FINALLY AN UPDATE :)!
This is the 2nd to the last chapter of Perfect Boyfriend !
So I'm giving the readers a choice: Should I post the BAD ending or the GOOD ending? ^^
I'll wait for your replies~
Anyways, here's part 2 of Chapter 9 :)
-Expect Meyrin Hawke hate after this :))
Athrun's head remained hung low. "I…I'm sorry Cagalli."
Cagalli felt more confused than ever. What was he trying to say.
Before she could ask him more questions, he finally raised his head to look her in the eyes.
"I'm…I'm going back to ZAFT."
CHAPTER09:PART II
"Good Morning Cagalli!" Kira Yamato chirped, entering his twin sister's office in an attempt to brighten the blonde girl's day. But just like the other days before, he failed miserably. As if on habit, she merely showed a forced smile.
"Good morning to you too." She tried to let out a chuckle. "What random piece of news do you have for me now?"
Ever since Athrun left five months ago, Kira began visiting her office randomly. Sometimes, he even spent half of the day talking aimlessly while she did her paperwork. Cagalli didn't complain though. It kept her from being alone; because when she was alone, she couldn't help but think of Athrun.
"Well…" The brunette boy looked giddy as he pulled out something from behind. And before Cagalli could even blink, a pink, rose-scented envelope was in front of her face.
"LACUS AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED NEXT MONTH!" Kira exclaimed in glee, flailing his arms around. Cagalli managed to grab the invitation before he did such. Opening the said envelope, she couldn't help but imagine Lacus planning out the wedding to be an all-pink affair. Knowing her, she would require all of her bridesmaids to wear pink dresses. She shuddered at the thought.
"So you're getting married on…" her stomach dropped when she read the date.
The 29th of October—Athrun Zala's birthday.
"Cagalli? Is something wrong?" Kira noticed Cagalli's immediate silence and looked at the invitation himself. Upon noticing the wedding date, he panicked. "Oh god! I'm so sorry Cagalli! I...I swear I didn't do that on purpose! We left the date to our wedding planner and—"
Before he could finish, the blonde girl merely smiled and handed back the invitation to kira, assuring him that everything was fine. "Don't worry about it Kira. You don't need to apologize for anything. It's not like I should sacrifice everyone's happiness because of one small thing." Kira could only watch nervously as she stood up and excused herself to leave for a meeting.
Once outside her office, Cagalli sighed and went on her way. She was already running late for the council meeting yet she didn't care.
She couldn't concentrate with the heavy burden back in her heart.
[The pain never really goes away]
"You do know that this isn't some decision that you can flip off because of some girl right?" Yzack Juole screamed from the other end of the line.
""Yeah…I know…" Athrun, used to Yzack's temper, calmly replied. In the background he could hear Yzack's secretary, Meyrin Hawke, trying to calm him down.
"So when will we get your freakin answer you almighty twit?:"
"I'm not sure…"
"WELL YOU HAVE TO BE SURE!"
Getting frustrated by his constant yelling, Athrun decided to cut the conversation short. "…I'll call you back."
"H-hello?"
"Mr. Zala? Is that you?"
"Meyrin? Yeah, it's me. Is something wrong?"
"Commander Juole—" The blue haired boy heard some shuffling in the background before hearing the pleasant voice of Yzack Juole once again. "THE COUNCIL'S BUGGING ME FOR AN ANSWER ZALA! SPIT IT OUT WILL YA? QUIT BEING DUMB AND GET BACK HERE!"
Knowing that screaming back will do nothing, he composed himself and answered in stride. "I know…I'll try telling her later okay? Just hang on for a couple more days."
"DAYS?" The voice on the other line turned decibels higher. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'DAYS'? GIVE ME AN ANSWER TOMORROW OR I'LL PERSONALLY GET YOUR SORRY ASS BACK HERE!"
Growing frustrated by the minute, he forced an answer. "Yeah, I promise."
"Cagalli…" Athrun grew nervous as the blonde girl turned to face him. It was now or never. He'd rather tell Cagalli himself instead of letting Yzack do such a thing.
"Yeah?"
"…I" He struggled.
"You…?"
