"Is this right, love?"
"Move it a little bit to the right... A bit more... Perfect!"
Ren jumped down from the chair, the sound of his bare feet clashed against the marble floor echoed loudly in the bedroom. He straightened his back and looked at the wall in front of him.
"This drawing is beautiful," he praised in a low voice.
"Right?" Tsubaki smiled sweetly. "It reminds me of when you brought me to the field at the mountain. I still remember how beautiful the night sky was."
Ren turned his head slightly, he returned her smile as he pulled her to him. "Let's return there whenever we could, okay?"
"En!"
Once they returned home, Tsubaki showed Ren the drawing she got from the tea party. She was delighted because he loved the drawing too. It was his idea to hang it on the wall of their bedroom.
Each stroke that was drawn on the paper was filled with the artist's imagination. Tsubaki had asked the information of the child who drew this painting. It was a 12 year old girl from an orphanage in another city. Apparently she was taking special art classes organized by the foundation.
"Are you sure you want to talk to Satsuki tomorrow?" Ren asked as both of them sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the drawing. He bent his body backward as both of his hands supporting his upper body from the sides.
Tsubaki nodded her head, she unconsciously gripped the hem of her shirt. Her eyes dimmed when she recalled her suggestion to him earlier.
Since this matter had been prolonged for a week, Tsubaki couldn't sit still when she thought of Satsuki. Ren said Satsuki had been asking him about the result so they couldn't continue hiding it from the young man. In the end, Tsubaki decided to invite Satsuki for dinner tomorrow night to speak with him herself.
"Hubby..."
"Yes?"
Tsubaki bit her lower lip. She was hesitant to share her new plan since thinking about it made her afraid. Ren calmly analyzed his wife's face. He knew something was bothering her. He reached out for her hands, enveloping her two small hands inside his wide palm. Tsubaki raised her head, looking at his dark eyes.
"If you're afraid of something, take your time to gather your thoughts," he softly said to her. "I'll always be here."
Tsubaki nodded silently. She shifted her position to be closer to him. Tsubaki rested her head against his shoulder. The warmth exuded by his touch helped to calm her nerves.
"I was thinking that..." She spoke quietly in their close vicinity. She could feel his hand around hers tightened once she started to speak. "Maybe, I should return to my family home soon."
Ren nodded in understanding. He knew why she thought of that.
"You want to find any clues about your mother?" Ren guessed.
Tsubaki silently hummed, confirming his guess.
When she thought that all the things she knew before were false, she was desperate to seek for the truth. Her mother passed away since she was a young girl and although she did have some fond recollection of their memory together, it was still appalling to her when she thought there were secrets hidden by her mother.
Her mother had never mistreated her so for her to suddenly know that she was adopted, it was hard to accept the truth.
"Okay, we'll go after meeting Satsuki," Ren agreed. There might be something only Tsubaki could find. "Now, let's sleep. You look tired, sweetheart."
Tsubaki was indeed tired. She covered her mouth to yawn as sleepiness lulling her to bed. Ren adjusted the dimness of the lights inside the room. He tucked her into bed as he gently playing with her long hair. Tsubaki snuggled closer to him as she felt comforted.
For now, she wanted to stop thinking about it. She would continue tomorrow. As the minutes passed by, she had already slept soundly in Ren's arms.
Ren's dark eyes landed on her sleeping face. He was relieved when he saw the peaceful expression of her. The slight frown that would occasionally appear when she was thinking about her mother wasn't there. Ren cradled her body closer to him, letting her heard the sound of his heartbeats.
Tomorrow was going to be a tough day.
He could just pray for her to go through this safely.
The next day.
Tsubaki returned home from the bakery as quickly as possible. She had bought all the ingredients of Satsuki's favorite dishes. The young man said he would be coming at 8 PM after he got off work. Tsubaki was so nervous she almost accidentally added cayenne pepper inside her soup.
Click!
Tsubaki slowed down the heat on the stove. She wiped her hands first before running outside the kitchen. Ren had just put on his home slippers when he saw her frantic eyes greeting him. Ren smiled helplessly. He walked over her, closing the distance between them and enveloped her into his embrace.
"Darling, I'm smelly and sweaty right now," Tsubaki wanted to push him away but Ren refused to let her go.
She was battling inside the kitchen since she returned home. She could smell various spice odors coming from her. The sweating also didn't help in boosting her self-confidence.
"I missed you," Ren gently landed his lips on her forehead, he still held her tightly. After taking in the scent of her he had grew accustomed to, he added, "And you still smell nice. Like strawberries and candies."
"Gezz..." Tsubaki grumbled. In the end she just resigned herself to fate and returned his hug. "I missed you too, my silly husband."
Ren laughed deeply. He knew she was feeling nervous over meeting Satsuki. He patted her back, trying to encourage her.
After she was done cooking, Tsubaki went upstairs to wash herself up. She changed out from her previous outfit to a set of light blue home clothes. She adjusted her skirt as she was biting her lower lip in anxiousness.
Satsuki would arrive soon. What should I say?
"Sweetheart?"
"Yes!"
Ren casually walked inside the wardrobe. He looked at her face that were reflected on the mirror of the vanity table. He stood behind her, his rough hands playing with her silky locks before they landed on her shoulders.
"Tell him everything you want him to know, okay?" Ren dipped his head slightly, his lips softly met the top of her head. "He's a strong man. He could handle this."
Tsubaki looked at his smiling face reflected on the mirror. There was confidence written clearly on his face, reassuring her that everything would be okay. She raised one of her hands and placed it on his which were still gently gripping her shoulder.
"I know," she answered briefly.
Ding! Dong!
Both of their attention directed to the sound of the door bell ringing. Tsubaki and Ren exchanged glances. Ren smiled slightly. He took her hand and pulled herself up from the vanity chair.
"Let's go down."
"En."
The couple walked hand-in-hand, exiting the bedroom.