19.) First Day in Dillard
"Kaya, are you ok?" Toru asked, looking at his silent friend who was now staring off into space. "Don't worry ma'am, there will be no additional charge, since the mistake was on our end. It's a free upgrade." The front desk clerk tried to soothe. "You, you said Honeymoon Chalet, is it, is it just one bed?" Kaya asked nervously. "Well, it's only one bedroom, there's a loft with a queen bed, but it has no door. It's a really lovely Chalet, more secluded for privacy." He informed her dutifully.
"Kaya? We can just go home." Toru suggested, his face full of concern for her. Kaya blinked and then locked eyes with Toru. "We came all the way here." She responded. "And we can go all the way back, I don't mind. I'd never want you to be uncomfortable." Toru urged, the desk clerk frantically searching on his computer for any other option. "I'm so sorry, I saw the names on the reservation and thought you'd be a couple and this would be an easy fix. I'm not seeing any other rooms or anything available." He informed them.
Kaya took a deep breath and shook her head firmly. "It's fine Toru, we shared the room when you were in the hospital. We came here to relax and have a nice time. Thank you for the upgraded chalet sir." Kaya finished, directing her attention to the front desk clerk. The clerk let out a relieved sigh and gave the two a smile. "Right then, let me get you your keys and a map of the chalet village." He told them happily.
Kaya let Toru deal with getting the keys and the directions while she took a few moments to gather her thoughts. Telling herself it may technically be called the honeymoon chalet, but it only really meant it was a cozier one than the one they were supposed to stay in. She nodded as she felt sure she'd made the right choice to stay, Toru's response to her hesitation helped her to feel a lot more at ease as well.
She felt certain a lot of other guy's would have been slimy about the whole thing and possibly even expect more to happen between them due to it. But she felt safe with Toru, he was willing to drive all the way back to Athens at that very moment just to ensure she was comfortable. The two walked back to the car together, Toru opening her door and helping her into the car as always with a smile on his face.
"I'm going to ask you one last time, are you sure you don't want to go home?" Toru asked after taking his seat and seeing her stare out the window. "I'm sure. Let's just have a nice weekend." Kaya smiled at him. "Ok, I won't ask anymore simply because I feel like it will only make the trip less enjoyable if I keep asking. BUT if you change your mind, for any reason whatsoever, let me know and we're out of here. No questions asked." He told her in a kind firm tone, soliciting a nod of agreement from her.
The short two mile drive to the chalet village took little time, seeing the two friends arrive at their designated spot within just a few minutes. Toru opened the trunk and took their bags out before opening the door for Kaya, the two approaching the door together. When the door swung open Kaya took in a deep gasp, causing Toru to bite his lip rather than ask her again if she'd rather just go home.
The neutral colored walls and vaulted wood ceiling were breathtaking, positioned next to a large balcony with rocking chairs facing out towards the wilderness that surrounded them. The large brick wood burning fireplace looked very snug, and the tan plush couches next to them were inviting. They were both amazed as they walked further in and found the rather large kitchen, with more than enough space to feed a large family with no problem.
The pair walked upstairs first before going into the first floor bedroom. Looking around at the open loft, both were surprised by how spacious it was and that it had its own full bathroom as well. "With another bedroom still downstairs, this isn't bad at all." Kaya told Toru happily. He smiled at her with a nod, "I'll take this bed so you can have a door to close. Give you more privacy." He said with a tone that indicated it wasn't something he was looking to negotiate.
Kaya sighed softly as Toru sat his bag down on the queen sized bed, then walked back down with him. Entering the downstairs room, the four poster king size bed made Kaya feel a little more like it was an advertised feature for honeymooners. Toru sat her bag at the bottom of the bed before looking around the room with a loud whistle. "Nice digs." He smiled, causing Kaya to giggle.
"So what first, get some things from the store for the kitchen or relax a bit?" Kaya asks. Toru considers the question a moment before he answers. "If we hit the store first, we won't have anything we HAVE to do. We can just come back, unpack and enjoy the rest of our weekend." Toru suggests, Kaya quick to agree. The two made their way back out, and put it into Waze to find the nearest grocery store.
Just over an hour later they returned with food to cook meals, snacks, and all the fixings for smores. Kaya unloaded all of the groceries into the fridge and freezer accordingly while Toru unloaded the rest. After finishing they agreed to take showers and change into comfy clothes and spend the rest of the time lounging around the chalet until it was time for them to head over to the restaurant for Dinner, not wanting to cook on their first night there.
Toru finished getting ready before Kaya and decided to look through the TV channels for what might be available, so when she came out of her room in a pair of pink and black plaid pajama bottoms and a black tee shirt, her hair in a high pony, mascara on her eyes, and a shiny pink lip gloss he didn't see her at first. Instead he heard her and asked if she'd like to watch Harry Potter before turning after not hearing her answer and found himself staring at her.