Her face looked expectant, at the same time worried. Athrun couldn't bring himself to tell her something so huge so casually. Deciding to drop the topic, he tried forcing a smile. "Um…just forget about it it's really nothing."
He knew he had to leave. Even if every part of his body and mind knew that he had to fulfill his obligation to his homeland, his heart said otherwise. He knew that this would be his final night in ORB. Knowing this, he gathered up all the amount of courage he had left and made his way toward Cagalli's room.
"A-Athrun?"
He didn't care about anything that night. He knew what he wanted. Placing himself beside Cagalli on her bed, he whispered with a heavy heart "Just for tonight…let me stay like this."
"Athrun?"
"Hn?"
"Will you always stay by my side like this?
For the first time in his life, he finally knew how it felt like for a heart to ache .He didn't dare answer.
"So you're asleep already."
As he felt a kiss on his cheek, he waited until the blonde girl fell asleep on his arms.
"I'm sorry Cagalli…"
That night, he held on to her for possibly, the last time.
"I'll come back there tomorrow"
"TOMORROW?I booked your flight for today for god's sake!"
"But..can't I stay for…"
"Don't even think of asking me for another day! Quit being a damn romantic and just let go of that blonde already!She's not worth a nationZala! You really are an idiot! Do you know how many people are trying to do everything just to get this?"
"…I know that!" His friend's words were ringing inside his head. "She's not worth a nation".Anyone would agree with this fact. But Athrun didn't-because he knew, she was worth every bit of it.
But life just doesn't work out that way.
He heard the phone hit a hard surface before it was picked up. "Mr. Zala? Sorry about Commander Juole. He's just really stressed these days."
"Meyrin…isn't there anyway you—"
Before he could finish, he heard someone grab the phone from Meyrin "…wait...hello? Hello! who's talking?"
"Get here by tonight Zala. And don't even try asking my secretary to convince me otherwise."
The line went dead.
"Athrun? You scared me! I thought you were asleep or something!" Athrun's heart twitched. He couldn't bear the thought of bringing her bad news with her great mood.
"Can...can we talk?"
"Sure but, what exactly is it about?"
"Meyrin had been calling me for the last couple of days and…"
"What about…Meyrin?"
He knew that hearing Meyrin's name could immediately cause her pain. He decided to cut to the chase "I…I'm sorry Cagalli."
Raising his head to look at the blonde girl, she saw her eyes starting to water before he could even speak.
"I'm…I'm going back to ZAFT."
[ When she says its over ]
Athrun Zala's eyes immediately opened as he woke up from his sleep. He was inside his office, trying to catch some shut eye before going to another meeting. He frowned at the memory of his last day in ORB. Even if it was five months ago since he last left, he still had the same recurring dream every time he closed his eyes.
As he reclined his chair to relax, so much memories came flooding in once again.
The way Cagalli looked at him after he told her that he needed to go back to the PLANTs. How she left the room without much of a word, but with a look that said every possible pain in the world.
How she completely cut herself off from his life.
As he boarded the transort sent by the PLANTs, both Kira and Lacus came to bid him goodbye. He was surprised that Kira didn't hate him after what he decided to do. He understood Athrun's predicament, and wished him all the best. But he never mentioned how Cagalli was doing.
Athrun understood. It was enough of a punishment from Kira to refrain from telling Athrun anything about Cagalli.
His thoughts were soon put to a halt when his secretary called. As he pushed the button, he heard Meyrin Hawke talking from the other side of the line. After he returned to the PLANTs, Yzack was moved to another post and left Meyrin in Athrun's office. He knew that Yzack planned on making Meyrin his secretary after seeing Athrun's state on the day he arrived from ORB. The white haired boy knew of Meyrin's affection with Athrun. Therefore, he wanted her to fill Cagalli's place.
Athrun didn't like his plan one bit. Yet without him knowing, it was starting to work.
"Mr. Zala? The ORB representatives came for a surprise visit. You are needed at the reception area."
Athrun blinked. Destiny was playing tricks on him. "O-ORB? I thought they were coming next week?"
"They moved their schedule to this week sir. I'm sorry for not informing you." Meyrin sounded as if she committed something unpardonable.
