Sighing exasperatedly , Lee Wang Shun leaned back in his swivel chair after barely being able to properly place the telephone in it's cradle "I'm so done with these high status , rich brats" He grunted.
His secretary Nicholas Ling , a Canadian-Korean looked up from his desk "Is something the matter?"
"For the third time , Takumi Walker cancelled our photoshoot for our new eyewear brand. The later the photoshoot , the later the launch which equals to more stress for us. Can't these rich kids ever stick to their schedule?"
Wang Shun was a lighthearted man in his late 50s with a balding head who cared nothing about filtering his words or secrecy. His secretary knew everything he should have and everything he shouldn't about his boss. The younger of the two , however , never took advantage despite being very good at knowing when and where to press an advantage.
"Did his manager talk about rescheduling? Takumi Walker is a University student and he's got his studies to focus on too" The secretary tried reasoning , returning his attention to his paperwork.
"He's a gifted student with the face of a Greek God. If he wasn't either , then I doubt Boss would have kept him around and spoiled him rotten like this" Wang Shun jeered , almost sounding like he was envious of the model in question.
"I thought that was because Tessa Stairwell , Boss' niece was head over heels for Walker?" Nicholas politely inquired looking uninterested but listening with his entire attention.
"He never gave her the time of the day. It's one sided , unrequited. Besides , the reason is the Boss' wife" The older man carelessly spilled without giving it a second thought.
"Mrs. Stairwell? How come?" The bald man had failed to notice how his secretary's head jerked up at the mention of their boss' wife with striking good looks and impeccable etiquette.
"That's Takumi Walker for you. The kind of cataclysmic affect he has on people is dangerous. Mrs. Stairwell got involved till the extent that she wanted to have an illicit affair with Takumi Walker" After a moment's thought , the older man cautiously added "Or so I've heard"
"What happened after?" Nicholas asked , hiding his smile behind his cup of tea as he watched his Boss lamely try to cover up.
The damage was already done , so Wang Shun didn't bother with damage control anymore "In an attempt to convince him , she made him the face of our brand but the said guy still didn't budge"
"Obviously" The younger man shrugged "She's the boss wife"
"Surprisingly that's not the reason , among other things" Sitting straighter in his chair , Wang Shun glanced at the monthly edition of their magazine before his secretary's question made him look up again.
"Then what was it? The age difference?" Ling questioned innocently.
"What?" Surprised laughter bubbled up inside his throat and Lee Wang Shun threw his head back and laughed heartily "No. He's hooked up with several women , older or of his age but you know what is the one thing they all had in common?"
"I haven't the faintest idea" His secretary confessed.
"They were all single" Shrugging , the bald man leaned back in his chair "Never has he crossed a line with a woman who was committed. They've all in their own unique ways tried to woo him but he never breaks his will"
"Noble much?" Nicholas vacillated.
Scoffing at this Secretary , Wang Shun took a packet of cigarettes out of his suit jacket and lit one. Only after he had exhaled a mouthful of smoke , did he respond "He hates people who are committed and still think that going to bed with someone else is okay"
"That's surprising , coming from him" Ling faltered , trying to suppress his cough as the smoke filled the room.
"Don't think so" His Boss countered.
Nicholas looked up from his computer , disbelief written all over his face making him look older than he actually was "Seriously?
"Seriously. It's actually expected" Wang Shun replied , oblivious to the discomfort he was causing his secretary by smoking in the room
Unable to hold it any longer the secretary finally coughed loudly , clutching the side of his desk "Why is that?"
Mindlessly , his Boss took yet another huge inhalation of his cigarette smoke "Because he's gone through it"
Shock made him speak up before he took a sip of water "His girl cheated on him?" He questioned in a hoarse voice.
His secretary's hoarse voice finally registered on his boss and he quickly stubbed out his cigarette "Sorry Nicky. You okay?"
"Y-Yes. I'm alright" Nicholas replied , taking a sip of water directly from the water jug this time "His girlfriend cheated on him?" He repeated.
