Wasted Nights

The crowds outside the bar started to disperse as Taka and Remi watched their friends drive off in the cab back to the hotel. Since it was after last call, people were starting to make their journeys elsewhere for the night. There were still a few stragglers caught in conversation as they shared cigarettes together not too far away from where the couple stood. Despite the activity around them, Taka and Remi remained in their spot on the curb, looking down the street where the cab had disappeared in comfortable silence.

“Shall we?”

Remi looked at Taka as he asked the question, noticing that he was gesturing toward the direction that led back to the hotel. Remi couldn’t help but smile at him, completely giddy at the fact that they were spending some time alone together. Though she enjoyed her time with the rest of the band and crew today, Remi really treasured her time alone with Taka. Things between them were relaxed and comfortable, which is what she needed after the hectic day she had. Even now, as she wrestled with the strong feelings of attraction for him, she could at least push that aside and just enjoy being with him in the time they had left together.

Without a word, the couple began walking at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk, carefully maneuvering around the other people as they passed. Though they were no longer walking hand-in-hand, they walked close enough for their bodies to slightly bump into one another. Taka really wanted to reach over and slip his hand into hers once more but decided to refrain for the moment, keeping his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans. There was still time for the two of them to be affectionate with one another so rather than force it, he wanted to wait until the moment was right.

With a deep sigh of satisfaction, Remi broke their comfortable silence, “I love this city at night.”

“It’s very different from earlier today,” Taka stated in agreement.

“It’s the only thing about moving here that I was looking forward to.”

“You’re planning on moving here?” Taka asked curiously.

Remi pursed her lips in thought before responding, “I supposed I should probably look for a place if that request for transfer that I put in actually goes through.”

“Were you planning on moving in with your ex?” Taka asked with a cautious tone.

“Yeah,” she replied, letting out a large exhale as she spoke.

Remi paused for a moment, adjusting the strap of her crossbody bag so it sat comfortably flat against her body. She felt the sting of the small reminder that her future with Marcus was recently torpedoed by the abrupt end to their relationship. She was surprised that it didn’t actually hurt more considering that she loved Marcus still, but she supposed that their confrontation earlier in the evening had something to do with how she was feeling now. After their final goodbye at the Palladium after the show, Remi felt she was one step closer in moving on from Marcus Allen.

“Wow, I did not mean to just stop talking with the one-word answer to your question,” Remi admitted, sounding apologetic for getting lost in her own thoughts.

Taka smiled at her, shaking his head, “It’s ok. I didn’t want to pry.”

Remi offered a shy smile in return, biting her lower lip as she responded, “You’re not prying. Considering everything I’ve put you through today with my break up, I figure I owe you some explanations.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I walked right into you and your coffee this morning and then invited you to spend time with us. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to stay with us for the day,” Taka replied.

“How about this,” Remi began, pausing their walk so they could look at one another without distraction before she continued, “I’ll share mine if you share yours. You said earlier today that you had some experience with horrible break ups. Seems fair that we trade war stories here as the survivors.”

Remi stood apprehensively as she awaited Taka’s response to her suggestion. She could see the gears turning around behind his dark eyes as he weighed the pros and cons of talking about past relationships. She hoped that she didn’t make him uncomfortable with her suggestion. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was talk about Marcus anymore but she was more than willing if it meant that he would open up more about his own experience. Remi didn’t even care if they talked about their relationships. She just wanted to know more about the handsome man that stood in front of her.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Taka replied after a long moment of silence between them. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, I know you told me that you broke up with someone right before the start of this tour but how long had you been together before that?” she asked.

“We had been together for almost two years.”

“Oh wow, two years? That’s serious.”

“Looking back at it now, it’s a little more complicated.”

“How so?” Remi asked curiously.

“Well,” Taka signed, running a hand through his messy blond hair as they continued slowly walking down the sidewalk once again, “I think some of that time together, especially toward the end, didn’t really count too much because I was constantly gone.”

“On tour?” she mused.

Taka nodded, adding, “or in the studio working on new music. That last year was really hard on Yukari because I wasn’t really there. When we were together, I tried my best to make things work between us but somewhere along the line, it wasn’t enough.”

“She must have known going into the relationship that your job would require you to be away more than usual,” Remi said.

“That doesn’t make it easier to deal with,” he told her honestly.

Remi frowned at that statement, reminded that the reasons Marcus gave her for ending their relationship were quite similar to the reason Taka’s had ended. Marcus told her that despite the fact that he loved her, the distance between them had been taking a toll on their relationship for some time. Remi wasn’t sure how to process that information since he never shared his feelings about their long-distance relationship to her. She thought they were happy, especially since he had been encouraging her to move to Los Angeles with him up until fairly recently. Any sense of dissatisfaction with their relationship was unknown to Remi because he never told her what he was thinking.

“He told me the distance was too much for him,” she said quietly as they stopped at the end of the block, waiting for the light to change. Remi looked up, finding Taka’s eyes curiously examining her face as she continued to speak, “Seems like we have a lot in common in terms of how our relationships ended.”

“It’s harder when you’re apart most of the time,” he said.

“I just wish I knew that he was so miserable,” Remi said, lightly kicking her foot into the ground so the bottom of her shoe scuffed along the concrete. “The worst part of our relationship ending was the fact that he never even bothered to tell me that he was so unhappy. It pissed me off more than anything else.”

“It’s not fair he didn’t seem to talk to you about it first.”

There was a loud beeping noise as the lights changed, signaling it was safe for the couple to proceed across the street. Taka and Remi continued through the crosswalk at a leisurely pace as they continued their journey back to the hotel. Remi let out a heavy sigh, trying to disregard all the negativity talking about her break up seemed to stir within her. She knew talking about it was the thing to do, especially since Taka was sharing his own experience, but she was struggling to keep her emotions at bay considering how fresh the wounds were.

“The fact that he had been unhappy for so long has been weighing on me all day. I’ve been analyzing the last year we spent together in a new light. It’s like he didn’t trust me enough to tell me that things weren’t working for him, you know?” Remi said.

“That isn’t your fault,” Taka said. “You can’t blame yourself for something that he didn’t tell you.”

“I know you’re right but it’s still hard to accept that,” Remi sighed, biting her lower lip.

Before Remi could get too caught up in her thoughts, she was brought back into the present when she felt Taka slip his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together and offering a gentle, comforting squeeze. Remi stared at their joined hands before looking at the man who had been such a support to her all day long. Taka was just looking at her with a soft smile, his dark brown eyes holding a warmth she was thankful for in that moment. Rather than continuing to dwell on the negative aspects of her relationship with Marcus, she was distracted by the tingling sensation shooting up her arm from the warmth of his hand in hers. It baffled her that such a simple touch from him could affect her in such a way.

