"Wish" update! *finally!*5-12-10

[kikimonroe]

cant wait to read more =)

[Mars]

i'll try to make it ASAP

[mellie]

I liked the intimacy of the last chapter/installment. It was nice...very nice indeed. =D

[Mars]

Shorter again. More soon. Enjoy for now!!!
The rain tapered off. The clouds remained, but the sun made several attempts to emerge throughout the day.
Did the weather really matter, though? No. Not at all.

He drove for a while, until we reached a part of Seattle where city met sea. This particular area almost looked familiar...yet I knew I'd never been there. Not yet, anyway.
"Is this the Marina?" Once again I was asking an obvious question. We were surrounded by sea, sand, docks, and lots of boats. Where else could we be?
"Yeah. I figured we'd start here, since I know we both like being near the sea." He parked, cut the ignition, and grinned at me. "Ready?"
"Whenever you are. Unless, of course, you'd rather just stay here and make out."
It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep from cracking up. He raised an eyebrow, made a cute face, then laughed. I couldn't help giggling in response, relieved that he appreciated my sense of humor.
Minutes later, we had both regained some sense of composure. He smiled again, took my hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Let's go."
---

[mellie]

Waiting for more.

[Mars]

I should have a posting ready by tomorrow. Trying to get as much as I can done before Summer break..yuck! I have until next Friday, and probably not going to be on much from then until August, so I'll write in the inbetween time. My plan is to have a full notebook ready by move-in day...wish me luck with that =)

[Mars]

We walked for a while, exploring as planned. The whole area was beautiful but I couldn't help feeling curious. Wherever it was, Apolo was psyched, so it had to be pretty amazing.
Where, though...?
After several minutes of mental pondering I worked up the nerve to ask. No harm, no foul, as usual.
"Apolo?"
"Huh?" He flashed a curious look.
"Are we almost there?"
Privately I thought I sounded whiny, but it made him grin.
"Almost. We'll be there in another minute or so. Trust me, Marlise. This place is worth the trip."
There it was, the sweet smile and eye sparkle that demanded total trust and made my knees weaken at the same time.
"Okay, Mr. Ohno. Lead the way."
"As you wish."
I kissed his cheek and smiled goofily, content with following him for the time being. If he said it was worth it, it definitely would be.
I was surprised at first when he stopped, frowned, then turned right. I followed him, glanced around...aaaand immediately gasped.
"Wow!"
All I could say. Hell, all I could -think-. I knew Apolo had a knack for finding amazing out-of-the-way places. This time, though, he had outdone himself. Large trees separated us from the rest of the world. Waves splashed against a wall of boulders that weren't high enough to be considered a cliff. Overhead, the sky was visible through the trees.
"Wow" was definitely an understatement. Definitely.
Apolo didn't have to ask. Judging by his expression he knew I was happy.
"C'mon." He whispered, taking my hand and leading me to the boulders. At that point I was a little confused, until he sat down and gestured for me to do the same. I sat down next to him, took my sandals off, and slipped my feet into the water. His arm claimed my waist. I rested my head against his and sighed, still taking everything in.
"This is perfect."
"No..Not quite."
..Huh? Was he crazy? I shifted to look him in the eye. Before I could ask what the hell he was talking about, he took me by surprise again. One swift motion lef to one perfect-beyond-description kiss. Suddenly his comment didn't seem so crazy.
...Wow.
"There. That's much better."
"M-hm. Definitely." For a while I was content stroking through his hair and enjoying the scenery, his company...everything, really. Then, though, I remembered something. "Oh...crap!"
"What's up? Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all. I wanted to give you something and almost completely forgot, that's all." I glanced down and reached into my pocket, searching for one small yet important item. Ten seconds or so later I felt cool, polished metal and grabbed it in the palm of my hand. He glanced at me, looking as curious as I had been moments ago.
"Alright. What is it?"
"This." I opened my fist and handed him a silver chain that held my class ring. "I wanted to give you something before you left. Y'know, something to remind you of me." I fidgeted with an earring, nervously anticipating his reaction. For what seemed like a year he glanced at his palm with an unreadable expression. Just when I was about to get worried he looked back at me with a big smile.
"I like that. Thanks, 'Lise." He paused long enough to put the chain on then kissed me gently.
"Y-you're welcome. I, um, guess you could say I'm close to your heart?" Mental cringe. Now -that- was corny. I almost expected him to frown or roll his eyes at me. Instead his smile widened and he pulled me into a close embrace.
"Always."
So warm, so wonderful...The hug lingered and I considered how one little word could be so significant. It was beautiful, really.
For a while we sat together. Talking, splashing our feet, kidding around, laughing...you know, making the most of the afternoon. Then..Then Apolo caught me completely off-guard with one simple, casual comment.
"Dad wants to cut your hair."
..Say what!? My eyes widened and I think my heart might have, just might have, skipped a beat.
"Seriously? When?" I knew my voice sounded pretty shaky. There was no way he didn't notice that. No way.
"Some time next week. Maybe Wednesday afternoon, if you want."
"I...I don't know. Are you sure that's a good idea?" I glanced down shyly and was about to start fiddling with a loose strand of my hair when his free hand shifted to my cheek. Our gazes met, then locked. I felt mesmerized, even calmed, by his eyes. God, they looked so green today!
"Yes. I'm positive. Listen..." His tone softened. "I know Dad makes you a little nervous, but he just wants to get to know you. You'll be perfectly fine."
"You..really think so?"
"No, I know so." Another soft kiss. Suddenly I couldn't argue or protest. I knew he was right somehow, but I didn't want to think about it just yet. I would worry about Wednesday and being nervous when the time was right.
For now, though, I just wanted to spend a little more time with him while I still could.
Nothing wrong with that, right? Right!
----
More soon, hopefully =) Enjoy for now!

