"I don't know I guess that we should have added another option about the death of that character like instead of choosing from any of them, we could have just let her stay single" proposed Erik
"Let's say that the budget doesn't allow us to do so, but I understand your point of view, I mean if Shi was alive, the MC wouldn't have chosen any of the other guys, so if you see it from that angle they look more like second choices than real lovers" said Annie as she was taking a look at some papers
That response was some kind of an untold truth that Hotaru was desperate to ignore, and the only way to shake it off from her head was by voicing her opinion about that matter:
"Yes I mean the budget is just perfectly respected I mean more than that and this idea of an update in such a short notice would have been obsolete and anyway at the end of the day we can't let the MC die alone, she deserves to have someone by her side, don't we agree? "
"We do" they said out loud
"Great" she said as she was arranging her documents before adding "so that concludes the meeting, you can dispose"
"Hotaru do you want to have lunch with me today?" Annie asked
"Of course, you choose the place though" she said as she was organizing her documents within her bag
"Okay, what about burgers? I mean it has been a while since I have had one"
"I would never say no, to a hamburger with French fried aside" she added with a thumbs up
"Let's go" added Annie as she grabbed her colleague's arm "I know a perfect fast food not far away from here whose specialty is American Hamburger"
Arrived at the so called burger expert establishment, the two young ladies decided to order two different hamburgers each to test it out with some French fries aside, it was not uncommon for them to order that much food whenever they would want to try something out.
In the middle of eating Annie received an important text from her fiancé, and of course the word important would stand for her wedding that was going to be held in 5 months.
"Take a look at this, man those pictures are amazing" she enthusiastically said
"What is it? New ideas for your wedding dress? Asked Hotaru as she was wiping off a ketchup stains that fell on her cheek
"No just some pictures from Gotchiro's cousin's wedding ceremony, Elli the one who married John Wong"
"You mean our old college teacher when we were just freshmen?" she asked surprised to hear the name of one of her teachers in such circumstances
"Yeah look, they held two ceremonies one here in japan and another one in china following the Chinese traditions, and look I mean I love the concept of this long red ribbon that the groom and bride have to hold" she added showing the picture to Hotaru, who just finished from cleaning herself up
"But isn't it sad to not be able to touch the other person?"
"What are you talking about? it is just for the ceremony; I mean don't you see the romance in there?"
"Somehow I do" she added quietly remembering the softness of that white ribbon that she and Gin were holding in the festival
"Right? Whenever I see it I keep hearing that voice within my head "No matter how far apart our bodies are, this bond infused with our love will keep our souls forever linked"
Every word that were said were also felt by the young Hotaru's heart, a small but deep connection was made and a sense of gratitude could be felt, but was quickly replaced by a pain full of greed. Feeling bad about it she would decide to brush it off and keep thinking that she was lucky enough to feel what she felt years ago but is also really grateful for having such an amazing boyfriend at her side
"You are really in love with Gotchiro aren't you?" she asked with an innocent face
"Totally" said Annie focused on the picture with her rosie cheeks
"That's good, hold on to it" she added before taking a huge bite from the second hamburger
"Wow and you must be really hungry chief"
"I am starving you mean, lets finish this quickly we still have a meeting this afternoon"
"Got you"
After finishing their lunch and paying the bill, the young ladies came back to the office to finish up their busy day, Hotaru didn't leave the office until 6 :30 p.m, and by the time she got home it was 7:15 p.m.
"It is me" she annouced as she was taking off her shoes y the entrance, but no answers, Subaru wasn't home yet. And that let Hotaru the time to cook something nice for him for a change, because she somehow knew that if he didn't finish before her, it means that he still got 2 hours to go.
They still had some left over rice, so she decided to make a various salad and some salmon with a homemade sauce.
It was 8.30 a.m everything was ready, even the table was dressed, she herself was the only one who needed to get dressed, cause tonight she wanted to surprise her companion with a very special night, with a homemade meal and a gorgeous black and white suit that was kind of trendy those days. After perfuming herself with the last gift that her boyfriend offered her, Subaru barged in unannounced, loosing up his tight and falling like a giant mass all over the sofa.
"I didn't know that you'll be this tired" she said facing him as he was laying for just a few minutes
"Don't worry I'll never be too tired for you" he added as he unexpectedly caught her by the neck to kiss her again that day
"Great, because it is a homemade meal that I have prepared from scratch, so you better wake up"
"Coming" he added with a smooth quiet voice
Subaru was finally set on that gorgeous table that was strangely matching the color of her outfit
"Good job chief project, as I see every detail was very well calculated"
"Thank you mister CEO" she added in a seductive way
After finishing up the delicious meal that was made, Subaru proposed to clean and put the dishes within the dishwasher to give his body the time to digest the food.
"By the way I also made some desert, it is in the fridge" she said before getting up from her seat
"Right away miss" he responded before opening the fridge to find out a red card with the sentence "I might not taste as sweat as you think but the comfort that I bring is everything that you need" he read as Hotaru was holding him within his arms
"I might not say it enough those days but if there is anything that bugs you in your life, whether it is work or anything else, I am always here listening to every drop of it" she added tightening her arms around his waist. Hesitant at first Subaru didn't know what to say until Hotaru told him to breath, she felt like it would calm him a bit.
After taking a deep breath, words started to come out from that mouth of his:
"Thank you my love" he whispered before lifting up one of her smooth hands to the level of her lips and let a gentle kiss make it is way from the back of hand to her lips then her neck. As they were leaving the kitchen, Subaru's phone started to ring, instead of shutting it down Hotaru asked him to answer that maybe it was something important and that she was going to wait for him.
After leaving the kitchen, Subaru took a look at the message that he received, it was from his cousin, she lives in the same village that Hotaru's aunt lives.
"Of course you can come to the house with Hotaru, nobody will be there anyway"
"Thank you, cousin, I count on you for making sure that the AC is okay"
"Who do you take me for to leave my guests with a problematic air conditioner during summer? Is my reputation of a great host a joke to you?" She sarcastically asked
"Absolutely not, I wouldn't dare question your hosts skills Lia, forgive my rudeness, I am sure that everything will be to our liking"
"Great, then I'll just leave the keys to Hotaru's aunt if you are coming"
"That would be great thanks" he sent before doubting a few seconds there wondering if this plan a good idea, fearing that he is not acting more like a coward instead of directly facing her"
"Even if I ask, I don't think that she'll answer me, she might even suppress those emotions even more" he thought as he was pressing the palm of his hands at the counter of the kitchen's sink
"Subaru are you almost done?" Asked Hotaru from the bedroom
"I am coming" he responded back shutting down his phone to join his beloved that he didn't want to lose at any cost.