"Toru?" Kaya called, catching his attention. "Sorry, blanked out for a second there. So Harry Potter?" He asked with a smile. "Yeah, sounds great, want me to make any popcorn or anything?" Kaya asked gently. "No way, I want to be starving before we head back over to the main area and get dinner. The food is supposed to not only be good, but like A LOT of it. I intend to need a wheelbarrow when we leave." He laughed, taking a seat on the couch.
The pair sat on the couch together, starting Sorcerer's Stone and watching at first in silence, up until they both started quoting the movie and laughed. They spent the rest of the movie quoting their favorite parts and talking about the different things they loved about the movie. When the end credits started to roll Kaya looked over at Toru with a smile on her face.
"Thank you, that was a really nice experience." Kaya spoke gently. Toru gave her a confused look before replying. "All we did was watch a movie, it's not like it was the first time we've done that." He countered. "Yeah I know. You're actually a lot of fun to watch movies with. You don't hate on my choices, we like a lot of the same things, you don't get mad if I quote the movies I've seen before or sing along. So Thank you." She explained, causing Toru to pout at her.
"It's sad that you even have to think that the way you watched movies with a guy before was that way was normal. Honestly, I don't want to think about it or I'm just going to get pissed off and picturing myself punching that loser is no longer helping me control that anger. Come on, let's get ready to go eat. What do you say we wear our pajamas and just grab our coats and shoes?" Toru suggested with a grin.
Kaya smiled at him and nodded her agreement, standing from the couch she reached above her head and stretched as high as she could, causing Toru to look away when he saw her midriff. "I'm going to use the bathroom before we go." She informed Toru who snapped out of his daze of seeing her bare skin. "Good idea, me too, meet you back downstairs in a bit." He told her, taking the stairs two at a time.
Kaya returned to the Front Room just in time to see Toru skip the last two steps and land at the bottom. "Man I'm hungry, can't wait to eat." He smiled at Kaya, noticing she'd moved her hair up into a messy bun. "Me too, even made sure to get my curls out of my way so I can stuff my face and not have to worry." She laughed, Toru joining her. "Good idea." He chuckled as they slipped their shoes on.
Stepping back out of the Chalet, Kaya pulled her arms closer to herself. "Sure did get a lot colder." She told Toru. "Yeah it has, come on, let's get you in the car, I remote started it so it's warm." He soothed, opening the car door for her and helping her inside. The two make their way back down to the main building and park near the entrance for the Dillard House Restaurant, a smile on both of their faces.
Entering the restaurant, both of their noses are met with the scent of a feast, making their mouths salivate. "Hello, welcome to Dillard House, just the two of you?" The hostess asked. "Yes." Toru and Kaya answer in unison. "Alright, we ask that couples sit at the smaller tables to leave more space for larger parties. Other than that, have a seat wherever you'd like." She told them. "Thanks, but we're not a couple." Toru told her, looking at the tables available as she apologized for assuming.
Toru took Kaya by the hand and led her to a table near the fireplace and pulled out her chair for her to take a seat. "See that son, when you grow up and find you a good woman, you're supposed to do nice things like that for her." A man sitting at the next table told a boy who looked to be about 14, the teen rolling his eyes at his father. "It's just a chair. An independent woman can move her own chair." He retorted.
"She can, but she shouldn't. Kaya is very independent. She runs an entire department at work, still keeps her boss in check, takes care of things for her family, owns her own place, pays all her own bills. Yet when we spend time together she never touches a single door nor chair. She always smiles at me when I do these things because she appreciates them. If I can do them for a good friend, you should do them for a girlfriend when you get one." Toru interrupted, the dad nodding his agreement the entire time Toru spoke.
"Thank you sir. See that, she's his friend and he treats her with that kind of care and respect. I bet this helps her to remember her worth and not waste her time on losers. Do you want to be the loser that a good woman wants nothing to do with or a real man?" He asked his son. The teen sighed and looked at Kaya. "You don't feel like he's overstepping with all of that?" He asked her directly.
Kaya shook her head softly. "If he acted like he was superior to me simply for being a man, then I would be bothered by it. We fought a lot when we first met, but some of that was misunderstanding and some was just him working through some things the wrong way. I feel like he does those little things to show he values my company." Kaya responded, the teen giving her a thoughtful look.
"I'll think about it." He answered after a moment, his father smiling as the teen pushed his chair away, mumbling he was heading to the bathroom. "Thanks for that. My wife passed away when he was 4 and it only occurred to me recently that since I've not brought any of the women I dated around him he has no idea how to treat a lady." The father told them, both nodding.
Kaya looked over at Toru, she could see the sadness and empathy in his eyes for the man, but he never broke his smile. "I'm sorry for your loss. It's good that you're doing all you can to raise him right. I'm sure he'll get there." Toru informed him, taking his seat across from Kaya just as the server came over to the table.
"Good evening, have you been to Dillard House before or read online how we do things?" She asks. "We read about the family style serving online." Kaya informed her. The server smiled at her and asked what she'd like to drink. "I think just water for tonight would be good, thank you." She informed. "Water sounds good to me as well. Thank you ma'am." Toru finished.
