Vivian opened her eyes and looked at her arms. Kirito had grabbed her wrist as he stood behind her. She turned back and looked at him. Her hair was safe. He had stopped her on time. He looked at the scissors and took them away.

"Cutting them?" He asked. She quickly turned back and wiped her tears. He clicked his tongue in irritation "Why are you crying? You look pathetic when you cry-- just stop."

She laughed "I look pathetic either way so it doesn't really make any difference."
At this point, she had lost something much more important than her live for him. She didn't sacrifice her hair but her self confidence took the toll.

"The house is mess, the dishes aren't done yet. Seriously, do real work. Stop wasting time. Also, I forgot a file. Find it for me" He ordered.
"I'll get it to your office."
"Do you think I'll let you enter there? I don't wanna become a piece of mockery. Just find the file-- Do what you're told" She went into the bedroom and looked through his cupboard.

Meanwhile, Kirito looked at the scissors and threw them inside the dustbin.

"Hiomi" Vivian held the file in her hands "This is it, right?"
He snatched the file from her hands and walked out. She watched him leave and got back to work.

Later that afternoon , Kirito sat inside the conference room, thinking to himself. People were discussing about a new plan while he just sat and looked at the glass kept in front of him.

"Are you crazy? How will you find that?!" Someone shouted but he was still mentally in a world elsewhere.

"They asked for one so I--"
"You should've rejected them!"

"Can you geeks stop shouting?!" Kirito shouted which was pretty ironic. "Always whining about something or the other!"

"But sir--"
"What do they want? Which girl?" Kirito opened the related file "What the hell is this?"
"No extensions-- They've have specially mentioned it."
"Where will we find someone like that?!"

"At this rate we'll have to drop the deal."
"Nope, nobody is dropping any deal in my presence" Kirito closed the file.
"Pardon sir, but what are we supposed to do then?"
"I know of someone perfect for it." Kirito smirked.

Meanwhile, Vivian came out of the bath while rubbing her wet hair with a towel. She dropped herself on the bed and looked at the ceiling.

'I'll just be like this a while first then make dinner'

She lay there and fell asleep. About an hour later, Kirito entered the apartment and looked around.

"Hey, I'm hungry." He said while walking into the hallway but he got no reply. He found Vivian sleeping on his bed. Her hair was still half wet.

His eyebrows furrowed and he went towards her "Seriously, wake--" He paused and looked at her wet hair carefully. He picked up the half pink half blonde bunch of hair.

He quickly ran went to the bathroom and grabbed the diffuser. He dried the hair and combed them till their ends.

"This is," Kirito said as he looked at her hair which curled into pink blonde locks like a double helix "So pretty."

She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. Then she got up suddenly "Hiomi--Welcome back home." She got from the bed "I didn't make dinner-- I'll just--"

"Wait" He grabbed her hand. She turned back and looked at him. He looked into her eyes.

'This is probably the first time I've seen you without braided hair' He thought as he blushed lightly.

"Hiomi?" Vivian said as Kirito looked into her eyes. "Can you leave my hand now-- I need to tie up my hair and prepare dinner too."

"Don't tie them up" Kirito ordered as he left her hand and got up from the bed.
"But why?" Vivian asked.
"It makes you less ugly. Anyways I'm taking a bath."

Kirito quickly walked towards the bathroom then stopped at the door "Also, tomorrow--be ready"
"Why?" She asked.
"I'll take you somewhere"
"A date?" Vivian's eyes brimmed with sparkles. Kirito paused for and while
"Yes"

"Yay! I look forward to it!" Vivian happily hopped into the kitchen.

Kirito stood under the shower and looked at his feet like always.
"I'm not doing something wrong, right?" Kirito mumbled as the water flowed down his head.

That night, Vivian slept soundly. She was happy. Kirito couldn't sleep and he just lay on the bed. Insomnia want something new to him. There were many nights like this where no matter what he did, he wouldn't fall asleep. Yet, he closed his eyes in hope of a bit of rest.

Vivian got up early next morning. She patted a mixture on her face and began cutting the vegetables. Kirito decided to get up from the bed too. He looked at her face "What have you put on your face?" He asked as he looked at her.

"Vinegar and honey mixed with white clay" She smiled.
"Are you sure you should apply that?" He asked as he went into the bathroom and picked up his toothbrush.

"It's really good for the skin!" She smiled. He began brushing his teeth. When Vivian was done with the housework, it was about seven in the morning.

"We'll be leaving at eight. Go take a bath now." Kirito was already dressed. Vivian took a bath and washed off her face pack.

"Touch my face!" She shouted as she ran out of the bathroom, dressed in a pink frock.
"Why?" He asked as he looked into his phone. She took her hand and touched it on her face "It's soft!"
Kirito looked at her as she touched his hand on her face.
"Yeah maybe,"

She ran towards the mirror and started brushing her hair. Then, she started braiding them.

"Vivian, let's go" Kirito got up while putting on his blue coat.
"But, I'm not ready yet" Vivian got up with half of the braid done.

"Leave that. You look better with your hair down-- most girls do. Now hurry" He closed the door. She touched her cheeks with her fingers.

'You like my hair, Kirito?' She thought as her face turned red and hot. She swindled around with a smile.

It felt good to feel so happy over nothing too big. Vivian ran towards the car.
"I'm here!"
"You're late" Kirito started driving "Kirito, where are we going?" She asked.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me by my name?" He said coldly as he looked ahead. She looked at his hands and as he brought it down from the steering wheel to pick up his phone, she gently pressed her hand over his hand.

