Playing With Ice
Chapter 3: Favours
This is just his day.
Ritsu glowered at the rain falling down the sky. Just as he was about to go to the printers to hand over the manuscripts, rain suddenly fall from above.
He had to get to the printers as soon as possible, his Takano san, his overbearing boss, barely bargained an extension for him and he just doesn't have the heart to waste his efforts.
He took out his phone and dialed a number to get some cab from the taxi company, just as he was about to answer, a shiny, blue, Mercedes stopped in front of him.
The car window then rolled down and Ritsu widened his eyes at the driver.
"Stranded? " Sara asked.
He blinked. He really needed a ride to the printers, but…
"Come on in. I'll take you where you wanted to go. " She replied.
He sighed. He didn't want to be involved with her any further, just being with her for one day made his mind go haywire. But for now, he'll let this go, he'll need any miracle that he can get.
He went in and sat beside her. The cherry blossom scent inside made him feel relaxed.
"You just had a downcast face earlier, what happened? " She asked as while driving.
"I just wanted to go to the printers as soon as possible, but the rain suddenly fell. And I don't have an umbrella. " He answered in disdain.
Sara grinned. "Aren't you lucky that I passed? "
Ritsu sighed. "Yes, and I am very thankful for that. I deeply apologize for disturbing your time. "
"No worries, I was about to get something to eat. " She said as she looked outside. "Do you hate the rain? "
He nodded. "I hated how it pours down, making everyone under them feel downcast… and rejected… "
The moment he said that, he blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't – "
"Well, I couldn't blame you, a lot of people hate the rain… I for one, hate it too… " Sara answered as she continued to drive.
Silence followed after that, and after a few minutes, he saw her stop in front of a building.
He dilated his green orbs when he saw that he was in front of the printers.
"How did you – "
"My family designed this building. " She replied as she parked her car and stepped down.
"Hey, wait! " He exclaimed as he went down as well, making sure he grabbed his manuscripts. "I can do this myself – "
"Don't worry, I won't do anything except being your escort. " She said and smiled. "I want to see what kind of industry you work for. "
Ritsu breathed. Well, knowing her headstrong personality, it couldn't be helped.
Breathing in, he opened the door for her.
To Ritsu's surprise, the people at the printers accepted the manuscript without so much of a fuss.
Well, not because of him, of course, they moved their butts when they saw Sara. It seemed that the sight of her made them move like ants that saw their queen and before he knew it, everything was finished in less than an hour.
He then took out his cellphone and called his "boss/neighbor/lover/fuckbuddy".
"So you were able to take it in there? "
"Yes. "
"Good job. I knew you can make it. "
Ritsu blushed at the comment, then shook his head. No! No! No! No! He shouldn't feel warm all over because of such comments.
"I… I'll be going back now. "
"Take care. Don't come back with any bruises, okay? "
"Stop treating me like a kid! I can take care of myself! " He grumbled. "I'll be back there in 45 minutes. " He added.
"And Onodera? "
"What now? "
"I love you. "
Toot… toot...
The other line hang up, but Ritsu stood still, with the phone on his ear, his cheeks blushing ten shades of red and his heart going into crazy frenzy.
It was just a simple comment, and yet…
It made his mind blank in an instant, and when it restarted again, his mind was suddenly filled with his boss' image.
Now, he's seducing his mind!
"Ritsu? "
He immediately snapped from his thoughts when he saw Sara smiling at him.
"Are you done? Let's go? " She said.
He shook his head. "Don't worry, I can go ride the transit – "
"I can give you a ride, I don't mind. "
"But – "
He was ignored again when Sara pulled his left hand, and he felt himself being dragged outside the printers.
"So good! "
Sara laughed as she watched Ritsu gobble down a slice of mango mousse cake.
He glared at her. "What's so funny? "
"You look like a child. " She smiled as she took a napkin to wipe his cheeks.
He got embarrassed as he looked away. "Well, I am hungry. I haven't eaten anything since last night. "
"I know, you look like you're going to drop dead anytime soon. " She replied as she sipped her earl grey tea.
"It's a bit warm outside, and you're drinking hot stuff ?" He asked as he drank his milk shake.
"I can't drink cold stuff, I have to protect my voice. "
He stopped eating and stared at her.
"Oh yeah, your mom said that you're a broadway singer as well. "
"I am, I loved singing, just a hobby of mine. Singing makes me express things that I wanted to convey in my heart. "
He lowered his eyelids and smiled sadly.
