Wasted Nights

Remi found herself sitting at the bar in the hotel lobby with Julen, discussing life on the road while they waited for the band to return. Nursing the beer in front of her, Remi found it hard to believe that she was currently sitting in a hotel bar in Los Angeles, waiting for the Japanese band she had befriended that day instead of feeling sorry for herself over the loss of a relationship. When she thought back to this morning and Marcus’s ambush of her in the coffee shop, she never imagined that this moment now was in the realm of possibilities for her day. She still felt pain when she thought back to the end of the show when she was face-to-face with Marcus once again; but the more she dwelled on her situation, the less angry and hurt she felt. After spending a day around someone who seemed to understand so much about her without having to say anything at all, Remi started to wonder whether her chance encounter was more than just an accident.

“-and so, the next thing I know, I got this text from Taka with the aftermath of Tomoya’s caking,” Julen explained, holding his iPhone out to Remi.

Remi took the phone, looking down at the picture and immediately breaking out into laughter. It was a picture of Tomoya, shirtless, in a hotel room with his whole face covered in cake. The white frosting was stuck in his long dark hair, dripping down from his face onto the ground. His face was so covered that she couldn’t really make out his expression, wondering how shocked he looked underneath all the icing from getting cake thrown at his face. The thing that made the picture even funnier was that Toru was standing right behind Tomoya with a shocked expression, half of his face and hair covered in cake as well. Seeing this picture on Julen’s phone gave Remi a better idea of why the other band members were so eager to take their revenge against Taka when his birthday finally rolled around.

“Poor Toru!” Remi laughed, handing the phone back to the photographer. “He looks so shocked that half his face is covered in cake!”

“Ryota told me later that Taka had planned it that way on purpose. He was supposed to throw it after they finished singing to him but when Toru appeared in the doorway behind Tomoya, Taka took his opportunity and threw it early,” Julen said.

“Well, considering how perfect the opportunity was, who can blame him?” she smirked, taking a sip of the beer in front of her. “Wow, I didn’t realize that he was so mischievous.”

“Taka is one of the biggest pranksters on tour. He’s the one that everyone has to watch out for since he’s always pulling pranks on people” Julen explained, tucking his phone away.

“I see why they were talking about revenge on his birthday now,” she told him.

“Oh yeah, it’s gonna be great,” Julen smirked, taking a sip of beer. “I just hope I get good photos of it.”

Remi shook her head at the response, lightly tapping the side of her glass as she looked around the hotel bar. Remi couldn’t help but feel a little out of place in the hotel, considering her modest outfit of Taka’s shirt, her leather jacket, and skinny jeans. Everyone else in the bar seemed rather dressed up in business casual attire, making her feel slightly self-conscious about being there. The only thing that made her feel a little better about things was the fact that she was there with Julen, who was dressed in a similar casual style as her. The fact that she wasn’t the only one that was sitting in the lobby looking a little disheveled was the only thing that kept her in her seat.

“So, Remi, I have to ask,” Julen began, gaining her attention away from her thoughts of insecurity, “what’s the deal?”

Remi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “What do you mean exactly?”

“You know what I mean,” he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “You two have been giving me the new lover vibes all night so I’m just wondering what your intentions are for my buddy.”

Remi immediately started blushing at Julen’s words, her face growing hot at the mention of her complicated feelings for the front man. She felt a deep connection with Taka that she found difficult to explain, especially since their conversation had been so limited and so much of their understanding came from knowing glances and comforting touches throughout the day. It would be ludicrous to expect anything more to develop than friendship since they could still be considered strangers to one another but the thought of her attraction to him made her feel all warm and bubbly inside. She thought she had done a better job of concealing her attraction to Taka from others but the fact that a man she only shared two previous conversations with was asking meant that it was rather noticeable to everyone else that had been around them for the better part of the day.

Remi took a large swig of her beer, earning some chuckles at her expense from the photographer sitting beside her. Remi weighed her options, trying to figure out what to tell Julen when she herself was unsure of the answer to the question. She was in a very complicated place emotionally so trying to wade through the best possible way to explain their relationship.

"It's ok Remi," he told her with a sly smile, “I’m just teasing you a bit.”

“It’s just hard to say what’s really going on since I’ve only known you guys for less than a day,” she explained, still unsure of her wording.

“You wouldn’t know it from how they talk about you,” he replied, leaning against the bar. “All the guys seem really comfortable around you. Usually, they’re a little shyer around Americans because they’re not as confident in the language but they seem fine practicing English with you around.”

“I feel bad that I imposed on them like that,” Remi admitted with a small frown. “I honestly didn’t expect a trip back to the bus to clean spilled coffee off me would result in spending all day with them.”

“Aren’t you glad you did though?” he asked with a sly grin, nudging her arm with his elbow. “You managed to nab a brand-new drinking buddy in the deal!”

“Of course, that’s the most important thing to take away from this night,” she nodded with a playful smile. Remi picked up the half empty beer glass and held it out in front of her, signaling her toast, “Cheers to my new drinking buddy!”

“Cheers,” he replied, clinking his own half-empty beer glass against hers.

The pair started drinking their beers, each of them peeking at one another to see who was the first to stop. Remi didn’t want to lose to Julen so she kept drinking. The pair finished off their beers and placed the empty glasses back on the bar at the same time, looking at one another with a competitive edge. Remi jokingly narrowed her eyes at him, wiping her lips with the back of her left hand as Julen reciprocated the playful glare.

“I didn’t realize we were having a race,” he told her.

“You picked the wrong person to be your drinking buddy,” she told him. “I can get competitive.”

“That’s good to know. Means I can’t go slacking off here if I want to keep up,” he laughed, waving his hand in the direction of the bartender to gain his attention.

As the pair ordered another round of drinks from the bar, the One OK Rock front man found himself moving haphazardly around his hotel room as he searched for a clean shirt to change into after his shower. When the band got to the hotel, it was decided that Julen would keep Remi company down in the bar while the band went to their rooms to freshen up after the last few hours on stage. Taka was particularly impatient, not wanting to waste more time than necessary away from Remi. He realized very quickly after the end of their performance that they were running on borrowed time before they would be forced to part ways and he wanted to make the most of it. Rushing through his shower and rifling through his packed bag for something clean to wear, Taka finally settled on a pair of black skinny jeans with large holes in the knees and a white Metallica shirt. Over the top of that, he slipped on an unbuttoned red and black plaid flannel shirt and declared himself ready.

