“When you said your uncle set aside a couple of rooms for family use, you were really underselling it, man.” I stop in the middle of a living room the same size as the one back at home and sip my mocha as I stare around.
A love seat and two chairs face a large, flat-screen television mounted above a sleek desk with a single, pull out chair tucked under it. A small kitchen area off to one side offers a mini fridge, coffee pot, and a small sink. Two doors lead off to the left, while directly in front of us, french doors open onto a private patio, complete with snow covered lounge chairs. The steam of the hot spring mists the air, turning the mountains beyond hazy.
At night, it’ll be super romantic.
My eyes cut to Mei and Shiro. Too bad we have to share all the mood setting mist with those two.
Mei sweeps through the room with a cursory glance, as if used to this level of luxury when traveling.
Masa steps up to my side, suitcase in hand and my backpack thrown over one shoulder. He cradles his Americano in his free hand as he takes in the room. “This is really nice, Shiro. Thanks for inviting us.”
When Shiro drove us farther up the mountain to one of the private cabins, I was surprised and apprehensive, but it makes sense if this is the one for the family. While it will be a trek back to the main lodge for food, the privacy makes up for it.
I wander over to the kitchen area, set my mocha on the counter, and open the fridge. In the next instant, I straighten with a cellophane wrapped package clutched in both hands, my tail bapping with excitement.
“We got a gift basket!” I peer through the clear plastic and clutch it to my chest. “Forget what I said! There is no basket!”
“Must be chocolate,” Mei snarks as she walks toward the first door. “Are these the bedrooms?”
“Yes.” Shiro hurries after her, dragging her heavy luggage behind. Girl packed way too much for a short trip. “There’s a shared bath between them.”
“We have to share a bathroom, too?” She grips the knob. “There better be a lock!”
I peek over my shoulder at Masa. “Guess that leaves us with the second bedroom.”
He lifts a brow and edges closer. “Guess it does.”
Gift basket clutched tight, I make a run for the closed door.
Despite the suitcase and Americano, Masa’s longer legs bring him there faster, but he has to fumble with the coffee when he reaches the closed door.
I duck under his arm, grab the knob, and fling it open. Throwing myself onto the first queen-sized bed, I thrust the gift basket into the air in victory. “I win!”
The door slams shut, and Masa drops the bags, sets his coffee on the nightstand, and pounces on top of me.
For the second time today, the air whooshes from my lungs, and I wiggle beneath him, wheezing, “What are you doing? Get off!”
He props himself up on his elbows to smile down at me. “I’m delivering your prize.”
I bop him between the horns with my basket. “This is my prize.”
In answer, he pushes it out of my hands. It bounces across the bed, rolls off the side, and lands with a crinkle on the floor. “Now I’m your prize.”
“Well, if you insist.” My arms lift to wind around his neck. “Where were we?”
He ducks down to brush his lips across mine. “Here?”
“Hmm.” I tug him closer. “More like here.”
“I am not sharing that room with you!” Mei shrieks, and a moment later, the door to the bathroom slams open. Face flushed, she storms into our bedroom. “I’m bunking in here with you guys!”
With a frustrated groan, I turn a glare on her. “Come on, Mei. Aren’t you done being a cock blocker?”
Masa chuffs with amusement and rolls to one side, taking all that delicious weight with him.
Grumbling, I sit up. “There’s separate beds, Mei. Shiro’s not going to attack you in the middle of the night.”
“Look at what he set up before you make that promise!” She points a shaky finger back the way she came. “I knew he was a perv, but this is taking it to a new level!”
“Mei, I told you, this is supposed to be Masa and Sota’s room.” Shiro appears in the doorway, red with embarrassment. “I promise, I didn’t set this up for us!”
Curious now, I roll off the bed and skirt past Shiro, through the five-piece bath, and into the adjoining room. I freeze in the doorway, eyes wide, before laughter escapes. Flower bouquets with snow drop blossoms mixed in cover every flat surface and giant, three-pointed straw crosses hang over the beds. A bigger gift basket sits at the foot of one bed, and a bottle of sparkling cider waits on the nightstand.
