Track 16; You Me And The Silence by LOVA
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"So where do you want to go?"
His question nearly falls deaf on your ears. You can already feel yourself beginning to sweat nervously, evident by the bead slipping down the side of your face despite the air conditioning blasting from the vents of his classic car. You subtly take a deep breath to reorganize your thoughts. You weren't even sure if you had an appetite after discovering that your car had been stolen but eating was better than running on fumes.
"There's a small hole-in-the-wall diner I like to go to." You begin, drifting your viridescent eyes out the window to watch the palm trees and cars go by. You rub the palms of your hands against your thighs to remain grounded. "It's not too far from here."
"I'm down to check it out." You turn just in time to see him flash you a prize-winning smile.
You feel like you're melting and you turn away quickly, trying to hide the furious heat that covers your cheeks. "T-turn left at the next light."
You give him directions for the next few minutes. He appreciated you speaking up in advance instead of at the last second. It gave him enough time to safely maneuver around the ongoing chaotic traffic and find the place easily. When you arrive at the Strand, a walking strip along the beach, the sun is warm and glittering off of the aquatic horizon. You're speechless at his ability to parallel park perfectly on the first try. It took you at least three times and a sacrifice to god to even make one attempt at not hitting either car.
This man must be god's favorite.
"Wait here." He says after he turns off the engine and removes his seatbelt. You unbuckle yourself and watch with doe-like eyes when he beelines straight for your door and opens it for you.
You don't even know if your legs will cooperate enough to let you get out of the vehicle. You hope you don't have a dumb look on your face when you crawl out. You trip over the curb but are quick enough to save yourself from face planting. You give him a small, nervous smile. "Thank you."
"Of course." He responds calmly.
You don't realize that your legs are on autopilot as they guide you to the front door of the diner. Peggy's Corner was just like you said: a hole in the wall. It was crammed on the corner of a strip mall with a nail salon on the opposite side. There was a faded red awning covering some outdoor seats and a blinking open sign in the window. Just as your fingers brush the handle, his voice snaps you out of your hypnosis.
"Don't touch that."
Your hand flies back like the door shocked you, only to turn and find him reaching over you to open it. As it swings open, a blast of cool air smacks you. He only smiles and nudges you gently with a hand on your lower back.
"Ladies shouldn't open doors for themselves."
You're going to start foaming at the mouth if he continues talking to you like this.
Somehow, your brain rationalizes the ability to speak. You do so without thinking. "So you think I'm a lady?"
A puzzled look crossed his face for a split second and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Are....you not a woman?"
Before you can explain the joke to him, a waitress passes you with two menus in her hand. "Hi! Welcome to Peggy's Corner, my name is Trisha. Is it just the two of you today?" She only motions to the sign in front of you before bustling off. "I'll be with you shortly!"
"Where do you want to sit?"
Now suddenly out on the spot, any words that you could have said vanished. Your mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water. You've got to practice having control over yourself when he's nearby, starting now. For now, you've put yourself into 'work mode' to help you overcome the nervousness you're experiencing. "A booth is good."
His bicolored eyes scanned the diner before he spotted one he deemed suitable. With an arm wrapped around your waist and the other hand hanging losely from his pocket by his thumb, he guided you to the booth. You give to the pressure, just as starstruck as you had been upon first sight of him. You take the seat that gives you a view out the window, Kyo sitting opposite of you. He has a clear view of the entire diner from here. Little did you know that he appreciated your choice on where you sat. He always felt more comfortable when he could see his surroundings.
Usually you would've preferred to face the inside so you could watch people. Today you didn't find it necessary, as the only person you were interested in keeping your eye on was the man sitting at the table with you. Your heart's fluttering in your chest, so you do your best to calm your nerves when Trisha gravitates towards the table and whips out a notepad. Looking over the retrofitted diner was comforting. Being in a place you recognized almost washed away the fact that your car was stolen overnight.
"What would you like for drinks?" She clicks her pen expectantly.