Doing one last quick sweep of the room, Taka grabbed his phone, wallet, and room key before leaving the room to join up with the group downstairs. Walking out into the hall, Taka saw Tomoya walking out of the room next door with a large grin on his face. Tomoya’s usual long hair was slightly damp and sticking to the side of his face. Taka knew his own blond hair looked similar to the drummer’s since he only roughly towel-dried his hair. He wasn’t overly concerned with his hair still being damp, especially since he was keeping his guest waiting for him downstairs.

“You got ready quicker than normal,” Tomoya commented with amusement as the pair walked to the end of the hall where the elevators were. “Worried that Remi-chan will disappear?”

“Shut up,” Taka mumbled, pressing the button for the elevator with much more force than necessary.

“Are you still upset that you had to sit in my lap on the ride over instead of having Remi in yours?” Tomoya laughed as the doors to the elevator opened, allowing both men to step inside.

Taka’s eyes briefly flashed a glare to Tomoya, who just laughed harder at the front man’s annoyed expression, as Taka, once again, pressed the button to take them to the lobby with more force than necessary. Taka knew it was childish to be annoyed at Tomoya for such a thing but he couldn’t help it. Since her nap from earlier in the day, Taka wanted Remi to be as close to him as possible. Taka was a little thrown by the idea of yearning for the touch of a complete stranger, especially given that they’ve known each other for a mere day. The only thing that held him back from finding any excuse to touch her was the fact that he didn’t want to cross any boundaries that made her uncomfortable.

“What time are we leaving for the airport in the morning?” Tomoya asked as he looked up from his phone, changing the subject.

“Hiro says we need to leave here around 9:30,” Taka replied.

He glanced down at his own phone that had been pocketed and frowned when he saw the time. It was nearly midnight, which really limited his time together with Remi. He wondered how much time they would really have together before the weight of the day finally overwhelmed them with exhaustion. Shaking his head slightly at the thought, Taka pushed the negative thoughts of their dwindling time away and decided to focus on the here and now. He knew that they were going to meet up at the bar for a few drinks and then they would make a decision about what to do from there. He needed to enjoy the time he knew he would have with her instead of worrying about it ending.

The elevator stopped at the lobby, allowing the pair to step out and make their way to the bar. Scanning the brightly lit room, Taka noticed that the bar was still rather active with groups of people at various tables. It didn’t take him long to spot Remi laughing alongside Julen and Ryota, gripping her glass of beer with one hand and covering her beautiful smile with the other as Julen continued speaking in an animated manner. Taka had stopped briefly, just watching her as she finally calmed herself down enough to take a sip of the beer she held onto. Tomoya had noticed that Taka was no longer walking beside him as they made their way into the bar, unable to stop himself from laughing at the love-struck gaze in the front man’s eyes. Tomoya thought it was adorable how Remi had managed to wrap Taka around her finger so easily, making him all the more supportive of giving the pair time together. Whatever it took for Taka to forget how miserable he was at the start of this tour was definitely something that Tomoya could get behind.

Tomoya poked Taka’s side with his elbow, causing Taka to jump slightly as he was shaken from his trance. Tomoya only laughed at him harder, shaking his head as he continued toward the bar where the trio were drinking and talking. Taka followed behind him, noticing that Remi had turned her attention toward him as he approached with a shy smile. He could feel his heart start to pound at the sight, unable to stop himself from smiling in return as he stood beside her at the bar, leaning against it for support.

“Hey Taka,” Remi said, mentally kicking herself for how nervous she sounded saying such a simple greeting.

Remi had enjoyed her time with Julen in the bar as they waited for the group to gather but discovered just how on edge she had been when Ryota had finally joined them. She took the time to scan the entrance to the bar again, looking for signs of the man she had become so infatuated with and realized that she was actually nervous about spending more time with him. The main reason keeping them together today was the show and that ended when they played the last song on the stage tonight. Now, she had to look for any excuse to keep them together as long as she could. It was a lot of pressure, especially since the band had been so accommodating to her intruding on their schedule. She didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity by overstaying her welcome.

Taka smiled, feeling the instant heat shooting through his arm as it came into contact with hers, “Hey Remi-chan.”

Ryota, Tomoya, and Julen watched as the pair were sucked into their own little world, locked in an intense gaze where they were the only two people in the room. They had noted that this wasn’t the first time in the evening that this had happened and it probably wouldn’t be the last. The three men felt rather intrusive by watching as Remi and Taka exchanged shy smiles and twinkling glances. Nevertheless, they couldn’t help but watch how they interacted with one another in silence. It was completely out of the realm of normal behavior for Taka to be so forward in his advances with the opposite sex and would definitely give them the correct amount of ammunition to tease him with once their evening came to an end.

By the time Toru finally joined the group, Remi realized that she had yet to greet the other band members that had arrived, forcing herself to break her gaze from Taka. She was startled by the fact that the four men had been staring at her and Taka with amusement, blushing when she realized just how obvious her crush for him must be to others around them. Unable to really speak, she gave a small wave of her hand to the group, causing them all to laugh at her greeting. She looked away quickly, taking another gulp of her half-empty beer glass to distract herself from their attention.

“Now that the gang’s all here, what’s the game plan?” Julen asked, also taking another swig of his beer.

“I don’t think we really had much of a plan other than the meet here,” Ryota commented, leaning back with his elbows on top of the bar.

“Well, I know you guys are probably tired from your show and I don’t want to keep you up too late since I know you have to catch a plane home tomorrow,” Remi said, not wanting them to feel like they had to stay out with her.

“Don’t worry about that!” Tomoya grinned. “We can sleep on the plane.”

“Yeah,” Toru nodded. “This is the last night of our US tour and we need to celebrate.”

“Well, should we get another round here or should we go out and explore the nightlife of LA?” Julen asked, finishing off his beer.

“What’s there to do around here at night?” Ryota asked.

“Um, let me think,” Remi replied, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought of all the places that she was familiar with in the area. “Basically, we’re smack in the middle of Hollywood so there’s an endless supply of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants on any given street out there. It just depends on what kind of evening we wanted to have.”

“Well, I’m in favor of another bar because Daddy needs a drink,” Julen laughed.

“Let’s just get out there and see what we can find,” Taka nodded.

“Ikuzo!” Tomoya cheered enthusiastically.

