CHAPTER 2
SWEET AS SUGAR

IT HAD BEEN 2 YEARS since she last saw him. In just that small amount of time, he looked like he aged more, as if whatever he was doing for a career was sucking the life out of him. But he was still as handsome as ever. It was hard for him not to be handsome. He filled out more; his shoulders wider and his arms more toned. She could tell by the way his jacket was tight around his biceps. He now had slight under-eye bags and a scar just about his eyebrow.

His eyes met hers. Her heart leaped into her throat.

But if I don't leave now, I'll be stuck here because I don't think I'll be strong enough to leave again. The last words she said to him that day seemed to echo in her brain.

She needed to move. She couldn't stand here all day staring at him, her feet frozen in one place. People were still walking around her, shooting her annoyed looks. With a hard swallow, she stepped towards the bar, and he smiled. She'd never admit it, but she always hoped she'd get to see him smile again one day. And now, she had finally been able to see it, at the worst of occasions.

She didn't know what to say when her feet eventually approached the small bar setup. Her mouth seemed to be sealed in a tight line, and her eyes – fuck, she couldn't stop staring – they wouldn't leave his. It was as if they were playing a game, and the smile on his face told her that he was winning. The bartender huffed, and in an annoyed tone, she asked, "What'll it be?"

Tabitha tore her eyes away from his, pursing his lips as she looked at the shelves of hard liquor. The bartender set the complimentary shot of sake by her hand. Her mind was completely blank. She knew how to order for herself at a bar, so why couldn't she say anything? Was the mere presence of her ex leaving her so shell-shocked that she was becoming more timid by the second? This was unlike her. This was –

As if they were both magnets, she glanced at him again, her sapphire irises burning into his dark eyes.

Kento's lips quirked up again, and he finally replied for her, "She'll have a dirty martini."

The bartender looked between them for a moment, and then nodded, turning around to make the drink. Tab's slender fingers locked around the shot of sake as she stared at him, and he was so close now that she could fully inhale his sweet musk. The same scent that used to live on her bedsheets and envelope her when he pressed himself against her.

His voice was softer this time, sweet like candy, when he said, "Hi, Tab."

She blinked, finally breaking herself out of this staring game that she was most definitely losing. Tipping her head back, she took the shot and set the glass on the bar top. It was light and fruity, reminding her of the beach they were currently on. She cleared her throat and watched the bartender make her drink. In a bored tone, she said, "Ken."

The bartender removed Tab's shot glass to add to her dirty dish pile and replaced the empty spot with a freshly shaken dirty martini. Kento watched her pick off an olive from the garnish almost immediately, popping it into her mouth. And with his glass hovering over his lips, he remarked, "You're a creature of habit. Always eating an olive before taking a sip." He finally gulped his whiskey.

Her eyes shot to the whiskey, prepared with 3 ice cubes – just the way he liked it. She took a sip of her martini before replying, "That makes two of us."

He knew what she was referring to. He wasn't an idiot. So why did she think that was the way to reply?

"You remember how I like my whiskey?" He raised a brow, inquisitive, but his expression was still unreadable.

"It's not hard to guess."

More people were coming up to the bar, meaning that speeches were close to starting. A couple tried to get in between them to speak to the bartender, making Kento take a step closer to her, their chests almost brushing. Tabitha swallowed hard, remembering how it felt to have him this close, his weight on top of her –

She looked back at her table, where a tall man with reddish-brown hair was talking to Aki, and took a long sip of her martini. "Can I ask," she spoke up, licking the corners of her lips, "why did you come?"

Kento's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't I? Ren and I used to work together."

Tabitha wasn't sure what she expected out of her question. Did she want him to say that he came just to see her? No, definitely not. She didn't want to see him in the first place anyway, and she assumed the feeling was mutual. And it wasn't like she didn't know that he and Ren were former coworkers. He had basically set Ren up with Hina.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "You hate weddings."

"I don't hate weddings."

"Okay, you heavily dislike them."

He finally broke her stare to tsk under his breath, and she knew she had broken him down. His eyes roamed around the event tent as he muttered, "It's just ... too many people. I'd rather be at home, cooking or reading. But I wanted to come to support Ren."

