Chapter 28: Exes All Around
The text came in while she was in New York.
Orihime: Hey, um, so my graduation ceremony is on Friday the 18th. My aunt can't make it. Wanna come?
Ulquiorra stared at the words on the screen of his phone for a good fifteen minutes. He wanted to know why her aunt couldn't make it. Why wouldn't the woman who practically raised Orihime miss out on this occasion? It wasn't any of his business, but he was still curious. After a few more minutes passed by he answered.
Ulquiorra: I'll be the biggest cheerleader there for you with flowers and everything.
She bit her lip as she sat in the cafe of the bookstore, waiting for her time to start for the reading. She grinned and took a selfie of her and her cup of Starbucks.
Orihime: You have made me smile this big despite drinking this swill.
Ulquiorra wrinkled his nose at the photo and took a picture of himself in front of the espresso machines, sending that to Orihime.
Ulquiorra: That stuff will rot your gut.
Orihime chuckled and hummed her agreement to his sentiment. Then she heard a familiar voice.
"Orihime? Julie said they're ready for you now," Orihime's aunt, Kathy, said, coming over from where she had been standing and talking to the other woman. Kathy had decided to surprise Orihime by showing up at this Barnes & Nobles in New York. That was why she couldn't come to the graduation. Plus, it was much easier for her to get off of work for Thanksgiving weekend than a Friday afternoon in the middle of December.
"Okay," Orihime said, getting up. "Hey, can we take a picture to send to my, um, friend?" she asked.
Her aunt nodded and smiled, hugging Orihime from the side and pressing the side of her cheek to the short redhead's hair. "Cheese!"
Orihime looked at the picture and sighed fondly, sending it off.
Orihime: Aunt Kathy says CHEESE. Time to read. TTYL 3
Ulquiorra looked at the photo before he gave a small smile. He, of course, was interrupted by Rangiku.
"Lover girl?" she said as she leaned on the counter. "You two have been glued at the hips and lips for the past couple of weeks; did you finally seal the deal?"
A nasty look flickered over to where she stood. Ulquiorra put his phone back into his pocket. "Not any of your concern. I thought you were going to be polite when I asked you to cover Ethan's shift."
The blonde woman gave a shrug. "Are you taking your time with this one? Like you took your time with Luppi?"
A groan left Ulquiorra. "You know what, just go. I got this. If you want to be a bitch about me dating Orihime, just leave."
"You want to know what my problem is?"
"What?"
"You're too good for her. She's going to have problems later in life. She's going to be the leech like her mom was. She's using-" Rangiku's words were cut off as Ulquiorra almost threw her over the counter. As it was he had her by the arm and was leading her to the break room.
"Get your shit and leave, come back when you're actually scheduled."
As he watched Rangiku gather her coat and purse, Ulquiorra thought about things. He wished he could be impulsive and just go with Orihime to New York, but he knew he wanted everything to be special between them. He didn't want to distract her from this opportunity to start a successful career. He wanted to build something meaningful with her. Another sigh left him.
Ulquiorra: I know you're reading but I miss you.
Orihime's appearance was finished about an hour and a half later. She had plans to go to an Off-Broadway show with her aunt and Julie after an early dinner, but they were stopping at their hotel first to get changed and chill out a bit. She read his text in the cab and started writing a reply that she didn't finish until she was alone.
Orihime: I'm done. I'm going out in about an hour with Julie and Kathy but… Ulquiorra, I really miss you, too. I wish you were here. This is all great and exciting and I'm happy that Kathy gets to see this and that people love the book, but… You are the reason that book was written. I keep looking out into the gathering of people when I'm reading and find myself looking for your face. Sorry if I sound clingy or whatever, but it's the truth.
When Rangiku came in again, Ulquiorra was busy. He was so busy that he hadn't had time to check his messages. When the afternoon crowd died down, he pulled out his phone as he was cleaning the counter where the drinks were prepped.
His heart melted.
"She does sound clingy," Ranigku said, in a rather snotty voice.
Ulquiorra turned his head enough to see the blonde's face. "She does not," he replied.
