Asuna's p.o.v.
I woke up in Kazuto's lap, in the same position as we'd fallen asleep in last night. He was leaning against the headboard and looked like he would have a crick in his neck when he woke up. I moved to wake him up. He lifted his head slowly and painfully. Yup, he definitely had a crick in his neck. He rolled his neck around and popped it. I cringed at the sound of it.
"Are you ok?", I asked.
"Yeah, I just put my neck in a weird position last night. I'll be fine in a little while.", He said.
"Sorry.", I said. If I hadn't fallen asleep on him, he would have been able to sleep normally.
"It's not your fault. Were you comfortable last night?", he asked smiling.
"Yes, but mostly because I had your arms around me the whole night.", I said, kissing his cheek.
"Well I'm glad I'm good for something.", Kazuto said laughing.
"Oh, you're good for lots of things. Don't talk like that.", I said, hugging him.
Kazuto laughed and hugged me back. We stayed that way for a moment, then I let go and got off of him. He looked at me sadly for a moment. I could tell that he thought I was uncomfortable.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom.", I said, getting off the bed and walking towards our bathroom.
I took a change of clothes with me so that I could shower, then shut the door, but didn't lock it. I used the restroom, then got into the shower. It wasn't long before Kazuto joined me in the shower. My plan had worked. I knew he would have to get one before work and that if I got in now, he would have no other choice. I didn't know what was wrong with me that I was manipulating his schedule to my own benefit, but at this point, I didn't care.
After our shower, (during which things definitely occurred), we got out and got dressed. It was Wednesday, so Kazuto had work, but I didn't. I changed into some pajama bottoms and a t-shirt then pulled my hair up in a slightly damp ponytail. Kazuto put on his slacks and his button up shirt, hanging his tie around his neck and brushing his hair. While he got ready, I went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
I pulled out the eggs and ham, then made scrambled eggs with ham mixed into it. I salted and peppered it, then served it right as Kazuto walked in. He sat down and started eating. I got some juice for him, then got myself some water. I just didn't really want juice or the weird feeling it gave my teeth afterward. I ate my breakfast quickly, knowing that Kazuto was running a couple minutes late since we woke up a little late.
Kazuto finished his food, then went to go brush his teeth. I cleaned up from breakfast and loaded the dishwasher the rest of the way. I put in some soap, then turned it on and walked into the bedroom to brush my own teeth. Kazuto was still hunting his blazer, which was hanging in the entryway on a hook. I brushed my teeth, then walked up to him going through the closet.
He turned to me.
"Have you seen my jacket?", he asked.
"Yeah, it's in the entryway.", I said.
He relaxed and let me do his tie, then gave me a kiss. I followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch. Kazuto slung his bag over his shoulder, then walked over to me and kissed me one last time. He then bent down and kissed my baby belly then hugged me.
"I'll be back later. I love you.", Kazuto said.
"I'll be here. I love you, too.", I said.
Kazuto bent down to my belly again.
"Be good for Mommy, ok.", he whispered, then stood up and walked out the door.
I smiled as I watched him go, then curled up on the couch with a blanket and the remote. I turned on Netflix as I struggled to get comfortable. I ended up on my side with the blanket covering just my feet. I decided on watching Ouran High School Host Club since I hadn't finished it yet. I really liked this show and thought it was hilarious.
I had only watched the first two episodes, so I was hooked, but I hadn't finished it yet. As I watched, I laughed a bunch, resulting in more movement from my twins. One of them kicked me pretty hard, but not hard enough to hurt me. It was strange adjusting to there being movement inside of me, but I was getting there. I rubbed the spot where thy were kicking, then got up and got a snack from the pantry. I ended up with rice crackers, which I'd been craving lately. It wasn't a bad craving to have, considering they were pretty good for you.
I munched on the crackers as I watched my anime. About an hour before lunch time, for which Kazuto had decided to come home, I got up and walked into the kitchen to start on lunch. I'd decided to just make chicken. I cooked the chicken with garlic and butter, then added some spices and seasonings to make it more flavorful. I added cyan pepper to Kazuto's making it spicier.
Once I had made the chicken, I set the oven on low and put the chicken in to keep it warm until Kazuto got here. I'd learned that trick from my grandmother on my mother's side. She was always pulling things like soup or steak out of the oven and setting it on the table. When I would spend the night at her house, she would teach me how to cook and make different things.
I had just closed the oven when my phone rang. I picked it up and looked at the name. It was Liz. I clicked the answer button, then pressed the phone to my ear.
"What's up, Liz?", I asked.
"I have something amazing to tell you. Klein proposed! I'm so happy!", she half yelled.