The pair continued walking down the street at a much slower pace than before. To accommodate others that were passing by, Remi has stepped closer to Taka so that her free hand was lightly gripping his elbow. To anyone else passing them on the street, the two looked like a couple just out to enjoy the crisp night air. Remi wondered for a moment if Taka used to walk with his ex-girlfriend, Yukari, like this back home in Japan, but quickly disregarded the thought. She didn’t want to focus on anything other than the present moment she was experiencing. Her time with him was limited and she couldn’t afford to get caught up in wasting those precious moments with useless thoughts.

“I have an idea,” she said suddenly, earning Taka’s questioning stare. She smirked, gazing up at him, “let’s play twenty questions.”

“Is this a game?” he asked with confusion.

Remi nodded, “Yeah. Basically, we go back and forth asking each other questions. They can be about anything and nothing is off limits.”

“Ok,” Taka nodded, looking back ahead to the sidewalk before them. “Questions about anything at all?”

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” Remi smiled. “It’s just a game to play to get to know someone better. Since we don’t have that much more time together, I thought this would be the fastest way to get to know more about you.”

“Who goes first?” he asked.

“I can go first,” Remi said, pausing for a moment to think of something. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with the question, turning to him and asking, “what was your favorite dinosaur when you were younger?”

Taka laughed, surprised by the question before he offered his answer, “I think I would say T-Rex. They’re so big and mean but their arms are funny.”

“Yeah, I never understood the short arms. They seemed pretty useless when the rest of their body was so big,” Remi said.

“Ok, my turn to ask?” he asked. When Remi nodded in confirmation, Taka bit his lower lip in concentration. After a moment of silence, he asked, “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

“Oh, gosh. I think I wanted to be part of the Scooby gang when I was younger. I always thought there was a job where you could solve crime with a talking dog. When I realized that wasn’t available, I then moved on to librarian because I loved books,” Remi explained as they stopped at another corner, waiting for the light to change. “Ok, another question for you. How many instruments can you play?”

“I know how to play guitar, drums, and some piano,” Taka replied.

“Wow, that’s really impressive,” Remi said, surprised at his admission. “Suddenly, I feel like a lazy person. I could have at least tried to learn one instrument but here you are: singer, guitarist, drummer, and pianist. Wow.”

“It’s not that impressive really,” Taka said, trying to bat away the compliment.

Remi gasped sarcastically, “And so humble! Wow, you’re just making us mere mortals look bad over here.”

Taka laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand as the tone of the crosswalk started beeping, signaling that they could safely cross the street. The pair continued their walk, moving at a very slow pace. It seemed that neither was in any rush to get back to the hotel and that was perfectly fine with Remi. She was more than willing to take all the time they needed since she was enjoying Taka’s company.

“My turn now,” Taka said. “What’s your favorite song to sing in the shower?” he asked.

Remi laughed at the question, chewing her lower lip a bit as she thought of her answer. Taka loved the way she bit her lip when she was in thought, making it more difficult for him to focus on anything else. The more attention she drew to her lips, the more he wanted to feel them against his. He was having a difficult time keeping himself from acting on his desires to be closer to her. They already had a connection that was inexplicable to him and it just made him want her all the more.

“I guess I would have to go with ‘Rubber Duckie’ as the one I sing the most,” Remi said after a moment.

“’Rubber Duckie’?” he asked unsurely.

“Oh, it’s a song from Sesame Street,” she laughed. “You know Burt and Ernie?” she asked as he nodded in response, “Well, Ernie has a song about how he loves bath time because he has his rubber duckie pal with him. It’s one of those songs from childhood that used to be my favorite and it’s just kind of stuck with me. Every now and then, I find myself singing it in the shower when I’m washing my hair.”

“How does it go?” he asked curiously, swallowing hard as he tried very hard not to image Remi in the shower.

“Oh God, you want me to sing in front of you again?” Remi blushed, trying to hide her face with her free hand. “Haven’t you heard enough of my awful singing by now?”

“I need to know if I know it,” he smirked. “The only way for that to happen is to hear it.”

“God, fine,” she said as began to feel jittery from being nervous. She fidgeted a bit, trying to steady her nerves, and sighed heavily in resignation that she was once again going to sing in front of him. “Just keep in mind that it won’t be the same without a squeaking rubber duck. After every line, Ernie makes the duck squeak so you’re not getting the full effect here since I have no rubber duck.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine without the squeaking,” Taka assured her.

“Ok, here it goes,” Remi said, pausing for a moment to collect herself. “Oh, Rubber Duckie, you’re the one. You make bath time lots of fun. Rubber Duckie, I’m awfully fond of you. Boh-boh-boh-di-oh. Rubber Duckie, joy of joy. When I squeeze you, you make noise. Rubber Duckie, you’re my very best friend it’s true. Oh, every day that I make my way to the tubby, I find a little fellow who’s cute and yellow and chubby. Rub-a-dub-dubby. Rubber Duckie, you’re so fine and I’m lucky that you’re mine. Rubber Duckie, I’m awfully fond of you,” she sang, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment that she was singing the popular children’s song to a famous rock star in the middle of the night on the streets of Los Angeles.

This was definitely not something she had expected to be doing today, if ever.

“That was so adorable,” Taka smiled, enjoying the way she blushed and tried to hide her face from him in embarrassment.

“It’s just silliness,” she shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “Anyway, that’s my go-to shower song.”

“Well, it’s catchy so I see why you sing it in the shower,” he told her. His dark brown eyes found hers as he began to sing, “Rubber Duckie, you’re so fine and I’m lucky that you’re mine. Rubber Duckie, I’m awfully fond of you.”

Remi’s heart pounded against her ribcage as she held Taka’s intense stare, enjoying hearing his voice singing the classic children’s song. There was something in the way that he sang those lines that made Remi think for a moment that he was actually speaking to her rather than just singing about a rubber duck at bath time. Remi’s attraction to the lead singer had intensified with the way he sang that song to her, making it that much harder for her to hold back the desire she was feeling to crash her lips onto his. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to continue their evening together without making some kind of move on him.

“It’s not fair,” she said after a moment, trying to snap herself out of thoughts of pressing her lips to his. “You’re a real singer so you sounded way better than me.”

“I liked your version too,” he told her genuinely.

Remi laughed, shaking her head at him as she gathered herself, “Mine turn to ask a question, right?” she asked after a moment, earning a nod from him. “Ok, what’s the most memorable time you tried to do something to look cool but wound up embarrassing yourself completely?”

Taka laughed at the question, “I can show you.”

“Really? You have a video of the incident?” Remi asked excitedly.

Taka nodded, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone, “Yeah. Ryota was filming me while I was working out and made this video, posting it online for our fans.”

