CAN YOU HOLD ME?
CHAPTER ONE: Benched
A heavy sigh slips from Mimi's lips, her proud shoulders slumped as she downs half a glass of champagne at lightning speed. At this point, it was impossible to keep track of just how many sighs had escaped the brunette, much like the volume of alcohol she had consumed that evening. It was a happy occasion, there were no arguments on that; but just looking around the elegantly decorated room she couldn't help but feel a tug at her heart. Seeing Hikari being whirled around on the dance floor in her wedding gown was magical but at the same time it also served as a wakeup call that she didn't expect. Tapping her long nails on her thigh, she groaned in self-pity; Even Daisuke managed to get a date and look at me, I considered asking three different guys but in the end here I am alone.
Sure, part of her always knew her desire to seek fame would hinder the dating process; but not to the level she had experienced. All the mind games and manipulation in the entertainment sphere was enough to make her wonder if seeking love was even worth it; that's right, Mimi Tachikawa the idol known for singing unparalleled love ballads was driven to the point of questioning the necessity of love in her life. That was messed up.
A sudden thud came from under the table she was quietly seated at, causing her champagne to jump, as a delayed cry of pain sounded from beneath the table. Bright honey orbs widen as she instinctively looks around the table only to find that she was the last one remaining; That's about right, a creep tries to perve on the woman that's benched while everyone else dances. How cruel. Rage bubbles away inside her as she carefully peels back the tablecloth, revealing a pair of familiar chocolate orbs paired with a sheepish grin. "Taichi!?" she exclaims in horror, promptly throwing a half-eaten dinner roll at him, hitting him square between the eyes.
Taichi looked at Mimi in horror before looking at the dinner roll on the floor. "What did I or the bread roll do to deserve such cruelty?" he mockingly cried, a hint of tequila lingering on his breath as he spoke.
"Breathe downwind please," Mimi grumbles, her nose crinkling up as she looked down at him. "Tequila? That's really not something I expected from you Tai, just like being a pervert; on that note, do you care to explain why were you peeping up my dress?" Mimi growls dangerously, eyebrows furrowed in distaste as she squeezed her thighs together for good measure. How much has he drunk exactly?
The evening had been equally hard on the both of them it seemed based on his current state; Tai never drinks more than a beer or two. When did he start to drink spirits? That was what she and Yamato did, not Taichi he was always smart enough to know drinking stronger substances would never end well. Yamato, his name sent a chorus of shivers down her spine; he was precisely the person she was trying her best to avoid at all costs that evening, so far so good. But naturally her mind was her worst enemy, much like her heart; out of sight was one thing but erasing feelings was another issue entirely; even if it was unrequited in nature.
Quickly making his way across the floor, Taichi poked his chin up onto the chair beside her, the tablecloth draped over his ruffled hair. "I needed to get away from the epicentre of merriment without making my path away from the family table too obvious," he whispers, his eyes locked with hers from long moments before breaking contact. "I didn't mean to freak you out sorry," Taichi sighs, scratching the back of his neck as he looks away awkwardly; "I doubt it helps, but I didn't see anything..."
The corners of Mimi's lips curled upwards in amusement; "I doubt you would admit if you saw up my dress regardless, you might be courageous but I don't think you have a death wish," she teases a smug look seizing her plump red lips. He will deny it but we both know the truth, she notes silently.
"I can think of plenty of occasions back in that day that would make you rethink that statement," the soccer fiend fires back, an array of terrifying moments springing to mind until his gaze rested on her curling lips. In a mere instant, she had obliterated any and all thoughts that entered his mind. But how could you not feel distracted by her, especially when she pulled smug expressions such the one currently had plastered across her pretty features. "So Meems, are you going to tell me why you aren't tearing up that dancefloor and making all the single guys in the room chase after you?"
It was a fair question, and one she was expecting if she was being totally honest. Not too long ago she was the life of any and all parties, and most definitely not the type of girl that would purposefully sit alone at a table at a wedding under any circumstance. Tilting her head backwards, Mimi's loosely curled honey locks tickled the nape of her neck; "I'm twenty-six and I'm no closer to finding anyone I could even consider dating for longer than the lifespan of a fruit fly," she states matter-of-factly, thick lashes fluttering as she fought to contain the true depth of her dismay. "I keep spending time with the same types of guys and being disappointed by achieving the same disappointing outcomes. I feel a little jaded at this point to be honest…"
Remaining silent for long moments, Taichi nodded slowly as he sunk into the support of his chair, his thoughts consuming him. "I get that. I mean at this rate, I'm going to have to get iguanas a lot sooner than I anticipated..."
Mimi stared at him blankly, unsure if she misheard him or if her former comrades lack of intimacy had officially driven him bonkers. "Don't you mean cats?" she hesitantly suggested as she raised a quizzical brow; I should've known better than to try and have a serious conversation with him when he's been drinking.
Scoffing, Taichi shook his head a mischievous smirk seizing his perfectly curved lips. "No, I'm serious. I need a unique pet, I could be the old lonely man who walks terrifying iguana's around the neighbourhood. Perhaps even guard-guanas for the really feisty ones I get." Self-deprecating humour always was a specialty of his, why not use it to cheer her up? There was no harm in that.
"You're a nutcase right now," Mimi stated bluntly an unsure smile teasing at the corners of her lips as she threw a sympathetic look in his direction, proceeding to sip her champagne. But you're also kind of sweet for trying to make me smile.
