AN/ Okies! Some brief changes here in this part, very much worth reading...I think ^^;;;; But yeah! The next part is a bit more funny if you reread this. So yes! Please enjoy! And Please pweeeeaaassse Review! I'll be your best friend ^.~
Disclaimer: This disclaimer is lame, cause technically this has nothing to do with Digimon other than the characters...but even their personalities are technically mine! So ha ha ha! *smiles innocently*
Oooh and thanks to Rain Doe for being my muse!! And all you cute people who reviewed!!----------3
Part 2
The month that followed my life carried on as it usually did. Time seemed to move fast once you fall into a routine. The only thing that changed was my relationships with Tai and Matt.
When the party had ended that night, Tai walked me home after helping Sora clean up. It was late so the streets were empty and quiet, only adding to my melancholy feelings. Tai never told me straight out that he had feelings for me, but I knew. He didn't ask what was in the note Matt had given me, something intuitively must have told him, for he never finished our conversation.
"Hey," He murmured with a slightly teasing tone. "It's just a piece of paper right? You don't have to cry about it."
I laughed and rubbed my eyes not caring how raccoon smudged they probably looked. He just smiled at me, though his eyes looked sad, and wiped the tears from my eyes. I tried my best to smile back at him, but it was a weak smile.
"Are you alright now?" He asked, though it was in a serious voice I didn't recognize.
"Yes." I whispered looking down at ground far below. "I'm sorry Tai, I didn't mean to get like that."
When I managed to look back up at him, the look on his face showed that he understood. I reached out and took his hand, twining my fingers with his, trying to comfort the pain I knew he was feeling. He gave me a comforting smile and pulled me to him hugging me close. And as I laid my head on his boyish chest I couldn't help but think how wonderful it felt to be held by him again, like how it used to be.
"It's all good Mimi." He said in my ear, his voice sounded back to normal. "Lets go back to the party, everyone is probably wondering where the Princess was taken to."
I followed him inside looking around to see that a lot of people had already left, and to my dismay Matt had gone also. Sora would be the one who told me later as I left, that she had seen Matt stalk out of the room without even saying so much as a word to anyone. I wished desperately that I could have talked to him. Though the more I thought about it the more I realized what would I say?
As Tai and I continued to walk I sneaked glances at him to see if he ever looked at me. He just stared casually around though his eyebrows were slightly furrowed together though he grinned at me whenever he caught me looking at him.
"So whatcha thinking about Tai? You look very serious." I teased putting a mock serious expression on my face.
He laughed and met my eyes with a challenging look. "I'm thinking you're about to run into a trashcan if you continue skipping backwards like that."
I stopped and turned to see a trashcan less then a few inches away from me. I giggled at this and turned back to him, pleased that he was now smiling.
"Thanks for the warning. I would have smelled worse than you without showering after a soccer game." I teased.
"Hey!" He said indignantly. "That's a natural manly scent from hard work and dedication to the game."
I blinked disbelievingly. "Hard work huh? How's chasing a cute little ball around hard work, or manly?"
He glared at me before he faked a swipe for my waist as I laughed and jumped around him all the while sticking my tongue out.
"Some charmer you are!" I muttered and then posed all dramatically. "Good thing my apartment is right here who knows what you'd do to an innocent and sweet girl like me!"
"Oh come on Mimi." Tai pleaded looking helpless and puppy like as he followed behind me tail between his legs style while I dashed up the front steps to my building. When I got to the top step I stood and looked down at him. He stood on the step just below mine with a big lopsided grin on his face as I leaned in closer. This time it was my turn to surprise him by planting a quick kiss on his forehead.
"Good night Tai."
He just stood there for a second and blinked, before he too wished me good night and walked away. I stood at the top of the step watching him leave till I could no longer hear the echo of his footsteps on the pavement. I smiled thoughtfully before I went into my building. It truly felt like nothing had changed, though with Tai everything was so purely happy and just plain…simple.
I started school again with the rest of my friends, and between trying to catch up, I often searched the halls at school trying to find Matt. The few times I actually saw him, he barely even acknowledged that I was there. It didn't take any more then that to know he was avoiding me. That hurt, a lot, but it made me all the more determined to talk to him. No boy ever ignored Mimi Tachikawa, especially one who even knows who I am!
The buzz had hit that Matt was having his first concert of the year and anyone who was anyone was going to go. I had remain oblivious about it until Tai came up to my locker one day and asked me t go with him.
"Come on Mimi please!" He pleaded in an overly dramatic voice that drew odd looks from other students passing by and put quite a bit of effort on my part not to laugh. "Matt specifically said that I had to be there! I don't wanna go alone, but he's counting on me!" His eyes grew teary as he clung to my arm. "Don't you see that you have to go with me? No guy as cool a myself can go to a club without a pretty girl!"