Remi scooted closer to Taka as he unlocked the phone, scrolling through the contents until he found the video he was looking for. He adjusted the volume a bit and then began to play the video, holding the phone out between them so they could comfortably watch. It was a video of Taka jumping rope, which looked fairly impressive since he was jumping high and fast. After about ten seconds though, the video slowed a bit, showing Taka’s black shorts slipping from his waist. As he continued jumping, his shorts slipped down around his ankles, exposing his tight black workout shorts underneath as Ryota laughed wildly over the video. Remi couldn’t help but giggle as she watched Taka stop jump roping and immediately pull his shorts up from around his ankles. She also couldn’t help but let her eyes linger on his cute butt, enjoying what she could see that wasn’t covered by his long black t-shirt. The end of the video pulled Remi out of her thoughts, turning her attention back to Taka with a smile.

“Ryota put that on his Instagram story and sent me a copy. He still brings it up every time I work out with him,” Taka explained, tucking his phone back into his pocket.

“At least you had another pair of shorts on underneath. Imagine how much worse it could have been if you didn’t have those shorts on!” Remi giggled.

“Well, I make sure my shorts are very secure when I work out now,” he laughed. “Next question, how many tattoos do you have?”

“I’ve got two exactly,” she said, gesturing with her free hand to reflect the number. She held up their joined hands, turning them so her wrist was facing up, pulling the sleeve of her jacket up a bit to expose three kodama figures on her inner right wrist. “You’ve seen this one already but I got these because Princess Mononoke is one of my favorite Ghibli films. It was the first tattoo I got when I turned eighteen.”

“Yeah, I saw this one earlier,” he remarked, lightly touching the black outline with his fingertips.

Remi involuntarily shivered at the sensation, enjoying the way his rough fingertips delicately traced the outline of her tattoo on her inner wrist. Remi took a deep breath, trying to compose herself but he wasn’t making it easy for her. His fingers dancing across her skin felt so good, especially in her buzzed state. He probably had no idea what he was doing to her in that moment but she was doing everything possible to keep herself from acting on the desires he was stirring within her. The fact that someone she had only known for a day was having this kind of effect on her was really alarming and yet, Remi knew she could trust him. She didn’t know how to rationalize this but she didn’t want to dwell on the thoughts for too long. She wanted to just savor this moment since she knew it was just for the night.

“What’s the second one?” Taka asked, his voice suddenly huskier than usual.

“Oh, um, it’s a watercolor tattoo on my left shoulder of a crescent moon and sun,” she said, snapping herself back to reality. She met his eyes, feeling the urge to lean in and close the gap between them but snapped herself out of that thought as soon as it began to surface, shaking her head a bit. “My friend Davey designed it when he was first starting out as an artist. I told him I wouldn’t mind being his guinea pig so he hooked me up with a free tattoo so he could have the practice.”

“It’s hard to refuse a free tattoo from a friend,” he remarked.

“Yeah,” she sighed, her expression turning a little sullen. “Davey was such a talented artist. He passed away in a car accident about six months after he gifted me this tattoo so really, it’s a memory of one of my closest friends from high school.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Taka said, gently rubbing her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

Remi shook her head slightly, softly smiling, “Thank you. I’m just lucky I was able to have a unique piece of art that was his.”

“It’s a nice memory to have,” Taka said.

“Would you like to see it?” she asked.

“Sure,” he smiled.

Remi slipped her hand out of his, suddenly missing the warmth it provided as she slipped her left arm out of her jacket sleeve. Readjusting her purse, she turned so her back was facing Taka. Looking over her left shoulder, she pulled the material of her borrowed shirt and her bra strap toward the middle of her back, exposing the decorated black outlines of a crescent sun and moon against the colorful blend of blue, purple, pink, yellow, and orange that gave a watercolor effect. Taka swallowed hard once again as he examined the tattoo, his eyes scanning the exposed flesh of her shoulder blade. He tentatively reached out, hesitating for a moment before he allowed his fingertips to trace the outlines of this tattoo. Remi turned away from him, shutting her eyes and trying to suppress a moan from the sensation. His touch was sending a tingling pleasure throughout her body that made it difficult to keep herself composed. Remi did her best to conceal the trembling she felt from the cool night air and his gentle touch but she knew he could feel the goosebumps on her skin as he continued to trace the lines of the sun.

“It’s a beautiful tattoo,” he said quietly, reluctantly pulling his fingers away from her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said, turning to face him once again.

Taka immediately reached for her jacket, helping her to slip her arm back inside so she was warm again. He took a moment and studied her expression, finding her scarlet cheeks so beautiful on that darkened city street. He seemed to forget that they were still out on the busy Los Angeles streets, sharing an intimate moment without thought for anyone else around them. He was surprised at how often they seemed to be pulled into these moments where it seemed as if it were just the two of them together despite the presence of others close by. He was enchanted by the way they could share such private moments together as if they were the only two people on Earth.

“My question now,” Remi said quietly as they continued down the street at a slow pace, “how many tattoos do you have?”

“Definitely more than two,” he laughed, reclaiming her hand in his once again.

Taka couldn’t fight the smile on his face at the ease with which he could reach for her. Taka was not usually one for public displays of affection but with Remi, it came so easily to him. He seemed to want everyone around him to know that she was his, or he wanted to imply this in case anyone got an idea otherwise. He thought back to earlier in the bar when he wrapped his arm around her waist when the other bar patrons were checking her out. He was not above becoming territorial though he knew he didn’t have claim to her. He didn’t need the competition for her attention. He was trying his best to keep his actions that of a complete gentleman but he found it difficult when he felt the urge to be as close to her as she would allow.

“Are they just on your arms?”

Taka snapped himself out of his thoughts at her question, shaking his head and smirking, “I have a few more elsewhere.”

“Fine, keep your secrets,” she laughed, bumping her hip into his side. “I did like the ones I could see however. They’re very unique.”

“Thanks,” he said.

“It’s your turn to ask a question,” she said.

“Alright, hmm. Ok, I think I got one,” he said after a moment of thought. “What annoys you most?”

“Oh, that’s a good one,” she replied. Biting her lower lip, Remi started to think of all the typical behaviors of people until she found an answer, “Ok, for me, I hate when people reveal spoilers to movies or TV shows without warning. There’s a lady in my office that always talks about TV shows and goes ahead and blurts out big plot reveals without warning anyone! I can’t stand that!”

Taka laughed at the unexpected answer, nodding in appreciation of the passion in her answer, “Sounds like it really means a lot to you.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Remi laughed. “You’re familiar with The Walking Dead, right? The zombie TV show?” she asked as Taka nodded in confirmation. “Well, I won’t give it away since I don’t know if you’re caught up or not but I remember I hadn’t been able to watch a few episodes of the one of the newer seasons for a while and when I went to work and started talking to my coworkers about the show, she just went ahead and blurted out a major character death from one of the episodes I had yet to see! She didn’t even check to see if we were all caught up before just announcing that the character was dead! That ruined my day, especially that night when I was watching the show and already knew what was going to happen.”