Casting a weary eye at his secretary , cobalt eyes glanced yet again at the newest edition of their monthly magazine. His eyes narrowed at the zero figure model in a mini dress , hands in her hair , smirk on her upturned face as she gazed at the camera unabashed "Something like that"
Knowing better than to question any further , Nicholas Ling turned to more important matters at hand "What do we tell Miss Castillo? She's already en route to Italy"
Shrugging into his suit jacket , Wang Shun got up to leave "Tell her Tora Igarashi cancelled on her on behalf of Takumi Walker"
"What kind of a bad joke is this?"
"One I'm going to thoroughly enjoy" Turning to his Vice President , who had long ago made it clear that he would not be a part of the President's evil plans , the Igarashi heir finished giving out final orders before turning to his bestfriend and clamping him on the back "Glad you could make it today"
"You left me little choice , Tora" Takumi rolled his eyes.
"Oh c'mon. Loosen up. What a bright day" The Student Council President smiled , motioning toward the clear sky.
"The pervert President is right , Takumi. Besides , it's only practice day" The blonde popstar chimed in "The show hasn't even begun yet! And its a whole three day ordeal!"
"The popstar with his IQ lower than 40 is correct. Until unless you give me your all , how will I feel the competition?" After dodging a punch from Kuuga , Tora grinned at Takumi.
"You don't need to feel it , there goes your competition"
Four pair of eyes turned to look at what Takumi was pointing out. A lean , muscular man of six feet five inches was walking past at a distance with a chiseled face , almond shaped eyes , high cheekbones , a firm jaw and hair that had recently been dyed blue. The boy squad watched him walk past them and toward a certain turquoise eyed girl who had just stepped out of the auditorium.
"Tomoe Nakamura" The quietest bunny of the group identified.
"Heard he bagged gold in another International some-fancy-name- championship last week in Malaysia" The chocolate haired boy contributed as he resumed chewing on his popsicle.
"Well he is a gifted golfer. His handicap is 0" Takumi provided and then turned to the Igarashi heir along with three other pair of eyes "Tora's handicap is ..."
"Eight" Kuuga snorted as Tora rolled his eyes.
"Golf is probably the only thing he is good at" Tora countered "How many business deals can he crack? Zero. How many international deals did I sign last week? Four"
"He scored three hole-in-ones last week at the championship" Takumi mused.
"He's much muscular too" Kuuga noted , acting oblivious.
"And dashing" Takumi added , playing along.
"Look at those dreamy eyes" Hinata cooed.
"And those sensual lips" As if to prove a point , Kuuga made a show of biting his lower lip like a temptress would.
"And those toned arms" Kanou joined the rest.
"That striking nose" Kuuga complimented , turning his face away from Tora unable to keep a straight face after laying eyes on the murderous look Tora was giving the golf champion.
"That jawline I'd kill for" Like Kuuga , the rest of them were having an equally hard time trying to keep their smiles off their faces.
"That deep voice is just otherwordly" By now , Hinata started coughing to cover up his laugh.
"And that blue hair is atrocious" Tora cut in , golden orbs ablaze as he watched the Golf Champion lift his fiancee's hand and press a chaste kiss on her knuckles.
"Can't believe that even after 14 years , the guy is still in love with the same woman" It was only when Tora glanced sharply at him , did the popstar rectify "In love with someone else's woman"
"They do look cute together. Look at that height difference" Hinata piped up , adding unnecessary fuel to the fire "I'm sure if Chiyo wasn't loyal as hell to Tora , she'd have dated Tomoe"
"What a pity the loyalty is one sided only" Takumi commented , offhandedly , all the while watching Tora's expression turn nonchalant which was his defensive measure to almost everything.
"Heard that he got that color dyed to match Chiyo - san's" Kanou spoke before Tora had a chance to respond to Takumi's statement "In an attempt to woo her , apparently"
That earned them a bark of laughter from the Student Council President "If a guy even dreams that he can woo Tora Igarashi's woman , my woman , that in itself is too far - fetched"
"They can woo the only woman he should pay attention to but ignores . Remember Tora , Chiyo - san is loyal but if someone treats her right and properly leaving you won't be hard because you've never given her a reason to stay"
The Igarashi heir found solace in keeping silent rather than trying to defend himself. He watched his fiancee laugh prettily at something Nakamura said and couldn't help but agree with what Hinata had said. They did look good together. Too good , infact. Not wanting to give any more thought to it , he looked on a second longer before turning and leaving his four friends to supervise other things.
