8.) The Georgia Theater

Tuesday November 24th 2020

Kaya stands outside of The Georgia Theater, arms folded in front of her to stave off the cool Autumn air. She's wearing plain black pumps, dark blue ripped jeans, and black peacoat which is currently snuggly buttoned around her tiny frame. Her black curls hang loose down and around her shoulders, half way down her back and blowing in the breeze. Kaya checks her phone when her notification sound alerts her to a text, the contents of which send her into an emotional wave.

Tonight was supposed to be the first time she spent time with both Kenji and Toru, but Kenji's message tells her that he can no longer make it, no reason given as to why. Kaya sighs somewhat in relief. While she did look forward to trying to help her fiancé bond with her newest friend, she was also really worried as to how the two males would behave towards one another.

Kenji had texted her the day after their fight about her friendship with Toru. He told her that he'd overreacted because he was sent the picture when he was already having a bad day and the only thing getting him though it was thinking about her. He told her that he understands she needs to be able to get along with someone she has to work with and that he wouldn't be a pain about it anymore and only asked her not to spend time with him alone unless it was a public place.

Kaya was happy that Kenji was no longer upset with her, though she still felt hurt by his actions and didn't like seeing that side of him. She was happy he at least admitted to overreacting and accepted her friendship with Toru. She was quick to text him back and tell him that she was happy to put it all behind them and agreed to his condition on their friendship telling him she loved him and was happy to do whatever made him more comfortable with the situation.

When she'd told Toru about their messages on the way to his office to have lunch with Hajime and Takeru, Toru bit on his tongue, letting out an annoyed hum. Kaya side eyed him, her gut feeling that he seemed to be unhappy that she had fixed things with her future husband. Kaya asked him what was wrong and Toru only shook his head, she insisted that honesty was the best policy and Toru nodded, opening the door to his office and allowing her to enter first.

Once Kaya was inside, Toru approached Hajime, and whispered to him for a quick minute. Hajime looked at Toru skeptically before looking at Takeru and asking him to help him go pick up their lunch. Takeru immediately argued it was supposed to be getting delivered, but quieted once Hajime gave him a sharp look that screamed for him to comply.

Upon being alone, Kaya nervously looked around, unsure if being in Torus' office with him and no one else counted as being alone and not in public. Just as she'd concluded that she would need to be in his office with him many times for work and this should be ok, Toru gestured for her to take a seat on the couch sitting in his office. Kaya gave Toru a warm smile and sat calmly, folding her hands in her lap and giving Toru her undivided attention.

Toru started by repeating 'honesty is the best policy.' He then nodded to himself and looked at her as he sat on the couch as well. He told her that he's happy they were going to be friends, and their friendship was new so they still needed to build trust. He explained that he trusts Hajime more than anyone else, and still keeps secrets from him, then admitted Hajime usually figures them out anyway.

He took a deep breath in and told Kaya that he wasn't ready to just be open and honest with her, but he was more than happy and willing to promise that anything he told her, would never be a lie. Kaya smiled and nodded at Toru, indicating for him to go on. Toru leaned a little closer and looked at Kaya, her eyes still swollen from crying and the lack of makeup not only on her face, but also around her neck where he was more and more certain he saw the outline of fingers.

Toru tore his eyes away from the marks, and looked at Kaya's broken smile. He wanted to be completely honest with her, but he knew if he were he risked losing her all together and it was best to say what he felt he could at the time. He then told her that he understands it's her relationship and he's no right to tell her what to do, but that he very much disliked the way that Kenji spoke to her and treated her the night before.

He went on to tell her it was difficult for him to hold his tongue, and only did because he realized he was the reason for the fight between the couple and thought it would only make it worse if he told Kenji off. He told her that in the future if Kenji spoke to her like that again while he was present he couldn't guarantee her that he wouldn't say something, then went on to say that he would very likely say and possibly do something the closer they become as friends because he's a very caring friend and wouldn't want anyone to be talked to that way, let alone anyone he cared about.

He then apologized to her for being the reason that she and Kenji were fighting and promised her that he would do all he could to ensure that he would never be the reason for strife between the two again. Kaya smiled brightly at Toru and nodded her head, accepting that most people would have likely intervened in such a situation and thankful that he'd left it to her last night. She told him he had no reason to apologize as he'd done nothing wrong, then thanked him for being there for her.

Kaya placed her phone in her back pocket then looked around at the gathering crowd, wondering where Toru was as he'd texted her five minutes prior saying he was on his way. Kaya soon got her answer when she saw the light blue Tesla pull into the electric car parking in the front of the building. Toru exited the car in a pair of skinny leg Khaki colored jeans, black Chucks, and a thick black sweater.