Remi finished the last of her own beer, sliding off the barstool she had been perched on for the last half an hour and immediately felt the effects of her buzz as she tried to find her balance on her feet. She stumbled a bit, feeling hands on her shoulders to steady her while she found her footing. Instinctually, she had reached out to grab onto anything that would have prevented her from falling over, realizing that she was holding onto the tattooed arms of the hands that were holding her shoulders. She knew it was Taka that had a hold of her since the others had already started making their way to the exit of the hotel. She glanced over at him, uncontrollably blushing in embarrassment as she finally stood comfortably. Taka seemed a little concerned as he watched her, knowing that she had already had a few drinks before the show. He just wanted to make sure she would be alright for the night.

“Thanks for that,” Remi laughed, shaking her head to alleviate some of the embarrassment she felt as she released her grasp on his arms, “Didn’t realize I was already reaching the clumsy stage of my buzz.”

“Are you ok to walk on your own?” he asked.

“Probably,” she said unsurely, glaring at her uncooperative feet.

“Well, I can always catch you if you need it,” he smiled, finally releasing his grip on her shoulders.

Remi, feeling a little emboldened by the alcohol in her system, clasped her hand into his larger one. She laced her fingers with his, reminded of the immediate comfort she felt when they first held hands earlier that evening. She could feel electric currents running through her body from their hands joining, enjoying the tingling sensation that was spreading throughout her. She knew that part of the excitement stemmed from the alcoholic buzz she was currently experiencing but there was no denying Taka’s overall effect on her. Rather than questioning her feelings any further, she decided to just seize the moment and act while she could.

“Better safe than sorry,” she said with a grin.

At first, Taka was slightly surprised by Remi’s action but soon found himself reciprocating her actions with a smile. He realized that they had already established that they were comfortable holding each other’s hands since they had already done so numerous times that evening. He knew that it was such a cliché feeling but it felt right that he was holding her hand. He was more than happy to let her take charge of initiating contact with him since he knew she was still sorting through her feelings concerning her ex-boyfriend. He thought she looked pretty resolute with their relationship being over when they spoke after the concert but he knew from experience that it was never that cut and dry when it came to feelings. Taka decided that he would take what he could get with little complaint as long as he was near her for the next few hours.

The pair made their way out of the bar without more discussion to join the rest of the group on the streets of Hollywood. Once the group was together again, they started heading down the street to see what was in the vicinity, enjoying the cool night air and light conversation about the show. Remi couldn’t help but smile like a fool as they continued walking, feeling as if this were just another night out with friends that she’d known longer than a single day.

After walking by a number of different bars and restaurants with little interest, Remi spotted a familiar neon light at the end of the block that made her smile. Frenzy Tavern was a popular dive bar that seemed like the perfect solution to what they were looking for in a place to grab a few drinks. She had previously been with Hannah and some of their friends from college a year ago and she remembered liking the ambiance and that they had a decently priced drink menu. What she remembered most about that particular night out with the girls was being dragged up on the stage to sing a horrible rendition of “Misery Business” by Paramore. By that time, they had quite a bit to drink so her memories of the entire evening were a bit hazy but from what she could piece together, they had fun at that bar.
Remi figured it would be the perfect place to take the guys to celebrate the end of their tour.

“There’s a cool bar up ahead if you’re interested in checking that place out,” Remi said, catching the attention of the men in front of her in conversation.

“Are you talking about Frenzy Tavern?” Julen asked with a smile.

“You’ve been?” she asked curiously.

Julen nodded, “Yeah. That place is awesome. I think it’s our best bet for a drink since it’ll be last call soon.”

“That’s fine with me,” Toru said with a small smile, brushing his long blond hair out of his eyes.

“Let’s go!” Tomoya cheered, throwing his hands in the air.

“Lead the way Rem,” Julen said, gesturing for her to move to the front of the group.

Laughing a bit, Remi shook her head and walked to the front of the group with Taka still by her side. It was such a small movement to react to but Taka couldn’t fight the grin on his face when Remi leaned closer to his side, grasping his arm with her free hand the way couples tended to do while out on a date. He knew that this was far from a date, considering they were in a group of people, but he enjoyed the fact that she felt comfortable enough with him to get closer to him despite the watchful eyes he knew were on them from their friends.

The group neared the door, hearing the loud music from inside as the bouncer stopped them from moving any further. Remi immediately dropped her hand from Taka’s arm, still keeping their hands clasped together, as she dug through her purse for her wallet to fetch her ID. Julen had already gotten his ID out, showing it to the bouncer who then stamped his hand. Remi told the band that they needed some kind of ID that showed their age in order to get in before turning her attention back to the bouncer to get her stamp for entry. Once everyone proved they were able to go into the bar and received their stamps, Julen opened the doors and took the lead into the crowded bar.

The place was exactly how Remi remembered it from the last time.

The bar took up most of the room along the right side of the building, illuminated by fairy lights that bordered the edge of the bar counter and back wall. There were small tables in the middle of the room as well as a few booths along the left side of the room. The walls were covered in various vintage band posters and covers to vinyl records of the last few decades. At the back of the room, just before the bathrooms and the exit to the alleyway was a small stage area where a few of the patrons were currently singing a drunken rendition of Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City.” Julen maneuvered his way through the crowd with Remi right behind him, pointing over his shoulder with her free hand to a table near the stage that was large enough for all of them.

Looking back over her shoulder to the rest of the group, Remi gave Taka’s hand a reassuring squeeze, offering him a smile as she leaned in close to his ear to tell him they were heading to the booth she had pointed out to Julen. Her warm breath tickled his ear as she spoke, causing a shiver to run down his spine at the pleasurable sensation, as he nodded in understanding. He turned back to the other members of his band, making sure they were still following, and wordlessly jerked his head in the direction they were currently heading to signal them to keep following. The group finally made it to the booth, able to move a bit more freely now that they were out of the pathway to the bar. Julen was busy gathering the empty beer glasses that had been left behind by whoever sat at the table last. The guys started sliding into their seats with Ryota sitting closest to the wall, Tomoya sandwiched in the middle and Toru on the end.

“I’m gonna set these on the bar and get a round for the table,” Julen said to the group over the music.

“Oh wait! I’m getting this round and no arguments!” Remi said sternly, looking at each of the men with intention before breaking out in a smile. “What do you guys want to drink?”

“Beer!” Ryota said with his hand up.

“I think beer is the best bet,” Toru replied.

