My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

Another Perk

"Let me see." It only took Kaname three large strides to get to where I was standing. "How do I view the photos?" he asked.

I showed him how it's done. His brows were knitted and his lips were slightly pursed as he studied each and every photo. When he was done, he carefully laid the camera on the dresser before turning off the bedroom lights save for the lampshade beside the alarm clock.

"Let's go to bed, we still have work tomorrow," he pulled me to the bed and tucked the both of us in.

I looked at him with questioning eyes, curious as to why he suddenly wanted to sleep when it was just half past nine in the evening. Weren't we going to more talk about the photoshoot?

"Sleep," he repeated then turned off the only remaining light source in the room.

With a sigh, I turned to my side and attributed his sudden desire to hit the hay to cold feet.

"I love you," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.

~~~

I closed my eyes as I inhaled the relaxing scent of essential oils mixed with the subtle fragrance of roses. As though I was back in my private bath in the ooku, I adjusted myself into an even more comfortable position until the red petal-filled milk bath reached my chin. After disrobing and laying on the massage bed to have every inch of our skins scrubbed with invigorating Arabica coffee grounds, Kaname and I were ushered to our separate bathing chambers for a milk soak. I lazily opened my eyes when I heard my therapist Linda announce that my fifteen-minute soak was up and it's time for the hour-long massage that was the highlight of this spa treatment. As I was already used to it, I rose from the tub without demurely covering my womanly bits to wear the fresh robe she was offering. A faint blush crept on the cheeks of the woman who I assume was in her early twenties. She looked away as if she was the one naked and not me. Seeing Linda's awkwardness made me remember my maids, especially my dearest Ryuko-san. She was the one who taught me that naked bodies aren't to be ashamed of; only lewd and improper behavior on the other hand was worth cutting a finger off.

Upon entering the adjoining treatment room, I saw Kaname standing with one of his hips propped on the bed on the left. With his arms crossed, his eyes followed my every movement as I got closer and closer to my own massage bed. He was wearing a robe in the same color as mine, only bigger. It gave me another wave of nostalgia as it brought me back to the times when I'd wake up to him looking out the window in my room.

"Hi," I said while secretly relishing how he looked. The hairs that were framing his face were wet from the soak; the milk bath coupled with the facial treatments we've been having since Friday evening made his skin look extra supple. I almost wanted to reach out and touch his face just to confirm its softness.

"You look even more beautiful," he commented then proceeded to grab my chin to give me a quick peck on the tip of my nose. As though he didn't just sprinkle dog food[1], he asked, "Which oil do you want for your massage?"

"Umm... The lavender oil," I replied despite knowing it could make me fall asleep.

The studio where the first shoot was going to take place tomorrow was just across the hotel and spa. As another perk, we were given a two-night stay here for both convenience and comfort. As a way of showing my support to my husband, I filed a leave to be present on the first round of photo session.

"I'll have that one, too. We may start," he told the therapist assigned to him before untying his robe, exposing his body in all its gloriousness save for the area where a fluffy towel was covering it.

I followed suit and laid facedown on my massage bed. Although I tried to fight it, I ended up succumbing to the blissful feeling of having the knots on my shoulders, back, and legs being kneaded away and fell asleep. It wasn't until I heard the sound of a singing bowl being rung next to me that I woke up. I opened my eyes and languidly got up, I pretended to frown when I saw who woke me up.

"Time for dinner, mahal," Kaname announced.

For some reason his voice was kind of hoarse, it gave his words a different meaning. I glared at him but he gave me an innocent look then a chuckle.

"That's for later," his mouth widened into a grin. "But if you want that now I'll be very happy to oblige."

He knew what I was thinking, of course he knew! This libidinous bastard always knows!

"Let's eat, anata," I avoided his eyes and walked out of the treatment room while tightening the sash of my robe.

"Oi, Hina, wait for me!" I heard him call out playfully. "I'll be alone and lonely without you!"

Alone and lonely my ass!

Our treatment room was the biggest and is the establishment's "couple room." However, it was just that: a huge treatment room for couples. Our actual hotel room was a good few storeys away and was in the twentieth floor. As I hastened my footsteps, I passed by our private jacuzzi and sauna. I then went straight to the changing room and disrobed. I managed to change in record time due to my fear of Kaname seducing me into doing something naughty with him in this semi-private place. I very rarely get to say no to him and mean it recently, I didn't want us to create a huge scandal here. After tying my hair into a quick braid and abandoning the soft bedroom slippers that were given by the spa for the cat patterned flip-flops I brought with me, I decided to wait for Kaname in the main hall of the area.

The door behind me just clicked shut when the one opposite ours opened. Clad in a cliché batik midi sundress and gladiator sandals, Julianne looked like burnt toast with her overdone tan. When our eyes met, an emotion I couldn't identity flashed in her eyes before her lips curved up in a friendly smile. It widened into a toothy grin when she saw Kaname appear behind me.

"Hi! It's been a while, how have you been?" she asked Kaname.

"Etto[2]..." Kaname subconsciously spoke in Japanese. He looked at me in confusion, his eyes communicating to me what he was about to ask her. "Izen doko ka de o ai shimashita ka[3]?"

"Huh?" Julianne forced a giggle, it grated on my nerves. "I'm sorry but I don't speak Japanese."

I bit my lower lip to keep myself from bursting into laughter, I had a feeling what will happen next will be amusing!

"Oh my apologies," Kaname said. "My memory isn't good so please don't take this the wrong way, have we met before?"

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[1] Chinese slang for showing public display of affection.
[2] Japanese way of saying erm / umm / uhh.
[3] Still Japanese. It means "Have we met before?"