"Slow Burn"(def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time.
-x-
Chapter Eleven: Burning the Harbor
-x-
Homecoming didn't just start and end with the game, as Mimi was learning more and more every second. No, it was a weeklong affair that had endless obligations and responsibilities and even though she had been ceremoniously booted from a routine she slaved over, that didn't get her out of her duties as a cheerleader.
For instance, the Homecoming Mixer.
A Saturday afternoon brunch that was meant to encourage collegiate cooperation and friendship among the rivaling teams. Just a gesture to show that not everything was about competition, though no one really believed it.
And it was the most annoying place to be right now because seriously why did she have to pretend to be friendly with people she was probably never going to see again. She had no reason to be nice, keeping a safe distance everyone in the room.
She grabbed a mini pecan pie from one of the many buffet tables set up with assorted foods, moodily chewing on it while glancing around the well-lit room. This type of gathering seemed like it was commonplace for just about everyone except her, who had never been to something so elaborate for a school event. But she had been to enough society afternoon tea's to know how to behave in a dignified manner.
Of course, Mimi was sure she would have been much more dignified and refined had she been in a better mood. But every time she saw Taylor Fujiyama laughing it up fakely with the KTU soccer players and cheerleaders, Mimi just wanted to throttle her.
"You know, normally your demeanor lights up a room."
She pulled on a practiced smile, turning to her side. "I'm not feeling too cheery today." She said.
"Well, that's precarious considering your current social obligations, I would try to fix that."
Mimi let out a small chuckle, "Shouldn't you be pretending to be getting along with the competition?" She raised a brow.
"Couldn't I ask you the same thing?" His green eyes twinkled down at her.
Mimi inadvertently looked to the raven haired captain, she wanted to tell him how this technically wasn't really her competition anymore considering…
But she bit her tongue, this was war—but it was between herself and Taylor.
She didn't need anyone fighting her battles for her.
But there was a certain joy she felt when she thought about the fact that Ryo was standing in front of her with his soulful green eyes and giving her that boyish grin instead of Taylor.
"Well, how about you introduce me around since I very well don't know anyone and that way we can both scope out the opposition."
Ryo, who looked mildly surprised, just extended his elbow out to her.
Mimi took his elbow and took a second to appreciate how wonderfully Ryo Akiyama filled out a well-tailored suit. The material was so soft and she knew the fabric must have been custom the second her fingers touched it. She looked down at his Italian leather shoes, took in his expensive, clean shaven smell and for a second thought of how proud her mother would be to know she was on his arm.
It was all her parents had ever wanted to for her.
But as soon as the thought came, it left.
Because she had always wished they wanted more from her.
"See the mop of strawberry orange hair?"
Mimi nodded, giggling softly at his description. "That's the guy I have to be better than. Ichigo Kurosaki." He continued.
"Shouldn't be too hard, he doesn't look like much of a threat."
"Your confidence in me is inspiring, Mimi." He said with half a grin. "The short one with the silver hair." He nodded towards a quiet corner of the room, where a boy dressed in a suit that looked like it was made for a child, darted his cerulean eyes, surveying everyone else with chilling calmness. "That's Toushiro Hitsugaya, he's got the fastest hands…and feet, of anyone I've seen. It's like there's three of him."
Mimi could tell by the look on his face, he was serious.
"The bald one, with the weird eyebrows. That's Ikkaku Madarame. He's literally insane." And that was all the description that was given to the guy who looked like he was drinking something much stronger than punch, held in a suspicious Styrofoam cup.
Mimi's eyes fell on Tai who was a few paces away, but he wasn't talking to any of the players. Instead, he had his eyes on a tall, lithe, ash blonde.
Well, he had his eyes somewhere on her.
"Jealous?" Ryo asked.
Mimi rolled her eyes, "Of Tai talking to racks out Barbie?" She shook her head. "No. not even slightly."
"Well, if you were. I would tell you that Rangiku doesn't date college boys anyway. From what I heard, she'd dating a professor in the English department."
"My, my. Look at you up on all the gossip."
"Well, Zoe is my sister. I hear things." He shrugged.
She stopped at the refreshment table, turning herself so she was standing in front of him. "So what do you hear about me?" She arched a brow.
Ryo had always considered himself a bit of a ladies man, he knew his way was around the female form pretty well. But she did something to him, being around her felt different. As if she was something completely new and he had no idea how to approach her.
Even just the way she smiled had him feeling out of sorts.
And the more he got to know her, the harder it was to ignore.
He, Ryo Akiyama, was falling for this girl.
His eyes traveled the length of her, and Mimi followed his green gaze with her own.
Finally, he leaned in towards her, a hand on her forearm pulling her close. "I've heard…" His voice was velvety smooth, his breath on her skin. "That you are the most exquisite thing in this room." His lips touched her ear and it sent a shiver twirling up her spine.
Mimi felt the blood rising in her cheeks, "Ryo, I…" Her lips parted, searching for words as she inhaled him.
And then his touch was gone, his posture straightening, a slow smirk forming on his face.