“Ok, I’ll get a few pitchers of beer for the table then,” she nodded before meeting Taka’s eyes. “Did you want to come with me or wait here?”

“I’ll come with you,” Taka said with a small smile.

“Ok,” she replied. “Give me those glasses Julen. I’ll take them with me,” she said, holding out her free hand.

“Alright,” he said, handing them over to her carefully. “Just wave if you need help carrying stuff back to the table.”

“Roger Captain,” she giggled, giving him a playful wink.

Taka and Remi carefully made their way across the room to the bar, doing their best not to bump into anyone or drop the empty glasses Remi were carrying. Once they reached the bar, Remi placed the empty glasses down in front of her and leaned forward against the bar to see if she could flag the bartender down. Taka noticed the way the man Remi stood beside at the bar checked her out with interest though Remi was oblivious to her surroundings. Wordlessly, Taka moved behind Remi and maneuvered their entwined hands so that his arm was encircled around her, resting their joined hands at the edge of her waist. Remi froze at this action, suddenly feeling the warmth from Taka’s body heat behind her spread throughout her body. Biting her lower lip to fight the large grin threatening to spread across her face, she looked over her shoulder and up to Taka’s face, realizing just how close they were to one another now.

“So,” Remi said, deciding she needed to speak to offer a distraction from Taka’s close proximity to her, “what do you think of the bar?”

Remi mentally kicked herself at how lame the question sounded, knowing full well that she sounded nervous. She couldn’t help herself though. She desperately needed a distraction from the fact that Taka was gently holding her or the way the skin on her hand burned as he gently ran his thumb across the top of hers. It was taking every ounce of self-control she had to not fling her arms around his neck and kiss him like she had pictured for the better part of the concert. She knew better than to make such a public display of affection in the middle of a crowded bar.

Chuckling at how adorable the American was in her nervousness, he replied lowly, “It seems like an interesting place.”

“We picked a good night to be here because they’re doing karaoke tonight,” she laughed, turning her attention briefly to the stage the next performer started singing along to a pop song that Remi was not familiar with, adding some dance moves for good measure. “It’s always more fun watching people sing along.”

Taka only offered her a simple smile in response and a squeeze of her hand before she turned back toward the bar to get the attention of the bartender. Taka gave a side glance to the guy who had previously been checking Remi out, meeting his curious gaze with a smug expression that clearly indicated that he and Remi were a thing. The other man quickly turned back to the conversation with his friend beside him now that he knew that Remi was seemingly off limits. Taka knew it was silly to feel proud that he managed to intimidate a stranger but he was already in competition with Remi’s ex-boyfriend for her attention. He didn’t need random bar strangers trying to get noticed by the gorgeous girl he had his eye on.

After a few minutes, a man with long brown hair and a scruffy beard appeared in front of Remi, asking for her order. Using her free hand, she gestured that she wanted two pitchers of draft beer and six glasses. While the bartender started filling the pitchers, Remi went digging into her purse once again to retrieve her wallet. She paid for their drinks, frowning to herself when she had to let go of Taka’s hand to sign the receipt for the bartender, and slid the receipt and pen back to him. Taka had already grabbed the pitchers, leaving Remi with managing the stack of empty glasses as the pair carefully walked back to the table.

“Yes! Beer!” Tomoya smiled as Taka set the pitchers down in the middle of the table.

“That didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it was going to take,” Remi said as Julen helped her set the glasses on the table.

“It usually doesn’t when an attractive girl is the one ordering the drinks,” he winked playfully, making her blush at his compliment.

Remi slid into the middle of the booth next to Julen, leaving Taka to sit on the end across from Toru. Taka leaned back comfortably, throwing his arm over the back of the seat behind Remi just like he had when they were in the diner for lunch. What he really wanted to do was drop his arm so that it was draped over Remi’s shoulders but he held himself back from acting on that impulse while they were with their group. He didn’t want to create a scene when his band mates already had so much fun teasing him about how touchy he was being. Instead, he settled for just sitting beside her as Ryota poured the glasses of beer for everyone, passing them around the table.

“Alright everyone,” Remi started to say once everyone had a glass of beer in hand, “I just want to say thank you to you all for letting me hang out with you guys today and letting me go to your final show for the US tour. This has to be, hands down, the best day of my life and I’m so happy I was able to meet you guys.”

“Who knew that Taka’s clumsiness would be such a good thing?” Julen joked, causing Taka to playfully glare at the photographer’s comment on his clumsiness.

“It’s been good having you with us today,” Ryota said to Remi.

“Much fun!” Tomoya beamed.

“Well, cheers to new friends and the end of tour,” Toru said, holding his glass out.

The group clinked their glasses together for a collective “cheers” in a mix of English and Japanese as they each took their first sip of the beer. The group seemed to fall into conversation about the tour, talking about the various spots they had been to while Remi quietly listened with a small smile gracing her lips. Though she couldn’t share in the stories of life on the road, she enjoyed the way the band animatedly spoke about which crowds were memorable and which cities had the best food. She appreciated that she was able to join them, taking a moment to savor the calming atmosphere the band had provided for her all day. She knew that she was going to miss them, despite only just meeting them earlier that day. This day would become a bittersweet memory for her since these strangers helped her through one of the toughest days she had experienced in her adult life.

“You’re going back to New York tomorrow, right?” Toru asked Julen, gaining Remi’s attention when the conversation broke away from Japanese.

“Yeah, I’ve got a later flight so I can get some sleep at the hotel tonight,” he nodded, gulping down some of the beer in his glass. “You guys have an early flight, right?”

Taka shook his head, “Our flight is late morning but we need to be out of the hotel by 9:30.”

Remi’s eyes widened at this news, suddenly feeling guilty for keeping these guys out and away from the hotel, “You should have told me that was the time you had to leave! I wouldn’t have suggested leaving the hotel if that was the case.”

“It’s fine Remi-chan,” Tomoya smiled reassuringly.

“Yeah, we told you we don’t mind sleeping on the plane,” Taka said, placing a hand on hers.

“I know but still…” she sighed.

“Don’t worry so much about it,” Toru said, standing from the booth. “I’ll be back.”

Remi watched as the guitarist made his way towards the back of the building to where the restrooms were, feeling slightly guilty for dragging the band out after the show. If she knew just how early they had to get up and get ready to leave, she would have insisted that they stay at the hotel, or closer to it so they wouldn’t have to journey back so far. She wondered if Hiro knew that they were out on the streets of Los Angeles, and suddenly worried what their manager would do if he found out that they weren’t in the hotel.