His words sent her back to the past, to their 5th date where he cooked a delicious meal for her, to nights where he lulled her to sleep by reading aloud and letting her slump against his arm. Those memories were warm, cozy, like curling up with a blanket on a snowy day. She missed him, despite her better judgment.

But that was just it: the past. It was all in the past.

Kento finished off his whiskey, slamming the glass down on the bar top and bringing his watch up to eye level. He still wore the same TAG Heuer wristwatch. She wouldn't be surprised if it was glued to him at this point. "We should probably get back to our seats," he whispered, even over the loud people around them. "Speeches must be starting soon, and I assume Hina is making you give one?"

She suddenly felt the cue cards for her speech practically burning a hole where she placed them in her bra. Choosing not to answer his question, she kept her martini close to her chest and said over her shoulder, "Goodbye, Ken."

━━━━━━

Tabitha gave her speech right after Hina's dad. His words left every guest choked up, tears pricking at the corners of their eyes. And Tabitha knew already that she wouldn't compare. Maybe she had just gotten way too into her head because she found herself stuttering through the speech, forgetting words that she had read on her cue card just seconds before, and having awkward, long pauses. She was thoroughly embarrassed, but Hina still hugged her after like she hadn't botched the entire thing.

The live band and open bar surely made the night even better. Guests were either packed on the dance floor or around the small bar top. The band played not only hits but requests from Hina and Ren as well. Tabitha found herself in an ongoing conversation with Naomi and Maryam, hardly getting up from her seat unless Hina and her sisters dragged her up to dance. Sometimes, her eyes traveled to Kento's table. He was either leaning back in his seat, nursing a whiskey and watching the clock, or engaging in small talk with someone at his table, probably an old colleague. He never liked weddings. He didn't like many public events in general. This behavior was typical and she wouldn't be surprised if he retired to bed early.

Eventually, the man she'd seen Aki talking to earlier with reddish-brown hair came up to her for a dance. She glanced at Aki, who was trying to keep his attention on another person he was talking to, but his eyes did flicker towards her, waiting to see how she'd answer. Despite the awkward position, she accepted the man's offer. It's not like she had a choice anyway. The last thing she wanted to do was make the situation uncomfortable for everyone.

He introduced himself as Hangeki, and he was tall. Taller than Kento. She was surprised that he wasn't an athlete; he was a realtor and one of Ren's distant cousins. He had a deep voice that somehow echoed as soon as any word left his mouth. He wasn't exactly her type, but he was handsome, and he had pretty hazel eyes that sparkled underneath the lights in the tent. His dancing skills were shit though. His abnormally large feet kept stepping on hers, and she was wearing open-toed shoes.

The conversation wasn't exactly titillating, but she guessed she shouldn't expect much from Ren's distant cousin who kept stepping on her feet. Just as the song was about to end and she could finally escape from this horrible dance, another person appeared beside Hangeki.

"Can I cut in?"

Tabitha glanced at Kento, and then back at Hangeki, who was looking down at her ex like it was personal. His brows knitted together; his jaw went tight. Tabitha licked at her lips and squeezed Hangeki's hand in her own before replying, "Sure, Ken." She then feigned a smile towards the taller man. "Thanks for the dance, Hangeki."

"Anytime," he said, although he was still flickering his gaze to Kento.

When Hangeki made his way back to their table (where Aki was now staring daggers at him), Kento took her hand into his own and placed his other palm on the small of her back. He kept just enough distance between them so she was comfortable, but something about his familiar cologne made her want to be closer. She pushed back her internal thoughts and kept her right hand on his shoulder, looking at the other couples on the dance floor. A new song was starting, one that everyone loved, and even Hina pulled Ren close to her.

"You looked like you needed an out," Kento mused.

She wanted to say, Thank you, but something about it felt way too intimate. So she lied: "I was fine. He's a nice person."

"And how are your feet feeling?"

She leveled a look at him, realizing she had been caught red-handed. Maybe it was time for a little bit of truth: "Sore," she quipped.

