After the coffee with Yuki and Matteo, I went back to the hotel to continue finishing up the review. Just after I went inside my room, I heard a notification coming from my phone. I fished my phone out of my pocket, opening it to see what it was.
Ran: are u free today :p
'Is this man not busy?'
Rika: arent u tired?
Ran: ??
Rika: not to be rude or anything..
Rika: just worried that im bothering ur schedule when u should be resting ;-;
Ran: aww ur worried about me (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I subconsciously made a face of disgust.
Ran: alsoo
Ran: why havent u followed me back (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Rika: whats with these emoticons wwww
Ran: follow me (~￣³￣)~
Rika: i was abt to
Rika: but now im having second thoughts
Ran: ಠ_ಠ
Ran: free dinner? (◔_◔)🍔🍕
Rika: why didn't u just say so?
I went to his account and immediately followed him.
Ran: wow so shameless
Rika: (￢з￢)
Ran: now ur using emoticons
Rika: emoticons are for everyone ¯\(ツ)/¯
It took a while before Ran replied again.
Ran: ( ◉◞౪◟◉)
Rika: wtf wwwww
Ran: wwwww
Ran: i'll pick u up after training
I tilted my head in confusion as if he could see me through my phone.
Rika: ur actually serious?
Ran: yeah? why?
Rika: ಠ_ಠ
Ran: shut up
Rika: no im not getting out of my hotel room
Ran: im barging in
Rika: ...
Ran: u go down or i make a scene
Rika: u cant..
Ran: oh i will
I laughed at the thought of Ran just running around the lobby and crying.
Rika: ok let me see ur acting skills
Ran: oh im gonna be a star
Ran: the show will be around 7pm.
Rika: (･ω･)b
Rika: looking forward to it.
I knew Ran isn't going to do that and even if he did make scene, he wouldn't be able to get in.
'Or this hotel sucks due to their security.'
I looked at the time to see that it was almost 1pm and I had time to finish the review and send it to the company.
Before getting back to the zone in writing, I received one more message from him.
Ran: if u can..
Ran: dress fancy |･ω･'*)ッ
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I saved the document and pressed sent then I stretched my arms, feeling accomplished for the day. I grabbed my phone to see the time.
'5:47pm'
I still had time to get ready so I went over to my suitcase and picked an outfit. I was rummaging through only to find the first outfit I was supposed to wear on the night of the show. It was a black long-sleeve body-con dress that had an off-the shoulder neckline. I also brought a pair of tights to go with the outfit.
'Should I wear this or is it too much?'
I searched for another one. I grabbed a pair of jeans and the same black top that I actually wore on the show, and laid it down on the bed next to the dress.
'This seems to casual...'
A notification sound interrupted my train of thoughts, making me look for my phone. I opened to see a message from Ran.
Ran: just got home
Ran: i'll message again if im about to leave
Ran: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
I immediately looked at the time.
'6:04pm? Already?'
I looked at the two options again and decided to just choose later. I ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower to freshen up. After wrapping my body in my bathrobe and my hair in a towel, I grabbed my skincare and makeup bag to start working on my face.
In the middle of beating my face with a sponge, another notification came through.
Ran: on the way!!
'6:24pm!? Only 20 minutes to get ready?'
I had half an hour to get ready so I had enough time but not enough to contemplate what to wear.
After finishing up my makeup, I blow-dry my hair and styled it. I normally keep my hair down but since it's going to be 'fancy', might as well do the full look.
I got out of the toilet and wore the black dress. I slipped on the pair of tights then looked at myself at the body length mirror. Feeling good, I went to the vanity and put on some accessories to tie it all together.
As I was putting perfume, another notification came through.
Ran: 5 min :P
Rika: don't text and drive
Ran: in a stop light but okay ma'am.
I smiled and shook my head.
I continued to get ready, grabbing my purse to check if I have everything. My wallet, phone, passport and other necessities were already inside. I cleaned up my room a bit, just in case housekeeping would come in. I put on my black heels, checked myself one last time on the mirror and left, making sure I didn't leave the key for my room.
Before leaving, my phone suddenly buzzed.
Ran: are u sure u don't wanna go down.
Rika: nope.
Ran: ಠ_ಠ
I chuckled at the chat and waited a few minutes before heading down.
I don't actually know if he's going to make a scene or not but I'm going down anyways to see.
I got on the elevator and pressed the ground floor to go to the lobby. As soon as I got out, I immediately heard a commotion outside.
'Oh shit..'
I saw Ran talking with the receptionist as they tried to calm him down.
