9.) Making Plans

Kaya stared at the dash of Toru's Tesla, her mouth slightly agape, and her daze unfocused. Toru kept trying to get her attention and tell her to hang up the phone, but she seemed to be in another world. Toru gave up and decided to hang up the call himself from the Bluetooth controls. He found the first available spot to pull over and leaned over to Kaya, trying to pull her attention to him, and off what she'd just heard.

Kaya jumped when her phone started to ring, looking down and seeing Kenji's name pop up. Toru shook his head, telling her not to answer, but she accepted the call anyway, the call going back through the speakers of the car from never having been disconnected.

"Kaya." Kenji called into the silence. Kaya finally looked over at Toru, her expression much like a deer caught in headlights. "Kaya, hey I'm here. Sorry, I was kinda masturbating when you called and thought I hit ignore." Kenji told her apologetically.

Kaya nodded her head, her eyes focusing again and looking at Toru, giving him a broken smile. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I was just calling to tell you I'm sorry you missed a great show and that we're going to The Grill to get food now." Kaya told him, her tone betraying how uncertain she was of Kenji's explanation.

"We? You mean you and Oikawa? Or did someone else meet up with you?" Kenji asked, his volume increasing as he thought of the brunette. "No, just us. We danced and had a couple of drinks so we need food." Kaya told him, voice far away as she tried to wrap her head around all she'd heard.

"You promised not to be alone with him." Kenji reminded her firmly. "The Grill is public." She replied, in a small voice. "You said you were taking the bus to the Theater, are you taking the bus to The Grill as well?" He asked, venom dripping from his voice. "No, we're in the Tesla." She answered, giving Toru a nervous glance.

Toru could hear Kenji's voice coming over the speakers, yelling incoherently at Kaya, he couldn't make all of it out, but he saw the same fear in her eyes he'd seen the week before. "That's enough. It's a two minute drive. We both KNOW you spend time ALONE with 'friends' of the opposite sex. Kaya has given you no reason to not trust her. Then again a guilty conscience always did speak first." Toru retorted, reaching a hand over and wiping tears from Kaya's face.

"You stay out of this Oikawa, this is a private matter between Kaya and I. This conversation has nothing to do with you, it's none of your business." Kenji retorted. Kaya quickly met Toru's eyes, seeing he was becoming even angrier, she decided to speak.

"He's just trying to be a good friend, I was crying because I don't like it when you yell." Kaya defended, Toru giving her a sad smile. Kenji audibly took a deep breath then sighed before speaking again.

"Right, you both have points. It's not much of a ride and I signed off on this whole friendship thing. Though I haven't a clue what Oikawa means about me spending time with friends alone, seeing as I have few friends and they are all male. Enjoy your dinner and text me when you get home. I'll see you Tuesday." Kenji responded, Kaya nodding and looking at Toru gratefully.

"See you Thursday." Kaya responded. Kenji sighed impatiently. "No, I texted you earlier. I can't make it. I'll see you next week on Tuesday." He responded annoyed. Kaya's eyes perked with tears as she listened. "I thought you just meant tonight." She whined, Toru frowning at her more.

"No, I'm busy all week. I can't come." Kenji responded dismissively. "You shouldn't be alone for Thanksgiving, I'll come up there and cook for us." Kaya responded enthusiastically. "No, stay there and spend the holiday with your family. I have to go. I'm really busy. Talk to you later." With that Kenji ended the call, Kaya trying to hold back a sob as she realized she wouldn't be seeing her fiancé for the holiday.

"Could he still be mad? He didn't even come over the weekend. It's like he's avoiding me." She said, mostly to herself. "Kaya, you realize he was lying, don't you?" Toru told her gently, reaching over and rubbing her arm soothingly. Kaya shook her head. "He has no reason to lie about being too busy to come home for the holiday." She responded firmly.

Toru took a deep breath, he could tell she was in deep denial, and he felt like he should at least try to help her. "That's not what I was talking about. Though I'm pretty sure he's lying about that too, he works in the office, not on the lines, he shouldn't have to work on a holiday unless something crazy happens like a power outage. Kaya, he wasn't alone. I could hear someone else when you called and he didn't mean to answer."

Kaya shook her head again, holding back tears. "No, you were hearing things." She insisted. Toru felt his heart breaking, knowing she didn't want to face the truth. At the same time, he felt it was better to help her see what was happening now, than to wait and allow it to only get worse.

"Kaya, ask any man you want. Guy's don't announce they are about to cum when they are alone and masturbating. There's no reason, you already know you're going to. The announcement is for the other person." He tells her. Kaya chuckles nervously. "Yeah well, Kenji must be the opposite. He never tells me and just does it." She told him with a sad smile, rubbing the back of her head.

Toru looked at her for a moment, contemplating the things she was saying and wondering if the man she planned to marry had no etiquette in the bedroom. "He never tells you? Not even when you're going down on him?" He asked. Kaya shook her head. "He just always pulls out or pushes me away." she tells him, Toru's anger rising. "Don't tell me you're using pull out as your form of birth control." He responded, trying to hold back the disgust in his voice. Kaya looked at him guiltily.

"I know it's not the most effective, but he hates the feel of condoms and I tend to forget to take the pill, forget to go back for the shot, and that ring thing made me so sick I couldn't see straight. Besides, I keep a few Plan B on standby in case he gets carried away."

Toru stared at Kaya, his face red with anger and his thoughts full of acts of violence against Kenji. "I need a minute." Toru told her, quickly getting out of the Tesla and walking a few steps away to allow his thoughts and feelings to process.

