The Game of Hide and Seek (Part Seven)

Half the day later, Quatre was done with most of the tasks he set out to do. It was getting late and the last thing he needed to do wasn't too difficult. Taking a seat on the now empty chair of his secretary, he pushed the button on the answering machine to retrieve all his messages. At the same time, he put his fingers on the keyboard, ready to work through his schedule for the next week.

"Mr. Winner, may I interest you in some..."

Quatre hit the appropriate button to skip forward to the next message.

"Hello, this is Mr. Winthrop from the construction site. I was hoping we could discuss the final adjustments to the blueprints once you're ready. I will be available on Wednesday from 12 'til three. Please tell me what time will be convenient for you. Thank you."

Quatre looked through his schedule and typed in Mr. Winthrop / construction guy on the blank spot between two and three o'clock on Wednesday. When he was done, he pushed the button for the next message.

"Good afternoon. We represent the Wealthy Young magazine and are hoping you were interested in doing an interview with..."

Quatre skipped the message. He specifically remembered doing an interview with them a month ago and he did not see the need for them to take any more pictures of him. In fact, there was no need for him to take his shirt off when the interview was supposed to be about business. As far as he was concerned, it was a waste of his precious time. What was so important now that wasn't important then? Besides, he had barely any room left in his schedule.

"Uh, Mr. Winner... I mean, Master Win... uh, I mean, Quatre... Can I call you that on your work phone? Umm, you forgot to tell me where we were supposed to meet tonight. I'll get ready but I'm not sure where to go so just call me if you have time. Oh, yeah, this is Trowa and Duo says you already know my number. That's how I got yours."

This message, Quatre liked. He always had time in his schedule for Trowa. Writing down a note for his secretary to check in the morning, he put down his pen and decided to leave for the night. Once he was done arranging his schedule, he reprimanded himself for forgetting to supply Trowa with details of their get-together and then checked his watch.

"Oh crap!" he said. "It's ten minutes 'til nine. Marie should be able to take care of the rest of this tomorrow."

Picking up his jacket, he hurried past several surprised employees and stepped into the elevator.

"Leaving early for once?" an employee asked.

"Yeah."

"Something important you need to attend to?"

"Oh, very important," Quatre responded, stressing his words. He did not want Trowa angry at him again for not showing up on time. The man seemed to be harmless with his charming demeanor, but he also seemed like someone who should never be crossed. He was difficult, easy to impress but hard to completely win over.

"I guess we should expect to see you the same time tomorrow morning. Have a good night, Mr. Winner."

"You too," Quatre answered and then sprinted to his car. He already had the directions to Trowa's apartment in mind. All he needed to do was call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Trowa," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier. I know I'm running late so I'll just pick you up at your place. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure."

"Good. Are you ready?"

"Uh huh."

"Great. I'll be there in around five minutes or so."

"Ok."

Ending the call, Quatre decided to concentrate on the road ahead of him. He did tend to be reckless when driving alone and he was sure that Trowa would not be impressed if he showed up in the man's doorstep bleeding from the head. Trowa would surely fuss over him. It would defeat the purpose of their dinner meeting.

Still persisting in his head was the memory of Trowa's apartment, the same inconspicuous building he had visited not too long ago in order to observe his then infatuation. Trowa had been quite the gorgeous man sleeping in nothing but his boxers. He simply could not resist jumping him. Quatre smirked as he sped towards his destination, reminding himself that he had a different purpose in mind this time around. It wouldn't do to scare Trowa off too quickly.

Within a few minutes, he was already in front of Trowa's apartment, knocking on the door and waiting for a response. It felt a little strange not trying to break into the place when he had done so the last time he visited. He smiled at the remembrance before noticing some movement through the peephole. He waved his hand in greeting.

When the door opened, he was greeted by the sight of the most gorgeous man he had ever seen. Trowa looked good in everything, especially in a black, formal suit that looked more expensive than his entire wardrobe.

"You look delicious," Quatre greeted as Trowa stepped back to let him in.

