Kaiba poured Tea another shot of tequila. This was her second, and Kaiba was watching her carefully to see if she was beginning to falter. To his surprise, she kept her composure, confidently grinning at him with every shot he poured. But Kaiba knew how alcohol worked. Give or take ten minutes and the substance would wreak havoc on her bloodstream. He just hoped the alcohol affected her bloodstream before it did his. This was a game Seto Kaiba refused to lose.
He poured himself another shot of whiskey then asked, "Need a chaser, Gardner? I mean your alcohol is just so strong."
"Shut your trap, Kaiba. I can handle Jose Cuervo without a chaser, but thanks for your ever so kind offer," she rolled her eyes and downed the substance like it was water.
Kaiba smirked wickedly as he observed Tea take her shot. He drew the glass up to his lips, but before guzzling his shot, he decided he wanted to spice up their little game. Kaiba's mischievous grin grew and his eyes became wild, "Why don't we take things up a notch?"
She cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"
He set his drink down. "We wager."
"A wager?"
"Haven't you placed a bet before?"
She shook her head innocently.
He slapped his palm to his forehead; "I should've known you were too immature for something like this."
"I'm not immature!" She defended herself, "I obviously know what betting is! I've just never had the opportunity to bet on anything. Geez, Kaiba, cut me some slack…"
His eyes dashed deviously into hers, "If you win I'll consider cutting you some slack."
She narrowed her eyes, not letting his unruly gaze break her, "Alright, I'm listening. What's your wager?" She slapped on a sassy smile that drove Kaiba crazy. "The first person to get drunk has to eat an entire jar of pickled eggs?" She snorted at her fake proposition.
Kaiba rolled his eyes, "Don't be so elementary, Gardner."
She laughed a bit too hysterically and Kaiba believed the alcohol had a little something to do with it. "I'm sorry, I just pictured you trying to scarf down pickled eggs!" She began giggling again.
He just stared at her in pure annoyance, waiting for her laughter to die down. Once he noticed her calming down he asked, "Are you done?"
She nodded, still holding onto a cheesy smile, "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry." She cleared her throat and gestured, "Please continue."
"Thank you. As I was saying…." This time his eyes and grin matched in perfect guile; "If I win…" he seized a long pause to capture her full attention, "you have to forget about Yugi."
She blinked a few times as her head tilted backward in shock, "Forget about Yugi? What do you mean?"
Kaiba took his shot as a way to seal his wager; he wouldn't go back on his word now. The shot glass clanked against the bar as Kaiba lazily set it down, feeling his buzz begin to kick in. "I meant exactly what I said."
"I can't just forget about one of my best friends, Kaiba," she shook her head, "that's ridiculous."
"Then don't lose and you won't have to forget."
"But I can't just obliterate someone from my mind! That's not how memory works," she explained.
His hazy blue eyes glared into hers, "You know that's not what I meant."
She didn't speak.
"I'm doing this for your own good." Indeed he was. She had indicated she wanted to move on, and forgetting Yugi was the best place to start. However, in the back of his mind he knew it was a selfish request. As much as he wanted to not care about the relationship Tea and Yugi had, the more time Kaiba spent with Tea, the more he wanted to drive Yugi away from her past for good. Even the idea was just too much for Kaiba and he blamed his thought process on the liquor.
"You said you'd help me move on when we got back to the real world. Why are you making a bet like this while we're still trapped here? I don't understand Kaiba, how is forgetting about Yugi going to help me move on?"
He narrowed his eyes at her and a small scowl etched itself onto his face. Because I want you! His thoughts were screaming at him. Again, he continued to blame it on the alcohol. Keeping his composure, he began to present his case like the well-rounded businessman he was, "Yugi is the reason you're in this condition in the first place." Kaiba stopped to pour them each another shot. "I mean," his eyes darted for hers and she seemed to be on edge, exactly where he wanted her to be, "Yugi is the one that caused you so much distress. Don't you want to let that all go?" He handed over the shot of Jose Cuervo, grazing her fingertips with his as he did so.
His eyes screamed of pure seduction, and Tea could not look away. She was caught in his trap.
"Take the edge off," he smirked as he encouraged her to drink.