“Hey,” Taka said, squeezing Remi’s hand to gain her attention. Remi met his warm gaze with slight reluctance, “Don’t worry about it. We’ve grown used to sleeping in planes by now.”

Sighing a bit, Remi turned her hand over so that she was lacing her fingers with his, “You guys have done so much for me already. I don’t want to take advantage.”

“Trust me, you’re not,” Taka said with a small laugh. “We’re all right where we’re supposed to be right now.”

The pair fell into another comfortable silence, their hands still clasped together under the table. Remi started rubbing small circles around the edge of Taka’s hand with her thumb, finding that this small action seemed to soothe her a bit. Taka, on the other hand, was struggling with how this innocent action was tempting him to act on the desires he’d been fighting for the better part of the evening. It wasn’t enough for him that they were holding hands. Taka found himself wanting to pull her right up against him, much like how she was when she used him as a napping pillow, and press his lips to hers. The sexual tension between them had steadily built up throughout their evening together and Taka was really testing his limits of restraint as the evening wore on.

The pair had been so oblivious to their surroundings that they hadn’t noticed that Julen had somehow managed to slip out of the booth without having to ask the couple to move. It was only when Remi noticed how hard Tomoya was laughing that she realized that something was happening near the karaoke stage. Turning slightly so she had a better view of what was holding Tomoya’s attention, Remi immediately burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

Julen was currently up on the stage, his glass of beer in hand as he nodded his head to the opening of The Darkness’s “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” She was impressed as he started belting along to the opening verse of the song since Julen was able to hit the difficult high notes relatively easily. It was right at the start of the pre-chorus when Toru had emerged from the area where the bathrooms were, trying to make his way back to the table only for Julen to sling his heavy arm around the guitarist’s neck, dragging him up on the stage with him as he launched into the chorus of the song. The combination of Julen’s flirtatious behavior as he sang and Toru’s unamused expression made the table erupt with laughter. The more Toru struggled against Julen to get away, the tighter the photographer seemed to hold him until Toru eventually gave up, swaying along with the music.

Remi noticed that Taka had taken his phone out at some point during the performance, filing the interaction between Toru and Julen with glee. Remi had a feeling that Taka would use that footage against Toru at some point in the future, shaking her head at the thought and taking another gulp of her beer. At this point, she definitely felt the alcohol in her system and it was making her a little sleepy. Stifling a yawn with her free hand, Remi decided to make herself comfortable against Taka, gently resting her head against his shoulder. Taka momentarily twitched in surprise at the new sensation, relaxing when he realized that Remi had decided to use him as a pillow again. Taka forced himself to focus on the karaoke performance rather than the fact that Remi was so close to him now. He had to keep himself distracted from the fact that she was so close to him.

Once the song was over, the other bar patrons erupted in loud cheers and some wolf whistling. While Julen was taking a bow and blowing kisses to his adoring fans, Toru used this chance to escape from the crowd of people, making his way back to the seat. Tomoya was still cackling away, enthusiastically slapping Toru’s shoulder as the guitarist took a big gulp of beer. Remi straightened herself upright, finishing off the glass of beer in front of her. Remi knew that she was feeling the alcohol so she knew that she was done for the night. The last thing she needed was to get completely trashed in front of everyone.

“Why didn’t you sing along Toru-kun?” Ryota asked with amusement, sipping his beer.

“Well, we did get to see you dance,” Tomoya said as his laughter was finally starting to cease.

“Shut up,” Toru muttered, pouring himself another drink from the pitcher on the table.

“I’m glad I have evidence of that performance now,” Taka laughed, putting his phone away safely.

Toru just shook his head, rolling his eyes at his bandmates, and looked at the young girl sitting beside Taka quietly. Remi offered him a warm smile when their eyes met, trying her best to not laugh at his deadpan expression. She looked back towards the stage to Julen, who was standing in front of the machine to pick another song and laughed a bit at how he was slightly swaying in front of the machine. He happened to look up at that moment, grinning evilly once their eyes met and started to silently summon her with a beckoning finger. She started vehemently shaking her head ‘no’ at his request, gaining the attention of the other men at the table. Once the guys realized that Julen was trying to get Remi on stage to sing, Ryota and Tomoya started goading her into agreeing, encouraging her with claps and cheers.

“For this next number, I’m gonna need my drinking buddy to come up on stage,” Julen said into the mic, causing the room to cheer loudly as they looked for the person he was talking about. “Come on up here drinking buddy!”

With a heavy sigh, Remi knew that the only way this would be over is if she went up there with him to sing. Taka squeezed her hand still clasped in his, trying to offer her some reassurance in her choice to join Julen on the stage. He moved out of the booth to allow her out, reluctantly letting her hand go once she was standing so she could walk up to the front, earning loud cheers from the other patrons in the bar. She glared at Julen when she approached, earning a cheeky grin in response form the drunken photographer.

“Don’t glare at me darlin’. You know you want to be up here with me,” Julen laughed, offering her one of the spare mics.

“So, you have an idea what we’re up here singing?” Remi asked curiously, grabbing the microphone from him.

“You know that one?” Julen asked, pointing toward his selection in the songbook.

Remi peered down at the book, doing her best to focus on the words that appeared slightly fuzzy due to the amount of alcohol in her system. She laughed once she finally made out the title, shaking her head at his selection. Julen just grinned even wider at her, swaying on his feet as he tapped the microphone with his hand. Remi reached out and held onto his shoulders to steady him, worried he might fall over since she wasn’t doing that much better in her drunken sway.

“Wow, those two are drunk,” Toru said plainly as the group back at the table watched their two companions up on the stage.

“You think they’ll be ok?” Tomoya asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“Well, they haven’t fallen over yet so that’s a good sign,” Ryota laughed, shaking his head. “But I need to record this,” he added, pulling out his cell phone.

Taka observed the pair on stage, slightly concerned by the way they seemed to be leaning against each other for support. Of the group, it made the most sense that they would be inebriated since they had been drinking for the better part of the evening. Despite the fact that her cheeks had gone a little pink, she seemed relatively normal compared to Julen, who was very unsteady on his feet. Taka had noted that the alcohol seemed to make Remi more affectionate as she found more opportunities to hold his hand throughout the evening. He wasn’t really complaining, enjoying the fact that he was able to be closer to her but he knew he needed to watch himself. If she was drunk, the last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her when she wasn’t thinking clearly.