Athrun, on the other hand, couldn't move. This was too sudden. He wasn't ready to face her yet. What would he say? How should he act? Before he could even get his act together, someone suddenly entered his office, a pissed off look on his face. "Is his majesty too much of a dumbass and a coward to face his freakin ex-girlfriend that he's embarrassing his whole nation? THEY'RE WAITING IN THE RECEPTION ROOM YOU IDIOT!"
Yzack Juole, amidst Athrun's high ranking position, still screamed at him.
"I…I'll be there in a minute."
The white haired boy mumbled profanities before leaving. Minutes later, after finally composing himself, he left the office. He was surprised when Meyrin walked right behind him, a folder in hand. "Meyrin? Aren't you supposed to stay at my office?"
"Commander Juole instructed me to follow you all day sir. He also instructed me to conduct the report in front of you and Ms. Attha"
Athrun grumbled. He knew Yzack would do something like this. This was the first time that he would see Cagalli in the past five months—who knew what his emotions could possibly do.
The walk to the lobby was silent, Meyrin being his sole companion. The young chairman's heart pounded at the thought of seeing Cagalli In person again. As they finally reached the said place, his eyes immediately saw her sitting comfortably on one of the couches, five bodyguards surrounding her. She was deep in conversation with Gilbert Durandall, one of his esteemed advisors. Noticing his presence, the two stood up, Cagalli trying hard to maintain her eye contact.
"Good afternoon Chairman Zala." The man, Durandall said with a bow.
Cagali too said the same formalities, no hint of emotion other than that of talking to a stranger present in her voice. "It's nice to finally meet you in person Chairman Zala."
Athrun felt a pain in his chest. Cagalli felt so far away from his grasp. Has it really only been five months?
"It's nice to meet you too Representative Attha." With a strained voice, he replied. Everyone in the room was oblivious to the turmoil present inside the two leaders. "Shall we commence the meeting then?" he led them to a room just meters away, entering it along with Cagalli and Meyrin.
Both leaders sat facing each other, but refused to make eye contact as they watched Meyrin prepare the report.
As Cagalli busied herself in watching Meyrin, Athrun stole a glance at her direction.
Her cheeks were not as rosy as they were before. And the always present warm smile seemed to dissapear from her face. The uniform she wore appeared bigger-she had grown thin. He also felt that this wasn't the strong Cagalli he came to love-this was someone else. She looked defeated and weak. But only he, could see all of this. Because outside, she was still holding out a front.
He looked away. he couldn't bear look at her-he couldn't handle looking at what she has become because of him. In that moment, he wanted to stand up and just go to her. To apologize for everything and to ask for another chance-even if the corcumstances somehow made it impossible for them.
But he couldn't. Because he could feel so much hostility from her. He was afraid that he might break down if he ever got close.
Before he could go on further with his thoughts, Meyrin started talking, bringing his attention to the huge screen in front of them. The red haired girl started talking with a smile, easily asking all the questions both he and Cagalli asked. She even managed to explain things that Athrun himself, didn't know.
He found himself looking a the red-haired girl.
It had been five months since he became chairman. And for all those five months, Meyrin was always by his side. The girl took care of him. He knew that her devotion to him goes beyond her work as his secretary. He could admit that Meyrin was able to help him when he was a wreck upon arriving at the PLANTs. Although he was fine in the public eye, only she managed to see him at his weakest.
And that's when he realized that slowly, his heart was being fixed by this girl who desperately wanted him to love her back.
But just seeing Cagalli today...made such feeling go away in an instant.
He turned to look at Cagalli; as expected, she was still looking at the screen. But Athrun knew better-he knew that she wasn't even listening to the report. She was thinking about something.
After a few minutes, the screen turned black and the report ended. Cagalli was first to break the silence as Meyrin handed Athrun some papers about the said report.
"Were there alliances notified of this plan before us?" She asked while flipping through the same reports that Meyrin was giving the chairman.
"You were the first to be informed Representative Attha." She smiled at her, Cagalli not returning the same gesture. She was at her most serious state. "The next alliances we plan to showcase this report to is with Carpenteria and Aprillus."
"I must say, This is impressive. Did you handle the report yourself?" the blonde girl asked while still looking through the report.
