Worlds Apart
Chapter 8: The Opposition
-by: SimplyPocky-
Life just seemed to be different for Maka now that she was in love. She was more relaxed, she was more confident, she was more happy. Even if the person she was in love with was still an irritating jerk that annoyed her to no end.
"How could you be so irresponsible!" Maka shouted into her cellphone as she ran down the sidewalk. Last week Soul had decided she should get one since he refused to allow her to take rides from Justin ever again. She didn't want one, but it was a good compromise since her only alternative was to quit. However, Soul seemed to be abusing the device already.
"Sorry, I was in a rush this morning." He said, actually sounding a bit sincere. There was a bit of a perk to having the cellphone, to be honest. Soul encouraged her to call him whenever she wanted, for anything. She didn't really take advantage of this offer, but when she DID need Soul for something she never thought twice about not calling. Something about hearing his voice over the phone was very...appealing.
Maka let out a sigh and said, "Which folder is it?"
.
Maka knew Soul was wealthy. She knew he must have owned a pretty successful company even if she didn't quite know what they did at Evans Enterprise. However, standing before the building that Soul said he built right after college, made her realize Soul was a pretty capable guy. It took her a while, but there seemed to be more to him than his laid-back attitude and handsome face. It only made her adore him even more.
Maka walked into the building and up to the front desk where a kind-looking woman sat.
"Hello, can I help you?" She greeted.
"I need to speak with Soul Evans, please." Maka said.
"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.
"No, I just came to drop something off." Maka replied, showing the bag she held.
"Name?"
"Maka Albarn."
The woman picked up the phone a pressed a button.
"There is a young lady here by the name of Maka Albarn. She said she had something to drop off for Mr. Evans." There was a pause, "It seems to be documents. Shall I send her up?" Another pause. "Okay then, I'll let her know"
The woman hung up and turned back to Maka.
"Someone will be down in just a moment." She said and Maka nodded. She was a bit disappointed. She thought she would be able to see Soul working, but she supposed he was pretty busy. Oh well, she was lucky enough to see him every night when he came home. She couldn't ask for anything more.
A moment later and Maka watched as an elevator opened and a busty, black-haired woman stepped out. She was tall and looked asian. Very pretty, in an elegant and charming way. How intimidating. Someone like her worked so closely with Soul?
Maka quickly shook the thought from her head. No point in worrying about that.
"Hello, you must be Miss Albarn." The woman greeted.
"Maka is fine. Soul told me to deliver these documents. He forgot them this morning." Maka said, holding out the large bag full of heavy folders and documents.
The woman took it with an apologetic look, "Sorry, my boss is a bit of a scatter-brain sometimes. I'm Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Mr. Evans' personal secretary. You can call me Tsubaki."
Maka ignored the proud way she spoke of being Soul's secretary. Maybe such a job was something to be jealous of. That didn't mean there were any deeper feelings. Probably just admiration. Maybe she even cared about Soul. Platonic. Friendship. Probably.
"Right, well I should be going." Maka said, quickly turning away so as to not reveal her troubled face.
"Wait, um, I'm sorry for asking this, but what exactly is your relationship with Mr. Evans?" She asked suddenly, actually catching Maka off-guard. Maka struggled for a lie, but decided telling as much of the truth as she could would keep her from stumbling over her terrible lies.
"I'm his maid."
"You look like you're in high school." Tsubaki said, tilting her head in a thoughtful way.
"I was hired under special conditions." Maka muttered and Tsubaki gave her a skeptical look.
"I guess I can understand. Soul seems to hire people on a whim, it's how I got my own job, after all. Well, have a nice day...Maka. I'm sure Soul sends his gratitude." And with that she quickly strolled off and Maka, also, turned away. A little less confidently.
.
Tsubaki briskly walked back into the office, ignoring the people trying to get her attention. The office was a mess at the moment, mostly due to the fact that Soul's little vacation put them behind in a lot of work because he was not present to give his approval on anything. Tsubaki was quite peeved, but she understood that was just Soul's personality. He loved this company and he was a hard worker when it came down to it, but she knew that work wasn't his strong suit.
However, even more than all the turmoil and chaos going on within the office she had taken great pains to keep running smoothly, there was something more important to deal with first. Tsubaki walked right up to Soul's office and opened the door. He was buried in paperwork and didn't spare her a glance.
"What is it Tsubaki?" He asked as he scribbled away at a sheet of paper.