"Really? You believe her bullshit?"
"Ran. Stop." He turned around to face Rangiku, who was staring at him with her arms folded under her breasts. "What?"
She shook her head. "I don't get it. I didn't get a chance, but you really like her, don't you? You've never had a woman stay the night. You've never doted on another woman."
"Yes, I have." He stared hard at her, daring her to say another word. "You know I did all those things before you slept with Grimmjow."
Of course Rangiku took up the challenge. "Oh, I count now?" She smiled at him and then went out to the lobby. She knew when she pushed his buttons.
With a sigh, Ulquiorra clocked out and then went to his apartment, head swirling with thoughts.
There were two timelines in Ulquiorra's life. Before prison and after prison.
Rangiku was not supposed to mention the times they were together or had sex. He thought he could have had something with her, but she was… Rangiku was selfish. She was a brat. She ran her mouth too much. Ulquiorra had brought her up to his apartment exactly two times after the first hotel fuck. After she fell asleep in his bed the second time, he realized that she was not his type. She was just something to fill the space after Sung-Sun betrayed him. Then when he changed his mind and wanted to try to get close to her, Grimmjow swooped in.
Wasn't that some shit? He should have never brought his ex into his apartment. It wasn't much of an apartment back then. Exposed brick walls, warehouse windows and a shaky wood floor. His bed was just a frame with box springs and a mattress on one side of the place. It didn't even have a proper bathroom when he met Sung-Sun and Rangiku.
When he looked through his father's things when he turned sixteen, Ulquiorra realized that his father had plans to transform the building Coffee & Sadness was located into stunning loft apartments. Since Ulquiorra inherited everything Robert Cifer owned, he knew what he would do with the place. It needed a lot of work to become what his father envisioned it as.
Aizen helped him with finding contractors and meeting with designers. As soon as he graduated, he moved into the apartment which still was undergoing renovations. Ulquiorra said his apartment wasn't important. The coffee shop and the other two apartments were priority.
Within six months after he left high school, and three months after he started college, Espresso IV was open. Business boomed for several years until Ulquiorra went to prison for what he did. Ulquiorra and Rangiku had hooked up before the prison stint. She kept the place running until Ulquiorra was released. That's why he made her manager and kept himself at the position of lowly barista.
The after prison thing, no woman had stayed there. None had really stepped foot in there. Rangiku didn't count. He didn't consider her anything special… Not really. She was his friend. She was someone he could confide in. He owed Rangiku a lot, which is why Ulquiorra couldn't fire her.
After she got back from New York, Orihime had a bit of a meltdown about her upcoming finals. She had put so much of her focus on her book tour that she had kind of brushed her concerns about her tests to the side.
She had dinner with Ulquiorra on his birthday and gave him a bottle of wine, a mixed tape, and an I heart NY mug. They listened to it and drank the wine and kissed and snuggled, but she left at a reasonable hour so she could get up early and finish up a piece she had been working on. She had to dig deep and get things done. These were her last couple weeks of college. She had to make them count. She was also lucky that Mr. Kuchiki had decided to let her have the rest of the month off after Wednesday, December second.
There was a reason she was needed those three days that first week; big year-end meetings with big clients.
People would be in and out of the office all day. There would be back clapping and schmoozing. Clients like Riruka and Ginjo would be there. Orihime's help would be needed to make sure everyone was taken care of; Charlie couldn't be expected to do it all on his own when he was also preparing for finals.
It was just her luck that when Constance Cosmetics sent a representative on Wednesday, they sent Grimmjow. It was also just her luck that Kuchiki was running behind schedule, leaving Grimmjow to wait. Susan had called her while she waited in line at Coffee & Sadness for another conference order and asked her to pick something up that she thought Grimmjow would like. Orihime sighed. She didn't really want to deal with this. As she waited, she looked around. It had been a long time since her breakup with Grimmjow. It had been over a month since their awkward encounter at the office and argument in the parking lot. A lot had happened since then. She saw the holiday decorations and the smiles on the patrons of the coffee shop and decided, to hell with it; it's Christmas.