Smirking Taichi winked, "Don't start hatin' over here Meems, I'm just out here doing wh-" he pauses suddenly as a familiar melodic laugh rang through the air; a blond and brunette laughing to themselves as they made their way across the dancefloor lost in a world of their own; Sora. A cold sensation races down Tai's spine as he turned away, gazing up at the ceiling as he sighed irritably, "All we can do is make jokes to soften the harsh likely reality that we might end up alone."
How many years has it been now? Too many. But not even the alcohol could numb the pain Tai felt as he saw them dancing closely; Yamato's hands gently caressing her lower back as they danced. That battle was fought and lost long ago and respected her decision, but that didn't suddenly make it less painful. The best thing he could do was to steer clear of them entirely until it was a little less painful to be in the presence of.
So much for not being incapable of having a heart to heart, Mimi notes silently, taken back as Tai's heartbreaking comment rolled off the tip of his tongue, his handsome features twisting in pain. "We're getting ahead of ourselves a tad aren't we," she drew in a hushed tone as she rested her arms on the table before them. "What if we are partly to blame," Mimi whispers, her slender fingertips tracing around the rim of her empty champagne flute as she signalled the waiter over to their table; "I mean, Yamato told you that I was too demanding and Sora told me that you weren't serious enough..."
A tiresome expression masks the male's features as he raises a brow half-heartedly. Sure, he might not be as consistently mature as some of their friends, but there was no way he was turning potential partners off due to his playful nature. "Who cares what either of them say? What do they know?" Tai grumbles under his breath, brows furrowing as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers. Maturity is overrated anyway, who wants someone boring? It's like predicting what the opposing team's strategy is, and don't get me started on Yamato and that whole too demanding debacle, what a load of horse shi-
"You say that, but weren't you just staring at her?" Mimi mutters under her breath, cutting his internal conversation with himself short; "I don't think that exactly the look of loathing that I just witnessed." Arching a brow quizzically, Mimi extended her flute of champagne in the direction of the waiter beside her, retracting it as soon as it was refilled and promptly proceeding to down its contents; her gaze fixed on the irked male stewing on her comment as he sat beside her.
It was always a strange topic, that of what happened between each of them and their failed attempt at wooing Sora and Yamato respectively over the years. Tai had been much more direct and to the point, but in saying that so was the obliteration of his heart under Sora's heel in the end. Mimi was much less pushy, instead opting to try and insert herself into his life in the hopes that her constant presence would make him long for her, but sadly it only led to her irritating him; it was less of a rejection and more of an awkward series of interactions over a long period of time.
Silence befell them as they avoided eye contact, except to intercept a waiter as he leant between the two, filling up Mimi's glass. "You might as well leave that whole bottle here," Mimi quips, flashing a toothy grin up at the member of staff, shock gracing his features for a few short moments before he reluctantly placed the bottle on the table and vanished from her side. The sweet yet somewhat sour scent of champagne fills her nostrils as she promptly downs her fresh glass of wine, the alcoholic content hitting her almost instantaneously.
Yet again, she had found herself in another awkward situation where her sincerity had gotten the better of her, she hadn't intended to be so blunt, but she came across as if she was playing the lead in Mean Girls. Being sincere to a fault was tough work. "Look, I know it wasn't my place to say any of that," Mimi blurted out at last, her slender digits gripping the bottle of champagne as she refilled her flute; "Who am I to talk? Just seeing Yamato over there with Sora makes me nauseous with jealousy, I don't even understand why anymore. You were at least in the running for her affection which is more than what I can say about myself."
"I wasn't offended Meems," Tai laughs to himself, a smile tickling at the corners of his lips; "It's ancient history, but that doesn't mean it annoys me any less." He leans forward on the table, a hand attempting to seizing the bottle of champagne but narrowly missing it by a few seconds; Isn't she drinking a little too fast? He couldn't help but wonder as the brunette downed another freshly poured glass of champagne, the bottle in one hand and her glass in the other. This night is taking a turn for the worst, I'm calling it now, he notes to himself.
Frowning, Mimi slams her glass on the table and leans in closer to Tai. "You really are quite cute when you scrub yourself up a little Tai, she whispers gently; her warm, alcohol soaked breath tickling his skin as she inched towards him, silently studying his features. How had she never noticed the little freckles that were splayed across the bridge of his nose, or how perfectly chiselled his cheekbones were?
"Cute?" Tai repeated his throat drying up as the connotation of statement sunk in. "You've drank more than you're share for the evening Meems. I'm cutting you off," he whispers as he reached forward, seizing the practically empty bottle from her clutches.
Raising a slender finger Mimi shook it in front of his face. "Not cool, Tai. I'm not your responsibility," Mimi teases as she gazed upon his dumbfounded reaction.
Tai's eyes soften as he met her intense gaze dead on, for a moment he could almost swear he was stone cold sober. "Is that how you're used to being treated? Like a chore that needs tending to rather than someone that should be protected? Even when you're vulnerable like this?"
Hesitating for a moment, Mimi watched him carefully scanning his shocked gaze searching for answers. "That's what I've experienced," She replies softly, her voice croaking as she cocked her head to the side unsurely.
Taichi's heart sunk as her words echoed through his mind; Just how badly did all those guys treat her? It was disgusting to even think that someone wouldn't care about their partner's wellbeing. Hearing her voice dripping with pain was enough to make him feel nauseous. This was not okay, she was not okay.
A/N:
I hope you enjoyed this new story! If you have a keen eye you might recognise the bare bones of this chapter as I wrote one chapter for this a while back but I've decided to start from the ground up. Please show your support by following this story so you don't miss any updates and by also sharing your thoughts in a review, I'd really appreciate it :)