Rules Were Made to be Broken

‣ scene 18 [in for the long haul]

Both Kiyotaka and Sonia had hoped that their parents could keep the alleged engagement quiet. This, of course, was wishful thinking. They were both required to attend a grand engagement party at the Novoselic household only a week after the accidental announcement, where they were showered with food and wine and expensive gifts.

Takaaki had mentioned the engagement to Kiyotaka's boss when he'd stopped by to deliver the surprise present of a very nice silk tie, and now, his whole office knew. Most of his coworkers acted supportive. Chihiro seemed to know that something was wrong there. She didn't voice those concerns aloud, but she'd asked to eat lunch with him every day since then.

Sonia, in the meantime, had been fielding visits from relatives and family friends that she had not seen in ages. Novoselic's matrimonial traditions were numerous and strange. She'd said something about having to capture a weird animal that he'd never heard of. And companies were already contacting her, begging her to wear one of their wedding dresses or to have the ceremony at their venue. They'd hardly waited a day.

Kiyotaka and Sonia both knew what all of this meant. They were in too deep to back out. How could they tell the truth about their little scam after being treated so generously? And after the news had somehow reached the papers and local TV stations, even if Kiyotaka himself hadn't been mentioned by name?

He and Sonia had spent an entire night on the phone, discussing how far they would have to carry this lie. They'd reached a mutual decision. They'd go through with the engagement and the wedding and the marriage, carrying the ruse as far as it could possibly go, until they found some excuse for a divorce. Kiyotaka couldn't pretend to be happy about it, but they had little choice.

At the very least, Kiyotaka wouldn't mind living with Sonia, and a marriage could potentially make his parents treat him a little more nicely. To cheer themselves up, he and Sonia had talked about the things they would actually do in their shared home when everyone else thought they were romancing one another. Sonia suggested buying a home where Kiyotaka could have a secret library, and finally allowing him to adopt a cat, as she would take the credit for it and pretend it was hers. Kiyotaka promised that he'd let her screen as many horror movies and cheesy teen flicks as she wanted in their secret theatre. Sonia promised to hire housekeepers and a personal chef so that Kiyotaka would get to use all of what little free time he'd get from work on himself rather than household chores.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd learn to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that kept telling him to crash his new car just so he'd have an excuse to call for a tow truck again.

He shook his head and tried to focus on his surroundings. The party was now in full swing. Kiyotaka tried not to groan and swirled his wine glass around. Takaaki was bragging about his son to anybody who would listen, as if he'd bothered to actually compliment Kiyotaka on anything in the last decade or so. He was clearly using the party as an attempt to schmooze and meet potential business partners, and he was trying so hard that it was painful for Kiyotaka to watch. Satsuki, meanwhile, stood in a corner with a group of well-dressed women drinking martinis, and they gossiped about anyone who came through the front door.

Just as he began to contemplate escaping the oppressive atmosphere through a window, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the text message as discreetly as he could. The signal. He snuck away from the crowd and followed the familiar path to the rose garden. Sonia waited there for him on the bench and greeted him with a tired smile.

"Some party, huh?" He said bitterly. Sonia nodded. "I've never seen so many rich people in one room before."

"You will find that the wealthy make for terrible company. It seems like all that they ever want to talk about are boats and cars and the expensive painting they just bought for their study," Sonia muttered. "My interests are frowned upon, and I am certain that no one in that room cares about animals."