Ha Seok Jin as Fuminori Kawaguchi

Aaliyah Wyndham

Juan Garcia Postigo as Lucas D'Alessandro

I can't find his name as Jacob.

More character pics to come!

 Twenty-year-old Aaliyah Wyndham walked into the terminal at Atlanta International and took the only empty seat in her section, feeling conspicuous among the tall, tan and blonde crowd that had seemed so ubiquitous in her area of the airport. Not that they were all blonde. The woman who had been seated to her left was a brunette with enviably thick, long and wavy hair, while the bored looking man to her right had short, spiky and extremely straight black hair, and wore sunglasses. Aaliyah examined his perfect features as he lay back against the headrest, unmoving. High cheekbones, a strong chin and blemish free skin were the least of his gifts, from what she could tell of his physique through the simple T-shirt and jeans he wore. She couldn't help thinking that somewhere, a gifted surgeon must be really proud of his work. After all, nature simply did not create features that perfect.

She sighed, a slight crease of concentration appeared between her eyes, as she couldn't help feeling as though she should know him. How Aaliyah had managed to be crammed into the same section as these unnaturally good looking people she would never know. The top of her head was even with the guy's armpits, for heaven's sake. She literally felt like a child sitting between her chaperones. Maybe God thought she had too much confidence, and needed to be taken down a peg or two, she speculated to herself, amused at her own expense. Aaliyah then made the mistake of making a joke with the woman on her other side by asking whether they all belonged to the same modeling agency.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" the other woman had asked, introducing herself as Melanie.

"Oh, just a lucky guess," Aaliyah had returned, looking sheepishly up at the seemingly friendly young woman whom she had secretly dubbed Amazon Barbie. Wow! Melanie was freakishly tall and good looking, as were her fellow models. It turned out that they were on the last leg of their journey from an international shoot with some big name photographer she'd never heard of, for a clothing line she could barely pronounce. They had also been booked for some work domestically. Like Aaliyah, the group was catching a connecting flight in Atlanta, with the intention of winging it to the coast so they could finally make it home.

Aaliyah shared that she was a student, heading to L.A. to visit family and friends for the summer while she worked an internship with a talent agency.

"Really? Which one?" asked their suddenly wide awake companion.

"Tyler, Reynolds," she returned.

His eyebrows immediately shot into his hairline proving, Aaliyah thought mean spiritedly, that at least his forehead was botox free.

"That's a good firm. You need to take full advantage of your experience there," he advised seriously.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, curious about his level of intensity.

"Listen, you must have some serious juice to even get your resume looked at for that internship, let alone land the gig. It doesn't matter who you know. If you screw up there, they can't save you. You are done in this industry. Don't. Screw. Up." he ordered in that gravelly voice.

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Duh Duh Duuuuuun!!!!! Who was that masked, I mean sunglassed man? Who does he think he is, ordering Aaliyah around? Well, we'll just have to see about that in next chapter!

If you have already read Amended Hearts, please be sure to support it on Amazon. I really could use your help through comments and suggestions on how I might improve my product.

http://www.amazon.com/Amended-Hearts-Chiming-Noelle-Vonham-ebook/dp/B00J1AO7UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395128962&sr=1-1&keywords=amended+hearts    

"Chill. You're going to scare the kid off, and it's not even her first day, Fumi," Melanie chided

"Kid!" Aaliyah sputtered indignantly. "I'm twenty!"

"Yeah, and you tell perfect strangers your name, destination and place of work. Just be careful that you don't fall off the turnip truck while you're at it," Fumi snapped.

"I..." she began, heatedly.

"Don't worry about him," came a deep voice from in front of her. "He's just mad because he's not wearing Gucci."

Fumi growled at the interloper.

Aaliyah looked up...and up to find the face of the guy who introduced himself as Jake, Melanie's boyfriend.

"You are so lame," Melanie teased as she removed the bag from the chair beside her. Sitting down, he quickly kissed her on the lips.

He leaned across Melanie to shake Aaliyah's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Any friend of Mel's is a friend of mine. I swear to you, this woman could strike up a lasting friendship in an elevator going two floors, so you can imagine that I have a ton of Twitter followers."

Aaliyah laughed at his silliness, feeling a bit less like an extra in The Hobbit as he put her at ease.

"Guchi is actually a pretty nice guy when he gets some sleep, but that just hasn't been the case for the past few days. They seated him beside a crying baby on the international flight.

Aaliyah winced, suddenly feeling empathetic towards the surly man.

"Then they gave him a roommate who snores," he continued.

Aaliyah grimaced. She felt his pain. Living with her last roommate had convinced her to invest in a large supply of earplugs.

