Chapter 34

Knock, knock.

"Misa," Ren called out to her and peeked into her room. "Ack!" He jolted forward as Shun smacked him in the back of the head.

"What have I told you about waiting for a response before opening the door?" Shun frowned at him, arms crossed as he wondered where he went wrong.

"But she's not there." Ren rubbed the back of his head as he swung the door open.

"Oh, sorry, but the smack still stands; you didn't wait even a short bit before checking."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Why don't you check the studio? She seems to be rushing to finish all the new songs."

They exchanged a worried glance.

"That doesn't mean anything bad, right?" Ren asked, his jaw tightening.

"Hard to say for sure. She might be using it as a distraction, worried about the timeline, or she wants to finish and return home."

Ren cringed, his shoulders slouching. "I was afraid you'd say that last one."

"You realize she wasn't supposed to stay here permanently, right?"

"So? Doesn't mean I want her to go."

"She is a breath of fresh air here, but it's ultimately her decision."

"So you're saying we need to slow down production to keep her here longer?" Ren automatically stepped away from Shun, knowing he'd want to smack him.

"Not what I said at all." He sighed, shaking his head. "But I understand how you feel. Considering her ties to us being out in the open, she's probably safer here while it's still big news."

"Which means she could stay until long after the album comes out?"

"If she wants to, sure. Ren, she's free to stay as long as she wants; it doesn't bother me any."

"Good to know." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Now, I should find her for our next date." Ren took off.

"Wait, what? Where'd that come from?" Shun reached out to grab him, but he was jogging down the hall. "Geez, calm down for once."

Ren opened the door to the studio. "Misa?"

She was face down on the keyboard with papers scattered on the desk and the floor all around her.

"Misa," he whispered her name and knelt down beside her. "Why are you sleeping here?"

"Hmm?" She cringed and opened her eyes to see Ren's face up close. "Wha?!" She sat up straight, a stray piece of paper clinging to her face.

Ren chuckled and plucked it off her, glancing at the paper. "What song is this? I don't recognize it."

Her eyes widened. "Not that one! It's mine." She covered the paper with both hands. "And it's not ready for anyone's eyes." Especially not yours! "I hit a wall with the rest of the songs and need input from you guys to continue, so I worked on something else."

Ren stared at her for a moment in silence. "You have a little drool line." He pointed at his own face to show her.

"You have to be kidding me!" She wiped her face roughly.

Ren turned away with the paper to continue reading.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" She reached for the paper, and he pulled it away, out of her reach.

"I want to see where this went. It's an interesting story..." Ren mumbled, his eyes glued to the paper.

"Ren, give it back now!"

He held his hand out to block her from grabbing it.

"That's it!" She stepped on the chair beside her and jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and reaching for the paper with one hand.

"Whoa!" He jolted forward from the impact, but managed to stay standing. "What are you doing?" He chuckled. "Even like that, your arms can't reach. And if you were looking for a piggyback ride, all you had to do was ask."

"Ren, please," she whispered into his ear as she clung to him.

"Fine." He handed the paper back and shifted to hold on to her legs, keeping her in place.

"Wait, what are you doing now?" She accidentally dropped her paper, grabbing his shoulders.

"A piggyback ride to our next date," Ren said as he headed out of the studio, leaving her mess behind.

Her heart rate shot through the roof. "Date?" What if Shun sees us like this? She looked down the hall as he carried her, but didn't see Shun anywhere.

"Well, how can you decide on anything if we don't date? At least give me a shot; that's all I ask for."

"But..." She swallowed hard and leaned towards him. "With the rumours out there already, I don't think it's a good idea."

"On the contrary, it'd be great to show we're serious, but since you're not there yet, and you'd prefer to stay hidden, I was planning one on our property."

"Oh?" Guess he's thought it through. "What about the mess in the studio? Shun will have a fit if he sees it."

"I know, but we can clean up later, or if we're lucky, we'll come back and he'll have already cleaned up." Ren snickered and carried her to the front door before letting her down.

But then he might've read my song about... She glanced at Ren and hurriedly looked away as he turned to her.

"What are you waiting for? Put your shoes on." Ren moved her shoes over to her.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

Ren smiled widely, bouncing with excitement. "You'll find out soon enough."

Once her shoes were on, he took her hand and led her to his clunker car waiting out front.

"Hop in." He opened the driver's door and held up the car key.

She turned to head to the passenger's side, and Ren grabbed her hand. "Hmm?"

"Hold up, Misa. This is your side this time."

Misaki raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? You know I can't drive."

"Not yet, but that's the point of the driving lesson."

"Driving lesson? I thought you were taking me on a date?" Not that I mind. I've always wanted to learn, but Aki... Quit thinking about him!

Ren tilted his head to the side, trying to catch her wandering gaze. "Who said it can't be both? I get to spend alone time with you in close-quarters; sounds like a date to me. Bonus that you get to do something you want to." He waved his hand, gesturing for her to get in.

Misaki took a deep breath, gripping her shaking hands in front of her.

"We're only staying on our property, so please don't worry too much. We'll be safe. I promise." He wiggled the keys around.

He's trying so hard to give me what I want. She broke out in a wide, sparkling smile, and took the keys, hopping into the driver's seat.

Ren closed her door and got in the passenger side. "First off, let's start with controls." He went over the pedals, gears, signals, wipers, and lights, then got her to check the mirrors to adjust them for herself.

"The pedals are a bit... far to reach," Misaki complained, feeling awkward in the seat.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to adjust it for your height. There's a bar to pull up in the front and shift forward with it."

Misaki reached forward to grab it. "It's stuck."

"Here, let me help."

She sat back up as he leaned over her lap to reach for it.

Oh gosh! Pink tinted her cheeks as she stared down at him, his arm brushing up against her bare leg. Of course, this all happens when I'm wearing a skirt! She tried not to react to his touch, certain he wasn't doing it on purpose.

He jimmied the bar, and the chair slid forward. "Sorry about that..." he trailed off when he noticed his position and cleared his throat. "Excuse me..." He sat back.

She rested her foot on one pedal. "Thank you; it's much better now."

"Let's buckle up and get her started."

"Sorry," Misaki said for the umpteenth time as she jerked the car forward again and stomped on the brakes.

"It's okay; it'll just take a bit of time to get used to it."

Maybe Aki was right to keep me away from it after all. I'd totally be a hazard on the road.

"Misa?" Ren gently gripped her shoulder. "Are you okay? Did you want to stop?"

"Might be better if we did..."

"Why?"

"Because I'm horrible at this." She sighed, her hands falling from the steering wheel.

"Isn't it a little too early to say that? You're doing fine."

"I can't even get pedal control right, never mind actually steering around the corner without braking five times." She hung her head.

"Misa." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You'll get better at it with more practice, I promise, but if this is too much for you, we can head back in. It's up to you, but I wanted to give you an opportunity that Aki took away from you."

Took away from me? Is that what it was? What he did... She glanced at Ren to find him staring at her, his brows furrowed with worry. "You don't mind continuing despite how bad I am?"

"Of course not, and you're not bad; you're a novice. I'll give you as many driving lessons as you want." He smirked. "If you want off our property, you'll need a learner's permit, though."

"Noted." She gripped the steering wheel again and glanced at him. "Ren?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Anything for you." He winked at her. "Now, let's work on easing into the pedal a bit smoother."