I couldn't contain my excitement as I squealed and giggled, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"That's amazing, Liz! Oh, I can't wait! You two make such a cute couple!", I said.
"Thanks! We want to wait about a year before actually getting married, but I'm super excited. I thought it would be awesome to get married on the same day we got engaged, so that means July 9 of next year if we get it all put together by then. I've already talked to him about it.", Liz said.
"I never really pictured you as the 'getting - married' type. I have to say that I'm happy for you and I think you'll be super happy with Klein. He's a pretty great guy, even though I personally never had any interest in him.", I said.
"Yeah, he's really caring and sweet. He never leaves me behind or asks me to do things that make me uncomfortable. At first, when he asked me out, I thought I was constantly going to have to be telling him not to look at other girls, but I haven't even once. I mean, there was that incident on the subway the other day, but that was a minor thing.", Liz said.
"Have you told everybody else, yet?", I asked
"No, but Kazuto was telling me about a get together that should be happening on Saturday, right? I think we'll tell everybody then.", she said.
"Awesome! Well, thanks for telling me first. Kazuto's about to be home and I'm making lunch, so I gotta go.", I said.
"Ok, thanks, Asuna. Oh, Klein says hi. He's here now.", Liz said.
"Tell him I said hi back and congratulations.", I laughed.
"It's on speaker.", Klein's voice said.
I laughed even harder.
"Hey, Klein. What's up?", I asked.
"Just spending time with the fiance. I actually asked her last night, so technically we've been engaged and she just waited until now to tell you. We were too busy celebrating.", Klein said.
I heard the front door open and Kazuto walked in.
"Well have fun with that. I've gotta go, but I'll see you on Friday, Liz. Don't forget about our lunch plans.", I said.
"I won't. I'll see you later. Bye.", Liz said.
"bye.", I said.
I hung up the phone then looked over at Kazuto as he walked into the dining room.
"Hello, my handsome prince.", I said, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around his neck.
"A fair day to you, m'lady.", he said seductively.
I laughed and kissed him. He put a hand on my waist and kissed me back. When the kiss ended, I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed in relief. I always relaxed more when Kazuto was home and not away from me. This way, I knew he was safe and would be there for me.
"So what's for lunch?", Kazuto asked.
"Chicken. I made it just the way that you like it.", I said.
"Yes! Extra spicy. I hope you don't mind, but I brought home something to keep you company.", Kazuto said.
"And what would that be?", I asked.
"Hold on a second. I left it in the car. I'll go get it.", he said.
I let go of him and he walked out to the car, then returned a moment later with a fish bowl. Inside, there were three goldfish. One was white with a little orange, the others were just regular goldfish and orange all over. My face lit up as Kazuto set them down on the counter. I bent down a little and looked at them. They were so cute and shiny. Kazuto reached into his pocket and took out the fish food, then set it beside the bowl.
"You didn't have to! By the way, thanks for not getting a dog or a cat. I don't know that I could've taken care of it if you'd brought one home. Where did you get them, anyway?", I asked.
"One of my friends at the office had it on his desk, but he just got promoted. He's going to be doing a lot more traveling and can't take care of them anymore, so he was asking around to see if anybody wanted them. I thought t would be nice to have some fish. They're pretty inexpensive and easy to care for.", Kazuto said.
"Well, I love them. Thank you so much.", I said.
"He said that the white one's name is Emmy, and the other two don't have names because he couldn't tell which was which.", Kazuto said.
I laughed, then hugged Kazuto again. He smiled and embraced me. I kissed him on the cheek, then let go and picked up a hot pad. I opened up the oven and took out the chicken, setting it on the stove, then putting down the hot pad.
Kazuto got out some plates and forks, then set them on the counter. I served the chicken, then we sat down at the table to eat. Over lunch, Kazuto and I talked about different things, one of those things being what we'd done all day. He laughed when I told him what I'd been watching. Kazuto didn't have a strong liking for manga or anime like I did, but he didn't mind it. He'd at least heard of the anime I was referring to.
"So you sound like you had fun with it at least.", he said.
"Yeah, I did.", I said.
"You seem to be adjusting pretty well to me being gone so much. I'm sorry that I have to leave you alone so much. Rest assured that I don't like it any more than you do.", Kazuto said.
"Yeah, but at least I can come visit you if I get too lonely.", I said.
"True. I might have to have you come visit me tomorrow. We just got a new secretary and I think you two would get along pretty well. She's our age and she's really nice.", Kazuto said.
"Oh. Ok. I can do that.", I said.
