Feels Like the First Time

Chapter Ten - Dinner Party

The house in front of me looked like nothing I'd seen in Japan. Although there were clearly some elements of Japanese architecture, this house looked like the large houses back in England. The rooves overhung more than I was used to and they weren't as steep but there were three floors making the house look square from the front. There was a porch that came out into the driveway that was nothing more than a covering over the path leading the door. The entire house was white with dark brown definitions that were made to look like structural beams.

I was completely amazed and confused by this house but I didn't have long to think about it as Takashi made his way towards the dark wood door under the porch. I rushed to catch up with him and, by the time I'd reached the door, it had already been opened. The interior was very clearly Japanese with light walls, dark wood flooring and an open-plan structure. There were no pictures on the walls and only a few decorations of hanging scrolls with calligraphy and art that was rather colourless. Takashi walked through to a large dining room with a table that could easily seat sixteen people made from the same colour wood as the floors.

"Hannah-chan!" came a familiar shout as my eyes took in the ornate detailing on the chairs. I looked up to see Honey in front of me and I smiled at him warmly.

"Your home is beautiful!" I said, although I found the house a bit confusing, it really was beautiful. "Thank you so much for inviting me." Honey chuckled in response and grabbed my hand, dragging me behind him toward a petite woman with long black hair.

"Reiko! This is Hannah-chan!" The black haired woman turned to face me with a bored, blank look. Her dark grey eyes latched onto mine. I think I'm going to like this girl, I thought as I saw that her look was blank by default but her eyes held a strong intelligence.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I greeted with a deep bow. I looked up to see her eyes slightly wide and she quickly echoed my actions and statement. My face lit up with a warm smile, similar to the one I had around Honey. "Honey hasn't stopped talking about you! He said that I had to come to dinner to meet you."

Her mouth opened and shut again as if she didn't know what to say in response and I chuckled slightly. Honey was right, she certainly is cute, I noted as a small blush lit up her face. I took the moment to quickly examine her; she wore no makeup, as she didn't need it, her dark hair framed her face in sharp layers and she wore a beautiful black dress that had full length sleeves and a high lace neck.

"I love your dress! It's beautiful!" I gushed making her blush grow.

"Thank you," she said in a soft voice.

"Hannah-chan, what's in the bag?" Honey asked as he bounced to Reiko's side. I looked down at the small gift bag I had in my hand and then handed it to him with a smile. He grinned at me and pulled out the bottle of Irish Cream liquor that I'd bought for the dinner.

"I know you like sweet things so I thought you should give this a go. It's really tasty with ice." I informed them both with a soft smile.

"We should have some now!" Honey declared.

"It's usually better with dessert." I said my smile becoming amused. "It would be best to put it in the fridge until then if you would like to try it."

"Okay, I'll go put it in the fridge."

I smiled at Reiko again as Honey skipped off to what I assumed was the kitchen. She had a very slight smile on her face and it struck me how similar she was to Takashi. The main difference was that she seemed timid where Takashi, well, he's just quiet.

"So you and Honey met at school?" I asked Reiko, trying to make some conversation. She nodded in response.

"Were you together when he was part of the Host club?" Again she nodded.