Toru approached Kaya, giving her one of his fake smiles, trying his best to hold back the displeasure of having to be near Kenji all night. Kaya smiled at Toru, waving at him wildly as he approached, then rolled her eyes at the girl standing next to her drooling over the 6'1" CEO. She tried to speak to him, but he ignored her, instead going straight to Kaya and giving her a boop on the nose. "Good Evening short stack." He told her with a grin, the unnamed girl huffing and walking away.

Kaya rolled her eyes at the new nickname attempt and Toru giggled, noting she wasn't a fan of that one either. "Hey! I'm really sorry, but Kenji had something come up and isn't going to make it." Kaya informed him nervously. Toru's smile changed into a real one at the news, turning to stand side by side with Kaya and holding his arm out towards the front door. "That's ok. Maybe next time. Right now me and you get to watch Semi Eita live and that's all that matters." He told her happily.

Kaya giggled at his enthusiasm. Toru tried to make it seem like he was more there for her than himself, but she'd caught him humming some of Semi's songs in the breakroom and his office a few times and knew he was a fan. Kaya felt eyes on them as they made their way to their spot in line, an occurrence she was not yet used to, but realized tended to happen whenever she spent time with Toru. People would give her dirty looks for being with him, sometimes getting worse when Toru would ignore them.

When they made their way to the front of the line, the woman taking tickets smiled and flipped her hair at Toru, not even seeing Kaya standing next to him. "Hello sir, can I interest you in a VIP booth this evening?" She asked with a silky voice. Toru shook his head softly, looking over at Kaya with a soft smile "We want to be in the crowd, right Tinkerbell?" He answered with a sly grin to Kaya, noting she was only half as annoyed with 'Tinkerbell' as 'Thumbelina', though still unhappy nonetheless.

Kaya nodded nervously at the taller woman, even with Kaya's 6 inch heels she was much taller than her. The woman looked at Kaya with disgust. "You must be 21 to enter the venue." She informed her snippily. Kaya sighed and pulled out her phone from her back pocket, removing the case and presenting her I.D. to the woman. She frowned at the fact that Kaya was old enough to enter, as she handed back the card, then smiled pleasantly at Toru. "I'll be bartending later, come by and say hi." She told him with a wink.

Toru didn't reply to her, he instead moved to open the door for Kaya and watched her enter The Georgia Theater with a smile on his face. Kaya did sometimes wonder why Toru never flirted with girls when they spent time with one another. She knew from when they first met that he was very much a ladies man and thought for sure he would use the advantages of a wing woman now that they were friends, but instead he treated every woman they came across as though they barely even existed.

Toru looked around as they entered, the upper part of the theater still being above their heads making the place look somewhat small, a bar on either side at the entrance. Toru looked around at the historic theater, only ever having been when too drunk to clearly remember it and now taking time to appreciate the exposed brick walls and smooth historic wood flooring. Toru watched as Kaya made her way closer to the stage, his smile meeting his eyes to see the way she moved excitedly.

Kaya stopped and turned to face Toru when she was nearly right below the stage, she flashed him an embarrassed smile and he let out a low chuckle at how adorable she was. "We forgot to leave our jackets at the front." She told him, Toru mentally face palmed himself to realize she was right. "It's ok, you stay here, I'll take them back and grab us both a drink. What do you want anyway?" He asked her curiously, lifting his sweater up over his head.

Kaya looked at him in his long sleeve black button down, the top two buttons undone showing off the top of his toned chest, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Kaya sucked in a sharp breath, she'd always noticed before he took care of himself and was fit, but she'd never seen him show that much of it all it once before. She unbuttoned her coat and slid it off her shoulders, thinking about what to drink and answering. "I'll have a Sweetwater Oasis, Mango Passion Fruit flavor." She told him with a smile.

Toru had to tell himself to tear his gaze away from the top she'd revealed herself to be wearing under her unassuming peacoat. He nodded, taking the coat from her and burning the mental image of her in that outfit into his mind. Not only was she actually getting an alcoholic beverage tonight, something she'd never once done with him around, but she was dressed like THAT. He was already struggling with her and those black pumps, her slender legs looking all the more perfect in those tight ripped jeans.

But the yellow halter top she was wearing displayed her perfect breast to him in a way he'd only dreamed of up until now. He loved the fact that her entire midsection was on display for him, her perfect skin only being hidden by the fabric that tied under her perky breast just a bit. Toru hurriedly checked in their coats, then made his way to the bar, not wanting to take too long and have men all over Kaya while he was away.