Now that he knew they were using no protection, he was even more certain Kenji was fooling around on her, as he'd seen Kenji checking his wallet before he left in the middle of the night last week, listing off the things that should be accounted for and stating that there were condoms in there then cursing to himself that he'd left a used one in it as well.

He thought nothing of it at the time, thinking he'd used it with Kaya, but now he had no idea who he used it with. He did know that he wanted Kaya to get checked at her OBGYN, uncertain that Kenji was always careful when cheating.

Toru took a deep breath and got back into the Tesla. "I don't know about you Kaya, but I'm dying of hunger and could really go for a burger and some fries right now." He told her with a fake smile. Kaya agreed happily, humming as Toru put the car back into drive and continued to their destination. The only thing Toru was sure of at that moment, was that convincing Kaya to go to the doctor may take some time, and the job shouldn't be done on an empty stomach.

When they arrived, Kaya reached for the door handle of the Tesla, leading Toru to tut at her and throw his arm in front of her, to grab her hand. "What's with you and doors?" She asked, chuckling. Toru smiled at her warmly, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." he says with a wink, quickly getting out of the car and going around to the other side to open Kaya's door and offer her his hand.

The pair walk up to the neon signs of the old diner, Toru holding the door for Kaya and waiting for her to enter before he follows behind. A staff member told them to have a seat wherever they liked, Kaya going to a nearby booth after looking around at the mostly empty establishment.

Toru waited for Kaya to choose her side of the booth before sliding in across from her with a grin. "Nothing like some good food after a fun night on the town." He tells her as cheerily as he can. Kaya nods at him, her mind still on Kenji not coming home for Thanksgiving nor allowing her to come to him.

"What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?" Kaya asked, giving Toru her undivided attention. Toru saw that she was still feeling sad about not having Kenji around, his heart hurting for her and wishing he could make it better. Normally he would have avoided telling someone so much personal information, but right now he wanted to help her think of anything else. And more selfishly, he was thankful for an opportunity to connect with her.

"Used to be on Wednesday, I would go around to the list of low income families provided to the church and give them a Turkey, two pounds of potatoes, and a Sweet Potato Pie. Thursday morning meant going to the Fulton County homeless shelter and helping to feed those in need. Then order Chinese food, leave a big tip and relax with some wine and conversation."

Kaya looked at Toru, seeing the pain he often hid starting to slip. "Used to?" She asked gently. Toru nodded, "Yeah, I still help out at the shelter, only Dekalb County now instead of Fulton, and instead of Chinese I just get a big ass bottle of Vodka and drink it till I pass out."

Kaya felt her heart tugging. She had thought before that he may have a drinking problem, but after the concert and him barely drinking she was convinced she was wrong, but his story and the way he said it is making her rethink that entire hypothesis.

"Can I know what happened? Why you no longer enjoy the holiday the way you used to." Kaya asked softly. Toru shook his head, "Not yet." He told her in a near whisper. Kaya nodded, placing her hand under her chin and thinking for a moment. She hated the idea of him drinking alone in his apartment back in Buckhead.

"Would you like to come to Thanksgiving with us this year? Kaname and Kosuke are bringing the girl they hope to adopt for us to meet. So It'll be my parents, my brother and his husband, me, and this girl I've yet to meet." Kaya watched Toru as he stared at her with a blank face.

"You'd really invite me to something so intimate for your family? Just like that?" He asked uncertainty dripping in his tone. Kaya nodded at him slowly. "Why, is it weird?" She asked. "Is this because your dude can't make it?" He asked, not wanting to agree if that were the case.

Kaya shook her head quickly. "No, it's because you seemed like for whatever reason you don't want to join your family in their festivities and you don't seem like you particularly want to be alone either. We're friends and Thanksgiving is a time for family AND friends." she told him firmly.

Toru thought it over a minute, he desperately wanted to say yes, but was still wary of not allowing himself to become too close to Kaya. Toru grinned at her as a thought occurred to him. "Ok, but only if I can take you to your OB's office tomorrow."

Kaya furrowed her brows at him, she wanted to help him to feel like he was having a nice Thanksgiving, but she wasn't sure what her going to the doctor had to do with it. "I know you don't feel you need it, but it would make me feel better." He pressed.

"And what is it that we'd be doing at this impromptu appointment?" She asked cautiously. "Well, you could use a full health screening seeing as you have unprotected sex and periodically take a medication that should be used very sparingly. There's no telling what that might be doing to you. Also maybe your doctor can offer other birth control options you hadn't thought of."

Kaya studied him a minute, noticing the way he was practically begging her to do this. Their server arrived and asked if they knew what they wanted and Kaya quickly ordered a burger, fires, and a vanilla coke, Toru saying he would have the same. Kaya watched as their server left the table, then thought of her own condition.

"IF you still go to the shelter, and PROMISE to be at dinner on time, we can go to the clinic tomorrow." She countered. Toru smiled at her, thankful for the time with her, but also not to leave the shelter more shorthanded than they already were.

"I don't suppose you'd like to join me at the shelter." Toru offered, holding his breath as he saw her eyes widen in response to the question. "You don't mind me encroaching on your territory?" She asked apprehensively. "Not at all. It's not my territory anyway, and they could always use more help." Kaya smiled at him genuinely. "Ok, long as we're at my parents' house by 6." She told him, picking up her coke and sipping it. "They live here in Athens, don't they?" Toru inquired, a quick affirmative from Kaya. "Then it won't be a problem." He enthused.