Before Eiichi could meet her lips, he felt two fingers on his lips. He opened his eyes in surprise. The reason was that he was going to kiss her even though they were not together at the moment. His surprise only increased when he saw Catarina looking away.
Catarina lightly said, "I think....I should get back to work.."
This was the first time Catarina had ever rejected any of his advances.
Eiichi had never seen her look so conflicted before. When he opened his mouth to apologize for trying to kiss her when he was the one who broke them off, she cut him off by speaking. And what she said greatly astonished him.
"I can't disappoint you any further."
"What....?" He whispered. What was she talking about? His mind was comprehending her statement.
"Catarina...? What..?"
"I-I'm sorry." She tried to get up but the tall brunette's hands gripped her arms, preventing her from going away.
"E-Eiichi. . ."
Eiichi asked, worry visible in his eyes, "Catarina,what's wrong?"
"...No-nothing." She didn't look at him and kept looking at the carpet.
"Look at me,angel."
"....."
"Look at me."
"....."
Finding no other choice, Eiichi pulled her close by the waist and lifted her chin. She wanted him to let her go but he was too strong for her to push.
"Eiichi. . .let me go," she whispered.
"At first tell me what's wrong," he solemnly said.
". . .It's nothing." She averted her gaze.
"Say that by looking into my eyes."
"Eiichi..." she tried to reason.
"I know you can't lie when you look into the eyes. That just shows how honest you are."
She bit her lower lip. He was right. She couldn't lie when looking while other's eyes, specially into his.
Despite her hesitation, the male continued, "You have been acting strangely. I noticed you haven't been smiling."
"...I am smiling."
"Fake. Those smiles are forced and false," he sternly told her while looking into her eyes. She could easily see the concern and seriousness in those lavender pair of eyes.
Catarina didn't have the strength to continue her mask of lies anymore. ". . . . How can I smile when I am surrounded by darkness?" Her pained whisper caught him off guard.
"Huh?"
Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. "How can I smile when I'm not feeling happy?"
"Catarina, what-"
"How can I smile when you don't love me anymore?" She gulped the lump formed inside her throat.
"...what?" His eyes widened behind the frame of glasses.
A tear slipped from her eyes. "Why....did you leave me?"
He understood that she got the wrong impression. "Catarina,I-"
"Was it because I disappointed you?"
"Catarina-"
"I'm sorry, I-Mmf!!"
Eiichi pulled her head and kissed her deeply. Catarina's eyes open wide at the sudden familiar sensation. Her heart started beating so hard, it felt like it might come out anytime. Her cheeks went on fire when his tongue contacted with hers. The sound of rain pouring hard fell deaf to her ears.
He pulled away but joined their foreheads together. "You have the wrong idea."
"What..?"
"I never stopped loving you and you never ever disappointed me. Just the thought of it is ridiculous."
"But then-" He pressed his index finger on her lips.
"It was because of what I thought that I had to separate us."
What...?
He shut his eyes. "I was wrong. I didn't mean to hurt you." He continued after opening them, "I know how much you love me... so much you're willing to abandon everything for me. And... that is what scared me."
Huh?
"I know very well how much you want to achieve your dream; to make HEAVENS surpass the twenty million sold record. And you have the full capability to do that. But... but you are ready to leave anything if it means you can stay with me."
"Eii-"
"I'm not saying this just because of the times when you came to me even though you were preparing for your exam.... You are willing to accept any forms of sadness for me. No matter how many times I had to cancel our plans,you would find a way to forgive me. You never uttered a single word of displeasure."
Without giving a chance to let her speak, Eiichi added, "I knew you were sad even though you didn't say it... And I didn't want to sadden you any further. I didn't want to be the reason for you to give up on your dream!"
"Eiichi.."
"I didn't want to take benefit of your kindness. I won't be able to face you knowing that you had to give up your dreams because of me, or that you are hiding your sadness that are caused by me."
Catarina lightly shook her head.
"....I thought that. . . if I let you go, it would be better for you," he whispered painfully.