Mimi closed her mouth, her eyes darting around the room. Of course the exchange didn't go entirely unnoticed, amethyst eyes were now boring holes into her head.
If looks could kill…
Suddenly, Mimi felt flimsy and underhanded about her plan to use Ryo to get Taylor jealous. Not only because the girl was borderline psychotic, but the guilt about toying with someone who was seemingly sincere, catching up with her rather quickly.
It was easy when she thought Ryo was just a womanizing ass, but she was quickly beginning to understand that under the façade he was entirely different and it wasn't so easy to overlook that.
Mimi tucked a loose strand behind her ear, "I should, make my rounds." She put a few more inches between them for safety.
Ryo looked surprised by her reaction, until he saw the corner she kept looking to. "God, Mimi if you're worried about Taylor you don't need to be. I'm not with her and I haven't been for a while—
"But she's your date to this thing." Mimi interrupted, wringing her hands in front of her. "And honestly, I really don't think she knows that."
"Not by choice." He protested, ignoring the last part. "It's the cheerleaders that insist on that whole boy draft thing, we don't even care for it except that it avoids all the stupid petty drama." He insisted
Mimi nodded, "No, I know, but still." She sighed. "It's in poor taste."
"Forget taste. Forget manners. Who cares about all that stuff!" He wanted to shake her, how could she deny what was between them. "None of it matters if you fee—
"Now's not the time." She held up a hand. "I…I should make my rounds." She repeated.
He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from turning away from him. "I'm getting a little tired of chasing you." He said quietly.
And when she looked up at him, she saw soft, undeniable vulnerability in his eyes. "I get why you might not trust me, but I haven't even thought of another girl since I started pursuing you. That's gotta count for something…right?" In a rather roundabout way, she realized this is how it felt to be around a guy who didn't guard his emotions every single second.
He was willing to show her that he cared for her, it didn't matter that he was leaving himself exposed in the process.
Mimi, despite her best efforts to stop it, felt a small smile on her face. "It does." She put a hand over his, loosening his grip on her. "But I need a little more time." She squeezed his fingers and he let go of her.
Ryo nodded, green eyes looking at her determinedly. "I'm going to win that game, Mimi. I don't care what it takes." He had a fire in him that wouldn't be put out.
It had been a really long time since he wanted to win this badly.
"I sure hope so."
"And then I'm going to take you out." He said with finality and it left no room for argument.
A small laugh escaped her, "Focus on tonight, superstar. We can talk after." She gave him a wink, before turning away.
-x-
They won, somehow, some way TU had won.
It was a miracle save by Sam at the end, one that basically defied all laws of logic, reasoning, gravity and probably physics at the same time. The winning goal had come from Davis, which was a pleasant surprise not just for Kari but the entire stadium and the roar of a homecoming crowd gone wild could have been heard three towns over.
Mimi ran out of her seat before she even realized she had gotten up and with everyone else she rushed onto the field. The first arms that caught her were Tai's and she couldn't even hate him for dripping sweat all over her. "You were amazing!" She screeched over the crowd and he twirled her for good measure, before letting her onto the grass.
As Sora passed by him, no doubt on her way to Sam, he grabbed her by the wrist turning her around. "What am I? Chopped liver?" He squeezed her to his chest, before littering her hair with kisses. "Don't I deserve a congratulations?"
Sora laughed, arms hanging loosely around his neck. "You were great as always, Tai. But I'm sure you already knew that." She said warmly. "Now, my boyfriend awaits." She pulled out her arms.
"Boyfriend?" He raised an eyebrow. "Things must be getting serious, Takenouchi!" He called after her.
Sora threw a blushing glance over her shoulder. "I'll be seeing you." She smiled, before disappearing out of his sight.
Tai shook his head, before turning around. "Time to celebrate!" He roared, as he threw an arm around Matt's shoulders.
Out of the corner of a green eye, he saw honey colored locks swaying in the middle of a crowd of cheerleaders. He pulled himself away from his cheering teammates and jogged over to her.
"We won." He breathed out, eyes shining.
A shy smile took over her face. "You did." Everything was so loud, the lights were so bright and right now he looked so perfect.
He grabbed her hand, rushing to pull her out and away from the amassing crowd of TU students and faculty and fans.
She sped up to a light jog to keep up with him, finding it hard to get a word in to ask him where they were going.
Finally, he stopped in a quieter corner shadowed by the bleachers.
"Ryo, what are you…" She couldn't finish her sentence, he was so happy she could barely stop staring.
He was so alive.
He hazarded a hand on her cheek, cupping it softly. "I meant what I said, I hope you did to." There was a definite air of nervousness in his voice.
He was actually scared she was going to back out.
For some reason that made Mimi's heart flutter.
"I uh…" She wanted to say yes, she knew she should but for some reason she couldn't.
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, glancing over his shoulder.
He nodded, dropping his hand from her skin. "Look, it's overwhelming and I get that." He didn't seem angry in the slightest. "How about this, we go to the bonfire, let all this adrenaline ride out of our systems. And if by the end of the night you're still having doubts about me, I promise I won't push you." He held his hands up on either side of him.