The woman smiled at the pair before walking away to get their drinks, Toru looking over at Kaya a moment. "I'm glad you feel valued. You can't begin to imagine how much you mean to me." He told her with a small grin. Kaya frowned slightly at him, able to tell he was holding something back, but decided not to bring it up. "You mean a lot to me as well. I hope I make you feel it too." She told him, gaining a smile and a happy nod from him.
Not long after the server returned with their drinks and two plates, another person behind her held a serving tray with several dishes on it. The two watched in amazement as the two servers placed dishes with Fried Chicken, Roast Pork, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans, corn on the cob, acorn squash souffle, cabbage casserole, sauteed vegetables, calico salad, coleslaw, rolls, and cornbread down in front of them.
Their original server then handed them several serving spoons, and reminded them to save room for peach cobbler before walking away again. "Oh my god, there's so much." Kaya let out, looking at the table uncertain where to start first. Toru saw her looking it all over with uncertainty and picked up her plate and started adding some of everything on to it before sitting it back down in front of her.
Kaya smiled at him as he made her plate, and then his own in turn. While she'd made him a plate before, she did so out of tradition. He'd just done so because he could see her overthinking it. She looked back over at the boy and his father, eating their peach cobbler and wondered if he'd done the same things for his late wife.
She then turned her attention back to Toru and thought about how lucky Aimi must have been to have such a loving and attentive husband. She thought if he was this caring with just a friend, it must have been so much more for the woman he loved. Her cheeks tinted pink as the quick thought ran through her head of how it might be nice to be loved by him. She quickly pushed the thought away and began to eat.
The two ate and raved about the food, stuffing themselves full, claiming there was a second stomach just for desert and they would be fine to get cobbler. Their server asked them if they'd had a long day today, perhaps out hiking. When they told her they drove up from Athens, went to the store, then watched Harry Potter before dinner she was amazed at how much they managed to eat.
When they told her they didn't need any refills on anything, she brought over the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream, leaving the two to enjoy their dessert. As they ate and discussed if they might put on The Chamber of Secrets when they got back, most of the restaurant started to clear out.
"Hey, you've got a little something on your chin." Toru chuckled. "Oh, crap." Kaya blushed, looking for her napkin when one made contact with the spot in question, gently wiping away the food that was left behind. "Thank you." She blushed, Toru smiling at her red face. "Any time, little cutie." He replied, with a slight flirtatious tone, causing Kaya to become ever redder. Toru smiled to himself at her reaction and that she didn't seem to mind the nickname.
After their meal the two headed back up to the chalet, the quiet secluded spot looking very inviting from the outside in the bitter cold. When they entered, Kaya told Toru she was going to go to the restroom and wash her face, brush her teeth, and put on some pajamas she didn't wear out in public for sleeping in.
Toru told her to go ahead, moving upstairs to do the same as quickly as he could. He then grabbed two blankets and made his way back downstairs, seeing Kaya was still in the bathroom. He got everything ready to put on The Chamber of Secrets then checked the thermostat. "It's currently set to 74, do you feel comfortable at this temperature?" He called out to Kaya in the next room.
"Yeah, it'll be fine." She called back, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She'd never known anyone to ask her if she were comfortable with the current temp, if they weren't comfortable with it they changed it and just left it to her to do the same if she felt the need. But Toru wanted to make certain she was comfortable, and knowing that made her feel warm inside.
Kaya finished up what she needed to do and headed out into the front with Toru, finding him sitting on the couch with two blankets folded on his lap. "I just thought, in case we did start to get a little cold out here. This room is kinda large and one wall is basically windows, so it's not as warm as the bedroom." He stated.
Kaya nodded and took her seat on the couch, noting that it was colder out here than back in the bedroom. "Wait, is it colder upstairs? It's basically this room as well." Kaya asked, concerned. "Heat rises, I'll be fine. Besides, I have extra blankets." He told her with a smile. "Well if you're cold up there you can turn the heat up." Kaya told him quietly.
Toru just shook his head as he gave Kaya one of the blankets, "That makes no sense. In doing that I would be making you too hot and it would be difficult for you to sleep. Besides, I think maybe you get cold easier than I do, I'm usually pretty warm for whatever reason." Toru informed her, picking up the remote and starting the movie.
Kaya looked at Toru, watching him rather than the movie as she thought about everything and what she was going to say next. "I don't like the idea of you being cold up there for my sake, but I also feel like you'd just stay cold and tell me you weren't. SO, I feel I can trust you, a king is pretty big. If you're cold, promise you'll come to sleep there.
"I'll be under the sheets and comforter, and you can bring down your extra blankets and sleep on top of the comforter then use those to cover up. That way I know you're not cold." Toru looked at her, his eyes wide as he tried to get a read on her. "You're serious?" He inquired, his answer a firm nod. "Fine I promise." He told her, going back to watching the movie.
Kaya let out a satisfied hum and joined Toru in watching the movie. The friends yet again quoted the movie and talked as it played, the talking dying down as the hour grew late and they became tired. Kaya went to her room first and to bed, Toru not long after going upstairs, where he stayed all night, not at all cold.