The Alias

Fifteen

This chapter changes POVs twice. The letter in between the asterisks represents the first letter of their names (M=Matsuda; A=Akihito).

"Wait, Matsu, I made you lunch!" I stated as Matsu half ran, half pulled up his pants towards the door.

"Thanks, Aki," he beamed, wrapping me in a quick hug. He let me go and nearly made it through the door before I spotted his very unevenly knocked tie.

"Wait, wait, wait. You are not going to work like that." I walked over and re-tied his tie while he stared down at me.

I patted his chest and exclaimed, "Done. Now you'd better hurry up or you'll be late."

He smiled, his cheeks dusted pink and pecked me on the cheek before leaving. Once I was sure he was gone and not coming back, I called the moving company and asked them to come and move everything from this apartment to my new condo.

It was hard not to use the house phone to dial-up Matsu and tell him the good news, but the expression on his face when he realized what I'd done was worth the wait.

*M*

"Hey, Matsuda wanna go out with us for lunch?" Ide asked me.

"No, thanks. I brought my own," I answered, holding up my brown bag. Aizawa snickered, and I looked at the bag noticing a big heart on the front. I quickly put the bag down and felt my cheeks heat up.

"Who made you that? Your mother?" Aizawa laughed.

"N-No. M-My um... uh... Girlfriend made it?" I stuttered. Well, she is a girl, and she is my friend.

"Girlfriend? I didn't know you had it in ya, Matsuda," Mogi admitted and elbowed me in the side. I awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah..." Ryuzaki walked up to me skeptically and plucked a long piece of hair off my tie.

"What's this?" he asked. I gulped and could feel sweat building on the back of my neck.

"Haha. It's probably my girlfriend's hair. She was just over yesterday," I replied a bit too fast for my liking. "Well, I'd better get going and eat my lunch. I wouldn't want it to get gross." Not bothering to hear any answer, I sped-walked out of the room and sat at a table in the lobby ripping open my bag and pulling out the contents. There was a container of green tea, a small bowl of rice, nimono vegetables, thin-sliced stir-fried pork and bean sprouts, and a bowl of miso soup in a big plastic to-go container she must've gotten from the store while I was at work yesterday. Why would she go through the trouble of making this for me?

I mentally thanked Aki and began to dig in until I noticed a thick white ring on one of my black chopsticks. I tried sliding it off and to my avail, it came off with ease. I unrolled it and in messy scrawl was the message:

"Come to this address and DO NOT come home first. Go straight here after work

20-9-20 The House Minamiazabu, Minato-ku

Room 18200

Tokyo 221-2020"

An apartment address? Why would she send me there? Unless... She bought herself an apartment and wants me to see it? No, she couldn't have done that. I know she got that new job where she works the night hours, but she couldn't possibly have afforded her own apartment yet. And besides, she seems so happy with me.

I sunk down in my chair and sighed. Is she really moving? I'm already used to the idea of coming home to her every night.

***