Lonely Love

Chapter 2: Stay
"Hell, we need to talk."

"Yes, Masafumi?"

"I'll get to the point. You see, I'm going to Europe soon to study medicine. I was just thinking that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work."

"So you're breaking up with me? Are you that untrusting?"

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I'm going to be in Europe for several years. I don't want you to have any commitments to me. You could say that I'm releasing you."

"Will it be possible for us to get back together when you return to Japan?"

"Maybe. But that's only if you haven't found someone else."

o o o o o o

Hell shook her head slightly. Why was she suddenly thinking about the time she and Masafumi broke up? It was a painful memory, and she hated thinking about it. Maybe it was a warning. She had been hurt then, and she had become afraid of making such commitments again. Maybe she was scared of being hurt a second time.

You're being silly, Chizuru, Hell told herself. It had been three years since her breakup with Masafumi. She was over the pain now.

Hell pulled another shirt out of her closet and pressed it against her front. She looked at herself in the mirror that hung on the left sliding door of her closet. She was home from work and currently trying to find an outfit to wear during her meeting with Schön. She had already decided on a pair of tight blue jeans.

The shirt Hell had pulled out was sleeveless and night black with a red fiery design on the front. She liked how it looked, so she tried it on. It was a little tight around her chest, but it accented her form nicely. And the blackness of it went great with her skin and light jeans. However, it was somewhat low-cut, and it revealed a bit more cleavage than she wanted. But other than that, Hell was satisfied with her shirt.

She glanced at her watch. Quarter to five. If she wanted to make it to the fast-food restaurant on time, she would have to leave now. Pleased, she left her bedroom. She went to the front door, slipped on her sandals, and exited her house.

o o o o o o

Schön stood in front of the fast-food restaurant she and Hell had promised to meet. She tugged on the hem of her dark gray shirt nervously. Her stomach felt as if it was filled with fluttering butterflies.

She had no idea why she would be so uneasy. Okay, so it wasn't everyday a complete stranger asked her out, and this was the first time it was a woman. Still, Hell seemed like she could be trusted, unlike some of the men that had taken Schön out before. Luckily, she could defend herself pretty well (especially with anything that could be used as a whip), so none of those perverted men got anywhere.

Schön sighed sorrowfully. In reality, she was disillusioned with her life as a model. She had thought she would've made something of herself by the age of twenty-four. But her beauty was the only thing she had. She never did do that well in school, and she definitely never had a chance of getting into college. Maybe Hell would be able to help her make something out of her life.

The blonde model leaned against the wall. Hell should be arriving any minute now, she thought. And sure enough, she saw the scientist walking towards her.

"Hi, Schön," Hell greeted.

"Hey," Schön greeted back with a smile. "Ready to order our food now?"

"Sure," Hell replied, nodding her head. She and Schön entered the restaurant and walked up the cashier. Hell ordered fries, a small cheeseburger, and a medium coke. Schön ordered the same, with the exception of the cheeseburger. Instead, she got a small salad.

"¥2,750, please," the cashier said as he brought the two women their food. They paid for their half and took their food to go sit down at a table.

"So how long have you been a model?" Hell asked Schön as she unwrapped her cheeseburger.

"About four years," Schön answered. "What about you? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a scientist. I study medicine."

"Is that what your boyfriend does?"

Hell slammed her cheeseburger down and glared at Schön. Her ex-boyfriend was a very touchy subject. It wasn't something she enjoyed talking about.

Schön took the clue and didn't push the subject any further. "So, uh, why did you want to take me out?" she wondered, poking at her salad nervously with her chopsticks.

"Because I wanted to get to know you," Hell explained. "I've always admired you, and…" She trailed off. There was a wishful expression on her face.

Schön let the answer hang. If Hell wasn't going to finish her sentence, then the blonde model wasn't going to force her.

They continued to eat their meal in silence. As Schön ate her salad, she thought about Hell. The blue-haired scientist was a pretty woman, and definitely had potential to be a model. She would never be as successful as Schön, though. But modeling was such a disappointing job. She had such a good job already.

Still, Hell seemed distant and aloof, just like Schön. It was like the scientist wanted to get to know the model, but was holding herself back. It was as if she was afraid to enter a relationship. That was probably because of what happened with her ex-boyfriend.

Later, after the two women were finished with their food, they decided to go see a movie at a theater that was near the restaurant. They paid for their own tickets, but they both helped pay for the small popcorn they would be sharing. They weren't that hungry after eating at the fast-food restaurant.

The movie the two woman watched was one of those silly flicks with tough divas that could fight the bad guys wearing short skirts and three-inch heels. Hell and Schön made no effort to hold their laughter back since they were the only ones in this particular theater.

"That movie was stupid," Schön pointed out as she and Hell left the theater. "If all they were looking for in those actresses was beauty, then I would've been a much better choice than any of them."

Hell nodded, smiling softly. "Well, I should be leaving now," she said. "I had a really great time. Thanks, Schön."

"What, you don't want to go shopping?" Schön replied teasingly, a smile on her face. "Why do you want to leave so suddenly? Am I that boring?"

"No, you're not boring," Hell corrected. "Quite the opposite. It's just that I don't…" She didn't finish her sentence.

"You don't want me to hurt you like your ex-boyfriend did?" Schön guessed, her voice cold. Her mood was quite different from just a few minutes ago.

Hell slapped Schön hard across the face. "What happened with Masafumi is none of your business!" she yelled, very angry and offended. Other people who were also exiting the theater were now staring at the two women. The blue-haired scientist, ignoring the people looking at her and Schön, quickly stormed away.

Schön had no right to say that, Hell told herself, her face slightly red from being angry. She was barely aware of where she was going. She was more concentrated on convincing herself that Schön was nothing more than some shallow model. But it wasn't working. Schön was much more than that, and Hell really did want to get to know her better. The scientist wanted to go back to the theater and apologize to Schön for slapping her, but she wasn't sure if the blonde model would be very forgiving.

Maybe it would be better if they didn't see each other again. After all, Schön had been right; Hell was afraid of being hurt if she entered a new relationship. She wasn't one to become close to another, however strong her feelings were. It was because of what happened with Masafumi.

But it wasn't as if Masafumi enjoyed hurting Hell. He really didn't want to break up with her and make her sad; he just wasn't thrilled at the idea of a long-distance relationship, and neither was she. It was probably better that they did break up.

Besides, Masafumi wouldn't be jealous of Schön if Hell entered a relationship with her. He would be more supportive than angry. He'd probably be sad and hurt for a while, but he would eventually get over it, and then be happy for Hell.

Hell continued to walk home, feeling distressed. As she was going past an alleyway, a strong hand closed around her throat and pulled her off the sidewalk. The thug choking her then shoved up against the brick wall, next to the dumpster, out of the view of anyone passing by.

"Well, aren't you a pretty one?" the thug noticed as he tightened his grip on Hell's throat.