“That seems rude,” Taka said. “Luckily, you don’t have to worry about spoilers from me since I don’t watch much TV or movies.”

“Really? What do you do instead then?” she asked curiously.

“I tend to read a lot or I’m working out. I spend a lot of time playing around with instruments, writing songs and working on arrangements. I don’t have a lot of downtime and the time I have off I spend working on music mostly,” he explained.

“Well, as long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing, that’s ok. Seems like it doesn’t really seem like work for you if you enjoy doing it,” she smiled.

“What I really enjoy is spending time catching up with my friends when we all have free schedules,” he told her honestly. “A lot of my friends are also busy since they’re actors and musicians so when we can make time, we like to get together for meals.”

“I imagine that doesn’t get to happen as often as you’d like,” Remi said with a slight frown.

Taka shook his head at the statement, “No, it doesn’t but it’s ok. It just makes the times when we can get together much better.”

“I’m hoping that since you have some time off before the next part of your tour, you’ll be able to catch up with your friends soon,” Remi smiled. “I think it’s your turn again.”

“Ok, let me think,” Taka said, furrowing his eyebrows together as he thought of another question. After a moment, he thought of one though he wasn’t sure if he should ask it. He was curious about the things that Remi liked but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable with the implications of the question. After briefly weighing the pros and cons of asking the question, Taka just decided to be bold and ask, “What are you most attracted to in another person?”

Remi’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a question, before she answered, “Hmm, that’s a good one. I think if I’m being honest, I’m mostly attracted to someone with a sense of humor. It’s nice if a man is attractive and everything but if he can’t make me laugh then he’s not for me.”

“It’s important to share a sense of humor so that makes a lot of sense,” he nodded in deep thought, wondering if he qualified as a man that she considered attractive.

“What about you? What are you most attracted to in a woman?” she asked curiously, tilting her head curiously as she studied his expression.

“Ah, well, I think for me I’m most attracted to someone who just understands me. If we can just be together comfortably and talk about things, I think that’s what I want the most when I’m in a relationship. I just want someone who understands me the way I understand them,” he said after a moment of thought.

“So, you like the emotional intimacy?” she asked, trying to wrap her head around his explanation.

Taka nodded, “Yeah. I think that’s the best way to put it. Next question, what’s your idea of the perfect date?”

“I don’t need anything fancy or anything. I think if it’s something where I can just spend time getting to know the other person, that’s all that matters,” she replied thoughtfully. “Though there is something I’ve always wanted to try.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Remember when you asked me what that splitter cable was in my purse?” she asked as he nodded, prompting her to continue, “well, like I said before, my dad gave it to me. He used to use it for dates with my mom where they would walk around, listening to music on his Walkman together. The idea of just wandering around and connecting through music was something I always wanted to try. I feel like you really get to know a person best through their music tastes. Maybe not the best idea for a first date but I like the idea of it for a second or third date.”

“It sounds like a great idea,” Taka said with a smile. “You know, we could always try it now.”

“Now? Really?” she asked, her voice involuntarily squeaking at the suggestion.

“Well, we are just walking together so listening to some music might not be so bad,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, only if you want to.”

“No, I want to,” she replied quickly, feeling herself blush at how desperate she sounded. “Ok, let’s do it.”

The couple paused for a moment on the street as Remi used her free hand to dig through her purse. Once she found the familiar cable, she pulled it out and handed it to Taka, who gladly accepted it as she started rooting around for her headphones. She found one set successfully, pulling them out and handing them to Taka as well. He took his hand out of hers momentarily to unwind the cables and connect the headphones to the splitter cable while Remi fished out the second set of headphones. She unwound her cables as Taka plugged her set of headphones into the adapter. Once that was ready, Remi pulled her classic iPod out from the bag and plugged the splitter into the headphone jack. She knew it was ridiculous to carry around the tiny brick-like device when music was just as readily available on her phone but her iPod had all her music on it rather than her having to pick and choose what was on it.

“Ok, so I’m going to put this thing on shuffle but I have a lot of random music on here so please don’t judge me too harshly,” she smiled.

“I wouldn’t judge you on your music,” he laughed.

“You say that now,” she joked, rolling her eyes.

Remi put in one side of her headphones, tucking the other earbud into her shirt collar so it wasn’t swinging about freely. Taka copied her actions so that they were both wearing one earbud. Adjusting the volume, Remi pressed play on the device, locking it and sticking it into her jacket pocket. The first song began to play. Remi breathed a sigh of relief when a Broken Bells song started to flow through the headphones. She was happy that the first song selection that shuffle mode spit out was a relatively normal choice considering the wide array of music she had available on her iPod. The last thing she needed was a Mindless Self Indulgence song to start playing as that would probably set the wrong tone for the remainder of their time together.

Lacing his fingers with hers again, Remi smiled at the gesture since she enjoyed holding his hand. It seemed like a silly thing to derive so much pleasure from but considering that Remi had been holding herself back for the better part of the day, she told herself that she would allow herself this indulgence. She would allow herself to enjoy the fact that he was willing to hold her hand as they walked through the streets of Los Angeles together.

“I think it’s your turn to ask a question,” Taka said after a comfortable moment of silence.

“Oh, let me think,” Remi said, glancing up the road to the corner that they were approaching. “What superpower would you like to have most?”

“I think teleporting would be good,” he replied. “It would definitely cut down on travel time. What about you?”

“I would love the ability to move things with my mind purely because it would allow me to be as lazy as I want,” she said with a smile. “I would never have to get up to get anything again”

“That would be convenient,” he nodded.

“It’s good that superpowers aren’t really a thing because I feel like I would abuse the hell out of my powers if I had them,” Remi laughed.

“So, you’d use your powers for evil?” Taka asked curiously.

“Not necessarily evil but definitely mischief,” Remi smirked. “Ok, I have a general question I’ve been wondering all day that might be obvious but I’ll ask it anyway. Why do the guys call you Mori-kun?”

“It’s a nickname,” he said proudly. “My last name is Moriuchi so they shortened it to Mori and the kun part is what we use with other guys.”

“Ah, ok,” she nodded in understanding.

“There was a time when I changed my last name to Morita when my parents got divorced so Mori works with both names,” he added.

“Is Morita your mother’s surname?” Remi asked.

Taka nodded, “Yeah. The divorce was hard for me. I thought the name change would help somehow but I changed it back to Moriuchi at some point.”

“I get that. Sometimes a change is needed to help get over something difficult.”

