You Will Marry Me - Chapter 3：You Will Marry Me 21

“Aki?” That voice. I was shocked. It couldn’t be.

“Nakumi?” I tilted my head up, met by a face full of concern and curiosity. Long, wavy black hair tied up in a messy ponytail, and hazel eyes that looked into my soul; had she gone to a salon? She was bending down to examine my face, holding an umbrella in her hand to block the water. I pried my eyes off of her and found another woman looking at her, standing by a black limousine. “Is that you?” I still couldn’t believe my eyes, a part of me thought it was some kind of dream or hallucination.

“What…happened to you? You know what, no.” She stood up, moving her umbrella to cover me. “Come with me, I’ll take you to my home. You can explain once you dry yourself off.” She extended a hand to me, giving me a subdued smile. I timidly reached out for it, then she pulled me up onto my feet and led me to the back of the limo. It was rather empty, but it was outfitted with a multitude of luxuries. Aside from the two of us, there was the person waiting outside the limo earlier and the driver. The silence was palpable, and I was seated in the back with Tano looking at me. “Here, take this.” She reached down, pressing a button and pulling out a towel from a compartment that opened up. “Dry yourself up as best you can. I don’t want you getting sick.” She crossed her legs, playing with her fingers while not taking her eyes off of me. “Can we go faster?” She turned, asking the woman. She relayed the message to the driver, also looking at me with curious eyes.

“Thank you.” Those were the last words that were uttered during the drive. Our destination was a luxurious suburban street. She got some looks as she walked in with me in tow, she didn’t have to do this. Whispering something to the woman, she sent her off to do something with the limo. While I was waiting, I looked around at the other people living in the area, they all felt familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I had seen them before.

“Follow me.” She grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the door of a lavish house with two or three stories. This felt familiar like we were kids again. I smiled, running a bit to stand by her side instead of behind her. The two of us reached the door as she pulled out a set of keys which she quickly used to unlock the door. “Come on, let’s get out of the rain.” She giggled as she looked at me again. “It’s like when we were kids, you always came over to my place.” Smiling wide, she radiated a warmth that only made me feel colder. Knowing her, she was forcing that smile to make me feel better. My hunch was proven by her frantic dash to get inside, though why she ran remained a mystery to me.

I wondered if she was still hypnotized. “Yeah…” I replied, swallowing my fear and pride in order to test if it was still in place. “Get me food,” I said, wincing and shutting my eyes as I bossed her around after all these years. I heard her footsteps heading for another room.

“Go take a bath, I’ll have some food ready for when you’re done.” She said as she peeked her head out from the doorway. “It’s upstairs, first door to the left.”

She was still under my control…I could’ve taken everything from her then and there. Just tell her to give me all of her money then leave her. But…

“I missed you, Aki. We should catch up.” She said, looking up at me as I reached the halfway point of the stairs. Seeing that I was already making my way to the bathroom, she smiled wider than she did earlier, and that smile felt warmer and made her looked relieved. She was concerned about me, making me rethink my situation again. After a short pause, I finally gave my reply.

“Yeah…we should,” I said, looking back at her from my spot. For a moment, it felt like we were neighbors again. I followed her instructions and entered the bathroom. If it could be in a bathroom, it was in this bathroom. A hot tub, showers, a mini-bar, etc. I just stood there for a few moments, mouth agape at what I was looking at. I managed to get back to my senses and took a shower. It was the best shower I had in a while, warm water and nice shampoo made it feel a thousand times better than my usual cold morning showers. I found a nearby towel and then I realized that I was in a predicament. “My clothes are still soaked…” I muttered to myself while drying my hair.

“Aki…are you done yet?” Her voice got my attention, originating from the other side of the door.

“I am. But, I don’t have a change of clothes.” As far as I was concerned, this reunion wasn’t going well. She found me on the street, soaked by the rain; now I’m naked in her bathroom due to my lack of clothes. “Sorry, give me a minute. I’ll just put these back on.”

“Open the door a bit, I have a change of clothes for you. Oh, by the way, dinner’s ready.” I wondered for a moment where she got men’s clothes, especially ones large enough to fit me, but I pushed those thoughts aside. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I sighed, they fit a bit too well, showcasing my large stomach and flabby arms. I was pathetic, so why was she still doing this for me?

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I noticed a slip of paper stick out from under it. It was one of those mirrors that were also cabinets, so I had an easy time finding out what that paper was. It was the corner of a similar magazine that I usually found in her, and her parents’ rooms magazine. Some things never change, I guess. I chuckled to myself before I gave it a second look. “Nakumi…” I dropped it out of shock, my hands going up to my mouth to steady them. My heart started beating faster as I looked at her image on the glossy paper. “She…oh my god…she’s…” I couldn’t dwell on it for long since a knock came to the door.

