01 Ring
The brunette walked in the loud room with lights of dim-litted colors shooting from every corner, music blaring loud at the back and headed straight for the counter bar, pushing her way through the drunk crowds dancing in the middle of the room. She had her phone to her ear and tried to make do with whatever her ear could pick up from what the other person was speaking about on the other side of the line.
At the corner of her eyes, she could see a man who had himself perched up on a stool at the end corner of the counter bar with a drink in his hand and a woman who apparently had her claws on his forearm. The man clearly looked uncomfortable, least interested for he kept on trying to peel her off of him by discreetly shrugging her hands of but it seemed the woman was ignorant of the signs. More accurately, she's too persistent.
Despite the voice constantly yapping away at her ear where she was supposedly focusing on right now, she was perturbed by the look of grim the man was portraying on his face like he had an awful regret playing in his mind. Now even the corner of his lips was curling down and he was visibly scowling.
She thought he needed saving.
Pulling her phone down from her ear, she made her way towards the two.
"Surprise!" She jumped on the man's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Startled, the man turned around and when their eyes locked, she could see the amount of shock was evident in his eyes when he was staring at her wide eyes and raised eyebrows. She saw his mouth slightly opened, probably to speak something—or maybe just wanted to call her a crazy psychopath for her to randomly jumped on a stranger on her crazy own—but afraid that the whole cover would blow up just as quick, the brunette immediately cut him off. She was trying to help the man, good lord, can't the man read the situation?
"I know we had a fight but seriously, I never expect you to think so lightly of our marriage," the brunette continued on and then gave a very heavy and displeased glare towards the woman whom now upon closer look under better lightings, she realized it was a redhead. "For you to cheat on me with someone else so quick, I'm truly disappointed." Her stare was so intense and the glint in her eyes, it was maddening; the redhead unconsciously took a step back.
"This is an outright adultery attempt." The brunette turned her attention and gave the man a very sickeningly sweet smile. "Should I take this to court then, honey? You know I have very good lawyers." She then snapped her attention to the redhead again. Leaning her face closer to the man's on purpose, she casually placed her chin on his shoulder like she had done it thousand of times before. Patting the man's forearm with her left hand, she deliberately flashed her ring on her fourth finger. It was actually an engagement right but under this light and with current situation, none of them would really go out of their way to check it close. So this will do for the sham.
With an unwavering gaze and hard as steel stare, shethreatened the redhead in a very low tone. One would think it was dripping with venom with how cold her tone was. "Or would you rather I have my people erase them from the world like what I always did to your previous playthings?"
The redhead flinched. "I'm sorry! I didn't realized he's married!" Anyone could see her whole body was shaking profusely.
The brunette sighed. "I need to have the wedding ring sewed into his skin if he keeps on taking it off every time we fight like this," she mumbled under her breath, feigning the act as if she was talking to herself whereas in truth, she had wanted the redhead to heard it. Good lord, she's such a good actress even she's amazed with her own self right now.
"Well?" The brunette stood straight and crossed her arms over her waist as she stared her down. "Why are you still here then?" She waved her hand away to shoo her off. The redhead stumbled away but not without glancing back at them a few times.
The man jolted in surprise when the brunette suddenly turned around to face him. He blinked in incredulity ashe watched the brunette nervously scratched the back of her head in an uncomfortable manner.
"Look, I'm sorry that I suddenly jumped in and did what probably made you feel very uncomfortable just now," she began explaining, "but I thought you needed help. You looked as if you were making the biggest mistake in your life coming here."
Now that she had her full attention on the man, she finally had a clear look of his appearance. She could understand why the redhead was so damn persistent. The man was extremely good-looking to the point that it was ridiculous that she could see one as good-looking as him in her life. His raven hair was styled up in a very mature way that made him appear to look slightly older than his face gave out. His skin was smooth and his red lips were tempting. And good lord, his crimson eyes were exceedingly mesmerizing. Clad in expensive looking attire, his whole appearance was truly tantalizing.
What in the world someone as good-looking as him doing in this dead town?
"And you," she pointed her finger at him, "If you're not interested or uncomfortable with her advances, be clear, be extremely vocal about it. It won't work if you just try to shrug her attempts off." Not sure if he was just trying not to come out as rude so he tried not to impose on the redhead by being verbal about it; or him just merely controlling himself before he really blew up later.
She motioned for his attire. "Coming in here in designer brands from head to toe, you are basically announcing yourself as prey." She leaned in closer so she could tell him the scandalizing truth behind the social life around the place. "We don't have enough good-looking rich men here in this deadass boring town so some of the young ladies are extremely desperate to get in any rich guys' pants in order to become a rich wife so they could live a very comfortable life afterwards." She leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him. "Obviously you're not from around here."
He quietly shook his head.
She furrowed her brows at him. "Do you even talk?" But then a look of concern appeared on her face as though she realized something. "I'm sorry, are you mute?" Then it made a hell lot of sense why he didn't tell the redhead off if he couldn't talk. Now she felt bad for lecturing him. But thank god she stepped in and helped him.
The corner of his mouth curled up. "You think I'm good-looking?"
"What, so you can talk." She blinked rapidly at him but then shook her head. Either way, it didn't seem he was put off by her sudden outburst of character as a crazy possessive wife. Putting her phone on the counter and pulling the stool beside him, she climbed up and madeherself comfortable. "Nobody ever told you that you're good-looking?"