"On top of that, they expect for us to be fresh and alert, and to work our tails off nonstop. It's a wonder that his name isn't plastered all over the newspapers. I can see the headline now. Fumi Kawaguchi chokes snoring roommate to death by stuffing dirty socks in his mouth."

"Don't tempt me," the other man returned, less heatedly this time. "I don't know which one made me suffer the most: The sleep apnea, the foot fungus or both."

"I don't know. I think you're being a little bit sensitive. After all, it didn't disturb me at all," Jake responded, his eyes twinkling maddeningly.

Aaliyah laughed along with the rest of them until what he'd said sunk in. "Fumi Kawaguchi?

"Yeah. What of it?" he asked, stiffening.

"This is going to sound lame, but did you ever live in South Carolina?"

"Yeah," he answered, removing his shades to peer at her quizzically. "I'm from this small town you probably never heard of."

"Winnsboro?" she asked, smiling.

He looked at her intently. "How did you know that?" he demanded.

"I knew you then," she explained. "We were friends. I even bugged you until you gave me a Japanese name. You were Fumi, and so I became..."

"Yumi!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into a broad smile as he dragged her into a standing position so that he could hug her fully.

Drawing back, he spanned her small waist in his hands, drawing her baggy sweats closer into her body to outline her surprisingly lush figure. "You grew up nice," he deliberately drawled."

"Well, I'm not the only one. You grew like a weed, Hayseed," she teased.

Sitting down, they shut out the world and started exchanging information on their mutual acquaintances.

Peering into the screen of Aaliyah's phone, Fumi laughed. "Unbelievable! That guy was the biggest bully in the sixth grade."

"And that would be about the time he stopped growing, as well," Aaliyah told him, nodding in agreement at his assessment of David Messenburger's personality back then. "What can I say? Karma's a beast."

Fumi laughed, mussing the curly pony tail she wore on the top of her head.

Melanie cleared her throat. "I hate to break up the happy reunion and all, but they've just called our flight. We have to go."

Fumi reached down and grabbed Aaliyah's carry on, as well as his own, and took her hand as they boarded the plane. Whatever serendipity that had brought them together in the first place continued, as they were soon seated side-by-side in the first class section.

Aaliyah tingled with excitement. This incredibly fine specimen of man was her old friend, Fumi, and from the way that his eyes continued to admire her figure, he seemed to find her attractive. It didn't seem likely, but she reasoned that the least she would get out of this was a renewed friendship. As for anything more, well, with three hours ahead of them and nothing better to do than to become re-acquainted, anything was possible.

"Now this," thought Aaliyah, is how you start the summer off right!"

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I hope that you are enjoying the story so far. If you want to know whether Aaliyah continues to grow up nice, then please be sure to read her story in Amended Hearts on the Amazon website.

http://www.amazon.com/Amended-Hearts-Chiming-Noelle-Vonham-ebook/dp/B00J1AO7UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395128962&sr=1-1&keywords=amended+hearts    

When the plane touched down, Aaliyah felt as though she was still walking on air. Walking through the terminal while holding Fumi's hand, life seemed perfect for a brilliant, shining moment. Fumi had fought against sleep the whole way to stay up and talk to her about their lives, and they had plans to get together for brunch on Sunday. Apparently, that's how people did things in L.A.

Too happy to wonder about the speculative glances thrown their way by men and women alike as they strolled with Fumi's blindingly gorgeous group of coworkers, Aaliyah allowed her mind to hearken back over the plane ride to L.A.

She now knew that Fumi moved eight years ago because his dad was offered an opportunity to head up the Engineering division of his company in L.A. He was now a full partner of an Engineering firm in L.A. and sat on the Board of Directors for his old company. Fumi was in the middle of earning a Systems Engineering degree and, after spending his last summer under his dad's thumb, had stood up to him about not working there this year. He intended to work for a competing firm, for the government or for a company that had an engineering department. Anywhere but under his dad's watchful eye. A brilliant student, he did not foresee any difficulty in obtaining another position.

Mr. Kawaguchi didn't take the news of his defection too well. The son of immigrants, he had always been a pull yourself up by your bootstraps type of guy. It was a point of personal pride to be in a position to provide opportunities for his family, and to have his son working alongside him. He had blocked all other opportunities for internships and cut Fumi off financially. He refused to provide any spending money for the summer or for next school year. He would pay strictly for tuition, room and board, books, tutoring and any enrichment activities required for his son's major. If Fumi didn't want to work the internship he was on his own. In this way, Mr. Kawaguchi hoped to force his son to return to him, humble and ready to work. However, he had woefully underestimated Fumi's resolve.

