Falling Into Your Arms [Tokyo Ghoul: Female!Kaneki x Tsukiyama Shuu] BOOK 3

5

He'd been in France for several weeks now. Lately, he'd been helping his mom a lot and spending time with her. He loved her as much as before, but he was always slightly uncomfortable around her now. He wasn't sure why.
He was also preoccupied with picking a French college to attend in the fall. His father had sent him the viable options and told him to pick, which meant that Shuu would be staying here for at least 4 years. More if his mother lived that long.
He swallowed and shook his head. Stop thinking about that.
He checked his watch. He had a meeting with his father for 3:00 in a small café on the other side of town. He figured he'd walk, since that was one of the things he truly enjoyed about being in France: the beautiful scenery.
Shuu left at 2:00, giving himself plenty of time to stroll throughout town, and when he came to the café at 2:30, he went in and took a window seat with a view of the street in front of the store. He knew it would aggravate his father since his father always preferred to be the first to the meeting, but he didn't particularly care about etiquette. He'd done as his father had requested and travelled to France, giving up his old life. Surely being early to one meeting couldn't offend him too greatly.
A small boxy car pulled up to the curb at 2:45. Shuu cast a half-interested glance, but he automatically knew that it couldn't be his father, who preferred dark, slick cars. And yet, his father stepped out a minute later from the passenger seat.
The driver - whom Shuu could not see - rolled down the passenger window, and Shuu's father stuck his head in. A moment later, he stepped back from the car, waved, and went inside. He looked around and was about to choose Shuu's table when he noticed Shuu already sitting there. He hesitated before coming over.
"You're early," he said, but Shuu just stared at him.
"Who dropped you off?"
His father frowned. "A colleague of mine. Business associate. You know."
No, I don't know. But that's what he always does, plays the business card so I'll lose interest. "You kissed her."
His father hesitated again. "On the cheek," he said. "It's a custom here in Fr-"
"You kissed her on the lips, Father. I saw. Don't lie to me. Who is she?"
Shuu's father was silent before sliding into the booth across from Shuu. He didn't look ashamed or embarrassed at all. "She's my lover. She lives nearby so she gave me a ride here."
"And all those weekend business trips? Going with Mother to France?" Shuu kept his face blank, but his throat was tight. It hurt.
His father merely nodded. "Yes, I was coming up to see her."
Shuu stared at the table. He couldn't look at his father anymore. "Why...why would you do that to Mother? How could you?"
Shuu's father sighed. "You can't understand-"
"Make me."
"Your mother was getting sick. I love her, don't get me wrong, but she isn't fit to be a wife anymore. She can't fulfill certain needs of mine. So, yes, I fulfilled them somewhere else. It's the same way in business. If one company can't supply your demands, then you make a contract with anoth-"
"Don't make this about business," Shuu said, forcing himself to keep his composure. A second later, he nodded. "I understand. But I'm done here." He stood up, and his father looked up, shocked.
"But we have things to discuss-"
"Another time, perhaps. I have somewhere to be. Adeiu, Father," Shuu said before walking out of the café, his mind troubled.