She? Our age? I knew perfectly well that Kazuto would never leave me, but it was possible that this new secretary would try getting a little too friendly with Kazuto. It wouldn't have been the first time. While we were still dating, lots of girls would come over and slip him their numbers. He never really saw them because they would leave it in the open pocket of his jacket or something. When he found them, he would always either use it as a way to throw away his gum or he would just throw them away. I didn't really know why I was that worried. I knew that Kazuto wasn't the type to cheat, so why was I so worked up about this?
"Are you ok? You seem a little off all of a sudden.", Kazuto said.
"Yeah, I'm fine.", I said. I accidentally made it sound kind of cold.
"You don't have to visit me if you don't want to.", Kazuto said.
"No, I want to visit. I really do.", I said.
"Ok. Do you want to make it an all day visit or do you want to just be there for a little while, then go home? Either one is fine. I'm just working on paperwork tomorrow, so I'll be in the office all day.", he said.
"I think I'll stay the whole day, then I can spend more time with you.", I said, smiling.
"Great. I'll get it set up so that you have a more comfortable chair instead of that folding chair.", Kazuto said.
"The folding chair was fine. You don't have to do that.", I said.
"No, I don't want you sitting in that thing. They're pretty old and if one of them breaks and you fall, I'll never forgive myself. They've been in that office for almost 5 years. I don't know if you noticed, but they're pretty worn.", Kazuto said.
"If it makes you feel better, then fine.", I said, taking another bite of my chicken.
"It does. Oh, by the way. I get Friday afternoon off because of the appointment, so I'll be gone that morning, but I get to spend the whole afternoon with you.", he said.
"Yes! At least for Friday, no more lonely house!", I said.
Kazuto laughed, then put his arm around me and hugged me. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. After a minute, I had to sit up again because the twins were protesting my position by pushing up against my stomach so that I felt nauseous. Kazuto put a hand on my belly and kissed my cheek. I blushed a little, then kissed his cheek as well.
"I love you.", I said.
"I love you, too.", Kazuto said, pressing his forehead to mine.
I closed my eyes and savored the moment. Kazuto almost seemed to be able to read my mind, showering me with cuddles, hugs, kisses, and sweet words. I had barely been upset at him at all these past three months. I couldn't say that it wasn't normal for me to receive affection from Kazuto, but he seemed to be doing it more nowadays. It could have just been the way I was perceiving it, but I was almost positive that he was giving me extra attention.
"How much longer until you have to go back to work?", I asked.
"About an hour.", Kazuto said.
I nodded slightly, then scooted my chair closer to him, putting my arms around him and hugging him tightly. I was beginning to really miss him being here. It was hard from the start, but now I was wishing he was here constantly. I hated him being gone all the time and needed him home. I knew that it was just as hard for him as it was for me.
I wanted to enjoy Kazuto being here as much as I could for now, since when the twins were born, I wouldn't be able to visit him in the office because I'd have to stay home with the babies and take care of them. At least then I wouldn't be alone, but I would still miss Kazuto. A tear rolled down my cheek and my hormones took over.
I buried my face into Kazuto's shoulder to hide my tears, but I think he had already figured it out. He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes.
"What's wrong?", he asked, panic starting to grow in his eyes.
"I- I just miss you. You're gone so much now and I wish that I could be with you more.", I sobbed
Kazuto's eyes softened and he pulled me into a hug, then picked me up and took me into the living room, setting me down on the couch. He pulled me into his lap and hugged me, stroking my hair. I sobbed into his shoulder and pulled him as close to me as I could.
"I promise that if I could change it, I would. The only thing stopping me from going back to my job in the city, when I only worked a few days of the week until lunch, is the fact that I have a family to support, now. I want to be able to give you and our children a happy life. I love you and I miss you every second of every day until I see your face again.", Kazuto said.
My sobbing had stopped and I was just crying, now. Kazuto pulled me off of his shoulder and then looked into my eyes. He wiped away my tears, then pulled me toward him and kissed me. My eyes fluttered shut and I melted into the kiss. My tears stopped falling and I was at peace. Kazuto was my home and when he was gone, I couldn't rest peacefully. The only way that I was comfortable was if he was with me. When Kazuto pulled away from the kiss, I wasn't ready, but I finally felt a little better.
"I'll be home a little earlier today. I'm not going to just stand by and let you hurt like this.", Kazuto whispered, hugging me again.
"Won't you get behind at work?", I asked.
"Not if I work hard during the two hours I'll be gone. I can knock it all out in that time and be back as soon as I finish. As long as I get all of my work done, your dad won't mind if I spend a little bit of extra time with you.", Kazuto said.
"Thank you.", I whispered.
