An Unexpecting Night

Written gracefully across his expression and tone. Kashi was tired after a long day of business meetings taking place one after another. He pulled up to his driveway and sat in his vehicle for a moment. Thinking about what has occurred and what’s to come next moving forward with his work.

He spends much of his time balancing out a schedule that permits him to sit down and work on another chapter for his manga series; an ever-popular series that blew in popularity the moment he first published online. Somehow, he manages to write, storyboard, drawing, ink, and letter 50 – 60 pages a week for a brand-new chapter all by himself. He cackles at the gall he has for striving to achieve all this himself without a bit of help from anyone else.

He grabs his phone and scrolls through the emails he gathered for the day; investors seeking to fund another adaptation of one of his many series, art supply companies sending him quarterly reports on their sales, architect companies submitting applications for commissions of his detailed blueprints, and, of course, his publisher, who is sending him demands for another chapter as soon as possible. “Good grief,” he said to himself. “I guess I’ve spent another day lounging about in meetings after meetings.”

Kashi opened the door and took his time with getting out of the vehicle. Reaching for his portfolio backpack to continue his new chapter and his brief case to read and organize the new document he had received that day for upcoming business meetings. Through all the glitz and glamour that he receives for being a creative genius, there is always the underlying dark side to being a successful entrepreneur who seems to have it all with him. Countless nights where he prepares the electric kettle and his favorite instant coffee brand that he adores so, so much. He chuckled at the thought. Approaching the front door, he reached for his jacket and took out his keys; scrambling to find the one through the array of keys on his keychain, he felt the presence of someone staring at him from not too far away.

“I can already tell that this is going to be very entertaining,” he heard from across his yard going into his neighbor’s yard. An ever-familiar woman leaning against her doorframe with a lazy smirk across her face; tracing the rim of her wine glass with a single fingertip. Kashi smiles when he sees her standing there; face flushed red with a mild buzz.

“Is that how kids these days are greeting their neighbors, Ms. Noir?” he joked with her. “My goodness, how the youth of today have lost their manners.”

She huffed and widened her grin. “Oh?” she said. “And how would you prefer to be greeted then, Mr. Hino? Would a firm handshake and formal introduction be preferred for our nightly greeting? That doesn’t sound quite as fun it sounds now, does it?” Kashi could tell that she had only about half of her glass in her system. She was always a lightweight.

“I guess today must’ve been a long day for her,” Kashi thought to himself. He smiled at her and decided to have a bit of fun with an old friend. “That would a start, but it wouldn’t be quite who you are; right, Luna?” She let out a soft laugh and approached Kashi with her head tilting toward the side her braid ran across her shoulder.

“You’re indeed correct about that, Kashi,” she said. “I’ve never been on for formalities – at least with you. Though, I might make an exception if you ask me nicely.” He could see a glinting hint of mischief in her eyes as she slowly took a sip of wine.” Kashi chuckled and walked across the yard to meet her eye to eye.

“I’d never make you break out of your shell, Luna,” he said to her. You’re who you are, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.” Luna smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “I guess it was a long day for you, huh? You don’t really drink too often.”

She looked in the other direction in attempt to hide her embarrassment. “I hate and adore that you know me so well, Kashi,” she said. “Would you join me for a glass? You know that I don’t like drinking by myself.” Kashi accepted her invitation.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I can wind down with one of my favorite people in my life, then I can certainly say that it’s a perfect start to the weekend.” He ran to his car, put his stuff in his driver seat, and ran back to Luna. She smiled warmly and stepped aside to gesture toward her plush inside.

“I don’t believe that there’s anyone else I’d love to be with.” They walk inside with Kashi going in first and Luna following in afterwards. She locked the door and walked into her kitchen; approaching the shelves, reaching for a glass, and pouring from a still cold bottle that wasn’t too far from her wine fridge. “Just promise not to judge me if I rant about today’s absurd court case or if I steal all the blankets later from your side.” Kashi sat himself down and took off his suit jacket. He made sure his keys were still in the jacket pocket before folding it and placing it on the arm rest next to him.

“I won’t judge. You’ve always been kind to me whenever I’ve had a hard day; hearing you rant about a tough day is something I’d love to do for you for a change,” he said. He grabbed his phone and saw an email pop up from the local pizza chain promoting a new deal. “Have you eaten yet? I was thinking of ordering a pizza for us.”

Luna approached the couch and placed a coaster on the table for Kashi and his wine glass. She tucked her legs under her as she sat down, releasing a contented sigh into her glass. “You’re an absolute saint, Kashi.” She bit her lips to suppress a grin that was creeping in. “But only if you let me feed you the first garlic knot!” She was starting to get a bit rowdy. Kashi smiled as her remembered seeing this face over the years. “Fair warning, though, I might get distractedly handsy after the second glass, Kashi.”

