Always…
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I don't own anything **sob**
Miaka stood at her second story office window, arms crossed and staring out into the darkening street below. A chill rushed over her body as she saw a yellow taxi pull up outside the building. A quick glance at her watch told her the Nick was right on time. She watched as he ran into the building just as drops of rain began to fall from the sky.
The young woman quickly pushed a stray lock of hair back into her French twist and took a deep breath. She had all but convinced herself that Nick Casey was not Nuriko. True, there was a strong resemblance but that was just coincidence and her overactive imagination. With the problems she and Tamahome had been having it was no surprise that she longed to see her old friends again. Just the thought of them brought a smile to her face and she quickly became lost in her memories.
Nick found her that way, standing next to her desk, a dreamy smile on her face and a slight blush on her cheeks. Leaning against the doorway, he took advantage of the opportunity to study her and his eyes traveled the length of her body and back up again, finally coming to rest on her face.
He couldn't explain why, but he was drawn to her in a way he had never been to anyone in his life. Just being in the same room with her made him want to grab her and never let go.
He had never really known love before. Growing up he had been teased because of his feminine looks, often being mistaken for his sister. Upon entering high school he had done his best to remedy the situation, signing up at a gym and working out sometimes for hours each day. The hard work had paid off somewhat, giving him a muscular physique that women seemed to admire. After graduation and through college, there had been women he had been intimate with. He had even been engaged a few years ago. But he had never felt a connection with those women. . Not like he had seemed to have after five minutes alone with Miaka. He had barely talked to the woman but he now couldn't image living a life without her in it. Forget it, Nick. He told himself, a wry grin coming to his lips. She's taken and are you really surprised? Besides why would she want a man who looks like a woman and writes romance novels? She probably thinks you're gay for Heaven's sake.
A clap of thunder shook the building and Miaka jumped, thrust from her thoughts. "Nick! How long have you been standing there?" She asked, a hand coming to her chest.
"Not that long." He smiled and pushed away from the door. "Looks like it's about to start coming down pretty hard."
"I hate storms." She sighed, staring out at the quickly blackening sky.
"I have an idea! Why don't we stay here for our meeting? We can order Chinese and let the delivery guy get good and soaked while we stay in here where it's nice and dry."
Miaka giggled softly. "I think that's an excellent idea." Picking up a gym bag lying next to the desk she added, "I'm going to go change. I hate stuffy clothes and I've had to endure them all day. Why don't you order while I'm gone?"
"Sure thing." As Nick dialed the restaurant, he tried to push away the images of Miaka undressing in the next room. His gaze lingered to the closed door he wandered how he would ever get through this meeting. Perhaps from now on he would have to insist on phone calls and emails, because the attraction he had for her would do neither of them any good and it was best that he kept his distance.
Hanging up the phone, he grinned as she emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was now piled on top of her head in a ponytail and instead of the business suit she had been wearing she now sported a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.
"What?" Miaka asked, upon seeing his grin.
"Oh… nothing." Unwilling to tell her just how cute she looked. Stop it! He told himself. Just stop right now before you say or do something you'll regret.
"I know these sweats are hideous looking, but they're comfortable." She said, making a face. "Now while we're waiting for the food to get here, why don't we talk about an idea I have?"
"Sounds good to me." Flopping down on a plush couch, he looked up at her expectantly.
"Now before you say anything, let me finish. Your book sales are fantastic, which you already know. But they could be so much better if you would do book signings and personal appearances." Nick opened his mouth to speak and she held up a hand. "Let me finish. Now, the only problem with that is that your readers think you're a woman and probably would not like the fact that they were deceived. No matter how good your writing is they would turn on you. Figuring that a man could not understand the thoughts and emotions of a woman. Your sales would drop and your writing career would most likely be over. But I have a way for you to make personal appearances and keep your identity secret."
Sitting down in one of the comfortable looking chairs in front of her desk she pulled her legs beneath her and grinned at him excitedly. "My idea is to disguise you as a woman."
"What!" Nick stared at her, his mouth hanging open.