I tried to hold my laughter in for at the moment he was far from being a cool guy. Though how could I have possibly refused? When I finally cracked and broke into a fit of giggles, Tai smiled widely knowing full well I had caved.
"Okay, okay," I said between laughs. "I get the point I'll go."
He swooped in and kissed my hand playfully before he stood again with a triumphant grin on his face. "Then I will gladly be there to pick you up Saturday, around eight."
The night of Matt's concert, oddly, I dreaded to go. Intuition seemed to be trying to tell me something for even as I stepped into Tai's car I trembled; though when I looked up into Tai's face all my fears seemed to fly away like butterfly's caught in a breeze. He looked amazing considering how casual he was dressed. I couldn't place what it was about him in just simple black baggy pants and a loose shirt thrown over, but he looked better than I had ever seen him before. I kept telling myself that it wasn't from the long look of adoration that shone in his eyes when he saw me.
Tai's car spat and sputtered the whole way there, but Tai had turned on the radio to drown out the noise. A familiar rock song came on and Tai sung to it in a voice that surprised me. His voice wasn't as good as say Yamato Ishida's, but it was rich and happy sounding, more than just pleasing to the ears. As he sung he would cast glances in my direction and smile disarmingly whenever he saw that I was too looking at him. Just watching him put a permanent smile plastered on my face and made me feel entirely light. Being with him did that to me, and even though we were in his beat up car listening to music that was far from being romantic, I felt happier and more content than I had felt in a long time. Somehow, without my realizing it, my hand had found it's way over to his hand resting on the stick shift and stayed there until we arrived at the club.
Sweaty bodies all moved trance like to the steady pulse of the beat that sang out through clouds of smoke and colored lights. The jingle of chinking glasses could be mildly heard as waitresses in long aprons carried trays of drinks to the lit booths around the dance floor; each glass reflecting the rainbow of lights that danced from the ceiling with the people below. None of these things around me were as beautiful as that heavenly rich voice the rose above everything. I could do nothing but stand transfixed at how amazing Matt was and I couldn't take my eyes off of him even as Tai and I worked our way through the moving wave of people. Matt's hair was plastered to his forehead as his fingers strummed madly over the strings of his guitar, I could tell he was lost in his own world of music.
"Mimi!" I heard Tai yell over the loud music, bringing my attention back to him. "I can see the others over there together." He said pointing to a booth off to the side of the club.
"Go on ahead." I yelled back. "I'll catch up, I want to dance first!"
"I'll join you in a bit!" He smiled with a mock come-hither gaze and winked at me before he disappeared into the crowd.
I let the music take over me as I danced my way through the crowd. Several people dancing near me smiled approvingly as I danced near them and jumped around happily to the music. For I awhile I stopped thinking and just moved to the beat letting the free feeling the music cast a spell over me. I felt as though I became one with the music, my body moved as though it flowed with the same energy that Matt used as he created his music. I continued to loose myself within my dancing until the feeling that someone was watching snapped me out of my daze.
Still moving I looked around to find who was watching me dance. Everyone was just dancing contently no one really paying much attention to anyone else. I looked up at the stage and found what I was looking for. Matt's eyes gazed soul searchingly into me even as he was singing.
My breath caught in the back of my throat, the will to dance left me and all I could do was stare spell bound back up at him. Even as his song ended and the room was filled with cheers and applause, his eyes never left sight of me.
As he strut of the stage at the end of his show, Matt's fan girls either mobbed him or stood a safe distance away giggling and squealing amongst each other. Matt was mobbed so badly that the bouncers from the club had to force their large arms between the girls to get them to stop.
I had found my way to the secluded neon lit booth that rose a few steps above over looking the dance floor where Sora, Kari, Tai, and Takeru sat sipping on their drinks through small, red plastic straws. Drips of condensation, formed on their glasses, slowly dripped down onto cardboard coasters resting next to stacks off empty and unused ashtrays.
I sat uneasily on the other side of Tai playing my fingers nervously through the pink strands of hair that were now slightly damp with sweat from the dancing I had done. Sora had intrigued Tai into a conversation on soccer and occasionally I heard him or her laugh at something they said. The ache only increased when I saw him lean his face closer into her so she could better hear the story he was enthusiastically telling. He's not mine remember? If he likes Sora I should be happy.
I watched Takeru glancing at Kari whenever she wasn't looking, and even as she caught him, sending him a shy smile when their eyes met. The ache seemed to grow worse.
Matt finally worked his way through the crowd of adoring fans to our booth, sliding into a spot next to Takeru right across from me.
Takeru tore himself away from looking at Kari and gave his brother a hearty pat on the back. "Matt, as always, you were awesome up there!"
"Thanks," He said casually flicking a glance at me. I began to wonder if maybe the club had suddenly gotten warmer.