When the first rejection letter arrived in his email inbox, Fumi was disappointed, but not disheartened. He had applied for a number of highly competitive positions, but had also been sure to apply to several "safe" opportunities, so that he would be guaranteed an offer. However, when the first rejection had appeared from his seemingly safe choices, he began to suspect foul play, and appealed to his suite mate, Jacob Calloway. Despite his easygoing demeanor, Jake was also earning his way through a Systems Engineering degree, with a combination of academic scholarships and jobs. Last year, he'd been discovered by the modeling agency they all worked for while visiting his ex-girlfriend on the set where she interned for a talent agent. Since that time, he'd been able to supplement his scholarship solely by working as a model. With his surfer good looks and devil may care smile, he had become a regular in magazine ad campaigns all over the country. Jacob got Fumi an interview, and the agent signed him with flattering haste. A client for an international ad campaign saw Fumi's pictures in the online gallery under Fresh Faces, requested him and the rest was history.

In the meantime, to Mr. Kawaguchi's horror, his eldest son's image began to appear in advertisements on buses and billboards throughout the city, usually draped in little more than a pair of jeans and adorned by a scantily clad woman. The strategy had backfired in the worst way possible, and Fumi found it uproariously funny that not only had he found a way escape Mr. Kawaguchi's rule by earning his own money, but that the image of his son leering into the camera all over town taunted him, not allowing him to forget the ignominy of his defeat for even a single day.

"Fumi, that is not nice!" Aaliyah had insisted, giggling helplessly at his flawless impression of Zoolander.

"No, but he has to learn," Fumi agreed, suddenly sober. "I love my dad, but I just don't know if I can ever work with him. He's incredibly demanding, and my mom swears that we're just alike."

"She's probably right," Aaliyah agreed. You always wanted your way when we chose games."

"Did not!" he denied in a whining, sing song voice.

"Did, too!" she insisted heatedly. "Name one time that you had tea with me, or played with my dolls."

"Come on! You loved playing kickball and baseball. Besides, didn't I let you knock me around at the dojo when you were learning?"

"Maybe," she conceded gracelessly, crossing her arms and poking out her lip in mock anger, "but you still need to be nice to your dad. He's only doing it because he loves you. I still remember how close you guys were when we were kids."

"Don't worry. By the end of this summer, he'll be begging for me to take an internship anywhere next year, as long as it doesn't involve wearing underwear or a bathing suit," Fumi agreed, smiling as he sat back into his seat. "By the way, how are you getting into the city?"

"I'm taking a cab," she replied with a shrug.

"We can do better than that. I'm sure the others will agree that you should ride with us," he insisted.

"Well...okay," Aaliyah agreed, all the while thinking that anything that prolonged her time with the surprisingly down-to-earth Fumi was okay with her.
Aaliyah came back to the present as the crowd thickened towards the exits. Fumi drew Aaliyah in closer, lest he lose her in the mayhem just as she tripped over the foot of a jostling passer by, forcing him to grab her by the waist and rescue her from a face plant to the floor.

Fumi's protective move ensured that the first thing Lucas saw as they emerged from the crowd was some strange pretty boy with his hands all over Liyah Baby. He'd gotten done at the studio earlier than expected, and came to the airport to surprise Aaliyah by meeting her plane. Now, with blood throbbing in his ears, Lucas started towards the scene of the crime. He only knew one thing: Somebody had better have a good explanation for this, or Pretty Boy was going down.

REVIEWS, PLEASE!!!!!!!!! They feed the writing need!

Over a thousand reads and three reviews? What is it that my story lacks, so that few people feel the need to leave feedback? I cannot improve without your input.

Your reviews feed the need to write. I have time on my hands today, and feel zero creativity, because I've had no feedback since the last chapter posted. If you want faster updates, the reviews give me energy and drive. You're my writing group. The people I bounce ideas off of and hope they stick. Sometimes they work, and sometimes I have to go back to the drawing board. Right now, all I hear is crickets.

I really hope to hear from you guys soon, so that my muse will drop by for a visit. 

Aaliyah gasped as she pitched forward towards the floorboards. She closed her eyes, knowing that this was about to end like one of those movie scenes in a high school cafeteria. Then, a band of steel caught her around the waist and lifted her back onto her feet. Looking up, she realized that Fuminori had saved her with one arm, and she was no lightweight. Yet, he looked as though he had strained about as much as one would while catching the average two year old, bent on hurling themselves across a barrier.

Smiling, she reached up to give him a quick hug before stepping back. "Thank you, Fumi! I thought I was a goner."

"You're not, but that guy who tripped you will be, if I ever catch up with him," Fumi growled, looking back into the crowd, as if to seek out the inconsiderate jerk who put her safety in jeopardy.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about him," Aaliyah soothed.

