Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango or its characters, so please
don't sue me.
CHAPTER 9 - THE KISS
The following week was another tedious one as Umi and I raced to meet the Friday deadline for our feasibility study. I felt elated when Friday afternoon came and we were able to finish the project right on schedule. As Umi and I gathered the documents on our worktable, I asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink to celebrate our last day of working together.
"Oh, I'm sorry I can't. I have a hot date tonight!" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice.
"Oh, okay. Maybe some other time then." I made my way back to my desk to bring back some of the office supplies we had used.
As I turned to go back to the worktable, I saw a familiar figure standing by the door.
"Tsukasa! What are you doing here?" I had a bright smile because I was pleasantly surprised to see him there.
"Hey, you're early!" I heard Umi as she came to approach us from the worktable.
Early? Tsukasa is Umi's "hot date?" Understanding suddenly dawned on me like a splash of cold water.
"Give me a minute and let me get freshened up first!" Umi called out as she left to go to the ladies' room.
Tsukasa had a puzzled expression on his face. "Didn't you know I was coming? When Umi invited me to come here and pick her up, I assumed you were coming with us."
I shook my head and gave him a wry smile. "I guess I wasn't invited."
"Are we set? Let's go!" Umi's face was expectant as she came back from the ladies' room.
Tsukasa turned to me and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
I looked at him, then at Umi. I pasted a fake smile on my face and said a little too brightly, "You two go on. I just remembered I have to proofread the final copy of our study."
I saw Umi's look of relief over Tsukasa's shoulder. She mouthed a silent "Thanks" and winked.
Tsukasa looked reluctant to leave but realized he had no choice. Before he turned to depart, he told me in a low voice only I could hear, "We'll be at Ambrosia if you change your mind, okay?" I nodded imperceptibly.
==============
I sat dejectedly on my chair and got the final copy of the feasibility study. I know it had already been proofread but I decided to go through it again just to occupy my mind. I didn't want to think about Tsukasa and Umi together, but hard as I tried, the image of them dancing kept popping up in my head. I couldn't ignore the stab of jealousy I felt when I thought of them together.
After an hour of staring blindly at the papers in front of me, I took a deep breath and made a decision. He wouldn't have invited me if he didn't want me there, right? I gathered my stuff and went down. I hailed a cab and instructed the driver to head uptown to Ambrosia.
==============
When I got to the vicinity where Ambrosia was located, I began having second thoughts about whether it was okay to 'crash' their date. I stopped to have a cup of coffee at Starbucks to mull it over. Since I was already there, I decided I might as well show up. I squared my shoulders and headed back out to the street.
I couldn't help but smile to myself when I passed the spot where I first crashed into Tsukasa. That first meeting seems like ages ago!
The club was full as I had expected. I squeezed through the bodies crowding at the entrance and tried to let my eyes adjust to the dim light. I stayed close to the wall so as not to get crushed by the people passing. I hadn't walked in far when I stopped dead in my tracks. I spotted Tsukasa and Umi in one of the booths. Umi had her arms around Tsukasa's neck and their lips were locked in a passionate kiss. A haze filled my eyes as I turned sharply away from the painful sight. I ran blindly out of the club, ignoring the muttered expletives from the people I bumped along the way.
Thankfully I didn't have to wait long for a cab. I choked out the directions to my home and leaned back as the taxi sped away.
**********************
A/N: Wooohooohoooo! Threw you a curve-ball there, didn't I? Wtf was Tsukasa thinking, kissing Umi like that?!! Before you start throwing things at me, I promise, this mess'll be resolved soon. Duh. 2 more chapters to go.
Thanks to venus_goddess, XxSwtDreamer, and Sailor Angie for your continued support of this fic.
blue, hiro-souma/bubble tea, jestina, and fresh8: Hi new readers! Thanks for taking the time to post your reviews and encouraging comments.
Haruka605: Thanks for your comment. I don't know what happened when you posted it but the reviews dispatch system went berserk and duplicated your review more than 25 times! I've managed to erase the duplicate messages already.
