Usagi surveyed the pristine bathroom with satisfaction; there wasn't a trace of her left to be found. Zipping up her small handbag full of toiletries and hair care products, the optimistic blonde strode onto the plush carpet of the bedroom and headed for the front door.
Before Usa got as far as the kitchen, she heard a door open and slam shut, followed by quick footsteps moving her direction, "Damn."
In a few seconds Jon walked around the corner and came face to face with his love interest, "Usagi!"
He dropped the day's mail he was holding onto a nearby side table and wrapped his arms around the surprised woman, "I wish I could come home to this more often."
Usagi put on a polite smile and pulled away, "I was just grabbing some things I had left here, but now I have them, so..."
Jon shrugged, picked his mail back up and went into the kitchen. His voice echoed back to Usa, "So where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Usa slowly started moving for the front door again, "Just stopping at Andrew's place."
"Oh? What's happening there?"
"He's throwing a house warming party for some mystery guest," Usagi continued on her path towards freedom.
Jon came back to the hall with a glass of vodka in his hand, "Can I get you a drink before you go?"
A small, manicured hand was raised, "You know me," Usagi looked up at her boyfriend, "not a big drinker."
Before Usa could reach for the front door lock, Jon stepped in front of her, "Need a date, Rabbit?"
Usagi cringed at the sound of her loathed nickname, and looked up just in time to see hurt cross Jon's face.
Why was she trying to get away from him all of a sudden? Standing before her was the hottest lawyer in the country practically begging to spend time with her, and all Usagi could think about was escaping.
She shook her head and pushed past him to open the door, "I probably won't be out long anyways. Andrew's parties aren't exactly news worthy."
Mr. Ito watched as the woman he loved stumbled away, and dread began to overcome him, "Usa!"
Usagi stopped and looked at the man leaning against the doorway.
"Ten o'clock, behind the..."
"Will you be there this time?" Usagi cut in, knowing exactly where Jon wanted to go.
The somber man stared at Usagi intensely, "I promise I'll wait for you there."
Usa nodded and more slowly this time, walked away from the man that loved her. When did things get so serious with Jon? Usagi laughed at herself thinking of their first few meetings; was she ever anything but serious with him? Time for a reality check with an uninvolved party. Where was her bouncy brunette friend right now?
After getting in the comforting seat of her car, Usagi whipped out her trusty cell phone and dialed.
Two rings later, "Hello?"
Usagi smiled at the warm feminine voice at the other end of the line, "Makoto, hi! It's Usagi."
"Hey, girl! How's it going?"
Two pans of homemade brownies and several hours later, Usagi and Makoto laid belly up on a Queen size bed staring at a mural of clouds.
"So what are they supposed to be again?" Makoto tilted her head quizzically.
A laugh burst out of Usagi, "They're clouds, baka!"
Makoto elbowed her friend, "No, I mean, what shapes are they in?"
Usagi got quiet and thought for a moment, "Well every time I look at them I see something different."
"Oooo," Makoto's eye's widened, "magic clouds..."
There was a moment of hesitation before the two erupted into a fit of giggles.
Usagi focused her watery eyes on the ceiling once more, "I see a bunny."
Makoto laughed even harder, "Usagi, you ARE a bunny!"
The two were now laughing so hard it took a few moments for them to hear the phone ring on Usagi's night stand.
Usagi tried to compose herself as she reached for the receiver but Makoto grabbed it first, "Aloha! Konichiwa! Hi, hi! Hola!"
Silence.
"Is anybody home?" Makoto started giggling again.
"Give me that," Usagi huffed taking the phone back from her giddy mate.
She placed the phone to her ear in time to hear Andrew's voice on the other end of the line, "Please don't tell me you're coming with Usagi tonight."
"Andrew! Mako-chan is our friend!"
Makoto got up closer to Usagi and spoke into the phone, "I heard that, buddy!"
Andrew stumbled around to find the right words, "Yes, but tonight is supposed to be a low-key gathering.