“Then I’ll just have to make sure to grab you some water and put some cola in your system, so you don’t suffer through hangover hell in the morning,” he said. “It may be Friday, but no one likes to start the weekend in such a cruel way.” Luna propped her chin on her hand, grinning as she reached for a throw pillow to hug.

“You’ve always been so practical, Kashi,” she said with softened eyes. “That’s…really sweet of you. But if I wake up tangled in your arms instead of being in hangover hell, I certainly won’t complain, unless…you want me to complain?” Kashi patted her head and smiled.

“Even your complaints have a sweet soft melody to soothe my aching ears, Luni.” Luna pressed her fingertips to her lips with her eyes sparkling as laughter began to bubble up in an uproar. She wiped away the joyful tears from her eyes.

“My goodness, Kashi!” she happily said with alcohol on her breathe as she playfully smacks his shoulder. “Now you’re just trying to make me blush!” She draped a leg over Kashi’s and said in a teasing tone, “Careful now, Mr. Hino. Flattery will get you everywhere with me.” Kashi playfully tickled her feet until the delivery driver finally arrived at the door. He gently lifted her foot off of him and ran to the door; generously tipping the delivery driver and walking back to the couch and placing the pizza on Luna’s coffee table.

He grabs one of the paper plates that came with the order and places a slice of cheese pizza on it before handing it to Luna, who happily took it with glee. In the midst of her stuffing her face full of cheese, he spoke sincere words to her. “I was only saying what’s true, Luna. Spending time with you is truly something I forward to whenever the opportunity presents itself. Whenever I see that your light isn’t on when I return home, I only imagine the long, tough all-nighters you spend working on your cases. You were always a determined, tough cookie. It’s one of the qualities about you that made me love you.”

Luna stopped moving and finished chewing the pizza in her mouth. Catching her breath, she, unknowingly, moves in closer to Kashi. “You…” she exhaled shakily, suddenly fighting the burning sensation in her throat that’s trying to stop her from saying anything any further. “You noticed that?” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she placed her plate on the coffee table. “I spent so many years building up this unshakable person, and you just…see right through me like I’m made of glass.” She looks in the other direction for a brief moment. Kashi takes a bite of his pizza and washes it down with cola. He hadn’t taken a sip of wine yet. He realized what he said and didn’t want to stop. Countless years spent avoiding his feelings have stripped away and he feels ready to speak about what has roamed his mind for over a decade. Luna looks back at him in mid bite and says, “Tell me something no one else knows. Anything!” He examined the expression formed across her face. It wasn’t what he had expected to see when this moment had finally arrived. Kashi placed his plate on the coffee table next to Her’s and faced her, looking directly into her beautiful purple eyes.

“I’ve noticed that you enjoy spending time in your little garden that you have in the back of your home. Whenever I get the chance to work from home and I’m working on a new page for my series, I take a break, stretch my arms and legs, and look out the window to see you tending to the Lillie’s in your garden or the mandarin trees in your yard or seeing you read under the cherry blossom tree you’d read under; and especially the way you’ll look up when you bask in its beauty when the wind blows petals down on to the ground and they get in your hair. If you ask me, you’re the true cherry on top that sundae!”

Luna pressed her wineglass to her lips in an attempt to hide how her hands had begun to tremble and her cheeks flushed into a pink tone. “You…” a helpless laugh escaped her lips. You watch me garden?” She carefully placed the glass back on to its coaster and reached across Kashi’s face to tuck in a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Her voice was unsteady when she spoke again. “All this time I thought I was alone out there, and you were there in those quiet moments.” She brushed her thumb against Kashi’s stern jawline. “It feels…terrifyingly wonderful to be known as this.”

Luna began to pull her hand away from Kashi’s face when he reached for it and smiled softly toward her, staring with gentle eyes. “I’ve always admired how you are, Luna…but I always found you intimidating as well. We’ve known each other since high school, but you were athletic and always in one of those clubs and I was always in the manga/art club.” Kashi released his gentle grip on her hand and couple his hands together. Luna doesn’t notice and keeps her hand on his face. She’s paying attention to every detail that comes out of his mouth and the pinkish tones rising in his face. “Even when we started attending university together, things didn’t change until we sat next to each other in our business law class.” He giggled as he remembered those point elf ears of Her’s turning red when she asked to borrow a pen. “You really broke the ice between the two of us. Our careers went down different paths, but we still made time for each other.”