“What about you? Did you have any nicknames growing up?” he asked curiously.

She shook her head, “No, not really. Remi is already a short name that doesn’t stand for anything so there’s not much to do with it other than just call me Rem but no one really did that. I kinda wish I had a cool nickname when I was younger but I don’t even know what that would be.”

“Maybe you should give yourself one,” he suggested.

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” she laughed. “Besides, I think other people are supposed to come up with nicknames.”

The song switched over to a Motion City Soundtrack song that Remi hadn’t listened to in years. Remi couldn’t help but smile as the familiar intro began to play through her headphones. She had momentarily forgotten that she was with someone else as she was suddenly reminded of her years in high school, listening to this album at full blast in her room. Taka’s musical chuckle brought her out of her memories as she realized that she had been singing along to “When ‘You’re’ Around” under her breath this whole time, cursing herself for getting so wrapped up in the music. She sheepishly smiled in his direction and brushed some of the loose hair that had fallen from her ponytail out of her face.

“I used to love this song in high school,” she offered as an excuse.

“It’s a catchy song so I can see why,” Taka said, enjoying the way she was trying to explain away her embarrassment.

“Please ask the next question,” she said, trying to push past the fact that she had sung in front of Taka yet again this evening.

The pair stopped at another corner, waiting for the light to change while Taka thought of a question to ask. Remi could feel the heat in her cheeks begin to dissipate a bit, making her feel slightly more relieved. She knew that the liquor she had consumed earlier in the evening was partly to blame for her impulsive behavior but she was surprised that the alcohol hadn’t hit her harder. She had a feeling that due to the fact that the pair was walking back to Taka’s hotel, her buzz was wearing off quicker, being replaced with exhaustion as the day was catching up with her. She would rather stay in this moment of embarrassment than having it end with the pair calling it an evening.

“Ok, I have a question for you,” Taka said after a moment. “When was your first kiss?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I was in first grade,” Remi replied simply.

“First grade?!” Taka asked in astonishment, not really expecting that answer.

Remi laughed at the bewildered expression on Taka’s face, “Why? When was yours?”

“I was in high school,” Taka mumbled quietly, still reeling from Remi’s admission.

“Wow, late bloomer then,” Remi teased, causing Taka to throw her a mock glare. “Well, I guess technically speaking, my first kiss was in first grade. I kissed Gavin Wells at recess so he would give me his swing.”

“You kissed him for the swings?” Taka asked skeptically.

“It was just on the cheek so it was all very innocent,” Remi laughed. “The first time I actually kissed a guy I had feelings for was when I was in middle school.”

“I’m still surprised that you kissed someone in elementary school,” Taka said honestly.

“Is it a bad thing?” she asked seriously, wondering if she had somehow offended him.

“No, it’s not a bad thing but it’s just different. We are not as open with affection in Japan so it’s a little weird,” he explained.

“Ahh, well that makes sense. We’re pretty open with the love and affection here in America,” she laughed. “Like I said though, my real first kiss where I had a crush on the guy was middle school so technically, our stories aren’t that different.”

“I guess that’s true,” Taka nodded.

The light had changed, the beeping from the crosswalk signal breaking into their conversation about first kisses, as the pair walked into the street. Remi realized based on the familiarity of the surrounding buildings that they were less than a block away from the hotel, bringing the pair to the end of their time together. Her mood began to deflate as the reality of reaching their final destination was moments away, forcing her eyes downward to her feet. She was genuinely surprised at how much she had grown to like the man beside her. She had no idea that one of the worst moments in her life would result in one of the best days she’s had in a long time.

“So,” Taka said, breaking into Remi’s thoughts and forcing her focus back on the man walking beside her, “I think it’s your turn to ask another question.”

“Ok,” she sighed, trying to shake the thoughts of time ticking away out of her mind, “let’s see… what can I ask?” she asked herself out loud as she thought of possible questions for Taka. “Oh, ok, I’ve got one. Do you tend to like things carefully planned or do you prefer to go with the flow?”

“I guess considering my lifestyle touring, I’m used to things being carefully planned out because of the schedule I have to keep,” he explained thoughtfully. “When I have downtime though, I think I don’t carefully plan much of anything.”

“That makes a lot of sense. With being on tour, there’s always a schedule that you have to follow in order to make it to the stage on time. Plus, I’m sure Hiro is all over making sure you guys stick to his schedule.”

“Yeah, Hiro is the only reason we’re ever on time for anything,” Taka laughed. “What about you? Are you a planner or do you just go with the flow?”

“I would have to say generally speaking, I like to plan things. I’m not completely rigid when it comes to following schedules but I like to have a general idea of what I’m going to do,” she explained. “Though, I guess today is the epitome of going with the flow. Nothing about today went according to the plan I laid out for the day and it’s turned out to be all the better for it.”

“Today has been great,” Taka smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze that made her heart flutter wildly. “It’s good meeting new people.”

“I will say that the way I met you is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. You saw me at my worst and still, you were so nice after I had spilled coffee over the both of us. I’m still a little embarrassed that you’ve seen me cry like that in the middle of the sidewalk,” she told him, feeling her face heat up in mortification at the memory of their first encounter.

Taka laughed gently, shaking his head at her explanation, “Well, when I saw how badly you were beating yourself up, I couldn’t be mad at you. I couldn’t just leave you there to cry on your own like that. The only thing I could do was give you a place to clean up.”

“I really appreciated that because smelling like coffee all day would have bothered me so much,” she said. She reached up with her free hand and pulled her long hair out of the ponytail, gently combing it out with her fingers so it didn’t look so wild. Grabbing some of her hair, she brought the ends up to her nose and laughed, “my hair still faintly smells like coffee but it’s not as bad as it would have been if I just left it this morning.”

Taka stopped the pair from walking on, leaning in closer toward her face. Remi’s eyes widened at the sudden invasion into her personal bubble, unsure of what Taka’s intentions were at that moment. All night, she had been fighting herself about the desire to kiss him and now, with his face so close to hers, she was having a hard time suppressing that desire. Rather than make his move up to her face, Taka moved closer to Remi’s neck where her hair was gathered. Remi realized that he was also smelling her hair, making her giggle at the action. Taka glanced up at her, admiring the cute expression on her face as he slowly pulled away from her before he did something rash like crashing his lips to hers.

“It’s not so noticeable so I think you made the right decision coming back to my bus,” he told her cheekily.

“I think so too. It’s not like I typically follow rock stars onto their bus so I completely lucked out today,” she responded.

The pair silently started walking once again and as they turned the corner to the street they were on, Taka saw the familiar entrance to the band’s hotel, meaning that time was really running out between them. He noticed a similar expression of sadness on Remi’s face as she looked in the direction of the hotel, which just made him all the more determined to drag their time out together. It didn’t matter that it was nearing 2 AM and or that he had a mid-morning flight back to Japan that he should try to rest for. He was willing to sacrifice being rested if it meant he could prolong his time with Remi just for a little longer.