"I envy you… "
Sara then looked at him.
"Your mom told us that you became successful… without relying in the influence of your family, as for me… well, I couldn't even succeed on my own without asking other people for assistance. "
Sara smiled in understanding as she put her hand above him.
"Look, just because your father is successful doesn't mean that you can't " She replied gently. "If you really are passionate about something, you have to work hard for it. It won't be an easy road, that I can guarantee you though. Back then, Mom always tells me that I am a natural born architect. " She said and chuckled. "And I should be contented with that. But for some reason, I wasn't . I felt something lacking in my life. When I volunteered to work in a teen rehab and got involved with cancer patients who lost self esteem, I felt… I just wanted to help them… probably because I know how it felt to be an outcast… and unaccepted. Wanting to be a part of them and with the desire to make their lives a bit happier, I started to browse the internet and decided to try my hand in make overs. They loved my work and it made me realize that there is more to me than creating buildings… it made me realize what I want, more than improving and rebuilding. It made me realize that I can also improve women's confidence and learned the power of make up, hence, I took chemical engineering and some esthetic courses, since I didn't rely on mom when it comes to money, I worked part time in many different places, and saved every penny and then founded Aphrodite Cosmetics Inc. all with the desire to make women like me feel more confident about themselves with the help of my creations. "
Ritsu then glanced at her.
"So working in a manga department instead of literature, you may not realize it, but it may be a way for you to step out of your comfort zone and discover things that you didn't know exist. " She added as she looked at the raindrops falling outside the pastry shop they were sitting in. "If you stay glued on a repetitive activity, it won't make you grow, it will make you senile, and your activities boring, so once in a while, you should engage in activities that are new. It will make you see life in a different way. Who knows? Maybe, you'll find a new passion somewhere. "
"I wish I could – "
"Don't doubt yourself, Ritsu, not everything is perfect at first move, even good swimmers still drown. " She grinned. "So… " She said as she quickly took out a forkful of mango mousse cake and shoved it on his mouth to his surprise. "So cheer up and have some confidence in yourself, you did your best, you pushed your limits aside, you understand things, that should make you proud of your achievements. You may not be a winner, but in the eyes of the people who saw you strive, you are a winner in their eyes."
He blushed slightly. "You really think I can be a perfect shoujo manga editor? "
"I do…" She replied with full assurance.
He smiled, his castdown shoulders suddenly lifting up. She had been there, so she understood, she was in his position before, so she knew how it felt to be in his shoes, for some reason, he felt light… and happy.
"Thank you… " He said sincerely.
Sara smiled. "You're welcome. I'm always here for you… you know that. " She said as she squeezed his hand. "Always… "
He arrived at Marukawa with a huge bag of Chinese food. Sara didn't want him to go starving at work so she sent him box after box of newly cooked lunches. She even bought him a box of mango mousse cake. He declined consistently, but she ignored his complaints and proceeded to sending him tons of food on his way to work.
She was insistent of taking him to Marukawa Publishing Inc, but he didn't want any gossips or fuss so he asked her to drop him off the closest intersection.
And so he arrived in there, to his surprise, he was 10 minutes early.
"Oh! Rit chan! You came back! " Kisa said as his eyes sparkled. "Hey, is that Chinese Food? Good, I'm starving! " He said as he snatched the bag and started to take out a box.
"Onodera, I didn't send you outside to buy any take out for us. " His boss replied as he glared at him. "Where are the finished prints? "
"I have it. " Ritsu hissed back as he gave him a paper envelope. "It's all there. And I didn't buy anything. This food was given to me by my bet – "
He stopped, as Takano looked at him curiously.
"I… I mean by a friend. I just happened to pass by their restaurant and he gave them to me. " He replied as confident as possible.
"That's very nice of him. " Mino said as he took a box form the bag as well.
Takano stared at him for awhile, but Ritsu kept his straight gaze, not wanting him to find out anything, luck seemed to be with him when he put his hazel eyes back to the prints. And Ritsu sighed in relief.
He knew what he was doing is wrong, when he went out with Sara to eat, he felt betrayal crawling in his veins, it's almost like a boyfriend/girlfriend date, but then again, he reminded himself that he was a lover of no one. Even if he and Takano fuck in the bed most of the night, he couldn't claim that he was his because he hadn't confessed to him yet, well, at least not verbally.
Despite the fact that he was starting to fall for him again, for some reason, he stubbornly couldn't shake his resolve to never fall in love again.
