Chapter 9
Aria stayed in bed until late Saturday morning. She hadn't slept well. Her eyes were still red and puffy from all the crying throughout the night. She knew she should be getting up to try and study, but it just seemed so useless. What was the point if her future was ruined anyway? Aria felt so stupid that she thought she could outsmart Riku and escape from him. Of course he wouldn't have let her go so easily.
Looking back at the clock it now read 11:14 a.m. Aria didn't know what to do. If she felt like she was in a cage before, now she felt like she was in a bottomless pit, shrouded in darkness. Aria wished with all her heart that her mother was here to help or at least offer some advice. Aria had never felt so alone.
You are never alone.
Aria bolted upright. Her mind piecing together a long-forgotten memory. For those were some of the last words her mother said to her before she died.
Aria could see herself now, just a 12-year old girl sitting beside her mom in the hospital. When she had taken a turn for the worse, Aria refused to leave her side, wanting to get as much time as she could before she was gone.
"What am I going to do mom?" Aria said, weeping. She clutched at her mother's frail hand, willing her to get better. Don't leave me with my stepfather, if you're gone than I will be completely alone." She collapsed onto the hospital bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You are never alone."
Aria stopped crying and looked up at her mother. She was smiling at her, even though it looked like it used all of her strength.
"Even when I'm gone Aria," her mother continued, "I am still always with you. Riku may be a hard man to live with, but you are stronger than you think."
Aria fell back on her pillow. Her mother knew what kind of man she was leaving her daughter with. But she also seemed to think that her daughter was strong enough to stand up to him.
Aria got back up and swung her legs out of bed. Her mother believed in her. She knew that if she was here right now, she would be cheering her on, to not give up. Aria had the whole summer to try and figure out how to get out of Riku's blackmail. For now, she would go back to maintaining a strictly professional relationship with Kaiba. Which meant no more "outings".
Aria felt a bit bereft of the thought. Not just because she would miss spending time with Kaiba, but she actually really enjoyed her time with Mokuba. He was the little brother she never had. But she knew she couldn't risk them getting caught in the crossfire. She wouldn't take that chance.
The rest of the weekend Aria spent deep in study material for her exams. She was going to move forward like nothing had changed. She split her time between hiding up in her room to sneaking out to the public library. Being at the house just felt too oppressive. So, she would study at the library until closing time, and then sneak up to her room through the trellis. She even ate out, so she wouldn't have to enter the kitchen. Anything to avoid Riku. She couldn't stomach the thought of seeing him after their last encounter.
Aria was glad to head back to school on Monday, it was the last day of review and then she had one exam for each day for the rest of the week. She feared facing Kaiba and not knowing how to react to him. After the closeness they shared last Friday, for her to all of a sudden be distant just seemed so…cold. Even without Riku's threats, Aria knew that she should never have stepped over that line. And now she has to try and repair the damage.
Aria gave serious thought to skipping out on history, but she also knew that she couldn't avoid Kaiba forever. He was her boss after all. And if she wanted to make a spot on his team for the summer, they were going to have to find that balance again at some point.
Kaiba ended up being absent for class again. Aria wondered if he did it to avoid her or if he just didn't bother coming to class anymore. Probably a bit of both. With the ring of the final bell, Aria did a quick wave to Yugi and the gang and left to make her way over to work.
Getting off the bus, Aria couldn't help but give a wry smile as she walked through the revolving doors. She was careful to walk slower this time. Cutting across the foyer, she started to make her way around the front desk when she heard herself being addressed.
"Miss Ito?"
Aria looked over at one of the secretaries that had called her. Intrigued, she went over to stand in front of her.
"I have a message from Mr. Kaiba for you. He asked if you would come up to his office straight away."
A feeling of dread dropped into her stomach. She tried to squelch it as best she could before uttering a quick thank you and continuing on to the elevators.
Apprehension gripped Aria as she rode up to the top floor. Did he want to address her unsuitable behaviour on Friday? Although the thought was terrifying, it would make things easier in trying to get things back to the way they were before.
Exiting out, Aria walked around the giant board room table and entered through Kaiba's door without knocking. His secretary looked up at her with a smile.
"Miss Ito, it's nice to see you again. You're free to go right on in."
Aria nodded and smiled in return. For looking so high maintenance, she really does have a pleasant personality thought Aria.
Aria walked straight into Kaiba's office before she lost her nerve. He was seated as usual behind his desk, typing away on his computer. He looked up upon seeing her enter. She stood at the door, waiting for him to make the first move.
