By the Winds of Chance
He murmured to himself as he spun the wheel around. "Carefully...don't move the hand...curve gently..." He released a sigh of relief. Looking behind him, he grinned.
The man in the backseat was muttering a hurried prayer, his eyes closed tightly. "Please God, no. I swear I won't play any more women, just please don't let him crash the car!"
"You sure you'll be able to keep that promise, Soujiro? I'm thinking that your hormones are going to start driving you crazy if you do keep it." Cruising to a stop, the guy in the front seat swept his long hair behind one ear.
Soujiro scowled heavily, his eyebrows scrunching up. "Shut up, Aki. You know I'm not used to your way of driving yet. It's the scariest thing in the world, so you shouldn't be laughing!"
"Dude, I know I'm not as good as I should be yet. I need some more time. Lay off, okay? But whatever; come on, Tsukasa's probably already in there." He opened the car door slowly, gripping the handle tightly. Stumbling slightly when he stepped out, he straightened. "Let's go."
The two sauntered to the door of the club. Girls stopped and ogled them unabashedly, stopping in their tracks to watch.
Soujiro mumbled to Akira, "We're just too hot, aren't we? Look at all of them! Hmm, I wonder which one I should choose this week..."
Akira sneered. Flipping off a drooling middle-aged woman, he muttered quietly so that only Soujiro could hear. "Let's just go in. I don't want to be mobbed by some sixty-year old grannies again."
* * *
Tsukasa brooded silently in the corner of the booth. Flashes of anger flitted across his face as he thought about the past few months. He couldn't comprehend why Tsukushi had broken up with him. Hadn't he always been there for her? Hadn't he always protected her from the terrors of the outside world? Hadn't he always taken care of her silly fears and needs? Didn't he deserve something better than to be dumped by her? In any case, it should be him dumping that stupid woman. After all, he was the one who had guided the relationship. He had made all the decisions, relieving her of the burden of making choices and he should be thanked, right? RIGHT?
"Yo, Tsukasa, we're here. Sorry, we're late. Aki was wreaking havoc on my nerves, so we had to make a pit stop at a gas station so I could throw up." Soujiro shuddered, remembering the filthy toilet he'd kneeled before.
Akira chuckled softly. "Hey, is Rui here yet? I need to ask him about our table at Tripled Galaxies. Some jackass and his mob friends took over and I really don't want to fight over it, but it's Rui's favorite, so..."
"He's not coming. He says he has to sleep for a little longer." Tsukasa informed them morosely. Tsukasa shook his head to clear it of his thoughts about Tsukushi.
"Did Tsukushi 'dump' you again? She'll come back within a week, I promise. She can't stand being by herself, even though she's always talking about how she's a weed and all. Don't worry, she loves you. She's not going to leave you that easily." Soujiro hung a careless arm around Tsukasa's slumped shoulders, comforting him in a casual way so as not to seem gay.
Akira winced internally. "How can they use 'love' so carelessly? I can't blame them though, I guess. I was like that too, before...but it seems like I wasted those words on too many people and never meant it once. I'm such a loser."
* * *
Fingering a soft green pouch on the counter in front of her, she silently sipped her drink. "Why am I here again? I should be at home, doing something else. I really should try a different club. This one's too expensive and all I ever do is have a shot of two of vodka anyway. At the very least, I should get something else, like a cosmopolitan. I wonder if..."
She flinched. A warm hand rested lightly on her shoulder. "Excuse me. Could you tell me what the bartender's name is?" A gentle voice asked her quietly.
Shrugging her shoulder away, she turned around. Raising her head, she noticed the humor dancing across his face. Dropping her eyes quickly, she brushed past him and disappeared into the crowd.
I guess she was shy. Maybe she didn't know the bartender's name and didn't want to tell me that. I wonder why she left though. She could have just said so; I would have asked someone else...
The girl turned back to the bar. Edging carefully through the crowds, she moved closer so that she was right behind him. Softly she whispered, "I'm sorry." Then she spun around and headed for the door. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, she reached out behind her and carefully grasped his left hand in her own. Then she fled.