When she got back to RBM, she passed off the Dollhouse conference order and then went to the small conference room; the one that used to be Grimmjow's office. The one where he was presently waiting his turn for an audience with Kuchiki.
Just like old times, Orihime knocked on the doorframe before letting herself in. "Hey Grimmjow. I hope life's been treating you well."
She paused and took a reassuring breath before approaching him. "So, I just wanted to tell you that, apart from our personal differences, I learned a lot from you professionally, and I really appreciate it. And I really am happy for you and Brady and Lucy. Bourbon flavor, espresso shot, large cup," she said with a small smile as she set the coffee on the table in front of him. "Happy holidays."
Grimmjow glanced at her and stood up. He eyed the cup she sat down before he walked around the corner of the table. "Princess? You're gonna do well. I'm sorry for being an ass." He nodded and picked up the coffee. "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."
She was stressed and overtired, and his words hit her hard. She couldn't help it when hot, wet streaks of tears fell out of one eye. Her chin wrinkled a bit and she nodded, keeping her eyes downcast. Hearing his pet name for her pulled at her heartstrings and reminded her of the pain she had let go dormant inside of her. She blinked the tears away, sniffed once, and swallowed the tightness in her throat away before finally looking him in the eye. She sighed and gave him a tight smile. "Take care of yourself, alright?"
He reached out and patted her shoulder. "Anytime. Just call me," he murmured before going back to the office chair. He turned his face away from her and stayed that way until she was gone.
And that was the last thing she did before signing out of her computer, checking out with Susan, and waving goodbye, saying happy holidays and see you next year to the rest of her coworkers. Orihime had some studying to do.
She made one stop, first. She would face down Rangiku for a decent cup of coffee. She was going to need it tonight. Also, maybe she'd text Ulquiorra to come and see her for a minute before she went to hit the books.
When she got to the counter, she decided on an old throwback favorite. "Hey, I know it's Minter, but can I get a caramel apple latte?" she asked, relieved that Izuru was on the register. She didn't miss the slight tsk that came from behind a mane of long blonde hair tied into a ponytail.
Izuru put her order in and then gave Orihime the total before printing the sticker out. He handed it off to Rangiku, who glared at him. There was some muttering from the blonde woman.
"Who in their right mind orders a non-seasonal drink? That flavor was like back in September," the woman bitched as she made the drink.
Orihime sighed. Things should be chilling out with Rangiku, not getting worse. Why was she such a bitch to her all the time? From everything Ulquiorra told her, Rangiku was just an ex-booty call who knew her place and wasn't going to cause problems. Well, technically she only caused the one problem with the wrong RBM order that one time. Okay, and she suspected the blonde put salt in Orihime's coffee another time. But the point was that she was just fucking rude. Orihime was not in the mood today.
She waited until the blonde brought the cup over and asked, "What is your problem with me?"
"Excuse me?" Rangiku said, almost slamming the cup onto the counter. "I don't know, you just walked into Ulq's life and he's been focused on you since you came in."
"And that bothers you because...?" Orihime led the question.
"Oh I don't know," Rangiku said. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You rejected him and you think you can just jerk him around again. It just sucks that he dropped me for you."
Orihime's brows lowered. "According to him, there was nothing to drop. So if you have a problem, take it up with him. I don't appreciate you giving me an attitude every time I come to get coffee. And, for the record, I have not, nor would I ever, jerk him around."
Rangiku snorted and rolled her eyes. "No you just led him on and when he told you how he felt, you told him no. He told me what happened. You ran off to Grimmjow and look where that got you."
"That is not how it happened at all. I had been with Grimmjow. I wasn't going to… No. It's none of your business." She picked up her cup and walked over to the other side of the seating area before she sent Ulquiorra a message.
Orihime: Your ex is nuts. She is giving me the third degree about what happened with you and Grimmjow. I was hoping to see you but I don't want to end up getting into it with her again. Are you around or should I take this to go?