"I had a lot of help from the Chairman representative." She smield at Athrun affectionately. Athrun, turned to look at her and the two met eye to eye. He then turned his attention back to the report, glancing at Cagalli for a moment.
And it seemed she didn't really care since she was still looking at the reports. "That's good to hear. The chairman and his secretary needs to be on good terms to make something as good as this."
Athrun could feel the sting of her words. He knew that she meant something different. But he couldn't blame her.
Eversince he became chairman, There were instances that the media in the PLANTs labeled them an item. He knew that even Cagalli, (who hated tabloids), has heard of this.
"I'm always willing to help if it's for the sake of my country." Athrun smiled at her, trying to convey a reply that would answer her acusation.
Cagalli looked at him for a moment, but he couldn't tell what exactly it was that she wanted to say. "I agree. Our countries should always come first." She was smiling this time. But Athrun knew that she was clearly forcing it. "Even if we must sacrifice certain things for it, it will always come first."
The room fell silent after her words as the three did not know what to say next. Before things turned more awkward, Cagalli stood up and extended a hand to Athrun. "Thank you for the report Chairman Zala, and for trusting ORB to be in your project. We hope to work well with you in the days to come."
Athrun stared at her hand for a moment before taking it in his, gently grasping hers as if he didn't want to let go.
"Thank you too, Representative Attha." It hurt him that they acted like complete strangers to each other. But he had no choice. It was clear that Cagalli was dead set on pushing him farther and farther away. "We will contact you as soon as all the alliances are brought together." He wanted to think of what more to say. He did not want to let go.
But she let go even before he had the chance to lenghthen his speech.
With a smile, the blonde representative bid them goodbye as she walked out the door. Before the door closed, he could only see her back as she left with her bodyguards.
She did not even spare him another glance.
He had faced so many battles in the past. From injuries from war to burns and cuts while piloting gundams.
But nothing compared to the pain that he felt at that very moment.
"Athrun? You here?" Dearka Elsman entered the Chairman's main chamber, surprised that the lights weren't on. Navigating his hands on the wall near the door, he felt a number of switches. He turned one on, and luckily, it lit up the whole room.
His eyes widened upon seeing Athrun Zala on the huge chair behind his desk, barely able to sit on it as he was slowly sliding off from it. His coat was on the table, along with several bottles of the strongest beer in the PLANTs, (most of which were empty).
Athrun Zala did not look like the Chairman of the PLANTs-He looked like a drunkard sitting on his living room chair.
"Athrun!" Dearka ran to his friend's side, just in time too since he had fallen off the chair. If the blonde haired boy did not run to him, he might've hit his head on the marble floor. "What the hell? You're drunk?"
The boy was surprised. Athrun Zala NEVER got drunk. he had such amazing coordinator genes that it was almost impossible for him to get drunk.
Athrun quinted his eyes, barely able to hold it open. "You...you're my buddy right?"
Dearka frowned. He never dreamed of seeing Athrun in such a state. "...Athrun, why the hell did you drink all these beer?"
"You...why does everybody tell me what to do? I don't want to! I'm not happy!" He started ranting, surprising Dearka.
"Athrun...are you alright? You shouldn't have drank alone like this."
The blue haired boy laughed hard as a reply, confusing Dearka all the more. "Don't tell me what to do!" He laughed again, this time louder. "Why do I have to listen to you?"
Dearka didn't know what to do. "You're drunk Athrun. I'm taking you home." He started to place one of Athrun's arm over his shoulder. Fortunately, Athrun let him do so as he continued laughing. "We're gonna drink at your house? Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~"
"..." He didn't feel any amusement whatsoever in seeing Athrun drunk. If he caused Athrun to be drunk out of fun, he would probably laught it off. But it was Athrun himself who drank himself to such a state-and he grew worried. He then noticed Athrun's cellphone on his tabletop. As he reached for it, he saw a phone number in the screen. Thinking that Athrun must've been deciding wether to call it or not, he decided to dial it himself. It surprised him when someone familiar answered from the other line.
"Hello?"
"Hey..I need you at Athrun's house NOW. I'm on my way with him. The guy's drunk."
TO BE CONTINUED