Fat. Beautiful. Tasty. Ravenous.

Chapter 25

A/N: I know it's been a hot minute and my beta mentioned that she couldn't recall who Sakuya was in this chapter. So I wanted to recommend before we get into it that, if you also don't recall her, you go back a few chapters and reacquaint yourself with her. We haven't met her up until now but her name is brought up in chapter 11 and then what plays out in this chapter is discussed at the beginning of chapter 21. She's not a major character but she plays an important role in this chapter so I just don't want anyone to feel lost.

I joined Taishiro in having dinner with his mother again long before her monthly required dinner for her sons. Haruto doesn't come this time so it's only the three of us. She fusses over me and makes me feel like I'm already a part of her family. So much so that by the time we're getting ready to leave, I'm tempted to stay just to be cared for by someone so nurturing for a little bit longer.

"I wish my mom were as great as yours," I sigh, resting my chin in my palm as we wait for the train home.

Taishiro doesn't immediately respond but I can tell his eyes are on me. He heard me but he's thinking before he says anything.

"You don't really talk about her much. What's she like?"

I have to consider for a moment just how much I want to tell him; how much I should let myself get caught up in those memories.

"Our relationship is complicated, if we even have a relationship anymore."

Taishiro nods, listening intently, but is silent so I can continue.

"You know she was a single parent because I'm the result of a one night stand. But she never seemed to resent that. She wanted me and cared about me. Maybe, in a way, she saw my father in me or something. Who knows?"

Recalling how she was is starting to pull me into a place of sadness and loneliness I thought I'd forgotten until now.

"I was scouted by Tomoyo when I was fifteen. I was just modeling some trendy clothes at first and my mom was skeptical but didn't tell me not to do it. When I got an offer from a big name designer for a lingerie shoot that was a lot of money, I wanted to take it but my mom said I shouldn't be showing my body like that at my age."

The concerned look that comes to Taishiro's face says he's inclined to agree. But he doesn't understand that big breaks don't often just fall in your lap as a model or an actor or any industry that depends as much on luck as it does talent. If I had ignored the offer, another one could very likely have never come my way.

"I needed her approval in order to be allowed to do it but she was staunchly against it. I was desperate and panicking, thinking I'd miss my big break. So Tomoyo said I should consider emancipating myself from her if she was going to keep me from my work. Back then, I thought I was invincible and everything would go my way if I pushed hard enough so I..." I have to pause to brace myself for all of the emotions this brings up. I hadn't expected it to affect me so much after all this time, "I didn't end up doing that. But I fought with her one night and brought it up as something I was considering. She freaked out and finally just said she'd let me do the shoot."

I sigh, looking up at Taishiro, wondering if he's judging me for how terrible of a daughter I was to my mother. Looking back on that night, I do regret my words. The look on her face was nothing short of heartbroken and I felt nothing but satisfaction at it. I was awful. But nothing I said to her warranted what she did to me.

"I went that day to do the shoot and when I got back home, all of my stuff was gone. A key and address was left on the table, which were to a small apartment halfway across town. She'd moved it all there while I'd been gone. Didn't even leave a note. I got the message well enough, though, and we haven't spoken since."