"I heard it all the time." It sounded as if he was trying to hide his laugh behind his flat tone.
She gave him an incredulous look before shaking her head in disbelief. "You're weird." Realizing that she had seated herself next to him unconsciously, she spoke up. "Sorry, you don't mind I sit here, do you?"
The man shook his head and motioned for her to sit comfortably with a hand wave. "You're a man of few words, huh," she commented but then shrugged, "Well, I have nothing against it though." It was only a small gesture but the man could see the small smile tucked at her red lips. He felt warm seeing it.
He raised his brows in surprise and concern when he heard her asking for the bartender to give her a Whisky Martini. Did she have a really bad day? And she sat there all quiet, once in awhile she would sip her drink. He had thought she must have her mind deep in thoughts.
He watched her in silent when it seemed like she won't be engaging herself in a conversation with him anymore. When he saw her slammed—intentionally or not, nonetheless—her head on the counter, it nearly gave his heart a fright. Did she get drunk already? That fast?
When her phone vibrated violently on the counter, it finally brought her mind back to what she was doing before she tried to pull of the sham on a stranger just now. "Shit, I forgot." Grabbing the phone, she quickly answered the call.
"Luna, I'm sorry I was—"
"YOU DARE TO HANG UP YOUR CALL ON ME!?" The person was shouting on the other line.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME TO CALL YOU FROM HERE?!! AND YOU EVEN HAVE ME CALL YOU BACK WHEN YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CUT OFF THE CALL FIRST!"
And as if it wasn't enough that she was screaming on the other line, her voice just had to go two tones shriller when she cursed at the brunette. "THE FUCKING NERVE OF YOU, MIKAN SAKURA!"
She paused before huffing on the other line, "Wait, where are you?"
Another pause came. Ah crap, she got caught.
"Are you at a freaking club? Are you out drinking?" She beseeched her.
"Well—" Umm, she knew it's not the best of place to be when she's supposed to handle her problem like a mature woman that she is but well, alcohol seemed to be a good idea when she left her house just now.
"Mikan Sakura! Get your ass home and talk things through with him!" She swore she could hear Luna's shrill voice gotten another tone higher. "I hate that asshole so much right now to the point you can't even imagine what level of my dislike is but you drinking your sorrow right now is not gonna solve anything."
After what seemed like a moment, Luna's tone calmed down a little. "Listen here, Mikan Sakura, with how well developed our technology is right now, nothing is impossible. Tell him that problem is not much a problem at all! It can still be solved if we just find the right people to ask for help."
"Honest to god, you don't even like that guy so why are you telling me to go back to him now?" Mikan rolled her eyes. "You're contradicting yourself here."
"It's because you like him so I'm tolerating his ugly ass," Luna condemned. Mikan swore she could see this strawberry blonde haired puffed her cheeks in irritation at her now. "So get your ass home right this instant, young lady!"
"Alright, alright," Mikan finally gave up and sighed. "I'll go home after I finish my drink here."
"Get coffee first to sober up before you head home."
"Yes mummy," Mikan replied in a teasing voice.
"I mean it. I'm dead sick worrying about you over there alone when I am so far away here." She sighed. "I gottago. My supervisor is giving me the eye. I swear to god one of these days I would give him the finger for always picking on my time to use the phone." She let out another deep sigh before continuing, "We're moving out again tomorrow so I'll try and see if I can find a line there so I can call you again."
"Hmm. Okay. Take care. Don't get eaten by the tigers there," Mikan joked.
Luna laughed at Mikan's bad joke but when she spoke again, her voice was quiet. "You're the one who should take care. Be safe, okay?"
Mikan knew how worried Luna was for her. Her best friend was so far away on the other side of the earth worried sick and she's all alone here in this dead town. "Yes, mummy," Mikan tried her best to reply in a chirpy tone.
"Baka." Luna chuckled before ending the call with a goodbye and hang up.
Putting the phone on the counter, she slumped her head on the cold surface. "Aaah I miss her," she sniffled with her muffled voice. "Wait, am I tipsy now? Ugh looks like I am. Man this life is so hard," she mumbled to herself before snapping her face up. Her nose was red and her eyes were wet.
She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and as if she finally got her resolve back, her eyes perked up with determination. "Right, I need to be completely sober for this." She sniffled again before asking the bartender for a cup of coffee with two extra shots. Pushing her now empty glass of martini, she drank the coffee slowly with her eyes looking far away as the cog in her brain turned like she was formulating some sort of plan in her mind.
After finishing the drink, she placed her money on the counter and jumped down from her seat before walking away hurriedly, her eyes sparkled with full determination as though she had completely forgotten the man who sat next to her and the scam she pulled off just a moment ago to help the man.
The raven-haired watched the back of her figure disappeared through the crowd with awe. She really left without saying anything to him. Something got her so focus on that she just forgot the existence of the man such as Natsume Hyuuga, whom credibility supposedly interest any woman in presence. It was clear as day she's the least bit interested in him since something else got her attention entirely. And she had a ring on. Is it a wedding ring? Or an engagement one? He felt a twinge in his chest. His stomach churned.
"Should I clear out the rumor of your married life to a crazy madam, Hyuuga-san?" The bartender asked in a very respectful tone as he continued to wipe the glass.
"Hmm?" Natsume turned to look at him with disappointment clearly evident on his face. He picked up his glass of scotch and shook his head with a small smile.
"No need. Just leave it at that."
TBC.