Kazuto just hugged me tighter. We stayed like that until Kazuto had to go back to work. This time, I wasn't as sad to see him go because I knew that he would be back really soon. I kissed him goodbye, then walked into the kitchen to clean up from lunch. I unloaded the dishwasher, then put the dishes from lunch in and closed it. Next, I wiped down the table and the counter and put away all the food that was leftover.
I finished in the kitchen, then went back into the living room and laid down on the couch again. I didn't want to watch anime anymore, so I picked up my phone off the coffee table and turned over onto my back with my head resting on the arms rest of the couch. I scrolled through FaceBook and checked my notifications. I'd had a bunch of people send me posts and stuff, which I looked through and read.
After I'd finished on FaceBook, I pulled up Tumblr and started looking through that. I hadn't been on it in months, so I had an endless amount of memes and posts to look at. A few made me laugh, and some just made me happy. I found one about a kid that was flying a kite. The kite flew into a tree and a random stranger climbed up and spent half an hour untangling the kite to get it back to the kid. I liked that one, then reblogged it.
After a while, I just lost interest in my phone. I set it back down on the coffee table, then folded my arms across my stomach and stared up at the ceiling. It was smooth white instead of a popcorn texture. I liked that because it meant that I wouldn't get any sheetrock in my eyes when I looked up.
I started falling asleep while staring at the ceiling and daydreaming. I was exhausted from crying and having so many emotions running through my head. I was bored this morning, happy for Liz before lunch, happy about the fish, sad about Kazuto being gone so much, depressed about Kazuto being gone so much, and now I was just sleepy.
My eyelids drooped and my breathing slowed. I drifted off to sleep in the peaceful quiet of the lonely house. The neighbor's windchimes were like a soft lullaby as I left consciousness and succumbed to the heavy drowsiness that weighted my eyelids.
~~~Time lapse~~~
Kazuto's p.o.v.
I had just finished the last stack of paperwork and I was free to go home now. I shoved my things into my briefcase impatiently. I had to get home to Asuna. Just then, I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in.", I said.
Layla, the new secretary, opened the door and poked her head in. She had brown hair and green eyes. She didn't even come up to my shoulder, she was so short. I could see the diamond engagement ring on her finger. She was engaged to a guy named Jake. Both were from America. Jake had come to Japan to further his studies in electronics and technology.
"Oh, are you leaving? I was just going to tell you that you've got a visitor who says that she knows you.", Layla said.
"I was about to leave. Who's the visitor?", I asked.
"It's one of your subordinates. He said that it was important or he wouldn't bother you.", she said.
"Ok, send him in.", I said.
Layla stepped aside and swung the door wide. Toshio stepped in with his briefcase. He looked kind of embarrassed.
"Hey, Boss. I just need to know about the progress on the testing for the new console. The report is due today and I'm supposed to put together a presentation. My job is kind of riding on this presentation, so I have to have this information.", he said.
I sighed. That was it? At least it wasn't something more time consuming. I logged back onto my computer and printed off a document. The printer on my desk spit out the paper, which I took and handed to Toshio.
"This is all the information I have on it. It should be more than enough for a good presentation.", I said, shutting my computer back down.
"Thanks so much. I'll go, now.", he said in a rushed tone.
I nodded, then picked up my briefcase and slung the strap over my shoulder. I shut off all the lights in the office, then walked out. Layla locked the office behind me, which I normally forgot to do, but it didn't really matter. I got into the elevator, which was completely empty, then hit the lobby floor button.
The elevator lurched down and in no time, I was in the lobby. I quickly walked to my car and got in, throwing my bag in the passenger seat. I turned the key in the ignition, then drove as quickly as I could while still abiding my the law to get home. It felt like it took ages to finally get to the front door and get inside the house.
I dropped my stuff by the front door and took a deep breath of relief. Asuna was here and I didn't have to be gone all day today. I was finally home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's up, my peeps? I'm sorry it took me so long to update this one. I don't know that it really did, though. Y'all get an update almost every other day, if not every day. I don't know. It felt long for me. Anyways, I want you to know how hard it is not to say 'y'all' in this book. I'm used to being able to say it and write it freely, but since this is a book where they are supposedly in Japan, I figured it would be best if I tried to keep my western slang out of this. People say that I have an accent when I go to different places, but I don't hear it. Anyways, I'm getting off topic.
I put the fish in this chapter because I actually got a fish. I named him Aki, like that side character from Asuna's dad's company's design team. He's just a goldfish and he was acquired at the academic banquet, where they used live fish as center pieces for the tables, since it was a Dr. Seuss theme. they gave them out after the banquet and I got my mom to let me take one home.
Ok, bye. I'm gonna stop before I get even more off topic.
-Scarlet