"A gathering?" Makoto pressed her face against Usa's to listen in on the converstation. "Only Andrew would call some party a 'gathering.' How boring."
"Look, I can't get anymore complaints from the neighbors about being to loud. They're going to kick me outta this place pretty soon."
"A reliable rent payer like you? I doubt that." Usagi gave slight reassurance to her friend.
"No disrespect, Mako-chan, but you and Usagi in the same room are not the definition of quiet hours."
"I know," Makoto started, "let's bring Mina!"
Andrew gasped, "Hell the fuck no! Didn't you just hear what I said? Usagi, you know-"
"We're just kidding, Andrew," Usagi rolled her eyes, "Why are you so tense today?"
"Sorry, there's just a lot going on right now and I want tonight to be perfect," Andrew sighed.
"Does this have anything to do with a nameless guest of honor?" Usagi smiled at the silence that followed. It sounded like she guessed right.
After many seconds passed, Andrew addressed Usagi, "Seven thirty, okay?"
"That's a little early, isn't it?"
"Well, do you want to meet her first or not?"
"Her?" Usagi and Makoto asked in unison.
"Makoto, you're welcome to come around eight if you promise to keep it down a couple notches."
"You're starting to sound like Amy, Drew,"Makoto chided, "Not too cool."
"Wha-"
Usagi cut in, "We'll see you later then."
"I'll bring my people!" Makoto quickly yanked the phone from Usa's hand and turned it off. "I can hear him screaming in his little apartment right now."
Usagi shook her head. Ever since Makoto's feelings were rejected by Andrew all those years ago, Mako-chan had done nothing but tease and torment him. Although that was far better than how she treated the other men who had broken her heart. Usagi winced as she thought of Tom, Makoto's cheating ex-boyfriend, hobbling to the University with a leg brace and eye patch.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked staring at the sour look on Usagi's face.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Usagi wasn't going to see the pillow in Mako's arms get torn to shreds.
"Let's get ready then," Makoto hopped off the bed, "Do you think I should make some quick snacks to bring?"
Before Usa got as far as the kitchen, she heard a door open and slam shut, followed by quick footsteps moving her direction, "Damn."
In a few seconds Jon walked around the corner and came face to face with his love interest, "Usagi!"
He dropped the day's mail he was holding onto a nearby side table and wrapped his arms around the surprised woman, "I wish I could come home to this more often."
Usagi put on a polite smile and pulled away, "I was just grabbing some things I had left here, but now I have them, so..."
Jon shrugged, picked his mail back up and went into the kitchen. His voice echoed back to Usa, "So where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Usa slowly started moving for the front door again, "Just stopping at Andrew's place."
"Oh? What's happening there?"
"He's throwing a house warming party for some mystery guest," Usagi continued on her path towards freedom.
Jon came back to the hall with a glass of vodka in his hand, "Can I get you a drink before you go?"
A small, manicured hand was raised, "You know me," Usagi looked up at her boyfriend, "not a big drinker."
Before Usa could reach for the front door lock, Jon stepped in front of her, "Need a date, Rabbit?"
Usagi cringed at the sound of her loathed nickname, and looked up just in time to see hurt cross Jon's face.
Why was she trying to get away from him all of a sudden? Standing before her was the hottest lawyer in the country practically begging to spend time with her, and all Usagi could think about was escaping.
She shook her head and pushed past him to open the door, "I probably won't be out long anyways. Andrew's parties aren't exactly news worthy."
Mr. Ito watched as the woman he loved stumbled away, and dread began to overcome him, "Usa!"
Usagi stopped and looked at the man leaning against the doorway.
"Ten o'clock, behind the..."
"Will you be there this time?" Usagi cut in, knowing exactly where Jon wanted to go.
The somber man stared at Usagi intensely, "I promise I'll wait for you there."