"Bonfire?"
Ryo nodded.
"Yeah. Um so, basically after homecoming we all go down to the harbor and have this huge bonfire where you throw something into the fire that you hate or just want to get rid of, I guess?" He shrugged a shoulder. "Its tradition, I'm surprised Taylor didn't tell you guys, she's nuts for it."
"Huge open flame, burning things. Sounds like something she would enjoy." Mimi said dryly. "Anyway, it seems like fun—count me in."
"Cool, I'll see you there then." He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek.
Mimi just nodded.
He was only a few steps away when he turned around, jogging backwards. "Oh and Mimi? Don't feel pressured, okay? I like you and I'm not playing any games here but I get it if you don't trust that quite yet."
-x-
She and Sora had gotten dressed and ready for the bonfire in record time, the dress code was a bit compromised considering early fall was not optimal cute-outfit-weather so she had opted for a full sleeved sweater and a pair of leggings.
Sora looked effortless in her ripped up jeans that folded at the ankle and long sleeved t-shirt that had some emo band on the front, and over it she had tossed on her black leather jacket.
Sam had picked both of them up in his car and once she had gotten to the harbor, it was beautiful. The waves crashed softly against the docks, the moon shining a beautiful reflection across the ocean. Under the cover of darkness, the water looked almost black and ominous with mystery and depth. She lightly shivered as she got out of the car, feeling herself beginning to get anxious.
It seemed as if the entire University was here and briefly, she wondered if Matt would show up. She hadn't actually spoken to him about it, the last time she'd seen him was during the game, and they had lost each other after that.
She hoped he would come though, if nothing else than for his company.
The bonfire was tall and the largest she had seen. She wondered if it was even legal to have an open fire that big so close to a loading dock. But she didn't dwell on it.
Sam had wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders, his head bending towards her ear to whisper something. Sora smiled, amber eyes staring up at him in that lovesick way new couples looked at each other and Mimi knew it was her queue to find somewhere else to hang out.
Anywhere else.
She walked toward the makeshift bar, where a few boys from the basketball team were doing shots. Graciously she accepted a red cup with whatever concoction they had cooked up and as soon as it touched her lips she knew it was a bad idea.
The drink was poisonous in its alcohol toxicity.
She would be plastered if she didn't pace herself.
She saw Zoe being hoisted upside down into a keg stand and she couldn't help but laugh. It was such a precarious positon to see little miss perfect in.
"Hey." A deep baritone said behind her.
Mimi turned around to familiar blue eyes "Hey." She smiled and for some reason felt a sense of relief overcome her. "I'm surprised to see you." She said honestly.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Me too. But I live with Tai and after tonight I didn't have the heart to say no. Besides he had me taking shots before we even got out the door." He shrugged.
Mimi laughed, "Well, I'm glad you're here. I was feeling kind of… third wheel-y, back there." She jabbed a thumb behind her in the general direction of a making out couple.
"Can't imagine that was much fun." He commiserated.
"No, it definitely was not."
"Well, how'd it go with Taylor and the other cheer-robots?"
Mimi shook her head, "It didn't. And to be honest, I didn't mind being in the stands sitting next to you." She gave him a sweet smile
One that completely melted his heart and reminded him of all the timeless things in life like red roses and shooting stars and sunset skies.
He felt the alcohol catching up to him quickly, his head was starting to feel fuzzy and something about being in her presence made him a little breathless.
"I didn't mind having you there."
"So, what are you burning in the fire?" She clasped her hands behind her back.
He walked up a few steps, "Ah, nothing." He bumped her shoulder to get her to start walking with him.
"Why? Too cool?" She kinked a brow at him.
He chuckled, "I just never really had anything I hated enough to burn." He was simple, at least in terms of material possessions.
In his entirety though, he was beyond complicated. Something she would never be able to decode, no matter how close she got.
"Must be nice, to be so…free." She mentioned.
He leaned back a little, eyes turning to the starlit sky. "So, out with it. What are you burning?" Because he knew her as well as he was able to know another person and it wouldn't be Mimi if she didn't bring something with dramatic flare.
"I'm glad you asked." She beamed, before digging into the satchel bag over her shoulder.
He waited as she fished something out of it and his mouth dropped when he realized what it was. "Mimi…"
It was her cheerleading uniform.
"Yeah." She nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reaction she had gotten. "I'm done, you know? With the games and the manipulation and all the competitive B.S—" She stopped to roll her eyes. "When I joined the team it was because I wanted to be a part of something but not something like this."
He took her elbow, stopping her in front him. "No, you can't do that." He put a hand over her wrist, lowering the garment she was holding up for him. "You love everything about being out there and doing all that school spirit stuff that I will never be in to but it's who you are." She was that tumbling, glittering, bouncing, gleaming ball of light.
She wasn't meant to be contained or confined.
She was meant to shine.
A confused look crossed her face, "I, I thought you hated this whole thing. You think the girls are vapid and shallow and athlete obsessed fan girls and you have never really been supportive of any of it—no offense." She added quickly. "So I just don't really get why you of all people would be convincing me out of quitting."
