krystalkatzficz | New Beginnings part 14

Masaki started from sleep as the phone began ringing in the cradle and slowly he moved his back popping as he shifted out of the uncomfortable position that he had ended up in. As the protesting muscles stretched back into place he lifted the receiver and whispered;
“Hello? Aiba Masaki speaking?”

“Aiba-san, it’s Sakurai…I’m going to be a little late but I’ve reserved us a table…It’s at the Gilded Chest…Do you know it?” Sho’s voice came briskly down the line and Masaki found himself nodding his mouth feeling a little dry as he rubbed the back of his neck soothing away the stiff muscles. The Gilded Chest was an almost exclusive restaurant in the best part of town. It normally took months to get in but Masaki knew that the Sakurai’s had a standing table paid for each month in a stipend. Shu had often forced him to go to it on special occasions and it felt a knife slicing into his heart that they were going there now but he didn’t say that choosing to whisper;

“…Yes…I’ve heard of it…”

“Good take a taxi and say the name Sakurai to the hostess I’ll join you as soon as possible…”

“Okay…What time?” Masaki’s eyes automatically went to the softly clicking clock above the fireplace surprised to see that it was almost 5 and he had slept almost all of the afternoon away. His body felt gritty from both the cleaning that he had done and the fact that his personal hygiene had taken a back seat to his grief in the last few days. He and Sho still hadn’t talked about the funeral of his grandfather yet and he felt sick at the idea of going out to eat at a place they had gone to while Shu was still in a freezer somewhere. Tears filled his eyes again as they moved down to the largest photo on the wall looking at Shu’s smiling happy face knowing that he wouldn’t have minded, in fact if he were alive he would have been encouraging him to go more than anyone.

“6’o’clock…” Sho answered sharply “I have to get going but I will be there as soon as possible…Okay?”

“Okay…” Masaki breathed as the phone clicked off and slowly, feeling almost feverish and weak, he walked to the bathroom and pulled off his slacks and t-shirt pressing the button for the shower, deciding to use both the roof spray and the sprays from along the side which sprayed all over his body. His spirit was slightly lifted a little as the hot spray moved over the booth causing poofs of steam to lift up into the air circling around him. He stepped into the spray and scrubbed himself from top to bottom keeping his gaze fixed on the tile directly in front of him picking out the pattern which seemed to be of a woman dancing in the swirls of marble.

He knew that he couldn’t stay long under the hot spray but just being inside the rushing water was doing a lot for his mood and for a few blissful moments he felt able to just forget about anything but picking out patterns and he stayed under long enough to cause his head to spin with the heat. Sighing reluctantly, he dragged himself out of the power shower and wrapped a large fluffy towel around his body stumbling out of the bathroom and into the apartment. Chew and Taco were cuddled up in Chew’s bed and Masaki groaned when he saw the time.

Dressing quickly in a pair of black trousers and white shirt with a waist coat and tie he found tussled his hair with his fingers before heading out of the apartment making sure to turn on the radio as he passed not knowing what was going to be in store for him.

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay ^_^