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“I don’t need a man.” Masako repeated everyday as if it was a mantra to help her get through the day. It was true for half of the time because she grew up independent and she could fend for herself. However, on the route to work, or school, or the shopping district always made her think otherwise because it reminded her that she never had a boyfriend. Yep, she’s a virgin and that meant she never had her first kiss. Even her best friend, Kazuko, kept making him feel miserable from time to time by showing off her boyfriend Ohno Satoshi and by bragging how good Ohno was in bed.
“You’re 23 years old,” Kazuko reminded her. “You need a man.”
Masako grimaced. “No, I don’t.”
“Yeah you do,” Kazuko insisted. “What if you need help bringing grocery home?”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t buy grocery for two people unlike you.”
“What if you need protection, like from assholes on the streets at night?”
“I have five pepper sprays and I run in heels.”
“Hmm… What if you become lonely?”
“That’s what I have my stuffed toys for.”
“Oh my god!” Masako groaned as she dragged her face down with her hand. “You are a sad case!”
Masako gasped. She was used to Kazuko’s insults, but this was by far offensive. “Am not!”
“Are too. Come, follow me.”
“Where?” Masako asked suspiciously afraid that if she got up and followed her friend something might not turn out good. But then Kazuko always knew what she was doing and she rarely got herself into any trouble.
“You’ll see,” Kazuko said vaguely and pulled her up from her seat. “You’ll like it.”
\\\♥///
Masako didn’t know whether she liked this or not. Kazuko had dragged her to some underground club that was open in the middle of the day and there were suspicious people lurking about, but it was a really good looking club. It wasn’t that crazy like a rave club or clubs he sees in movies, it was a laid back club that played laid back music and there were even cubicles for private conversations. Kazuko shoved her in one without saying anything. Masako thought that Kazuko suddenly had to go to the bathroom, but he waited for thirty minutes and concluded that she would never come back. Masako was about to leave then when the door to his cubicle opened and in came some random man. The man looked about her age and he was a few inches taller than her. If Masako wasn’t as interested she wouldn’t bat her eyelids, but she found herself doing so as she looked at the man from head to toe. He had a built body (Masako could tell because the clothes he was wearing was tight) and he looked someone out of an AnAn magazine.
The man flashed a smile at her as he sat down and Masako found herself sitting back down.
“I’m Sakurai Sho.”
“Abamako,” Masako said in a rush. Why was she nervous all of a sudden? Why? Why?! I don’t need a man. I don’t need a man. I don’t need a man… She repeated in her head, yet she kept staring at the man sitting opposite of her.
“Abamako?”
“A-Aiba Masako,” she repeated slowly this time so the man won’t call him “Abamako.”
Sho chuckled and held out his hand. Even his hand looked strong… Masako shook her head. This was not the time to get distracted. She didn’t need a man… Yet she reached out for Sho’s hand and shook it anyway.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nicetomeetyoutoo,” Masako rushed again and she just wanted to slap herself on the forehead.
Sho laughed again and it embarrassed Masako more.
Pouting, she curled herself into a ball and scooted to the further corner of the cubicle.
“No, don’t go. I didn’t mean to,” Sho apologized. “I wasn’t laughing at you. I just find you cute.”
Masako’s head went up in an instant and she saw a sincere smile on Sho’s face. Masako could tell he really meant it and that Sho didn’t mean any harm. Slowly, she scooted back to her original spot and tried her best to look Sho in the eyes… but she couldn’t and she just kept staring at the table in between them. “Stupid table,” she said out loud without thinking.
“What?”
“Ah!” Masako clamped her hands over her mouth. “Did I say that out loud?!”
“You’re so cute,” Sho laughed once again.
“Uh…” Masako gushed, unable to form words or even simply say thank you. Just as she was about to look up, however, she saw that Sho was no longer sitting beside her and was instead right next to her. As in a few inches away from her.
“Is that better?” Sho asked.
“What?”
“Well the table was getting in the way,” Sho said. “Isn’t that what you were referring to earlier?”
“Uh…” Was she?... Yeah, she was. That was the reason why she kept staring at it earlier.
Sho grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes… I want to get to know you better, Masako-chan. Can I?”
Masako gave him a bewildered look at the sudden question. She figured halfway that this was the whole point in having the small cubicles in this club, but why was Sho being so formal? Anyway, Masako wanted to say no, but her mouth said otherwise.
“I’m glad,” Sho sighed in relief.
“You’re the first girl I’ve ever taken interest in today,” Sho confessed to Masako’s surprise. “I’ve met up with a few earlier… but as soon as I went inside this very last cubicle I thought that I was running out of luck until I saw you.”
Masako gulped. It felt the same way for her because she really had no interest in men till now. Till she met friggin’ Sakurai Sho who was moving closer an inch after inch towards her.
“Wanna go on a date?”
“What?” Masako whipped her head towards Sakurai who was now right beside her and there was absolutely no space between them.
“Right now. I’ll take you somewhere nice.”
“I…” Masako paused to think about this clearly. So she just met the guy and already she was starting to feel super attracted to him, but can she trust him? Shrugging, she said yes anyway just to see how things will play out. When they got out of the club (Masako saw Kazuko across the street who was smirking so proudly; Masako just rolled her eyes and followed Sho), there were thugs near the entrance. The thugs had noticed her because she was wearing a mini skirt today. They whistled as they walked towards her, but then Sho stepped in between her and the thugs and gave them a death glare. The thugs walked away slowly as if they were afraid that Sho will attack them while in the meantime Sho grabbed her hand.
“I’ll protect you,” Sho said and dragged her across the street.
Masako sighed in awe as she stared at the back of Sho’s head. Yup, she could trust him… She did need a man after all.