Chapter 14: A Bitter Aftertaste
When he didn't see Orihime enter the Rotten Brand Management building the next morning, Ulquiorra started worrying. A few hours later, he watched Grimmjow run out of the building across the street and his car zoom out of the parking lot moments later. He had to wonder what the hell was going on.
It wasn't his business.
He could replay the scene in his head though: Nnoitra's little plastic bag, Orihime giving him money.
So he texted Grimmjow about fifteen minutes after he took off.
- Is everything okay? Is Orihime okay?
The message was read, but Ulquiorra didn't get a reply back.
When Grimmjow arrived at the hospital, Orihime was waiting for him in the lobby. She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, looking completely lost. She just stared at him for a moment or two.
He came.
He actually came.
She hadn't cried until this point, but tears came to her now as she took one step towards him, and then another, and then another until she practically fell into his arms, whispering, "Thank you for being here."
She looked miserable. She hadn't told him much on the phone, but she needed him. It was an emergency. Grimmjow didn't want to let Orihime down after he already had. He wrapped his arms around her. "Well, I'm your boyfriend. I'm supposed to do things like this. How are things?" he asked.
"It's my mom. She… She…" Orihime sucked in a sob and buried her head in Grimmjow's chest. She didn't want to talk about this in the lobby anyway. "They have her in a room in back. I don't know if she's going to make it. There is a private waiting room back there we can go to. Do you need to…?" She didn't know what he might need to do, but she didn't want him to feel like he didn't have a choice about coming with her.
He shook his head. "Let's go," he replied. Grimmjow didn't know a lot about Orihime's mom, except for the fact that his girlfriend didn't talk about her very much. They hadn't talked about either of their parents much. "We can talk in the other waiting room."
Orihime nodded and took his hand, leading him past the secured doors and into a private waiting area, then stood aside to let him take a seat. "Do you need any coffee or anything? They have a machine here; I can make some." She wasn't sure how to start this conversation.
"No, tell me what's going on. What's wrong with your mom?"
"She overdosed sometime during the night. Wait, no, I need to back up a bit. She found me. She found me at the coffee shop. She said she's sick; that she needs help. She asked me… I shouldn't have done it. I just wanted her to stop…" Orihime sat down in a chair across the small room from him and put her elbows on her knees, letting her head drop so that her hair obscured her face. "This is my fault."
Grimmjow's face turned into a scowl. What did she mean her mom overdosed on something? Drama like this was the last thing he needed in his life. Orihime's mom kind of sounded like his parents with the drugs or drinking. "She asked you what? You're not making sense, Hime," Grimmjow said, smoothing his features out and walking over to the seat beside her.
She took a deep, shuddering breath and raised her head enough that he could see her profile, although she didn't look above the level of the seats across the room. "She asked me if I had a dealer. You know I don't do stuff like that, I never have. She was screaming at me and picking on me and I just didn't… I haven't seen her since my brother's funeral…" She had to stop there and take a deep breath. As she was explaining it, she realized it sounded like she was just being selfish. That wasn't the case. There was so much bad blood between her and her mother that he didn't know about, though.
"So your mom went out and found her own stuff, how is that your fault?" Grimmjow asked, studying the woman. "It's not your fault if she got a hold of some bad drugs. Not like you bought them for her."
She looked up at him slowly, her lower lip quivering and her head shaking from side to side. "She doesn't know anyone in Evanston. I talked to Nnoitra."
A long breath left Grimmjow. He knew how Nnoitra operated. He didn't want to believe this. Orihime wouldn't have done him dirty like this. She didn't fuck Ulquiorra… She wouldn't fuck Nnoitra. "Did you fuck him?" he asked, in a low voice. "I'll believe what you say, I just have to know. Did you get the stuff from him?"
"I didn't, although he asked. I paid him fifty bucks. I don't even know what he gave me. I didn't specify. I didn't ask. I wouldn't even know what to ask for," she replied softly. She was too distracted by her current dilemma to be offended by his question.