Shiro’s quiet voice comes from behind me. “I’m so, so sorry. When I told my uncle two of my friends had gotten engaged, I never thought he’d do something like this.”
“It’s only a promise ring!” I protest, and wave my right hand to show off the gold band, but my tail flutters at the word engaged.
“Let me see.” Masa comes up behind me, and his hands settle on my shoulders. “Whoa, Shiro, those are some big fertility crosses.”
Laughing, I pat my flat stomach. “Wanna try to get me pregnant, Poptart?”
“Don’t mind if I do, Toaster!” Masa bends and scoops an arm under my knees.
“Mei!” I yell through my laughter as my mate strides toward the bed. “Bring me my gift basket! I’m gonna need the miracle of chocolate to make this happen!”
Mei comes stomping back in and throw it hard enough to bounce off the padded headboard. “You’re not having sex in the same room I’m sleeping in!”
Masa freeze before he twists around. “I thought you wanted the other room.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I said I’m sharing the room with you guys.”
Masa drops me back to my feet, the humor of the moment gone. “Mei, you can’t be serious.”
Stubborn now, her chin juts out.
“It’s okay.” Shiro shuffles his feet unhappily. “I can sleep on the couch.”
“Dude.” My hands move to my hips. “Not even I could be comfortable on that couch.”
Masa’s hand smooths down my spine. “You can take the other bed in here, Shiro.”
My tail stiffens, but I keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to complain about sharing when he was nice enough to bring us all out here.
Shiro rubs the back of his neck. “No offense, but much as I totally love how affectionate your guys are, I’m not sure I want to be right next to you, if you… You know what I mean.”
My hands fly up to cover my face. “Oh, my god, we wouldn’t have sex in front of you! We can control ourselves, man!”
“Why does he get to share with you and not me?” Mei thumps her chest.
I throw my hands up. “Because he’s not being an unreasonable dick right now!”
With a heavy sigh, Masa’s hand falls from my back. “I’ll share with Mei. Shiro, you can share with Sota.”
“The fuck that’s happening!” Stomping past Mei, I return to the other room, grab my backpack, and stomp back. “Mei and I will share. Masa, have fun with Shiro.”
Silent, Shiro grabs his bag and takes it into the other room.
Mei hurries to claim the bed closest to the door, dragging her suitcase up onto the white comforter.
Masa cups the back of my neck and pulls my stiff body against his. “Don’t worry, it’s just for when we’re sleeping.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I push him away before the stinging in my eyes gets any worse.
So much for our sexy getaway.
As soon as Masa follows Shiro out, I stomp over to Mei. “Why are you being such a bitch? You’re ruining this trip for everyone!”
“Well, excuse me for being shocked to walk in on this!” She waves an angry hand at all the decorations. “How was I supposed to react?”
“It was a mistake. You’re supposed to laugh it off.”
“I know that!” Her shoulders begin to shake, and she lets out a wet sniffle. “God, I’m so stupid sometimes. Why can’t I ever react the right way?”
At her next choked off gasp, all the fight goes out of me. How am I supposed to be angry when she’s crying?
Her fists clutch the short skirt she pulled out of her suitcase. “I shouldn’t have come in the first place. I knew something like this would happen.”
One side of my mouth kicks up as I take in the room. “You knew Shiro’s uncle would go over the top and decorate one of the rooms like a freaking bridal suite?”
She hiccups, and her shoulders shake harder.
“Mei...” Gently, I tug the skirt from her clenched fingers and set it back in the open suitcase. “Look, don’t cry. I don’t mind sharing a room with you tonight.”
A wet sob escapes, and her tail curls around her calf in self-comfort.
Hesitant, I put my hand on her shoulder. Besides my mom, I’ve never had to comfort anyone before, never had a friend besides Masa to practice comforting on. And Masa wasn’t a lot of help in that department. I’ve seen a ton of emotions from him, but when he’s sad, it’s usually because I did something stupid. He doesn’t want comfort from me when I’m the cause, he just wants me to do better, be better, so I don’t hurt him again.