"It's perfect, don't you see? You have a slight figure and your face has the delicate bone structure of a woman." Sadness filled her eyes and her grin turned into a soft smile. "Actually I had a friend who looked almost exactly like you. He lived most of his life as a woman."
"Yeah? What made him stop?" Resting his arms on his knees, Nick leaned forward.
"I-I'm not sure." She lied picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her leg. "He…he was…killed not too long after."
"I'm sorry."
Miaka wiped her eyes quickly and forced a smile. "But that was a long time ago. My point is that you could easily pass as a woman if you tried."
Even knowing that she was right, Nick still felt a shot of pain pierce his heart. Over the years he had learned to ignore the teasing and name-calling. He had built a wall around his heart, not allowing anything that anyone said bother him. Looking into her wide eyes, he knew she meant no harm in her assessment. And she was right, of course, he looked like a woman without trying. It was passing himself off as the man he was that he had a problem with. That fact had never bothered him all that much lately, but knowing that she saw him as feminine made him hate his appearance for the first time in years. Noticing that a small frown had formed on her face because of his silence he cleared his throat and smiled slightly.
"All right, I'll give it a shot."
Miaka held back the squeal of delight that immediately came to her lips and instead graced him with a huge smile. "Fantastic! Trust me, Nick, this is the best career move you can make."
"We'll see." He said dubiously.
"I'll have my assistant set up a few appointments for us tomorrow. So clear your schedule for Friday." She rose from her chair and headed around the desk, promptly tripping over the discarded gym bag. A small shriek caught her in throat just as Nick's strong arms broke her fall.
"Are you okay?" He asked, holding her steady.
"F-Fine." She stammered pulling away from him, trying to ignore the way his hands felt on her waist. Stepping down on her right foot she cried out, falling against his chest. "I must have twisted my ankle."
"Can you make it to the couch?"
"I think so." Her voice trailed off as she looked up, meeting his gaze with hers. Oh so familiar violet eyes seemed to stare right into her soul. 'No matter how long it takes….I'll find you…again.' Nuriko's words echoed through her mind and she knew in that moment that he had indeed found her again.
Nick gazed down in the emerald depths of Miaka's eyes, impure thoughts racing through his mind as every nerve in his body screamed to be closer to her. Nothing in his twenty-eight years had ever felt as right as having her in his arms. It was true that he wrote about love and passion on a daily basis but had never felt the same intensity that the characters in his books did. He now knew what it was all about. He felt as if he had been searching for this one person his whole life and knew that he had finally found her.
They both jumped violently as a knock sounded on the open office door.
"You the ones who ordered this food?"
Nick was the first to break eye contact and turn his head. "Oh…yeah." Picking up the still silent Miaka, he carried her to the couch and set her down gently. He then reached into his pocket and withdrew a wad of bills, shoving them at the deliveryman without counting it. "Keep the change."
"Cool, thanks!"
Kneeling down beside the couth, Nick set the food on the floor and looked at Miaka, deep concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
The young woman smiled vaguely and avoided his gaze as she gave him a small nod. "I'm fine. I just need to prop it up for a little while. This isn't the first time this has happened. I'm a bit prone to tripping over things."
"Well if the pain gets any worse let me know and I'll take you to the hospital."
Looking up she gave him a soft smile. "Thanks but I'll be fine, trust me. Now what did you order? I'm starving!"
A small time later they were both laughing over their food. Miaka sat on the couch, back propped against one of the arms; one leg tucked her under her while the other with the hurt ankle stretched out in front of her. Nick sat on the floor by her legs smiling up at her as she relived her college years for his amusement.
"So tell me about this boyfriend of yours." He said casually when she paused.
"Tamahome?" Miaka asked, her eyes clouding. "Well, we've been together since I was fifteen. We've always known we'd get married one day but…"
"But what?"
"Do you always ask so many questions?"
"It's part of my job." He said with a grin. "So if you guys have known all this time that you would one day tie the knot, how come you haven't yet?"
Miaka bit her lip as she pondered his question. Why hadn't they already married? After high school she had been more than ready to settle down. She and Tamahome had been attending the same university and had shared an apartment for the four years she had been there. Marriage had not been mentioned in all those years. At her graduation ceremony, Tamahome had slipped a diamond ring on her finger with a smile and still the word was never uttered. It was simply understood that they would always be together.