[Mars]

More's on the way =) It probably would have been tonight except I had a bad case of blonde and left my flash drive in my dorm. This is probably going to be the last post for a while, since I usually take a break from all things online over the summer, but in August I'll have a LOT ready =) Just be patient, lol

[Mars]

Moar =D
Before I knew it, it was time to leave. I look around one last time and took a deep breath. Then he put his arms around me, which made me feel a little better. Just a little, but enough to matter.
Supper was light that night. For once neither of us were very hungry. I was stressed, and stressing always kills my appetite. Apolo swore he wasn't hungry...but I suspected he was just being nice.
"You can eat more if you want. I don't mind."
"Naah. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive, Marlise." He smiled then poked my nose. "If I get hungry I'll eat on the plane."
"O-kaay, if you're sure about that." A half-shrug. What we were doing was obvious: Stalling intentionally for as long as we could, since there was no way he could get out of the trip. It was an acceptable compromise.
We eventually headed to the airport...but it was a reluctant move. His hand never left mine once. As soon as we got to the gate, though, he let go. For a moment I was confused, until I realized he was just putting his suitcase down. He handed me his keys, then hugged me close.
"Take care, alright?"
"I...I will. I promise not to crash or anything."
"I'm not talking about my car. I meant you."
"Aah. Gotcha." Barely a whisper. I blinked slowly, put my hand on his cheek and shifted so we were almost nose-to-nose. Then I took a deep, careful breath. "Apolo..I love you."
Before he had a chance to respond I kissed him. Suddenly our surroundings didn't matter one little bit. Catcalls? Camera flashes? Random people yelling? Who cared? Not us. We were in our own little world, completely oblivious to everything and everyone else.
...At least until one particular sound pulled us back to reality.
"...boarding call for flight..."
d**n.
I sighed, he exhaled, but we didn't let go at first. Didn't -want- to.
"I...I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?" I couldn't hold back a sniffle.
"Yeah...I'll call you as soon as I land, alright?"
"Gotcha." Another deep breath that gave me the chance to take in the scent of his hair. "I miss you already."
You have no idea. By the way...I love you." He kissed my cheek softly. Perfectly.
"Al..always." I whispered, realizing I was echoing his words from earlier. Our embrace reluctantly shifted into a hand hold. "Au revoir, Apolo."
"See you soon, Marlise." His mouth brushed against my fingers before he let go of my hand. I nodded slowly, biting my lip to keep from crying. Expressionless, he grabbed his suitcase and prepared to leave. Then he turned, looked straight at me, smiled, and waved. I couldn't help smiling despite tears as I waved back. He turned to leave, but not before mouthing three small yet powerful words to me. No matter how often he said it, the empact remained the same, and I knew he meant it. Definitely.
This realization made my heart flutter. At the same time, though, it made me feel a lot better. Stronger, in fact. Sure, I hated it when he had to leave, but I knew there was a bright side to it. The times we were apart made our time together even more significant. Special.
...Beautiful, in fact.
I made up my mind then and there. I wasn't going to whine or complain about this, no matter how much part of me wanted to. Instead, I was going to push through the week and eagerly anticipate the weekend. Sure, I was more than a little nervous about Wednesday, but I had the feeling that would work out just fine.
I hoped so, anyway...