With Mei, I’m at a loss. Do I hug her? Stroke her hair? Mom used to do that when I was a kid. My hand lifts, but I hesitate to ruin the cute braids Mei put in her hair for the trip. My hand drops back to the white knit sweater she wears. It goes nicely with her light-gray skirt over sparkly, white tights. White stuffing pokes out of the top of her calf high boots and little pom poms hang from strings on the side to dance with every step.
She really went all out with her outfit today.
I peek into her suitcase to find carefully arranged outfits I’ve never seen her wear at school. Soft purples, grays, and whites to match the hot spring. The silky sleeve of a kimono flutters out of one side, the watery blues and greens perfect for a hot spring trip.
A suitcase filled with outfits to impress. But impress who?
I study her profile. No matter how much she teases about it, she gave up on Masa as soon as we officially hooked up.
Which only leaves...
She sniffles again. “You’re shit at comforting, you know that?”
“Yeah, I am.” I stuff my hands in my pockets. “Should I go get Masa? He’s pretty good at it.”
“No!” She whips around, her eyes wide. Mascara forms black panda circles under her eyes and leaves dirty tear tracks down her carefully blushed cheeks. “He can’t see me like this!”
“Okay, hold on.” I spin and hurry back through the bathroom.
When I pause in the opposite doorway, Masa sends me a questioning look. I give him a silent shake of my head as I close the bathroom door to their room. I grab one of the soft white hand towels that wait in a stack next to the sink and run it under hot water before returning to my room.
Mei now sits on the edge of the bed, turned slightly to one side to hide her face in case the others pop back in.
When I walk to her side and hold out the damp cloth, she takes with a muttered, “Thank you.”
“So”—I sit on the bed next to her as she wipes at her face—“care to explain why you really freaked out about this room?”
She freezes for half a second, before moving the cloth over her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Any logical, single person, traveling with two people who recently exchanged promise rings”—I hold my right hand in front of her face so she can’t miss the gold band around my finger—“would assume this room was set up for them.”
She slaps my hand away with one damp palm.
“But you”—I prod her in the arm—“went straight to the assumption that Shiro set all this up for you.”
She glares at me from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, okay, I’m self-centered.”
“And full of expectation. You were expecting Shiro to make some big gesture like this for you.” I bend to the side to look her in the face. “And you’re crying because he didn’t.”
Her lips part on a sharp intake of breath, and she shakes her head in violent protest.
Undeterred, I singsong, “You like Shiro!”
She throws the wet hand towel at me. “I do not!”
Laughing, I pluck the now cold cloth from my lap. “Mei and Shiro, sitting in a tree—”
“Shut up!” She shoves me, and I slip off the sleek comforter.
I land with a loud thump on the floor, and pain shoots up my spine. “Ow.”
Her foot nudges my shoulder. “Serves you right.”
A knock comes from the door to the living room, followed by Masa’s concerned voice. “Everything okay in there?”
“Mei broke my butt!” I yell, then flinch away as the vicious girl kicks me again.
The door flings open, and a worried Masa hurries inside. His eyes find me right away on the floor, and he glances between the two of us. “Whose fault is this really?”
“Sota’s!” Mei shouts at the same time I yell, “Mei’s!”
Sighing, Masa kneels at my side. “You really need to come back to the gym, if Mei can take you down.”
“Hey, I could take Sota even if he did work out!” Mei rises with a small pink case in her hand and stomps to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
“She’s likely right.” I lift my arms toward Masa and make grabby hands at him. “Help?”
Masa bends closer, but instead of lifting me, his lips brush my ear. “I thought I was the only one allowed to break your butt.”
I shiver with yearning, and my arms circle his neck. “How’s that going to happen with our current sleeping arrangements?”
“We’ll figure it out.” His arms band around my waist, and he stands easily, my feet dangling above the floor. His large hands cup my ass. “Did you really hurt yourself?”
I run my lips up the column of his strong neck. “Nothing a little massage won’t cure.”
“No sex in our room!” Mei shouts from the bathroom.
My head jerks up, and I stare at the closed door. “She’s got evil perception. And horrible timing.”
“Yes, yes she does.” With a final squeeze, Masa sets me back on my feet. “Come on, let’s help Shiro clear off the patio. He’s having food delivered, and it will be here soon.”