"Coffee please." You clarify if you want cream and sugar before looking at Kyo.
"Same here, but black." He responds, letting his eyes flit back to the menu.
"Great! I'll be right back with those for you." She flashes a tip worthy smile and rushes off to seat some more diners who came through the front door.
A few seconds of silence passes over the table, both of you ingrained in the menus. While you're trying to decipher the mess of words on the menu as the letters swap places with each other, your eyebrows furrow in frustration. That's supposed to say 'syrup, not 'sypur'. Before you can react with negativity, you settle on just getting some basic pancakes and close the menu as quickly as possible.
"What's wrong?"
Of course he noticed. Did anything get by this man? He seemed to have eyes like a hawk.
"Nothing." You reassure him with a soft smile; there's no point in mentioning your dyslexia. It would only make you embarrassed. "Just made up my mind already."
"Oh?" He purses his lips and looks back down at the menu. "What did you decide on?"
For whatever reason, the question makes you embarrassed. You have no idea why. Perhaps it felt like pancakes were a childish choice compared to a breakfast platter. You take a deep breath to calm your nerves, lighting smacking your open palms on the table. It's a stupid thing to be embarrassed about. "Pancakes and the works."
"Pancakes are delicious." He replies without a second thought. Only a moment later does he close his own menu. "I'll probably get the Fisherman's Breakfast."
"Inosuke always gets that when I bring him here." You comment, recognizing the order immediately. "I don't know how that boy can eat so much."
"He's probably got a hollow leg like my brother." He chuckles.
You can't help but smile at the metaphor. It wasn't one you had heard in a long time. You wanted to explain that you're pretty sure your demonic brother's head is hollow too, but you don't get the chance. Red and gold break from emerald when he targets Trisha approaching with two cups of coffee in hand.
"Here you are." She says as she places them on the table, a small container of creamer cups as well as sugar following afterwards. "Are we ready to order?"
Kyo lets you speak first like he's been doing already. It makes you a bit anxious to be put in the spotlight but you're already noticing yourself settling into the moment. You feel safe with him here, there's nothing to be nervous about. You tell Trisha you want pancakes and clarify your sides, having a choice of hash browns, sausage, or bacon. Her pen scribbles across the paper before she mimics the motion when Kyo speaks.
"Fantastic! I'll be out with those soon." Another tip-earning smile, and she's gone.
You have no idea how to engage in small talk. If people asked you questions, you can answer. Reversing the roles is a completely different story.
"So..." you scramble to find words to finish your sentence, mentally kicking yourself for speaking before you are fully ready. "Were you born in Japan?" You try to steady your hand as you sip at your coffee.
Kyo nods, leaning back in his seat slightly after Trisha went about her way. "Yes, born and raised. I met Tengen in high school and we discussed starting a business together. He moved over here a year later to pursue his fashion brand after it blew up back home and I followed. My father decided to retire, so I inherited his business and went back to move it over here."
You listened intently to his explanation, resting your chin in the palm of your hands with your elbows propped up on the table. Every now and then you'd take a sip of your coffee, intervening with questions here and there about the lifestyle and culture. It sounded like a wonderful place, especially when he described how lively the festivals could be. You couldn't hide the admiration on your face as he droned on, absorbing each word he said like it meant life or death. Only when you spot Trisha carrying your food on a platter do you register his final sentence.
"I'll take you sometime, if you'd like."
"Here you are," your waitress chimes cheerily as she sets the plates down on the table. "Please feel free to flag me down if you need anything else." After topping off the coffees, she vanished off to her other duties.
"You'd take me?" You echo to ensure he knows you heard his offer. "Really? That's...really kind of you. I've never been out of the country."
"Of course!" He responds adamantly. "I think you'd have a blast." He uses his utensils to cut into his breakfast, taking a bite. "Wow, this is great! I see why you come here."