"Because, Mimi." A soft smile down at her. "Like I said, I'm never going to understand it. But I know you, and this isn't like you. I've seen you fight harder for a pair of shoes than you are for this and I just think you're giving up before you've even tried." And then he gave her that half grin that had sent lesser girls than her into cardiac arrest.
She had no idea how to explain away the butterflies that had just erupted in her stomach, or what sent her heart slamming against her ribcage at a hundred miles per hour. But the way his eyes looked in the moonlight and how wonderful he smelled and the way he was staring at her, left her feeling completely undone.
Alarm sounds were going off all over her brain.
Stop while you can, you just got your friend back!
Mimi shook her head, taking a step back. "That's nice of you, Yama. And yeah, I guess I'm pretty adamant when I want something." She recovered with a laugh. "I just, I feel like maybe it's juvenile. Maybe I was just excited and got wrapped up in the wrong thing. You know, when I was first coming here I thought I would join the drama club or something equally as worthwhile and the more I think about it, the more I feel like I am just wasting my time when I could be doing something really great. I should be figuring out the rest of my life and th—
"Rambling." He cut her off. "I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying maybe take a step back. Take some time to think about it and if this is what you want. And you know I'll whole heartedly support you if you decide to quit this thing but I just want it to be what you want." He rubbed her shoulder affectionately.
Mimi let out a sigh. "You're probably right." She conceded. "I'm kind of flighty, I guess. Impulsive and emotional." She said it easily, ticking off her perceived flaws like a grocery list. "Thanks for keeping me grounded."
"I love those things about you." He said without missing a beat. "Because even if you think I keep you grounded, you keep me from going insane." He promised her.
She brought with her, everything good into his life—light and purity and clarity.
Without a second thought, she bridged the distance between them. Caution be damned, she threw her arms around his neck tucking her face into the crook between his collar and the base of his neck. He had hesitated for a moment but wrapped his arms around her tiny waist pulling her close to him.
It felt different this time, than the million other times. As if the air around them had even shifted, becoming charged with electric current and unstable heat. She could practically feel the tension between them, the way their bodies pressed against each other and even this 'friendly hug' set her skin on fire.
"You mean the world to me, Matt." She whispered "I never want to lose you." She would fall apart.
He pressed a hand into her upper back, pushing her even closer into himself. "I'll always be here, Mimi."
She pulled her head out of his neck, hazel eyes staring into cobalt blues. She could practically hear his heart beat in her ears, his inviting scent enveloped her—rousing her senses so shamelessly.
His breath lapped warmly against her lips, she was so close to him she could almost taste him. Thoughts about his lips and how wonderful they would feel began taking over her entire mind, clouding everything in a haze of desire that revolved only around him. She was acutely aware of his hands, his fingers—every inch of him and the breadth of desire that came with him.
And there wrapped up in his strong arms, mere centimeters from his lips, the severity of what could happen came crashing down around her.
It was all wrong.
She pulled out of his arms, and it seemed as if he had had a similar realization because he was the one to put the distance between them.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Matt. I think I'll just throw in this stupid bracelet Michael gave me instead." She said quickly.
Hearing the name of her ex irked him immediately, so letting her leave wasn't hard. "Yeah, I'm gonna go find Tai. He was emotional about spending time together tonight." He said immediately after her.
"I'll see you, Matt."
-x-
"You're so hilarious, Tai. Did anyone ever tell you that?" Her voice was overly sweet with an air of maturity that bordered on sensual.
Something about this sexed up goddess left him feeling hot and most definitely bothered. While the girls around TU had never presented much of challenge, he had been working on Rangiku Matsumoto since the second he saw her.
His usual charm was not up to par to get a girl like her, she seemed sophisticated and worldly and there were other things about her he couldn't ignore.
Those deep cerulean eyes and that ash blonde hair.
And most certainly those…
He snapped his eyes back up to her face, "They have. But, I have never heard it from a mouth as beautiful as yours." He pulled out the grin that left most girls swooning.
Though it didn't do much but elicit another trill of giggles from the busty blonde. "You know, I should probably be more considerate about the fact that we lost. I'm sure the boys are incredibly melancholy." She put a finger to her chin as if in deep contemplation. "But you know, sulking's never been much fun. And boy, when Ichigo gets it in him to sulk he could go on for days." She then began drinking from her personal flask and Tai wasn't sure it was possible but he had just grown more infatuated with this woman.
She could drink most grown men under the table.
"Oh I think they're getting along just fine without you." He assured her hurriedly. "Besides, sad wouldn't look very good on you."
"And here I thought everything looked good on me!" She feigned offense and Tai back-peddled quickly.
"No, no, of course it does." He waved his hands back and forth in assurance. "I just meant that you're not meant to be sad, you should always be smiling!"
He was tanking, for the first time since freshmen year of high school, he was tanking.
All systems failing! Emergency to ground control! Alert! Alert! Alert!
