Natalie had no choice but to let Kenzo pay every debt she owed to everyone. She told Kenzo about the other loan sharks and he made her contact each one of them.
They went, one by one, to a restaurant that they agreed to meet and Kenzo paid for them. He even doubled it and they all left with satisfied smiles on their faces. Next, they went to the bank to pay for her loans. He fully paid it and there was nothing else left to pay for anymore.
All those loans that would have taken a lifetime to pay have finally ended today. She was free and relief.
There was not much to worry about anymore. No loan sharks would ever harass her again. No rent to pay. No bills even. She was free from her responsibilities at the bank. She was free from everything, except Kenzo.
They both sat in the car in silence. It was late afternoon and the sun had set. Natalie kept her thoughts to herself. She had no idea how she would be able to pay Kenzo for everything he had done for her. It was too much.
"You're worried if you can't pay me, right?" Kenzo asked, looking at her.
Natalie avoided his gaze and nodded.
"It might be a lot to you, but it's only a small amount to me. I don't even need that money. That was nothing compared to my income. You have no idea how much money I have. So stop whining about it."
"But I'm still going to pay you." Natalie said in a low whisper.
"Well, at least you have a choice with me. You can repay me any way you want. You can pay me with your time. From now on, you just have to do what I want you to do. Stay with me and follow me wherever I go. That's how you can repay me. Keep your money to yourself. I don't need it." Kenzo told her as a matter of fact.
Natalie's thoughts raced through her mind.
"So, what do I like? A slave?"
"No. A personal assistant. You can call it that way," Kenzo stated, "It's very simple. You don't have to do much. Just be with me, that's all."
Natalie scoffed at the idea. It seemed absurd. Why was he even doing it to her?
"Okay," Natalie swallowed the lump in her throat, "I agree… But we should at least set some limitations."
"No problem. I'm going to let you have time for yourself too. You can go wherever you want. I don't mind it. Your time is your time. My time is my time. It's manageable and I can understand as long as you give me valid reasons."
"But what if I don't agree with you? What's going to happen?"
"Well, I'll keep bothering you. You won't live your life in peace from now on." Kenzo was teasing her.
It was the first time in a while that she saw him smile. He had been so caught up in anger earlier that Natalie thought he would never be able to smile anymore.
Natalie laughed as well, "This is ridiculous. I don't even understand why you're all doing this to me. Like, who am I to even deserve your kindness?"
"You're part of the family already. Your problems are our problems too. Think of it as a family matter to keep and maintain our reputation. My father has always valued our family's image ever since then. Hope you get used to it."
Natalie had no choice except to agree. She was already too tired to even argue and her stomach was growling.
Kenzo noticed the sounds her stomach had made.
"I see that you're hungry now. Let's go eat somewhere."
They drove to a restaurant nearby and had a delicious dinner. Then, right after dinner, they drove back to their apartment.
"So you're going to sleep now?" Kenzo asked the moment they got inside.
Natalie couldn't make up her mind. It is too early to sleep now. They should have stayed out for a while. But she guessed they were too spent on the day to even consider having fun outside.
"I..." She didn't know what to answer.
"Let's watch some movies. Come on." Kenzo suggested.
Kenzo ran off and disappeared into a corner. Natalie followed after him. The whole apartment was so big that she had not been able to explore it yet. She followed him into a hallway and then to a door.
"Welcome to my movie room," Kenzo said as he gestured a hand inside.
Natalie went in, and she gasped in surprise at what she saw. It was a small theater room, three rows and three columns, just enough to fit one whole family together and the screen ahead was wide enough to play a movie and give off a theater vibe.
Natalie looked around in awe. She had no idea how an apartment could fit such a place.
"Settle down, anywhere you like. I gotta go get some popcorn."
"Wait, what movie are we even watching?"
"It's going to play. Just wait a while. You're going to like it."
"Oh, okay," Natalie said.
When Kenzo disappeared out of the room, Natalie settled down in the second row. The room began to dim and suddenly a show appeared on the screen. It was an Avengers movie, one she had not seen yet, and was excited to see.
She sat in comfort and waited for Kenzo to come back.
Minutes later, Kenzo appeared with two milkshakes and two buckets of popcorn. He handed one to Natalie and sat next to her. The movie began and they both watched in silence.
Suddenly, it was all too awkward. Natalie could feel the heaviness in the air. She averted her eyes from the screen most of the time and Kenzo just kept munching his popcorn. There were moments when their hands touched and they both apologized together. Then there was another moment of silence and awkwardness again.
Natalie couldn't help but imagine all the possible things that could happen in a dim room with only the two of them.
"Was Kenzo going to do something? Well, he did seem like a gentleman. Of course, he had to act like one."
When the movie finished, they both stood up together and Natalie's bucket of popcorn fell to the floor, its contents scattering everywhere on the floor. Panic and embarrassment rushed to Natalie's face.
"Sorry, sorry..." She even tried to scoop the popcorn back into its bucket but Kenzo stopped her.
"Natalie, don't."
Natalie stopped and realized, "I just want to clean the mess."
"I have a maid who cleans my apartment regularly. So don't bother." Kenzo said.
Natalie smiled shyly and nodded her head.
Then they both headed out the door. It was already midnight because The Avengers was a fucking three-hour movie. Imagine how long the awkwardness lingered in the air! Good thing the movie was great.
So, Natalie and Kenzo's room was divided by a corridor. At Natalie's door, they both stood, trying to summon the right words to say to avoid the awkwardness.
"So, do you feel sleepy already?" Kenzo asked, his hands were in his jeans pockets and his eyes were looking everywhere.
"Yeah, we should probably go to sleep. We have work tomorrow." Natalie answered, avoiding his gaze too.
"About that," Kenzo spoke. He hesitated but he went on, "We can go to work together."
"In your car?"
"Yes."
"But-"
"Think of it as your first payment. Don't argue, understand?" Kenzo held out a finger to emphasize his words clearly.
"Yes, I understand." Natalie nodded. She could sense that he was trying to break the awkwardness between them, so Natalie had to try too.
"I should get inside now." She muttered, a smile crossing her face, "Thanks for today. I mean, there's so much to thank you and I don't even know where to start –"
"Stop it, okay? I don't want you to be grateful. You don't have to be thankful. You just have to trust me. I'm going to take care of us, starting from now."
Natalie's eyebrows furrowed. What was that all about? It seemed like it had much deeper meaning than what he was trying to make her understand.
"Families helped each other. Remember?" He added and smiled at her.
"Yeah, right. Families helped each other. Right, I get it." She smiled at him and he smiled back.
For a moment, Natalie could feel the urge to kiss him. The moment was too intense, but she had to stop herself. She opened her door and went inside, leaving Kenzo outside.
But she leaned against the door and took a deep breath.
Perhaps it was his kindness that moved her. Perhaps it was the way he protected her and kept her safe when she was in trouble. And perhaps it's how she felt so comfortable every time she was with him. But she couldn't ever fathom how much it took for her heart to beat again for just one act of kindness that took a lifetime to remember.