"Haruna...you misunderstand. I don't hate you," He places his hand on my shoulder and stares into my eyes.

His eyes. They had a mysterious feel to them. Dark pools of conflict, sorrow and anger battling each other to take over.

"You know... I'm glad that you're not salty about anything that's happened between us." I grab my tiny shot glass and gulp it down in one go. I close my eyes for a second to process the alcohol burning its way down my throat before reaching into my bag to pay Kuni.

There was no way I was going to stay behind and reminisce on the 'good old days'. I came to clear my head, but instead, I'm leaving with my mind taking a trip down memory lane.

While it was true that I felt 10 years younger when I hung around Takamasa, he also made me feel somewhat guilty.

I stand from my seat and head towards the door.

I didn't really expect to meet you here." I open the door to exit. "Don't get me wrong, I'm actually glad to see you doing so well, it puts my heart at ease to see you act so normally."

**~****~**

I get home later than I anticipated. When I enter, Takeshi is already home, resting on the couch.

"I'm home." I call out to him.

"Welcome back." He keeps his eyes closed as he turns to his side. "I brought the groceries that you texted me earlier."

"Thanks. I'll get started on dinner now."

I take off my shoes and make my way to the kitchen to start cooking. While I set up everything to begin, I get a phone call from Hanae.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey! I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with us tonight?"

I look back at Takeshi, whom was home early on a rare occasion.

"I think I'll pass today. He's home today." I giggle through the phone somewhat excitedly.

"Takeshi you mean? He sounds so nice! When are you going to introduce him to us?"

"Hm...maybe sometime soon. Besides you know I don't really like getting dad involved in my personal life."

"Ugh, I don't know why you guys just get along!"

"And I don't know how you're able to forgive him so easily." My tone gets a little low.

"What do you mean? Dad is right for getting mad at me, after all, it was my fault for getting married with him in the first place." She sounded dejected.

It wasn't fair to Hanae.

My father was the type of man who was old fashioned and very critical on women in general. After my sister's husband left her, my dad blamed it on my sister, and considers her a burden to the family.

The burden; shame.

Not only that, but he didn't think I would make it as a lawyer. He always tried to convince to just get married and have kids right away.

Of course, I didn't listen to him. Especially because...

He's a hypocrite. He goes on about shame and judges others, when he himself is the biggest sinner of the family.

When I was young, in about my middle school days, my mother fell ill. She spent most of her days in the hospital for about 5 years.

During that time my mom was weak of both mental and physical health.

So when I found out that my father had another woman, I couldn't tell her.

Ever since then I have resented my father. For more reason that one. When I confronted him about the matter, he shrugged me off, saying that there was nothing I could do about it, and that he knew that I didn't have the balls to tell my mom, since it would have probably killed her.

Until this day does my dad think he's the shit, and he still has that whore of a lover.

I just decided not to have anything to do with my father. I love my mom, and I really don't think that this is fair to her in the least but...

Ignorance is bliss.

And sometimes turning a blind eye to the truth is more far better than knowing it.

That brings be back to the reason I didn't tell Hanae about my job. If my dad found out that I was working as an intern, he'd never let me hear the end of it.

"You shouldn't feel that way."

"I can't help it." She responds in a low whisper. Her voice then becomes normal and she cheerfully says,"I'll call later! After all you're with your honey right?"

"Ugh don't call him that, but I'll talk to you later then."

She hangs up and I proceed to make dinner.

An hour later I lay out the food in the table and take a seat with Takeshi. I had already eaten a bit a Kuni's so I didn't make anything for myself.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asks softly.

"Hm. No, I already ate earlier at the bar I visited."

"A bar?" He throws me a surprised look. "You don't really drink all that often. Are you feeling alright?"

"Mm. Yeah. I just wanted to think about my future."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I sat across from him and put my head down on the table. "We'll talk about the future when it gets here."

Takeshi reaches for my hair and strokes it. "Thank you."

He knew that I didn't want to burden him with the future. Because he was so unsure of it too. Of his own.

We have been a couple for a few years now, and I know that by bringing up my future, then ours was to be brought up eventually.

In our future, there was, hopefully, marriage.

Whether it be distant or close, I didn't know, but I liked to think that it was near.

The idea of marriage is diverse. The meaning to it depends solely on the individual.

I close my eyes as Takeshi continues to stroke my hair.

For me, it's just a title. A title that is solely for the family and for friends to see. A wedding is nothing but a presentation of that title. Telling the world that you and your partner have adopted the title of "husband and wife".

Marriage or no marriage, love is still there. Marriage isn't a contract, or binding from doing anything. It doesn't prove loyalty or eternity. All it does is set out a bunch of empty promises, rules written on paper to be broken later anyway.

The only things that create. 'strong bonds' in my book are actions, not words.

There is one reason I'd like to get that title of 'married'.

It's to show my father that my marriage can be stable, and that a wife can have a job and have a family at the same time.

Would Takeshi and I be quiet about marriage forever? Or will we bring it up hesitantly as time goes on?

I've never been the type to worry and wait.

When I want something, I make sure I get it.

"Takeshi?" I call his name with resolve in my voice.

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

A/N:
Things just got serious :

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