His brain was working overtime trying to figure out how to seal the deal with the most beautiful woman alive and nothing was working. He was efficiently crashing and burning. And what was worse was that she was going to be on a bus tomorrow morning, out of his life for probably ever and he needed to do something to get her to come back to the loft with him tonight.
"You know, Tai. I kind of really love the idea of a bonfire after homecoming. It's very… metaphorical." She certainly was dating her English professor, he could tell.
"Well, it wasn't my idea. But if you'll give me credit for it, I don't mind taking it."
Another trill of giggles and he was beginning to regain hope. "You're so silly." She rubbed his shoulder with a soft hand.
Silly, was not a word he wanted to hear her use.
Sexy, yes. God-like—for sure.
But silly? No.
He was about ready to let the ocean swallow him whole, he had spent every free minute of this weekend trying to get this girl to find him so disarmingly attractive that she would have no choice but to go to bed with him and the best he'd gotten was silly.
"Handsome too, though." She winked at him.
This was it, his opening and it was now or never. He had to shoot his shot, if he didn't he knew there would be a massive regret hanging over his head for a very long time.
That and Ryo would be rubbing this loss in his face until the end of time and there was no way he was going to give the guy that kind of satisfaction.
When he leaned in to meet her mouth, he could feel her surprise. And while she did kiss him back for the briefest of seconds, she pushed him back just as soon.
Talk about embarrassing.
"Ohhhh, Tai. You're so sweet." She put a hand over her heart and it was the icing on the cake.
The way she said sweet made him sound like an injured puppy or a baby that fell on his bottom every time he tried to walk.
Tai just shook his head, drowning himself in alcohol to avoid making eye contact with one of the few girls who had ever turned him down.
"You're adorable, seriously. And if I was into college boys, it would totally be you." It sounded so patronizing when she said it like that. "But I'm not, I'm sorry." Her lower lip pouted out to him and he just smiled at her.
"I had to try." He muttered and she gave him a look of sympathy before walking away.
He sat down where he was standing, the mouth of the Pacific Ocean opening at his feet.
"You know Tai, I'd never turn you down."
Her voice was familiar and soothing, a balm for his bruised ego.
And while he prided himself on being a strict non-repeater, there was a saying about desperate times.
Briefly, he wondered why it all left him so unfulfilled. He was at the peak of his university career, always had girls throwing themselves at him, he coasted through school work on mediocrity and charm and he only ever worried about anything on game days. Still, something stirred in him when he had met Rangiku.
It wasn't about the fact that she looked a girl out of a catalog, but more that she wasn't falling over herself of him.
She had been a challenge.
And it was different from everything else that was all too easy.
Still, thoughts like these were few and far between—never lingering long enough for him to give some serious consideration.
So before he could excavate the cause of this mini existential crisis, he got up, turned on his heel and firmly planted his mouth on the blonde who had been standing behind him.
And while Catherine didn't thrill him, at least she was dependable.
-x-
He was drunk.
He always knew when he had gone from feeling good to definitely drunk, his head would get all light and fuzzy and he would stop thinking rationally. All those pent up emotions he never let out would start tumbling around, confusing themselves and him, and he would start feeling things he knew were a direct reaction to the alcohol.
Right now, from across the pier, the sight of Mimi and Ryo chatting happily was giving rise to something inside him he could hardly control.
He had this urge to punch something.
Well, someone.
A very specific someone, in fact.
Cropped brown hair…annoying smirk.
"Wow, that's an intense stare. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of those."
Matt took a long sip of his drink. "Zoe." He acknowledged the blonde who had sidled up beside him.
"Such a warm greeting."
"How's it going?"
"That's more like it." She nodded. "And my night is probably going better than yours considering the mood." She pointed out.
Matt shrugged, "No mood. Just observing the scene is all." Actually, though, he was in a mood.
In no mood for her.
"Can I ask you a question?"
She was clearly not going anywhere, though. Regardless of how icy he was being.
"Hn."
She took that as enough affirmation to continue. "You obviously really don't like these things. So why do you come?" She'd never been able to figure it out.
Or him, for that matter.
His very being seemed to repel the idea of having meaningless fun.
Yet, he would usually show up.
"For Tai." He said, taking another long sip.
"And that's all?" She knew it was more than that.
It had to be.
Sure, he and Tai might be close but surely that wasn't enough.
"I mean, I kinda feel like you would rather be just about anywhere else." She continued.
Matt sighed, "You're probably right." His answer was tight lipped, ocean eyes still on the brunette in the distance. "But I come for my friends, to spend time with them."
"But Tai's been striking out with Rangiku all night and Sora's pretty much been M.I.A since she got here and Mimi…" She noticed the shift in his demeanor immediately.
Slowly nodding, she was finally beginning to understand.
"It's her, isn't it?"
His eyes snapped to the blonde, "Who?" He asked, hard eyes peering down at her.
Zoe shook her head, "Mimi, the girl you've been pining over all night." She pointed down the pier for good measure.
"Okay, first of all. I do not pine." He said immediately. "And second, Mimi's my friend. It's not like that." How unconvincing it sounded out loud.
Feeble and hollow and anything but sincere.
