Can You Keep a Secret?

Chapter 9 "Lies"

I inhaled all the air that could fit into my lungs and held it for a moment before I spoke. "It's good to see you again, Igarashi-sama."

Kaoru nodded once at me and turned to Natsume who remained silent, icily looking at his mother. "Am I not getting a good greeting from my own son?"

Natsume pressed his lips together into a firm line. "Would you still consider it a good greeting if you knew it was a lie?"

Judging from the expression of the maid standing behind Igarashi Kaoru, she was disappointed at Natsume's impolite answer. "Excuse me, Sir, but Milady…"

Kaoru raised one hand to signal her to keep quiet. "Leave, Yuna."

Yuna nodded and slowly turned around, hesitating and giving an unusual look to Natsume. One that said, 'You shouldn't have been so hard on her.' Natsume seemed to notice, knowing him, he ignored it. I was the one who looked back with an apologetic look towards her, and Yuna seemed to take it in. She smiled slightly, her emerald-green eyes showed off an expression of relief and gratitude. She nodded once at me before she finally stepped out of the room.

"Why don't we all take a seat?" Kaoru suggested. I slowly sat down on the floral white sofa across her chair after she did, but Natsume stayed standing, glaring at her mother.

"Why don't you tell me what we're doing here?" he snapped back at her.

For a fraction of a second, I could've sworn I saw Kaoru frown at his son's reaction, but she quickly went back to her emotionless and composed expression.

"Well since I've announced your engagement to the public," Igarashi Kaoru started, "it's only necessary I know my future daughter-in-law."

When her ruby-red eyes met mine, I felt a shiver up my spine. They were the exact replica of Natsume's, I observed. Only, they were colder, but more in-depth with emotion.

I tugged Natsume's shirt slightly, telling him to sit. His eyes narrowed at me for a moment, but he finally gave in and sat down.

"Why don't we start off with how you two met?" Kaoru asked, crossing her legs.

I glanced at Natsume, who was beside me. He acted like he didn't notice, but I assumed he did when I felt his warm hand squeeze mine slightly, as if telling me to do most of the talking. I knew why he wanted the story to be one-sided. I've seen many pretend-to-be-my-girlfriend-slash-fiancée-slash-wife movies and TV shows, and I've seen the terrifying and hazardous effects of answering questions together. The kind when the interrogating antagonist asks both the place they met, and the two of them blurt out two entirely different places – it kills.

"It was on a plane." That wasn't a lie. I remembered that glorious day like it was yesterday.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I was on my way to Tokyo from Hokkaido to respond to Flame's recommendation letter. He was sitting right next to me, and I felt oddly attracted to him the moment I saw his face," I said, my voice fading in embarrassment. I could feel the heat up my cheeks. Nothing in what I answered this time was a lie, either.

Igarashi-sama shifted her crossed leg with another. "I see," she said. Almost like a cue, I heard a phone ring. At first I thought it was Kaoru's, but when Natsume stood up and wordlessly excused himself, I felt my heart beat twenty times even faster.

At first, Natsume was just murmuring from the distance and I couldn't decode what he was saying, but I was suddenly surprised when he raised his voice to who he was talking to.

"I can't go. I'm doing something important," he said. I froze. Go? Did Natsume say he was going? Involuntarily, I cast a look at him with a twisted expression. Only thinking of a day spent with Igarashi-sama was hell. God, what did I do to deserve this?