Revised- 09-2017

Chapter 21: I Need to Know

A week passed since Bra's birthday and I was finally back at my own house. It was bliss! The freedom to come and go as I pleased without worrying about running into anyone was one thing I missed. Not to mention being as loud and stupid as I wanted without anyone hearing or walking in on me.

There was little progress in my "love life" since I had decided not to pursue him that night. I still had yet to figure out how to go about it. However, since then, Goten was putting in a lot more effort and contacting me a little more often. Even to go as far as messaging me "good night" and "good morning" everyday. I felt happy seeing those messages pop up on a daily basis. It kept my interest for him at bay since I hinted at him last week in public eyes. Luckily the only people who asked questions when they saw me kiss him were my over barring father and my best friend. Both to which I explained that we were not together as of yet, but that there was something there. Both reacted ecstatically as I hoped they would. More so Bra than my dad, of course.

My phone began to ring as I was sitting comfortably on the couch in some leggings and a loose shirt, watching some drama unfold on the television.

"Hello?" I said, concentrating on the television.

"Marron? It's Trunks."

The call was unexpected, but I felt everything was fine between us since then, even if we hadn't talked till now.

"Oh, hi! How are you?"

"I'm ok. Um, I have some disturbing news..."

"What's that?" My mood turned glum, 'disturbing news'?

"Are you with Goten right now?"

The mention of his name started taking me back to the incident in the park. The pang of pain I felt from that vision was coming back.

"No. I'm at home, why?"

"Are you guys seeing each other yet? Have you told him, I mean?" He started to sound suspicious.

"No, I haven't talked to him about that yet. Why?" I began to feel a raging panic run through me... This can't possibly happen if he says what I think he'll say again.

"Oh..."

"Trunks? What's going on with Goten?!" I started becoming more anxious as the silence was deafening.

"TRUNKS?!"

"I think he's seeing her again," he sharply said.

"Who?! Paris?!" My voice was starting to get louder, my heart beating fast as he kept quiet again, "What the fu-"

"I'm just kidding! I'm kidding!"

I stood baffled by his words. All the blood rushing out of me, my heart still continuing to race as he kept apologizing and saying he was joking. I couldn't hear his words, I was beaming.

"Trunks! You bastard!"

"I was kidding! Sorry! I'm sorry!" He continued laughing on the other end.

"I'm glad you find my misery amusing."

I began stomping my feet and punching the air. The audacity of him! "If I was there, I'd kill you, but since I'm not, I will have Bra kick your ass for that!"

"No! Don't! I said sorry! Don't call her, I already got beat by her last time because of you," he pleaded, remembering the night at the club.

I laughed with him and shook my head. "Ok, well, what do you want Trunks?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to see how you were doing... I've missed seeing you around and kind of knowing you were close by. Are you sure everything is ok with you and Goten?"

"Hmm... " The sentence made me calm down almost instantly, making me smile. It was sweet to hear... he misses me... Sometimes I wish it was you that my heart chose. "Everything is fine."

"Then why haven't you said anything to him."

I sighed softly "...I haven't exactly found the right time for it... I guess."

"Well, say something to him because he's getting on my last nerve."

"He is? But I... I don't know what to say." Why does the thought of me doing that make me so nervous, it's Goten.

"He's a guy, he doesn't need a big show or display for you to ask him like you girls do. Geez it's not like you're asking the guy to marry you. Just tell him you like him for goodness sake. You were the one that told him to wait on you, so just do it already!"

"Well when you put it like that it sounds easy enough," I sarcastically said.

"Look, are you busy?"

"No, I'm at home. Why?"

"Can you open the door then? I'm outside."

"What?!" I hurried to the door, questioning his presence.

"But why?" I opened the door and there was the giant panda that I was meaning to pick up from Bra's place later this week.

"Hi!" To my surprise, Goten's head popped out from the side as he smiled brightly at me.

"Goten?" I froze there with the phone still up to my ear.

"That's my cue, bye Marron," Trunks said hanging up on the other line. I couldn't believe I was set up! Now I felt anxious and nervous. What's he doing here?

"It's kind of cold out here Mare."