Ulquiorra had seen Orihime enter the shop on the security cameras. He was on his way down when he got her message. He went down the stairs faster and then walked into the coffee shop. A sigh left him as he saw Rangiku talking to Izuru. He spotted Orihime and walked over to where she sat. "Hey, you should have told me you were headed over. I would have been here to see you instead of having you deal with Ran."
Orihime frowned at him gently. "That isn't the point. There shouldn't be a reason for me to have to avoid her. You keep telling me that there were never any feelings involved. I think you are very mistaken. She clearly has some feelings now, and none of them are very pleasant."
Ulquiorra pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Whatever she felt for me isn't my problem. She fucked up the first time and she knew what was going on between us the second time. It's not my problem if she's butthurt," he said.
Orihime's brows rose and she rolled her eyes halfway. "Well, she's making it my problem. Anyway, you're both in luck, I'm going to be too busy to come in during her shift or much at all for the next couple of weeks. I hope by the time my finals are done, she gets whatever this is out of her system."
"How is that my luck? I want to see you. I want to spend time with you," Ulquiorra replied, dropping his hands and studying Orihime. "You're the one making it your problem. Just blow her off."
This time her frown was a bit more severe. "I shouldn't have to."
"Then don't. What do you want me to do?"
"I don't think you get what I am saying. I should not have to blow her off. She should treat me like she treats any other customer. I don't know what you should do. But I know I am not comfortable coming in here when she acts like I am an unwanted fixture. She says I jerked you around and that you dropped her for me." Orihime sighed and shook her head. "I said it's lucky for you, because clearly you don't want to deal with this. You won't have to for a couple of weeks. That's all."
Ulquiorra sighed again, this time louder. He plopped down into the chair across from Orihime. She was correct in the statement that he didn't want to deal with this. It wasn't his fault or his concern about Rangiku's feelings. She was her own person and he couldn't control anything that she did. He wouldn't fire the woman though, just because of a bad attitude. No one else complained about Ran. "So are you saying I'm not going to see you for a couple of weeks?"
She shook her head. "No, I will stop by on my way to school for coffee before she gets here, sometimes. You are more than welcome to come visit me. But I am going to be under a lot of pressure getting prepared for, and then taking, my finals. I can't be dealing with her crap, too. I'm sorry, Ulquiorra, but right now… I just can't be here when she is here."
"Usually when she is in the building, you're in my apartment. I know what finals are like. I was a college undergrad once. Look, I owe Rangiku. She is the one that kept this place afloat while I was in prison. Everything this place is, is because of Ran. I can't fire her," Ulquiorra said to the redhead. "I'm just the guy who makes really good coffee, she actually manages this place."
Orihime exhaled loudly. "I get it. I'll see…" she didn't finish her thought. "Nnoitra still working at Starrk's?" she asked. She suddenly had a taste for absinthe.
"Yes," Ulquiorra said, his voice concerned as he stared at Orihime. "Are you going there? Why don't you come upstairs with me?"
"I'm not going there if he's there. I'm not stupid," she muttered. "I'm supposed to be studying, but I'm too upset right now." She sighed. "I guess I can come up for awhile."
Just then she took a sip of her latte and nearly choked. "Oh dear god, what the hell is this?"
Ulquiorra took the cup from Orihime and took a sip, just in case it was something nasty. It wasn't. It was a coffee with a shot of espresso and a shot of bourbon and a bit of cream. "This tastes like… This tastes like what Grimmjow used to order," he finally said, a frown forming on his face.
"That is not what I ordered," Orihime said, not bothering to hide the glare she shot at Rangiku.
Another sigh left him. He took the cup up to the counter and gave it to Izuru. Then Ulquiorra went behind the counter and took Rangiku aside. Ulquiorra scolded her and gave her the third degree about making orders wrong. His voice never raised beyond a normal voice. When he came back to the table, he had a caramel apple latte. "Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked Orihime.
She took a sniff and closed her eyes. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips when she smelled it. "Yeah, let's go."
He took her hand and led her up to his apartment. There was more snuggling. There was more kissing. Ulquiorra could feel himself being driven mad by their interactions. He was getting restless with himself. When he dropped Orihime off later that night, he was almost kicking himself.
