French Cup: A Neighborhood Story

Chapter 116: -Gyeong-Wan- You're a Pink Rabbit

The bright lights of the men's clothing store was jarring after the cold winter's day we'd left behind. Hand in hand, we'd walked the rest of the way after the Uber had dropped us off. This bustling part of the city, but I only had eyes for him. There was only about thirty more minutes for us to shop once we'd arrived, but I found I didn't care.

The present he'd brought me had changed my life, and the information he'd told me had changed it even impossibly more.

It had been a whirlwind. 

This shirt I had dreamed of. He'd brought it to me unprompted. I hadn't been thinking of what I wanted to wear to the dance. All day again, I'd been called about the dance by everyone. My former co-workers and my friends as well. The way the hotel was bringing together the dance was as remarkable as it was fast. They really knew how to put on an event, and it showed. The coordinated effort. How professional they were. It touched my heart, how much they were paying attention to the details. But, it had been distracting.

I wasn't thinking about myself, just everyone else. Would they be comfortable, in more ways than one? Going into business mode unintentionally, directing. Knowing what we had in stock for events and parties and trying to go off that to come up with themes. But, all the while I was distracted by something else.

"Gyeong-Wan, how many people can I bring to the dance?"

"Gyeong-Wan, what kind of sound system does the hotel have? What do we need to supply?"

"Gyeong-Wan, make sure they play some country music. Yes, I know that's not very popular, but I like this song..."

How excited everyone was getting. With every phone call, it just grew and grew. This feeling. I wanted that feeling, too. 

But, I was getting tired. My brain was excited, but my body was exhausted. I'd even left French Cup early, saying I needed to feed Kuro. I hadn't wanted to leave Kazuya. He'd seemed deep in thought as well, paying attention to everyone. He was serving ice cream again, and this seemed to be a new staple that was highly welcome with their customers. I certainly had eaten another large chocolate ice cream cone without a thought as to the calories and I'd been so happy about that. 

But, I'd gotten too tired to stay. Wanting to rest up, so I'd have more energy for the dance. There still was another whole day to go, the last day to prepare. What would that be like? So I had to be ready. But, as soon as I'd gotten to my hotel room, I'd realized I was too excited to sleep. Not to mention the phone calls that were still streaming in. These were much too important to ignore. They went along with each other. As soon as I'd get a concern from someone in our community, I'd get a corresponding phone call with someone from the hotel needing that information it seemed. 

So, the afternoon went. I'd watched Kuro eating kibble and fielded phone call after phone call. Happy to do so, but my eyes were closed as I talked by the end. 

Imagine my surprise when there was a knock on my door. I knew it couldn't be the hotel being that invasive. Even our housekeepers were instructed never to disturb a guest. But, I wasn't a guest. So, I'd gotten up on that logic, my body not wanting to leave the bed with everything in itself.

Oh, but how I woke up when I opened the door. Such a pleasant sight. 

There he was, smiling at me. Such a contentedness on his face. What a relief it was to see that face. As if there was nothing wrong in the world. Something I hadn't seen for weeks. It seemed like such a very long time ago, as if nothing awful had happened. It was as if it were erased. A true smile, on the face of the man I love. 

He'd smiled at me in the doorway, and as I'd let him inside, I noticed the bag hanging from his hands. He'd given it to me eagerly, explaining he'd been at a menswear store. He'd been looking for his own outfit, and he'd started rambling.