"So do you. Make yourself comfortable," he said. "I'll just be a minute. I just need to find my shoes."

"Take your time," Quatre called out and then looked around the place. It was homey if not a little dull with a good number of books on the shelves and another few of them littered on the coffee table. Trowa looked like he loved reading so much that it was almost intimidating. He was smart enough without the image of him reading a complicated book. However, there was something missing in the apartment that Quatre couldn't quite pinpoint just yet.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Trowa asked while looking through his closet. He was making a mess of his room, Quatre noted. "I don't have much, but try checking the fridge."

"I'm fine," Quatre answered. "We're going out for dinner anyway. What's the matter, still can't find those shoes?"

"Uh, no. I don't usually dress like this. I don't have very many clothes. Wait... Aha! Here they are."

When Trowa made his appearance again, Quatre was still standing in the middle of the room, eyeing the multitude of books scattered all over the living room. In spite of that, the appearance of Trowa still caught his attention. He stared at Trowa again, amazed at how elegant he looked in the only suit he probably owned. His hair was combed neatly although the same fall of brown hair was covering his face. Quatre thought it looked sexy. There was nothing like a hidden feature that made a man more mysterious.

"Any place in particular you'd like to go?" Quatre asked.

"Not really," Trowa answered, fidgeting with his tie. He looked a little uncomfortable with Quatre's scrutiny of him. "Weren't you going to pick the place?"

"You'll trust me with your next meal?" Quatre asked, choosing that moment to wink at him.

"You look like the type who knows how to pick them," Trowa answered, a bit scared of what Quatre had meant by it.

"Let's go then."

Trowa was amazed at the sight before his eyes when Quatre told him to get in the car and make himself comfortable. From the look in his face, it was as if Trowa had never seen a car so stunning it made him salivate. Quatre grinned, knowing just what Trowa had on his mind. He made it a point to purchase the best vehicles he could afford. It was the only true luxury he allowed himself.

"Hey, I won't wait for you to get in all night. If you want one of these, I'll get you one tomorrow."

Trowa seemed flabbergasted by the offer and immediately sat himself down.

"Uh, you don't have to," he said immediately, touching the shiny wooden interior. "Your car's pretty."

Quatre laughed, starting the engine and getting his car back on the road.

"Pretty? I'd like to hear you say that when Duo's around. He picked the 'pretty' car after all."

Strangely enough, Trowa stayed silent after that and Quatre was left to conclude that his companion was feeling awkward all of a sudden. He glanced to his right, hoping that he wasn't making Trowa too uncomfortable.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"You knew where I lived," Trowa said instead of responding to his question.

Quatre was surprised with the change of Trowa's mood but decided to answer. He had nothing to hide about his breaking in the apartment after all, not from Trowa at least.

"Duo can get any information on any employee working for Quinn labs. It wasn't too hard to find out where you lived."

"Was that a one time thing?" Trowa asked and this time, it was Quatre who felt awkward. He did not know if he had the heart to hurt such a sweet guy. Trowa looked like the keepers type. Duo said so himself.

"Remember that thing I said about needing to get rid of the sexual tension?" Quatre asked, trying to be delicate about the situation. He was not as insensitive as Duo put him out to be.

"Yes," Trowa answered warily.

"Well, I'm afraid that's just it."

"Oh, ok."

Quatre continued to concentrate on the road but could not help looking at Trowa every once in a while. He felt guilty for having to break it to him. At the same time, he was trapped because he couldn't exactly give Trowa a reason. There were secrets that were just too dangerous to reveal.

"Look," Quatre said. "I'm not the kind of guy you should want to go out with anyway. I'm pretty much hard to manage and... I don't really date."

When Trowa did not answer, Quatre bit his lip and tried to conjure up an excuse that could at least make him look less of an irresponsible bastard. At the same time, he did not want to reveal too much of himself and certainly not the reason why he did not date in the first place. Breaking it off with Trowa was becoming more difficult than he expected. There was sweat forming in his brows despite the cold air coming in from the car's roof. That would teach him never again to tread dangerous territories like Trowa.

