause behind her tardiness.
“But don’t worry about it, Taiga-san was very understanding once I explained why.” Getting the feeling she was talking to herself, Chisato turned her head towards where her mom was supposed to be…She was no where to be seen!
“Mom, if you’re going to ask a question at least wait until I’m done answering before disappearing!” She growled in disappointment, looking around for her missing parent. She found Akiko in her daughter’s bedroom, sifting through her closet. A pile of clothes scattered across the room.
“Mom, what are you doing!? Those are all clean!” She lectured with a furrowed brow. Bending to pick up the growing pile of clothing.
“Oh, nothing….Now hurry and put this on.” She ordered, tossing Chisato a nice casual summer dress. Chisato raised a brow, glancing at her mother’s attire then her own. Who was so important that they required her mother to wear such a nice clothes?
“No arguing, put these on too.” A pair of black knee high socks came flying at her while Akiko shuffled out of the room, allowing Chisato to change in private. Doing as she was told, Chisato wore the dress and socks. Her mind running on automatic as Akiko re-entered to look her up and down, giving a thumbs up in approval.
“You look so cute!” She squeaked with a huge smile. Chisato followed her mother out into the main room, brow still creased in confusion at her attire. The clothes she had worn all day should have been good enough, right? Why did she have to dress like she was going out? Slowly, very slowly, did Chisato put together a hypothesis. Aside from Naomi, her mother was always pursuing possible boyfriends for her.
“…Mom, don’t tell me you’re trying to match me up again…” Her voice had dropped an octave as she remembered the last time Akiko tried playing match maker…It ended with Chisato covered in her nervous date‘s regurgitated dinner.
Her mom had been going on and on lately about Chisato literally having no interest in love, let alone any inkling of who she found good-looking. Akiko smiled slyly at her daughter’s accusation, making Chisato frown; adding another negative event on today’s list.
With nothing but utter indifference she stood near the couch, hearing the mumbling greetings from the hallway and inevitable movement into the main area of the apartment. Chisato’s stomach sank as she tried to hide her cringing expression with each step the visitors took.
What would her set up guy look like? Would he throw up on her like last time? Chisato didn’t know why her mother was so persistent. She was perfectly happy without a love life….
“And this is my daughter; Chisato.” Her gaze remained glued to the floor causing the female houseguest slight discomfort from her agitated aura. But when Chisato could suddenly feel her mother’s enraged glare at her rude behavior, Chisato’s eyes slowly moved up to meet their guests.
Immediately after looking at the older woman and bowing, she moved onto her son. Who earned an air of shock and over excitement. It was him! The guy she had bumped into outside the store. The handsome man with the beautiful hands! Their little run in had going through Chisato’s mind all day. Which was an accomplish in itself, a male had successfully occupied her mind longer than fifteen minutes. With hints of blush appearing on her face ever time she thought him handsome.
“Ah…I’m sorry. My name is Shirokawa Chisato, it’s nice to meet you.” She bit back the urge to rush to the mans side and ask if he had the left behind blood pressure prescription.
“Oh…the girl from earlier today….” He muttered, bowing slightly.
“I’m Ohno Satoshi.” Chisato’s brow furrowed in thought, she could have sworn she had heard that name before…but where?
“….sorry again for bumping into you earlier.” His head inclined in an apologetic manner.
“No, no, it was my fault, I’m sorry.” Chisato replied bowing again.
“And thank you again for helping me pick my things up.” She explained, trying to be sly and find where he might carry the specific thing she was emphasizing.
“Ah…speaking of which…” He trailed off, fishing for something in his pocket before producing the pill bottle she had neglected to pick up from the pavement.
“You forgot this.” Carefully taking them from his offered hand, Chisato finally could breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, her mother and Ohno-san were busy, Akiko had yet to put the finishing touches on dinner and decided to let Ohno and Chisato converse in private and it seemed that Ohno-san agreed with her.
“Thank you, you have no idea how important this is, please excuse me for a moment.” She slowly stepped away from him with a cautious yet thankful smile, Ohno himself had a grin playing at the corner of his lips.
Chisato held the bottle to her chest as she quickly entered her mother’s room to place them on her nightstand, before turning on her heels to rejoin the gathering.
However, she stopped short, the thumping in her heart sounding in her ears…what was this feeling? It was different from when she had bumped into Ohno that afternoon. Perhaps it was relief from the returned medicine…or maybe relief that she had met him once again. Either way, Chisato didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about it. After all, she had no time for romance. Between work and home she had little room to even think about a relationship….
Dinner went well and when it came time to clean up, Ohno even helped Chisato with the dishes. Which she found herself somewhat dejected that such hands were dirtied by labor, but she quickly shook the thought from her mind. Not wanting to let ideas having anything to do with Ohno Satoshi take root. Even with that thought in mind she found it strange that she felt a pull at her heartstrings when it came time to part. A strange sense of loneliness clawing at the door to her brain as they left. Ohno glancing back at Chisato before entering the elevator. Her heart automatically trying to leap out of her chest before she put it back in check.
‘I have no time for such useless emotions…’ Chisato thought before walking back into the apartment.
~++++~
The following week, Chisato had a Thursday off and with the housework done, all that was left to do was laze about on this nice summer night. Together Chisato and her mom watched T.V. flipping between channels to find something good.
“Ah, Chi-chan, go back! I thought I say Satoshi-kun!” Raising a skeptical brow she changed the channel back. There was no way it was Ohno…
“It is him! Oh my goodness!” Chisato couldn’t believe her eyes, it was him! Ohno Satoshi was on the television! Specifically on a variety show called VS Arashi. Arashi…that’s where she had heard his name before…Naomi was a fan of the famous Japanese boy band, she used to go on and on about the members. While she was pregnant with Harumi she would listen to their albums in the café.
A faint smirk swept across Chisato’s lips, a realization coming into view. She never had the slightest of chances with an idol and took the news as not only good but a refreshing thought.
‘Good, now I can readjust my focuses back onto work and home…no more fantasizing about that guy…’ She thought in an almost spiteful attitude. Regardless of wanting to dismiss the emotions she felt that night, Chisato had been thinking about Ohno since they met and to her that was a bad thing. She thought it interfered with her quality of housework as well as job performance. For example she had been serving coffee to a customer about a week ago when she forgot to bring the cream and sugar…Now, to a normal person this may seem petty but to Chisato it was crucial.
In all the years she had been working at C’est La Vie Café she had never once forgotten to place the cream and sugar on her tray when a patron ordered coffee. Being a perfectionist in the work place, Chisato grew angry with herself…but now she didn’t have to. She could blame Ohno Satoshi for causing her such stress.
‘Oh well, now I don’t have to think or worry about him anymore.’ These were her final thoughts on the subject of Ohno or at least she wanted them to be.
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Author's Note: Second chapter...this one turned out alright...Ohno was in it but not at the same time... -__-;
He didn't get a lot of lines because I couldn't think of any good words for him to say outloud. Anyway, next chapter he'll talk more, I promise. Thanks for reading!!!!!! <3
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