He tapped the top of the wooden bar impatiently after ordering Kaya's request and a Goin' Coastal IPA for himself. He'd originally planned not to drink, but he didn't want Kaya to feel out of place with her hard seltzer and decided to get something light and wouldn't have more than two and would get water and a snack between so he could keep a clear head while he was able to spend time with her.

In the week since she'd agreed to be his friend, Toru has made certain to not allow anything to distract him during his time with her, not alcohol, nor women, or even work. Back in Atlanta, he had the habit of working through lunch in order to support the fact that he was terrible about being able to get out of bed each morning. He used to be a morning person, years ago, before his entire life changed in a matter of mere seconds. But since then, the constant drinking and women to keep his mind occupied when he wasn't working made it difficult to get up on time.

He didn't have that problem in Athens, not since he'd made Kaya upset on his first night spending time with her outside of the office. That night he didn't sleep because he drove straight to Hajime for help and couldn't get the image of her tears out of his mind. And though he had difficulty sleeping the night he rushed to Kaya after hearing the sadness in her voice and finding her relationship wasn't as happy as she puts on, he still found it easy to get up knowing she would be there.

In truth, Toru was barely drinking at all anymore and hadn't so much as looked at another woman since he came out of his drunken binge the day of having Kaya take him to the Arch. He knew she wanted to be with Kenji, he saw the way she smiled as she thought of him, and though he hated him and felt he didn't deserve to be with her, he wanted Kaya to be happy. As far as he could tell, Kenji made her happy despite being a total asshat. Toru also felt as though he himself didn't deserve Kaya either, having used several women for just their bodies over the years only made him slightly better than Kenji in his eyes. None of these facts made him desire her less.

When Toru approached Kaya again he saw her speaking with a man with green eyes and brown hair. The man was being flirtatious and Kaya was politely trying to get away from him. Toru came up right behind her and glared at the unknown man, his stance firm and his aura giving off murderous intent. The man gave Toru a smirk, then directed his attention back to Kaya. "It doesn't have to be this weekend if you have plans with your family." He tells her, stepping a little closer and causing Kaya to step back and bump into Toru.

Toru moved his right arm around Kaya's waist, pulling her against his body possessively. Kaya jumped at first, not having realized he was there, then calmed down when she saw the familiar arm holding the drink she'd requested, his black shirt soft against her skin. Kaya sighed in relief and looked up at him, cowering slightly when she saw the glare he was giving the other man. He'd scared off Yuri at Ted's Most Best, but the way he was behaving now was something much more terrifying.

"She's busy every day. With me. Get lost." Toru warned, his tone firm and seething with anger, but his grasp on Kaya gentle. Kaya looked back at the green eyed man she'd encountered, the way he was sizing up Toru and trying to make a decision causing her to feel more upset at the fact he was still not willing to listen to a 'go away'. Kaya moved her hand on top of Toru's and leaned against his chest, looking back at the stranger with a satisfied smile on her face. He took two steps backwards and walked away from the pair towards the bar to order himself a drink.

Kaya looked back up at Toru again when the man had gone away, and felt him carefully moving to face the opposite direction and watch the man approach the bar. "Thank you for your help. You can let go now." She told him gently, Toru's face unchanging. She realized he wasn't hearing her, his mind elsewhere, so she rubbed at his arm and called to him. "Mr. Oikawa." She sang teasingly. Toru was still eyeing the man and hadn't noticed her talking to him, Kaya frowned, not used to him not paying more attention to her when she spoke. "Toru?" She asked worriedly.

Toru shot his eyes down to her, "Kaya, I'm sorry I was lost in thought. Are you ok?" He asked, ignoring the pounding of his heart from her calling him Toru for the second time, this time not following something said by someone else. "I'm much better now, thank you." She told him, giving a reassuring smile. Toru smiled back at her and loosened his grip on her waist, watching Kaya turn to face him, then reach for her drink with a smile on her face. "Thank you." She told him, as she opened the can then took a drink, a satisfied hum escaping her lips.

Toru smiled at her, opening his own can and tasting the fresh IPA. "You don't have to thank me." He told her firmly, his eyes between a happy soft glow and cold and threatening. "I know you were 'simply taking care of the situation' again, but I'm still going to thank you." She told him. Toru studied her for a moment, a small grin gracing his face at the fact she'd quoted him perfectly before answering. "I like chasing off your would be suitors." He tells her with a grin, Kaya rolling her eyes and laughing at him as she redirects her attention to the stage.