She took the beverage and contemplated for a moment on whether or not she should drink it. She spoke before taking what would soon be her third shot of tequila, "Why would you want to make this your wager? My past is something that's never concerned you."
"Who said this wager wasn't about me?"
She wrinkled her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
His mind was shouting at him, begging him to say exactly what he'd been feeling. For two years Kaiba watched her lifeless body waste away in front of him. Everyday he had wished he could just demand her to wake up, to get her to come back to life, anything to end the madness. But now, she was living, breathing and talking to him like nothing had changed in the past two years. Kaiba had worried about Tea's well being long before he had gotten to know her here in the virtual world. In fact, getting to know her was what he wanted all along. During the six months that Tea was in his care, he had wished he'd known her better before her accident. Kaiba just wished he didn't need the alcohol to realize these things. Yes, his motivation was selfish, but at least he knew what he wanted. And he wanted her.
He began persuading her in a business-like fashion once again, "Clearly you don't believe Yugi's the right person for you."
She hesitated. "N-no…. But what does that have to do with-"
"Then you're saying you haven't found the right person."
"No….?" She blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around what Kaiba was saying.
"So think about my wager once again. If I win, you forget about Yugi."
"Kaiba, why would you want me to forget about Yugi? We've already clarified he isn't the right person for me. Are you saying you know who is?"
Immediately after the words left her mouth she knew. Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened, staring into Kaiba's determined sapphire spheres. Kaiba could see the questions panning out behind her eyes as she tried to come to terms with her realization.
The alcohol helped his case, Kaiba couldn't deny that, but he knew, even six months ago, that all he wanted was her. Yugi didn't deserve her. Especially not after indirectly causing Tea's accident. No, she had to be his, and that was his true wager.
"Kaiba, are you telling me you're the-"
"What's your wager, Gardner?" He couldn't let her finish. No matter how much alcohol was running through his veins, he couldn't say he wanted her out loud. It just wasn't how he rolled.
Grabbing the whiskey bottle he began to chug from it, washing down his words. He felt slightly embarrassed to having practically admitted his true feelings toward Tea, but he felt even more foolish that it took her so long to realize. Maybe she didn't care about him? Whatever the reason, Kaiba could leave this entire fiasco behind him once they got back to the real world. He could go back to focusing on his company and spending more time with Mokuba. Those were the things that truly mattered to him anyway.
She finally took her shot of tequila, trying to wash away the awkwardness that this entire thing sprung. This time she reacted to the stinging of the alcohol, or was she attempting to rid her mind of what he almost admitted? Either way, it didn't matter. At this point Kaiba wanted to lose the bet. Letting her win would mean their situation wouldn't be compromised. They could leave this place, go back to their usual lives and pretend this never happened—
"If I win, you have to tell me how you truly feel about me."
—until she said that.
He laughed uncomfortably, taking another swig from his Jack Daniels bottle.
She placed a hand on her hip and mocked his smugness, "What's the matter, Kaiba? Afraid to tell me your true feelings?"
He slammed the remainder of the whiskey and set the bottle down firmly as to indicate his triumph. He pushed the remainder of the Jose Cuervo toward her, "Looks like you've gotta lot of catching up to do, Gardner."
She yanked the bottle from his grasp, "Quit changing the subject, Kaiba!"
He drunkenly rolled his eyes, "I'm not."
She scowled at him, "Yes, you are."
"Fine. You want to know how I feel about you?" He inched closer to her, the smell of whiskey tumbling from his breath like a hazy fog, "I think you're afraid, Gardner."
"Afraid?"
"You're afraid to move on. You're afraid to find your way in the world."
She didn't say anything.
"That's why you never left Domino City. You were too afraid to move to New York and become a dancer, am I right?"
"I'm not afraid, Kaiba. Besides, I know how you feel about me. Even if you won't say it."
He scoffed at her, "Then you've wasted your bet!"
"No, I've won."
His eyes flashed in disdain and he growled, "What do you mean?"
"You're the one that's afraid, Kaiba. You're afraid to tell me how you feel."
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He'd never tell her that out loud, but all in all, she was spot on. He was definitely afraid. No, more like terrified. Terrified that she'd think differently of him, terrified she'd reject him or even make fun of him.