[Mars]

thanks updating asap! going to try and get online when i can over summer. I -think- I know where the story's going from this point on...but that might change, lol =) ya never know!
Love you guys, have a nice summer if i don't post before august =)

[kikimonroe]

have a good summer mars!!!!

[mellie]

I hope u enjoy ur summer Mars and I can't wait to read more when you can post more. =)

[Mars]

Darkness, besides a dim light glowing from an unknown source. Something felt wrong about the whole scene, but was I complaining? Nope.
Instead I was rubbing his back, kissing his skin when it seemed appropriate - whiich in this case was often. He went along with it, leaning into my touch for quite some time.
Then, though, he whispered something.
"C'mere, 'Lise."
I complied, moved into his lap, and rested my forehead against his.
Mm. Perfect.
He took time to kiss my fingers, then redirected to my mouth. I closed my eyes and curled my arms around him, more than happy that we were together. Even if it was just cuddling. God, I loved him...
Then...I opened my eyes and made a few unfortunate discoveries. It was morning. I was in my own room, in my own house. Most significantly, though, I was alone.
In other words I had been dreaming. Go figure.
I wanted to swear, and loudly, but held back. That wouldn't help anything. So I took a slow, deep breath. Chill, girl, chill, I told myself. Okay. I missed Apolo. That was a given. My dream, then, was the result of that. Understandable. A pain in the ass, yes, but still understandable. I consoled myself knowing that I only had to wait a few more days. Saturday would be here soon, even if I privately didn't think it would be soon enouhg. I could deal with that, though.
That was when I realized it was Wednesday.
Like any other day, that meant work. This particular Wednesday, though, meant something else. After work I was getting my hair styled by Yuki, the Original Ohno himself. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.
Sure, I had talked to Yuki before, but Apolo had always been with me for support. This time, though, I had to do it alone.
Ohhh, crap...
I took another deep breath, then finished getting ready. A few minutes later my text alert sounded. I glanced at the screen...and immediately smiled at the message.
"Today's the big day - u can do this! :-) Talk to you tonight. Love you! A"
For the first time that day, and even that week, I felt genuinely psyched, all thanks to one little text. I sent him a quick, sweet response, and kissed my phone since I couldn't kiss him. Then I braced myself for what was going to be an interesting, busy day.
--
More as soon as I can sneak on again! Haircut...aah, this could get interesting =)

[mellie]

uhoh It's time for the one on one time with pops. Nervous for Marlise, but she can do it. I can't wait for more & hopefully u can sneak on soon. =)

[Mars]