“Like when I practically broke down your door to get you away from you drafting table?” Luna said softly with a giggle. “Your R.N. was much too scared of me to even say anything to me.” She snickered as she remembered the terrifying look on the R.N. when she saw Kashi being dragged away from his room. “You couldn’t stay cooped up in your room all day; touching grass and getting some exercise in your life is mandatory!” She cackled at the memory of her dragging me out of the dorm. “I can’t believe you remember that.” Her laugh cracked halfway through. “Gosh! It took all my effort to ask when that stupid bird stile my bag!” She swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand; smiling so wide it hurt. “And you let me drag you around campus and all over the city, even though you probably hated every second of it. Leaning in, she rested her forehead against Kashi’s; her voice was breaking as she spoke. “Some neighbor I turned out to be. I couldn’t even let you escape me after graduation.”

Kashi wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, pressing his chest against her more than wonderous chest. “I don’t think that there’s any force in this universe that could’ve prevented that from happening. After all, the greatest source of inspiration that made me want to pick up a pencil and start drawing was seeing you run on the track team back in high school. The greatest muse that came into my life is also the greatest person that came into my life.”

Kashi stared at her; seeing a complex array of emotions run through her face. Making her twist and turn each muscle in her face until she gave herself a gentle smack on her cheeks. The sound startled Kashi before she locked her arms around his neck. “Shut up…” she said, muffled through her mouth pressed against Kashi’s shoulder. He could feel tears well up from her ace and fall onto his shoulder. “You can’t just say something so blatantly open like that when I’ve spent so many years not trying to fall apart every time I see that exhausted smile of yours, Kashi.” She pulled back, eyes red and face flushed with emotion. Kashi never wanted to see her make a face like that again, but he wouldn’t move his lips. They stared at each other for a moment before Luna broke the silence. “Tell me…please…tell me this isn’t some sort of elaborate dream, Kashi.” Without thinking about it, his head moved to her point elven ear and gently nibble on it.

A full-body shiver ran throughout Luna’s body; causing her to cover the tingling spot she yanked her ear out of. “You –!” she said through spilling out as she laid her hands on Kashi’s cheeks. “Only a sleep deprived beautiful idiot, such as yourself, would consider biting someone as proof! But…the message is clear and received well.”

Kashi grabbed his cola and sat back down onto his rear. “I know…” he said. “It is shocking to know about…this sort of…topic… I’ve always thought about saying it, but…those words just never seemed to come out to surface because…I was nervous…for one.”

Luna hooked a finger to Kashi’s chin and lifted it until the two of them were meeting eyes to eye again. “And here I was spending countless nights at the office wondering what you’d say if I showed up at your like I did earlier.” Her thumb traces his lower lip. She chuckles at the situation. “It seems that the two of us have been a pair of idiots for a ridiculous long time.” Kashi smiled as Luna said every word. Taking in every detail of the moment that’s unravelling before him. “I’ve fought many battles during the war, Luna. And being able to think on my feet in the heat of it all came easy,” he said, giggling as he remembered those horrible moments he was in. “Getting this out of me and being able to finally say it all was a challenge I didn’t think about overcoming. Though, you might think my reason for not saying anything is a tad bit…selfish?”

Luna arches her brow and curiosity flickers in her gaze as she leans in closer, dropping her voice’s tone into a playful murmur. “Selfish, eh?” she teased as she tugged on his collar. “Try me, art boy. I’ve spent all evening unravelling before seeing you at your door – what’s one more confession between idiots?”

Kashi looked forward and placed his cola on an available coaster and grabbed Luna’s cold hands. “Even in this summer heat, she always has cold hands.” Kashi thought to himself. He turned his whole body to face her, meeting eye to eye. “We’ve both known each other a long time, Luna. We’re both the same age, but we’ll both age differently. You’re a full-blooded elf woman and I’m a human man. When you reach 60, you’ll look and feel the same as you do now. But it won’t be the same for me. At some point, I’ll die. I don’t know when that moment will come, but I always thought about how, if things proceeded between us on this path…I don’t want to hurt you in the worst way possible.” He closed his eyes and memories of losing his friends came through, causing him to lower his face to the cushion beneath him. “Leaving you to mourn my death…I can’t even stomach the thought of doing that to you, Luna.”

Luna catches her breath as she raises Kashi’s head up, using both hands to keep his head up, but to also prevent him from moving away. “Then let me be selfish, too, Kashi…” she said with tears streaking silently down her cheeks as their eyes meet together. “Every sunrise I’ve watched with you since our university days, every stupid argument we’ve had, every late-night pizza…” she paused and softly laughed, turning away for a brief moment before meeting his gaze again. “They’re worth every bit of pain!” She squeezed his cheeks tighter with a fierce grip. “Don’t rob me of this just to spare me grief, Kashi!”