As always, your comments would be very much appreciated. ^_^
CHAPTER 9 - THE KISS
The following week was another tedious one as Umi and I raced to meet the Friday deadline for our feasibility study. I felt elated when Friday afternoon came and we were able to finish the project right on schedule. As Umi and I gathered the documents on our worktable, I asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink to celebrate our last day of working together.
"Oh, I'm sorry I can't. I have a hot date tonight!" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice.
"Oh, okay. Maybe some other time then." I made my way back to my desk to bring back some of the office supplies we had used.
As I turned to go back to the worktable, I saw a familiar figure standing by the door.
"Tsukasa! What are you doing here?" I had a bright smile because I was pleasantly surprised to see him there.
"Hey, you're early!" I heard Umi as she came to approach us from the worktable.
Early? Tsukasa is Umi's "hot date?" Understanding suddenly dawned on me like a splash of cold water.
"Give me a minute and let me get freshened up first!" Umi called out as she left to go to the ladies' room.
Tsukasa had a puzzled expression on his face. "Didn't you know I was coming? When Umi invited me to come here and pick her up, I assumed you were coming with us."
I shook my head and gave him a wry smile. "I guess I wasn't invited."
"Are we set? Let's go!" Umi's face was expectant as she came back from the ladies' room.
Tsukasa turned to me and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
I looked at him, then at Umi. I pasted a fake smile on my face and said a little too brightly, "You two go on. I just remembered I have to proofread the final copy of our study."
I saw Umi's look of relief over Tsukasa's shoulder. She mouthed a silent "Thanks" and winked.
Tsukasa looked reluctant to leave but realized he had no choice. Before he turned to depart, he told me in a low voice only I could hear, "We'll be at Ambrosia if you change your mind, okay?" I nodded imperceptibly.
==============
I sat dejectedly on my chair and got the final copy of the feasibility study. I know it had already been proofread but I decided to go through it again just to occupy my mind. I didn't want to think about Tsukasa and Umi together, but hard as I tried, the image of them dancing kept popping up in my head. I couldn't ignore the stab of jealousy I felt when I thought of them together.
After an hour of staring blindly at the papers in front of me, I took a deep breath and made a decision. He wouldn't have invited me if he didn't want me there, right? I gathered my stuff and went down. I hailed a cab and instructed the driver to head uptown to Ambrosia.
==============
When I got to the vicinity where Ambrosia was located, I began having second thoughts about whether it was okay to 'crash' their date. I stopped to have a cup of coffee at Starbucks to mull it over. Since I was already there, I decided I might as well show up. I squared my shoulders and headed back out to the street.
I couldn't help but smile to myself when I passed the spot where I first crashed into Tsukasa. That first meeting seems like ages ago!
The club was full as I had expected. I squeezed through the bodies crowding at the entrance and tried to let my eyes adjust to the dim light. I stayed close to the wall so as not to get crushed by the people passing. I hadn't walked in far when I stopped dead in my tracks. I spotted Tsukasa and Umi in one of the booths. Umi had her arms around Tsukasa's neck and their lips were locked in a passionate kiss. A haze filled my eyes as I turned sharply away from the painful sight. I ran blindly out of the club, ignoring the muttered expletives from the people I bumped along the way.
Thankfully I didn't have to wait long for a cab. I choked out the directions to my home and leaned back as the taxi sped away.
**********************
A/N: Wooohooohoooo! Threw you a curve-ball there, didn't I? Wtf was Tsukasa thinking, kissing Umi like that?!! Before you start throwing things at me, I promise, this mess'll be resolved soon. Duh. 2 more chapters to go.
Thanks to venus_goddess, XxSwtDreamer, and Sailor Angie for your continued support of this fic.
blue, hiro-souma/bubble tea, jestina, and fresh8: Hi new readers! Thanks for taking the time to post your reviews and encouraging comments.
Haruka605: Thanks for your comment. I don't know what happened when you posted it but the reviews dispatch system went berserk and duplicated your review more than 25 times! I've managed to erase the duplicate messages already.
As always, your comments would be very much appreciated. ^_^