The first of many...here we go! Enjoy! *waves*

By some miracle I remained fairly at ease. I walked into the salon, gave the receptionist my name, then sat down. No sweat. Right.
I glanced around. You know, taking in my surroundings. Suddenly a familiar voice caught my attention.
“Hello, Marlise.”
“Um, hi, Mr. Ohno.” A shaky smile as I scrambled out of my chair.
“Are you ready or should I move on to my next client?” His smile was easy. Relaxed, amused. Just like Apolo’s, I realized privately. Not that that was surprising.
“I’m good. Lead the way, sir.” I was trying to be respectful. Honestly. So I was a little taken aback when I heard Yuki laugh softly.
“Please, call me Yuki.”
“Okay. If you say so, Mist- I mean, Yuki.” My heart was running a mile a minute, but I refused to let that bother me. I got up and followed him to the back of the salon. I didn’t trip over anything, knock over any shelves, or fall. Not a bad sign, I thought as I sat back down.
“So. What will it be?”
“I…I have no idea. Surprise me, I guess.”
“Good choice. Let me see what I have to work with.” Before I had a chance to even consider responding he spun the chair around. I heard a “Hmm..” and felt pretty sheepish. I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. I like the color and like playing with it in random moments of boredom. But…it’s thick. Prone to split ends. Aaand difficult to work with. I hoped that Yuki would work some kind of miracle.
Another “Hmm..” This one sounded more positive. Then…”I think I have a plan for you.”
“Uh..Cool. I guess that means my head’s not a complete lost cause.” Joking. Or, at least, trying to. I think it came out sounding shaky.
“There are no lost causes with hair. Some is just trickier to manage.” I heard rushing water and felt the chair tilt back as he spoke. “So, Marlise, have you soaked any reporters lately?” Spoken casually, with a slight hint of amusement. He could’ve been talking about the weather!
“Heyy, that only happened once, and the guy deserved it!” I grinned, barely noticing the shampoo & water mixture hitting my scalp. I just kind of went along with it.
“I agree.” He finished rinsing then set the chair upright. “Persistence can be a curse..but it can also be a blessing.”
“Blessing? How so?” The curse part was obvious. Paparazzi were annoying as hell, no matter how good their intentions may have been. Blessing, though…?
“I mean being able to stay focused, determined, and committed even when things look dark, especially in relationships. I think you know how far a little persistence can go.” Snip, snip. I was curious to see what he was doing, but even more interested in what he had to say. His words held a definite wisdom despite the easiness of the conversation.
“You mean like this week, right? Apolo’s business trip?”
“In a way, yes. Other women would have whined about how busy he is, or tried to talk him out of going. But you accepted it, even though it must have been difficult.”
“Well…I couldn’t beg him not to go, even if I’d wanted to. That’s selfish and unfair.”
“..Yes, that would be unfair. You know, you have an unusual outlook for someone your age.” Yuki began combing some kind of chemical into my hair before he continued. “But then, Apolo told me you’ve had a fairly unusual life, so I’m not surprised.”
“I’ve had plenty of chances to watch and learn. See how relationships should and shouldn’t be handled, I mean…” Friends, family, roommates…I had a pretty lengthy list to watch and learn from, I thought.
“I appreciate that. So does Apolo. He has changed a lot since he met you. More smiling, more laughing, and less talk about work, work, work. It’s incredible.”
This simple little comment stirred memories of my conversation with Mom, back when I was trying to figure out how to tell Apolo I loved him.
Incredible was right.
“Very…It’s kinda funny, though.”
“Funny? What do you mean?”
“I mean, well, my Mom told me she noticed the exact same thing with me.” I sighed, reflecting. “It’s amazing what parents pick up on.”
By then he had finished covering parts of my hair in foil. I couldn’t help noticing something: Talking openly like this, Yuki didn’t seem nearly as intimidating.
“Call it instinct. All parents know their children almost as well as they know themselves. I know Apolo is happy when he is with you. How do you feel?”
I –knew- how I felt. The problem was, I hadn’t flat-out told anyone yet out of fear that I would sound silly. The thought of telling Apolo, let alone Yuki, scared the hell outta me. The thing is, though, I couldn’t lie about it. So I took a deep breath and spoke.
“I feel…happy, content, complete. Like..like I’ve found my other half, as corny as that sounds.”
“That’s not corny. You’re being honest. Shy, yes, but still honest. Have you told him any of this?”
“No, not yet. I only realized it a couple days ago. It seems too, y’know, personal to say over the phone.” Here, I sighed. “I –will- tell him, though.”
“Good.” No further comments were necessary. He moved back and checked my hair. “…Very good.”
“Is it done?”
“Almost. All that’s left is rinsing and drying.” He took the foil off and quickly rinsed off my hair. Then a hair dryer fired up. I forced myself to breathe. All I could do now was wait…