“This is to be our last call song everyone!” called the bartender from the back of the room, ringing a bell near the edge of the bar.

“Alright guys, last song of the evening. If you know it, sing along,” Julen said into the mic, earning cheers from the crowd as he punched in the song number. “Ready Remi?” he asked.

“Let’s go daddio!” Remi giggled.

About a second later, the familiar drum beat of “Love Shack” started to play loudly as Julen and Remi began singing along to the catchy pop song. The patrons of the bar seemed to start clapping along to the familiar beat of the song while the pair continued to sing and dance their way across the stage. During the first chorus of the song, Remi looked back to their table, immediately catching the smile on Taka’s face as he watched. She knew she looked even more foolish on the stage here than when they had caught her dancing around the empty floor of the Palladium but she didn’t seem to mind all that much. The alcohol that was in her system made the music sound better, allowing her to get lost in the familiar rhythm. Seeing the amusement on Taka’s face as he watched her sing along just made her all the giddier.

At some point during the song, Julen hopped off the stage and started dancing with other people in the bar, working the crowd with his drunken swagger while Remi stayed up on the stage, singing along to the main chorus of the song. She clapped along to the beat of the drums as best as she could, swaying side to side to the beat. The band at the table were highly amused with their friends, especially the photographer that was currently dancing his way to the table.

“Everybody’s movin’, everybody’s groovin’ baby,” Remi sang, slipping her jacket off and setting it aside.

“Folks lining up outside just to get down,” Julen added from his spot near their table.

“Everybody’s movin’, everybody’s groovin’ baby,” Remi sang again, giggling a bit as she watched Julen ruffle Toru’s long blond hair.

“Funky little shack, funky little shack,” Julen sang, pretending to play air guitar at the small breakdown.

Near the end of the song, everyone in the bar seemed to sing along to the final chorus, erupting in loud cheering once the song was finally finished. Remi placed her microphone down on the top of the song book, waiting for Julen to return with his. By the time the photographer reached her, the house lights of the bar flipped on, filling the dimly lit space with brighter white lights that made Remi wince a bit at the sudden change. Remi took Julen’s microphone and placed it beside hers, hearing the bartenders clearing the bar for closing. The rest of the band has abandoned their table, approaching the stage where she and Julen stood.

Taka’s focus was solely on Remi as he approached, carrying her bag that she had left at the table beside him. Now that her jacket was off once again, he couldn’t help that his eyes wandered over her exposed arms from the large t-shirt he had given to her earlier in the day. His breath hitched a bit in his throat when he happened to see the exposed band of her black lace bra underneath the shirt, suddenly wondering what the rest of the bra looked like under that shirt. He shook his head at this though, scolding himself for thinking such a thing, and refocused on her face, finding her wonderful brown eyes fixated on him and a shy smile on her lips.

“Here,” he offered lamely, holding her bag out to her once he was close enough.

“Thanks,” she replied, taking hold of the strap as her fingers brushed against his.

“So, we knew that Remi could dance,” Ryota said, pausing for a moment before turning towards Julen and clapping a hand on his left shoulder, “but I had no idea that you had moves.”

“What can I say? I was blessed with the gift of dance,” Julen replied with slightly slurred speech as he made an attempt at the Robot.

“You were so into the song! I was surprised you picked that one,” Remi laughed.

“Well, it was between that or ‘Time of My Life’ but I didn’t think you would be up for the lift at the end,” Julen winked.

“I would’ve done just fine with that song,” Remi mockingly glared. “I’ve seen Dirty Dancing enough to know the song.”

“’Nobody puts Baby in a corner!’” Julen said suddenly, laughing at the famous line from the movie.

“Ahh, I’ve seen that movie before!” Tomoya said with recognition.

“Well, in this case, I’m Baby,” Julen said, gesturing to himself with his thumbs.

“Wait, so you were thinking I was going to lift you?” Remi asked in confusion, causing the rest of the group to laugh.

“Alright folks,” a security guard said as he approached, “it’s closing time so it’s time to head out. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here,” he said in a very authoritative voice.

“Alright my dudes and lady,” Julen said, gesturing to the door, “time to make like a banana and bounce.”

“What?” Toru asked in confusion.

“I mixed the punchline with a different joke,” Julen said with a grimace, shaking his head a bit. “Ok, time to go. I’m drunk and I need sleep.”

Remi grabbed her jacket from where she left it on the stage and turned back to the group. Taka held his hand out to her, offering to help her down from the stage. Remi gratefully accepted his offer, carefully stepping down onto the floor and immediately re-lacing her fingers with his. She knew that she would need some help with walking out of the bar safely due to her buzz but also, she didn’t want to let him go. As childish as it was, she really enjoyed holding his hand in hers. It was one of the only things that was keeping her grounded after the whirlwind of emotions she had been through in the last twenty-four hours.

“You sounded good up there tonight,” Taka told Remi as they trailed behind the rest of the group.

Remi immediately started blushing at the compliment, bringing up her free hand to cover her crimson cheeks, “No! I was horrible up there. I’m not a singer like you so I’m sure it sounded horrible in comparison.”

“You weren’t bad,” Taka laughed, squeezing her hand in his for some reassurance. “Julen was the one that was off key.”

“That’s because Julen is way more bombed than me,” Remi explained.

“Bombed?” Taka asked, scrunching his nose in confusion.

“Drunk,” she explained with light laughter, finding his expression completely adorable.

“Ahh, ok,” he nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I think he’s had more than me tonight so I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept like the dead when we get back to the hotel.”

It was Remi’s last statement that brought Taka’s smile to falter a bit, taking a moment to study the bubbly woman at his side. Now that the bar was closing, Taka knew the next logical thing to do would be go back to the hotel so they could rest. This would mean that their evening was that much closer to ending and he didn’t want that to happen. As selfish as it sounded, Taka wanted to spend more time with Remi on his own without anyone else interrupting them. He had been forced to share her company with his bandmates for the better part of the evening but he wanted to enjoy their time together alone, even if they didn’t engage in conversation. Her presence was enough to satisfy him, especially if she continued holding onto his hand. He could push through his own exhaustion to spend more time with her.