“Hurry up! There’s so much we have to talk about!” Her voice was irate. How long was I in here? I opened the door, finding that she had also changed into more casual clothes and removed her makeup. Her figure was mature, seductive, and without a doubt, the most gorgeous she’d ever looked in all the years I’ve known her at that point in time. Even if she wore nothing but an oversized white tee and a pair of baggy shorts, she still looked stunning. “Come on!” Grabbing my hand, she led me down the stairs to a table.

It was a simple meal of rice and some grilled chicken breasts along with some sauces. If it wasn’t for the fact that the rest of the room looked like it came out of some billionaire’s house, then I’d have thought that we were back at her place from when her mom used to cook for us. “Thanks for the food,” I said before even sitting down, still amazed at how well off she was. “So, Nakumi…how’ve you been? I assume you’re doing well.” I sat down first, allowing the scent to reach my nose; it smelled wrong but I couldn’t tell you why until I had touched it with my fork. The rice was decently cooked, but the chicken was tough; I could tell it was dry just by pressing the back of my fork into it.

“It’s all thanks to you.” She said as she joined me at the table. She looked down at the plates of food with a worried look on her face. “If you hadn’t done that in high school, then I wouldn’t be where I am now.” She smiled, pushing away whatever was worrying her to the side and slicing some of the chicken up. “In a way, I’m kind of happy to have found you on the street earlier. It gives me a chance to thank you. So…feel free to eat?” The way she worded that last part of the sentence made me sigh. I knew it.

“Because of me? I wouldn’t say that…I did make you move away, after all.” I said humbly, cutting some food for myself and placing it in my mouth. It was bitter, charred and burnt on the underside. “Delicious…” I forced myself to lie. “Did you make it yourself?” I asked, looking up at her and finding her red with shame. She forced herself to take a bite, squirming uncomfortably as her arms wrapped around her chest and slipped between her thighs.

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.” She said solemnly, slamming her head on the table in defeat. “I can’t cook at all. I’m sorry.” I sighed, standing up from my seat and walking over to the cupboards and fridge.

“If you don’t mind. I’d like to repay you for your hospitality. Should I try to make dinner?” My question made her raise her head back up, looking at me curiously.

“You can cook?” She asked, biting her bottom lip before licking it in anticipation. “If you can, then I have to find another way to pay you back for highschool.” She crossed her arms and rested her head on her palm, pushing up her cleavage to allow me to get a better look at their heft.

“Cookbooks are quite useful,” I replied after gulping down some saliva that had collected in my mouth. Then I turned to her cheekily, grinning wide. When was the last time this grin came naturally, I wonder? Her kitchen was stocked with all sorts of ingredients that I’d never seen outside of cookbooks and internet videos. Settling on some stir-fried beef, to make use of the rice, I began cutting up the meat.

“I…” I said, stopping my hands and resting the knife on her kitchen counter. I turned to face her again; she was looking at me with a smile on her face, but it wasn’t a smile of entitlement or pride, nor was it one driven by lust or seduction, no it was a much simpler smile. “I’m a failure.” It hurt to make that smile fade.

“What?”

“I…dropped out…and I have been struggling to make ends meet for the past two years. I’m sorry that you had to find me like this.” My voice sank, along with my heart. Shameless…I was shameless. I didn’t know what I could do to face her now that she knew, but I couldn’t lie to her. Her lips trembled, her face filled with bewilderment. “I can’t even afford a glass of beer right now, well I could have earlier, but I ran into a kid that needed some help.”

“Aki. Would you…” She began talking, stopping herself with her hands as she stood up. “I…I have to make a call. Be right back.” And with that, I was left all alone yet again. I thought that she would kick me out, and it looked like it was going to happen. Well, I wanted to make myself useful, at least. I returned to the meat, cutting it up and seasoning it before throwing it in a pan.

“I hope she likes it.” I plated up once it was ready, set it on the table, then I left for the bathroom. I grabbed all of my clothes, they were still wet. My feet felt heavier, I didn’t want to leave, but I was just leaching off of her now. I had to go.

“Aki? Where are you going?” Sadly, I couldn’t just disappear, since she spotted me as I reached the stairs. “Are you planning on going out in the rain?” Caught redhanded, I just stood there speechless.

“I can’t stay here. I can’t take any more from you. Thank you, Nakumi.” I said, but it made my spine chill up.

