The Annual BSPR Christmas Party.
An irritation that is necessary for the benefit of the company, my father assures me every year. Except now, my irritation has sky rocketed with the knowledge that Mai is here.
I left her over a year ago in Japan and came back to England with my brothers body. We buried him and I stayed with my family. My father, however, was extremely interested in the amount of paranormal activity in Japan. So he sent Lin and Madoka to open back up SPR and who was the first person they called?
Mai Taniyama.
I'd stayed in England while he'd flown out to meet with the crew of SPR. He'd seemed skeptical of hiring a nobody teenage girl with no experience in the paranormal until he'd called me to speak about her. I'd told him the truth. That she had amazing potential and would probably one day dominate the Parapsychology world. He hired her immediately.
And now I'm forced to be in the same room as her for a minimum of two hours.
I don't hate Mai. I never could. But I dislike the way my heart palpitates when she's near. I dislike the way that hearing her name makes my body heat up with a foreign emotion.
So I keep myself as far from her as possible.
Which is extremely hard to do considering the social butterfly herself is obviously dedicated to have conversations with every bloody person in this room.
"Noll?" My mothers voice snaps me out of my revere and I catch her sparkling blue eyes as she heads over with two glasses of champagne. She smiles when she reaches me, "What's on your mind, dear?" She holds out one of the glasses.
I raise an eyebrow at the offered alcoholic beverage, "You know I don't drink, mother."
"You're of age, Noll. Have been for a few months now. It won't hurt you to clear your mind a little with some harmless drinking. Besides, champagne is more for the taste." She winks at me and I know I won't win this. My mother has a way of convincing people to do what she wants.
I accept the glass and sip it to placate her. The fruity taste of the bubbles throws me off for a moment but it's not horrible.
"Now, back to my earlier question." She smiles, "What's on your mind?"
"I dislike being around this many people." I give my usual answer when my parents decide to drag me to these events.
She smiles at me, "Are you sure it doesn't have more to do with a pretty little Japanese girl that is currently the main focus of all of the men in the party?"
My eyes find her and I realize that my mother is right. Mai is wearing a short, red dress. Perfect for a Christmas party. The men that are gathered around her, however, seem to think that she wore it for them as they are continuously flirting with her.
Anger surges in me, hot and deep. I know this feeling. Jealously. I've had it before when it came to Mai. I don't let the uncouth feeling show, however, as I turn back to my mother with a straight face.
"I'm sure, mother." I take another sip of the champagne.
Two hours later, I'm on the balcony while the party is in full swing. The music is loud, as is the laughter from the party goers.
I'm on my fifth glass of champagne and I can feel the effects of the alcohol. My fingers feel numb and my vision has started to blur when I move my head too quickly.
"Naru?" Her voice is soft, as if she's trying not to spook a wild animal.
"Shouldn't you be at the party?" My words seem muffled, and I realize it's because my mouth barely opened. I'm definitely drunk. I take another sip.
"Shouldn't you?" She counters, her firecracker personality shining through, causing me to smile to myself.
"Go, Mai."
"I just needed some fresh air." She joins me at the railing, "Naru, are you okay? Your face is a little red—" I turn to her and she gasps, "You're drunk!"
I am definitely drunk and I don't see the use in denying it, "That I am, Mai." My hand reaches up on its own and my thumb strokes her cheek, "You're beautiful in this dress."
Damn alcohol.
"So you're only attracted to me when you're drunk then?" Her voice is teasing but I can see the genuine hurt in her eyes.
"No." I shake my head, leaving my half empty glass on the railing. My left arm wraps around her waist to pull her against me while my right hand continues to stroke her delicate face, "I'm always attracted to you. I'm just more vocal about it when I'm drunk."
"Naru…"
"I'm sorry about what I said when you confessed." Her eyes widen and I continue with the words I've wanted to say since last year, "I was emotional and I was looking for an outlet. You were the closest victim."