"There's only five more minutes until the show starts, I thought there would have been a bigger crowd." She observes aloud. Toru moves to stand next to her, a chuckle coming from his throat. "No one cares about seeing Semi." He teases, Kaya rolling her eyes at him. "Says his biggest fan." She shoots back, Toru gasping and holding onto his chest as he looks at her, her face innocent as she sips her hard seltzer. "Or maybe it's because everyone is busy prepping for Thanksgiving." She continues, Toru nodding as he lifts his IPA and takes a drink.

"I'm sure that's it. Either way, it's nice that it's not too crowded, makes it more intimate and comfortable." Toru responds, thinking about how he's even happier Kenji hadn't made it, elsewise he'd have been stuck having to actually interact with him with so few people in attendance. "Plus there's more room for dancing." She beams, looking at the curtain on stage move a little and wondering if Semi is on the other side. "I don't really dance, but I'll happily watch you enjoy yourself." Toru replies, in a quiet tone.

Hearing the way he'd sounded dejected, Kaya turns to face him, looking up at his face and concluding his smile looked particularly forced. "Wanna talk about it?" She asks him gently, aware he may not be ready to trust her with whatever it is he's been hiding from her. Toru looked into her grey eyes, seeing they were full of patience and understanding. He gave her a true smile, feeling his heart pound in his chest that she always seemed so kind towards him each time he'd let his walls slip around her a bit. "One day." He responds, pushing a curl behind her ear and resisting the urge to press his lips against hers.

Kaya's breath hitches as she looks back into his dark brown eyes, seeing that something behind them she would get little glimpses of here and there staring at her full force. She still couldn't place what it was that she saw, but whatever it was, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She held her breath when Toru's hand lingered behind her ear a moment, his warmth suddenly upon her when it had not been before. Toru tore his eyes suddenly away from Kaya's, and she released the breath she'd been holding, watching as he put his attention on the stage.

Kaya took a moment to return her breathing to normal, looking up at Toru as he seemed to think something over. "I hope you know I mean it when I tell you I'm here for you, no matter what." She told him gently, moving a little closer to him, but not as close as he'd been to her a moment ago. Toru nodded at her, then sighed. "I know you are. I'm just not ready for you to look at me differently yet. I'll tell you one day, then everything will change. For now, I like you still seeing me as you do now."

Kaya frowned a little at him, wondering what he could possibly have to say to her, but certain of one thing. "I'm not going to look at you differently. I'll know one of the things that shaped you and it will help me understand you better. But it won't change my view of you as a person. The only thing that makes me change the way I look at people is their actions. Not the things they tell me about themselves." Toru smiled and looked over at her again, he heard the truth in her voice and said a silent prayer to himself that she knew herself so well that it would come to pass as she said.

Semi came out onto stage immediately after, the venue growing darker as everyone cheered and whistled to welcome him. As he came out onto the stage Kaya thought about how he looked so much more handsome in person. His grey locks, brown eyes, and sharp jawline all nearly perfect in her eyes. Toru rolled his eyes to realize she was looking at the singer/songwriter in such a way and bumped his shoulder into her side gently.

"Maybe if I looked more like Semi Eita you'd have at least THOUGHT about a night with me." He teased. Kaya blushed deeply, looking at Toru, then to Semi again, not wanting to admit to him that she actually found him to be every bit as attractive as Semi, possibly more so, she instead told him to shut up as she covered her face with her hands. Toru laughed for a second, stopping when it occurred to him that had Kenji been there, he would have likely lost it on her for looking at the singer that way, then frowned as he considered it better he not see such a thing.

The music started to play, the crowd going silent and listening to Semi's melodic timbre flowing over the crowd as he sang his newest hit. Toru watched Kaya dancing as he slightly swayed to the music just behind her, shooting glares at anyone who dared come too close to them. As the song finished Semi thanked the crowd for coming out to see him and picked up his electric guitar, strumming a few cords that sent the crowd screaming in excitement for his first hit.

Toru saw that Kaya had finished her drink, and approached her, leaning close to her ear and asking loudly if she wanted something from the bar. Kaya nodded at him enthusiastically and pointed to her empty can, indicating she'd like another of the same. Toru nodded, then headed to the bar and ordered another hard seltzer for Kaya and a bottle of water and bag of chips for himself. When he returned he was happy to see that no one had bothered her and handed her the beverage then retook his post of watching over her from a couple of steps back.