What she said next completely baffled him.
"You don't have to say it, Kaiba. I already know. And you're right, maybe I am a little bit afraid, but so are you, and that's okay. We can be afraid together."
We can be afraid together…. Her words echoed in his eardrums. Was this her confirmation that she felt the same way about him as he did her? How could she feel the same way? She wasn't the one watching from a window for six months.
He didn't know what to say, so he stuck to his stubbornness and tried to keep his walls up the best he could, even though they were crumbling quickly. "So, you wagered on information you already knew. Good one, Gardner."
She crossed her arms over her chest; her face was as smug as his. "You haven't won yet, Kaiba."
He glared at her, "Really? What could possibly make you think that I've lost? You should know me better than that, I seldom lose."
She bent over the bar, inching closer to his face. "You wanna win? Then make me forget about Yugi."
He didn't need any more confirmation than that. Every fiber of his existence wanted her, needed her, and she had just invited him in.
Kaiba made a mad dash for her lips, taking them in impatiently. He weaved his hands through the silky smooth strands of her hair, realizing how remarkable it felt, even though it was virtual. After months of watching her body practically decay, actually being able to feel the life in Tea was incredible.
She was like fire, responding to his kiss with energy that completely amazed him. It was as if she wanted this as much as he did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the threads of his hair, twirling her fingers through his chocolate locks.
To his surprise she opened her mouth and grazed her tongue across his lips. She tasted like a sugared lemon and Kaiba deduced that to be the tequila. He allowed her tongue to dance with his, opening his mouth to let her take control. She was a great kisser, again to Kaiba's surprise. He supposed she and Yugi must've….
He abruptly broke the kiss.
She pulled away from him, quickly removing her arms from his neck. "What's the matter?" She asked. There was genuine concern in her voice.
He didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say, he was flustered, embarrassed, and angry with himself for letting his thoughts betray him.
"Did I do something wrong?"
He took her in, observing the apprehension that was engraved within her gorgeous azure eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, splotched with light pink hues. Kaiba assumed his face looked roughly the same. How was he to explain himself? With as embarrassed and as turned on as he was, how was he able to translate his thoughts to her without completely offending her?
"No." His response was firm. He struggled to hide his humiliation. Tea could probably tell how mortified he was. He did break their kiss after all….
"Are you sure?"
He let his anger flare, taking out all of the irritation he held toward himself and directing it toward her, "Yes, Gardner. I'm fucking sure."
"Okay, no need to snap."
He snarled, "Let's just leave. Forget this whole thing ever happened." He walked around the bar and began to head toward the back door of the facility.
"Kaiba, wait!" Tea pleaded. Her pleas weren't enough to stop him. He just needed to get sober and forget this journey ever occurred.
"Please don't leave!"
Gripping the doorknob, he swung open the door, ready to step through.
"I'm sorry…." Her voice trailed, "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry…."
He exhaled audibly and closed his eyes in annoyance. He paused in the doorway, ready to leave, and he should've, but the way he felt wasn't her fault. "Don't be sorry, Gardner. I don't blame you."
"Please stay?" It was a question he could tell she was nervous to ask, but she was brave enough to do so anyway.
Without looking back, he walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him.
A/N: Geez, Kaiba, grow up. Haha, I'm just kidding! (No, but really, he needs to grow up.)
"But I can't just obliterate someone from my mind! That's not how memory works," Hermione would disagree with you Tea…. I can't look at this sentence without thinking of Hermione using the Obliviate spell. Why do I do this to myself?
I have to point out something to you guys that I noticed like halfway through editing this chapter. So last chapter Tea accused Kaiba of being an alcoholic and his response was something like: "Alcoholics don't take time to make drinks. They just drink everything straight," and in this chapter we have Kaiba drinking straight out of a Jack Daniels bottle. I guess you could say that escaladed quickly….
Just want to send all of you lovely readers a HUGE thank you for sticking with me. I apologize for not updating sooner. College is a bitch and real-life is even more of a bitch and I've had to deal with both in hefty amounts the past week or so (hence why I couldn't update sooner.) I promise I'll try my best to update to chapter 8 much quicker. Thanks for all of your encouraging words and your devotion to this story. It means a lot to me. Thank you!
