Chapter Two

Yamato leaned back in his chair and sighed happily while he listened to Mimi talk about her life in New York. It wasn't often that he got to eat anything besides fast food and his own cooking and it was nice to have something in his stomach that wasn't made primarily of grease without cooking it himself. But although the conversation she was carrying on was interesting, it didn't require much vocalization from him and, inevitably, his thoughts turned to a different path.

Maybe it was a mistake, proposing to Sora when I wasn't sure of my feelings for Mimi, or, in fact, her. He let his thoughts drift without interrupting them with denial, as he had done earlier. I'm sure I love Sora, that should be obvious, or else I wouldn't have been able to stay with her this long, but it's the kind of love you have for a friend, not a lover. I'd never even been attracted to Sora before Mimi started her modeling career and moved, I'd liked Mimi; but when I thought there was no chance, I guess I just turned to Sora and convinced myself that I was in love with her. That thought both cheered and saddened him; he glanced across the table at Mimi -who had suddenly fell silent- as she watch people dancing slowly to a hypnotic romance song. He noticed a longing in her eyes that twisted his stomach and made the food he was so content with a moment ago, feel like something hard and cold in his intestines.

Tonight was the one night a week that this particular restaurant had a live band, He had often expressed his want to come here with Sora, but her boss was an older woman -who happened to be quite infatuated with him- and refused to let her have a day off any other time than her schedule; of course, Sora was to honest to lie about being sick; she was a bad lair anyway.

Yamato couldn't stand the look in her eyes anymore, and when that song ended and the next one turned out to be another similar, he stood from the table and held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, raising an eyebrow without even thinking about it. He'd found from experience, that an arched eyebrow gave all women, consciously or unconsciously, the sense of mystery and excitement. He had yet to find a sensual woman who could resist that simple gesture. And, as Mimi nodded as if in trance, and placed her hand in his, it appeared she wasn't going to be that exception.

~* At Mimi's apartment *~

Mimi opened the door to her room at her expensive apartment and sat the bag she was holding down on a table in the immediate room, laughing so hard she thought she was going to drop it. Mimi came in after her, laughing as hard as she was, and sat the three bags he'd been carrying on the table next to hers.

Suddenly, she stifled her giggles and threw her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "That was the perfect first day back Yamato." She whispered. Throughout the day she had stumbled over that new name as if it hurt to say it. When he'd still been digidestined, he'd only allowed his friends to call him by his nickname Matt, and those he didn't consider close called him Yamato. After he'd realized that Mimi thought that it was the same, he was quick to dissuade her of that.

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to him, and the closeness brought an unexpected wash of pleasure that made his skin tingle and he fought to force it down. I think I had a little to much wine, I'm starting to feel lightheaded. "I'm happy you had fun." He said quietly, wondering why they were whispering. It sounded intimate to him and he felt uncomfortably anxious for something more to happen. Don't even think about it Yamato! He told himself sternly, even if you do love her, you have to tell Sora first. God! The engagement! I completely forgot to tell Mimi! She doesn't even know if I'm still with her, what if she thinks I was flirting? Oh shut up Yamato, you were flirting- are flirting! Okay, I have to tell her.

"Mimi?" He said; she hadn't moved from her position, but he realized that his arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist and she probably couldn't move.

"Hmm?" She answered, sounding somewhat dreamy, snuggling her head closer to his shoulder. The words, "I have to tell you that Sora and I are engaged." Stuck in his throat as new ones tried to force their way out, and with his mouth open, he didn't even have time to register what they were.

"I think I love you." Mimi looked up at him, shock and confusion written on her face, along with a spark in her eyes that was quickly turning to a flame and her arms tightened around his neck expectantly.

"I love you too, Yamato." God, what kind of trouble is this going to cause! His mind screamed hysterically; but it was buried under pleasure as he smiled and leaned down to meet his lips to hers.

*****

Yamato woke up the next morning to something that smelled like coconut conditioner and the feel of silk sheets. He stretched himself out on the strange -but unbelievably comfortable- bed, and became aware of a weight on his chest. Everything came back to him immediately and his body went limp with a strangled sob. What have I done? A rhetorical question not meant to be answered; from how sore he was in certain areas, he knew very well what he'd done.