As the pair finally returned to the sidewalk of the busy Los Angeles street, Remi immediately shivered at the temperature change, remembering that she had slipped her jacket off during the performance. Before she could even act, Taka had let go of her hand and reached for the jacket that was draped over her purse strap, holding it out to her so he could assist her in putting it on. This gentlemanly gesture made Remi’s heart flutter as she slowly slipped her arms back into her jacket, glancing over her left shoulder to offer him a shy smile. Even though the street was crowded with people milling around, smoking cigarettes and planning their next moves for the night, Remi was focused completely on the man standing behind her. The rest of the world seemed to fall away from them as they continued to stare into one another’s eyes, enjoying their private moment together.

“Remi! Taka!” a familiar voice called, breaking the couple’s moment together.

Remi looked toward the source of the person who had called to them, finding their group standing near the edge of the sidewalk where the street was. Toru was standing under a streetlight with his hand in the air, waving at the pair to gain their attention. Julen was slumped against the streetlight as well, his head hanging down as Tomoya and Ryota spoke to him. Remi instinctively reached for Taka’s hand, interlocking their fingers once again, and pulled the lead singer with her as they made their way to the group. As they got closer, Toru had put his arm down and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He felt bad for breaking up another one of the couple’s intense moments together but as the night was coming to a close and Julen was in desperate need to sleep off his drunken stupor, he needed to at least get them all together again so they could make their way back to the hotel.

“Ok, so, should we flag down a taxi?” Ryota asked curiously.

“I don’t think I can walk all the way back to the hotel,” Julen replied with a heavy sigh, his words more slurred than before.

“That would probably be for the best then,” Toru said, running a hand through his long blond hair.

As the group seemed to start looking up and down the street for available cabs to take them back to the hotel, Taka remained focused on his hand that was currently entwined with Remi’s and realized that he didn’t want to go back to the hotel just yet. He needed more time with her than this. The minute they went back to the hotel would be one step closer to their parting of ways and he wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. He selfishly wanted more time with her than the cab ride back to the hotel would give them.

“Hey,” Remi asked gently, forcing his gaze up to her face. She resisted the urge she felt to reach out with her free hand and gently brush his cheek, wanting to offer some kind of comfort to his furrowed expression. Instead, she just asked, “are you ok?”

“Oh, yeah,” he stated, nodding as if he were trying to convince himself of the answer. “I was just wondering if you were tired.”

“Not really,” Remi said with a shy smile.

Truth of the matter was that Remi also didn’t want to return to the hotel since she had no idea what she would do on her own for the remainder of the evening. It was just after one thirty in the morning and she still had to wait for the morning trains to start running. She didn’t want to take up more of the band’s time since she already felt a little guilty for keeping them out late with such a big travel day ahead of them. She knew that they needed to get back to the hotel and get rest but as she looked into Taka’s warm brown eyes, she found it difficult to admit that their time together was rapidly declining.

“If you’re not tired,” he started, snapping her out of her thoughts as she refocused her attention on him, “maybe you’d like to walk back to the hotel with me instead.”

“You don’t want to get a cab?” she questioned curiously.

He shook his head, “I’m not that tired and honestly, it’s a nice night.”

“It is a nice night,” Remi repeated quietly, chewing the inside of her lower lip in contemplation.

“What do you think?” he asked unsurely.

“I wouldn’t mind walking back,” she replied after a moment’s pause, “only if you aren’t too tired for it. You have a long day of traveling tomorrow so I would understand if you just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep.”

“Don’t worry about me Remi,” he told her earnestly. “I just want to spend a little more time with you.”

Remi could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks, knowing that they were probably a lovely shade of red and caused by Taka’s admission rather than the alcohol in her system. She knew she was probably grinning like a fool in the moment but she couldn’t help it. For the better part of the day, there was something that was pulling the two of them together. She couldn’t explain why their connection to one another seemed to be so magnetic but she decided sometime between their walk to Frenzy Tavern and the moment he wrapped his arm around her waist at the bar that she wasn’t going to question it anymore. She was going to forget about her heartbreak over her relationship with Marcus and focus on the man in front of her. She was going to make their time together count as best as she could.

“We should probably tell someone our plan,” she said quietly.

“I’ll be right back,” Taka said, reluctantly unclasping his hand from hers.

Remi watched for a moment while Taka walked over to where the rest of the group was standing. Though they were still close, she couldn’t make out their conversation due to the other people on the sidewalk. What she could make out was in Japanese, which she had very little understanding of, so it was useless to try and listen in. Instead, she watched as Taka and Toru exchanged words back and forth, unable to stop the smile on her lips when she managed to catch Taka’s eyes. Not much longer after that, she could see a taxi pulling up on the curb near their group as Ryota spoke with the driver. Rather than wait on the sidewalk, Remi slowly maneuvered herself through the throngs of people still congregating on the sidewalk until she was with her group again.

“So, you’re walking back with Taka?” Julen asked, pushing himself off the light post he had been leaning against for support.

“Oh, yeah,” Remi said shyly, adjusting her purse strap so it lay flat against her.

Julen leaned in pretty close, startling Remi once she realized that he was about two inches away from her. She could feel his warm breath hitting her cheek as he slightly swayed in place, seeming to find his balance after such a sudden movement. He was grinning widely at her, chuckling lowly as she flashed him a nervous smile in response. Though she had spent her fair amount of time with Julen this evening, she was still a little wary of him now that he was loosened up from their evening of drinking. She was surprised by his sudden invasion into her personal space but also amused by the shift in his behavior.

“You two enjoy your night together,” he said quietly, adding “I hope it will be magical.”

Remi laughed at the seriousness in his face as he made that statement, shaking her head a bit at Julen’s weird, drunken behavior. Without another word, Ryota appeared beside him and ushered the photographer into the back of the taxi so they could make their way back to the hotel. Tomoya and Taka were talking with one another, laughing at something while Remi watched Ryota struggle with getting Julen into the seat of the taxi, unable to stop herself from smiling at the scene. It was finally hitting her that this would probably be the last time she saw the guys and she started to feel sad about it. She had really enjoyed spending her day with them. Even with the language barrier and initial awkwardness that came with being strangers, Remi really enjoyed spending her time with this band. She was disappointed that their interesting day was coming to an end.

“Remi-chan.”

