That night, after Takumi collapsed in his bed beside Eri and settled down to run his fingers through her damp hair, she asked hesitantly, "What will we do with this bed?"
"Leave it here?" he suggested.
"That's so wasteful," she complained.
Takumi lifted her hands to his face and kissed her wrists. "Whatever you want to do with it is fine Eri. Anything you want is fine," he told her seriously.
Eri looked at him dubiously. "Anything?"
He grinned at her, and replied confidently, "Anything Eri."
"What if I tell you I want to have dinner in Paris tomorrow?" she asked challengingly.
His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Do you have your passport?" Her eyes widened and she shook her head. He kissed her gently before informing her, "Then you'll have to wait a couple of weeks."
"Takumi!" she protested.
"Too long?" he asked with mock sorrow.
"Takumi! Seriously?!" she spluttered.
"I'm completely serious Eri, even if you want dinner in Paris, I'll give it to you." He slid his hands around her waist and kissed her.
"That would really be too expensive," she complained when she caught her breath again.
He just ran his hands down her back and grinned. She eyed him uncertainly, and he kissed her again before telling her soberly, "Then you shouldn't ask me for anything you don't really want."
She stared at him as he continued to pet her, and finally replied almost speculatively, "I don't know if I really want to go to Paris or not. It might be really fun, or it might be scary."
He blinked at her and pushed himself up to look into her face. "Scary? Now I really want to take you there someday." Her expression turned sour, and he held up his hand and promised, "When you're feeling more comfortable with the idea it'll just be fun, you won't be scared."
"Have you been to Paris?" she asked with surprise.
Takumi nodded. "I've also been to Germany, Italy, and the Swiss Alps. I kind of want to go to Venice next time I go to Europe." She stared at him with such a shocked expression that he hugged her gently as he reminded her, "I chose my job so I could go on the kind of vacations I wanted?"
Eri gulped."When you said exotic vacations, I thought you meant like, swimming on tropical islands or something… not touring europe?"
He grinned and told her cheerfully, "I like doing that too." She clung to him silently, and he waited for her to adjust to the idea, but she didn't respond. After awhile he asked worriedly, "Eri? What's wrong?"
She shrugged, but then she lifted her eyes to meet his and asked unhappily, "Are we too different?"
"What? No!?" he protested.
She cuddled against him, but told him anxiously, "But I've never been anywhere really, and I keep worrying that we're going to spend too much."
"So?" he demanded. "I don't think you need to worry as much as you do, but it's not a bad thing that you're thinking ahead. And I'd love to take you places you haven't been."
"What if we find out that I don't like traveling?" she asked uncertainly.
He rubbed her back reassuringly as he insisted, "It will be okay. We don't have to be the same Eri." He kissed her again, before adding firmly, "And we are not too different to enjoy being together! I love you just like you are."
"I'm sorry," she replied unhappily.
He stared at her blankly for a moment and then sighed. "Are you apologizing again because you don't know if you love me or not?"
She nodded.
After a few seconds his lips quirked with amusement, and he told her softly, "Eri, you're so cute. Don't worry, I'll keep waiting for you, take your time."
After a moment she agreed, "Okay."
--
The morning was miserable again.
Eri had to rush back into the apartment, after they left it, to throw up. Their elderly neighbor, Hiroshi, even poked her head through their doorway inquisitively.
The old woman commented almost cheerfully, "It used to take me the same way. And a cracker never did anything for me, but a honey lemon slice to suck on helped."
Eri's breath caught and she stared back. "You can tell?" she asked plaintively.
The older woman chuckled. "It gives you a certain look that you start to recognize after dealing with a few daughters and granddaughters."
Takumi caught up, and stopped in the doorway, which Hiroshi immediately yielded. Eri blushed as she finished straightening her appearance. And she couldn't help the way she clung to Takumi shyly in front of the amused elderly woman as they set out again.
--
They went to several furniture stores before something finally caught Eri's eye. Takumi had wondered if he was going to have to just pick something before they ran out of stores to visit, or if he should have suggested browsing the net for ideas first.
He smiled with relief when she pointed at a bedroom set and told him excitedly, "It's like a picture book story!"
Takumi looked it over, and then agreed with amusement, "Maybe something out of a european fairytale, or a steamy romance set in a castle?"
Eri blushed as she asked, "Is it too strange?"
He looked at it more thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. I've never had a bed that was built as a confined space like that?"
She looked at it wistfully, and then admitted, "It's completely different, but sort of reminds me of the sleeping cubby at home."
He glanced down at her face again as he asked, "Do you want to get it?"
She hesitated before answering. "Not if you would feel confined?"
"Let's try laying on it for a little while," he suggested, and then laughed as she immediately climbed into it. "You'll need a step stool when you start to show, just to climb into the bed," he teased her.
A salesperson approached them and announced cheerfully, "There's already a step built into both sides."
He showed Takumi where it pulled out, and then Takumi climbed on and stretched out beside Eri.
He pressed lightly against the foot of the bed with his feet before asking, "How sturdy is it?" Eri looked at him with wide eyes as he added while smirking at her, "Will it stand up to repetitive impacts?"
The salesperson responded stiffly, "It's extremely sturdy." When Takumi gave him a look and bounced against the footboard, the man colored a bit and declared, "The floor will give out first!"
He brought out a tablet and showed Takumi the construction illustrations and the way the framework for the drawers was worked into the footboard. Eri blushed every time either of them looked at her. After a while Takumi shooed off the salesperson and cuddled up with Eri on the bed for a while more.
"Does it make you feel safe?" he asked softly. She blinked at him in surprise and then nodded shyly. He kissed her and told her, "Okay, let's get this one then."
"Is it too soft?" she asked worriedly. "I think we could choose a different mattress if it's too soft?"
"It's not softer than your futon?" he pointed out questioningly.
"But it's much softer than your bed," Eri replied.
Takumi flopped back against the mattress thoughtfully. "It's completely different from any bed I've ever had, but I don't think it's uncomfortable. Let's just try it like this if you like it?"
"I like it," she admitted.
--
They ordered the full bedroom set, including matching wardrobes. And then Takumi announced cheerfully, "Now we just need a couch, and a dining set."
"Do we really need a dining set?" Eri asked dubiously. "Can't we use your table?"
"I guess we can, if you really want to," he replied hesitantly.
"It's not like you've done it with other people on the table," she began. But she stopped when she saw his blush and asked incredulously, "Seriously?" Takumi shrugged and refused to meet her eyes and Eri giggled and covered her mouth. He glanced at her and she whispered, "I guess we already did it on the counter too?"
He grinned at her and nodded. She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.
--
They chose a new table with a honey colored finish that matched their new floors. But they left choosing a couch for another day, when neither of them saw anything really cool and Takumi saw how tired Eri was getting.
Sunday Takumi borrowed his father's car, and Eri asked her uncle Kei to bring his car and help them move stuff.
They assembled the old bed up in the loft and left the little table at the apartment for the next resident.
