The week passed quickly while I raced to finish my assignments and projects so I wouldn't have anything to do with school to worry about while we were in Kamakura for Christmas break. Aki and the rest of Guardian worked at the studio late every night, and I would join them from school to work with them, like a field trip directly into the industry. Aki and I would take the train home after dark, near 9:00 every night. Even though the week was busy and full, my life felt just as full, and if it had continued that way forever, I would have been happy. All the things I surrounded myself brought me something to look forward to every day.
Before I knew it, I was beside Aki in his car, our suitcases in the back seat, his fingers laced with mine resting atop his thigh as we drove out to Kamakura. After the rush the week had been leading up to the trip, I was finally able to sit back and relax with Aki, not thinking about anything. We spent most of the two hour drive in silence.
"Has Kota said anything else about me since the phone call?" I hated to break the peaceful silence with such a deep question, but I felt I had to be prepared if I was going to spend nearly two weeks in the same house with him. I fully trusted him, and I knew he would never do anything to make me uncomfortable or break Aki's trust, but I also had the right to know what I would be walking into.
Aki smiled, breathing a laugh. My question didn't seem to interrupt his peace at all. "He hasn't said anything to me." He said. "But I've been watching him a little closer to see if I could notice him acting differently, and I don't think he has been." He lifted my hand with our fingers still laced together and kissed my knuckles. "Are you worried about it?"
"Not really. Just curious."
"Will Hina-chan be joining us at any point?" Aki glanced at me a few times, trying to keep his eyes mainly on the road.
"I sent her a message to ask her, but she hasn't replied to me yet. It's funny, since we send messages every day. I think she's probably feeling weird about seeing Fuji."
"Fuji has been keeping in contact with her." Aki said.
I perked up, unaware of what the situation was between the two. "He has?"
Aki nodded. "She doesn't want this life. She kind of broke his heart. That's also why she ultimately chose not to go to Tokyo University with you. I think she told you something else though. I'm sorry."
The conversation had gone completely sideways from the conversation I was expecting to have, and I was feeling disheartened. "She told me she just wanted to stay in Kamakura and live a simple life and get a good job nearby. That was believable. Hina-chan was always perfectly happy with the mundane." I smiled a little to myself at the sentiment, suddenly feeling better about the situation. "Hina-chan became my friend when I wanted a break from excitement. So now I guess she needs a break too."
"Not to worry. You've been adopted by all of Guardian."
I sunk back even more into the seat, forcing myself to return to relaxation, but I could feel myself squeezing Aki's hand a little harder. "I must get to know Hiro better." I said. "Him and I hardly talk."
"Hiro is quiet. Most bassists are shy."
Aki pulled the car into the driveway a little past ten. The house and property were dark, but I could see the lights of the centre of Kamakura not too far away. Aki unlocked the door and turned the hallway light on, and hurried back to the car to help me with the suitcases.
"We're the first ones to arrive?" I asked. "The others must be getting here late."
Aki grinned, heaving both of our suitcases out of the back of the car, leaving just his guitar case for me. "It's just us tonight." He said simply as he walked toward the house, looking over his shoulder expectedly, waiting for me to follow.
We didn't bother unpacking our suitcases, satisfied with leaving them open on the bedroom floor. We showered off the long travel, and I settled myself atop the blankets of Aki's bed, watching him as he towel dried his hair and struggled to keep his unbuttoned jeans from falling. The house was warm, Aki's futon on the small platform surrounded by tatami was comfortable, and as soon as I let my body begin to relax into the blankets, I felt my eyes getting heavy with sleep. The soft sounds of Aki milling around the room were comforting, reminding me of his presence, providing security. Though our apartment in Ueno was our home, the familiarity that Aki's house in Kamakura had was deep rooted.
"Hey, Natsu?" Aki's voice seeped through my floating consciousness. I opened my eyes to look at him. "Can I take a picture of you?"
I was surprised at the request, since it wasn't quite the time or situation that matched the question. "Right now? Like this?"
He nodded, biting his lip slightly, not taking his eyes from me. His face was serious, and I could tell he was studying me and the way I looked in that moment. "Exactly like that." He said.
We had met because he wanted to take my picture. I was laying half asleep on his bed in my underwear and sports bra, my hair freshly washed and towel dried, no makeup, and I had Aki's socks on that pulled up halfway up my calf because they were warm. I couldn't imagine why he wanted to have a token to remember me exactly that way, but the way he looked at me waiting for my response was with hunger, and I could tell I stirred something in him in that moment. "Whatever you want." I answered.
He pulled the black t-shirt he was wearing over his head and held it out to me as I sat up on the bed, swinging my legs over the edge. I took it from him and put it on, feeling the lingering warmth from his body in it. He guided me into a position at the edge of the bed, instructing me to lift my knees until only my toes touched the floor. The bed was low to the ground, and the pose caused my thighs to angle upward. I supported myself with one hand flat on the blanket, and Aki took my other hand to guide me to rest it atop my bent knee. The light in the room was warm and dim, and the shadows it cast on me were flattering and added mystery. He crouched and pulled his phone out of his back pocket, and snapped a few pictures.
"Natsu, you are absolutely beautiful." He said, clamouring onto the bed beside me. We laid back against the pillows, and he pulled up the pictures he took to show me.
Seeing myself in the pictures, even just on his phone, allowed me to see myself for just a split second through his eyes. I knew what I looked like, or what I thought I looked like, but he had succeeded in capturing a side of me that even I rarely saw in myself. I didn't know how to be sultry or seductive, or even how to look mature, but Aki had drawn it out of me in the photo without any effort. It hadn't taken makeup or a fancy outfit, all it had taken was someone who loved me really seeing me.
I handed the phone back to Aki. "You're a good photographer." I said.
"I do tend to take photos in my spare time." He said. "Isn't that how we met?" He was occupied with his phone for a moment, then turned the screen to show me with a smile that he had replaced his background with the photo of me.
I covered my mouth with my hand. "What if someone sees it?"
Aki put his phone on the bedside table, rolled back to me and lightly held my face to kiss me. "Then they're going to think you're really hot and I'm really lucky."
There was no sunlight coming through the window when Aki's alarm went off. Aki groggily untangled himself from me to retrieve his phone and turn the alarm off, laying on his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows. He turned on only one of the small lamps on the bedside table. I couldn't recall when we had fallen asleep, but I did recall the feeling of peace washing over me the night before, undressed in Aki's arms, my hands against his back. It seemed we had woken up in exactly the same position.
"They're going to start arriving soon." Aki said. "I put the alarm on because I didn't want them walking in on us naked." He chuckled, getting out of bed with some effort. I watched as he retrieved his underwear and jeans from the floor, and pulled them on gracelessly. Somehow, even as he lost his balance slightly putting on his pants in the morning, he remained looking like he was in complete control of his situation. "You can stay in bed longer if you want to. I'm going to go start making breakfast."
"No sense staying in bed without you." I said, gathering the sheets around me as I sat up. Aki handed me my bra and underwear.
"Old habits die hard." He said, and I knew he was referring to the way I absently covered myself with the sheets. He leaned over me, supporting himself with his hands flat on the bed, and I reached for the back of his neck with one hand as he kissed me. "I'm going to start coffee."