Theme #15: Fait Des Beaux Reves; Sweet Dreams

Chapter 5: Unwelcome Surprises

In her dreams, she was back at the mansion, lying on sheets of pure silk and lace with rose petals sprinkled all around her. In her dreams, she was with Eden, lounging beside the Olympic-sized swimming pool in their designer swimwear as they watched Tony and Ethan (Eden’s on again, off again boyfriend) playing water polo. They swapped stories about their week, Eden bragging about the blond highlights in her jet black hair and claiming it would be the new style for the Fall season. Mrs. St. Claire was going to make all her models wear that on the runway in New York for her fashion show. It was going to be simply fahbulous!

Now, tell me all about your trip, Eden asked, sipping some pina colada from an oversized pink straw in an oversized wine glass. Aurora blinked at the size of it. It really was grossly humongous and she couldn’t believe that Eden was even able to lift it with only one hand.

My trip, she began, noticing that the boys in the pool were beginning to come out…in business suits? She blinked again and the image vanished. She was now staring at a bleak and desolate landscape with nothing in the horizon but impassable mountains and valleys. She turned to her side to look at Eden again, only to fight back a small cry at the sight of the handsome dark-haired man lying half-naked on the lounger beside her.

“Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” he drawled lazily, revealing perfect white teeth in a wide smile. He leaned closer to caress her cheek gently. “Wake up,” he said again in a deep voice that sent delightful shivers down her spine. God, he had the most amazing blue eyes. She could drown in them and never wish to be rescued. “Wake up. We’ve arrived…”

__

“…wake up,” he said in a much louder voice.

She groaned and lifted heavy lashes to peer sleepily at the man before her. Slightly concerned and yet wary blue eyes filled her vision for a second and then it dawned on her that she was feeling incredibly warm and quite comfortable in this position. And that smell. It was a rich, musky scent or cologne that rolled off this man in waves and before she could stop herself, she squeezed him gently and inhaled again.

Damn he smelled good.

“Uuum…I’m not Tony,” he finally said in a tone that now sounded cold and slightly irritated. “Could you let me go now? I hate to be the one to bother your sweet dreams but we’ve arrived.”

Her cheeks filled with color as she finally realized what she had been doing. Not needing Adam to repeat himself, she released him quickly and slid back to her side of the taxi, unable to lift her gaze to meet his for fear he’d notice the effect he was having on her. How embarrassing was that? She couldn’t believe she had actually snuggled against this guy who had rubbed her the wrong way from the beginning. His know-it-all attitude was a major turn-off (although she would have been a big moron if she hadn’t noticed how good-looking he was). She listened idly to him as he spoke with the taxi-driver, marveling at how he could switch from one language to the other without preamble. It was clear that he was Japanese, what with that jaw line, his hair and build. And yet there was something distinctly foreign about him as well. He had an American accent for one thing albeit slightly laden with a Japanese twang and those eyes…those eyes were definitely different.

(Unless he wears contacts)

But they didn’t look like contacts to her. She had seen them flash from dark blue to almost violet at some point (when he looked angry, that is) and she knew that contacts were not really able to do that.

“Let’s go,” he commanded, hardly waiting for her as he left the cozy confines of the vehicle. For a brief moment, she contemplated telling him to take a hike but remembering that he was helping her settle in; she obeyed without a fight and stepped out of the taxi and into the cool evening. It was much darker outside now and the street was extremely quiet. It was a narrow one, with four major apartment complexes on each side. They had stopped before Building 100A and as Aurora took a second look at her new abode for the next three months, she swallowed tightly and hoped she’d be able to survive this place. Although the front lawn looked nice and well-tended, she could still see some waste heaped in a corner of the building. There was a black dog sniffling through the trash and right before their eyes, he lifted a leg and peed on it.

Aurora felt something rise within her throat and she slapped a hand over her mouth quickly. It was then that she noticed the smell. It wasn’t one particular smell but rather a mixture of odors that included soggy noodles, gasoline and overcooked cabbage. She swallowed and closed her eyes, telling herself to breathe evenly so as not to faint. She had to get into a room soon or she wasn’t going to make it.

“Don’t pass out on me now,” Adam said as he glanced at her with mild concern. She looked pale and he could have sworn that she swayed on her feet for a second or two. He began to roll her large suitcase up the sidewalk and towards what looked like an office on the ground floor. “Are you okay?”