"Oh sorry, come in."

I watched him as he carefully placed the panda by the couch, wearing blue jeans and a navy military styled jacket with a white shirt underneath. He looked up at me and smiled. The sudden sight of him made my heart skip a beat, he looked as handsome as hell in that moment.

"What's with the face Mare? You're turning red."

I placed my hands on my heated cheeks, feeling even more embarrassed as he smiled wider. "Am I making you that nervous?"

"I... No you caught me off guard. I was expecting Trunks."

"Sorry, he forced me to come here and bring this back," he said, taking a seat on the couch and patting the head of the panda.

"Yeah, I told them I'd pick it up later this week. I haven't had much time to go back and pick it up because of work."

"Yeah, same here."

"Wait, you're working now?"

"I have been. I'm not a bum you know." I made my way to the couch and sat on the other end.

"Oh, I didn't know, where at?"

"I'm at ENC, not sure if you've heard of it before. It's a network communications company. I've been there for close to two years now." I was surprised, I guess I don't know that part of his life.

"Why are you sitting so far?" He suddenly moved closer, closing the gap. He placed his hand on my waist and pulled me in closer till our hips touched.

"You're blushing again."

I hid my face in my hands. What the hell is going on with me?! I was never like this with him before. I could only think about the first time he kissed me in the kitchen about ten feet away from us, when I was taken by surprise and felt butterflies in my stomach. I felt his finger push onto my temple.

"Hey, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours? What are you thinking about?" He said, unaware that I was staying silent for so long. I placed my hands on my knees and kept my glance downward to avoid looking at him and blushing again.

"Nothing, it's just me."

"Oh, did you want Trunks here instead then?"

"No, no. That's not what I meant." I faced him and waved my hands in defense. Then I saw his face, just inches from mine. I looked straight into his eyes and I felt a current run through me, trying to avoid it, my eyes traced down to his lips. I quickly stood up, feeling the heat rush to my face again. "I need a drink. Want anything?"

I turned on my heel and walked off before I could hear his answer. I placed my hand on the fridge and whispered to myself "What am I doing? Why am I so nervous? It's just Goten, it's just Goten."

I took a big sigh and opened the fridge and grabbed a couple beers, "Oh wait no, no drinking. Not yet at least." I put them back in and grabbed some water instead. Closing the door, I turned around and felt my heart jump to my throat as he was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, leaning against the wall with his arms and ankles crossed, looking rather smug.

"So it's just me huh?" He stood straight up and began walking toward me, as he got closer I slowly backed up till my back hit the fridge. He placed his hands by either sides of my head and pressed against the fridge, trapping me in place. I froze there, forgetting to breathe. The familiar scene was coming back into play in my head and the feelings were reoccurring.

"Am I really making you that nervous or are you trying to avoid me?" He looked at me concerned this time.

"No, it's... you make me nervous. I don't know what to say or tell you," I said, keeping my glance away from his, gripping onto the water bottles just as I did that same night before. I felt like a high school kid who was talking to her crush. It was the oddest thing.

"Hmm, I thought this would be a lot easier..." he said, sounding like he was talking to himself, "but if I'm making you that uncomfortable, I'll just leave."

He turned around and I panicked, grabbing the tail end of his jacket.

"Wait," I said then just stood there. What am I doing? I couldn't believe how speechless I was around him, "don't leave. That's not what I meant."

He let out an exasperated sigh,"I know you said you needed time Marron, but it's almost been a month and I still don't know what's going on. I can't pin point your feelings about me."

Crap, this was going bad fast. Is he mad at me? Maybe I should just tell him and quit playing around.

"Especially knowing you left that panda over at his parents and that you stayed there that whole time." How did he find out? Did Trunks say anything? He turned around, placing his hands on my arms.

"You gave me crap about seeing Paris, but then I find out you were at his parents. I know he has his own place, but he goes there from time to time." He said, disappointed, referring to Trunks.

"I know you said you don't feel that way about him, but you kept that fact from me. Like you were ashamed. And I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but last week at the club, you two seemed very sketchy. I thought you'd blow up at me for dancing with Bra, but you seemed so distracted by him. Like I wasn't even there. You barely acknowledged me at all that night."