"I don't know why." She said now looking down into her food. "I thought at first it was because of school. Tamahome thought it was important that we both work, that way we would never be in financial trouble. So I got my degree and began working while he attended graduate school. When I was offered the position here I was sure he'd come with me. Transfer to a university here…but he didn't."
Pausing in her explanation, Miaka was stunned and embarrassed to feel tears coming to her eyes. The man sitting beside her might be a reincarnation of her dear friend Nuriko, but in this life she had known him less than a day and already she was spilling her heart out to him.
"I'm sorry." She said softly glancing up at him.
"Sorry? For what?"
Shrugging slightly she turned her attention back to her food, absently picking up noodles with her chopsticks only to drop them back in the container. "You asked me a simple question and I start telling you our whole history."
"You've barely told me anything." He said with a grin. "Telling me your whole history would involve the first time you kissed, the first time you said I love you and the first time you had sex. All of which I really don't want to know."
Miaka giggled and met his gaze. "So why aren't you married? Or at least involved?"
"And who says I'm not involved?"
"Mrs. Rosenthal. She made it a point to tell me that you are very available."
Nick groaned and rolled his eyes. "She's been trying to set me up ever since she met me." He shook his head. "I'm not involved…because I don't want to be." He said simply.
"Ah, you're one of those."
"One of what?"
"A confirmed bachelor."
Nick laughed. "I can honestly say I've never heard that before. Just what is a 'confirmed bachelor'?"
"It means you're single and will always be single. Even the thought of marriage or commitment makes you shake like a leaf."
"Oh but you are so wrong. I'm ready to settle down. Hell, I've been ready. But when you look like I do it's kind of hard to find a Saturday night date, much less someone you want to spend the rest of your life with."
"The way you look?" She asked with a confused look.
"Come on, you said it yourself. If I try I can realistically pass for a woman. Who wants to date a man who's prettier than she is?"
Miaka grinned. "Lots of women. Besides, just because I said you could pass for a woman, doesn't mean you look like a woman now. There are plenty of men with the same kind of bone structure you have and do you know what they're doing? Modeling, that's what! You're a very handsome man, Nick, don't let what some adolescent teenagers said over ten years ago rule the way you live your life now. You know you're a man and any woman who has any taste in men is going to see how gorgeous you are."
"So you think I'm gorgeous huh?" He asked, the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly.
She blushed prettily. "Um, well, you know…"
"No, tell me."
Glancing up quickly, she spied the mischievous glint in his eyes and glared at him. "Don't push it. I'd hate to dump this Lo Mien over your head and ruin this beautiful, brand new carpet."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't I?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "I can always cover the stain up with a rug."
Nick laughed and held up his hands defensively. "Ok, ok, I give. So how did you get a corner office anyway? One with a bathroom at that? You can't be more than, what, twenty-three twenty-four? Most people have to be with a company for years before they get a set-up like this."
The color on Miaka's face deepened as she set her carton on the floor. "I'm twenty-five and the reason I have this nice office is because my brother's best friend owns the company. I told him not to give me special treatment but Keisuke must have gotten to him." She sighed and shook her head. "My brother means well… but sometimes he doesn't realize that I need to do things on my own. Anyway, I was sure I would have a small office and maybe a nice view. Needless to say when I was shown to this one I was speechless. I didn't even get to pick out the furniture myself." She confessed with a hint of longing. "Sometimes it's almost as if I'm not even living my own life. All my decisions are made by other people, from where I live to whom I should love."
Nick stared at the forlorn woman in front of him and wished he could erase the sadness from her eyes. "So why don't you just tell them all what you want?" He asked softly.
"Because I'm not sure what that is," she admitted ruefully. "There was a time when I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. And I moved heaven and earth to make it happen. But it didn't turn out the way I thought I would and it wasn't as great as I thought it would be."
"So you made one mistake- we all make mistakes! We either fix them or realize there's nothing we can do about it and move on. Sometimes destiny makes our decisions for us."
