You frowned and tossed the shirt back into the drawer. You pulled another shirt out and examined it. Quickly, you put it on and examined yourself in the mirror. You scrunched up your nose in distaste. You didn’t like the way the shirt fit you.You took it off and tossed it in the drawer before you walked over to your closet and opened the door. You gently began sifting through the shirts in your closet. Your eyes settled on black v-neck, three quarter length sleeve shirt that ended at your mid thigh. The shirt was tight and would go good with dark navy blue straight leg jeans.Hurriedly, you assembled the outfit on your body and grabbed at a pair of deep red flats. You took a long look at yourself in the mirror; this outfit would have to do. Half of your hair was pulled back in a black barrette and you had lightly put on some make-up.Shuichi had called you in the afternoon, telling you that his mother wanted to invite you over for dinner. You nervously accepted the offer and have been deciding on what outfit to wear ever since. You frowned as you noted the amount of cleavage you were showing; regularly you would have thought nothing of it, but you were meeting your young boyfriend’s mother.“Could I be considered a cougar,” you mumbled as you took the shirt off, put on a white tank top, then put the shirt back on. “I am,” you whined pitifully to yourself.There was a buzzing and you dashed to the intercom. You pressed the speaker button. “Who is it?”“Shuichi.”You hit the buzzer to let him in and went back to your room. You wanted to tidy it up a bit before you left to his house. You felt an alarming amount of butterflies swarming in your stomach; maybe you would be too nervous to eat.Gentle knocking echoed through the apartment and you darted to the front door. As casually as you could, you opened the door and smiled at Shuichi.“Hi,” you breathed out; he looked handsome despite his casual outfit.He wore a white collared blouse that was hidden underneath a charcoal gray sweatshirt. The only part of the shirt you could see was the collar and the cuffs at his wrists. He wore dark jeans and black shoes. “Wow.” It was all you could say as you stared at the man before you. Shuichi smirked as he leaned down and captured your lips. The kiss was a bit hungry as he gripped at your neck. His lips did wonders against your own before he pulled away.“Wow,” you uttered again.Shuichi chuckled. “You look irresistible.”“I do? Have you looked in a mirror today?”“Are you ready to go,” he asked with a slight chuckle as he ignored your question. “Yes, just let me get my purse.”You dashed off to your room and located the purse on your nightstand. As you walked out and towards the door, you checked to make sure you had your cell phone, your wallet, and apartment keys.You smiled up at Shuichi. “Alright. I’m ready.”He kissed you once more before the two of you made your way down to his car. The ride over was filled with a light conversation. You couldn’t get over how nervous you felt. You had briefly met his mother before, but you honestly didn’t know what she thought of you. Did she blame you for Shuichi’s suspension? He said she was the type of person who liked to get to know people before she passed judgment, but this was her son you were messing with. She could have already passed judgment on you. “It’s alright. Just be yourself,” Shuichi suggested as his hand found yours while the two of you walked towards the entrance of his house. “Mother I’m back.”“Oh great. Is she with you?”“Yes.”You followed Shuichi into the living room and patiently waited for his mother to show up. She came seconds later, her husband trailing not too far behind her. She wore a kind smile on her face as her eyes connected with your gaze.“It’s nice to finally properly meet you. The first time was under a sticky situation.”“Yes, I’m glad we can finally meet properly as well,” you announced as you smiled at her. She and her husband sat down aside the couch you and Shuichi resided on. “Well, I’m Shiori and this is my husband Hatanaka.”“It’s a pleasure,” he greeted you, but he seemed less friendly than Shiori. It made your nerves increase a bit. “So Shuichi tells me you write,” Shiori proclaimed.“He did,” you responded a bit surprised. “Well, I guess I do, but it’s just for fun.”“Isn’t it always?” She was so happy and carefree. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned that you were twenty six and had met Shuichi at his school. “Yeah I guess you’re right,” you laughed out. “Hey sorry I’m late,” a boy a bit younger than Shuichi entered into the room; he had brown hair and dark brown eyes. “[Name], this is Hatanaka’s son Shuichi.”You laughed. “So it was you I spoke to the other day? I’m sorry for confusing you with him.”The younger Shuichi laughed as he waved. “Nah, don’t worry about it. It was kind of funny if you think about it.”“I was so embarrassed!”“You were,” your Shuichi inquired; you could hear the amusement in his voice. “Why?”You shrugged your shoulder as you looked into his beautiful emerald eyes. “It was such a silly mistake.”“You didn’t make it,” he pointed out.“I just… I just thought I would have been able to tell the difference between your voices. I suppose I was embarrassed that I couldn’t.”“You really shouldn’t let it get to you,” the younger Shuichi stated.You smiled as you laughed lightly. “Well I hadn’t until we started interrogating me about it.”Everyone laughed lightly. Shuichi shifted so he could rest his arm around your shoulders. Unconsciously, you snuggled into his embrace, immediately feeling secure. Shiori’s smile softened. “So how long have you two been together,” Hatanaka inquired.You felt your body stiffen while Shuichi remained completely calm. “Officially about a week, but it has been clear since day one the two of us were interested in one another. That was about three weeks ago.”The way Shuichi spoke was steady and calm; he seemed a bit offended. You leaned further into him as you looked down at your lap. Hatanaka didn’t seem too pleased about the relationship. “Sir,” you began quietly. “I’m aware of how this appears. But I can assure you I’m not lusting after Shuichi. I genuinely care for him. I appreciate all he’s done for me. I don’t think I could ever repay him for all the support he’s given me. But I would like to make it known that I’m going to stay around for as long as Shuichi wants me. I apologize if that’ll cause problems with you and your wife, but I don’t want to give him up; I’m not ready to.”It fell silent as the five of you soaked in what you said. “Don’t you think that’s a bit selfish,” Hatanaka inquired; Shiori remained silent as she sat beside her husband.