No..... The tears that she held till now began falling one by one.
Eiichi lightly smiled. "....But I am wrong.... I realized that I can't go on without you."
He pulled his face away and kissed her knuckles. "I can't fulfill my dream without you by my side. I can't make HEAVENS the top without you with me. I need you to stay by my side. Being apart made me realize all this."
While holding both of her hands, he said, "Come back to me. I need you."
"Eiichi, I..." Catarina couldn't form the words she wanted to say. She broke into tears and tightly held his hand. Seeming to get the answer, Eiichi smiled tenderly and pulled her to his chest.
Catarina balled her hands into fists and grabbed onto his shirt as the tears kept on falling.
"I....I thought that y-you...left me...just like... Camus-nii did...in..in the past!" She sobbed into his chest. "Without giving m-me....a single reason." Eiichi didn't say anything and kept holding her like she would break if he held her tightly or she would disappear if he let her go.
"I-I was so. . . .lonely without you... You were right there b-but..I couldn't r-reach out to you. I thought....I thought you started to ha-hate me."
"I can never hate you."
"Why....why did you have to do this!? I am contented....just by staying beside you. . I-I don't need hours of your time if I can only get seconds of it!"
"I'm sorry," he muttered in her hair.
"......I missed you so much!" She cried harder.
"I missed you too. . . Sorry. I ended up making us both sad." He felt her nod.
"Don't ever leave me like this!"
"I won't."
They continued to embrace each other like that until Catarina stopped crying.
* * * * * * *
"...I'm sorry to suddenly cry like that," Catarina said as she pulled away from him.
"I'm the one who made you cry," Eiichi added while wiping her remaining tears.
". . .Can't argue with that." She smiled lightly.
"Sorry." He apologized again.
"It's fine now."
"I promise I won't do the same mistake again." She nodded with a beautiful smile.
Catarina started to move towards Eiichi slowly. "Eiichi..."
Eiichi seeming to understand what will happen, moved his hands behind her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she locked their lips into an intense kiss.
When they pulled away, they looked at each other. No words were exchanged and they kissed again. They both missed the touch of their beloved one.
"I didn't know you could kiss like that, angel," Eiichi muttered.
"....I didn't know either." Their arms were still wrapped around each other.
"And you're not embarrassed," the brunette pointed out.
"I am but. right now . .all I can think now is just how much I missed you."
"Catarina..." Eiichi blushed lightly. "When you say things like that, I can't leave you alone."
"Then don't." She kissed him. "Stay with me and make up for the lost time."
Eiichi chuckled. "You leave me no choice, angel." He switched off the light and took off his glasses.
As soon as he did, Catarina took him off guard by kissing him passionately. She stood on her knees and leaned towards him, trying to deepen the kiss, which Eiichi gladly accepted. After the female broke the kiss, they began panting. The brunette could see the redness of her cheeks even in the darkness.
". . .You're being pretty fierce now.," Eiichi commented after his breathing became normal.
"I-I'm not." She sat back.
He grabbed her wrist and leaned towards her face. "Let me take the lead now?"
She flushed crimson at his straightforward question but nodded nonetheless.
Placing a hand on her cheek, Eiichi kissed her. His kiss was soft at first before changing into a deeper one. Slowly, Eiichi pushed Catarina on the bed without breaking the kiss. He positioned himself above her.
"Eiichi." The blonde cupped his cheeks when he pulled away from the kiss. "I love you."
He smiled softly. "I love you too."
Catarina closed her eyes before Eiichi pressed another kiss on her lips.
"Mmn...Eiichi.." Her hands went behind his head and her fingers tangled themselves into his soft ash brown curls.
"I want to make up for the time we spent apart. Is that all right with you?"
"...That's what I asked you to do."
He chuckled. "That's right." He kindly smiled down at her. "Let me show you just how much I love you."
"Then show me." She brightly smiled.
* * * * * * *
So warm and comfortable. . . Catarina felt herself being pulled by the waist and lips touching the back of her hand. She slowly opened her eyes. Her icy blue eyes were met with a pair of lavender ones.
