For Better, For Worse

Chapter 7 - The Long-lasting Bond

She hesitated. I heard a distant 'yes let me speak to her!' and all of a sudden Marie was speaking to me. "Hey Lily!"

"Marie, what's going on? Why do you need me to come back?" I asked with a slightly angry tone.

"It's not like we need you to come back... we just want you to," she replied nonchalantly. Again there was someone in the background, who said 'don't tell her that! Now she won't come back!'. I hung up the call, irked. I didn't have time to be playing games with them. Even though I wasn't doing a shoot, I was in the middle of a social event that would determine my friends for the rest of the summer. With a cloudy mind, I left the toilet and went through the double doors back into the planetarium. With difficulty I found my seat and sat back down, unable to concentrate for the rest of the show.

~

When the lights came back on, I saw that everyone had fallen asleep except for Tadao and I. It was only nine-thirty as well! Tadao looked at me with a slightly mischievous smile, and I returned a vaguely confused face. He took hold of my wrist and gently tugged it.

"Let's go. It'll be funny if they woke up in here during the next show," he grinned, still tugging my wrist. I was too shocked for words. Wasn't Tadao super angry at me? Why did he suddenly seem so friendly?

"A-Are you sure it's okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, don't worry. Come on, let's go."

We were both stunned by the bright light outside but he continued leading me down the carpeted corridor with floor lights and star maps on the walls. We entered the main lobby where a small queue was waiting at reception. It was dark outside and in fact, slightly cold. My cardigan didn't seem to do much to protect me from the wind, but it was better than nothing. I got my phone out and searched on Google Maps directions to Hayato's place.

I kept behind Tadao slightly, a tiny bit afraid that his mood would change and he would get angry at me again. It was a relatively comfortable silence as we walked down the brightly lit streets of Shibuya.

"How is America? Did you make lots of friends?" he asked.

"Yes, I made a few. My closest friends are probably the people I model with, Marie and Violet. Have you heard of the Three Splendours?" I replied and inquired tentatively.

"Vaguely. Is that the group you work in?"

I nodded. We turned right onto another street, which was lined with apartments and houses.

"Who called you earlier?" he asked after a few minutes. He slowed down to my pace and looked at me. With a racing heart, I answered him.

"It was my manager, Belle. She wanted me to go back to America for a couple of shoots, and I said there was no way I was flying all the way to New York when they could easily manage without me."

He chuckled. "I think I might just forget the old you and get to know the new you. You're not as bad as I initially made you out to be, Lily."

My heart suddenly turned cold and my eyes widened. I didn't want this! I didn't want him to forget the old me, nor did I want him to call me Lily! "What are you saying-"

"It's Lily isn't it? Yeah, you probably know, I'm Tadao. How are you finding Japan?"

I hated this. Why was he being like that? "Tadao-san, stop-"

"Where are you living? Let me take you home. I live quite close to the station, which is approximately another ten minutes walk - if you live close, I'll just walk you home."

All my anger was concentrated at that moment. "Tada-kun! Stop right now, or I'll slap you!" My cheeks flushed a deep radish kind of red as I got more and more embarrassed. Damn it, why did I have to sound so childish? Tadao stopped and looked very surprised, as if he never expected me in a million years to say something like that. Then he put his hand on my shoulder.