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Asahina is acting weird.
All day I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell I have done to him. He’s been quieter than usual this past week and very secretive. He even kicked me out of our shared condo today telling me the fresh air will do me some good and not to come back for a few hours. What gives? Has he stopped loving me or something?
So that’s how I ended up killing time in a coffee shop on this chilly December afternoon. As I sip my coffee, I run through the events of this past week in my brain trying to figure out anything that triggered his unusual behaviour. I’ve resorted to people watching from my window seat since he didn’t even give me a chance to grab a book to read before I left. I notice that outside seems busier than usual despite it being a freezing cold Sunday afternoon. I wonder what is going on.
I finish my coffee and decide to go for a walk. I put on my coat and wrap my scarf around my neck. As I leave the coffee shop and begin my walk, I realize the streets are much more crowded than usual and a lot of the stores have festive decorations hanging up. That’s when it hits me. Tonight is Christmas Eve.
Oh shit. I completely forgot.
Asahina and I haven’t discussed whether or not we are getting each other anything. We usually just spend time together at home since with work and everything, we don’t get a whole lot of private time. I wonder what I should get him. Is this why he’s mad at me? Because I always forget every special occasion? I sort of don’t blame him if this is the case.
As I wander the crowded streets and look at the stores around me, I realize I don’t want to get him anything from these places. I even confirm this theory by browsing a few of the stores, but nothing catches my eye. Nothing seems good enough for him.
Oh crap. I’m awful. Why do I always forget these occasions or leave things to the last minute? No wonder he’s mad at me.
I think I need help with gift ideas for him. You’d think I’d know him well enough after all these years to know exactly what to get him, but I have a hard time with this sort of stuff. I want it to be perfect for him.
I take out my mobile phone and scroll through my contact list until I find the contact for his parents. Ever since we told our families about our relationship, things have been a bit strained on both sides. My parents weren’t thrilled but the news didn’t exactly surprise them either. His parents took it particularly hard though. I sort of see where they’re coming from. Their only child/son in a relationship with his male best friend and my father being the one that saved them all those years ago. What could they possibly say? It put them in an awkward position. I don’t exactly know where I stand with them. They’re pleasant enough to my face, but I get the feeling they’re still having a hard time fully accepting our relationship even after 13 plus years of us being an official couple.
I’m feeling pretty desperate at this point and with a sudden burst of courage, I dial their number.
After the third ring his mother answers.
“Hello?”
“Hello! It’s Isaka. How are you?”
“Ah! Isaka-sama. I am well, thank you. What a surprise. Why are you calling? Is Kaoru okay?”
“Oh, yes, he’s fine. Sorry for worrying you. The reason I’m calling is I need some help with gift ideas for Kaoru. I was hoping to get some suggestions from you.”
“Eh?! But you’ve been friends with him for decades, not to mention inseparable from each other all these years. If anything, you’d probably know his taste better than anyone, even us. What have you got for him in the past?”
“Well, we are usually too busy for this sort of thing and usually end up spending time together instead of giving gifts.” I say trying to make it sound like I don’t forget to get him something every year like the complete asshole I am.
“He’d probably enjoy something like that more than anything you could buy him to be honest. He’s very nostalgic, you know. He likes having memories to look back on. Why not go away with him on vacation for a weekend and make some nice memories together? He would love this.”
“Hmmm, actually that is a really good idea. I never even thought of something like that. Thank you. Sounds perfect!”
“You’re welcome, Isaka-sama. Let me know where you end up going. He deserves to go somewhere relaxing. Make sure it is really a vacation for him.”
“I will. Merry Christmas and thanks again.”
“Oh, and Isaka-sama?”
“Yes?”
“Tell Kaoru to give us a call. It’s been over a month since we last spoke to him. We want to know if he is coming over on New Year's day or not.”
“I’ll certainly pass this message along to him.”
“Thank you. We’ve been a bit worried since he hasn’t contacted us at all despite us leaving him several messages. I was about to call your parents to ask if they’ve heard from either of you in a while.”
“Well, we’ve both been swamped at work lately and unfortunately this leaves us with very little time for much else. I’m sure he was just waiting for a free moment to call you.”
“I thought that might be the case. Thank you for passing this message along. Merry Christmas. “
“Thanks again. Merry Christmas!” I say cheerily as I hang up.
I feel a little better now. I decide I want to go home right away and start researching his gift.
As I am walking back, my mind is spinning with ideas. I’m so lost in thought that I am not paying attention to my surroundings. I don’t realize I have bumped into someone until it’s too late. “Oh, I’m sorry, excuse me.” I say not looking up.
“Ryuuichirou-sama! There you are.”
His voice brings me back to reality.
“Asahina?” I look up and see his warm brown eyes and signature neutral expression on his handsome face. He’s wrapped up warm in a coat and scarf. “I came to find you. I’ve finished what I needed to do in the apartment. I suppose I could have called or texted you but I wanted some fresh air after being indoors all day. What have you been doing?” He asks.
“N-nothing! Just thinking about Christmas.” I stammer.
He nods. “I see. Do you need to go anywhere else?”
I look him in the eyes and say “If you could go anywhere with me for a weekend, where would you want to go?”
“Huh? Where is this coming from?” He asks me, slightly amused. He is almost smiling.