"And sometimes our decisions make our destiny." Miaka smiled sadly and shook her head. "Listen to me whining about my life when I have everything I could ever want. I have a job, a fiancé and a family I love dearly. To ask for more would be selfish." Touching her ankle gingerly, her smile brightened. "It's all better now! I told you I'd be fine."
Nick scrambled to his feet as he noticed Miaka trying to rise. "Careful."
"You worry too much, see it's-" Her sentence was interrupted by a small cry as she tried to put weight on her injured ankle. Losing her balance she fell into strong arms for the second time that day.
"We really have to stop meeting this way." He said with a grin.
Miaka looked up and all the words she was about to say quickly melted from her mind. She could feel the hard muscles of his arms through his thin shirt and idly wondered how anyone could mistake him for a woman. His raven hair was short except on top, where it stubbornly fell into his eyes on a constant basis. Her eyes searched his face and she noticed his beauty mark for the first time. It brought a smile to her lips and she touched it gently. "You still have it."
He frowned slightly. "What? That ugly mole? I hate the damn thing. One of these days I'll have it removed."
"No!" She almost shouted then blushed, continuing in a softer tone. "Don't."
"All right, I won't." He answered softly. His heart was racing as he felt her lean into him slightly. Tightening his grip on her waist he let his eyes travel over her features, finally coming to rest on her mouth. Don't you dare. He warned himself. She's engaged and she's your editor. There are a million reasons why you shouldn't kiss her so don't even try it. All of his warnings and good intentions flew out the window as he felt her hands entangle themselves in his hair, pulling his head closer to hers. Ignoring the voice in his head he lay his hands on the small of her back and pulled her more fully against his body.
Miaka knew it was wrong. She shouldn't be having these feelings for another man; especially one who she was almost positive was a reincarnation of her friend. At that moment it didn't matter or perhaps it never would. It felt right and she was tired of everyone telling her what she was supposed to do. What if Tamahome wasn't her destiny after all? What if Nuriko had not been killed that day so long ago? What if… She thought, as she felt his warm breath caress her face.
The loud ringing of the phone made them both jerk violently, Nick unconsciously releasing his hold on Miaka, causing her to fall back onto the couch. "Shit, I'm sorry." He apologized.
"Don't worry about it. Could you answer that for me please?" Miaka tried to calm her racing heart as she watched Nick pick up the phone.
"Yeah hold on a sec." Holding out the receiver he smiled. "Never expected it'd be for you did you?"
She laughed slightly and struggled to her feet, hopping over to flop down in her desk chair. "Hello?"
"Who is that?" Tamahome asked immediately.
"A client. Did you just get home?"
"Yeah, have you thought about what we talked about?"
Miaka sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I haven't really had time."
"I see." He replied in a flat tone. "I guess I'll see you in a few weeks then."
"I'll just go ahead and leave." Nick whispered grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.
Placing her hand over the mouthpiece she shook her head. "You don't have to…"
"It's all right. I have an idea burning in my mind that I need to get out before I sleep tonight. Let me know what time I should be here Friday."
"Miaka, are you listening to me?" Tamahome asked impatiently.
Nodding to Nick she sighed into the phone once more. "Yes, Tamahome, I'm listening."
"I talked to Yui and all the arrangements have been made. Your flight leaves at 6 am and you two will be sharing a hotel room."
Miaka frowned. "A hotel room? Why can't I just stay with you like I always do? And you talked to Yui? When? I thought you just got home."
"My parents are going to be here and we can't sleep in the same room with them around. A hotel room makes the most sense. And I did just get home. I talked to Yui before I called you. I wanted to find out all the information before I talked to you."
"Tamahome, your parents know we shared an apartment for four years. I don't think they're going to care if we share the same room for two days."
"Please don't make a big deal out of this, Miaka. So we're not going to be in a bed together- it's just a place to sleep, after all."
"Fine." Rubbing the bridge of her nose she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "I'll call Yui later and find out the specifics."
"Great. I'm beat, so I'm heading off to bed. Talk to you soon."
"I love you…" Her voice ended in a whisper as she realized she was talking to the dial tone.