"Ah sorry, did I wake you?" Eiichi asked.
"Hmm..." She nodded tiredly. She noticed him holding her hand, which caused her to smile. ". . .What time is it?"
He answered, "Twenty minutes till it's seven."
"Mmm..." She cuddled closer to him. With a smile, he allowed her to do whatever she wished to.
She snuggled into his chest and quietly said, "It's still raining."
"How did you know?"
"Sound."
"Oh."
"You're warm," she cheerfully said.
"Will you go back to sleep?" He saw her shake her head sideways.
"I won't but...let me stay like this."
He grinned and tightened his arms around her small waist.
"I'm really happy now that you're mine again," Eiichi whispered in her hair.
"Me too..."
They stayed like that for a while till,
"Eiichi."
The man hummed to show he was listening while playing with her hair.
"I was listening to HEAVENS radio when president barged in."
She heard him sigh. "He just can't but cause trouble."
She giggled. "Well, yeah. But I find what he did similar with a certain someone."
"....And what do you mean by that?"
She answered with a grin, "You also came from the roof in STARISH's radio."
". . .That was necessary."
"Keep telling yourself that." The girl laughed. Seeing her laugh made him laugh too.
"If you listened to that episode," Eiichi looked at her, "did you listen to the whole episode?"
She knew what he was talking about. In embarrassment, she buried her face in his chest and nodded. ' A phrase to say to an angel who's doing their best studying.'
" When I was saying those lines, I had you in my mind."
Her heart started beating faster and she blushed slightly. She decided to speak what she had in mind.
"Then..... since I achieved my goal," Catarina shyly looked up at him, "will you give me a reward?"
Eiichi smirked. "Aren't you becoming braver, my sweet little angel?"
She huffed and hit his chest. "Eiichi!"
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you." His smirk didn't leave his face. "Like I said, I was thinking of you when I said those."
"Does that means...?"
"Yes, I will give you any reward you want. So, what do you want?"
"I..." She bit her lower lip before looking at him straight in the eye. "I want you to keep loving me."
"Catarina..."
"...Is that alright with you?"
"Of course! I will continue loving you even if you told me to stop."
They shared happy smiles.
. . . . . . .
"I didn't expect this to be your theme," Catarina told Eiichi.
"Neither did I. Though I learned about it beforehand," Eiichi said.
"'Eternal Happiness'," she repeated the theme. "This place is perfect as the location."
They were in the middle of a flower field. The sky was clear and flowers were blooming. It was perfect for an outside shoot.
"By the way, where's Akira-san?" Catarina looked around. Eiichi couldn't answer because of a certain raven haired woman.
"Catarina-chan, you called me?" A hand hardly patted her back, causing the blonde to stumble forward.
"Akira-san, stop surprising me like that."
"I didn't mean to surprise you!"
"Hello, Akira-san."
"Oh, hello to you too, Otori-chan." Akira smiled. But then she pouted. "I'm sad that this is our last feature of HEAVENS."
"Just because this is the last one of our seven month long feature doesn't mean it is our last work together." Eiichi gave his signature grin. "HEAVENS will continue rising and keep taking the world's attention."
Eiichi, you truly are great.
"Yes, that's right." Akira grinned back. She looked at her watch. "We should start preparing."
"Yes, you are right."
"At first we'll take your solo shots."
"I'll go and get ready then."
This piqued Catarina's interests. "Will Eiichi be collaborating with someone?"
"Obviously. One cannot have a wedding alone."
The blonde let an 'o'. She then turned to ask the raven woman. "Who's the other person?"
Akira smirked. "Who else but you?"
.....?
At first, Catarina looked at her right. Then at her left to find no one standing beside it behind her. She blinked once before looking into her amber eyes.
"....."
"....."
"....Are you talking about me?" The composer pointed a finger towards herself.
"Duh."
"....."
"....."
It took her some time to comprehend what the elder female said."EEEH!?!?"