Fuck. Shit. Damn. Hell. Of course that bastard probably gave Orihime something shitty. "I'm not too sure, but I think he deals meth as a side income. Or something," Grimmjow replied, glancing at Orihime and then down at his hands. "When he started dealing I moved out. I'd have to ask him what he gave you, but I'd end up needing bail money because I would kick his ass for asking you that."
Orihime sighed deeply. "I told him he was a shitty friend for asking me that. He said it was part of your "song and dance." Whatever; I don't come between friends," she said, then her eyes flickered to the floor again. She hadn't thought about what happened with the kiss in Ulquiorra's office yesterday since her mom arrived. Shit. Well, it wasn't an issue anymore. Ulquiorra was done with her, as a friend or otherwise.
He had to refrain from snorting. She may not come between friends, but his friends liked to come between him and whoever he was seeing at the moment. He couldn't say anything about Ulquiorra. She probably didn't know he knew about that. "That is a whole other issue that needs to be dealt with some other time. You need to focus on your mom right now."
She pursed her lips and shook her head, trying to suppress a sob. "You know what the worst part is? I've been sitting here all morning trying to convince myself that… That…" She hiccuped. "That I really do want her to wake up. I'm a horrible person." The sob came after her admission.
Grimmjow took Orihime's hand in his and squeezed it lightly. "Sometimes family isn't blood. You can't let toxic people ruin your life. I'm not saying this to be a dick, but have you ever talked to someone about this? I mean sometimes when I talk to my mom I wish she'd disappear and never resurface."
Orihime shook her head. "I don't have insurance, Grimmjow." She squeezed his hand back, though, grateful for his support.
It was on the tip of his tongue if she just applied for an actual job at RBM, she'd have that covered. "Right," he said with a nod. "So, we need to figure out what to do if your mom does pull through."
Days passed, and Ulquiorra hadn't heard from Orihime. She hadn't texted him and she hadn't come into the shop to get any coffee. He texted Grimmjow to make sure that Orihime was reminded of their dinner plans, and the only response he got back was a thumbs up.
So when he arrived at the fancy restaurant, he was surprised to see another RBM employee waiting for him. "What are you doing here, Susan?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Byakuya sent me. He had Orihime go to some conference in Chicago with Grimmjow. He wants her to be arm candy and try to charm people into dealing with Rotten, although I'm not sure it's such a great idea," the older woman said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
This was not what he wanted to hear. He wanted to deal with Orihime and her only on this. That was her art. Susan put no time or effort into this. A scowl crossed his face and he scoffed. "Why wasn't I informed of this change? Why didn't someone tell me this? You can go back to Rotten. I'm not signing anything."
Susan raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Really? You too? What is it with that girl? She's nothing special. I mean look at this," she said, pulling a print of the sparrow out of an envelope. "She shouldn't even be at Rotten. She's too… Too sweet," she said with a bit of exasperation. Susan didn't dislike Orihime, but she didn't think she was Rotten material.
"That's my logo, you stupid-" Ulquiorra stopped and huffed. It wouldn't do to waste insults on someone who was too dense to care. "Whatever. I'll be speaking to Byakuya about this. I'll make sure to throw in your two cents about my logo and how you've treated me."
"I'm sorry, have I offended you? Why are you so insistent on having her here? She's been useless since her mom… Well, I mean it's understandable, but she hasn't been able to deal with much. I'm sure Byakuya thought he was doing you a favor by sending me. She's not stable right now."
His eyebrows rose slightly. "What happened with Orihime's mom? What happened with Orihime?"
"You don't know? Well, I guess I could tell you if you want to sit and have dinner. It's on Rotten, by the way," the woman said, pulling a chair out and waiting for his acceptance.
"Absolutely not. Tell me so I can be on my way. I'd rather not waste the brain cells spending any substantial amount of time around you."
The blonde leveled a firm look at him. "Very well, Mr. Cifer, I'll let Mr. Kuchiki know. I'm sorry to waste your time," she said, turning and walking away without letting him know anything about Orihime.