"I think we upset him" Hinata muttered , watching people part ways as Tora walked past.
"We're in this together" Takumi silently sighed , watching his bestfriend leave along with the others "We're with him just as much as we're with Chiyo" Turning around to glance at said girl who was still talking to the tall Golfer , his gaze stray past them and fixated on the raven haired girl exiting the auditorium now.
That night , after having a very awkward dinner in a very heavy atmosphere , Takumi had excused himself to leave and the ravenette had not stopped him. She was completely indifferent to his presence ever since. He knew what the reason was , but he didn't bother acknowledging it. He could have completely avoided her till things turned normal between them by leaving for Italy for his photshoot but Tora had shut that escape route for him. She wasn't here but Rhea was still making things so difficult for him.
As if on cue , Misaki looked up and locked gazes with him.
Ever since she had discovered Rhea's photoframe , Misaki had been feeling oddly indifferent. She felt like no matter how hard she tried she would never be able to become someone Takumi would lean on. They were two different leagues altogether. Their social circles were far different from each other. If she got too involved with the likes of him , she'd become much worse than what she was before she joined the University by the time she'd be leaving.
But still , she was so captivated by him that she just couldn't help herself get this involved.
The blonde model watched as she opened her mouth to say something but at that exact moment Ryusuke ran up to her and pulled her with him inside the auditorium as Sakura ushered Chiyo with her inside at the same time. Before she disappeared behind the doors , Misaki turned to glance at Takumi one last time before she vanished from sight.
And that was enough acceptance for him. For now.
"No , Ryusuke. That's wrong"
"How?" He questioned , throwing his pencil down on the book "We've been trying to solve this for the past forty minutes"
"I figured" Misaki laughed in response "But I'd feel uncomfortable leaving a problem and moving to the next sum. I have a record of getting all the sums I leave behind in my question paper"
Snorting , Ryusuke leaned back in his chair "If derivating x directly would work , then we would have solved this forty minutes back but nope. Leave it to them for making things ten times difficult"
Misaki grinned , trying a different method to solve the problem they had been stuck on. Miyabigaoka's library was the perfect spot to study for their upcoming semester exams. They had been sitting at a table farthest from the entrance , on the first floor , which was surrounded on three sides with bookshelves almost completely covering them "I feel like we're back in highschool. Sports festivals and Math? Talk about another extra semester in 3rd year highschool"
"I agree! I thought I was leaving Math behind but they had to make an extra semester for us! For what? To revise subjects we aren't even gonna be taking?" The red haired guitarist lightly hit his forehead on the table. A moment later he half lifted his face and grinned at her "Thanks"
"For what?" The ravenette asked without looking up.
"Studying with me. Studying alone is distracting" He sighed , putting his head down again.
"You seem plenty distracted even now" Amber eyes lit up as she teased him "You're welcome though. I thought studying with you would be a good way to revise but you gave up plenty easily" She laughed.
"That's because I hate studying" Ryusuke admitted "Even as a kid I found more solace in playing my guitar than learning about kinematics or organic chemistry. I mean , who even cares? It's here now. That's all that's supposed to matter right?"
Misaki laughed at his pun and shook her head as he continued "Newton's laws of motion , the periodic table , trigonometric identities and what not. Goodness , I always disliked physics most-"
"I got it!" The ravenette squealed , pushing her chair back and running around to Ryusuke's side to show him "Look look!" She leaned past his face , slapping her notebook on top of his "All we had to do was double derivative , that way y's value is found and we just substitute it from this equation to the one before and look! That's the answer!"
"Finally!" Ryusuke laughed , more relieved that they could move to the next problem than the fact that they had found the answer "How does it feel to be genius?" He turned to her just as she turned to him , her smiling draining from her face.