"The girl dropped off the missing documents just a moment ago."
He looked up at that.
"Is she here? You can let her in." Soul said, his face brightening a bit.
"You hardly have time to...play, Mr. Evans." She said and his smile fell.
"You sent her away." He sighed and went back to his work.
"Why exactly do you have a cute high school girl working as a maid for you?" She asked.
"It's complicated." He retorted simply.
"As your personal secretary, I think I should know. You do realize this could be a huge problem if anyone found out." She said, placing her hands on her curvy hips.
"Yeah, but I'm not too worried. She's really cautious. I'm surprised she even told you she was my maid, she usually tells people she's my neice. Maybe she was intimidated by you." He said, smiling to himself.
Tsubaki flushed, not realizing that Soul was actually admiring Maka and not her.
"I-I think you should tell me how you got yourself into this situation." Tsubaki said. And Soul did, because he never hid anything from Tsubaki. Mainly because she would eventually find out. Tsubaki, however, did not like the sound of any of this.
"But I never thought of it as a situation. I keep her around because I like her, she just happens to be getting something out of it." Soul finished, returning to his work.
"Are you two in a...er...sexual relationship?" Tsubaki asked, her face turning a bright shade of red.
"No." He said with a smirk, "Not yet."
"Mr. Evans, I think it's really...admirable what you're doing for this girl. She's obviously just a victim in all of this, but I don't think you should lead her on. If you're going to give her the money, just do it and let her return to her normal life."
"She said she liked me though. Why would I run her off?" Soul asked, seemingly deeply confused by Tsubaki's logic. A guy like Soul, who always got whatever he wanted, could not understand why he should give up something that belonged to him.
"Because it's the right thing to do. This girl has her entire life ahead of her, she's just getting started, but this whole situation was a terrible setback. You shouldn't complicate things with your personal feelings, she's probably mistaking her gratitude for love. You know, the damsel in distress falling in love with a man just because he saved her. It's not real." Tsubaki said and watched as Soul's face darkened.
"I know she likes me because she isn't that type of girl." Soul growled and Tsubaki became annoyed at his ignorance.
"And what proof do you have? You found this girl in a brothel, how can you believe anything she says?" Tsubaki asked, throwing up her hands in frustration.
"Because I trust her." He said simply, giving her a pointed look and she pressed her lips together.
"Okay, I trust your judgment, but you should make sure. How much longer until the contract is up?"
"I think three weeks now. Why?"
"I was just wondering what would happen if you gave her all the money before the time was up."
"And why would I want to do that?"
"If she likes you, she'll stay right? So it's really no big deal. Unless you feel like you have to bribe her." Tsubaki said and Soul's eyebrows furrowed.
"Fine, I'll do it."
Tsubaki nodded and left out of the room, deciding she should get back to work. She didn't really care who Soul dated, as long as he didn't get himself into a bad situation. Maka seemed like a nice girl, though the fact that she was a high schooler was a bit scandalous, but she would graduate soon. But, for someone of her standing to want to be with someone like Soul, their relationship would not be a smooth ride.
She had to make sure Maka was the right one for her boss. Afterall, that was a part of her job.
.
Soul, however, could not focus on his work for the rest of the day. With Tsubaki's help he somehow managed to get enough done to head home. He stopped at the bank along the way and withdrew the money he needed and then took the long route home. A million scenarios were running through his head and he did not like the outcome of most of them.
.
Maka was doing her homework on the sofa when Soul came home. It was pretty late and she had already showered and put dinner away. Soul loosened his tie as he walked into the living area where his cute maid was working. Maka gave him a shy smile.
"Welcome home." She greeted and he smirked as he sat down next to her, leaning his head against her shoulder. He really did enjoy this and he enjoyed his time with her. He liked her. And, hopefully, she liked him back. He wasn't yet sure what he would do if Maka took the money and left. Perhaps tracking her down and locking her up was an option.
"Something wrong? How was work?"
"Hectic. I'm tired."
"You should go shower, I'll fix your dinner." She said as she set her book aside to stand up. Soul grabbed her arm and pulled her against him.
"Later." He said as she rested in his lap and he buried his face in the nook between her shoulder and neck. Maka wasn't sure what was wrong, but she leaned back against Soul and absent-mindedly traced patterns on his arms that were wrapped tightly around her.
"I have something for you." He finally spoke.
"What is it?"