“Aki…how would you feel about living with me?” My brain shortcircuited with that statement, leaving me staring at her with my mouth agape. “I…it’s empty here. And I really want to pay you back, because none of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for you.” She said, placing a hand on her chest. “If it wasn’t for your photos, I never would’ve gotten my job. So let me thank you, let me pay you back!” Those words carried a strange combination of emotions and implications. Thankful, remorseful, excited, hopeful, and concern. Perhaps sorrow was mixed in as well since she was about to break into tears.

“But…I can’t give you anything. Are you sure about this?” I asked, flabbergasted by the sudden development. This was too good to be true, I must’ve been dreaming.

“I am. But, I can’t let you stay here for free…” She said, making me sigh. Of course, there had to be a catch. “So…be my boyfriend.”

“What?”

“I-I mean…if you already have a girlfriend, that’s fine. Forget I asked.” Her face had turned red now, and she was slowly making her way up the stairs. “But if you don’t, then you can stay here and I’ll help you.”

This was too much. I don’t deserve this, but somehow I felt a warmth spread through my body. “If you’re okay with me. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” I bowed, momentarily forgetting about how this whole situation started. “Please take care of me.” I felt her arms wrap around me as she pulled me into an embrace.

“Aki, I missed you. I was happy that it turned out like this, but I wish I could’ve done it without moving away.” She pushed me away slightly to look at my face. She brushed my hair aside, gazing into my eyes with her hazel irises. I didn’t know how to describe the feeling, but it felt warmer than joy, brighter than hope, calmer than peace. She led me to her room, which would become our room, and the two of us slept next to each other for the first time in a long time. “We have a lot of time to make up for what we lost.”

I settled in soon enough, moving my things from my apartment to the house the next day. After that, the two of us went over some terms. I would become a househusband essentially, doing chores and making our meals, while she left to work. It seemed perfect. I was being taken care of by my childhood friend, who was also the most beautiful woman I know, in a luxurious home without a care in the world. But I was no fool. It hadn’t even been a week before the rumors started popping up online. Slanderous articles about how she let a slob like me into her home, outrageous theories that thought I was blackmailing her into accommodating me. “I can’t let it go on like this,” I muttered to myself as I read one of the more venomous stories.

I thought up a plan and waited for the day that I could set it in motion. One day, after she left with her manager for work, I finally had my chance. I recorded something on my phone before I locked myself in the bathroom. Pulling out the old book, I faced the mirror after propping up my phone and hitting play. Soon, my voice began counting down as I shut my eyes and placed my index finger on my forehead. Touching my face in a specific way, I felt my consciousness fade slightly as my recording sounded off after the countdown reached zero.

“Alright, open your eyes. Your first command is to listen to the other commands, even when out of this trance.” My voice snapped me back. “Second, you’re going to turn your life around. Do anything you can to make Nakumi proud to call you her boyfriend. Get fit, get a job, anything.” It felt strange, to say the least. It felt like my parents were asking me to do something. It wasn’t as if my body was out of my control, but it was extremely compelling and it felt rewarding to listen to it. “And finally, you’ll try to get back on your feet and become independent. Find a way to finish your education. Snap out of the trance and act like how you normally would. Good luck.” With that, the recording ended and I shook my head. Was this how she felt every time?

I left the bathroom, finding Tano standing nearby. “Oh, I left something behind. Were you doing something in there?” She asked me as she walked past me. Her words felt different somehow, more curious and questioning than usual.

“Not really. What do you want to eat when you get back?” I asked as I made my way down the stairs. She yelled her answer from the bathroom, waving me goodbye as she got what she needed and left for work again. I made plans to go out grocery shopping for the ingredients later. Now, I returned to the bedroom and got on the floor. “Alright. Let’s go.” I say to myself as I began doing situps.

Every day, whenever I had the house to myself, I would either work on my body or take some online learning courses. Since I was already cooking meals for someone with a strict diet, my meals were also supervised by her nutritionist by proxy. In a few weeks, I was already seeing results. Was this because of the hypnosis, or maybe my body was just naturally good at losing weight? After a few months, I started going out for jogs in the morning to get familiar with the neighborhood.

Some people had spotted me, and they sent pictures and messages to the media. More and more articles were written about us over the next few years. “Aki, have you read this?” Tano asked me one morning as I returned from my jog. I had assumed that she was just talking about one of the many news stories about us.

“What’s it about?” I pulled out a towel to wipe the sweat out of my eyes.

“A book on how to hypnotize people. Why do you have this?”