A few more uncomfortable minutes of silence passed before they made it safely to the restaurant. Before Quatre had the chance to announce that they'd reached their destination, Trowa was already out the door. Even the valet looked frightened when Trowa's indifferent expression came to view. He never really expressed how he felt about anything but the blank, commanding expression on him was more than enough to cause fear in anyone unfortunate enough to encounter him in such a mood.

Quatre walked quickly, unable to catch up with his companion. After giving the valet his keys, he was surprised to find that Trowa had already asked the receptionist for their seat without waiting for him. He supposed he was lucky that Trowa hadn't left him yet.

He really could not think of anything to say as he sat across from Trowa. Picking up a menu and covering his face with it was the best he could do under the circumstances. It was absurd! The last time he felt this out of control was when he was four years old. Duo would not stop teasing him if he ever found out that the shy chemist held that much control over him. Nobody, and he meant nobody, was ever able to intimidate Quatre Winner. He might have just met his match.

"Any drinks, sirs?" the waiter asked. Quatre noticed the man's arrival but couldn't speak.

"Any sort of wine would be good for starters," Trowa responded for the both of them.

"Very well, sir. Do you leave it to my discretion?"

"Sure."

The silence stretched on longer than Quatre could bear. It was like being scolded by his father all over again. The minutes passed, yet he couldn't put down the menu.

The waiter came just a few minutes later with a chilled bottle of a very expensive looking wine ready. After popping the bottle open, he poured the wine into Trowa's elegant glass and then proceeded to fill his as well. Quatre held up a hand to stop him.

"Very well," their server said and then turned to Trowa. "Is it to your liking, sir?" he asked as Trowa downed the whole glass.

"Very," Trowa answered. "Fill me up again."

The server did as he was told and Trowa predictably consumed the alcohol with one gulp. Quatre was in shock. Was Trowa planning to get drunk on a very expensive bottle of wine? It was probably not a good idea to inform Trowa of just how much it cost when he was more sensible. He might offer to pay for it.

He watched with fascination as Trowa downed his third glass. By that time, he was getting really worried and signaled for the waiter to leave them. Trowa was not going to get any more if he could help it.

"Are you alright?" Quatre asked. "You probably shouldn't drink anymore or else you're going to get drunk."

"You're wrong," Trowa answered suddenly and rather loudly. Quatre was taken aback. "I get to choose what I want," Trowa continued.

Quatre began to sweat anew. There was no way of stopping Trowa without catching the attention of the patrons of the restaurant. Besides, Trowa did not look like he could be stopped.

"And I want you. There's no way you could come up with a better excuse to drive me away. Oh, I'm sure I can manage you pretty well and I'll even teach you how to date. You'll see! I'll even turn you into a righteous citizen."

Quatre blinked. The alcohol must have really worked well for Trowa's self-confidence. He had never been as assertive as he was then and he had certainly said more now than he ever said before.

"So you're not mad about what I said earlier?" Quatre asked just to make sure.

"It depends," Trowa answered. "Will you let me kiss you in front of the cameras?"

Leaning back on his chair, Quatre unconsciously slid his chair a little further from Trowa's. He looked out the window to confirm his suspicions and spotted a grinning idiot with a camera just a few feet away from them. It was proving to be a difficult night, but he had to make a decision. It was either he left with Trowa still angry at him for what he said or face the punishment of having to deal with the tabloid reporters for the next few weeks. It was tough, but he had no other alternative.

"Are you sure you won't regret this when you're sober?" Quatre asked him. After all, the press would be after Trowa as well.

"Why would I?"

Quatre shrugged. If that was what Trowa wanted then that was what he was going to get.

"Kiss away," Quatre said, surprised that he'd been so bold. He was sure that he was going to hit himself hard when he got home that night.

The next thing he felt was a pair of soft lips caressing his, the slightly tangy taste of the wine mixing in with the kiss. It was divine and it was worth the next few weeks of hell he was going to go through with the tabloids.