Toru’s unmistakable husky voice caught Remi off guard, forcing her from her thoughts as she realized that the guitarist was standing beside her now. He was smiling at her, which was a sight that she quite enjoyed since Toru had been the person that took the longest to warm up to her being around. She was initially worried that he didn’t like her, often catching his scrutinizing gaze on her throughout the day, but she realized that he took time to let others in. Of the group, she was the most curious about Toru since he kept her at a distance for most of the day. She was just happy she managed to break through just a little with him.

“Hey Toru,” Remi replied.

“We’re going back to the hotel for the night but Taka told me that you two are walking back,” he said in a tone that was more requesting confirmation than stating a fact.

Remi blushed immediately, unable to keep herself from smiling at the thought of spending more time with just Taka. Toru couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction at this reaction. He had watched Remi and Taka interacting with one another for the better part of the day and knew that there was something between them that no one could really explain. At first, he was concerned about Taka getting too involved with someone that they would have to say goodbye to so quickly but as the day wore on, even he couldn’t deny the special connection that Taka and Remi seemed to share with one another.

“Um, yeah, we’re walking back,” Remi said, feeling slightly self-conscious under Toru’s stoic stare.

“Ok then,” he nodded, looking at the taxi cab that was waiting to take them back to the hotel. “You two stay safe tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your lead singer gets back to the hotel safely,” Remi said.

“Good,” Toru said, nodding once again in satisfaction. “I should get going so we can get Julen back.”

“I just want to say before you go,” Remi started, making Toru pause for a moment, “I’m really happy I was able to meet you today. I know that it was weird spending so much time with a stranger but I’m really glad that we all got to spend time together today.”

“Today was fun,” Toru smiled. “You definitely made this last day of tour memorable.”

Remi laughed, feeling herself blush at the compliment, “I’m sure I did with the number of times I embarrassed myself in front of your guys.”

“Remi-chan!” Tomoya beamed as he approached the pair.

Without much warning, Remi was seized into a large bear hug that caused her to squeal in astonishment. The last thing she expected was for the drummer to hug her but she was happy to embrace him right back, patting his back as gently as she could with her limited arm mobility. Toru was the one that eventually broke the pair up, pulling Tomoya away from Remi so she could move. Remi couldn’t help but smile at the genuine look of happiness on Tomoya’s face. Of the rest of the group, Tomoya was the one that was easiest to be around since he was just a general goofball. He just radiated positivity that Remi had desperately needed earlier in the day.

“I came over to say goodbye. We put Julen in the taxi and we have to get him back,” Tomoya said.

“Yeah, he definitely needs to sleep it off for a bit,” Remi laughed. “But like I was telling Toru just a moment ago, it was really nice to meet you and I’m glad that I was able to spend time with you on the last day of your American tour.”

“You made today fun!” Tomoya beamed. “I’m glad you stayed for the show.”

“Thanks for having me,” Remi said, unable to keep herself from blushing.

“Taka has your phone, right?” he asked, using his hand to make a phone gesture.

Remi was confused for a moment until she realized he wasn’t asking about her physical phone but her phone number, “Ah, yeah. He’s got my number.”

“Ok, good. I’ll get that from him then,” Tomoya smiled.

Ryota stood near the taxi, calling out to the guys in Japanese while Taka came around the back of the car and walked toward the group. Remi could tell that he was trying to get the guys together so they could leave for the night. She felt sad about the fact that this was the last time she would see them but also, grateful that she had the experience of spending time with them. Though they had only known each other for a short while, Remi felt she had made some pretty great friends with the musicians.

“Hai, hai!” Tomoya called back to Ryota, waving his hand to the bassist. Tomoya turned back to Remi and quickly seized her into another hug. Remi was more prepared for it this time and returned the hug, patting Tomoya’s back and then pulling away. “Oyasumi nasai Remi-chan,” Tomoya said.

“Good night Tomoya,” she smiled. “Well, I guess this is it,” she said looking at Toru.

“It was good meeting you,” Toru said.

“You too,” Remi nodded.

Remi was taken by surprise yet again when Toru stepped forward, enveloping her in a gentle hug. Remi returned the hug, surprised by how affectionate Toru was being at the moment. He didn’t seem like the type to offer hugs so freely so the fact that he was giving her one now meant a lot to her. Toru was definitely the person in the group that she felt most intimidated by so now that he was hugging her, she felt elated. Toru’s hug was short as he pulled away, stepping back as Taka appeared at Remi’s side. Toru was smirking, making Remi giggle at the mischievous look in his eye and wondering why he was looking at them like that.

Toru said something to Taka in Japanese that Remi could not even try to decipher, making her tilt her head to the side in curiosity, especially when Taka just grumbled at the guitarist, looking anywhere but the two of them. Shaking her head at their behavior, she just offered a smile to Taka, gently patting his arm in a comforting manner.

“Goodnight Remi-chan,” Toru said after a moment.

“Goodnight Toru. Get back safely,” Remi replied with a small wave.

Ryota jogged over to the group as Toru turned to head toward the taxi, lightly slapping Toru on the shoulder as he passed by. Ryota slowed to a stop in front of the pair, catching his breath. Remi just smiled at Ryota, waiting patiently for him to collect himself to speak only to let out another surprised squeal while Ryota hugged her. Remi hardly had any time to react before Ryota pulled away from her with a big smile on his face.

“Had to be quick here since we need to go. That driver does not like Julen singing along to the radio,” Ryota said.

Remi laughed, shaking her head, “It’s ok. I understand. It was good meeting you Ryota.”

“Thanks for all the funny dancing. I have something to watch when I need to laugh,” he smirked.

Remi blushed, lightly punching his arm, “Ugh, you just had to record my embarrassing moments.”

“Of course! It was too funny not to record!” he said. “Anyway, get back safely.”

“I’ll make sure your singer gets back in one piece. Don’t worry,” Remi smiled.

“Goodnight!” he waved over his shoulder as he started jogging back to the taxi.

“Goodnight Ryota!” Remi called out.

Taka and Remi started walking to the edge of the sidewalk as the taxi began pulling away from the curb. The pair looked at each other for a moment, smiling, before looking back to the taxi as it started to make its way back into Los Angeles traffic. Remi felt a wave of sadness washing over her as she realized that she would not get to see them again. It also reminded her that her time remaining with Taka was dwindling fast. Despite the sadness she felt in that moment, she was also grateful that she had the experience of spending time with such wonderful people when she needed them the most. She would always treasure the way that this band rallied behind her at one of her lowest moments, making it one of her most memorable experiences.