I couldn't say anything, the guilt kept rising in me as he continued. "He won't even talk to me about you. He always says to ask you and seems irritated when I bring you up... So what's going on? Did something happen between you two? Are you still harboring some feelings for him?"

Shit, that's not it Goten. Things were going from bad to worse. I went from happy to see him to ashamed really fast as I began thinking about what happened with Trunks when I stayed there. There's no way I could tell him that either!

"No, I'm not Goten. I don't feel that way about Trunks..."

"So what happened there?"

"I was mad at him because I thought... I thought there was something going on between you and Bra and that he set me up to see that."

"Why would you think that? We only went out that night because I got a promotion and I wanted to celebrate and have fun. I wasn't going to hook up with someone random that night. That wasn't my intention... I told you I wasn't going to be with anyone else. I was and still am waiting for you."

Tears began flowing down my face. I did all this. I threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his waist as I cried against his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I know you've been waiting, I just didn't know how to tell you... I like you Goten and I do want to be with you... I'm ready, I've been ready. If you still want to be with me."

He placed a finger under my chin and lifted it up for me to look at him. His thumbs erased the tears that streamed down. He looked into my eyes for some answer, "If that was the case, why'd you wait so long to tell me."

"I was confused, there were some things happened and that's when I realized I wanted to be with you. I just didn't know how to tell you I was ready..."

His hand left my face as he hugged me tight and let out a sigh of relief. We stood there quietly, just trying to soak in the moment. I still felt guilt hiding within me about the events that occurred with Trunks, but I felt it wasn't something that I needed to tell him. I just wanted to remember this moment with him.

"I'm sorry it took so long and I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was staying at Bulma's." I somberly said, burying my face in his warm taut chest. He replied silently, squeezing me in his muscular arms. "I was scared of what you'd think if I told you... And I'm sorry abo-"

"Stop apologizing. I get it."

We kept still for a moment, then he leaned his head toward mine and our lips touched. Holding still for a moment before our lips began moving and caressing each other. My hands gathered the material of his shirt. Then as our lips parted, he kissed my neck, nuzzling at it softly.

"I love you Marron," he blissfully said, the breath of his words hitting my sensitive neck. The words stilled me in place. It was unexpected. I just smiled and placed my forehead on his shoulder. I felt like I should say it back, but I was scared. I pulled back and looked at him, worried he might be mad I didn't say it back.

"I..."

"You don't have to say anything back Marron. I've just been waiting for the right time to tell you."

I replied with a smile of appreciation. Cupping his face in my hands I lifted my heels and kissed him desperately in response.

We found ourselves on the couch a while later. He was sitting back and I was leaned up against his chest with his arm around me, basking in the bliss of the beginning of our new relationship.

"You know what's funny," he said, breaking the silence as he was stroking my arm.

"Hmm?"

"Trunks kept avoiding the subject of you but he said one thing that made me realize why."

I sat up and turned my body toward him in interest.

"When I asked him what I should do about you, he said 'quit playing around. You don't have to wait for her to come around. If you love her then be brave enough to tell her or be brave enough to watch her be loved someone else.' "

I was surprised, "Trunks said that?"

"Yeah. I'm still not sure if he meant that for me or for himself, but thank you for choosing me Marron."

He turned his glance toward me almost in a rhetorical sense. Tears began welling up to the rim. If Goten didn't understand him, I sure did. I lifted myself up and kissed him as a tear streamed down my face. I was letting him go for this man here, and Trunks knew that.

"I love you Goten," I said once our lips parted. A final tear rolled down my face. He pulled his face back and looked deeply at me with his dark eyes, wiping my cheek clean with his thumb. You were never supposed to mean this much to me and I never thought I'd fall so hard. But I did, it just took me a little longer to feel the way you do.

"I love you too." He pulled my face back in and kissed me hard. We were engulfed in the kiss as he began leaning me back till my back was flat on the couch. For the first time we were actually making love this time and I couldn't have asked for anything more... well maybe I could try to see if would go super saiyan during the moment...

THE END!