Chapter 13: Try Again
"But… How does she know?" I cautiously ask.
Sesshomaru's lips quirk up into a small smile, and he looks down at his dinner that is getting cold.
"I spent that night figuring it out," he begins. "When Sara showed up on my doorstep with a smug smile across her face I knew that she was about to stir up problems. She tossed photos on the table of a student getting out of my car hours after school had ended. She was in your neighborhood for a confidante's party, and immediately took out her phone when she recognized my license plate. It was the day you fell asleep in class and slept until I finally woke you up. People would have come up with their own assumptions as to what happened in those four hours. That is all that is needed to end my career as a teacher, tarnish the reputation of the academy, and set you up for failure in the future. My career as a teacher was the least of my worries as I have something larger to fall back on, but I had to protect you and the school. My dinner is getting cold, and I can hear your stomach growling from over here. I'll finish after we eat."
So we finish our dinner in silence. I can feel his eyes on me as I keep my head down and pick at my salad. We finish and then the waitress clears our plates. Sesshomaru asks for another glass of wine to keep us in the booth while he finishes his story.
"How did you do it?" I ask him. "How did you manage to protect me and the academy?"
"I tore the photos into pieces, but that doesn't amount to much in this digital era," he chuckles to himself. "Sara threatened me further with the originals she has saved on her phone, but she doesn't know much about me. Immediately, I phoned someone I trust who was able to hack into the system and delete all the traces. She became errant after her threats had no affect on me. I reminded her of the little piece of my private life that she knew about when we dated. That little piece can and will very well eject her and her family out of Japan." A prideful smile graces his face before he continues, "She had a meltdown after she realized how foolish she was to threaten me. Unfortunately her meltdown took up the rest of my time, and you don't have a phone so I couldn't get a hold of you. The only way was to stop by your place personally, but after Sara's recent stunt it appeared more appropriate to lie low."
"Where do we go from here?" I ask him. In my heart I know that he is more than just my teacher. I also know that my days would be bland without these moments outside of the school where I can get him to ramble on and see him in a different setting.
"I already know where I want to go," he smirks at me. "It is up to you if you wish to accompany me."
I turn my gaze away from him as I sort through my thoughts. I cannot look at him and try to think. It is just not possible because my mind will only focus on him and not the matters at hand. It is truly foolish; the choice I am about to make, but I have nothing to lose should our cover get blown. As a matter of fact, I could lose the one person who I want to be with, who has ignited life back into me, if I choose to not take the risk. I have decided.
"I will accompany you, Sesshomaru," I say looking directly into his eyes. "But only after you apologize for abandoning me that night and being an idiot for waiting this long to tell me."
"Idiot?" his lips form the word with a raised eyebrow. "Swallow that pride of yours."
"Yes," I nod, "and you have to use that word in the apology."
"You are a demon who wants her pound of flesh."
I step into my apartment feeling lighthearted as I close then lock the door. I go to change out of my uniform to find that I still don Sesshomaru's coat, and I have left my blazer in his car. My eyes are fixed on the woolly material with several different thoughts going through my mind. Slowly, my hands raise the piece of menswear to my face and I catch whiffs of Chrome by Azzaro. I hug the garment to my chest while a mischievous smile splits across my face.
In double time, I strip down to nothing but my lingerie: lacy red bra and panties to be exact. Then I tug on his coat and wrap my arms around myself. I revel in the feel of the material caressing my skin for a moment. After I regain myself, I move to put the discarded clothes away and catch a glimpse of my reflection in the windows. For added affect, and to feel that much more like a temptress, I tousle my hair while I cross the room to my desk to begin my homework. The whole time I still have Sesshomaru's coat wrapped around my barely covered body.
By the time I finish my homework someone knocks on my door. My head suspiciously jerks to the entrance and then the clock as I wonder who it could be. "It's a little past 2100 hours…" I quietly step to the door and stand on the balls of my feet to peek through the peephole. "It's… Sesshomaru?! Shit!" In a panic, I back away from the door.
"Be there in a minute!" I call out as I frantically search for a garment to replace his coat.
Profanities run through my head as I yank open the drawers to my dresser. I nearly stumble as I pull on shorts and a t-shirt while I make my way back to the door. I manage to run into the corner of the kitchen island and give out a loud thud that, without a doubt, was heard on the other side. With my hand pressed against the spot on my hip that was struck I reach for the door and stifle all winces.