“Well, I guess we made it back safely,” Remi said quietly as the pair slowed to a stop near the entrance to the lobby. Remi was fighting back the overwhelming dejection she felt building in her chest at having to say her final goodbye to Taka after such a wonderful day together. It was funny how she started the day feeling so devastated over losing someone she loved very much but now, she felt even worse about having to separate from a stranger. “I’m glad that we were able to walk back together.”

Rather than say anything further, Taka pulled Remi along with him as he led them through the lobby of the hotel and towards the elevators. Remi was startled by this action, not really expecting Taka to begin walking into the hotel with her, but had no choice other than to silently follow behind him since he was gripping her hand tightly. Once the pair entered the empty elevator, Taka pressed a number that would take them to whatever destination he had in mind for them, making Remi temporarily panic at the thought of being brought back to his room. Now that they were in the elevator, hands still clasped in one another and music softly filling the silence between them, Remi was hyper aware of their situation. She looked at Taka and he seemed rather relaxed, his eyes focused on her and a playful smirk on his handsome face.

“I believe it’s your turn to ask the next question,” he said coolly.

“Ok,” Remi said, not expecting to continue their game of twenty questions, “I guess the only question I have right now is where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise,” he replied.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to trust you on that then,” Remi laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Your turn.”

“Is this the latest you’ve been out recently?” he asked curiously.

“Definitely. I’m generally a night person anyway but as far as going out and being away from home, this is probably the latest I’ve been up like this in at least six months,” she replied.

“Are you tired at all?” he asked curiously as the elevator stopped.

Remi shook her head in response, “Not really. If anything, that walk helped me feel more awake. What about you? You’ve had such a long day so I can imagine that you’re running on fumes by now,” she said, feeling guilty about keeping him from returning to his room.

“Don’t worry about me,” he replied gently, urging them both off the elevator. “I have a whole plane ride to catch up on sleeping and I’d rather continue spending time playing our game of twenty questions with you if you want.”

“Of course, I want to,” Remi replied, biting her lower lip as she tried to steady her breathing.

“Good,” he replied with a wide grin. “Now, follow me,” he said as he gently pulled her along, leading her to the mystery destination.

Remi was surprised when they finally reached the end of the hall and walked through doors leading to an empty bar on the rooftop of the hotel. She hadn’t even realized what floor they were on when they got off the elevator, assuming that he was bringing her back to his room. Looking around, it was clear that they were in the bar after hours as it was completely devoid of people and only dimly lit by a few lights along the wall leading to the doors and the lights of the city that enveloped the hotel. Taka momentarily removed his hand from hers and his set of headphones so he could prop the door open as Remi walked further onto the rooftop, examining the space and wondering what it must be like during the daytime. The area was clearly used for socializing poolside with the large bar on the far end of the seating area. As it was nearing two in the morning, the rooftop was eerily vacant, allowing Taka and Remi the privacy they needed together.

Remi waked near the edge of the rooftop, kneeling on the comfortable bench seating that lined the edge of the building and leaning against the edge of the building so she could look out over the city, amazed at the beauty of the bright lights that shone brightly even in the wee hours of the morning. Though the sight was nothing new to her, Remi was still amazed at how beautiful this city was at night. She often found herself on Marcus’s apartment balcony, watching the city move in the night as she lost herself in thoughts. This moment was similar to those she experienced before except this time, she had enjoyable company.

Taka took a seat beside her on the lounge that lined the edge of the building, his tattooed arms wrapped around his legs as he watched the woman beside him. Though they were sitting next to one another, Taka left some space between them this time as he needed to control his urges to act on his desires to be closer to her. He was trying his best to refrain from wrapping an arm around her delicate shoulders and pulling her up against the side of his body. The last thing Remi needed that moment was him acting hastily to satisfy his own impulses. Instead, he would keep some space between them as he reached for the headphones now dangling near Remi’s left hip, placing them one of the earbuds back into his ear so they could continue listening to music with her.

The song in the pair’s headphones switched to Depeche Mode’s “Policy of Truth” which was a welcome switch from the pop punk that had been served up to her for the greater part of the walk back from the bar. Remi took a deep breath in, shutting her eyes as she nodded her head to the familiar electronic melody. She momentarily forgot that she was in the presence of another person as she started to sing along to the first verse of the song, remembering the first time her father introduced her to Depeche Mode’s music. She couldn’t help herself as this particular Depeche Mode song was one of her favorites. She forgot all about the front man at her side as she allowed the music to carry her away.

“Sorry,” Remi said after a moment, reopening her eyes and finding Taka’s eyes fixated on her. “Depeche Mode always gets to me like that.”

“It’s ok. It allowed me to hear you sing again so I didn’t mind,” he teased playfully.

“I keep doing that. You’d think I’d know better than to try and sing in front of a professional,” she laughed awkwardly, covering her face with her hand to hide her indignity. “Anyway, who’s turn is it to ask a question?” she said quickly, trying to change the topic.

“I think it’s your turn,” he replied.

Remi shifted her legs so she was sitting comfortably beside Taka, picking at the wire of the headphones, “Ok, I think I have a good one. What do you wish you could erase from your mind so that you could experience it again for the first time?”

“What could I erase from my mind?” Taka asked with confusion, trying to comprehend the question.

“In other words, what’s something that you wish you could experience again for the first time?” Remi asked, hoping that the question was a little clearer now. “For me, it would definitely be the first time I heard Depeche Mode. My dad put their music on one day and I remember being completely blown away by what I was hearing. At first, I thought it was just loud noise but as I continued listening, I really got into it. Depeche Mode was my first real exposure to rock music that wasn’t just heavy guitars and screaming.”

“Ah, ok,” Taka nodded in understanding, taking a moment to think things through. “If I could, I would go back to the first time I heard Linkin Park. Their music was so different to other rock music at the time.”

“Linkin Park is a great band,” Remi nodded.

“They are one of my favorites. They definitely influenced a lot of my band’s music in the early days,” he told her.

“They were definitely one of those bands that perfectly captured my teenage angst growing up. I remember when Hybrid Theory came out and my throat was definitely sore from trying to sound like Chester’s when I sang along. I have a lot of respect for singers like you guys because it’s so hard on your voice to scream like that.”

Taka gently chuckled, “I don’t scream as much as I used to because it’s so hard on my voice.”

“The fact that you’re able to do it at all though is so impressive,” she told him.

“Thank you,” he replied, enjoying the compliment. “It’s my turn to ask a question now.”

“Fire away,” she replied, shifting so she was sitting comfortably on the seat beside him.