He smiled, a rare sight on his usual stoic persona. If her heart didn't stop beating so rapidly, he'd surely hear. She couldn't keep her eyes off him as they swayed to the soft rock tune. It was hard not to transport herself to the past in that moment. They had spent so many years together, so many memories shared between just 2 people. Just being close to him had her reeling, and she wished it didn't. She wished she could just see him and not be affected, but that wasn't possible.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said against the shell of her ear, and it was then she realized how close she had gotten to him while daydreaming. His tone was nonchalant, but his words were as sweet as sugar.

Tabitha lifted her head to blink up at him, and then she wrinkled her nose. "Don't say that," she replied.

"Why?"

She sent him a knowing look. Was she the weird one for thinking you shouldn't call your ex beautiful? Or was she just too soft on the inside, not able to distinguish a general compliment from words filled with love and adoration?

He raised a brow at her lack of an answer. "I'm starting to wonder if I should've saved you from that terrible dancer after all." He looked down at his feet, where he had perfectly placed them so he wouldn't step on hers. "I'm no dancer, but at least I know where to put my feet."

A chuckle escaped her lips, loud enough for her to bite down on her lower lip to stop it.

Kento was trying not to stare at her now, and she wondered if he sensed the awkwardness between them finally. His eyes lingered on her table near the open bar, brows furrowing in that direction. Without blinking away, he asked her, "Who's that man with the dark hair that keeps looking over at us?"

"Aki." Tabitha didn't need to look to know who was staring. Aki made his persistence almost too obvious. She then hesitated, but she knew if she didn't say these words now, Kento would just prod later. "We ... we were together for a few months this year. He's actually one of Ren's close family friends."

"I see," he nodded, lips quirking up into a smile right in Aki's direction. Tabitha finally glanced over and noticed Aki finally turn away, getting up from his seat to go to the bar. "It seems that Ren invited the entire town he grew up with to this wedding."

"It does, doesn't it?" And this is what she missed between them: the back and forth, the witty banter that could only come from his bluntness and her playful attitude. But she needed to reserve herself and not get back into old habits, no matter how much she wanted to.

He turned his head back, but he was watching the other couples around them now, and now she was the one who couldn't keep her eyes off him. His face was somehow more chiseled. Something about him was so timelessly handsome; he had both the face of a 1950s movie star and a Calvin Klein model. She felt her stomach do flip-flops and her heart rate picked up.

"What about you?" She finally asked. Her curiosity was unbearable. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"No," he replied, so nonchalantly.

The imaginary weight on her shoulders lifted, and she felt relieved for reasons she didn't want to admit. "Well, you didn't hear it from me," she said, mouth curling into a smirk, "but Hina's sister, Saori, has a crush on you."

From the way his eyes moved about the room, she could tell he eventually found where Saori was at the bar, taking shots with the second-youngest sister, Izumi. He chuckled under his breath before gazing down at her again, and she felt completely frozen.

"I think she might be too young for me, Tab," he said softly, his eyes sparkling. She was completely lost in them. "I figured you'd know my type by now."

Tabitha pursed her lips. Their chests were pressing against each other. They were close – too close – but neither of them would make the first move to pull away. Was this song over yet? That could be her excuse. Fuck, if she didn't move away –

He squeezed her hand in his own.

Warmth pooled in her gut. The tension was palpable, and her mouth was suddenly so dry that she needed something to quench it. What if she let this tension consume her? What if they went their separate ways right now, but she somehow found herself knocking on his hotel room door after the reception? Every memory came flooding back: every time he made love to her, every time he fucked her so good that he had to give her a calming bath after, every time he had his mouth on every area of her body.

His mouth ... what she would give to feel it once again.

The band ended the song and thanked all the couples for dancing. As if coming back to reality, Tabitha let go of her hold on him and stepped back. She didn't say a word to him. She didn't know exactly what to say. So she turned on her heel and walked away.

She wouldn't find his room tonight.

But she needed to release this tension inside her. If she didn't, she was going to crumble. She had gotten aroused from just a conversation with him, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of having her laid out before him again – not after all the lies.

This was what led her to Aki's room that night.

A/N: omg I'm OBSESSED with writing their tension hehehe thank you guys for reading!!!! 💞