We don't have a gig tonight, but, because it's Akira's birthday, we're going out to explore the clubs in town. I've still not heard anything from Jenny, but it's already past midnight over there and I can't try again today. So, I push thoughts of her from my head and focus on my sister who I can hear squealing and laughing across the hall with Charlotte as they get ready."Kenji, what did you get me?" Akira bounces into my room with a champagne flute in hand, opening and closing all the cupboards in search of her gift."I flew you out here, is that not enough?" I ask, laughing when she mimics what I've said in a silly voice."Come on, where is it? Charlotte, come help me look, Kenji's hidden my present." She hollers through the open door and Charlotte's blonde head immediately appears around the frame."Kira, I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything. I thought bringing you out here for the month would be enough?" I keep my face as relaxed as possible as the two girls trash my room in thei
I've spoken to Kenji every single day for the last three weeks, it's usually while he's chilling out before getting ready for a gig and while I'm heading to bed, which would make me feel like a little old lady if I wasn't completely stressed out with assignments. He even ordered pizza and ice cream to be delivered when I was convinced I'd messed up my Business Law assignment and couldn't get hold of my lecturer to discuss it. Obviously it didn't solve the problem, but it was nicer to sit there sobbing into junk food than it would have been without it.Conversely I am yet to hear from Dane since his sister interrupted us at the party. I've called and text him a bunch of times, but apart from a text telling me he's really busy with uni and work at the moment but will see me soon, I've not heard anything from him. He couldn't even visit last weekend because he had family unexpectedly visiting so his parents made him stay at home.Part of me is annoyed that he hasn't made an effort, espec
I stare at my phone, willing it to ring, even checking I haven't somehow broken it or switched it to do not disturb somehow but everything seems to be as it should be. So why hasn't she called? "Ken, hurry up, we're heading to the bar." Harrison calls from the door of the dressing room. It's nearly 4am and Jenny and I had a phone date an hour ago, but she didn't answer when I tried. "Kenji Ikeda, get your butt out here and take your sister drinking." Akira shouts, then almost a second later she's barging into my room and snatching my phone from my hand. "She's probably still asleep, she'll ring when she wakes up. Come on." "Ok, ok, fine." As soon as I stand up she passes my phone back, dragging me by the arm out of my room to cheers of "finally" from everyone else. I turn the volume and vibrate up full, keeping it in my pocket the entire night, pulling it out every so often to see if I've missed her call, but nothing and I can't help worrying. We haven't missed a call once in thre
"So, Kenji, you've been in the news recently when it was discovered you were in a relationship, anything you can tell us about the lucky lady?" Jonathan Ross' voice comes through the phone of the girls in front of me and without seeing it, I know that the show is showing a picture of him at the airport with his sister and her best friend."Ah, yeah, well, that's actually my sister Akira. Hi Kira." Kenji waves at the camera before turning back to the screen. "And the girl beside her is her best friend and actually Jamie's little sister, Charlotte. Neither of which I am dating.""Bet he's shagged Jamie's sister though." One of the girls comments and they both giggle."Ok, well, does that mean you're single then?" As though I'm watching it again, I can see Kenji laugh, his cheeks turning a little red and Jonathan spots it immediately. "There is someone, come on, tell us all about her.""Right, well, I can't really, it's still really early days, but what I can tell you is she's special. S
"Come on in, quickly." Jenny opens her front door, pulling me through and closing it behind her. She's gotten very good at doing that without being seen from outside which is weirdly impressive to me.Ever since I declared my interest in her on the Jonathan Ross show, I've been followed even more than usual, so I've upped the disguise to avoid being spotted when I come to visit her. I'm lucky it's cold enough for woolly hats and scarves so I blend right in."Fish and chips, I definitely want proper greasy fish and chips tonight. I might even get gravy too. Oooo or curry sauce." The voice in the hallway has her stopping on the spot, her eyes wide with panic and this I'm less impressed by. She's still keeping me secret from her friends, even the couple I accidentally met before. The voices get quieter as they go the opposite way and once we hear a door shut, she relaxes, tugging me along to her room and locking the door behind us."Hi." She finally smiles at me, breathing a sigh of reli
"Oh Jenny, I'm so disappointed, I thought he was just a one night stand. I was so proud." Luke grins as he dodges Cleo who is trying to shut him up. "I've renounced my manwhore ways, but I thought I had converted you, I was going to share tips and live vicariously through you.""Vicariously?" I grin at him, surprisingly relieved that Kenji meeting my friends went better than anticipated. "Did I not use that right?" He stops and Cleo manages to grab him, slapping her hand over his mouth."No, no, you actually did. I'm just surprised you used it at all." I catch the pillow he launches in my direction, then another and somehow a third between the two and toss them back, hitting him in the side of the head. "Don't mess with me, I'm happy and I've got mad ninja skills.""You do seem happy." Elsie walks into the kitchen and grabs a banana. She's very slowly coming around to us all and we make an extra effort to include her whenever she ventures out without Billy by her side."More importa
I wake up with a dead arm, my fingertips tingling but feeling foreign on my arm which is acting like it's doubled in size overnight and Jenny's housemate is singing loudly again as he walks past her room while his girlfriend tries hard to make him be quiet. I'm not sure why she still tries, I've only slept here a dozen or so nights and even I can tell it doesn't work, in fact, it might just make it a little bit worse. "I hate him so much." Jenny moans, curling into me further and releasing the pressure on my arm which is then swamped with the prickle of pins and needles as it comes back to life. "It's five in the morning... On a Saturday. It's like he has to punish those of us who aren't masochistic enough to voluntarily get up that early." "Shh he's gone now, go back to sleep." I whisper, stroking her hair with my normal, tingle free hand, loving the feel of her snuggled into my chest. It's been so good the last few weeks, we've hung out with her friends quite a bit and even her si
Kenji is not a morning person, if anything I would say he's an anti-morning person, he's happy to stay up until the early hours, but getting him out of bed before ten o'clock is challenging. He pretends not to notice when I'm trying to escape his clutches and when I finally manage to get up, he burrows deep under the quilt and fakes being asleep, therefore he apparently can't hear me talking to him. This also means that the first thing he wants to do when we get into town is to go and get brunch, which seems to be fairly difficult when he's also trying to keep himself disguised from being recognised. "Oh em gee, are you Kenji from Kokoro?" A woman shoves past me to sit beside Kenj as soon as he removes his scarf. "Nanishiteruno." (What are you doing?) Kenji shouts suddenly, standing up and taking my hand. "Daijōbu desu ka?" (Are you ok?) I have no idea what he's saying but I'm guessing it's Japanese and am incredibly impressed that he can speak it. I don't know why I never assumed