Usa nodded and more slowly this time, walked away from the man that loved her. When did things get so serious with Jon? Usagi laughed at herself thinking of their first few meetings; was she ever anything but serious with him? Time for a reality check with an uninvolved party. Where was her bouncy brunette friend right now?
After getting in the comforting seat of her car, Usagi whipped out her trusty cell phone and dialed.
Two rings later, "Hello?"
Usagi smiled at the warm feminine voice at the other end of the line, "Makoto, hi! It's Usagi."
"Hey, girl! How's it going?"
Two pans of homemade brownies and several hours later, Usagi and Makoto laid belly up on a Queen size bed staring at a mural of clouds.
"So what are they supposed to be again?" Makoto tilted her head quizzically.
A laugh burst out of Usagi, "They're clouds, baka!"
Makoto elbowed her friend, "No, I mean, what shapes are they in?"
Usagi got quiet and thought for a moment, "Well every time I look at them I see something different."
"Oooo," Makoto's eye's widened, "magic clouds..."
There was a moment of hesitation before the two erupted into a fit of giggles.
Usagi focused her watery eyes on the ceiling once more, "I see a bunny."
Makoto laughed even harder, "Usagi, you ARE a bunny!"
The two were now laughing so hard it took a few moments for them to hear the phone ring on Usagi's night stand.
Usagi tried to compose herself as she reached for the receiver but Makoto grabbed it first, "Aloha! Konichiwa! Hi, hi! Hola!"
Silence.
"Is anybody home?" Makoto started giggling again.
"Give me that," Usagi huffed taking the phone back from her giddy mate.
She placed the phone to her ear in time to hear Andrew's voice on the other end of the line, "Please don't tell me you're coming with Usagi tonight."
"Andrew! Mako-chan is our friend!"
Makoto got up closer to Usagi and spoke into the phone, "I heard that, buddy!"
Andrew stumbled around to find the right words, "Yes, but tonight is supposed to be a low-key gathering.
"A gathering?" Makoto pressed her face against Usa's to listen in on the converstation. "Only Andrew would call some party a 'gathering.' How boring."
"Look, I can't get anymore complaints from the neighbors about being to loud. They're going to kick me outta this place pretty soon."
"A reliable rent payer like you? I doubt that." Usagi gave slight reassurance to her friend.
"No disrespect, Mako-chan, but you and Usagi in the same room are not the definition of quiet hours."
"I know," Makoto started, "let's bring Mina!"
Andrew gasped, "Hell the fuck no! Didn't you just hear what I said? Usagi, you know-"
"We're just kidding, Andrew," Usagi rolled her eyes, "Why are you so tense today?"
"Sorry, there's just a lot going on right now and I want tonight to be perfect," Andrew sighed.
"Does this have anything to do with a nameless guest of honor?" Usagi smiled at the silence that followed. It sounded like she guessed right.
After many seconds passed, Andrew addressed Usagi, "Seven thirty, okay?"
"That's a little early, isn't it?"
"Well, do you want to meet her first or not?"
"Her?" Usagi and Makoto asked in unison.
"Makoto, you're welcome to come around eight if you promise to keep it down a couple notches."
"You're starting to sound like Amy, Drew,"Makoto chided, "Not too cool."
"Wha-"
Usagi cut in, "We'll see you later then."
"I'll bring my people!" Makoto quickly yanked the phone from Usa's hand and turned it off. "I can hear him screaming in his little apartment right now."
Usagi shook her head. Ever since Makoto's feelings were rejected by Andrew all those years ago, Mako-chan had done nothing but tease and torment him. Although that was far better than how she treated the other men who had broken her heart. Usagi winced as she thought of Tom, Makoto's cheating ex-boyfriend, hobbling to the University with a leg brace and eye patch.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked staring at the sour look on Usagi's face.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Usagi wasn't going to see the pillow in Mako's arms get torn to shreds.
"Let's get ready then," Makoto hopped off the bed, "Do you think I should make some quick snacks to bring?"