It would sound better when he was sober.
Zoe let out a laugh, "That was the worst lie I've ever heard." She said, sad amusement in her cerulean eyes.
Matt didn't say anything, instead patting around his pockets for the pack of cigarettes he was hoping he didn't leave on his bedside table.
He could really use one right now.
"She probably feels the same, Matt. I got a real territorial vibe from her the first time we met." She chuckled towards the end, trying to make light of it all.
It wasn't light though and she knew that.
Finally finding it, he pulled the carton out of his pocket. "No offense, blondie, but you have no idea what you're talking about." He pulled one out and stuck it between his lips.
The smile fell off her face, "Maybe not." She raised a shoulder.
He found his lighter in his back pocket, "I appreciate the advice and all, but I'm a big boy—I can handle myself." He inhaled deeply. "Besides, he's your brother. Isn't it a little treasonous to be talking the way you are?" He raised his brows at her.
Zoe nodded, "I don't think so. I mean, for what it's worth, yeah I do think Ryo really likes Mimi." She told him. "I've never really heard him talk about a girl the way he talks about her. Not even Taylor." Ryo wasn't easily swayed.
But she knew him better than anyone else, and she knew he'd been enamored from the moment he met the brunette.
He blew the smoke away from her, "Pick a side." He said with a dry chuckle.
Maybe she wasn't such bad company after all.
When she wasn't batting her eyelashes and pushing out her breasts at him.
He liked her a lot better when she wasn't trying so hard.
"Believe it or not, I'm kind of looking out for him. Because I know Ryo feels something for her and I don't think Mimi does, not for him at least."
Matt looked at her quizzically. "How could you possibly know that about her? You don't even know Mimi." It was a natural reaction for him, the need to protect her.
"Well, I do know what a girl looks like she's into a guy and Mimi doesn't look at my brother like that. I just don't want him to fall for someone who has no intentions of reciprocating, that's all."
"It's none of your business either way." The conversation was becoming uncomfortable fast.
He wanted out of it.
"Look, I didn't mean to pry or anything." Zoe said honestly. "I just thought you looked like you could use someone to talk to and I was kind of in the same boat." She admitted.
Matt took the last sip of his drink, his insides searing as the liquid slid down his throat.
He was borderline wasted at this point.
Smoking didn't help either.
And as he looked over at Mimi, her head thrown back in laughter over something that Ryo had said, he realized Zoe was right about something.
He would rather be anywhere else but here.
His gaze slid over her, pretty blonde hair framing her equally pretty face. Her delicate features accentuated by the dancing firelight.
He hadn't given her a lot of credit before, but being this close to her now he could hardly deny how perfect she was.
Like a little porcelain doll.
"You should toss those into the fire." She said, pointing at the butt of his cigarette. "The pack. I mean, how symbolic would that be?" She laughed. "And ironic. You look like you could appreciate irony."
Matt felt smile tug at the corners of his mouth, "As long as it's not at my expense." He said.
"I'm serious. It's what the bonfire is all about, right?"
Matt pulled a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't know. What did you throw in, anyway?" He asked as a change of subject.
"It was uh…"
She got real quiet then, her gaze averted as she stared out into the darkening ocean.
His interest piqued, because all of a sudden she didn't seem so shallow anymore. Her reaction made him think that there might be some depth to her after all.
As if the thing she hated enough to get rid of forever was something more than a bad outfit choice or an ugly hair accessory.
"You don't have to tell me." He said. "But you didn't have any problem getting personal with me, so you do kind of owe me." He grinned.
Zoe let out a pleasant giggle. "It's kinda heavy. I'm not trying to kill your buzz." She wrung her fingers around each other.
"I don't think it will."
She stared at him, "Well, the whole brooding, tortured thing seems to be your specialty so I guess it probably won't." She said, on second thought. "It's uh, well it was this stupid picture I had of me and …" She stopped there.
"An ex?" He asked lazily.
Zoe let out a small snort. "My dad." She said flatly.
His eyes widened. "Really?" He couldn't understand why she would tell him something like that.
Especially after the insensitive comment he had made about it being a past boyfriend.
"Okay, don't look at me like that, I don't deserve it. I'm not some poor orphan Annie. I have a really amazing life, I'm not going to take anything away from that. My step dad has always been so great to me and my mom." She said quickly.
Matt didn't say anything.
"I only brought that picture because I was tired of holding on to it. To him." She said softly. "He's never called, not even one birthday or Christmas. And when he left us, he literally didn't give a crap what happened to me. Whether I lived or died. I hated him for so long for not caring about me and I was such a bitch because of it. I just wanted to finally let it go, to be able to honestly say that I don't want to see him." She breathed out.
As if she had been holding all that in for a really long time.
And he knew she probably had been, because it didn't seem like she had too many people she could talk to about stuff like this.
Definitely not her mom and probably not Ryo either without it getting misconstrued.
Maybe he was the only person she'd told.
"I know a thing or two about absentee parents." He knew he was drunk, he'd never be drudging all this up if he wasn't.