“What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?” he asked.

“Oh, that’s easy,” Remi laughed. “I love reading romance novels but like really bad ones with all kinds of crazy plot twists and super dramatic characters.”

“Really?” he asked with surprise. “I’m surprised you would read more when you edit books for a living.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear, “Sometimes though, I just want to read something that’s not difficult. I don’t have to worry about grammatical mistakes or whether or not sections need to be moved around to help develop the stories. I just want a trashy romance where the girl winds up marrying the secret prince of Spain after a hilarious misunderstanding about whether or not he’s gay and strong opposition from his family about whether the girl is good enough for the prince,” Remi explained, making Taka laugh at the seriousness of her tone. “That’s a real plot by the way. I’ve actually read that story before.”

“I believe you,” Taka said, shaking his head.

At that moment, the song switched to Charli XCX’s “Boys” which made Remi laugh at the familiar sound of arcade coins with the beat. Leaning back against the lounge, she hugged her legs closer to her body to provide her some more warmth as the cold night air swept through the rooftop bar. Though it was colder than she would like it to be, she was not ready to call it quits yet. She was genuinely surprised at how much she was enjoying the conversation with Taka about random subjects. It was easy for her to open up to him, even about embarrassing things she enjoyed like trash novels or her weird taste in music. After having him witness her at her lowest point this morning or catching her dancing around the venue before their soundcheck, there was nothing else he could see or hear that would beat that in terms of embarrassment.

“This song is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine,” Remi told him. “I love the arcade sounds in the song really but the lyrics overall are funny.”

“I was in the music video for this song,” Taka said as he scooted closer to Remi, leaning back against the lounge so they were both sitting side-by-side.

“Really?” she asked curiously. “How’d that happen?”

“They asked me if I would be in it and I said yes,” he replied cheekily. Remi rolled her eyes at his straightforward answer, laughing at his explanation and he continued, “I’m only in it for a few seconds, blowing bubbles and looking way too serious.”

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen the video before but maybe I should check it out now and try to find you,” she smiled, leaning closer to him so their shoulders touched.

“Your turn for questions now.”

“Ok, so keeping things silly, what’s the funniest pick-up line you’ve ever heard?”

“Do you mean just heard or heard used on me?”

“Either works,” Remi shrugged.

“I haven’t had people try to use pick up lines on me,” he told her honestly after a moment’s thought. “When we were on tour with All Time Low, Jack and Alex used to say some really funny stuff though. I remember Jack saying one that was like, ‘aside from being extremely sexy, what do you do for a living’ when we first met him.”

Remi giggled at that line, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she found herself laughing way too hard at that pick-up line, “Did he ask you that question?”

Taka laughed as well, enjoying the way Remi was having a difficult time controlling her laughter, “It was something he asked Toru.”

“Oh my God! I can actually picture how that would’ve gone down and it’s just really funny to imagine,” she said, laughing harder. “Was he just trying to make Toru laugh?”

“I think so,” Taka nodded. “He was more surprised than anything because Jack asked the question so seriously.”

“That’s a good one,” Remi said, finally calming herself down. “Though I’m surprised no one has tried to use a pick-up line on you. I’d think that it would come with the territory of being a rock star.”

“I’ve never really had anyone try it before,” he shrugged indifferently. “I’ve never really used one either. I usually just start conversations by introducing myself.”

“Well, be glad you’ve never been on the receiving end of those lines,” Remi said honestly.

“Have people used them on you?” he asked.

“Oh, constantly! Sometimes, I think it was just meant to be a funny way to start a conversation but there are a few times when guys were dead serious when they used those lines on me,” Remi laughed.

“What’s the most memorable one?” he asked curiously.

“I remember one guy telling me, ‘I was feeling very off today, but then you turned me on’ and he was very serious about that when he said that to me in the bar that night,” Remi recalled, making Taka laugh. “But I think the best one was this guy at a concert telling me I was selfish because I have my body for the rest of my life and he just wanted it for a night,” she said.

“Wow, he said that to you?” Taka asked, surprised by the very forward statement.

“It’s not the most explicit one I’ve heard but it was a funny line,” Remi said after a moment. “Hell, I think when I first met Marcus, he tried to use a pick-up line on me. He told me that if he was a judge, he’d sentence me to his bed. It must have worked at the time since I wound up in a relationship with him,” she laughed, shaking her head at the thought. “I’m like you though. Usually, I just start conversations by introducing myself. It’s too much work to try and flirt with strangers.”

Taka laughed at her response, “you’d rather flirt with friends?”

“I’m not sure I know how to flirt properly with anyone. It’s always weird,” she shrugged. “There’s just a feeling you get when you know you’ve met someone worthwhile. It’s effortless so it doesn’t feel like it takes a lot of work, you know?”

“I know what you mean,” Taka said, thinking that things between the two of them seemed to fit her description quite well.

“How do you feel about dancing?” Remi asked suddenly as a new song started to play through the couple’s headphones.

“I like to dance,” Taka said unsurely, wondering what prompted the unexpected question.

“Good, because we can’t not dance to this song,” Remi smiled, standing up from her spot on the lounge.

Taka watched curiously as she started to move to the familiar beat of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. Remi leaned over him a bit, making him laugh as she passionately mouthed the words of the song. Remi reached down and slipped her hands into his, gently pulling them so that he would dance with her. Taka seemed to catch on and stood from his seat, watching as she continued to sway in front of him. Once he was on his feet, Remi started exaggerating her lip synching of the words to the song and moving her body freely to the funky beat. Taka found himself nodding along to the rhythm, enjoying the fact that Remi was so engaged with the music. It reminded him of when he watched her dance before on the empty floor of the Palladium.

At some point, Taka grabbed Remi’s hands as they danced to the upbeat tempo of the song playing through their headphones. Remi couldn’t remember the last time she had danced with someone else like this. Remi enjoyed dancing immensely, which was always a problem in her relationship with Marcus since he wasn’t big on dancing. He would frequently turn her down when she asked him to dance with her, claiming he didn’t want to step on her feet with his uncoordinated moves. The more that she thought about Marcus now, especially comparing his behavior to Taka’s, she wondered how she managed to fall in love with him when they had so little in common. In their time together as a couple, Marcus hadn’t made Remi feel nearly as comfortable with being foolish as Taka had done in just a day.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one dancing because this song is just too good,” Remi laughed.

“It would be rude to let you dance alone,” Taka said.

“I may not be the world’s most skilled dancer but it’s definitely one of my favorite things to do,” she told him honestly.

“You move well,” he told her honestly, his eyes flickering down to her hips as they swayed side to side.