“Nevermind. Forget I said anything. Let’s go home.”
He looks at me curiously but doesn’t press the issue. “Very well.”
My mind is still spinning with ideas as we walk home together. We head down a quiet street with no one around and I decide to link my arm through his as I get lost in thought. I think I have a plan coming together and I think he’s going to be very surprised. He looks at me with a soft smile and my heart thumps in response.
As we enter our shared apartment, he tells me the reason why he kicked me out. He wanted to decorate the place a little bit and also have a chance to prepare my favourite food for dinner. He wanted everything to be a surprise. This of course makes me feel even more guilty. Honestly, this guy does so much for me. I thank him and then tell him I have a bit of work to do. Before I get an answer, I head towards our shared home office, close the door and boot up my laptop.
One hour later, tickets purchased and schedules consulted, I emerge from the office holding a white envelope. He’s sitting on our sofa in the living room reading a book. “What work did you need to finish?” he asks.
I ignore the question and instead ask “so if I got you a Christmas present, do you want to wait until later to open it?”
He looks stunned. “I appreciate the thought but you really didn’t need to get me anything.”
“Shut up. Yes I did. You’re so thoughtful and I just forget every occasion every year. I end up getting you nothing. I forget our birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, everything, but you spoil me rotten on these occasions. I’m awful and I don’t deserve you.”
He puts the book down on the sofa, gets up and grabs my hands putting them in his. “Ryuuichirou-sama, I do these things for you because I love you. I might be using these holidays and occasions as an excuse to spoil you more than usual but as long as you stay in love with me, and want to stay with me, I’m happy to do these things for you.”
I blush and look away. He says super embarrassing things sometimes. Honestly, he’s such an idiot. Of course I’ll stay in love with him. I don’t even know how to not be in love with him. If anything, I’m worried about him not staying in love with me. “I...needed some advice on what to give you so I called your parents.”
He blinks at me as I continue talking. “Are you not speaking to them? Your mother says it’s been over a month since they’ve heard from you after leaving you several messages. It seems they’re worried about you. She wants you to call her.”
He sighs. “I’ve been too busy with work lately and I was waiting until I had a bit more time. I plan on calling them tonight.”
“I figured. I told her the same thing. Anyway, I appreciated her suggestion, and it gave me a good idea what to give you. So here. Merry Christmas.” I hand him the white envelope that has his name on it.
He looks at me curiously before opening it. His breath catches and his eyes widen as he sees the contents in the envelope. “What’s all this?” He asks as he goes through the contents of the envelope carefully.
“Just so you know, I love you. I’m sorry I don’t tell you very often or show it, but I really do love you. Please accept this gift. I even consulted our work schedule and we should be good to go that whole weekend. We could even leave a little early that Friday if we wanted to.” I have to look at the floor because I’m blushing so much at the embarrassing words coming out of my mouth this time.
He is silent as he goes through each booking and reads everything very carefully. I chose Sapporo since we have both never been there together. It has some amazing sites we could visit and some gorgeous accommodation as well. Plus the train could get us there and back pretty quickly.
He looks up at me with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. He reaches out and places a hand underneath my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Thank you. This is perfect. No one has ever got me anything like this before. I am excited to go on vacation with you. I love you.” He kisses me deeply. His tongue dancing with mine. I kissed him back elated by his reaction and excited to go on vacation with him.
“I have something for you too.” he says, breaking the kiss when we need air.
He walks towards our shared bedroom. “Stay there, I'll grab it.”
I’m curious to see what it could be. He’s already done so much.
He returns a few moments later carrying a smallish dark blue box tied neatly in a bow with red ribbon. He hands it to me. “Before you open this, I should let you know that I hesitated buying this for you. I am asking you to be completely honest with me when you open it. I’ll return it if you hate it. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about for a while now.”
Okay now I’m really curious. I pull off the red ribbon and open the box. Inside are two identical gold bands. Are these couples rings? They’re simple, thin, and beautiful. I gasp speechless and just stare up at him in shock, mouth wide open.
“I know we won’t be able to wear these much in public, especially at work but I wanted something we would be able to wear occasionally to show our devotion and love for each other after all these years. I got a chain for yours if you want to wear it more often. Really though, if you don’t like it, I’ll return them and we can forget this happened.” He’s looking in my eyes trying to gauge my reaction.
“No, don’t return it. This is..I’m just...wow. I love it.” I say sincerely, looking at him with a smile. I’m pretty sure I’m still blushing, red as a tomato, and my heart is racing. “I really do love it. I’m just very surprised. Which one is mine?”
He smiles at me and looks a little relieved. He grabs my left hand and plants a tiny kiss on my ring finger. With his other hand, he grabs the slightly smaller ring, and slips it onto my ringer finger. It fits perfectly! He puts his on as well.
We hold up our left hands to see the rings side by side. He did really well. They’re perfect and simple, and are very us. I love that they match. It’s another thing that ties us together in our unbreakable bond.
I wrap my arms around him. “Thank you Kaoru. You chose well. They’re so perfectly us. I love you.” I kiss him earnestly, pouring all my love into that kiss. As he kisses me back, I start thinking, maybe I can get used to this gift giving and receiving thing. What a perfect Christmas!