"I honestly do have two really good parents, Ryo's dad has always treated me like his own daughter and I am so grateful to him for that." She felt guilty, making him remember things that were painful when her problems with her dad didn't seem nearly as big. "My dad just never even wanted to know me, I guess that's the thing that's always killed me. That some guy who didn't know me from a hole in the wall was willing to raise me but my own father never even tried." She couldn't keep the spite out of her voice and Matt didn't blame her.
Because even though his parents had let him down a lot, neither one of them had completely abandoned him. Sure, his mom was basically non-existent ninety percent of the time but she still called. He saw her on Christmas, his birthday, during breaks from school. And she had tried to work it out with his dad, for his sake, even though the little time they spent together she was absolutely miserable. And Matt knew she had stuck around for as long as she could in that toxic, pathetic, unholy excuse for a marriage.
It had been for him, all of it.
That meant something somewhere deep down inside.
It didn't erase the resentment though.
And as shitty as his dad could be sometimes—inattentive and irritable and bitter—he had always been there.
"You don't get to choose your family." He supplied.
"Sorry for piling all that on you. I get a little emotional when I'm drinking and I probably shouldn't have…" She trailed off with downcast eyes.
But her vulnerability was startling, beautiful in its own way and all of a sudden he found himself doing something he never thought he would.
Matt kissed her.
And from somewhere through the flames, a brunette felt something vicious inside her burn as she watched.
Can you shake it down on the sea and rain down the water
Make it count, can't you see our hearts are breaking harder?
Rain down, rain down the water
Rain down, rain down the water
Have you heard her screaming out?
I'm burning the harbor
-x-
A/N: Okay, so is anyone proud of me for not taking three months to update? Anyone? ANYONE?!
Because let's face it, you wouldn't have been wrong if you had no expectations of me updating any time soon but I've honestly been working on this chapter for a while. It's been done for about a week but ugh, editing.
Really sucks the soul out of you, I gotta say.
Anyways, so? How was it? Did you guys think it was up to par with the rest? I feel like the last chapter was a little fillerish and I wanted to change that by giving into the drama queen in me that wanted to finally ruffle some feathers a little. And what better way than… A KISS.
Things are finally going to start heating up and trust me I've been waiting to write the juicy stuff just as much as you guys have been waiting to read it.
I gave more Tai in this and I'm not sorry, I love him. I love writing Matt but Tai is so much more fun. I've become more of a Tai fangirl than yamato, if I'm honest.
Okay, finally. THANK YOU YOU'RE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO DESERVE YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT MY WORK AND REVIEW AND MAKE ME FEEL SO SPECIAL. Seriously, you're the real MVP's. You make writing for this fandom SO WORTH IT.
Thank you's as always:
Cancercute: I love reading your reviews and you in general. You have been through it all with me, from Polar Opposites until now and I honestly feel like we're friends (is that weird to say?) I am kind of busy with my wedding but lucky for me I've got a mom who was probably a wedding planner in another life so she's got everything covered. You're right there wasn't much romance last chapter but that really was to shine a light on Matt's friendship. I think there was a bit more romance in this one. I'm glad that I can make you fall more in love with Yamato, that means I must be doing something right! Lol. I feel like Ryo-Mimi romance is going to be something either people are going to absolutely hate or love, there won't be an in between. At least, that's how I hope to write it. Your words at the end of you review truly touched me and I couldn't be more honored. It goes without saying that you never let me down either, thank you for that! I hope to hear from you soon!
Angelxchild: AWWW, thank you! I'm so glad you like this story so much, it means a lot! As I've said, writing the Taito bromance is one of my favorite things, I honestly think it would have been such a funny dynamic to watch once they got older. I wanted to make Taylor that love to hate girl so I'm happy it came across that way, she's really such a b-word. Thanks for reviewing and I hope the wait wasn't too long! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Supernaturalfan17980: LOL, I literally didn't realize I had no Sora in that chapter until I finished it but you're right, she really wasn't needed. She was barely present in this chapter as well, I'll have to come up with some uses for her in the near future lol. I agree with you, Mimi didn't deserve it but it made for good drama haha. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you soon!
Guest: Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, it was so nice to hear your thoughts on the chapter. I'm glad that you liked the mimato friendship scene, I wanted to try and showcase that aspect of their relationship as much as I could to get across the point that they really do care about each other immensely with or without the romance part of it. I think you're right and I will definitely work on having Mimi's side of the friendship with Matt. I'm sorry I left out Sora, I honestly just forgot about her LOL, but she's kind of in this chapter (brief scene with Tai *wink wink*) Haha I think it would be nice for Matt to just take the plunge and see where it goes but that would be way too easy, gotta make him work for it a bit. Thank you for reading my story and for taking the time out to review, I hope to hear from you soon!
Pixieface Lust: OH MY GOD! OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU! We talked all the time and I loved our friendship, if you're back on the site we should definitely reconnect! It's okay that it wasn't a review of the story, I'm just so happy to hear from you! I'll PM you soon and if you do end up reading ASB let me know what you think! So happy to see you're back, hope to hear from you soon!