Remi blushed at the compliment, noticing the way Taka’s eyes roamed over her body as the song began to fade out. The song switched over once again, making Remi smile at the familiar slow intro to the Incubus song. Remi started to move her body to the beat of the music, enjoying the infectious bassline and Brandon Boyd’s melodic crooning. Taka’s eyes continued to wander over her body as she moved. He had been trying very hard all day to control himself from acting on his desires but she was making it very difficult for him, especially when she moved like this in front of him.

Remi slowly placed her arms around his shoulders, feeling a bit timid by how forward she knew she was being but still keeping him a safe distance just in case she was getting too close. Taka was quite surprised by the move but found that his hands had automatically moved to gently rest on her hips. Remi’s eyes focus on the placement of his hands, feeling the jolts of pleasure from his hands on her body. She enjoyed how close they were now, feeling the warmth radiating off him as they both swayed along to the music. Remi bit her lower lip, trying to focus on anything aside from the fact that she wanted to pull him closer to her. She knew she was already crossing the line by dancing this closely to him but she couldn’t help herself.

The more time they spent together today, the closer she wanted to be with him.

As the song continued to play, the slower Remi and Taka moved along to the beat. Taka could sense the shift in the air between them, finding it difficult to look away from Remi’s curious brown eyes. He shuddered as her fingers started to delicately dance across the back of his neck, tangling into the ends of his blond hair. Taka decided to be bold as he allowed his hands to slip around her waist so his hands were resting on the small of her back as he pulled her body closer to his, just centimeters apart. Remi smiled at the feeling, enjoying the sense of security she felt in Taka’s embrace.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, shaking her from his thoughts.

“Just that this was the last thing I expected from a day like today,” Remi sighed contentedly. “I only met you today and yet, I feel so comfortable with you. Do you think it’s weird how easy this feels?”

Taka offered her a reassuring smile, “It’s a little weird that I only met you today. It feels like we’ve known each other a lot longer.”

“I know what you mean,” Remi nodded.

Taka and Remi fell silent after that, continuing to slowly dance to the music playing through their headphones. Remi held Taka’s gaze with a soft smile, feeling content with the fact that the lack of conversation between them wasn’t awkward. She had a feeling that if she had locked eyes with anyone else for an extended period of time, it would have felt like a staring contest more than anything, but with Taka, she couldn’t look away. There was no need to fill the silence with conversation and there was no need to feel embarrassed under Taka’s intense gaze. Remi just enjoyed the fact that he was looking at her at all.

A flash of light from the windows leading into the hotel caught her by surprise, forcing her from her hypnotic trace as she looked for the source. Remi could see a beam of light that looked like a flashlight shining down the hallway of the hotel, making her frown at the way the beam of light grew stronger as whoever was on the other end of the flashlight approached. She knew that they probably weren’t supposed to be out on the balcony after hours and she didn’t want them to get caught in the middle of their moment, having to explain what they were doing out there in the middle of the night. She knew that if security caught them, it might cause more trouble for Taka so she wanted to avoid dragging anyone else into what was meant to be just between them.

Taka opened his mouth to ask Remi what was wrong when he noticed her sudden alert demeanor only to be surprised when Remi grabbed his hand and started pulling him with her towards the spot where all the umbrellas were stored. She turned them around so that she was able to peek out behind the spot they were standing, watching as the security guard approached. Once she saw him come into her line of vision, she quickly pulled herself back so that she was standing closer to Taka, her heart pounding from the sudden burst of adrenaline in her system. She glanced up and found Taka holding back laughter, causing her to mockingly glare at him when he brought his free hand up to cover his mouth.

“Shh,” Remi whispered, unable to help it as her own laughter escaped her lips. “We’re not supposed to be here.”

“I don’t think anything bad will happen if they find us out here,” Taka whispered back.

“I’m not taking chances,” Remi replied.

Taka shook his head but said nothing more, finding Remi’s sudden worry quite adorable. He hadn’t expected her to drag him into a hiding spot but he wasn’t exactly complaining about the fact that they were standing very close to one another. Instead, Taka couldn’t help himself as he reached up with his free hand and brushed some of the hair out of Remi’s face, gently tucking it behind her ear. Remi sucked her bottom lip between her teeth at the action, enjoying the sensation of Taka’s fingers tenderly brushing against her cheek and down the side of her neck. Now that they were hidden away in a darkened part of the balcony, the tension between them seemed amplified. Coupled with the excitement of trying to hide from hotel staff and Ben Howard’s “Under the Same Sun” playing through their shared headphones, Remi was having a hard time resisting the magnetic pull between them.

After a few minutes of the light dancing in the darkness of the balcony, it disappeared without much fuss. Remi let out a sigh of relief, smiling at the man before her. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. Taka was caught off guard by the action, not expecting the hug or understanding why it was happening, but quickly returned the gesture by holding her close to him. Remi turned her head so it was resting against Taka’s shoulder, her breath tickling his skin and making him shiver in pleasure. He had been imagining what it was like to hold her for most of the day and now that she was in his arms, he didn’t want to let her go.

“I’m glad we didn’t get caught out here because that would have been embarrassing,” she laughed, enjoying the additional warmth his body provided her.

“Why would it have been embarrassing?” he asked curiously, swallowing hard to control the overwhelming urge to crash his lips onto hers.

“I don’t know,” she admitted honestly after a moment’s thought. “I mean, we are two lunatics outside in the middle of the night, dancing away in a closed bar. It might look a little like we were sneaking into this hotel as though we weren’t guests.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess hiding was the smart move,” he smiled.

“Yeah, I think so too,” she sighed.

Remi stifled a yawn as the day seemed to catch up with her, earning a glance from Taka as he noticed her shift slightly. Despite the fact that he didn’t want their embrace to end, he slowly pulled away from her so he could see her face better. He could see the exhaustion evident on her face now that the adrenaline spike was wearing down. Though he would have preferred to remain out there with her on the balcony, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep herself awake much longer. It had been such a long day for the both of them and they both needed to rest, even if it was for a few hours.

“It’s late,” Taka stated plainly as Remi stifled another yawn.

“It is and you probably want to go back to your room and get some rest while you can,” she said, trying to hide the disappointment she felt at the thought of leaving him.

“Would you want to come with me to my room?” he asked, his voice slightly cracking with nervousness as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t feel right leaving you on your own with nowhere to go and we still have a game to finish.”

Remi smiled at his anxious demeanor, happy that he wanted to prolong their time together. She knew that going back to his room with him had certain implications but considering the fact that it was Taka asking her, she knew she was in safe hands. She felt that she could trust him in their limited time together. Things between the pair had been comfortable and easy so she didn’t see why she shouldn’t join him. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he was just as anxious as she was about separating so rather than go through the goodbyes that were to eventually come, she thought that joining him in his room would be a good thing. They could definitely continue their conversation there instead of being out in the cold night air, hiding from security.

“Ok.”