Soul reached into his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. He handed it to Maka and looked away as she unfolded it. Soul felt Maka tense and he wrapped his arms more securely around her, though he was sure she wouldn't make a run for it. Maybe.
"W-Why are you giving this to me?" She asked, twisting around so she could look at him, a confused expression on her face.
"It's the money I owe you. A deal's a deal after all." He said, not making eye contact.
"But my contract isn't up yet."
Soul shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm giving it to you now."
"S-Soul?"
Soul glanced up at the crack in her voice and inhaled sharply when he saw the hurt look she was giving him. As if he had delivered some devastating news.
"I-Is this your way of telling me to leave?" She asked.
"What?" Now he was confused. "No! Why would you think that!"
"I couldn't think of any other reason why you would do this. "
Soul sighed and scratched the back of his head. He looked at her dejected face again and decided to tell her what Tsubaki said. When he was done Maka seemed to have brightened up. She smiled and completely turned around in his lap to give him a hug.
"So you do like me, huh?" She asked.
"Isn't that obvious? Why else would I keep you around." She rolled her eyes, but gave him a soft kiss.
"I like you too." She whispered against his mouth.
"Then, do you wanna be my girl, Maka?" He asked and she giggled before kissing him again.
"I thought you'd never ask."
.
Later that night the two were back on the sofa together, cuddled together as they watched a crappy TV show. It was getting late, but neither of them made any move to go to their respective rooms. They were both dozing off though and Soul decided to take a chance.
"Hey, do you wanna sleep with me tonight?" He asked.
"H-HUH?!" Maka asked, clearly surprised. To be expected of a girl with zero experience with the opposite sex. He might as well have asked her to get on her knees and service him. Which was a tempting thought but would have to wait until some other time. Hopefully in the near future.
"It's not like we're going to do anything. We're just sleeping in the same bed." He said.
"B-But isn't that embarrassing?" She stammered and, despite the darkness, he could tell she was blushing all the way to her ears.
"It's really no different than what we're doing here." He said nonchalantly.
Which was, more or less, true. Soul laid against the arm of the sofa and Maka rested against him, her head on his chest. It was very comfortable, sort of relaxing when she got pass the fact that they were pressed flush against each other, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"O-Okay." She whispered and Soul stood up. He took her hand and cut the television off. They walked toward Soul's room, which was clean except for the mountains of paperwork that was haphazardly placed on every surface.
"You should really organize all of this." She acknowledged as Soul removed the papers from his bed.
"Some other time. Too tired. Need sleep." He muttered as he climbed into bed. Maka stood there for a moment before she climbed in after him. They pulled the covers over themselves and then faced each other in silence. There was a bit of space between them and Soul laughed at her sudden self-consciousness. He placed a hand on her waist and gently pulled her closer. They were pressed against each other again and Soul sighed as he easily fell asleep.
Maka had a bit more trouble. Not because she was still a tad embarrassed, but because whenever she was with Soul it seemed to dawn on her more and more that he was a man. An experienced man with needs.
She wondered if she would ever have sex with Soul.
She wondered if Soul thought she was attractive.
She shook her head clear of the thoughts.
Soul liked her. Soul asked her to be his girlfriend. Soul wanted to be with her and not just because of a contract. She should be happy, she shouldn't get greedy. Truth be told, she wouldn't mind having sex with Soul if he asked, but that would come later.
Right now, she was content just being in his arms.
.
The next morning Maka woke up to something prodding her. She cracked her eyes open and it took a moment to realize she was no longer in her room. She felt a pair of arms around her, the sound of deep, steady breathing and something poking her back. Maka wiggled around a bit until she turned over to face Soul. And this time she felt it poking her stomach and it finally dawned on her.
Her face turned an alarming shade of red, but she wasn't sure what she should do. Was she the cause of this or were all guys erect in the morning? Perhaps something was wrong. Maybe Soul needed medical attention!
"S-Soul. Soul." Maka said softly, but firmly as she shook him a bit. He cracked his eyes opened.
"Hn? Time to get up?" He asked.
"Yes, but, I think you might have a problem." She said and Soul could see panic in her eyes. He was awake now.
"What is it? What happened?"
"Well, you're um...you know...you should be able to feel it!" She said, growing frustrated that he hadn't realized yet. Soul was confused for a moment longer before he realized what she was talking about. Maka could see a slight flush cross his cheeks before his smirk moved into place.
