CHAPTER 4 - UNLIKELY HERO
I was at the ladies' room retouching my make-up after the day's work when my cell phone rang. The caller i.d. displayed the name 'Junpei.'
"Hey you. I'm almost ready, just freshening up a bit. I'll see you down at the lobby in five minutes."
Junpei was my new boyfriend. He was an engineer from one of the biggest construction firms in the country. I met him the previous month while working out at the gym. We started chatting together while at the treadmill. After our work-out he asked me out for coffee. I thought he was really cute and so I said yes. I mean, how could I say no? He had beautiful brown eyes and dark wavy hair. He was as tall as Rui and the other guys and had a buff body plus a very nice butt. But on top of all that he was nice and easy to talk to. We had been dating for almost a month and I decided it was time for him to meet my friends. We were meeting them that night at our usual hang-out.
I took one last look at the mirror and was satisfied with what I saw. The day before, I had my waist-length hair cut to a more fashionable layered style just below my shoulders. I had been receiving compliments the whole day from the people at work, saying they liked my new look. I left the ladies' room and made my way to the elevators to go down and meet Junpei.
He was standing casually at the lobby when I emerged from the elevator. "Nice threads," I complimented him as I took in his expensive navy blue Hugo Boss shirt and khaki trousers.
"Let's go," he said as he led me out to his car in the car park.
Rui, Shizuka, Soujiro and Akira were already there by the time we arrived. "We're not late, are we?" I asked, checking my watch.
"Yes you are, but what else is new? Anyway, we're used to it. Nice hair," Akira ruffled my hair as I took a seat beside him.
"Hey! Touch not the hair!" I said as I brushed his hand off. Then I remembered Junpei was with me so I made the proper introductions.
"Tsukasa's gonna be here soon. He already called that he was on his way."
"Oh, okay. I'm going to the ladies' room. Make sure to order a beer for me. Be nice to Junpei," I said with a warning glance to both Soujiro and Akira.
When I made my way back, I saw that Tsukasa was already there. His back was to me and he was blocking the space to my seat so I had to tap him on the shoulder and say "Excuse me."
He turned, and just like those times I caught him staring at me, a blush crept to his face and there was that unreadable expression in his eyes again. If I didn't know better I'd think he had a crush on me. But of course I know that was impossible, as he even had to make an effort to tolerate me.
"Yo," he said by way of greeting.
"Hi," I mumbled. "You've met Junpei?"
"Yeah, Rui introduced us just now."
"Oh. Okay." I took my place beside Junpei and grabbed a beer from the table.
The guys' conversation revolved around the usual guy stuff like cars and sports. Shizuka, meanwhile, was telling me about the trip to Europe she and Rui were going to take the following month. Tsukasa was strangely quiet the whole night. I was used to him not talking to me, but that night he hardly spoke to anyone at all. He seemed to be preoccupied and Soujiro, Akira, and Rui had to prod him several times to try to draw him into the conversation.
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Since that night I always took Junpei along with me whenever I met my friends for dinner or drinks. Tsukasa too, would bring a date every time, but never the same girl twice. They were all sexy and gorgeous, and one or two of them seemed really nice, but we never saw them again after meeting them once. Maybe after just one date, they had enough of Tsukasa's 'winning personality.'
Junpei and I, meanwhile, were doing okay, or so I thought. The only thing was, he wanted to take the relationship on another, more physical level, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that. He was fun to be with and all but I wasn't sure if I was in love with him. And I certainly wouldn't sleep with someone unless I was sure it was love. Sure, we would fool around, but I always managed to stop him before we could get too far. He would sulk and leave, but then the following day he'd call and talk to me as if nothing happened the previous night (well, of course nothing happened, but. oh, you know what I mean.).
Then one night after a late dinner out, I thought that Junpei was taking me home when I noticed that we were going in a direction leading away from my apartment.
"Junpei, I'm tired and I wanna go home." When he didn't answer, my voice took a more forceful tone. "Junpei, take me home now. Where the hell are you taking me?"
He stopped the car in a dark, deserted street. Then he leaned over and grabbed me by the back of my neck to pull me into a hard, searing kiss. I pushed him away with both my hands and tried to slap him but he caught me by the wrist before I could land him a blow. "Stop it Junpei, I mean it!" I yelled.
"Oh c'mon Tsukushi! You know you want this too! Why don't you just give in and make things easier for both of us?" His breathing was uneven as one hand tried to tear off my blouse, causing the buttons to pop out, while the other hand snaked under my skirt and tried to pull off my panties.
For the first time in my life, I got truly scared as I thought that it was a very real possibility that I would get raped that night. Even if I screamed, there was no one on the deserted street to hear me. Trying to think rationally, I remembered the pepper spray in my handbag. I waited for the chance to get it. It came when he took his hands off me to try to undo his belt and unzip his fly. I grabbed the pepper spray and released a blast onto his eyes.