"Nice catch, Romeo," Jake teased. "If I fainteth, wilt thou catch me, too?" he asked in a high pitched voice, his hand to his forehead.

"Go ahead," encouraged Fumi. "Let's find out."

"Leave him alone," Melanie chided, tapping Jake on the arm lightly. Can't you see that he's actually getting along with a girl for once?"

The rest of the group chuckled as Melanie and Jake led a spontaneous chant of "Fumi's got a girlfriend."

Aaliyah blushed, suddenly self conscious of the arm that remained around her waist, when her attention was caught by a combination of the sudden tension in Fumi's body and the sudden silence that fell over their little crowd. She looked over her shoulder to see what had everyone so transfixed.

"Uh oh" she said, watching as Lucas stalked towards them with the prowl of a deadly tiger. He was wearing shades to guard his golden eyes, but she could tell by the set of his shoulders, the clench of his jaw and the aggressive forward tilt of his head that he meant business. The last time she'd seen that look on his face, he'd been opening the door to the back seat of her date's car on prom night. Looking heavenward, she implored the Lord to help her get out of this one with a minimum of embarrassment in front of her friends this time. Quickly, she stepped between Fumi and Lucas.

Using a martial arts move that she recognized, Fumi quickly reversed their positions to meet the threat just as Lucas descended upon them.

"What the hell is this?!" he demanded.

"Lucas, calm down," she implored, jumping up over Fumi's shoulder. "This is not the prom!"

"How is it different? He had his hands all over you, Liyah," Lucas thundered.

"He wasn't trying to cop a feel. He was saving me from abject humiliation...and a broken nose."

Lucas looked down at the younger, shorter man with consideration, his lips twisting wryly. Removing his sunglasses he sighed for patience, closing his eyes and pressing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Then, he again opened his golden, lion's eyes and looked into the face of the man he'd wanted to beat to a bloody pulp mere moments ago. "She tripped?" he asked, quirking a brow.

"Yes," agreed Fumi simply, slowly relaxing his muscles and coming out of his defensive stance. Who was this guy to Aaliyah? When he'd seen him coming, he looked like an avenging angel, about to deal out some justice. "He could be a boyfriend," he reasoned, but why would she have been encouraging his attention, if that was the case? He wasn't stupid. Even he knew the signs of attraction, and they definitely had them. He'd moved to protect her. The guy appeared to have a violent streak.

Then Aaliyah began to frantically yell explanations over his shoulder. She kept muttering, "Not like the prom. Not like the prom" to herself, all the while mangling the back of his tee shirt between her fingers until the guy stopped and seemed to suddenly calm down.

After receiving an answer to his question, Lucas stuck out a hand. "Lucas D'Alessandro."

Fumi returned the gesture, shaking hands firmly. "Fuminori Kawaguchi."

After sizing each other up, the two men nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I'm sorry we started out on the wrong foot. Aaliyah's brother is my best friend, and so she's my responsibility while she's here. I just couldn't believe that she had gotten into trouble this quickly."

"Uh, hello?! I can take care of myself, Twinkle Fingers." Aaliyah protested from Fumi's side.

"It's nice to see you, too, Munchkin," he teased, reaching out to tug on one of her curls. Then, his smile disappeared as he turned back toward Fumi. "And how do you two know each other?"

"Aaliyah and I were friends as children. I moved away at age twelve, and I have not returned to South Carolina since that time. We just ran into each other at Atlanta International. We didn't know you would be here. My friends and I," he began, gesturing to a group of almost unnaturally gorgeous men and women flanking him, "intended to see that she got into the city safely."

If he thought his explanation would soften Lucas' demeanor further, Fumi was sadly mistaken. Lucas whirled on Aaliyah. "You haven't seen this man in eight years, and you were just going to hop into a car with him, just like that? I'm working on a score for a new movie called 'Taken.' I think you need a screening."

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt Aaliyah," Fumi protested sharply.

"She doesn't know that, does she?" Lucas asked grimly, glaring at Fumi. "I don't know that, either." He then looked over at Aaliyah. "Come on. We're leaving. With that, he grabbed her bag, took her by the arm and propelled her through the airport doors, heading toward the parking garage with a ground eating stride that forced Aaliyah to trot to keep up with him.

"Woah. Sorry bro, but you've got to admire the guy for looking out for his best friend's little sister," commiserated Jake. The others agreed.

"Yeah. I'm just hoping that's the only thing he's looking out for," Fumi replied softly.

"You did get her number, right?" asked Melanie.

Fumi groaned, realizing that in all of the hours they had spent together, not one second had been devoted to exchanging their information. Shaking his head, he resolved to find her, one way or another. "Let's go," he said sharply, leading the way to the parking garage.