"Well, it's a natural reaction when I have my hot girlfriend pressed against me all night." He teased and watched as her face went to a fevery red shade.
"I'm going to start breakfast." She muttered as she got out of bed.
"Not gonna help me with this?" He asked and she looked back.
"D-Do you want me to?"
That was a surprise and Soul couldn't answer right away. After he regained his composure he stammered out,
"N-Never mind. Go start on breakfast."
Maka didn't need to be told twice. She quickly scurried out of the room and Soul let out a trembling breath as he rubbed a hand over his face. With responses like that, Soul wasn't sure how long he could keep himself in check. With how hard he was and his control wearing thin, he was tempted to march into that kitchen and take her there.
But he wanted Maka's first time to be special, so he couldn't do it yet. Because once Soul started there would be no stopping him.
After he managed to...calm down, Soul quickly showered and went to join Maka for breakfast, but he was surprised to see that they had a guest.
"Good morning, Mr. Evans." Tsubaki greeted from the table where she sipped coffee.
"Tsubaki? Why are you here?" He asked as he took a seat on his side.
"I was just wondering how things went, I see Maka is still here." Tsubaki acknowledged, but Maka was looking out of the window and did not respond.
"Yeah, she lives here, after all." Soul said.
"I see. Listen, I'm not going to tell you who to date. You're a smart man Mr. Evans, I'm sure you know what you're doing. I'm just saying, for the sake of both of you, you should probably think this through a bit more." Tsubaki pleaded.
"I like her and she likes me. Whatever problems come up we can deal with them together." Soul said confidently and Tsubaki shook her head. Maka, on the other hand, turned and gave him a small smile and that's all he needed. As long as he could make her smile, nothing else mattered.
"After you left yesterday, I received a phone call from your mother. She'll be in town tomorrow and she requested lunch with you. Perhaps, since you two are "dating" you should bring Maka along." Tsubaki suddenly said.
Soul was quiet for a moment and Maka noticed that he was clenching his fists.
"More importantly, why does she want to meet me?" Soul growled.
"I'm not sure. She didn't even ask if you were free." Tsubaki sighed, realizing this would put them even further behind in work.
"Of course she didn't. She doesn't think that what I do is serious, anyway." Soul said and stood up from his chair, his food untouched. "I'll go and I'll bring Maka with me. Tsubaki, please pick out an outfit for Maka to wear tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." Tsubaki said and stood up, patting down her perfect pencil skirt.
"Okay, let's get going then." Soul said a stomped toward the door, the aura around him a lot darker now. Tsubaki took down his jacket and handed it to him, along with his briefcase. Maka stood back and watched how well the two worked together, almost like a married couple.
Tsubaki's phone rang and she excused herself out of the apartment to take it, Soul was right behind her when he stopped. He turned back to Maka and walked up to her. He swooped down and gave her a tender kiss with a small smirk.
"I don't plan on giving you up, but it won't be easy for us to be together. You're going to realize that tomorrow." Soul said and Maka could see some anxiety in the way he looked at her. "And, don't worry about Tsubaki. She's not the biggest fan of Liz and she thinks you might be another girl like her. I'll do my best to explain that you're not at all like whore #2."
She gave him a weak smile and kissed his cheek.
"Have a good day." She said and Soul gave her a wink before he disappeared through the door. Maka returned to the kitchen to eat her breakfast before it was time to leave for school. She used the time to ponder on what exactly had happened the last few days.
She was still trying to come to the terms with the fact that she and Soul were a mad her stomach do a little flip and her heart fluttered. Definitely a good thing.
However, it obviously was going to be a battle to stay together. Maka remembered that Soul was from a renown family, they probably wouldn't be happy to see him dating a lower-class high schooler. Maka wondered if she should study some proper etiquettes. Maybe she should ask Soul what his mother was interested in.
Maka thought of her own mother, who had abandoned her when she was younger. She thought of her father who she hadn't heard from in a month. Then an idea occured. Surely Mr. Kagami was keeping an eye on both her and Spirit, maybe he knew where her Papa had run off to.
With the idea still fresh in her mind, Maka quickly grabbed her school bag and rushed out of the apartment. Right after school, she would go straight to the brothel. Not only to inquire about her missing father, but to finally rid herself of this debt. She had more important things to worry about now.
To Be Continued...
Sorry for the terrible wait. I've been preparing for my return to that mental institute known as school. It's my junior year. Wish me luck, I will try to update as often as I can.