“Yes,” you answered quickly and confidently; the answer surprised everyone. “I do think it’s selfish. But at the same time, it’s not. It’s not selfish because as soon as Shuichi wants out, I’ll let him leave.”“Even if it’s today?”You could feel Shuichi’s grip on you tighten; he wasn’t pleased with the conversation at hand, but remained silent. He knew this needed to happen regardless of how he felt about you being personally attacked. “Even if it’s today. But that’s for him to decide, not you or anyone else. If he wants out, I’m going to let him leave; it’s the least I can do to repay him.”“So you honestly feel as though this isn’t just a faze?”“Hatanaka,” Shiori chided gently. “Not so aggressive.”“No, I don’t.”“Do you have anything else to add?”You shook your head. “It’s difficult to explain why I don’t believe it’s a faze and even if I do explain, you may choose to not believe me. All I can say is that I care deeply for Shuichi.”“Do you love him,” younger Shuichi’s question caught you extremely off guard and your mouth dropped open in shock. “I-I,” you stuttered briefly. “Yes, I do. Logically it doesn’t sound right, seeing as we’ve only known each other for such a short time, but I know what love feels like and I know I love him.”As it fell silent once more, you couldn’t stop thinking about how haywire this conversation had become. You did believe they were going to ask you a few questions, but you didn’t think they’d be as heavy and loaded as the ones you’ve answered.“Shuichi says you’re in need of a job,” Shiori announced.“Yes, I am unemployed at the moment.”You arched an eyebrow as Shiori gently hit Hatanaka. He adjusted his glasses before clearing his throat. “Well, we’re looking for a temp right now; Shuichi said he was more than willing to teach you what you need to know in order to work the position. You don’t have to take the job; it’s an offering before we put out an ad.”You searched Hatanaka’s eyes before looking at Shuichi. His face was expressionless as he stared back at you. “Are you really okay with this,” you questioned as you turned your gaze back to Hatanaka. “I’m going to be honest here; I get this feeling you don’t like me all that much.”“No,” Hatanaka answered. “But I promised Shiori and Shuichi I’d give you a chance. And that’s exactly what I’m doing; giving you a chance.”“I appreciate it greatly and yes, I would like the temp job.”As much as it made you uncomfortable, you desperately needed a job. While you worked there, you could figure out what you were going to do. At least you’d have money coming in.“Great. Let’s eat dinner,” Hatanaka said as he stood up from the couch.

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“Thank you for having me over,” you said politely as you and Shuichi exited the house.“It was a pleasure,” Shiori replied as she smiled happily at you. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow. And tomorrow, you’ll be having dinner here so that Shuichi can go over the details.”
You laughed lightly at Hatanaka’s demeanor. He sure was a hard ass, but watching him interact with Shuichi, Shuichi, and Shiori, you knew he was just looking out for his family. It didn’t matter to him that Shuichi wasn’t his biological son; he acted as though Shuichi was. You could understand the protectiveness. “Definitely; in your office at nine?”“No later.”You smiled as you nodded your head. Your eyes fell on younger Shuichi. He smiled wide. “It was nice meeting you.”“Same here.”“Come, we better get you home,” Shuichi whispered as he grabbed onto your hand, gently tugging you away from his family.“Shuichi, dear, will you be coming home after you drop her off or are you staying for a bit?”“I haven’t decided Mother. Would you like me to call?”She shook her head. “I think I can figure it out if you’re not home in half an hour. Just don’t stay out too late; you’re suspension is up after tomorrow. I want you to keep that school schedule.”He smiled politely at his mother as he nodded his head. “Yes Mother. I won’t be out late.”The two of you entered into the car and began the short drive over to your apartment. Shuichi held on to your hand as he drove.“Thank you for coming over,” he spoke after a minute of silence.“It was my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.”“My pleasure,” he whispered lowly as he brushed his lips against the back of your hand.A chill ran down your spine at the feather light touch his lips left on your hand. “I look forward to working with you,” he stated as he pulled onto a street. “Really? Why’s that? So you can finally boss me around?”He chuckled. “No, but that is a tempting idea.”“Then why?”“Because I’ll get to see you on a daily basis again.”You blushed and felt your body heat up. There was something going on; the things Shuichi was saying made your body alive with fire. And his touches caused electricity to flow through you as though your body was hypersensitive. “I look forward to that too,” you whispered as you pulled your hand out of his and ran your fingers through his hair. He looked irresistible in his white collared shirt, charcoal gray sweatshirt, and dark jeans. You wanted to eat him up. Shuichi pulled into a parking space and cut the engine. You both exited the car and began walking towards your apartment door, your hands intertwined with one another. You smiled to yourself as you leaned your head against his shoulder. You were relaxed like this and hoped you’d have many more nights like this one, feeling absolutely unashamed to be with him. You reached the door and turned to face him. You smiled as you placed a kiss to his lips. “Well,” you began as you pulled away. “This is my stop. I’ll see you tomorrow?”“[Name],” Shuichi uttered you name in a low tone. The look he was sending you caused excitement to course through your veins. “May I come up?”