He motioned to the chair in front of him. "Please, sit."
Aria approached his desk and took one of the offered chairs. She sat with her heels crossed and tucked beneath her and her hands resting in her lap. She waited patiently for him to speak.
Kaiba stared at her, a stoic look on his face while he fidgeted with a pen on his desk. "I called you up here today to talk about your recent assignments."
Aria tried to remain impassive, not wanting to give anything away. On the inside, she was squirming.
"You have greatly improved since we last spoke and so I wanted to let you know that you have earned a spot on my new project team for the summer."
For a moment, euphoria blossomed in Aria at having made the team. But it quickly fell when she realized it had come after they're…excursion. She couldn't help but think that it wasn't her skills that gained her the position.
Kaiba's face fell a bit at her lack of enthusiasm. "I thought you would be more excited."
"Oh, I am," she quickly said. "It's just a big responsibility and I don't want to let anyone down."
Kaiba smirked. "I'm not too worried," he said. "I only accept the best."
Aria couldn't help but smile at that.
"And," he continued, "I'm giving you the rest of the week off, so you can study for your exams. Not that I think you need it."
"You don't have to do that."
"I just did."
Aria knew better than to try and argue. "I appreciate the consideration. If there is nothing else, I better get home to…study." She rose out of her chair and headed towards the door.
"Aria."
She stiffened at the use of her first name. She would have to remedy that. She faced him.
"I wanted to make it clear," he said, "You earned that spot on the team because you deserve to be there. Nothing else. Understood?"
Aria nodded. Inwardly, she was silently thanking him for the message he was sending between the lines. "I won't let you down," was all she said before leaving. And she meant it in more ways then one.
000
On the ride home from work, Kaiba couldn't stop thinking about his meeting with Aria. Their work relationship had become so stilted. Each trying to act like what happened on Friday hadn't changed anything. He could feel Aria today trying to put some distance between them. And how could he blame her? He had exposed a small token of his feelings when he walked her to the door, and it probably terrified her.
Kaiba ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He was glad he had given her the week off. They could both use some time apart from one another. Maybe one of them will come to their senses in the meantime.
But unfortunately for Kaiba, it seemed that he wasn't going to be the one to come to his senses. Throughout the week, whenever he had to go down to the computer lab to talk to Langley, he always felt disappointment knowing that Aria wasn't going to be there.
By the time Friday rolled around, Kaiba was eager to see her again. He knew that he should be trying to tamper down on his emotions concerning Aria, but he had never felt this way about anyone. Ever. There were only ever two things that Kaiba cared about in this world; Mokuba and Kaiba Corp. But then Aria came along and somehow got thrown into the mix. He still wasn't sure how he was going to resolve the whole employee-boss issue, but he figured he would cross that bridge when he got to it.
Arriving at school, Kaiba went straight to the classroom and took his usual seat. He couldn't wait to get this last exam over with. Then he wouldn't have to worry about allocating his time away from Kaiba Corp. As he watched Aria walk into the room and take her seat, Kaiba frowned slightly. Well he thought to himself, there are some drawbacks to being done with school.
The students had an allotted time of three hours to finish their exam. Kaiba was done in one. When Mr. Armani announced that students could start leaving if finished, Kaiba immediately got up. When he exited out onto the school grounds, he saw his driver waiting for him with the limo. Kaiba hesitated. He had hoped to approach Aria today, but knowing the perfectionist she was, she'll probably be writing to the last minute.
Deciding to wait for her, Kaiba went and sat at a table. Pulling out his phone, he started to read through and answer emails. Lost in his task, the two hours went by reasonably fast. When he saw that the time was up, he put away his phone and watched the front doors, waiting for Aria to appear.
A few minutes later, Aria exited out of the school, the dweeb patrol in tow. He scowls. He knows he can't approach her when she's surrounded by her loyal nerds. What did she see in them anyway?
Kaiba got up from where he sat and slowly made his way over, hoping that Aria would separate from them soon. As a group they started walking down the street and around a corner. Kaiba followed. Hands in his pockets, his head down trying to appear inconspicuous.
When he rounded the corner after them, he saw that they all had stopped to chat just some little ways down the road. But when he perused the faces, he realized that Aria was no longer among them. Kaiba glanced around the area, trying to figure out where she could have gone.
