Takumi took Eri to a jewelry store that she'd admired sets in when her sister and her brother in law had been looking at wedding rings.
It was too fast, it was all 'too fast' even if Eri knew others who jumped into, and out of, relationships just as quickly. Her own parents had met on a weekend fling, well, her mother's weekend vacation spent at the place her father had been working. But even though she couldn't quite get comfortable with the speed of the intimacy they seemed to be developing, she felt like choosing couple's rings together actually made it seem more real.
"Do you have any other siblings?" Takumi asked suddenly. "What's your family like? My extended family is pretty large, both of my parents each have three siblings."
"I just have the one older sister, but my mom has five siblings. My dad doesn't have any," she replied curiously.
He shrugged and said, "I just wondered."
They browsed the catalogs at the couple's ring display and Takumi laughed and said, "We could have done this on the net if we're just looking at pictures."
Eri glanced at him and pointed out, "They have some of these in stock." She pointed at the flag that indicated one that was immediately available, and asked, "Would you have rather looked from home?"
He shrugged and paged through a few more sets.
She watched, and then asked, "Go back one?"
"What did you see?" he questioned.
She pointed to a set that looked like a weave of flowering vines in pastel and copper tones. "It's probably too flowery for you though," she commented.
He shrugged and replied, "I don't mind wearing flowers for you." She glanced at him in surprise and he grinned at her and said confidently, "Most people aren't going to look that closely." He marked that set, and they paged through more until they reached one that he stopped at and asked, "What do you think of this one?"
She looked at him and said doubtfully, "It's very pretty, but it's got emeralds and diamonds in it."
He grinned at her and replied, "So? I like it better than the pastels."
She nodded reluctantly. "It is prettier," she agreed.
He marked that one too, and then paged through the suggestions that two floral designs had prompted.
The only other design that they both liked made Eri complain uncomfortably, "It looks too much like a wedding ring."
Takumi laughed and opened his mouth, but closed it again without saying anything.
"What?" she asked him.
"Nothing," he replied quickly and kissed her. She looked at him doubtfully and he insisted, "Don't worry, I'll wait for you to fall in love with me before I ask about wedding rings."
She blushed again.
He kissed her fingers and asked, "Can we get the one with emeralds and diamonds?"
She looked at the price again and he said, "I don't care how much it costs."
She grinned at him suddenly and asked teasingly, "So you don't mind if I pay for them then?"
"Will it be too much for you?" he questioned in return with a doubtful expression. He'd noticed how she had winced at the prices of the gear they'd bought, and she had described these as expensive.
She shook her head and replied, "It is a lot, but I've been saving up for something else and I can afford it. And it's still less than the jacket and helmet."
"What about the thing you've been saving for?" he asked.
She shrugged and explained, "It will take me at least another half a year anyway, this won't push it back more than a couple months."
"OK," he agreed after a moment.
Luckily the set was available in store in both of their sizes. Eri was a little surprised.
The sales person said mournfully, "We expected this set to be more popular. It's actually being discontinued because sales on it are so low."
Takumi grinned and said, "Cool."
When both Eri and the sales person looked at him with surprised questioning faces he shrugged and explained, "That means that not as many people will have the same set. I like not following the trend for something like this, makes it feel less commercial somehow?"
Eri nodded.
He kissed her and asked, "How much longer can I keep you?" She gave him a startled look and he pointed out, "You told your parents you'd go home today?"
"Oh," she replied. Then said uncertainly, "I should probably go home soon, I still have assignments to finish."
He kissed her again and agreed reluctantly, "Okay."
--
When they reached the bike Takumi asked, "Where is it?" And then he entered the address Eri gave him into the navigation system.
When they reached the building she told him apologetically, "You'll have to park on the street, we don't have a parking space."
He looked at her in surprise and asked, "At all?"
"The building only has a few spaces, and neither of my parents drive, although my father does have a license," she explained.
When they walked in, he was surprised again as she waved her key to unlock the security at the entry. "Fancy," he commented.
She shrugged and replied, "It's new, but everyone's pretty happy with it. There'd been a lot of solicitors coming because there are quite a few elderly people living here. There's not a lot of turnover."
He looked at the antique looking brass and glass elevator in the center of the building when they came out of the entry hall and exclaimed, "That's beautiful! Is it safe? Does it actually run?" He leaned in and looked up along the open space around the shaft at the mechanism, at the center of the glass domed ceiling six stories above.
Eri laughed and replied, "the pulleys are just there for show now. It actually runs on modern hydraulics under the cage, although they are all brass plated to match. My father had it switched over when I was about three."
He blinked and asked, "He owns the building?"
She nodded, but added, "He had to get my grandfather's help with the loan though, so he always says it belongs to my mother really." He looked at her in confusion, and she clarified, "My mother's father. My father's parents died in a car wreck when he was six and he was raised by his grandmother."
"Oh," he replied. "That's kind of a weird coincidence."
"Why?" she asked.
"My mother's father died in a car wreck when she was six too," he replied.
"Oh," she said in a subdued tone.
He hugged her and told her, "Nevermind, that's all ancient history."
They stepped into the elevator and as soon as it started moving he said uncomfortably, "I'm kind of nervous now."
Eri looked surprised and assured him quickly, "It's really safe."
Takumi laughed and kissed her and corrected, "Not about the elevator. I just realized you're basically taking me home to meet your family."
"Do you not want to?" she asked unhappily, with a glance at the matching rings on their fingers.
"I will. I don't mind. I just feel unprepared," he insisted, and gripped her hand tightly.
The elevator stopped and she looked at his expression and asked, "Do you want to go to the roof for a few minutes first?"
"Would you mind?" he questioned hopefully.
She shook her head and pressed the button. He pulled her close and kissed her again.
--
When they reached the top and stepped through the glass doors to the roof he looked around and exclaimed, "Good gods, I wish my parents' building had had this kind of playground! We just had a pool."
Eri laughed and said agreeably, "It's much prettier than it was when I was little, but I'd have loved having a pool." Then she asked, "Want to look around?"
He nodded, and she led him over to the path that circled the edge of the building. Everything was fenced but it was a light net that didn't really block the view. She pointed out the laundry and told him, "My parents said that when they moved into the building, the laundry was in the basement and closed a lot due to plumbing problems. Moving it to the roof was one of the first things they did after they took over."
"Cool," he commented.
On the other side of the laundry was a small garden with a center of raked sand. She led him over to one of the benches beside it and he sat and pulled her into his lap.
Eri kissed him and said suddenly with excitement, "I saw it happen!"
Takumi looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "What?"
"Your eyes dilated, when I kissed you" she explained and blushed.
He grinned and kissed her again. After a little bit he said quietly, "I really want to lay you down and mess up that sand."
She laughed and protested, "You can't, kids could come through at any moment." She kissed him again and added, "We can mess up the sand if you want to though. Want to dance with me?"
"You can call it dancing if you want to," he murmured.
"Takumi!" she protested again.
"Oh, were you serious?" he asked a little regretfully. She nodded and he told her, "Sure, I'll dance with you."
She slid off his lap and opened the rear door of the laundry, stepped inside and activated the speakers. Then she chose a song on her phone and propped the door open.