Marmalade Boy Fan Fiction ❯ Lonely Hearts ❯ Meeting ( Chapter 2 )

Warm. I was finally warm, after moving to New York in the middle of a scorching Texas fall. What was generating this delicious heat? Textbook probably, I'm sure my instrumental analysis book has absorbed enough of my body heat to finally give some of it back. Maybe this is just one of those daydreams I've been having.

"Elizabeth, you should take yourself to a doctor. Dreaming about warm books is an obvious sign of delirium."

Not wanting to lose an argument with myself I stopped there, and snuggled against my book, intending to rouse myself in a moment.

It wasn't my book I snuggled against.

It felt like fabric, heavy fabric, like a suit jacket. In fact, I think I felt a lapel brush against my cheek. Waking farther I felt the heavy warmth of what must have been an arm across my back. Was I dreaming? Had the old students' joke come true? Had I died while studying?

Not wanting to prolong the illusion, and wanting desperately for it to be true, I opened my eyes, prepared to find yet another horizontal view of my bedroom from atop a textbook.

I found myself gazing into a concerned pair of eyes the color of my own, set oddly in a very Asian face. The incongruity of it paralyzed me. How on earth could an Asian man have deep blue eyes? I couldn't look away. If this is death, why didn't I over-work myself earlier?

"Are you all right?" the stranger asked.

"Who are you? I didn't think angels wore suits." He looked confused, then grinned, an absolutely heart-melting grin.

"I'm no angel. My name is Satoshi Miwa; I'm visiting Yuu Matsuura from Japan. He's your neighbor, down the hall. Doris from next door knew you were sick and was worried when she heard something hit the floor and then didn't hear you cough. Are you ill?"

"Matsuura? Doris? I'm sorry, I don't know anyone's names, I moved in a few weeks ago and haven't met anyone yet; I've been studying. I have." Without waiting for me to be finished with it my voice gave out and a harsh coughing fit overtook me.

Satoshi's face hardened and looked a bit grim as I coughed into his chest, sorely wishing for a handkerchief. When I'd finished he swung me into his arms and stood up.

"Don't talk for a moment, please, that sounds awful. Have you been sick long?" He spoke while carrying me to my bed. Setting me down he spread my afghan over me, then sat on the bed next to me.

"You know, no one even knows your name, but everyone, even Koishkawa and Akizuki are worried."

"I'm sorry, I've had pneumonia for a few weeks now, and I didn't want to spread it to anyone else. I let myself get caught up in my work all week but perhaps I overdid it. What day is it?"

"You don't know what day it is?" he exploded, "How long have you been in here? What's so pressing that you're completely wrapped up in it? Have you been eating?"

"Well, I took a shower this morning, I think. I'm brushing up on some of my analytical techniques. I haven't been assigned a lab yet and I don't want to lose any time once I get in there. I have some carrots in my closet. What day is it?" I started coughing again. He helped me sit up, then got behind me and leaned me back so I was once again resting against his deliciously muscular chest. When he began to speak I could feel the rumble of his voice, ruining my concentration with images of what it might look like underneath the jacket.

"It's Friday. Do you really mean you haven't left this room, except for hygienic purposes, since you moved in? You should be eating properly and getting enough rest, so that you can get better. Your cough sounds dreadful. I'm afraid for you."

I was shocked. No one in a long time had cared about my health and well being like this, not since my roommate back in Texas. Even she'd backed off when she saw how driven I was about my work. I didn't know what to make of this Satoshi, whoever he was.

"I've always been like this, I work through my illness. If I let it stop me then I'd be surrendering. I can't do that. I went running a few days ago, so I have left the dorm. I ate dinner, um, it would have been…I don't remember." His arms seemed to tighten around me.

"Why don't you come to dinner with me? Yuu, Miki, Akizuki, and some of the students here are all coming. You could meet some neighbors, and I wouldn't have to take your books with me. I'd have to take them all, because I don't know which ones you need." He grinned, I swear, I could hear it in his voice. I wanted to look at his face. Swiveling around in his arms I saw I'd been right. He was grinning and I couldn't resist. The combination of his boyish charm, manly determination and flawless Asian features was irresistible. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair, to see if it was smooth as it looked, then stroke the firm line of his jaw until he purred like a cat against my chest. I felt something melt deep in my heart as I recalled my undergraduate obsession with Japanese culture and with men who looked precisely like this one. Dragging my mind back to his question, I somehow dredged up a response that made sense and didn't suggest anything about what I really wanted to do with him.

"I'd love to come to dinner with you. When do we leave, and what should I wear?" Honestly, how could he think anyone, especially me, could deny doing anything he asked?

"Well, I think we're going to leave as soon as I come out." No sooner had he said that than there was a tapping at my door.

"Miwa-san are you all right? Is she hurt? Should we call a doctor?" A woman's voice called out anxiously. Now that I was listening, it sounded like there were quite a few people standing outside my door. How long had they been there?

"Just a moment." Satoshi called out, adding something in a language I presume was Japanese, as long submerged memories seemed to confirm, based on the cadence and syllables. As I stood, effectively removing myself from his arms, I saw a flicker of emotion pass over his face, but it was gone before I could identify it and he shook his head, stood up and walked over to my door before I could move myself, or say anything. He was barely given the time to unlock it before the door burst open and six people burst into my room. Instinctively I shrank back.

Satoshi put his arm around me and greeted the group, "See, she's fine, has just been overworking and not taking care of herself. She's going to come to dinner with us." One of the young women, a brunette, came up and clasped my hand.