He shook off her hand
"What's into you suddenly?!" He shouted as he stopped.
"I just wanted to hold hands--"
"While I'm driving?!"
"I waited for your hands to be free--"
"Then wait for an eternity. Freaking idiot." He continued driving.

He looked into his phone "That location should be nearby" She placed her hand over her ring. Then she looked at Kirito's hands. There was no ring.

"Hiomi, where is your ring?"
"It's uncomfortable to wear something on my fingers-- I kept it aside" He said.

"Oh, I see. They should have made these lighter." She smiled and looked at her ring.

"You should stop wearing it too." Kirito said.
"No, I love it. Even if it were made of thorns, if it proves that you're mine and I'm yours- I'd put it on"

"We're here. Get down" He ignored her as he applied the breaks. She looked at the penthouse ahead of her which read 'Allons Studio' in English. She got down and Kirito stood before her.

"Now listen- act properly, you don't want to embarrass me again, do you?"
"No, I don't want you to be angry again"
"That's better. I won't introduce you as my wife. Just follow up whatever I say and don't speak until I ask you to."

They walked across a white, stone made way which lead to the magnificent penthouse ahead of them.

"Introduce me? Wait-- isn't it a date?" Vivian stopped and looked at him. He looked at her "Of course it is. This is what a modern Japanese date looks like"

"I thought I'd be just the two of us" Vivian looked into his eyes.
"No, that's so old fashioned. It's not like that anymore."
"But I don't like this"

"Does it look like I care? Just listen to what I say."
"Yes." She followed him with her head held down. They entered the penthouse. There was huge crowd there. People were walking here and there-- setting up lights and checking the camera settings.

A fat man came towards Kirito and shook hands with him "Well hello, Mr Hiomi. We're almost done with the arrangements." He said in English.

"It's alright, Mr Scruton" Kirito replied in English with a smile while Vivian stood behind him.
"Oh, is this our model?" He asked as he peeked at Vivian. Vivian quickly hid behind Kirito and grabbed his coat.

"Yes, she's just a bit shy. It's her first time modelling." Kirito said.
"Yeah but she's a beauty! She doesn't seem Japanese"
"Yes, she's German. Her name is Aria Marie, twenty years old. She recently moved to Japan to set up a modelling career."

Vivian looked at Kirito with surprise and looked back at the floor with her eyes all puzzled.

"Is she married?"
"No"

'Why are you lying to this man? Kirito, I can't figure you out'

"We should get her make up done." Mr Scruton proposed. He turned around.
"Jericho!" He shouted at a skinny man who was standing near the photographer with his hands crossed behind his back. Upon hearing his name being called, he turned back and walked towards Mr Scruton.

"Yes, sir?" He said. He had a small frame and weak stature. He had light blonde hair with purplish-blue highlights and piercings on his ear. He was about the same height as Vivian and had hazel- blue eyes.

"This is our make up artist, Jeroboam Hatsugu. He's in charge of your make up, clothes and hair for the next two days of our shoot. He's twenty five too--the same age as you, so don't be shy around him. Ms Aria, you can speak English, right?" Mr Scruton asked.

Vivian remained quiet.
"Answer him, Aria." Kirito faked a smile. Vivian just nodded her head.

"That's great. Jeroboam is bad at Japanese so I was worried" Mr Scruton said and started laughing.

Vivian looked up at Jeroboam who looked straight into her eyes. She quickly looked down again. He fixed his gaze and examined her thoroughly.

'Cheap taste. Such a waste' He thought.

"Well then, I'll leave you in the expert's care." Mr Scruton patted Vivian's back.

"Aria, go with him." Kirito ordered. She just grabbed his coat and mumbled "I don't want to. I don't know him."

Kirito grabbed her hand and pushed it away with a jerk. "I know him. Now, do as I say." He whispered to her.
"But this is not a date."
"You actually believed that'd I'd go on a date with someone like you? Who would?"

She looked into his cold eyes and walked behind the blonde man. She turned back to look at Kirito. He was looking into his phone.

'I've always looked at you and you've always been looking elsewhere.

You're like dust, I can't catch you... I hate you so much. But I know I'm just saying this to make myself feel better.'

She wanted to cry and cry and cry as she walked behind that stranger. He was covered with the scent an English perfume.

"Sit here" The blonde man said as he pointed at a chair placed in front of many huge mirrors. Make up was scattered all over the table in front of it. Vivian quietly sat down on the chair and looked at her reflection with sad eyes.

'This is not what I wanted...'

"Then, what did you want?" The blonde man asked as he leaned towards her shoulder from behind and picked up few hair pins.

'Eh? Did I speak that out loud?' Vivian thought.

"You didn't." He held the pins between his lips and made a bun of her hair. He tied them up "We'll deal with these later. Let's focus on your make up first. I'll do your eyebrows." He twisted a fine thread into his between his fingers and pressed her head behind on the chair.

"Wait--"
"Stay still, you don't want me to chop off your entire eyebrow."
"You can read my mind!" She shouted as she turned towards him.
"Not really. I read your face." He gently pushed her head back on on the chair top.

"Now stay still"
"No, you read my mind! Don't lie!" She looked into his eyes.
"Well your husband lied, so can't I?"
"That's--I'm sorry about that." Vivian apologised and bit her lips.

"It's okay, we all eat lies when our hearts are empty and hungry."

"...What's your name?"
"Jeroboam. Jeroboam Hatsugu. You can call me anything, though I prefer Jericho."

- To be continued

Aria
My Heart Hates Me