Isabel Black: LOL, I think I basically channeled that exact same attitude when it came to Sora last chapter. It was so Mimato-Taito centric and I don't think I can apologize for that, sorry Sora! I feel you on Sorato ruining Sora for you because that happened to me too. Now I just kind of ignore the epilogue of 02 and act like it never happened. After all this time I still can't believe they would do that to Taiora. I will definitely give your writing a look, I actually haven't had time to read anything these days but I want to for sure read some of your stuff! I think the Ryo-Yamato confrontation will be fun to write but not nearly as fun as the passive aggressive Mimi-Zoe one (*evil laugh*) Haha, I'm glad you get the whole not wanting to ruin a good thing by becoming FWB, coz I'm trying to make the tug of war emotions about that as real as possible. So there was no speech to pump them all up, I tried to write a locker room scene but it just wasn't happening. I'm hoping no one is terribly disappointed that there was no actual game sequence in this chapter I was seriously blocked for it. The chapter became long enough without one anyway. Hopefully this chapter did come at a reasonably moderate pace if not fast enough and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, I look forward to reading your review and hearing all your thoughts on it! Thanks for all the love and support!
Angelic Moonlight: Haha, I'm sure by the end of this story the queue to slap Taylor Fujiyama will be very long! Thank you so much for your kind words, I really did try my best to get that part of their relationship across as well as I could so I'm glad it translated well. LOL—I know what you mean, the burn is sloooow, and I'm guessing the kiss with Zoe didn't help? Don't kill me! You know, I'm not huge on soccer at all so I actually had a friend help me write the scene in one of the earlier chapters with the game and also the one in the last chapter with all the sports talk. If I get anything wrong or mess something up related to the sport please let me know, I honestly don't know much about it at all. Thank you for the review, I always love hearing from you and I hope you like this chapter as well!
X3eloved: Thank you so much for reviewing a few different chapters as you were reading, the feedback is appreciated very, very, very much! I love writing sassy Mimi, I just think she's so much more fun when she's a little cheeky but still sweet. Lol, you know Jyoura is a guilty pleasure of mine and I have no explanation for it but they just seemed to fit so well. I'm honestly so happy at how well received that one big jyoura scene was, it kind of makes me want to write more of them (you know, in the chapter Sora's actually IN lol) Matt is playing it a little too safe but he's never been he most outgoing guy so who could really blame him. It's the fallout over what would happen to the relationship that scares him the most and i want to get that across as realistically as possible so hopefully that's happening. And yes—you put it exactly right, she's the one good thing in his life that he doesn't want to mess up. Thank you for reading and for reviewing, it was truly a treat getting all your input and feedback! Your reviews were funny and made me smile. I hope this chapter is received just as well and I hope to hear from you soon!
Onceuponanoriginal: Thank you for the review! I loved writing the Matt and Tai bromance so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope to hear from you soon!
PheonixRising: Aw, thank you so much for everything you said in your review it was truly moving. Literally, I always say this but it's honestly the truth, I can't believe people still read or remember polar opposites, like it literally amazes me and it makes me feel so good that my writing can do that to anyone. Seriously, you will make me cry with everything you said because it's all I ever really wanted my writing to be—inspirational and full of hope and if I can do that then I couldn't be happier.
Lol, as for your review—yes, you're right, it's definitely A LOT lighter on the angst. I'm not as angsty anymore, but sometimes I find myself wanting to slip back into my old ways. You know, I hear this a lot especially from my P.O reviewers about the portrayal of Tai and how he's the one they like the best and honestly that makes me just as happy because I love writing Tai. I feel like if I wrote him as the main lead as oppose to a supporting character, I wouldn't be able to make him so likeable—I've tried. I've dabbled in writing a Tai-centric story in which he's the guy that has the story with the girl but I just couldn't do it right.
I'm not sure if anyone would want Mimi and Ryo to be endgame, I'd probably get flogged or something if I went down that route but I probably wouldn't be able to pull it off anyway. As for Sora, she hasn't been doing much for me as far as this story goes but I'm going to try harder to work her in and make her relevant again. It's funny because Sora was so out of character in P.O but I got so much love for it. A lot of my reviewers said the same exact thing as you, how they liked that version of her a lot and it was nice to hear. I wanted to be a bit truer to her actual character in this story. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement and everything you wrote. It was so amazing to read and it means the world to me. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope I'll hear from you very soon!
16: You are so welcome for updating then and now I hope it wasn't too long of a wait and I hope you like this chapter! Let me know what you thought and as always, thank you for reading and reviewing!
Alright, it's literally three AM and I'm delirious as I'm posting this so I'm sorry for any spelling errors, anything I wasn't able to address or any mistakes in general. As always, all feedback is welcome so feel free to drop me a line or two (or more, I love long reviews) about the chapter as well as any questions, concerns, concrit—whatever your heart desires.
Thank you, as always, for sticking with me, reading and reviewing my work and for overall being the best ever!
Song Credits: Burning the Harbor by Kate Voegele.
Exit Poll: Should Matt have kissed Zoe?