"You look so pale. Miwa-san is right; you are coming to dinner with us. I'm Doris, this is my roommate Jinny, her boyfriend Bill is upstairs with mine. His name is Brian. Jinny and I live in the room next door, and we were quite worried. I hope you don't mind, we asked Yuu to use his loft to make sure you were all right, because we couldn't get a hold of a key. Miwa-san volunteered to do the actual rescue. Oh! I guess I should go get Yuu and the others." She left the room then, and the effect of concentrating on the introductions and the explanations left me dizzy and weak. I suppose I did need to eat something substantial.

As I slumped against Satoshi the provocatively dressed blonde introduced herself as Jinny, Doris's roommate, and spoke in an ebullient tone.

"We'd heard you coughing all week, and Doris thought you were busy working on something, so I didn't want to bother you, but today really frightened me. Something horrible could have happened." Doris's unobtrusive concern reminded me of myself, at least in my more altruistic moments, while Jinny seemed to be cheerful, yet a bit simple.

"Thank you for noticing." was all I could reply. "I was sick before I moved up here, I think the climate change made it worse, and I didn't want to spread anything. I'm also here to finish my master's degree in chemistry and will be teaching some of the high school chemistry courses, so I've been studying and brushing up all week, as well as working on my research project. As soon as I get my lab assignment I can try to finish my polymer synthesis." The mention of my work drew blank faces, so I hurriedly continued. "I'm sorry I haven't been much of a neighbor."

"It's all right, we'll just have to try and all keep each other out of trouble from now on." She grinned at me. I was glad to have her for a neighbor; she and Doris might be able to help me keep things in perspective, like Jennifer.

"Got `em!" the jubilant cry rang out from the hallway. "This is Matsuura Yuu, and Koishkawa Miki, Yuu's roommate Bill; Brian's still putting away the rope, and this is Akizuki Meiko." Doris stumbled over the last name and looked hesitantly at an elegant brunette. The woman nodded politely, so I assumed that Doris had gotten the name correct. Akizuki Meiko was a bit intimidating, especially in my weakened state. She had a grace and presence that I rarely see and have never possessed. Everyone crowded into my room, pushing an adorable couple. The young man, Matsuura Yuu, I think, was tall and very fair for a Japanese man and extremely attractive, though not to my tastes so much as Satoshi was; while the young woman could only be described as vibrant. She looked thrilled to be alive, and thrilled to be with Yuu, I could only conjecture.

"Yuu, Miki, this is, um, this is," Satoshi tried to introduce me, belatedly, I suppose, realizing that no one in the room knew my name. I hadn't put a nameplate on my door yet, and no one had asked. He looked down at me a bit sheepishly. "What is your name?"

"I'm Elizabeth Fairfax." I could only manage a small smile, rather than a grin as I coughed. "It's nice to meet you all. Yuu, you live down the hall as well, right?"

"Yes, Bill and I live just a few doors down. We've got a loft you can star-gaze from beautifully. You should probably meet him" At his words a silvery blonde man stepped forward.

"Good afternoon. I'm Bill, Jinny's better half and Yuu's roommate, as you may have heard." He had a studious air about him, and I trusted him almost at once. "You gave us quite a fright." Before he could finish a robust red haired man walked up and slung his arm around Doris.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to coil the rope up or the coach'd kill me. Did I miss my introduction?" He favored me with a grin and extended a beefy hand for me to shake, which I did, a bit timidly. "Hi there, I'm Brian Grant." He offered no further information, and I was grateful for that, lost as I was in a morass of information already. Turning back to Yuu I asked him a question that had come to mind.

"And this is Miki Coshawa? Your girlfriend?" As soon as the words left me mouth I remembered Bill, but he didn't seem offended at my inattention to him as I concentrated on the girl's response.

"Koishkawa," the girl replied, "Yes, that is me. You can call me Miki. This is Meiko Akizuki. She is my friend." Miki's stilted English still managed to convey a sense of excitement, the opposite of the graceful young lady, Meiko, who extended her hand to me next

"Hello, I'm glad to see that Miwa-san found you unhurt. He's good at rescuing women in trouble." She shared a small smile with Satoshi before continuing, "I think everyone has been introduced now, shall we go to dinner, after Elizabeth changes clothes, if she'd like to?"

Then proceeded a brief flurry of translation, into Japanese for Miki, then back to English for me. I was fond of the translation, for most of it took the form of Satoshi speaking softly into my ear. His warm breath made me weak in the knees, and I was barely cognizant of what we were discussing, which turned to be dinner arrangements. After some sort of decision was made, utterly without my contribution, everyone trooped out. I could hear Doris and Jinny going next door. The last person to leave was Satoshi; this time he was the one to slowly extricate himself from my grasp on his arms.

"Wear something comfortable. We're going to a quiet place in town, rather casual, so it won't be a strain on you. I'll be just downstairs, please, call for me if you need help." Looking deep into his eyes, I nodded, and he left.

Within my limited wardrobe there are few uncomfortable pieces, so it wasn't hard to settle on a sweater and pair of slacks. Even though it was just the beginning of fall being warm had been a novelty today, and I wanted to preserve the feeling. I wanted to remember the way Satoshi's arms had felt around me, the way his eyes unerringly found mine, the way I felt he'd cared about me when he helped me.

"No! I can't delude myself. He lives in Japan, and probably already has a girlfriend, or a fiancée or a wife. Elizabeth, control yourself." With a stern admonition I freshened my face, brushed my teeth, and headed for the door.