"Hello, Sesshomaru. What brings you here?" I smile to cover the agonizing pain in my hip once I get the door open.
"You left this in my car. I know you will need it tomorrow, so I came here to bring it back to you," he says holding out my blazer. "Are you well?"
"Yes, I just hip-checked myself on the island," I say with a gasp knowing fully that I cannot hide anything. "I have your coat. Let me get it for you."
I leave him standing in the doorway to retrieve his coat from where I tossed it in my frenzy to get dressed. It takes a moment, but eventually I notice it strewn over the flat screen television.
"Interesting place to keep the belongings of others that you have commandeered," his voice startles me coming from my couch. "Was it placed noticeably there so that you would remember to bring it later, or perhaps—?"
"It was thrown there so that I would remember," I interrupt him and he smirks back. "It's late. Why are you getting so comfortable?" I ask as I take a seat next to him.
"If that is how you feel then I shall leave."
"No, wait!" I surprise the both of us by grabbing his arm with both of my hands.
With a raised eyebrow and an amused smile he sits back down. Then he crosses one leg over the other knee and waits for me to continue.
"Umm… It's dangerous to drive late at night when you could be tired…?" I mentally backhand myself after I blurt those words out.
"What are you suggesting then, Uematsu?" he says with a salacious half-smile that makes the blood rush through my veins.
"Ummm…. Want to stay and watch a movie with me?"
"A movie this late?" he chuckles. "After which I will surely be tired, and at that point will you send me away?"
"Precisely," I say to him with a smile. Then I get up to find a movie for us to watch.
"Sesshomaru, why do you still call me Uematsu?" I ask as the previews play on the screen.
"You haven't asked me to otherwise," he simply stays. "Do you prefer I call you by your first name?"
"If you don't that would suggest that you don't feel as close to me as you want me to feel towards you. You asked me to call you by your first name—outside of school—a while ago."
"I see. Very well then, Sakura," he says my name like it is a magic spell, and I find myself further enchanted.
I cannot recall when it happened, but it had to have been somewhere between a street race between two lovers and a tank being unleashed onto a freeway. Between those points in the movie I dozed off, and now my eyes are fluttering open as my head rests on Sesshomaru's lap. My eyes adjust to my surroundings while I feel his fingers running through my hair. At this point I just want to go back to sleep. Well, not really. I want to stay in this moment fully conscious and aware of what is going on. My tired eyes watch the pictures move on the screen, and I fight to keep them open.
"If you wish to sleep, then sleep," his smooth voice breaks through the many blasts coming from the T.V.
"What if you're gone when I wake up?"
"Are you asking me to stay the night?"
"If you take away the bush for me to beat around, then yes," I mumble while turning over so that I face his body. With my eyes closed, I nestle into his lap.
"Stay the night and return to work tomorrow unwashed and wearing the same suit from today, or risk disturbing the sleeping form of an angel," he ponders.
"You can shower here in the morning," I hopefully suggest.
"Trying to put the odds in your favor? I admire your efforts."
"If you're going to fight it," I sigh, "then feel free to head home now."
"I'm just teasing you. I will stay the night if you want me to."
"So it's settled," I say getting up. "Don't move. I'll grab a pillow and blanket for you."
"You're having me sleep on the couch?" he asks taken aback.
"Well, yeah. Where did you think you were going to sleep?" I respond with a smirk.
I grab the spare blanket from the linen closet and an extra pillow from my bed. I place the items on the couch next to Sesshomaru. Then, I turn away from him to put the movie away and shut off the T.V. When the screen goes black I cannot help but freeze at the site of his reflection. His dress shirt is off leaving only a cotton tank that molds around each well-defined and toned muscle. I will my body to move to the bookcase before he can catch me staring. The sound of his belt coming off makes me blush, and I try to hide my face as I head for my bed.
"Goodnight, Sakura," he says while turning off the light on the end table. I am thankful for the darkness clouding our vision when the rustling of him taking his pants off draws out an embarrassed grin on my reddened face.
"Goodnight, Sesshomaru," I mumble barely loud enough to be heard or else the girlish giggles will escape my mouth. "Hang on, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"What is that little piece of your private life that frightened your ex: Sara?"
"My family," he hesitates to tell me, "Let's just say my family employs her and several others in her family. Go to sleep, Sakura. It's very late now."
Hello all!
Thanks to all of you, this story has broken 1,000 views! I would like to give a shout out to Meyome2012 for being the second person to review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Until next time, my friends!