Love Me Again ➳ three

♦ C H A P T E R F O U R ♦

"When are you going to marry her?"

Natsume spurts out his coke right into Ruka's face. Ruka closes his eyes and accepts his punishment for asking that... sacred question. "Why did you ask that question?" Natsume sighs before wiping his mouth with his right hand. Wiping off the coke at his face, Ruka glares at his best friend. 

"Her contract with her agency is almost over. Only nine more months before she quits the music world. You should start planning for both of your future. Don't wait any longer." 

He wished it could be like that. How he wished they could get married right now. But it can't. Not when she is currently in danger and he can't take away the only thing she ever loved. 

Music was, is, and will always be her everything.

"I will wait for her until the very end. I can't suddenly push her into marriage." It confuses him sometimes, seeing his best friend who was once cold and full of hatred, turned into the man in front of him. Ruka could see his eyes soften just by the mention of her. But after seeing them together, his heart would always feel warm knowing that they were finally gaining back their long-awaited happiness. 

"Polka, Are you busy this week?" 

The brunette turned around to look at him with a suspicious look on her face. "Why are you asking me that?" Natsume shrugged and looked away. "Nothing. Just wondering."

"Well, I was supposed to be shooting an advertisement and there is also a photo shoot the next day..." Natsume sighs in disappointment and slumps his shoulders. ".. but the director got sick and the cameraman is currently in the hospital so no, I'm free this week. " Mikan continues, making Natsume quickly look at her with a smile on his face. Mikan chuckles lightly seeing his face brighten up so quickly. 

"What is it that you're hiding from me?" Mikan asks while slowly reaching out to him. Natsume calmly brushes her hand off him and walks into the bathroom. "You'll find out soon enough. Get ready for tonight. We're having dinner at a restaurant." He said before shutting the door. She couldn't help but feel anxious. What is he hiding from her? 

The day went on peacefully, Mikan attending a talk show while Natsume prepares something for her. Slowly, the night is approaching and the brunette is getting anxious minute by minute. Maybe he is just pranking her. Mikan decided to wear a simple sleeveless white dress with a few sakura designs etched at the rim of the dress. She also wore a baby pink scarf to shield her from the cold wind. 

"Are you ready, Polka?"

Natsume opens her door without knocking. Mikan who was used to it just ignored him and focused on getting her eyeliner done. "I'm almost done. Just need to put on some lipstick and I'm good to go." Natsume could only stare at the beautiful masterpiece in front of him. How could someone be so... beautiful. Step by step, Natsume walks behind Mikan before enveloping her in his warm embrace.

"You're so beautiful, Polka."

Hearing the compliment, she couldn't help but blush. Receiving compliments from him was rare. Especially regarding her appearance. It was so rare that she thought he was planning something bad for her. "You're really not planning something, right?" Natsume chuckled and lets go of her waist. "Maybe, maybe not." He said before walking away from her and out of the room.

What is he planning? 

The two of them finally arrive at their destination, a fancy restaurant that is filled with rich people wearing tuxedos and pricey dresses. Compared to them, Mikan is nowhere near as rich as them. But she still wins when it comes to elegance and beauty, which Natsume takes pride in very much. 

"So, what are you trying to do to me?"

Natsume couldn't help but laugh at her suspiciousness. "If I say I'm going to kidnap you and sell you to a black market, what will you say?" 

"I know you're not going to do it."

"Why?"

"Because your efforts on making me fall in love with you will go to waste, besides, you love me way too much to sell me."

Just like that and he couldn't stop his smile from showing. "I love you, polka."

Mikan turned around, making eye contact with his crimson orbs, grinning. "Likewise, pervert."

The waiter finally comes and serve their dinner. One glance at the food and she already know she is going to gain two kilograms. But there was something on top of the food. An envelope to be precise. "Um... Excuse me, but there's an envelope on my food." Mikan was baffled with what's going on. The waiter though just smiled and took a step back.

Mikan stares at Natsume, her eyes screaming 'what-are-you-planning-?' kind of feeling. He smiled innocently as if playing with her. Feeling Natsume wouldn't help her, Mikan finally gathers up the courage to open the mysterious envelope. Everything seemed slow to her as her right hand opens the envelope to reveal...

A ticket.

A plane ticket.

To Paris.

Mikan's eyes widened like saucers. Is this real? Am I dreaming? Is this someone else's? This has got to be someone else's! She wanted to believe it was someone else's but a big part of her wanted it to be hers. She pulled out the ticket and see the name written on the ticket. 

Mikan Yukihara.

She felt like she could faint that very moment.

Unsure if she was dreaming or not, Mikan slapped and pinched her cheeks to see if she would wake up from this dream of hers. She didn't. "EEEKKKK!! NATSUME!!" Due to her excitement, Mikan jumped up from her chair and hugged Natsume, almost suffocating him. Natsume, on the other hand, felt proud that Mikan liked his gift. His plan worked perfectly just as he had planned.

"Thank you, Natsume! Thank you! I love you so much,  pervert!" 

After a few minutes of Mikan suffocating Natsume in her deadly hug, she lets go of him and sat down again. "Why are you giving me this, Natsume?"

"You've worked hard on this album and I wanted to give you a holiday. Just one week. A week where no one will disturb us. Just us. What do you say, polka?"

"Of course my answer is yes, pervert!" 

Mikan kissed Natsume in the lips, surprising Natsume with the action but was quick to regain his consciousness and kissed her back. The other people in the room applauded and made whistles to the couple but they couldn't hear it as they were to be busy in their own world.