Despite assurances that his business manager would behave, Orihime stayed out of Coffee & Sadness for the rest of the week, with the exception of a cup of black coffee on Friday and Saturday morning. She was stressed.
The first day of exams was the following Monday. She was nervous. She was pretty confident that she had adequately prepared, but there were always doubts about these kinds of things. She had a bland breakfast and coffee at home; She thought it best to avoid a certain someone's distracting green eyes, so she texted him instead.
Orihime: Wish me luck. I am going to need it!
Ulquiorra smiled at her message.
Ulquiorra: Good luck! I am bringing you dinner tonight. I need to get away from this place. It's just soup and bread again. You'll succeed.
Aww, he was the best.
Orihime: Thank you! You are a lifesaver. Also I'm sorry in advance about the mess at my place. ;)
Ulquiorra shook his head.
Ulquiorra: Not coming in. I'm delivering the basket and giving you a kiss and then leaving. You need to focus. Last semester. You need to graduate and go live your dreams.
Her brow twitched. Go live her dreams? Where did he think she was going? Oh well, it probably was just words.
Orihime: Thanks! I'll see you later 3
She walked into her exam. Two hours later she walked out, completely drained. It was her only one that day. She made her way back home and took a nap.
Around seven pm, Ulquiorra pressed the buzzer on her door. He was bundled up due to walking over there. The only things that could be seen were his eyes.
She had woken up about a half hour earlier and was also bundled up in some thermal pajamas and a crocheted afgan. She buzzed him into the lobby and came down, smiling at the sight of Ulquiorra all wrapped up in a scarf and hat when he got inside. "You look adorable," she said, letting the door close on it's own and clutching her blanket a bit closer. It was frigid outside, and just having the door open a bit had her shivering.
"It's fucking freezing, and it's only December. It's only going to get colder. Fucking Chicago," he muttered and pulled the scarf from his mouth. "The soup was hot. I baked the bread this afternoon. There should be enough in there for a couple of days. I'm making enchiladas on Wednesday. I'll bring you some."
"Ooh, you are the best," she said, taking the soup from him and setting it on a ledge beside her before raising up on her toes to kiss his cold cheek. "You are freezing though. Do you want to call a car to get home? I could wait with you here if you don't want to come up."
Ulquiorra shook his head. "I'm going to head to Starrk's and see if he has any homebrews to sell me, and then I'll get an uber from there. I needed the distractions to be honest. How did the final go?"
"I think it was fine," she answered. "Why did you need a distraction?"
"Just things are approaching and I wanted to see you," he replied with a smile before he pulled the scarf back over his face. "Good luck on your next final. Enjoy the soup. I'll see you Wednesday. Probably?"
"Probably?" Orihime's voice sounded a bit put out. "Well, call me if you are going to change your mind so I can stop by somewhere and pick something-" She stopped herself. She was being selfish. She closed her eyes, inhaling slowly as she nodded to herself and said, "No, you know what? You seem stressed. Don't worry about me. Focus on what you need to do, okay?"
The scarf was yanked down and Ulquiorra removed his winter hat. "I know that you have finals. I don't want to be a distraction, Orihime. I say "probably" because you could be busy or studying or something. Focusing on you has been keeping me from getting overwhelmed with stress. I knew that I would see you today, and I looked forward to it."
Her guard fell and she smiled at him. "Well then, look forward to Wednesday, too. Don't get too tanked at Starrk's. Tell him I didn't forget about him; I'll be back if he ever gets rid of that creepy bartender," she said, a half smile on her face and a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. He had promised her soup and a kiss. It looked like she was going to have to settle for just soup.
"What's that look for?"
"What look?"
He completely unwrapped the scarf from his face this time and pressed Orihime against the wall. "The look you just gave me with your eyes. Sad or... Wait, I did promise you something. I figured you got your kiss when you kissed my cheek," he murmured. Ulquiorra pulled his gloves from his fingers and one hand wormed its way under the blanket she had around her. "I'm trying not to be a distraction, Miss Inoue."