Kashi stares at her with utter and complete shock. There were millions of thought running through his head, but nothing came to mind when he thought about what to do in this situation, he’s thrusted himself into. He didn’t think of anything, yet his body did the actions for him, pulling her in and holding her tight to him. “I can’t believe this moment has finally arrived…” Tears began to stream gently from his eyes; unleashing a river of words he’s longed to say for over a decade. “So many years have passed ever since we first locked eyes in high school. You, the woman made me enjoy life even more than I could imagine!” His voice began to crack with each word that came out of his mouth. “You…the woman who made me want to draw. You…the woman made me feel at ease when I returned home from the war. Y – you…the woman whose company I could never…c- could never imagine not having in my life…There are plenty of people in my life I could envision not being there…but you, Luna…? I can’t imagine what my life would be like if you weren’t there next to me…”

Luna buried her face into Kashi’s head, clinging onto him as her shoulders shook with quiet sobs flowing down her cheeks. “Silly boy…” she spoke to herself. “And you think that I could ever regret loving you?” She pulled back just enough to cup Kashi’s face, wiping away the tears that fell from his eyes. “Every sketch you made…every lazy morning we’ve shared…they’re etched into my bones.” He lips find Kashi’s before she whispered, “I’ll have centuries to remember how you felt in my arms in this moment, and I will treasure every second that comes with each moment. Let that be my choice to make, you lazy bean!”

Kashi presses his forehead against Luna’s with a smile so wide. “Please…permit me to say this to you, Counselor.”

She giggled with a great big smile. “Go on,” she said. “Everything between you and I, your lawyer, is strictly confidential.”

Kashi looked content, overjoyed, gleeful…any word that could describe how he felt, that’s what he was in this moment. “I love you, Luna. I’ve always loved you. Since we first saw each other in P.E. all those years ago. Since I took your picture in when you won our school the championship. Since you first asked me for a pen in university…I’ve always loved you and will never cease to love you.”

Luna choked out a laugh between tears, unknowingly leading her finger to tangle Kashi’s hair. “Say it again…” she demanded with her voice cracking with emotion. “Say it until my ears burn red and my heart bursts…” Crushing her lips to meet Kashi’s, she poured years of longing into this moment before whispering against his mouth, “I love you…I love you…” Their foreheads press against each other. “I loved you when you doodled in your notebook margins instead of paying attention in class. When you stubbornly refused to wear a coat in the dead of winter. When you…” a shaky breath creaked out as she struggled to get the words out. “When you looked at me like I hung the stars. I’ve always loved you, Kashi!”

Kashi looked at Luna in a daze. His brain fried by the sheer level of confessions after confession that they both laid for each other. He recited the words she would often sing to him whenever she’d see him fall asleep during their late – night study sessions. “I will fall in love with you. Over and over again. I don’t care how, where, or when. No matter how long it’s been you’re always mine…”

She gasped sharply, her entire body trembling as the words sunk in. “You…you remembered that?” Tears began to spill freely as she clutched his shirt, pressing her face into his chest. “I used to hum that song every time you fell asleep during our study sessions…” A wet laugh escaped her. “All those years, and you knew!” Lifting his head, Luna kissed him with a feverish intensity before murmuring between breaths. “Then keep falling, Kashi…I’ll be there to catch you every time…”

Kashi hold her tight but is quickly overpowered by Luna pushing him down. The two stare with intensity into each other’s eyes; taking in what’s just happened over the last few minutes or so and finally breaking into laughter – wonderous, joyous laughter they experienced countless times before. “Over a decade and we finally get to this point!”

She straddled his lap with a triumphant grin, pinning his wrists to the cushion. Her hair cascades around them like a silver curtain. “About damn time!” Her laughter fades into something softer as she studied his face. A faint crinkle in his eye, the way his pulse jumped under her fingers before leaning down to brush her nose against his. “I want to memorize you like this: breathless, blushing…mine!” Her teeth grazed his earlobe. “And just so we’re clear, Kashi…I plan to be very thorough…” Kashi simply smiled at the woman he loved.

“I wouldn’t expect you any other way, Luna.” She let out a slow, delighted hum as he fingers traces the curve of his jaw, savoring the way Kashi’s skin warm under her touch.

“Good!” she said in a savory, seductive tone. Her lips ghost around his neck, nipping ever so slightly. “Because I’ve spent countless years imagining how you’d sound when I finally got you like this…” A hearty laugh escaped her lips as she shifted closer to his lips. “All those stolen glances and accidental touches…” Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. “It seems that reality is so much better, my love.”