A flash of anger went through the green-eyed man and he turned and walked out of the restaurant. He told the valet he wanted his car. Getting the vehicle from Highland Park was a mistake. Doing this entire thing was a mistake.
As soon as he was in the car, Ulquiorra decided to drive to Orihime's apartment.
"Who the hell are you?" Louise's voice was tired-sounding as she answered Orihime's buzzer.
"Is Orihime Inoue here?" Ulquiorra asked as he stood out in the cold, teeth chattering. Who was this woman, and where was the woman who had captured his attention? "Who are you?"
"No, she went down to Chicago after her last final exam today. Fucking waste of time, if you ask me. Who are you?" she asked again.
Oh. It was true. What Susan had told him had been the truth. Ulquiorra sighed heavily as he considered his options. He hadn't really talked to or texted Orihime. His texts to Grimmjow always were read but never answered.
"Are you just gonna stand out there like a holy picture? Did you have a delivery or something?" Louise interrupted his train of thought.
"No," Ulquiorra replied and turned away to go back to his car.
"Wait!" the voice came through the speaker. "Are you a friend of Orihime's or something? Could I ask you a favor?"
Ulquiorra stopped and then turned to look at the device on the wall of the building. Was he friends with Orihime? He wanted much more than a friendship with the woman. He wanted to utilize her time and space much like Grimmjow did. He wanted to invade and capture her attention and focus. "We're more acquaintances," he finally stated.
"Well, in that case, maybe… I mean, I could probably give you something you want if you did something for me," the woman said, a bit of a baiting lilt in her voice.
The disgust was apparent on his face. There was nothing this person could give him that he wanted. "No thank you."
There was a loud scoff. "Fine, then, do you know who that little bitch knows? I'm in a lot of pain, here."
"Are you asking me if I know how to obtain illegal substances?"
"Well, they shouldn't be illegal."
Tch. Ulquiorra turned back around and practically ran to his car. He drove back to the coffee shop and parked the car around back. Then he just sat there for a while, thinking. He mulled the subjects over in his brain. Orihime with Grimmjow. Orihime giving Nnoitra money. Orihime not coming into Coffee & Sadness. Then this woman-no, whoever answered the buzzer at Orihime's apartment was a thing, not a person. This thing had the audacity to ask him if he knew where to score some drugs?
Ulquiorra's inner voice was telling him that he dodged a bullet with Orihime. Maybe it was for the best that she had turned him down and ran off. He had swerved to miss that trainwreck. The thought made his stomach clench in pain.
He felt like he was losing something.
He was being ridiculous.
Grimmjow smirked at Orihime. Things were going okay between them… not considering that her mom was a complete cunt and tried on a daily basis to get money or drugs from the couple. It was grating on his nerves, but he tolerated it.
Orihime was important to him. He needed her around. She brought a smile to his face.
So when he was making arrangements for the convention, he booked one hotel room. He made them reservations at some upscale restaurant. He didn't think about who might be at the convention.
"How are you liking Chicago so far?" he asked the redhead.
"It is not Evanston. She isn't here. I'm with you. It's perfection," she said with a smaller smile than she would have liked. She wanted to leave the bitch behind them, but part of her couldn't completely shake the worry about what Louise might do in her absence. What if she burnt the place down? What if she OD'd and Orihime came home to a body? She closed her eyes for half a second and willed the thought away. "Thanks for doing all this."
Grimmjow shrugged and walked over to his girlfriend, slipping his arms around her shoulders. "Orihime, you don't have to thank me for taking you away from what's stressing you. I'm relieved to be away from Evanston, too."
Orihime nodded. "I know. And I know you say I don't need to apologize, and I promise no more while we're here, but I am sorry about her. I can't fix it."
A sigh left him as he gave her a slow kiss. Louise was worse than Ellen in many ways-more ways than he could count. "I love you; just forget about her and the situation, okay?"