Toru ate his chips quickly, sipping his water and watching Kaya dance and drink her seltzer. Semi placed his guitar down and told the crowd he was thirsty then asked the bar to send him up a shot of tequila and water. Kaya turned to Toru and told him she needed to use the bathroom and asked if he wanted something from the bar when she stopped at it on her way back. Toru realized she'd finished her seltzer, and tossed back the last of his water, then handed her a twenty and asked for another IPA.

Kaya shook her head and told him he'd bought the last two so this round was on her, then walked away, Toru watching her make her way through the crowd. He was happy most everyone was busy quickly getting a drink or intently listening to Semi talk about what he's been up to and asking what he should do for fun before leaving Athens. Just as Semi was about to start playing again Kaya returned, allowing Toru to feel more relaxed again, and handed him his IPA.

Kaya went back to her spot, dancing to the music and drinking a bottle of water. Toru smiled at her, then realized she had a hard seltzer still closed in one hand, the bottle of water in the other. He smiled that she was taking a moment to hydrate and figured she too didn't want to become too intoxicated. Semi started to play a slower song just as Kaya finished her bottle of water, Kaya watching the stage with a soft smile.

Toru saw the way she swayed to the song, and realized she'd been dancing to everything, but had no one to dance with her now. He tipped back his IPA, chugging it before approaching her and tapping on her shoulder. When Kaya turned to face him and he saw the smile she'd given him as the love song played in the background his heart skipped a beat. "I think, maybe, I can dance once. For you." He told her, smiling back at her with genuine affection.

Kaya's face brightened, and she nodded at him eagerly, letting out a loud thank you, and turned to him. Toru placed his left arm under her right one, hand on her shoulder. He took his right hand and grabbed her left, interlacing his fingers with hers and holding their hands just above her shoulders. Kaya placed her free right hand on top of Toru's shoulder, and moved her right foot backwards as he stepped forward with his left, leading them into a slow foxtrot.

Kaya smiled brightly at him as they danced, impressed by his form. "Did you take lessons?" She asked him curiously. Toru chuckled, looking at her curls bouncing around her face, trying not to look at the bounce of her breast. "Not exactly. Mom always loved to dance and taught me a few things saying I would make a better husband one day if I knew how to show my future spouse a good time on the dance floor." He told her, thinking back on the memories of dancing with his mother in the living room at six years old.

Kaya thought the story was cute, but couldn't help but to notice that Toru looked a little sad about the topic. She started to wonder if perhaps there was something going on with his mom he hadn't talked about and hoped she was ok. "Your mom sounds lovely." She told him sweetly, Toru's eyes zeroing in on her, "She's the best mom a man could ask for." He told her with a smile, the sadness in his face and voice disappearing as he looked down at her face.

The slow song ended, and Kaya pulled herself closer to Toru, hoping he'd still dance with her as she'd been enjoying it. Toru saw the pleading look on her face and moved to gently push her away from him before twilling her gently and laughing as she looked at him surprised. "I can't tell you no when you look at me like that." He yelled at her over the music, pulling her to him and placing his hand on her waist, moving freely to the music.

Kaya blushed to be so close to him, but started dancing as well, happy he decided to join her and looked to be happy about it. The two danced together for the last two songs of the evening, laughing and truly enjoying one another's company. As the crowd dispersed Toru felt his heart clench at the thought of having to separate from Kaya. Kaya looked at the time, seeing it was 10 PM and knowing there was no work this week she felt it was still too early to go home for the night. "Want to go to The Grill with me?" She asked Toru, a large grin and nod being her response.

They made their way to Toru's Tesla, Toru opening the door for her and helping her into the car. He came around and smiled to see her clicking the seatbelt into place and putting his on as well. "I'm buying though." He told her with a mischievous smile. "Fine, I have the tip." She countered, Toru nodding his agreement as he placed the car into drive. "I should call Kenji and check in with him real quick." Kaya told him.

Toru nodded and told her to go ahead. She placed the call and put the phone to her ear before hanging up almost immediately and frowning at the phone. "Straight to voicemail?" Toru asked. Kaya shook her head. "I can barely hear it after all the loud music." She laughed. Toru nodded and told her she could use the Bluetooth and that the password was 'Great King.' Kaya thanked him and placed the call again, smiling as she heard the phone start to ring this time.

On the third ring the phone was answered, Kaya didn't hear Kenji say hello, instead a rustling sound in the background. "Hello?" She inquired, no response coming over the receiver. She listened a little more, Toru's face becoming hard as he listened as well, he was about to tell Kaya to hang up when Kenji's muffled voice came over the speakers.

"Fuck, I'm about to cum."