The City Didn't Make Me Fall (OHSHC)

Chapter 18: Meeting the Mom

Paris with Tamaki, France in general, was a whole new experience from the one I had known. This one was the life of luxury, and I had hung out in arcades and clubs and my quaint little apartment, turned a blind eye away from vandalism.

During my seven years here, I felt like, at least as close as I could get to, a commoner. But there is nothing wrong with that.

"Tamaki, after supper tonight, can we not do anything overly expensive? We could go out to a bar, or go clubbing. We could do fun things with a little money, not a lot," I asked him this as we got ready to leave in the morning. We were having breakfast with her.

"Are you sure? There's a lot that I could show you..."

"There's a lot that I could show you, too. I lived here for about half the time that you did, and I lead a completely different life from you, as far as I can tell."

He smiled, "We can do a little bit of both. We can experience your Paris during the night while we explore mine during the day. Deal?"

"I suppose. Only because I love you, though."

He walked up and hugged me from behind, "Great. Are you ready to go?"

I checked myself over once in the mirror, "Yes. I suppose."

"You look wonderful. You could be in a burlap sack and you would look wonderful. It's the girl that's important, not the clothes she wears," he tells me this soothingly.

I'm not sure what came over Tamaki, but he started getting really nervous in the car. He began rambling as well.

"Oh, maybe we shouldn't go see her. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Tamaki mentioned this as his leg bounced nervously.

I placed my hand on his knee, "She's expecting us, Tamaki. We can't just cancel now."

"Sure we can. We could tell her that I woke up feeling ill."

"Tamaki, no," my voice is stern now. "It's been nine years since you last saw your mother, and you want to avoid her?"

"Kasumi, what if she doesn't recognize me? What if I've changed beyond recognition?!" He was suddenly even more panicked.

My thumb gently moved across the outer side of his knee, "You're her baby boy, Tamaki. Her only child, at that. Mom's always recognize their babies, no matter how long it's been or how old they are."

"But what if she does forget me?"

I gave his knee a squeeze, "Tamaki, you're unforgettable. She'll take one look at you and she'll see that jovial young boy that she knew you as."

"I hope you're right."

"The day that I went to see you after I came home, the first thing I saw was the 17 year old boy I left behind, but then I saw the man you had grown into. Every time I look at you, I see a piece of that boy in you. If I didn't see you for a whole decade or two, I would still remember you, Tamaki, because when I finally did she you again, I would see that boy."

"Are you saying that when you see me, you see a boy?" he seemed hurt.

"No, god no," I moved from resting my hand on his knee to holding his hand. "I'm saying that when I see you, I'm see a piece of the person I first fell in love with."

It brought a small smile to his face, "There's so much in life that you deserve, and I hope I get the chance to give it all to you," he whispered this to me gently, squeezing my hand.

At least I had managed to take his mind off of his nerves.

The two of us walked to the door hand-in-hand. Tamaki looked in my direction in a pleading way. With a sigh, I reached up and pressed the doorbell.