“Fine…” she muttered, removing her hand from her mouth and managing a weak smile. “I’m just tired I guess. I’m just not used to this…”

Which would be the understatement of the year. Unconsciously, she side-stepped the dirtier portions of the pavement, unable to stop her features from tightening up with disgust at some of the graffiti on the wall. Didn’t anyone bother to clean up this place? From the outside it looked good but inside…it was just plain awful.

Suck it up and live through it, girl. It’s only for three months. Remember that.

She watched as Adam began to knock on the door and took the time to really appraise him. He was dressed in blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt which was hidden beneath a rather shabby brown coat. He looked like…well…a school teacher and not a very successful one at that. She had noticed he had narrowed his eyes a little to read the kanji on the screen and she deduced that he must wear or need glasses to help him read. She wondered if he had a wife or girlfriend but a quick look at his hands (which looked lean and quite strong) showed no sign of marital commitment. His only jewelry was a silver necklace which only peeked through when he bent forward to adjust her suitcase. She wondered who had given it to him. A former girlfriend?

“Come in!” Someone yelled from behind the door, starting Aurora out of her reverie as Adam pushed open the door and greeted whoever was in the room.

Aurora stepped in and was promptly overwhelmed with the heavy smell of fried noodles and sake. No surprise really because the short but slender woman who was dressed in a shapeless calico dress and sitting behind the counter was making a feast of it. Aurora guessed it was dinnertime but eating it in the front office? That was clearly unprofessional.

“Aurora,” Adam was saying as he placed a hand beneath her elbow gently to push her towards the curious landlady. “This is Sawada-sama. She’s the owner of the complex and ultimately your landlady.” And in Japanese, he spoke to the older woman. “Sawada-sama, this is Aurora. She’s from America, the girl I was telling you about earlier.”

Aurora couldn’t remember telling Adam her name, but she assumed that Seki must have told him. She smiled warmly at the woman and held out a hand for a handshake, only to remember that the routine wasn’t quite the same here. Blushing faintly, she lowered her head for a quick bow. “My name is Aurora Freewill,” she said in spattering Japanese. She was now glad she had listened to those ‘Learn Japanese in 24 Hours’ CDs. They really were helpful. “I’m glad to be here.”

Sawada-sama laughed good-naturedly at the girl’s attempts to speak the language. Turning to Adam, she began to rattle off several things that Aurora soon lost track of. However, she could see the woman now making her way behind the counter again to flip through a large book and some files which were slightly dusty with age. The office itself was a tight fit and only the small counter and two straight back chairs were its occupants. There was a door leading to what must be a bathroom or to the landlady’s personal residence and on the walls were posters and signs, some with images of either policemen with safety signs or arrows pointing out significant changes to the building.

“Here you go,” Adam said, pushing several forms towards her. She blinked at the symbols and characters feeling her cheeks darken with embarrassment but before she could open her mouth to say she couldn’t understand a damn thing, Adam leaned closer to her. She fought a small yelp as her knees trembled a little at the close proximity. She flushed as she could even feel his hair tickling her cheek.

Think, girl. Breathe, girl. Think. Breathe. Think. Breathe.

“Here…,” Adam was saying. “It means you should write your name…and here…”

Together they worked through the long application and Aurora was glad she didn’t pass out from the combined sensations of Adam’s low voice in her ear or how great it felt when his warm breath tickled the hairs at the base of her neck.

Finally and after what seemed like eons, they were through and Sawada-sama grinned in approval. She said something to Adam again.

“She says it’s going to be 10,000yen for security deposit and first month rent.” At Aurora’s blanched expression, he continued quickly. “She did cut the rate for you, so it’s a pretty good deal you’re getting.”

“Ah…okay…”

She reached into her handbag and brought out the amount needed, knowing that, at least tomorrow, she’d have to find a Bank willing to change the few American dollars she had left. The money was paid and Sawada-sama took the time to count through the bills…slowly. Aurora fought back a groan of impatience but caught Adam’s amused look and flushed darkly. With a huff, she turned away and shrugged, staring out of the window and into the lit garden outside. A jangle of keys, several more words exchanged between Adam and the older lady and they were finally out of the claustrophobic office. They followed the petite female, barely able to keep up with her quick footsteps. Aurora was glad to see that there was an elevator and as it took them to the second floor, she was even more grateful her apartment wasn’t any higher. As they walked down the barely lit hallway, they could hear the loud sounds of television sets and some raised voices behind the closed doors. They passed doors number 231, 232, 233, 234 and…

“Home sweet home,” Adam said quietly as Sawada-sama slipped the key into the lock of the (ugly) green-painted door with the number 235 written on it. She pushed it open and flipped a switch on the wall beside it, revealing a narrow hallway with cream-colored walls heralded by a mini step. Sawada-sama kicked off her slippers. Adam took off his shoes to reveal black socks (which made Aurora hide a smile) and she took off her low-heeled shoes, wiggling her silk-covered feet as they walked into the main room of the rather small living space.