"Yeah Matt," Tai jeered, "I almost believed it was you singing! Ouch!" Matt kicked him under the table.
Kari giggled then looked shyly over at T.K. "I think I'm going to go dance." She climbed over Sora and Tai and I stood to move out of her way. Takeru looked longingly after her as she walked down the steps onto the floor.
I smiled and laughed at this making Takeru look over at me with confusion written on his face. I leaned over to him still smiling. "I think that's a hint for you to follow."
His cheeks reddened slightly, but he sent a confident grin at me before he too excused himself.
Matt ordered a drink as a waitress came by out table to give me a new cherry coke with its sugar dyed red, maraschino cherries. I took a small sip and stared out onto the dance floor. A slow trance song was playing and Kari and Takeru were wrapped in each other's arms swaying to the mystical music. Once again I felt that horrible ache in my chest, which soon turned into the tangible feeling of loneliness, and once again I felt his eyes on me. I looked over at him directly meeting his stare, daring my heart to skip, daring him to look away, and daring myself not to be afraid. If a mere gaze could physically pierce ones heart, his would have done just that.
Sora glanced back and forth between Matt and I all the while running her tongue over her lips in thought.
"Tai," She said turning to him suddenly, giving him a bewitching smile. "Come dance with me please?" She pleaded giving him soft puppy looking eyes; I almost expected to hear her whimpering.
He grinned and set his drink he was chugging only seconds before down on the table. "All right then! I will be honored to escort thou to the dance floor Mi'lady." He said trying to mimic an old English accent, but failing badly.
Sora giggled as he took her hand and crawled out of the booth and under the sticky table. She quickly dragged him away but not before he sent one last glance at me, smiling one of those same secret smiles Takeru and Kari had been giving each other.
I could feel my cheeks become warm and I quickly took a long sip from my drink praying Matt didn't notice. After setting my drink down I looked up at him to see his face briefly illuminated from the flash of the flame from his lighter as (to my surprise) he lit a cigarette. I watched him as he took a drag and exhaled the smoke slowly, letting the smoke coil and curl around his fingers and hair. My gaze drifted. The collar on his shirt was unbuttoned exposing a great amount of his neck and hints of his chest, glistening with the trace of sweat.
"I really loved your show Matt," my fingers fidgeted under the table, "I never new you sang so beautifully."
He turned his attention back to me, the colored lights shone and reflected all over him giving his hair a halo that looked of soft rainbow feathers, his eyes glittered like the sea at sunset; I wanted to tell him that he too was beautiful.
"Thanks." He simply replied and slicked the loose hair that fell into his eyes back with his hand, relaxing against the vinyl cushion of the booth.
"Matt can I ask you something?" I started as I fiddled with my straw trying to ignore my stomach as it slowly twisted and untwisted inside me.
"Yeah." He said coolly, giving a little nod and staring out at the floor absentmindedly ashing his cigarette.
"Who are your songs about?" I asked leaning in slightly trying to get his attention.
"You can't figure it out yourself?" He asked cynically as he raised his eyebrow at me, but then looked quickly away. I bit my lip, feeling angry at him for making me feel stupid. Oh how I wished then that I could be as bright and funny as Sora so I could put a smile on his face, or as openly sweet as Kari and send him shy glances across the table, but I was stuck being me.
"Oh I see." I nodded throwing a glance over at the mob of fan girls surging against the strong arms of the bouncers. "So which fan-girl is it about this week? How about that blonde one flashing us a view of her best qualities--of which she seems to have an abundance."
I wondered as soon as that escaped my lips if I had really said that out loud. Obviously I had struck a nerve of shock that not even the mighty Matt Ishida could hide, but seeing his shock turn to anger I bit my tongue. Yup I really did say it. Oh why can't I be more like Jyou who thought before he spoke, never saying anything that tactless or nearly as stupid as that.
"So what if it is?" He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing on me. I definitely got his attention.
"Is that a yes then?" I asked already digging myself to deep to get out of the hole I had dug.
"Do you like Tai?"
His question felt like an icy blow; my throat tightened making me have to clear it before I could answer him.
"What does that have anything to do with anything?" I replied, wondering all the while how this wonderful night had suddenly fallen to crap.
He frowned turning his eyes away from me. "Exactly."
What? I was completely lost on his line of reasoning. After a brief moment and I still I didn't answer he rose and dropped some cash on the table to pay for his drink.
"If that's all Mimi, excuse me."
My heart seemed to be stuck in my throat and I bit my lip hard trying not to feel anything as I watched him stalk down the steps like an angry panther, and disappear into the moving mound of people, which now streamed and slithered to the quick beat that vibrated throughout the club. The whole building looked to be alive and moving. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily feeling dizzy from staring into the mass too long hoping that somehow if I stared long enough I would see Matt emerge again. I let my head collapse into my hands. What was wrong with me?