"Aaaaaaaargh! You bitch! You blinded me! I'm gonna fucking sue you for this!"
I took advantage of his temporary blindness and kicked him on the groin. "Yeah, go on and do that. I'm gonna sue the pants off you for attempted rape. Bastard!" I opened the car door and tried to grab my handbag before I could run out but he was blindly trying to pull me back in by my hair. The contents of my bag spilled as I struggled to escape his grip. I saw my cell phone, grabbed it, and with one final kick on Junpei's groin, I managed to get out of there.
I ran as fast as I could until I finally reached the main thoroughfare. I sat on a bench at the nearest waiting shed and started to punch Rui's number when I remembered that he and Shizuka were still in Europe. I keyed in first Akira's then Soujiro's number but both were out of reach. Because I had no choice and knowing I had to get out of there before Junpei could find me, I punched Tsukasa's number.
"Hello?"
"Tsukasa, it's me, Tsukushi. Please don't hang up. I need you to come and get me." I couldn't keep my voice from choking up.
"Where are you?" I told him where I was and gave him directions as best as I could. "Just stay put and I'll be there shortly. "
I didn't realize I was shivering until a jacket was draped over my shoulders. I looked up to see Tsukasa, concern written all over his face. He took one look at my torn blouse then asked in a harsh voice, "Where is he?"
I told him that Junpei was probably still there where I left him. "My bag, my things. . . I left them in his car. . ." I said in a weak voice.
Tsukasa led me into his car which was parked directly in front of the waiting shed. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he helped me in. I gave him directions and sure enough, Junpei was still there when we arrived, rubbing his eyes and waiting for the burning sensation to stop.
I ran to gather my stuff hurriedly. Tsukasa, meanwhile, pulled Junpei bodily from the car and started beating him up.
"Tsukasa, stop!" I yelled when I realized what was going on. Junpei was trying to put up a fight but he was clearly no match for Tsukasa. I went around and pulled Tsukasa off Junpei. "Don't waste your time. He's not worth it."
Tsukasa looked at me and then with one final kick at Junpei's stomach, gave him a cold warning. "You come within a foot of her again and I'll kill you!"
With that Tsukasa led me back to his car and brought me to my apartment.
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A/N: How is it so far? Are you loving it? hating it? Tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you! What can I say? I've become a review addict! ^_^
I was at the ladies' room retouching my make-up after the day's work when my cell phone rang. The caller i.d. displayed the name 'Junpei.'
"Hey you. I'm almost ready, just freshening up a bit. I'll see you down at the lobby in five minutes."
Junpei was my new boyfriend. He was an engineer from one of the biggest construction firms in the country. I met him the previous month while working out at the gym. We started chatting together while at the treadmill. After our work-out he asked me out for coffee. I thought he was really cute and so I said yes. I mean, how could I say no? He had beautiful brown eyes and dark wavy hair. He was as tall as Rui and the other guys and had a buff body plus a very nice butt. But on top of all that he was nice and easy to talk to. We had been dating for almost a month and I decided it was time for him to meet my friends. We were meeting them that night at our usual hang-out.
I took one last look at the mirror and was satisfied with what I saw. The day before, I had my waist-length hair cut to a more fashionable layered style just below my shoulders. I had been receiving compliments the whole day from the people at work, saying they liked my new look. I left the ladies' room and made my way to the elevators to go down and meet Junpei.
He was standing casually at the lobby when I emerged from the elevator. "Nice threads," I complimented him as I took in his expensive navy blue Hugo Boss shirt and khaki trousers.
"Let's go," he said as he led me out to his car in the car park.
Rui, Shizuka, Soujiro and Akira were already there by the time we arrived. "We're not late, are we?" I asked, checking my watch.
"Yes you are, but what else is new? Anyway, we're used to it. Nice hair," Akira ruffled my hair as I took a seat beside him.
"Hey! Touch not the hair!" I said as I brushed his hand off. Then I remembered Junpei was with me so I made the proper introductions.
"Tsukasa's gonna be here soon. He already called that he was on his way."
"Oh, okay. I'm going to the ladies' room. Make sure to order a beer for me. Be nice to Junpei," I said with a warning glance to both Soujiro and Akira.
When I made my way back, I saw that Tsukasa was already there. His back was to me and he was blocking the space to my seat so I had to tap him on the shoulder and say "Excuse me."
He turned, and just like those times I caught him staring at me, a blush crept to his face and there was that unreadable expression in his eyes again. If I didn't know better I'd think he had a crush on me. But of course I know that was impossible, as he even had to make an effort to tolerate me.
"Yo," he said by way of greeting.
"Hi," I mumbled. "You've met Junpei?"