You want to explode. How can someone so attractive make you want to kiss him and die all at once? You dive into your own food to try and prevent yourself from becoming flustered. You weren't sure what to say after all that. Flying out of the country sounded expensive. Japan was only across the Pacific Ocean from California, but you didn't even have a passport. Plus, what would you do about Inosuke? Who would watch him?
"How's your food?" His voice splits you back into reality.
You kick yourself for being such an airhead around him. Worrying about a trip that had only been mentioned briefly was silly. You should focus on the present and live in the moment rather than allowing yourself to drift off into fantasy land, daydreaming about things that may not even happen.
"It's great, thanks for bringing me here." You answer him after swallowing a bite of your pancakes.
"I'm happy to. This is the best breakfast I've had in a long time." The smile that he gave you radiated so much warmth that you could nearly feel it.
After Kyojurou had cleared his plate, he waited for you to finish up as well. When Trisha came around with the check, he handed her his card without confirming what the total was. She looked surprised for a second before smiling and taking his card, pivoting to meander back to the till. The sun was beating down on the sidewalk by the time she came back, more civilians bustling down the sidewalk. He handed her a cash tip before letting you guide him back outside towards his car.
Just as he had done each time before, he opened the passenger door of his car for you and closed it once you had sat down. You waited patiently for him to sit down next to you, trying to ignore how murderous the California sun felt through the windshield. He didn't hesitate to turn the engine over and activate the air conditioning. You were just about to ask him what the plan was next when your phone began to ring. You pull it out of your pocket to check who it is, anticipating it to be your brother or one of his friends. To your relief, it's only Mitsuri.
"It's Mitsuri." You explain to Kyo, making eye contact.
"Go ahead, I don't mind waiting."
"Thanks." You appreciate his patience, holding the phone up to your ear. "Hey gorgeous, what's up?"
"Hey beautiful," Mitsuri giggles back sweetly. "I was just calling to check in on you. Tengen said your car got stolen this morning?"
Your heart sinks in your chest. The small date you had just been on was enough to make you temporarily forget about it. "Yeah, he told you right. I'm still reeling from it."
"Damn, that really sucks! Do you want to go looking for it later? I'm on break right now at the coffee stand but my shift ends at noon." She asks.
"Uh, I'm out with Kyojurou right now." You begin, eyes drifting back to him. He glances your way from his phone when you mention his name, casting a wink your way. You whip around to look out the window, hiding the blush that exploded across your face. "Give me one second."
MAYDAY!
HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO ACT NORMAL AFTER HE FUCKING WINKS AT YOU?!
THIS IS A CRISIS!
"Sooo...Mitsuri wants to know if I'll be available around noon?" You're surprised that sentence came out coherently and not a mixed jumble of words.
Kyo's stunning eyes glance down to his watch at your question. There's about two and a half hours until then. "If you'd like to be, I can drop you off wherever she is."
"That works out perfectly." You flash him a smile, relaying the information to your pink-haired bestie.
"Great!" She cheers giddily. "I'll see you in a few hours. Remember to use protection!"
You feel your soul disintegrate and escape your body. You almost scream at her in disbelief but it only comes out as a quiet squeak when she hangs up the phone. Your heart is racing in your chest when you slump back in your seat, defeated. You catch the sound of him chuckling at your theatrics and sheepishly look his way, begging words to procure in your throat.
"So, looks like we've got some time to kill." You say casually, scanning him over with your emerald gaze before hyperfixating on whatever was happening outside the window. "What should we do?"
"Are you comfortable with heading back to my place?"
His question catches you slightly off guard. It makes heat course through your abdomen, just the idea of being at his place...possibly isolated.
Oh boy, you're about to combust.
Is there a fucking fire extinguisher nearby?
Dont make me call the ambulance, they don't get paid enough for your bullshit.
Bashfully, you nod in agreement. "S-sure, I'm down with whatever."
And so, he signals with his blinker and pulls away from the curb. Your heart skips a beat in excitement, racing off to the possibilities of what could happen when you arrive at his house.
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