Ritsu shut his laptop down and he leaned on his chair.
His eyes then went on the unopened box of mousse cake. Sara was a very nice person, and she understood his situation, so it's no surprise that he had bared his heart and his thoughts to her without any doubt and hesitation.
The very things that he couldn't show to Takano –
He stopped when he felt strong arms hug him from behind.
"H-hey! What are you doing? " He said as he blushed and wriggled his way out of Takano's arms.
"I haven't been with you lately, so I'm making up for it. " Takano replied as he kissed his lover's cheeks.
"O-oi! We're still in the workplace! " He said frantically.
"Everyone left already. " His boss replied as one of his arms slowly glided to interlace his fingers with his. "And I missed you so bad… "
"You're my neighbor and you always see me in here. "
"That's different. " Takano said as he moved Ritsu's jaw and kissed him on the lips.
His jaded eyes dilated when his "boss" deepened his kiss, coaxing him to have a tongue battle with him, he clutched his shirt, and afterwards, he responded to his ministrations. He tried to keep his eyes open, but found them closing at the feel of warm passion coursing through his veins.
He didn't even feel the swivel chair tumble and his back hitting the floor, he and Takano were so busy making out that he didn't care about the pain of being tossed on the ground.
Takano started to unbutton his first love's shirt when they heard the door being opened.
Immediately, the two love birds released each other, they both stood up and waited for anyone to come by, then they heard the sound of a cart being wheeled towards their department.
A cart then came in filled with cleaning supplies. Then they saw the hunched back of an old woman huddling after it.
"Ara, you editors are still here? " She asked as she moved her silver specks to inspect them, then she grinned at them, showing some teeth missing in between. "You know, handsome dears, you should take a rest now, don't waste those pretty faces in the workloads. Your body will be grateful for it in the long run. " She replied as she took her broom. "Now go and let the old lady do her job. "
"Ano, we're sorry. "Ritsu apologized.
Takano then went towards the old lady and smiled. "Do you need any help, Shima san? I can move this cart for you in the other room… "
"Oh, no! No!No! I know you're a gentleman, Takano san, but let me have my exercise. Walking lightly won't affect my arthritis. " She said and laughed. "My goodness, if the ladies in the reception see me, they will curse my existence when they found out you're being a dear especially to me. Anyway, off you go now, dears. And I'll see you tomorrow. "
Takano smiled. "I will, Shima san, take care. " He said as he walked towards the door.
"Shima san, please be careful. " Ritsu added as he followed Takano. He then saw his reflection on the glass door as well as Shima's. His eyes suddenly widened when he saw that Shima's eyes are not the usual muddy brown that they see, instead, it was turquoise. And she was looking directly in his eyes.
He shifted his neck to look at Shima, but the old woman's eyes are the same and she waved her hand to him as a sign of goodbye.
He shook his head. Maybe he was just imagining things.
After cleaning the building, Shima then went back towards the janitor's closet, she then fiddled something on her neck, then removed her grayish hair wig, to reveal a shiny black hair underneath, it tumbled down to her waist, then she removed her wrinkly facial mask and muddy brown contact lenses, and reveal a pair of turquoise eyes.
Sara clenched her fists. Her eyes burning with rage. If she didn't step in, a miracle will happen in that goddamn department.
She stared at the sleeping form of the real Shima. She was just curious of Ritsu's work and want to find out more about it, that's why she came in and took Shima's place (their janitress) for a while, putting the old woman to sleep by offering her a cup of tea.
She thought her betrothed and that bastard alley cat had just a flirtatious relationship, flirtatious relationships are easy for her to dispel, and no sane person would ever dare to compete with her.
She just wanted to know more about him, and well, investigate further about the third party that will be her enemy in winning Ritsu's heart. She thought she can steal it easily, but as always, expect the unexpected.
Turns out, what she witnessed was even more severe. They are probably more than fuck buddies, if she wanted to believe reality.
She can tell that Ritsu was fond and in love with Takano, something that stirred a strong feeling of jealousy inside her.
But then again, she wasn't the type to admit defeat. She wanted Ritsu and she will have him. No matter what she has to do.
She knew the feeling of losing something precious, and she had forego a lot of them in the past, but this time, never will she let go of this gem. Even if she has to hurt a lot of people to get that gem.
"I'll make you mine, Ritsu… just wait, you'll fall in love with me soon! "
Thank you very very much for reading!