Ahead, he saw Wheeler break away from the group and head his way. Kaiba paid him no heed. It was pretty easy for him to pretend that Wheeler didn't exist at all, unless he was being an annoying brat.
When Joey came up alongside him he stopped. "FYI, Aria went over into Central Park."
Kaiba scowled. Apparently, Wheeler was more perceptive then Kaiba gave him credit for. Still not looking at Joey, Kaiba said with an arrogant smirk, "What? No warnings to stay away from her?"
Joey smiled. "With Aria? Nah, I'm not too worried." With a salute of his hand, Joey kept on walking.
Kaiba's scowl deepened at Wheeler's words, but at least he knew where Aria was. Crossing the street, he went over to the next block where the park was located. It couldn't have been a more perfect summer's day. There was a light enough breeze that it took the edge off the heat.
Upon entering the park, Kaiba started down the shaded paved path, keeping an eye out for Aria's signature hair. Sure enough, he found her sitting on a bench, leaning back with her eyes closed. Kaiba couldn't help but take the moment to stare at her unadorned beauty.
As if sensing someone watching her, Aria opened eyes and visibly stiffened when she realized that it was him. Not saying a word, Kaiba walked over and sat beside her on the bench, resting an elbow on the back. She kept her head down, staring at her fidgeting fingers.
"I'm glad that's finally over," he said.
"Please," replied Aria, "that exam would have been a piece of cake for you."
"I was thinking more being done with high school. That was a whole two years wasted of my life."
Aria finally looked over at him with a raised brow. "I wonder how you'll survive college then."
"I'm not going."
Her mouth gaped open at his remark. "Not going?" she said incredulously. "How can you not go? You could go to any one of your choosing!"
"What's the point?" he said. "It's not like I need a job. And it would only take my time away from Kaiba Corp. I still have many plans in store for its future." He tapped his temple.
Aria only shook her head and went back to looking at her hands.
Kaiba turned his body towards her. "Let's go out tonight, to celebrate."
Aria's hands stilled. "I have plans tonight," she said, still looking down. "But you should still take Mokuba, he'd like that."
"Actually, I was hoping it would just be you and I." Kaiba knew he was being forward but beating around the bush was not his style.
"I don't think that would be a good idea." Her voice held a soft tremble to it.
Kaiba was afraid of this. He knew he was asking a lot of her, but in two months it would be a totally different situation, so in the end, why did it matter? "In two months-"
"No!" Aria said forcefully, jumping up off the bench. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, but she was still refusing to look at him. He heard her take a quick intake of breath.
"I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba, but I don't think it would be proper if we saw each other socially outside of work."
Kaiba's face hardened. "So, we're back to 'Mr.' are we?"
"It's for the best."
Kaiba pushed himself off the bench and stomped towards her. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. "Did I read some sign wrong?" he asked. "Because the night of the carnival you seemed much more 'welcoming'."
Aria's eyes flashed dark green in anger. "What was I supposed to do?" she cried. "Rebuff my boss? This is exactly what I was trying to prevent. I won't have people thinking that I slept my way onto your team!"
Kaiba's anger was beginning to rise. Girls weren't supposed to say no to him. "And that's why your rejecting me? Because of what people would think? Newsflash sweetheart, people are always going to talk."
Aria shook her head and took a step back. "You don't understand. You're Seto Kaiba. And I'm just the lowly intern. My future could be ruined by engaging in this…summer dalliance."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think this is? And here I thought I was doing something amiable, even though it went against my better judgement!"
"Well, I'm glad to know your true feelings on the subject," said Aria sarcastically. "I'm sorry if I lead you on in any way. It was not my intention."
Kaiba straightened his spine, and put on his most aristocratic look, unwilling to let her see how much her words affected him. "I'm only sorry for expressing any sentiment to spend time with you in the first place." He started to walk past her but stopped with his back only a few feet away from her. "I'll see you first thing Monday morning, Miss Ito."
If Kaiba had glanced back as he walked away, he would have seen shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
A/N: A slightly shorter chapter but I hoped I made up for it with content ;) Rereading the previous chapters on the website, I've noticed a few proofreading errors, but they didn't show up in my word doc. I'm afraid to try and go back and update it cuz I have to first delete the chapter and then I'm afraid I won't be able to post it back in its original order. So I apologize. Hope you are enjoying the story so far! Can anyone tell me where I got my inspiration for the final scene? (Hint: It's a classic rejection scene :P) Cheers!