"I'm telling you, she's staying here!" Ran semi-shouted.
"Sir.. We cannot help you if you keep raising your voice.." The man at the front said.
I noticed Ran take a deep breath.
'Pfft.. what an actor.'
I got a bit closer to hear what they were saying.
"I'm sorry.. I'm supposed to take her out to dinner but she hasn't been answering my calls and now I'm very worried." Ran explained as the receptionist in front started to feel bad.
"And I was about to propose to her.." Ran said as he pouted.
'What the fuck..'
Before this could go further, I emerged from the shadows and called out to him.
"Ran!" I said, cutting the scene.
Both men looked at me as Ran suddenly walked towards me and engulf me in a hug. His nose brushed against my neck as he took a deep breath. I shuddered at the feeling but stood still. I smiled at the receptionist.
"So sorry.." I apologized at the man.
"No worries, my lady.. I understand him." He smiled and continued working.
'It was just an act.. I feel bad.'
Ran finally let go and frowned. I looked at him, confused.
"What?" I asked.
"I was so close to getting the key and barging in your room." He grumbled.
I rolled my eyes and let out a scoff.
"Sure you were.." I mocked.
I walked away from him to go out but I realized that he wasn't following. I looked behind to see him staring at me. He was looking at me from head to toe, almost like he was memorizing me. I felt exposed.
'I think I should've worn the jeans..'
I cleared my throat, making him widened his eyes.
"Should we go?" I said, feeling my cheeks get warm.
He blinked a few times before answering.
"U-UH yeah! L-let's.. Let's go!" He stammered as he adjusted his collar, walking towards me.
He opened the door for me as I stared at him.
I couldn't get a good look at him at first but now I can. He was wearing a black shirt with black trousers. His hair styled to the side and his watch reflected the light, twinkling.
"Look who's looking.." He teased.
"Says the man that checked me out not too long ago.." I answered back as I walked through the door.
I heard him chuckle.
"You look good.." He muttered behind me as he closed the door.
I felt a crawl in my spine. I took a deep breath and acted cool.
"Good? I look great!" I joked, looking at him.
I laughed but he didn't.
He just smiled.
I pressed my lips together, feeling awkward.
He suddenly walked towards the man that handled the valet parking, making me follow him. As we waited for the car, I noticed that he kept looking at me. At one point, I looked back at him only for him to act like he was just looking at his watch.
'He's not very smooth..'
After a few moments, a black Maserati car drove through, tilting my head in confusion since that wasn't the car that he used last time.
The guy gave Ran the key as he thanked him. Ran opened the passenger's door for me as he waited. I walked up to him, confusion still plastered on my face.
"Uhm.." I look at him in bewilderment.
"Just get in." He sighed as he signaled me to enter the vehicle.
I raised my arms in defeat as I went in. He closed the door and ran up to the other side. As he entered the car, he looked at me one last time. A look that made me want to throw up rainbows and glitters from how it gave my stomach butterflies.
I felt shy but reciprocated the look, almost challenging him.
He chuckled and gave me a smile. He then diverted his attention to the road as he began to drive.
"Hope you like where we're going.." He muttered.
I smiled, feeling cared for.
"Anything is fine.. I'm not a picky eater, you know that.." I stated the obvious.
He nodded.
"And that's why it's a challenge.." He laughed.
"Why?" I chuckled.
"If you were a picky eater, it's easy to find a place that would sell the only thing you like to eat.. But you like everything so I had to look for a place that serves the best food.." He said as he made a turn.
I looked at him in awe.
He thought about me when he was searching for a place to eat. When I said free sinner, I was half expecting it to be in café or some sort of food stall but he had to search for this. Heck, I even thought about it as a joke.
'One of the reasons why I like you..'
It made me question my current relationship. What was I doing? Why am I still in this depressing relationship? Why haven't I broke things off with Kenzo? But what if I make the wrong choice? What if I broke up with Kenzo because I want to be with Ran? What if Ran doesn't like me that way?
"Hey.. You okay? I can hear your brain from here.." Ran asked worriedly.
I snapped back to reality.
"I'm fine.. Sorry, I was just thinking about the review I made earlier." I lied, smiling.
"No more work.. Let's think about food." He smiled as he patted my head.
I chuckled.
"Okay, Mr. Takahashi." I said, shooing his hand away.
He put his hand back to the steering wheel and continued driving with a smile on his face.
My mind went back to my thoughts earlier.
'No, I'm breaking up with Kenzo for myself. Not for Ran, not for anyone. But for me so I can finally breathe without restraints.'