Misaki's face was the closest it had ever been to Ryusuke's which was why for the first time she noticed the very light freckles he had on and around his nose bridge. Gulping she blinked awkwardly as Ryusuke's orbs became clouded , like he was contemplating what to do. A split moment later , Misaki realized that he was moving closer to her , to close the space between them and under normal circumstances where her mind wasn't already under turmoil , no thanks to a certain blonde model , she would have helped Ryusuke close the space in between. But it wasn't right. And no matter how much she hated men , she could certainly make Ryusuke an exception. She would not break his heart. He didn't deserve it.
'Oh my God!' Misaki thought in horror 'I'm becoming soft!'. She pulled back just as she felt his breath on her lips "I wouldn't know. We should ask Tony Stark" Laughing awkwardly and returning to her seat , the ravenette tried to avoid the hurt look in Ryusuke's eyes as she sat down "Let's solve the next one?"
"Yeah" He gritted out , picking his pencil up and running a hand through his hair as he read the next problem.
For the rest of their study time together , Ryusuke's mood didn't seem to improve. Misaki tried and failed to engage him into conversations that lasted longer than him replying in monosyllables. And now , as they packed to leave , Misaki realized that it had probably hurt Ryusuke a lot more than she would have thought it would.
"Are you okay?" She finally asked , wrapping her palm around his arm and stopping him before he could leave.
"No" He snapped , making her flinch a little "I'm not. What are you going to do about it?"
"Ryusuke I-" She started.
"Apologize? I don't want it" He cut her off.
"N-No I wasn't going to -" Misaki denied.
"Tell me , Misaki. What do you want? You make me feel like you probably want it too and then the answer is the complete opposite. Are you in it with me or not? Am I running the entire length alone? Because one thing I'm sure of is that I want to run with you. You're running too. But do you want to run holding my hand or is that too wishful of me?" He shrugged her hold off and grabbed her palm instead "Let's hear it today"
Instead of looking him in the eye , Misaki focused her gaze on the tip of her boots "I.." Am fond of you. Don't wanna break your heart. Don't want to make you hate me. Can't do this to you.
"Is it so hard? Is it so hard for you to give me a chance?"
"That's not true , Ryusuke"
"Is it so hard with Takumi too?"
"What?" Shock made her look up and a look of hurt crossed her face.
It was as if a switch had been flipped and Ryusuke snapped out of his trance when he took her posture and expression in "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you this way" He didn't sound completely apologetic but not insincere either as he let go of her palm.
"It's okay" Misaki replied in a small voice "Ryusuke. I need time. I need time to sort things out , I need time to understand all that I'm going through and.. I need time to be able to give you an answer properly"
"I understand. But for now , will you do me a favor by answering one question I have , truthfully?" He looked at her , eyes full of hope.
"Anything" The ravenette found herself saying.
"If Takumi and I were drowning , who would you save?" Ryusuke asked without missing a beat , nonchalant expression on his face as he watched her attentively.
Ryusuke's girlfriends always drooled over Takumi so I guess that only added up to the list of reasons as to why Ryusuke hated him.
If this was about male ego , Misaki was assured Ryusuke had one as big as Takumi's. And right now , he was weighing his chances against Takumi by putting her in a spot like this. He wanted to know what were his odds of winning her over. Smiling mentally , Misaki decided that she might never get a shot at testing her unnamed relationship with Takumi ever again all the while making things crystal clear for herself. Plus point? She was not hurting Ryusuke either. Infact , she was going to make him much happier by this little relevation.
"You" She lied , smiling.
AND I'M BACK MY LOUVES!
Okay before other things I want to make something clear. Misaki is not being selfish if any of you think that way. People do crazy things when they are confused. Especially when it comes to love. She doesn't know that she's attracted to Takumi in a romantic way and she likes Ryusuke as nothing more than a friend , that's why she doesn't want to hurt him but she thinks siding with him might make it easier for her to really discover what being with Takumi would bring her. If its happiness or if it's more hurt and pain. Right now , she doesn't have the wrong intentions , she's just unaware of the consequences. I hope I got my point across!
Also , thank you so so much! This story is now on 19.6K reads , 3K more than last time and I seriously can't thank all of you enough for taking time out to read my stories. I love each and every one of you!
XOXOXO
| Tear Blaze |