He heard a sleepy groan and tensed as Mimi stirred before opening one eye halfway and crinkling her nose. He was terrified that she would be disgusted at seeing him in her bed, but she smiled warmly and cuddled up to him; he heaved a mental sigh of relief though didn't relax. Well that's one drama I'm glad I didn't encounter, I'd feel doubly bad if all this was for nothing. Her eyes snapped open when she noticed how tense he was and she looked up at him, fear and anger warring in her eyes. But fear won out as her bottom lip trembled, though she tried to suppress it and look impassive.

"Do you regret it Yamato?" No doubt what she was asking him if he regretted and he put an arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

"No, I don't." he said smiling, "But Mimi, there's something I have to tell you-"

"Tell me what?" There was a threatening tone to her voice and he took a moment to be amused and wonder what she could actually do to make him feel threatened. But he realized that he was in a very vulnerable position at the moment and figured it best not to get her angry.

"That I love you." She smiled a relieved smile and sat up so that her legs were straddling his waist.

She flipped her matted hair coyly over her shoulder and smirked at him. "I love me too." She said, then winked and slid off of him in a tantalizingly slow motion. She stood next to the bed -not bothering to cover herself- and allowed him to get an eyeful before turning and walking towards the bathroom. She stopped just outside the door, her hand resting on the knob, and turned to look at him. "I'm taking a shower, you better hurry if you want to join me?" then she opened it and walked in.

Yamato starred at the door in confusion for a second, then blinked and threw the blanket and sheets off as far as he could, but still managed somehow to get them tangled around his legs and fall on his face. He kicked them free of his feet and stumbled drunkenly to and through the bathroom door.

*****

Yamato was sitting on the balcony swing, Mimi curled up next to him; a blanket around both their shoulders and between them, their hair still wet from the shower. He had an arm around her waist, holding her to him, her head lying on his shoulder with his head laying on hers as they watched the rain clouds moving slowly towards the city. This feels so perfect, I don't ever remember feeling like this with Sora. Not even a twinge of guilt struck him at that thought.

"This feels so perfect" Mimi echoed his thoughts in a dreamy voice; Yamato smiled and held her tighter. She snaked her arms around him through the blanket and snuggled her head closer to his shoulder. "I've wanted this for so long Yamato, did you know that?" Yamato shook his head against hers.

"No, I didn't"

"I've had other lovers" She continued in that same dreamy voice. "Like four or five. My first time was about a year after I moved to America, with some guy named Justin Nicole; he was older than me, but that didn't matter. I stayed with him the longest; I learned a lot from him. The others were a mere week at most. I kept looking for someone I could just like to be around, you know, without the sex, but I couldn't find any." Now her voice took on a sad, lonely tone and he hugged her tighter.

"I've been abstinent for the last three years, pretty much gave up on finding anybody who actually appreciated me for me and not my body or reputation." He heard the anger and resentment when she choked out the last word and he felt a wetness on his shoulder as a single tear trailed down her face and pooled there.

"I've felt the same way since you left Mimi" he said, untangling a hand from the other and lifting her face to meet his, gently wiping away another tear with his thumb.

"Bu-ut, Sora?" Does she know?! His mind thought, almost panicking; he forced himself to stay calm or, at least, appear that way.

"I turned to Sora for the same reasons that you turned to that Justin guy and those others, but she was my friend and I did enjoy her company, so I was able to convince myself that I was in love with her." He paused a moment and then licked his dry lips with an almost equally dry tongue. "We're engaged you know, Sora and I."

"I know." She replied easily. He was surprised that she wasn't mad to say the least, but before he could ask "how", she removed her hand from where it had rested at the small of his back, and replied while she pulled the blanket that had fallen off her shoulder up. "Kari told me the good news." You'd have had to be deaf to miss the bitterness that coated the word; Yamato was, unfortunately, not deaf, and he flinched physically at hearing it. "So tell me Yama-chan, is it good news?"

He thought about the question, not wanting to say something he would later regret and finally decided. "No, not really, I mean, not now anyway. But how am I going to break it to her?" He asked, angry at his predicament. "What am I going to say?! "Oh, hi Sora, guess what, I just found out that I don't really love you, can I have my ring back so I can give it to your best friend Mimi?" That's subtle." He finished sarcastically.

Mimi slapped his shoulder and wiggled around in his grasp so that she was sitting on his lap, and wrapped her long legs around his waist. "Just tell her what feels right at the time." then she placed her arms around his neck and moved his head closer to hers, the blanket still covering both of them, but no longer between, separating their bare bodies. "Want to know what feels right, right now?" She asked and then leaned down and kissed him passionately.

With his arms still around her waist, he picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom.