Author's Note:
Hi everyone! I'm back with a longer update this time. I really appreciate the feedback and response to this story! You are all so awesome.
Your reviews fuel my muse so please keep them coming… Hope you enjoy this chapter, which picks up exactly where the last ended…
P.S. Follow me on Twitter if you'd like - MoonlightAntics
Chapter 21: Unburied Past
Bo allows the phone to keep ringing as she glares at it. Her curiosity is peeked and she wants to know why on earth Raku would be calling her, especially after their last anger fueled and heated exchange.
"What the hell Bo Bo! Answer it. What are you trying to do? All of a sudden play hard to get with the good doctor?" Kenzi barks out, humorously.
Eventually the call rolls over to voicemail. Bo grips the phone in her hand, still intrigued.
"Seriously Bo, what's the dealio? Why didn't you answer her call?"
With a blank expression Bo replies, "It wasn't my hot blonde doctor. It was Raku."
"I mean wow! Does the ridiculousness ever stop?"
The blank expression remains on Bo's face as she stares at the voice mail indicator light blinking on her mobile phone.
"Oh come on, you're not really thinking about calling her back are you."
"Maybe it's an emergency. Why else would she be calling me?"
"Who cares if it's an emergency. Whatever it is, it's not your problem. You just got off the phone whispering sweet nothings to Hotpants and then moments later you want to chat with one of the most dysfunctional people you've ever known."
Bo's irritation meter is close to reaching its maximum level.
"I don't need a lecture from you right now Kenzi. I'm going out for a walk."
Her tone is a bit harsher than she intended but Kenzi understands that her best friend just needs some time alone.
"Alright but just remember how well things are going for you Bo. Think about that hot and delicious blonde doctor of yours, well that's almost yours."
Bo bites her bottom lip at the thought of how delectable Lauren truly is. She nods at her best friend before shoving her phone in the pocket of her very tight pants and turning to walk out of the front door.
The fresh night air greets Bo as soon as she exits their apartment building. She wants to clear her head and think. Deep down she knows she shouldn't call her former fling but she can't suppress her curiosity about why Raku would be calling her.
The conflicted brunette is acutely aware of how much Lauren means to her but she just can't seem to shake the temptation to return Raku's call.
Bo frees her mobile phone from her pants' pocket and further contemplates returning the call. She flashes back to the time she and Lauren spent together last night at Red. She thinks about their plans for the upcoming weekend. She recalls how intensely she and Lauren are connected and attracted to each other. She briefly closes her eyes to obtain a clearer visualization of the passionate kisses and tender embraces she shared with Lauren last night.
She is reluctantly catapulted back to the present when she becomes aware again of the trigger for her evening stroll. She slows her stride and stops underneath a street light where she proceeds to continue racking her brain to come up with a decision about calling Raku.
Growing increasingly frustrated with her lack of decision making, Bo dials her voicemail system and listens to the message Raku left. Bo internally chastises herself for being so eager to hear the message but she follows through with listening to Raku's voicemail anyway:
"Hey there sexy, it's me. I'm sure you've tried to forget me but you know as well as I do things will never truly be over between us. I'm extending the olive branch and wondering if you'll meet me for dinner tomorrow, just to chat. There's this really cool Japanese fusion spot called Cho Shoshito. Meet me there tomorrow at 7:00. You don't even have to return my call. I'll see you there if you show up. And Bo…"
The voicemail abruptly shuts off before Raku is able to completely finish leaving her message.
Bo takes a moment to marinate in the cool night air before heading back towards the apartment. She thinks about how much progress she's made in her life since meeting Lauren. She remembers how toxic her on-again/off-again interactions with her feisty ex-lover were. Bo can't help but declare herself absolutely insane for even entertaining the idea of meeting Raku. She rationalizes meeting her by saying she just wants to provide her former flame with some closure so Raku can move on with her life.
Lost in her thoughts, the beautiful brunette almost passes her and Kenzi's place. She shakes herself from her thoughts and re-enters their apartment building.
Knowing that Kenzi will be standing by to interrogate her, Bo prepares to face her best friend and tell her all about the voicemail message.
As soon as she opens the door, Kenzi leaps over the couch and dashes towards the entrance.
"Sooooo?"
"What?" Bo asks, feigning ignorance.
"Look here woman, you know that's not gonna cut it. What happened?"
Bo gives Kenzi a recap of the message and tells her best friend that she is considering meeting Raku tomorrow at Cho Shoshito.
Kenzi lays into her bestie, shouting at her about how she is possibly making the biggest mistake of her life by jeopardizing her blossoming relationship with Lauren to meet up with an old flame.
"Oh my gosh Bo! I thought you had finally found a cure for your idiocy but then you drop this bomb. Are you nuts? No, please don't answer that."
"Kenzi, I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to sleep with her. I just want to let her know we're over, forever, so she stops holding onto hope that we can hook up or whatever again."
"You don't need to meet her to communicate that message. Just ignore her and she'll figure it out. You have Hotpants but you're willing to put that on the line just to tell an ex- bang buddy that you're no longer bang buddies."
"I know you don't understand Kenzi but just trust me. I'm not doing anything wrong. Plus, it's not like Lauren will find out."
Kenzi is disappointed with her friend and throws her hands up, a silent communication of defeat.
"Whatevs Bo, you're gonna do what you want no matter what. So, I'm just going to get ready to meet Sylvia. Are you coming with?"
Bo tells her friend that she wouldn't be good company and opts to stay at home, which further disappoints Kenzi.
"And Kenzi, please don't talk about this with Sylvia. I know you two are getting close but I don't want any unnecessary drama."
"You're the one creating unnecessary drama by going to meet your blast from the past."
"Come on Kenzi, please don't talk to Sylvia about it." Bo pleads.
"Alright, alright. Geez. With all this experience with clandestine cover-ups and confidentiality, I could get a job with the government's intelligence division."
"Thanks Kenz." Bo says while pulling her bestie into a hug.
Kenzi rolls her eyes and says, "If you change your mind, text me and I'll let you know where we are."
"Thanks for caring about me so much but don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"Yeah, famous last words." Kenzi mumbles as she walks towards her bathroom to shower.
After Kenzi leaves the apartment to meet Sylvia, Bo plops down on the couch and grabs the remote. She strolls through the channels, grunting and mumbling about how there should always be something to watch when you have over 800 channels but there never is. Exhausted and overwhelmed with her own thoughts, Bo falls asleep before stumbling across anything she's interested in watching.
When her phone rings, she is too deep in sleep to hear it.
"Hmm, she's probably out with Kenzi. I'll just send her a text." Lauren says aloud, with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
"Hey there you, just wanted to let you know I'm back in my hotel room from my night of professional mixing. I'll be back home tomorrow evening."
Lauren laughs at the lengthiness of her text message but she was never able to use shortened words and sacrifice grammar.
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Late Saturday Night/Very Early Sunday Morning
Loud, drunken, and very familiar voices awaken Bo from her deep slumber. She is livid when she feels two bodies crash down onto her while bursting into fits of giggles.
"What does a person have to do to get some sleep around here?" Bo asks, in a frustrated tone.
"Well for starters, get in your own bed instead of slumming it in common areas." Kenzi says with drunken sarcasm, earning her a playful smack to the back of the head from Bo.
Sylvia can't help but laugh at the look on Kenzi's face after Bo's playful smack
"Oh great, another vote for Team Bo." Kenzi says to her new friend.
Sylvia just smiles, which now earns her a playful tap from Kenzi.
Bo grabs her phone from the coffee table and drags herself from the couch. She sleepily struts into her room, yawning and stretching along the way.
Looking at her phone she exclaims, "Shit a missed call from Lauren! I didn't even hear the phone."
Bo reads her text and pounds out a return text message to Lauren.
"Hope you didn't have too much fun w/out me. Sweet dreams. ;-)"
After sending the message, Bo falls back asleep quickly and welcomes dreams of Lauren.
Kenzi and Sylvia decide to keep the drinks flowing and play video games.
"Where have you been all my life?" Kenzi drunkenly utters.
The two new friends stay awake until dawn drinking Russian vodka/cranberry and playing video games until the Sand Man claims them. Eventually, Kenzi and Sylvia fall asleep on the couch with their video games controllers still in hand.
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Bo & Kenzi's Apartment- Sunday Late Morning
Kenzi is wrapped in Sylvia's arms snugly. Peaceful and serene expressions adorn their make-up smudged faces.
Bo walks out into the living room and immediately takes notice of the sleeping forms. She smiles at the sight with mixed emotions. She is happy that Kenzi has found a new companion to spend time with; however, she is also a bit jealous because Kenzi only typically snuggles like that with her. She has never known Kenzi to develop such a closeness to anyone other than her.
The voluptuous brunette walks over toward the sleeping beauties, taking great care not to wake them up. She kneels down on the floor next to them, admiring how peaceful they both look. She takes her hand and gently pushes Kenzi's hair from her eyes before carefully lifting wildly beautiful curls from Sylvia's eyes as well. Although Bo had tried to be careful, she awakens her sleeping friends despite her best efforts not to.
Sylvia and Kenzi's eyes both flutter open as if on cue. Sylvia releases her new friend from her embrace.
"Wow Kenzi, cheating on me in our own home!" Bo states, her voice filled with sarcasm.
"At least I'm doing so in plain sight," Kenzi says groggily and with equal sarcasm.
"My arm may never recover. Ugh, I can barely move it." Sylvia gruffs.
Playfully glaring at Sylvia, Kenzi utters "Hey, it could be worse. Lucky for you I'm pretty tiny."
"Ha! Good point."
The three women hang out on the couch for a while. They interact with each other so effortlessly, like they've all known each other for years. Sylvia shares that she is super excited to have found some interesting new friends to spend time with. After an hour or so of couch chat and silliness, Sylvia leaves her new friends and goes to her own apartment.
