End of the Affair

Part Four: Broken Hearts


~*~*~*~*~*

The early morning sun was lifting the mist off the lake as Micheal sat on the patio, idly thumbing through the lastest "Enquirer". It wasn't really that the tabloid intrested him- it was what was on the front page that intrigued him. He flipped back to it and read the headline again. "BBA Star Couple Break Up: What Really Happened". The caption was placed over a picture of Emily, looking REALLY pissed off. Micheal smirked. She was kinda cute when she fumed.

He set down the paper, idly picking up his coffee. He'd been wondering how long it would take for that relationship to go downhill. Emily and Kai were just too different for each other. She was a smart, social butterfly, while Kai was a distant loner with pride as his primary concern. He picked the tabloid back up and continued to flip through it until he came to the article. "Star Couple Breaks Up," he murmured, smirking. Kai didn't deserve Emily. He scrolled down the page.

His eyes widened. He blinked several times, trying to clear away the words he'd just read. "Oh.....my.....God..," he finally managed, choking somewhat on his sharp intake of air. "I can't believe I just read that."

But there it was, in black and white, on the printed page for all to see. Kai and that Chinese boy, Rei, were having an affair. Micheal coughed several times, trying to clear his throat. A waiter asked him everything was alright. He simply waved him off. Micheal read the words over and over and over again, but they still didn't fit in, didn't sink in. He just couldn't believe it.

Finally, he smirked, snickering to himself. "Well, at least Emily got rid of that bastard. And now she's single."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

The car's tires crunched slowly up the gravel drive, drawing out Rei's anxious waiting. Kai had called him out here for a reason and Rei could only hope it wasn't to be rid of him. The car finally halted, and Rei clambered out as quickly as he could.

The salty sea air was crisp and clear, the ever-present gulls wheeling and calling on the folorn shore. The sky was slate gray and the proud cliffs matched it's hue. The sea below them heaved, it's waters an unfriendly blue, rolling waves capped by white.

Rei shivered as the cold, winter air hit him, wishing he'd brought something a little heavier than the sweater he was currently sporting. His shoes crunched over the gravel drive, up to what was supposed to be a cottage, but came off as more of a house. It was old, built by the Hiwataris in the past as their summer vacation spot when the children were small. Rei simply couldn't imagine Kai's grandfather ever being young or ever having children, but he supposed it had happened.

The cottage was made of slate, adding to it's historical apperance. Windows were applenty, most looking like they'd just been replaced. The roof had recently been re-done. The door was a heavy, oaken storm door, a screen door placed in front of it. The porch was old and falling apart- wooden beams and pillars were rotting throughout the entire thing. Rei wondered why it hadn't been fixed.

From the cottage wound a long, winding gravel drive, that reached back some twelve acres to the roadway, which was hidden in the thick forest that started about six miles from the door. Rei swallowed and continued up the drive, onto the porch, side-stepping the rotten steps and reaching the porch fairly safely. He strode along it, over-night bag slung over his back- just in case of a prolonged stay. He still had no clue why Kai had called him up here.

Finally, the raven-haired boy reached the door and knocked on it lightly. No answer. Rei knocked again, harder this time. The door creaked open and Kai peered out at him. Rei swallowed nervously. The other boy opened the screen door, opening his mouth to speak, then caught sight of the overnight bag. "Planning on staying, Rei?"he asked grimly, mouth set in a frown, eyes narrowed almost angrily.

Rei swallowed and tried to hold back tears. He couldn't stand this. Kai had called him all the way up here just to make a mockery of him and break his heart. Thjis was it. He'd lost everything. Everything- his life had just completely unravelled.

Before Kai could even blink, Rei had taken off, heading towards the cliff with all the speed and grace of a cat. Kai called out after him, but his voice seemed to be lost upon the boy. Kai glanced back at the place where the neko-jin had been standing only seconds ago. All that remained was the overnight bag.

~*~*~*~*~*
The room was warm, but not unpleasantly, as the orchestra layed in the background. Bodies swirled around the room, moving in a practised, graceful flow. The ladies skirts swung out, lifted as high as their ankles, as their partners twirled them, faster, and faster.

Mariah's hair flew out in all directions, obscuring her vision as Li swing her around as though she was nothing more than a paper doll. It was strangely fun- she felt like one of the high class ladies out of the old-fashioned films. She would have never guessed ballroom dancing could be so- exhilarating.

She suspected that part of the fun was who she was with at the moment- if it had of been any one else, it would have been dull, boring, stiff and formal.

But Li made the movements more graceful, unconfining, granting her the freedom to move any which way in the single boundary of his arms. She was having fun- and that was all that counted. At the moment.

She had agreed to go with Li to this "party"- one of his elderly Britsh co-worker's comapny party- for the simple fact it liberated her from another night at home, alone in the dark. Li had obviously noticed she'd been down in the dumps ever since she'd discovered Rei had betrayed her. Li was never one to pass up an opportunity.

She sighed heavily and Li looked at her, concerned. She looked back up at him, mustering her best smile and he smiled too, happy to see that she was trying to have fun instead of mourning Rei.

But somehow, when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Rei. She tipped back her head, letting the dizzing feeling of being spun around in a circle overwhelm her. But still, she saw Rei- his laugh, his smile, his beautiful face, haunting her memory. And tears sprang unbidden to her eyes as she continued to mourn her loss mentally. She let go of Li and stumbled backwards, only regaining her balance when her eyes sprang open. Li looked at her, eyes pleading for an explanation. Willing her voice not to break, she said, "I have to go," and took off, leaving the room as fast as he high-heeled feet would allow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*
Emily sat, staring at the computer. The words would have made sense, if she hadn't been so tired. She glanced at the clock, barely able to read it. 11:45- no, did that say 12:45? Any way, it was late and she knew she should qut while she could. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop working and let the reality of her situation sink in. If she did, she might break down. She might cry. She might make it look as though he had actually hurt her.

He wasn't worth her tears- he had been perfectly fine with leaving her, not even the least bit sorry. She couldn't show weakness, not to him, not to any one. So, she continued to clack away at the keyboard. Clackety-clack-clak-clak until it prenear drove her mad. As she was starting to think about getting off, the stupid mail icon lit up, and the computer screeched out "You've got mail! You've got mail!"

Stifiling a yawn, she guided the mouse to it and double-clicked. Instantly, the message opened up. Surprisingly enough, it was from Micheal of all people. She blinked several times, coming back to full wakefulness in her state of surprise. "Micheal?"

She peered at the screen, reading and re-reading the message. "But...why-how, why would he...."