Besides the tatami mats on the floor, there was absolutely nothing in here. There was a glass sliding door which led to a rather small balcony with a potted plant on its last legs. There was a mini-kitchen on the left side of the room, which was barely able to fit one person let alone two. But there was a fridge and the gas cooker looked like it was in good working condition. She had running water and a microwave and she gave an obligatory smile to the older woman who wanted to know if everything was good enough. Another door revealed a bathroom with only a shower stall, sink and a toilet. It had drab off-white colored tiles and Aurora had a feeling that the former occupant(s) had not been very clean individuals.

Sawada-sama was talking again and Aurora did her best to keep up. She darted glances between Adam and the smaller woman, noticing that they both had frowns on their faces. Finally unable to stop her curiosity from getting the better of her, she moved closer to Adam and asked softly.

“What’s she saying?”

“She’s worried about tonight…she wants to give you a futon to sleep…”

They watched as she slid open a closet (which Aurora hadn’t noticed before. It really blended in with the walls of the room) to pull out a large sleeping bag like thing.

“You’ll have to manage this,” Adam said as he pushed her luggage against the wall. “At least you have tomorrow to go shopping for furniture.” He smiled at Sawada and for a moment, Aurora felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. It made him look boyish and even cuter and knowing that she’d never be the recipient of such a look made her feel irritable.

“I hope you like your stay here,” Sawada-sama said slowly, in the hopes that Aurora would understand her. “It’s not much but it’s a good neighborhood and very friendly.”

“Thank you,” Aurora said with a small bow. “I really appreciate all your help.”

“If you have any problems, just call me…when you get your phone installed,” the landlady added. Satisfied that things were all well now, she made her way out of the apartment with a ‘goodnight and many sweet dreams’ to them.

As the door closed behind her, Aurora groaned and fell to the futon in a very unladylike heap. Her legs were aching and she was beginning to feel sleepy again. She could even forgo changing into her nightwear but she had to get out of these clothes first. It felt as if she had been wearing them for a whole year.

“Everything okay?” Adam asked quietly, jerking her out of her thoughts. She sat up and opened her mouth to say something in gratitude, but he was already making his way to the front door. “I’ve checked the bathroom. Everything seems to be in working condition too. You should be fine and like she said, if you have any problems you give her a call, okay?”

“Ah…okay…” She scrambled to her feet, now feeling a sensation of loneliness creeping over her already. She watched him slip back into his shoes and clasped and unclasped her hands as she wondered what to say. She couldn’t show that she ‘needed’ him but he was the only person who could understand her.

“What?” he suddenly asked as he lifted his head to catch her staring at him. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no, no. I was just waiting for you to leave already. I’m so tired and need my sleep.”

His brows creased in consternation but he gave a small smile instead. “Whatever you say, your Majesty.”

“What did you call me?” Aurora asked, feeling her hackles already rising. “I was going to thank you for helping me out but I don’t think I will anymore.”

He shrugged and ran fingers through his hair. “If that makes you happy. I’ve done my duty and can safely tell Seki that I’m through with you. I hope you enjoy your stay here.” And hopefully I don’t see you again…although I doubt that.

Aurora growled as he lifted a hand in mock salute before making his way out of the apartment with a firm click of the door behind him. She stomped towards it and locked it, but all too quickly, the silence overwhelmed her…at least it would have been silent if it wasn’t for the sounds of gunshots from the television next door. The walls were rather thin here and sleep was going to be extremely fitful tonight. With a sigh, she began to peel out of her clothes, walking into the bathroom to wash her face. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, the enormity of the situation fell around her like a ton of bricks. She was in a foreign country with no real friends to guide her. How was she really going to survive?

(Adam)

“That idiot,” she muttered although her cheeks still filled with color at the thought of him. He had mocked her and if she ever saw him again, she’d make sure she gave him a piece of her mind.

She switched off the lights and crawled into the futon now dressed in only a pair of pink cotton panties. The bedding had a faint musty smell but was otherwise comfortable enough. For a long time she stared out of the glass doors and into the lit Tokyo skyline wondering what the day would hold for her tomorrow. She was no interior designer but she would have to get a curtain for the sliding door and some other things to make this place nicer…but for now…

(She yawned and closed her eyes.)

…she would have sweet and pleasant dreams of a life of riches which seemed oh so far away.