Chapter 7: Have Patience
*Saturday morning, December 6th, 2014*
"Miss Melissa?" I groan.
"Melissa?" Another groan.
"Big Sister! Wake up!" I fall out of bed, fully awake now. Wataru's voice was unignorable.
"I'm up!" I call out, scrambling to my feet. Running my fingers through my snarled hair, I trudge to my bedroom door and open it.
"Sorry to wake you, Miss Melissa." Standing outside my door was Ukyo, Azusa, and Wataru.
"No, no; you're fiiiine." I yawn, and Ukyo chuckles.
"Are you sure you're fine?" He asks with a teasing smirk.
I nod. "Yes, I'm fine." Then I yawn again.
"We'll go now" Azusa says. "We just came to let you know that breakfast is ready."
"What?!" My eyes shoot open. "I can't believe I overslept! Please forgive me, I'll do better next ti-"
"What are you apologizing about?" Ukyo asks, looking amused. I stop, realizing that I have no idea what my position in this household was anymore.
"Ah…"
"Melissa, you are now part of the family. We will give you your personal assignment, but you are no longer under the obligation of maid in this household. You do have your own job now, do you not?"
"I do…"
"Good!" Ukyo smiles. "Then it's settled. We will discuss your assignment with Masaomi soon."
"Ah, right." The four of us stand there awkwardly. "... Mind if I get changed?" I finally ask, running my fingers through my tangled hair again.
"Not at all" Ukyo immediately responds, his cheeks coloring slightly as he seems to suddenly notice that I'm wearing a pair of booty shorts and an over-sized t-shirt with the words, "Heart-Breaker" on it. I nod, smiled tightly, then close the door on them. With a sigh, I quickly change into my day clothes and brush out my hair. Afterwards, I make a pit stop at the bathroom (which was - thankfully - empty) to brush my teeth, and then I descend the stairs leading to the dining room.
"Good morning, Melissa" Masaomi says as I take a seat at my usual place near the window.
"Oh, good morning Masaomi" I reply with a smile. I scan the table, which consists of Masaomi, Ukyo, Iori, Louis, Tsubaki, and Yuusuke.
"Where is everyone else?" I ask.
"They've already eaten and left" Ukyo says. "Why don't you join us at the table?"
"Ah, right." I awkwardly stand and carry my plate to the table, but then stop short when I realize just how many spots are open. Embarrased, I finally decide to slip into the seat between Masaomi and Iori.
"Would now be a bad time to discuss my assignment here?" I ask after a long pause.
Masaomi smiles. "Not at all."
I sigh. "Good. What, exactly, would you like me to do?" Masaomi and Iori exchange glances.
"Would you be alright working in the gardens with Iori again?" Masaomi asks. I shake my head vigorously, not being able to help the large grin that spreads across my face.
"Not at all! I enjoy working wi- in the garden." I blush a bit at the slip of my tongue. How embarrassing! Thankfully, no one seemed to notice it.
"Wonderful." Masaomi smiles again.
"Are you happy to be back?" Tsubaki suddenly asks. I look at him in surprise. What brought this on?
"Of course" I respond without a second thought. "I've missed seeing all of you every day." Then my eyes widen. "D-d-did I just say that out loud?" A nervous laugh. The others laugh with me, sounding just as awkward as I felt.
"Well Melissa, we're glad to have you back" Ukyo says kindly. I sigh with relief, give him a grateful smile, then proceed to eat.
Afterward breakfast, Iori takes me out to the gardens to explain to me what needs to be done. I listen as he talks, but his eyes continually flicker over to my face, causing a shade of pink to remain permanently on my cheeks throughout the instructions.
"I'll be here too," he concludes softly, "so don't be worried about getting things wrong or trying to remember the exact instructions." He smiles gently, and I immediately feel myself smile back.
"Right!" I crouch down and examine the now-desolate flower beds. They were covered with tarps to keep them safe from the frosty, winter weather as well as preserving them for the oncoming spring, when they'd burst into bloom once more.
"You've… Kept them in good condition" I say softly, looking up at him. He's still smiling at me, and I quickly avert my eyes.
"I have" he says. "I did so in hopes that you'd come back and see them one day." My eyes widen, but I keep my focus on the flowers.
"Oh, r-r-really?" I hear no response and assume he nodded. The cold air seems to stand still between us, and I shiver slightly.
"You're cold." I feel weight on my shoulders and realize he's taken his coat off and put it on me. I quickly stand and try to take it off.
"Oh no! I'm fine, really. Let's go inside if need be, but I don't want you suffering at my -" I never get the chance to finish my sentence. Iori leans over and places a gentle but firm hand on my upper arms, pressing his lips softly against mine. I instantly notice that the feeling of the kiss is different with Iori than it had been with Hikaru, or even Kazuki. While Hikaru had made me feel dizzy and confused, Kazuki had made me feel… Nothing, I realized. However, Iori's kiss made my heart beat wildly and my stomach pool with warmth. It was soft and gentle, almost like the flutter of a butterfly's wings. It was nice, I thought. But, it just wasn't the one. Not now, anyway.
He pulled away, and his hazel eyes stared intensely back into mine. It was almost as if he were mentally pleading with me to be okay with it; to fall in love with him. I felt like I could love him; I felt like I wanted to. But, with a breakup that had happened just yesterday, I wasn't sure if my heart was ready for another relationship so soon.
"Melissa?" His voice is soft and tentative.
"Y-y-yes?" I respond, looking away from him.
"... How did it feel?" My cheeks flush pink.
"It felt… It felt… Very nice." Silence. I risk a glance up to see that his expression has fallen and he looks slightly upset.
"Iori…" I walk up to him and look up into his face. "I just broke up with Kazuki yesterday. I… I need time… Please," I place a hand on his shoulder, "be patient with me."
He nods slowly and gives me a small smile. "I'm keeping you to that" he says softly.
"I know. I'll try not to let you down."
*cries* I'm a terrible person, I know. Here my excuses for this time 'round:
A) School. Stressed out crap, but it will (hopefully) be over by the beginning of May!
B) Writer's block. I swear, I don't have the patience to go back and re-watch all of these animes which I'm writing fan-fics on, but having not seen them for a while might be the reason why I'm having such bad writer's block for them.
C) Time. Ain't nobody got time for dis (though I'll try to make more time).
D) Art. I've become very active on PaigeeWorld in the roleplay world, and online roleplaying takes up a lot of my time.
I'm super sorry for leaving you all hanging, and I thank all of you loyals who continue to stick with me even when I'm a poop and don't upload often. 3 you all!
~ Melissa-Disney99