"Got it. I love you too." She took a step back from him and looked around the room. "So tomorrow we have schmoozing during the day and wining and dining at night? I brought some nicer clothes; I hope I don't look like a kid, though," she said with a sly smile on her face as she ran a hand down her side. Yeah, she had a soft innocent face, but her body was not childlike.
"You look like a woman. We're going to be going to dinner tonight, and tomorrow we're working the floor, and as you say, schmoozing. I have a client or two I want you to meet. We'll be wining and dining tomorrow night."
"Okay. Anything I need to know about these people, or are they just normal… as opposed to what, I don't know," she said, laughing at herself.
"Eh," Grimmjow said, rubbing the back of his neck and then running the same hand through his hair, messing it up further. "The lady who I've been working with on her logo wants to discuss some things. I figured you need to learn how to deal with a ballbuster."
She raised her eyebrows. "Do I?" she asked and laughed. One thing that slightly bothered her about her boyfriend was that he seemed to be stuck on the idea that she would be joining him in advertising and design as a career path, despite her constant gentle reminders that his profession was not her end game. Still, it was nice that he was taking such a mentoring interest in her and she appreciated it. "In any case, are we trying to be charming anyone here if given the opportunity? I can try to get noticed…"
He gave her a serious look. "Although you don't want to do what I do for a living, you might have a difficult buyer or client who wants something commissioned. You're going to have to deal with difficult people. Ulquiorra Cifer is a difficult person to deal with."
Her brows fell. "Ugh, don't remind me." Every time she thought about the green-eyed man, her stomach dropped. She would probably never forget the look in his eyes when he kicked her out of his shop… Out of his life… Whatever. She couldn't blame him after the scene she and her mother caused, but it had left her aching.
"Don't worry about it. By the time we get back, the Coffee & Sadness logo will be resolved and you'll be done with him and it."
That wasn't what she wanted. She wanted the visits to the coffee shop and the banter and the dreams of Ulquiorra, potential Batman, back in her life. She grit her teeth and took a deep breath. "I know. He was my friend, though. I…" She sighed and turned to look out the window. "Not a lot of people are."
A heavier sigh left him this time. Sometimes he wanted to punch her mother for making her so unhappy. Ever since Louise showed up, Orihime had mentioned that Ulquiorra kicked them out of the shop. She hadn't stepped foot back into the place since then. Grimmjow knew the green-eyed man wanted information about Orihime and what was going on, but the blue-haired man knew what was best.
Orihime being around his friend wasn't for the best. He should have nipped their little friendship when it started blossoming and Ulquiorra started challenging him. "You have a friend in me," he said, giving her a small smile.
"I know," she said, turning back to face him. "I love you, Grimmjow." She walked over to her boyfriend and put her arms around his torso and squeezed, then sighed, releasing her tension for the moment. "I don't know what I would do without you," she added, tilting her face up so that her chin laid against his chest as she looked up into his face.
Grimmjow knew what she would be doing. She'd be in the arms of Ulquiorra. He hugged her tighter. "I love you. Now let's celebrate our small vacation from Evanston."
Orihime woke up feeling like a new woman. Grimmjow had taken her to the most upscale place she had ever seen in her life, and instead of being looked down upon like the scum of the earth she usually identified with, she was treated with respect and impeccable service. They had a bottle of wine. They ate food that was so good that it almost made her cry. They came back to the hotel room and fell into bed together, and she could honestly say that she had forgotten Evanston and everyone in it for the better part of the evening.
The memories came back in the morning, but with fresh perspective. There was a wider world than Louise Miller and her string of heartbreak. Her mother could chase her and find her again, but there was always this other side of things. Grimmjow was showing it to her. She had to be strong and believe in him. She got out of bed and into the shower, letting that feeling of resolve permeate every fiber of her being.
When she got out of the shower, Grimmjow was on the phone. She walked over and kissed his temple while still dressed in a towel before she began to get ready to meet the potential pool of customers that were going to be served to the representatives of Rotten Brand Management and its competitors.