He murmured to himself as he spun the wheel around. "Carefully...don't move the hand...curve gently..." He released a sigh of relief. Looking behind him, he grinned.
The man in the backseat was muttering a hurried prayer, his eyes closed tightly. "Please God, no. I swear I won't play any more women, just please don't let him crash the car!"
"You sure you'll be able to keep that promise, Soujiro? I'm thinking that your hormones are going to start driving you crazy if you do keep it." Cruising to a stop, the guy in the front seat swept his long hair behind one ear.
Soujiro scowled heavily, his eyebrows scrunching up. "Shut up, Aki. You know I'm not used to your way of driving yet. It's the scariest thing in the world, so you shouldn't be laughing!"
"Dude, I know I'm not as good as I should be yet. I need some more time. Lay off, okay? But whatever; come on, Tsukasa's probably already in there." He opened the car door slowly, gripping the handle tightly. Stumbling slightly when he stepped out, he straightened. "Let's go."
The two sauntered to the door of the club. Girls stopped and ogled them unabashedly, stopping in their tracks to watch.
Soujiro mumbled to Akira, "We're just too hot, aren't we? Look at all of them! Hmm, I wonder which one I should choose this week..."
Akira sneered. Flipping off a drooling middle-aged woman, he muttered quietly so that only Soujiro could hear. "Let's just go in. I don't want to be mobbed by some sixty-year old grannies again."
* * *
Tsukasa brooded silently in the corner of the booth. Flashes of anger flitted across his face as he thought about the past few months. He couldn't comprehend why Tsukushi had broken up with him. Hadn't he always been there for her? Hadn't he always protected her from the terrors of the outside world? Hadn't he always taken care of her silly fears and needs? Didn't he deserve something better than to be dumped by her? In any case, it should be him dumping that stupid woman. After all, he was the one who had guided the relationship. He had made all the decisions, relieving her of the burden of making choices and he should be thanked, right? RIGHT?
"Yo, Tsukasa, we're here. Sorry, we're late. Aki was wreaking havoc on my nerves, so we had to make a pit stop at a gas station so I could throw up." Soujiro shuddered, remembering the filthy toilet he'd kneeled before.
Akira chuckled softly. "Hey, is Rui here yet? I need to ask him about our table at Tripled Galaxies. Some jackass and his mob friends took over and I really don't want to fight over it, but it's Rui's favorite, so..."
"He's not coming. He says he has to sleep for a little longer." Tsukasa informed them morosely. Tsukasa shook his head to clear it of his thoughts about Tsukushi.
"Did Tsukushi 'dump' you again? She'll come back within a week, I promise. She can't stand being by herself, even though she's always talking about how she's a weed and all. Don't worry, she loves you. She's not going to leave you that easily." Soujiro hung a careless arm around Tsukasa's slumped shoulders, comforting him in a casual way so as not to seem gay.
Akira winced internally. "How can they use 'love' so carelessly? I can't blame them though, I guess. I was like that too, before...but it seems like I wasted those words on too many people and never meant it once. I'm such a loser."
* * *
Fingering a soft green pouch on the counter in front of her, she silently sipped her drink. "Why am I here again? I should be at home, doing something else. I really should try a different club. This one's too expensive and all I ever do is have a shot of two of vodka anyway. At the very least, I should get something else, like a cosmopolitan. I wonder if..."
She flinched. A warm hand rested lightly on her shoulder. "Excuse me. Could you tell me what the bartender's name is?" A gentle voice asked her quietly.
Shrugging her shoulder away, she turned around. Raising her head, she noticed the humor dancing across his face. Dropping her eyes quickly, she brushed past him and disappeared into the crowd.
I guess she was shy. Maybe she didn't know the bartender's name and didn't want to tell me that. I wonder why she left though. She could have just said so; I would have asked someone else...
The girl turned back to the bar. Edging carefully through the crowds, she moved closer so that she was right behind him. Softly she whispered, "I'm sorry." Then she spun around and headed for the door. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, she reached out behind her and carefully grasped his left hand in her own. Then she fled.