"You some kind of mind reader, Mister Cifer?" she asked, trying to keep the sad expression in her eyes going but failing spectacularly as they lit up for him.
He gave her a half smirk. "Maybe." Ulquiorra tilted her face up to his and he didn't go straight for her lips. Instead he kissed and nipped at her jaw, his tongue tracing a path to her ear. Then he latched onto the skin for several seconds and he kept doing that until he reached her collarbone. Then he stood up straight and looked at her.
She almost looked like a different person with her rosy cheeks and barely-open eyes. "Mrrmm, yeah," she said, not sounding very intelligent.
"Do you want more? I'm afraid if I gave you more, you'd be no good for your next final. You need your brain to function."
"Do I?" She exhaled heavily. "I mean…" She whined like it wasn't fair. "Yeah, I better not."
Ulquiorra smiled before he kissed her on the mouth. The hand that was under the blanket wormed its way under the thermal shirt she was wearing and up to the underside of her tits. The backs of his fingers moved over the skin. As soon as he felt her nipple, he let out a shaky breath and rested his forehead against hers.
She was under his spell completely. Everything felt magnified, from the sounds of his breath ringing in her ears to the smell of his skin overpowering her nose and the heat of his breath making her skin and the blood just below the surface feel like it was on fire. She felt it. The chemistry. The wanting. She opened her mouth but found no words, just breathed his breath and waited with her eyes closed, knowing he would back off sooner than later, and definitely sooner than she would like.
"After finals," he breathed, and his fingers ghosted over the soft skin again. "After finals, Orihime."
Her eyes opened. Her entrance was knocking and throbbing and he had barely even touched her yet. It took all her willpower to not let her hands turn outward and drift over the front of his pants. She wanted it. She was pretty sure he wanted it. But he was right. If she did that, there would be no sleeping or studying tonight. She finally huffed and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes again.
As she broke the kiss and dropped back down to her heels, she whispered, "After finals."
"Eat, study, sleep. Wednesday, I'll be back." He kissed her again and stepped back. His breathing was fast and he sighed. Damn him for being the one who overthought things.
"I'll be waiting," she replied in a soft, sweet voice. "I'll miss you."
The familiar smell that hit him when he walked into Starrk's later was like a slap to the face; the smell of bar polish and alcohol. It was like coming back to an old friend. It felt almost welcoming until he sat down at the bar and saw Nnoitra coming up to him.
This was not what he needed today.
"Eyy, Ulquiorra. Long time no see," Nnoitra drawled as he stopped in front of the man. "Maker's tonight?"
"Nothing for me," Ulquiorra replied. Just remembering what the man had done to Orihime brought back memories of that night and how Nnoitra thought he was going to have his way with her. It made his stomach turn and roil. "I need to talk to Starrk. Is he here tonight?"
"Yeah. You sure you don't want anything?"
Ulquiorra glanced up at Nnoitra, anger rising in his throat like a wave of bile. "I am certain."
"Yeah, yeah, so how's Orihime?"
He wasn't sure what happened, but Ulquiorra found himself on the other side of the bar standing over Nnoitra, who was holding his hand up to his good eye. His hand throbbed with pain. "Do not ever speak her name again. Do you understand?" Ulquiorra spat at the taller man.
There must have been something in his tone or his expression, but Nnoitra nodded. Ulquiorra walked over to the office door and knocked on it. It turned out Starrk wasn't in that night and he should come back another time or call Starrk, Tier said.
It was strange, he thought as he walked back to his apartment. It was strange that he experienced anger over a woman. It had never happened before. Even when those other women had cheated on him, he had never gotten angry.
He gave a sigh as soon as he was inside his apartment, releasing the tension in his body in a long exhale. Ulquiorra wanted to make Orihime his and he wanted everyone to know she was his.
He would have to wait, though. She had to focus on her last remaining finals.
A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you think about Grimmjow's change in attitude? What about Ulquiorra's attitude towards Ran? Do you think Orihime is justified to be upset? Let us know!