Kenzi is sad to see Sylvia go but she is eager to ask Bo if she's really planning to meet Raku later this evening.
"So BoBo-Palooza, what are you gonna do about tonight? Are you still going to meet her?" Kenzi inquires, with extra emphasis on "her."
"Can I get a break Kenz? I thought best friends are supposed to be supportive."
"Best friends are also to prevent their bestie from making stupid mistakes!"
"It's one dinner. One last dinner as a matter of fact. It's innocent. I'm going to tell her face to face that it's over for good and not to contact me anymore."
"Still not sure why this must be done face to face…but okay." Kenzi states, heading towards the balcony.
The last image Bo has of Raku is of her sliding down her front door into a heap and crying frantically. Despite the seeds of doubt Kenzi planted in Bo's mind, she feels justified in her decision to meet Raku for dinner. Bo wants to respectfully and calmly let Raku know that she has made a fresh start that doesn't include her.
Thoughts of Lauren rush Bo's mind, immediately replacing her last memories of Raku. The brunette wishes she could fast forward the week to the surprise she has planned for Lauren next weekend. After reluctantly accepting that she can't control time and launch them into next weekend, Bo sends Lauren a text.
"Just wanted to say hi."
A few minutes pass before Bo receives a reply.
"Well hi to you too."
"Heading back soon?"
"I'll be back this evening."
"Great. I'd love to talk when you get back."
"I'll call you later this evening when I'm home."
"Safe travels. "
"Thanks. "
Bo cannot wipe the wide smile from her face. She knows that she is falling incredibly hard for the brilliant doctor. For a fleeting moment, she entertains the idea of not meeting Raku. However, she chooses to follow through with her decision to meet Raku one final time.
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Sunday Evening – Cho Shoshito
Bo arrives at Cho Shosito earlier than anticipated. She is casually dressed in tight black jeans and a snug fitting sleeveless turquoise top, with a slightly less plunging neckline than typical. The evening's weather is perfect so Bo decides to wait for Raku in front of the restaurant. She spends the next 15 minutes enjoying the nice weather and people watching.
What Bo sees next momentarily takes her breath away. Raku approaches the restaurant wearing a bright peach colored halter dress, with a very low dipping neckline. Her nude colored heeled sandals cause her already gorgeous legs to look even more beautiful. Her slender frame handles the fashionable dress marvelously. Raku's freshly manicured and pedicured nails match her dress perfectly. Her trendy cropped hair is styled to perfection.
Raku spots Bo in front of the restaurant and is very pleased that she is eliciting such a reaction from her former lover.
Raku continues to walk towards Bo. She doesn't stop until she is less than inches away from Bo. Despite their close proximity and her nose being tickled by Raku's sweet breath, Bo consciously and silently reminds herself that she is there to gently inform Raku that she is no longer available.
The raven haired seductress kisses Bo on the cheek and slides her into an embrace.
She whispers in Bo's ear, "Good to know how hot you still are for me. I can sense your desire."
Bo has always thought Raku was one of the most stunning women she had ever seen but the only woman she desires now is Lauren. She refuses to allow herself to be baited into Raku's sultry web.
Catching Bo by surprise, Raku presses her lips against Bo's. Raku attempts to part Bo's lips and gain entry with her tongue but Bo doesn't allow it. Raku doesn't try to pressure Bo further. She just winks at Bo and grabs her hand. Bo makes an attempt to disengage their hands but Raku's grip becomes tighter. They enter the restaurant hand in hand.
Although Raku made a reservation, they are informed that is will be a few minutes before their table is ready. The pair decline to wait at the bar for their table and opt to just remain in the hostess area.
They stand directly in front of the entrance/exit door where they engage in general chatter as they await their table. Bo is becoming more and more anxious with each passing minute. She can tell that this dinner has a totally different meaning for Raku but she decides to wait until they are seated before she bears the impending news to Raku.
Raku observes an awkward hesitance from Bo but dismisses it. She spins Bo towards her and looks intently into her eyes. She reaches out her hand and playfully tangles a lock of Bo's hair around her finger.
The uber dark haired vixen doesn't break eye contact when she utters in a deep and sexy tone "I know you've missed me."
Raku drapes her arms around Bo's hips, eyes still locked with Bo's. Bo looks away from Raku's fixed gaze. Raku's continues to seductively twirl a lock of Bo's hair and neither of them notice a woman trying to pass them to exit the restaurant.
"Bo?"
The extremely familiar voice causes Bo great alarm.
"Lauren, hi. Oh shit! Shit! This isn't what it looks like." Bo utters, pulling out of Raku's arms.
The ravishing blonde doctor looks between Bo and Raku with angry eyes before storming out of the restaurant at full speed, nearly dropping her to-go order as she brushes past them and bursts through the doors.
Bo rushes out of the restaurant behind the woman of her dreams.
"Lauren wait!" Bo desperately screams.
Again, thanks for reading and stay tuned…