Akira wasn't surprised at her outburst. Her smirk turned into a grin as she pointed at Catarina in a dramatic way. "You will play the role of the bride!"
"Eh!?!Me!?! What!?"
"Don't be so shocked, Catarina-chan." Akira winked. "And close your mouth before a fly enters."
Catarina did as she was asked but her brain was still functioning the bomb Akira attacked her with.
"I can read all the questions you have in mind, Catarina-chan. I'll answer all of them so at first, calm down and listen to me."
"B-but-" The raven woman grabbed her arms and interrupted her.
"You two are dating so what's the problem ? Don't worry, we won't show your face. And you can't reject since it will disrupt the whole shooting."
"...."
"But the most important reason you are working with Otori-Chan is because..... I just had to make you model to me at least once!"
"Akira-san, but I-"
"Otori-chan already approved of you modelling with you. So let's get you ready in the dress that I chose for you!"
Catarina could do nothing as she was pulled by the arms. Before she disappeared inside the room, she saw Eiichi smirking. She glared with all her might before the door closed.
. . . . . . .
"Shall we practise the song before the recording?" Eiichi asked.
"Sure, why not?" Catarina replied.
Catarina sat on the stool and placed her hands on the piano keys. Eiichi stood beside the piano in their lounge.
Slowly, Catarina began playing the song and Eiichi's singing joined.
🎵🎶LIFE~With Thanks~
(Oh, oh…)
Yes - Many “thank-yous” is what I’ll generously
(Give to you)
Yes - I’ll express my love for your irreplaceable existence
(Oh, oh…)
I’ve had the resolution to protect everything
(Oh, oh…)
Since before I was even born
This great destiny, which my soul answers,
Fires me up
(Nothing to worry)
Along with my singing voice, I will
Go and meet you Twenty Four-Seven
(Wherever you are)
Look up at heaven, I’m always by your side
…Can you hear it?
(Oh, oh…)
So nothing should be taken for granted
(Always special)
So each and every one of you is essential to me
(Oh, oh…)
In a world overflowing with smiles
(Oh, oh…)
Love has sprouted again
A radiant theory illuminates my path
And guides me to where I want to go
(Nothing to worry)
The dream we compose together
Will never disappear Twenty Four-Seven
(Wherever you are)
The meaning of life is always here
…Can you feel it?
(Nothing to worry)
Are tears supposed to be hidden?
No, I’ll accept them in times of hardships
(Nothing to worry)
Along with my singing voice, I will
Go and meet you Twenty Four-Seven
(Wherever you are)
Look up at heaven, I’m always by your side
…Can you hear it?
(Oh, oh…)
🎶🎵
"It's perfect!" Catarina grinned.
"Yes. Our song is perfect." Eiichi grinned back. "Good!"
Our song...
"By the way, did you see this month's 'Horizon' ?" Eiichi asked.
"Not yet. You?" Catarina asked back.
"No. I want to read it with you." He smirked.
"Oh..." Catarina looked down embarrassed. "That day was hectic."
"Not for me." He pulled her to her feet.
"Of course it wasn't hectic for you. You schemed against me!" She pouted.
Eiichi laughed. "That's one reason.But in the end," he easily lifted her up by wrapping his arms behind her legs causing her to yelp in surprise, "I got to hold you like this."
Catarina had placed her hands on his shoulder when he lifted her up. With red cheeks, she requested, "Eiichi! Put me down."
"Nope."
"Put.me.down."
"Not happening."
"Otori Eiichi."
"No way. It's not always I get to lift you like this." He gave his trademark grin. "I know you like it when I do this."
"Mou!" Catarina sighed. . . . Thank goodness the others are out shopping.
Seeing the grin on Eiichi's face finally made Catarina giggle.
Unknown to the couple, the rest of HEAVENS had returned home together. They were standing outside the lounge and staring at the scenery before them. Nagi and Yamato rolled their eyes, Eiji and Shion smiled, Van let a quiet whistle and Kira watched them with a blank face even though he was happy for his friends.
To be Continued.