Chapter 21 – Face It, Honey!

"So what's troubling you, sweetheart?" Mai asked as she sipped her iced coffee, smiling over at her brunette friend. "You don't call me up during lunch to have a snack with me after school like that. Something's up, so what is it?"

"Um…well…" Taking a sip of her own drink, Tea let out a small sigh and let the slightest hint of a blush reach her cheeks. "I keep thinking about somebody, but I'm not sure if I should be or not."

"Thinking about somebody?" Mai repeated slowly.

"Yeah, you know… like I can't get him out of my head. All I do is think about him anymore, and to be honest it's driving me nuts."

"And who is this lucky person?"

"You aren't going to believe me if I tell you…"

"Try me, dear."

"Kaiba."

Mai blinked in surprise before smiling wickedly and leaning back in her chair. "You're thinking about Kaiba? Boy, you have your eyes set pretty high up there. What happened that made you think of him?"

"Well… Long story short, we began seeing each other more often, coincidentally or otherwise, and he eventually invited me to this party, stating that he needed somebody else to go with him for appearances, and we became kinda close."

"Close?"

"We just talked a lot about things, and I think we may have more in common than I originally thought. Besides, the fact that he was cordial with me is a sign that he obviously doesn't think of me like he used to."

"And obviously you aren't thinking about him the same way either."

"No; I'm thinking more about him."

"So why talk to me about it, hun? I can't solve your love problems out for you."

"But that's just the thing!" Tea exclaimed, raising her hands up in the air. "I don't know why I'm thinking so much about him! I mean, we didn't really do much together, and now I can't get the man out of my skull! It's driving me crazy!"

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down there!" Mai chuckled at Tea's outburst as she waved her hand slowly. "We all think about ones we love more than we should. It's perfectly fine."

"I don't love him!" she shouted, grabbing several people's attentions in the process. Turning around, she glared at them all, making them look the other way, before sighing and shaking her head slightly.

"Oh really?" Mai asked slyly, taking another sip of her drink.

"Really. Why would I even love him to begin with?"

"Let me ask you this; could you focus on anything today? Anything at all?"

"…No."

"Why couldn't you focus on anything? Were you thinking about someone?"

"…Yes."

"Did that someone happen to be the certain CEO we all know?"

"…Yes."

"How often have you been seeing him?"

"Maybe three or four times a week."

Mai frowned at this. "Girl, are you working for him?"

Sighing, Tea looked around before leaning forward. "If I tell you this, will you promise not to tell a single soul?"

"Of course, deary. You know I'm good with secrets. I haven't told anybody what happened with you and your previous boyfriend, now have I?"

"That's a dead secret," Tea warned, a frown appearing on her face. "Although I would rank this one up with that. Seto…"

"You call him Seto, I see."

"Whatever. Kaiba…he works at that orphanage I go to."

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two as Mai slowly leaned back in her chair. "Why does he work there?"

"He was an orphan at one time, and he feels it's his duty to help the orphans there now. You should see him, Mai! He's a totally different person! He's so nice and caring and kind and—"

"Kaiba was an orphan?"

"Yeah… He was."

"Poor guy. How did he get KaibaCorp then?"

"That's an even longer story, and one I'm not willing to share." "Oh no… Now I'm starting to sound like Jade."

"Okay then. So you've been seeing him quite a bit. Back to my questions. What was this party for that you two went to?"

"It was some guy he was receiving funds from or something like that. He talked about releasing the guy from his list of contacts on our way home."

"What did you all do there?"

"We talked for awhile, just about random topics. You know, school and stuff. But then I got the urge to dance since there was this huge dance floor, so I dragged him out."

"You made the CEO of KaibaCorp dance?"

"Yeah. Not like salsa or that dance club type, though. More like a ballroom style dancing."

"Did you guys kiss?"

"No!"

"You didn't have to get so defensive over it."

"I'm not. I just…"

"Did you at least hug him?"

"…Yes."

"You love him."

"No I don't!"

"Face it, honey! You love the CEO. Get over it. You and thirty-thousand other fan-girls are drooling over that man."

"I already said I'm not—"

"Tea, just accept it. You gave me all the facts needed. You've been seeing him more, you've been thinking about him more, you are finding him more appealing to you… You're in love with him. Just thinking about him more shows that. The more you think about somebody, the more you tend to care about them. If you had to drag me out here to discuss how you couldn't focus on a damn thing, you're in love with the guy."

Tea just sat there, letting her friend's words sink in. "I… But I… How could I have…"

"Now come on, don't be afraid of it. I know your last relationship didn't, uh, work out too well, but Kaiba doesn't seem like that type of person. Besides, if he's as friendly around you as you say he is, I'm sure it's not that difficult of a concept to understand. Haven't you ever heard the idea of opposites attracting to one another? You're a friendly, easy-going girl, and he's a cold, ruthless businessman. You two would actually be good for one another, I think."

"So…you think I am really in love with him?"

"From all the information you've just told me, I would say so."

"The last thing I need is a boyfriend right now…"

"Hey, I didn't say you had to ask him out! Just realize what you're feeling right now. Don't deny that you love the guy, or else it will just hurt you down the road. Keep an eye out for him, though. I can't picture Kaiba being nice to just anybody for no apparent reason."

"Are you insinuating that he actually likes me as well?"

"It's always a possibility. Did he give a reason as to why he chose you of all people to go to this party with him?"

"He has another friend at the orphanage, but he argued that she doesn't like going to the conventions."

"Did you ask her if she liked going to these things or not?"

"N-No. I didn't see a reason why."

"Uh-huh. Just be on the lookout for those types of things. In fact… I think I have an idea."

"And what might that be?"

"Call Mokuba up. Ask him what he thinks about the whole situation. Does he know that you two are seeing each other like this?"

"I'm not sure. But why would I call him up and let him know I have a crush on his brother?"

"You don't have to tell him you have a crush on the guy. Just ask if Kaiba has been acting weird lately or something. If he doesn't know you two have been working together, I would tell him about it. It can't hurt to ask, dear." Glancing down at her watch, Mai let out a sigh and smiled. "Hey, I have to go. I'm lucky I got to spend this much time with you as it is." Standing up, Mai picked up her half-empty drink and patted Tea's shoulder. "I hope this love situation works out for the better, honey. You and Kaiba as a couple would be quite interesting to watch."

"Thanks," she answered sarcastically as Mai walked out of the coffee shop. She let her head hang and closed her eyes. "How could I have fallen in love again? It has to be love; Mai's reasoning was all the more I needed. But…what am I going to do now?"

Tea let out a long sigh and slowly stood up. "Guess I'll see once I go to the orphanage…" Picking her drink up, she slowly walked out of the coffee shop and in the direction of the orphanage, wondering whether Seto would make another visit today.