Sorry, this is going to be long. And cliche. Enjoy. ~aurum autumn
I call Mayumi after Tora leaves. It's already dark outside, since it's winter in Japan. I stare at the dark streets as I wait for her to answer.
"Hello?" she asks.
"Mayumiiiiii! Want to go Australia?"
I can almost imagine her frowning. "I think I just went. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I just went."
"How can you be so unsure?" I ask, sighing loudly so she can hear me.
"I go on a lot of trips, remember? I can't really keep track of them."
"Whatever. Tora just invited me and you and his friend Maki to go to Australia."
Mayumi shrieks. I gasp and hold the phone away from my ear while rubbing my ear. "DUDE, DID YOU SAY TORA IGARASHI?"
"Yeah, can you chill?"
"I'm going. Wait, how did you get the Prez to like you? Plus, has this been going on for a while? And also, Maki is going? Omigosh, I admire Maki so much," she says all in one breath.
Oh yeah. I sort of remember Mayumi telling me once that she liked Maki. I hang up and go to the kitchen, where Haruto is making sushi. Ooh, that's new. We always eat instant noodles.
I bet Mayumi is packing like mad now. Not to mention she's going to throw in some hoodies and jackets, even though it's summer in Australia. I remind myself to pack a hoodie too, just in case.
My phone vibrates again. I pick up and go back to my room so I can talk in private. It's Tora.
"My dad wants to meet you," he says cheerfully. What is with this cheerful tone, it's actually kind of creepy. "And I have a gift for you."
I throw on some random clothes, grab a rice ball and go downstairs. A limousine is waiting. I know it's Tora's, mostly because the words Igarashi (in Japanese) are painted on the car doors. The car door opens and Tora's head pops out. "Come in."
I stare around me. The seats are really wide and comfortable. Inside, everything is white. There are even white curtains to hide the outside view. They are drawn across the windows now, so it's darker inside the car. And I realise that I can't see the front driver. There's a translucent white 'wall' that blocks the back from the front. It's amazing, we can have complete privacy.
(a/n: I have no idea what a limo looks like inside. I'm just imagining a super fancy one here.)
I look at Tora and he grins, like he knows what I'm thinking. His arm slides around my waist and he pulls me closer. "Put on your seat belt, though," he whispers , his lips tickling my ear.
"Seat belts, so we can be safe," I reply automatically, then gasp when I realise I just quoted Dora. I quickly put on the stupid seat belt. Tora chuckles and doesn't let go of me.
Since I'm bored, I start to think of Dora quotes again. Then I find out that Dora rhymes with Tora. Dora, Tora, Dora, Tora. I laugh to myself.
I feel Tora staring at me. "You're really weird," he observes.
"Thank you," I say.
As I keep reviewing my Dora quote collection, Tora uses his phone. We spend the car ride in silence.
Soon, we arrive at his father's house. Or maybe it's Tora's house too. Or just a building.
"It's his office," Tora explains. I nod, looking up at the place. It's big.