Grimmjow had woken up the moment she left the bed. While last night had been amazing, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He was lavishing attention and money on Orihime so that she would forget about the people in Evanston. He wanted her absolute attention. He had strong feelings for her, but he didn't know if he loved her... yet.
He gave her a soft smile and opened his eyes to look at her. "Morning," he murmured before sitting up. "I see you're ready to go."
"Almost," she said, glancing at him with a smile of her own before looking back in the mirror and putting on another coat of mascara. "You slept in. Relaxed?" she asked with a small giggle. She had shown him her appreciation for his efforts in taking her out last night in bed.
"You could say that, Princess. I need to get my ass in gear to make it downstairs in time, don't I?"
"You do. I'm going on a coffee run; they have a little stand in the lobby. Do you want me to bring something back up, or do you want to meet me down there?"
Grimmjow stood up and scratched his abdomen. "Uh, it can be up to you. How about we go down together? All I have to do is brush my teeth and get dressed. Maybe tame this mop on my head."
She approached him and stood. "Rinse off, trust me. You smell like you just got laid," she said with a chuckle, before dropping her lips to his bare chest and inhaling. "Not that I mind, but you know, professionalism."
He just rolled his eyes but did as Orihime said. It took him less than ten minutes to finish getting ready. Grimmjow shoved his wallet and other stuff into his dress pants' pockets before looking at his girlfriend. "Ready?" he asked.
He thought he was ready. He thought he knew how today was going to go.
The elevator doors opened to the lobby just down the hall from the conference room. Immediately, the smell of inferior espresso hit Orihime's nostrils, and she felt an almost impossibly strong pull toward it. She took a step toward the front desk and then another, but was nearly run over before she took the next by a woman with dyed reddish pink hair.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is that you, Mr. Jaegerjaquez?" the woman purred enthusiastically and wove her hand between his elbow and his side. "I was hoping to meet you here last night. I was surprised I didn't see you at the pre-conference social."
Shit. He had told Riruka to meet him at a specific time, not right now. It was too damn early to deal with her at the moment. "I was busy last night, Riruka. You were gonna see me later today. Is, uh, what's his face here?" Grimmjow asked, eyes scanning the crowd.
"Who? Ginjo? Ummm, probably. I don't really care, do you?" she asked with a smirk.
He waved a hand. "Anyway, Riruka, this is Orihime, my intern and partner. Orihime, this is Riruka, the owner of Dollhouse Designs," Grimmjow said, making introductions. He hoped the woman would accept the explanation without a fuss.
Orihime's brows rose. She knew about the Dollhouse Designs account. That was the main reason Grimmjow had ditched her after Thanksgiving. Her nostrils flared and she gave the woman a tight-lipped smile, but offered her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Riru-"
"Anyway, Grimm, I just can't wait to get you out of here. It's so stuffy," the woman interrupted Orihime, leaning her body into his and looking up into his face much like Orihime had done the night before. "After you do your rounds can we-? You know the drill."
Of course. Of fucking course she was going to bring it up. "I can't Riruka. I'm kind of tied down. I'm dating Orihime." Grimmjow gave the maroon-haired woman a stern gaze. "We're going to be having lunch with you later, so we can talk about your account then."
Riruka shook her head and laughed. "Tied down, huh?" she asked, releasing Grimmjow's arm and smoothing out his suit jacket's sleeve with both hands. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. How silly of me," she said, sparing a fake smile for Orihime. "I am looking forward to talking to you both at lunch, then."
The older woman then looked back at Grimmjow and winked. "Oh, yes, and if I run into Ginjo I'll be sure to let him know that you're here. This is going to be a great conference, I can feel it," she said in a low, hungry tone before turning around and sauntering back into the big room. "Later."
Orihime's jaw just hung on its hinges. What kind of person was this Riruka, and what was she doing with her hands all over her boyfriend?
A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUN! (dramatic music fades out). So what do you think, between Orihime's mom and Riruka, who is worse? What about the lack of communication between the corners of our love triangle? Let us know, and thanks for reading!