"Yeah, Rui introduced us just now."
"Oh. Okay." I took my place beside Junpei and grabbed a beer from the table.
The guys' conversation revolved around the usual guy stuff like cars and sports. Shizuka, meanwhile, was telling me about the trip to Europe she and Rui were going to take the following month. Tsukasa was strangely quiet the whole night. I was used to him not talking to me, but that night he hardly spoke to anyone at all. He seemed to be preoccupied and Soujiro, Akira, and Rui had to prod him several times to try to draw him into the conversation.
=============
Since that night I always took Junpei along with me whenever I met my friends for dinner or drinks. Tsukasa too, would bring a date every time, but never the same girl twice. They were all sexy and gorgeous, and one or two of them seemed really nice, but we never saw them again after meeting them once. Maybe after just one date, they had enough of Tsukasa's 'winning personality.'
Junpei and I, meanwhile, were doing okay, or so I thought. The only thing was, he wanted to take the relationship on another, more physical level, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that. He was fun to be with and all but I wasn't sure if I was in love with him. And I certainly wouldn't sleep with someone unless I was sure it was love. Sure, we would fool around, but I always managed to stop him before we could get too far. He would sulk and leave, but then the following day he'd call and talk to me as if nothing happened the previous night (well, of course nothing happened, but. oh, you know what I mean.).
Then one night after a late dinner out, I thought that Junpei was taking me home when I noticed that we were going in a direction leading away from my apartment.
"Junpei, I'm tired and I wanna go home." When he didn't answer, my voice took a more forceful tone. "Junpei, take me home now. Where the hell are you taking me?"
He stopped the car in a dark, deserted street. Then he leaned over and grabbed me by the back of my neck to pull me into a hard, searing kiss. I pushed him away with both my hands and tried to slap him but he caught me by the wrist before I could land him a blow. "Stop it Junpei, I mean it!" I yelled.
"Oh c'mon Tsukushi! You know you want this too! Why don't you just give in and make things easier for both of us?" His breathing was uneven as one hand tried to tear off my blouse, causing the buttons to pop out, while the other hand snaked under my skirt and tried to pull off my panties.
For the first time in my life, I got truly scared as I thought that it was a very real possibility that I would get raped that night. Even if I screamed, there was no one on the deserted street to hear me. Trying to think rationally, I remembered the pepper spray in my handbag. I waited for the chance to get it. It came when he took his hands off me to try to undo his belt and unzip his fly. I grabbed the pepper spray and released a blast onto his eyes.
"Aaaaaaaargh! You bitch! You blinded me! I'm gonna fucking sue you for this!"
I took advantage of his temporary blindness and kicked him on the groin. "Yeah, go on and do that. I'm gonna sue the pants off you for attempted rape. Bastard!" I opened the car door and tried to grab my handbag before I could run out but he was blindly trying to pull me back in by my hair. The contents of my bag spilled as I struggled to escape his grip. I saw my cell phone, grabbed it, and with one final kick on Junpei's groin, I managed to get out of there.
I ran as fast as I could until I finally reached the main thoroughfare. I sat on a bench at the nearest waiting shed and started to punch Rui's number when I remembered that he and Shizuka were still in Europe. I keyed in first Akira's then Soujiro's number but both were out of reach. Because I had no choice and knowing I had to get out of there before Junpei could find me, I punched Tsukasa's number.
"Hello?"
"Tsukasa, it's me, Tsukushi. Please don't hang up. I need you to come and get me." I couldn't keep my voice from choking up.
"Where are you?" I told him where I was and gave him directions as best as I could. "Just stay put and I'll be there shortly. "
I didn't realize I was shivering until a jacket was draped over my shoulders. I looked up to see Tsukasa, concern written all over his face. He took one look at my torn blouse then asked in a harsh voice, "Where is he?"
I told him that Junpei was probably still there where I left him. "My bag, my things. . . I left them in his car. . ." I said in a weak voice.
Tsukasa led me into his car which was parked directly in front of the waiting shed. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he helped me in. I gave him directions and sure enough, Junpei was still there when we arrived, rubbing his eyes and waiting for the burning sensation to stop.
I ran to gather my stuff hurriedly. Tsukasa, meanwhile, pulled Junpei bodily from the car and started beating him up.
"Tsukasa, stop!" I yelled when I realized what was going on. Junpei was trying to put up a fight but he was clearly no match for Tsukasa. I went around and pulled Tsukasa off Junpei. "Don't waste your time. He's not worth it."
Tsukasa looked at me and then with one final kick at Junpei's stomach, gave him a cold warning. "You come within a foot of her again and I'll kill you!"
With that Tsukasa led me back to his car and brought me to my apartment.
***************
A/N: How is it so far? Are you loving it? hating it? Tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you! What can I say? I've become a review addict! ^_^