"I shouldn't have confessed right after you found his body." She shakes her head, down casting her eyes. I don't even need to ask whom she's speaking of because I already know.
"Maybe not the best decision on your part."
She shrieks, hitting me in the chest, "Naru!" My chuckle catches her off guard and she rolls her eyes to hide the obvious blush on her face. She looks at me and seemed to take in that we're still in the same position as before, the only difference is now my right arm is also wrapped around her, holding her to me. She looks up at me, "Naru, what are you doing?"
"You're extremely warm." I say, my mouth running away from me, "And very easy to hug. Why are you so soft?" I hug her tighter, resting my forehead against hers.
"I don't exercise much." She giggles nervously, staring in to my eyes, "It's probably just some extra fat that you're feeling."
I shake my head, "You're not fat." My right hand comes back up and I stroke her cheek once more, "You're perfect." My lips meet hers.
She groans in my mouth, kissing me deeper and I take control. My tongue invades her mouth and I taste chocolate and strawberries. I thank my mother for her food choices. It's my favorite sweet.
I kiss her deeply for a few minutes, my tongue exploring her mouth as she lets me dominate her. I finally pull away when the burn in my lungs have me panting.
"Come with me." I tell her, taking her hand and leading her inside. We sneak behind the party and up the stairs, in to the main part of the mansion.
"Where are we going, Naru?" She questions me but I ignore her, leading her up another flight of stairs and to the very end of the hall way, to my room. I open the door and usher her inside, where she gasps at my room. She turns to me, "This is your room?" At my nod she raises her eyebrows, "Naru, this is a mess."
I take in the millions of books stacked up in the corners of the room, the hundreds upon hundreds of papers stacked on my desk. Truthfully, the only relatively uncluttered area is my bed.
"I'm a scientist, Mai." I wave my hand in the general direction of the mess, "This is my life."
She nods, "I understand." And I know that she does. I don't know how but Mai just seems to understand me in a way that not even Gene did.
"Mai." She turns to face me and I kiss her again. She tumbles back on my bed, groaning as I shrug my dress jacket off.
"Naru, are you sure about this?" She asks me after she pulls away, her brown eyes searching my blue ones.
"Are you?" I cock an eyebrow at her.
She smiles at me, "Yes, I am. Now are you?"
"Definitely." I kiss her again and she moans.
Sunlight filters through my window and I curse myself for forgetting to close them. Turning away from the sun, I feel a puff of air hit my face. My eyes opened and I'm met with Mai's face.
What the—
Memories come rushing back. Our talk on the balcony. Sneaking in to my room. Mai naked. The sex. Good lord, the sex. Where did such an innocent girl learn to do things like that?
Her eyes open, as if she can hear me thinking about her. Her eyes widen before the memories come back to her. She sighs, "Shit."
"Indeed." My pounding head makes it difficult to speak.
"Did we use a condom?"
"Not that I can remember."
"Shit." She reiterates.
"Indeed."
She sighs, standing from my bed and leaning down to grab her dress. My body stirs and I pull her back, her shriek of surprise filling the room as I pull her under me.
"Naru, wait." I pause in my assault as her hand rest against my chest, "I won't hold you to anything you said last night. I know you were drunk and that you weren't yourself."
"I meant everything I said last night, Mai." Her eyes widen at my admission. Even I'm surprised at it but I can't have her thinking that it was only the alcohol speaking last night.
"Wh-what?" She's confused and her face is bright red, which means she's embarrassed as well.
"Mai, just because I was drunk does not mean I lied to you. Everything I said last was the truth."
She blushes some more, "Why didn't you tell me any of that sooner?"
I think for a moment before answering, "I suppose I could never find the right words to be able to tell you."
Her face softens and she smiles shyly at me, "I still love you, Naru."
My face relaxes as well and I feel a smile tug to my lips, "I love you too, Mai."
She giggles, giddy now, before kissing me.