She didn't really know WHAT she felt when she saw him again. Having forgotten about him and his friends, it was a mild shock to see the four walking down to the breakfast area Saturday. Sadly enough, her thoughts the rest of that day were taken up by them until she and Sammy left for home and she managed to put it out of her mind again.
Thinking about him was inevitable...seeing him again, being reminded of his good looks and the smooth way he walked... Then it changed as he smiled at her and she remembered his LAST visit.
And the near humiliation she suffered by being toyed with emotionally.
She could barely hide the anger she felt the rest of her shift and sadly enough, snapped at her best friend when Sam only asked what was wrong. She apologized, but couldn't reveal the reason for her distress. She wasn't going to have Sammy try to get them alone again so they could talk. She wasn't going to get involved with another manipulator.
She was relieved to not see him again that day, being able to get off and not be in seeing or hearing distance. But come Sunday morning, she was not so lucky.
For some reason, he was up bright and early. He caught her in the breakfast area as she was setting things up. It was a little tense - probably on her part - to be the alone with him...as there was no one else up at seven thirty in the morning.
And Samantha was nowhere in sight.
Not that THAT matchmaker would try and save her from him.
Despite her inside turmoil, she kept an even face and tried to ignore him as best as possible to go about her job. Perhaps she was reading too much into this person...someone she didn't even KNOW. It was on the tip of her tongue to say a good morning, as a polite desk clerk would. But she watched out of the corner of her eye as he grabbed some coffee and couldn't speak. She let him roam the spread, feeling a small bit of stress.
Could he still remember her aloofness last time and from yesterday? Did he see her displeasure at being reminded that he was playing her, even though he had a girlfriend? If that was...he knew SHE knew he had one...
She turned to go get more stuff and was suddenly met the front of a jet black t-shirt. She blinked a few times and took a breath to calm the adrenaline at being startled. She also tried to keep from thinking how well that shirt fit him...
"Excuse me..." She nearly whispered, making no move to walk around. He stood in front of her and she got the reason that it wasn't on accident...
With coffee in one hand, eyes previously on the donuts behind her, he met her eyes in silence and tried to read what she was feeling. He had a small knowledge of that, having lived with his sister for many a year. It was almost like he could sense female emotions if he looked hard enough.
It was his quest today to talk to her and find out what her beef was with him. He enjoyed the concert, but as soon as the hotel came into view, the high of it died and he was barely able to concentrate on the fun he and the others had till they dropped early this morning. So in a way, it was still ruined...
He blinked, but didn't budge. Part of him was saying to move, give an apologetic smile for his behavior, and let it go. They were leaving mid afternoon, possibly later if the others didn't get up in time, and he doubted he'd come to Miami for a while. Even then, it wasn't guaranteed he'd run into her.
The other part was saying to find out what was wrong. Just as Chass hinted, maybe he DIDN'T like the fact that someone didn't like him. He didn't know if this was fate, but he knew it would annoy him until he either left again or resolved it.
He chose the former, even though the latter was the easy way out. But he wasn't a coward.
"If...if you want to get behind me, you have to let me by first." She answered, giving a small smile. There was no true friendliness in her voice, only professionalism.
Was she really a snob? He hoped not...for all his faithfulness in Cameron, this K was still attractive. Short, dark brown hair and deep green eyes...smooth skin and slender body. She was just the right height too. He was five eleven and he betted she was a little under him.
He mentally slapped himself.
"I had something I wanted to ask you actually." He answered, taking the smallest of steps backward.
She mentally felt a little better at bit of distance. What was it about this man that unnerved her?? And why couldn't she figure that out? 'Well other than his raw masculinity and the last time you had a man was -'
She mentally slapped herself.
Forcing herself to give him her attention, she pasted on a courteous smile. "More tourist sights? I'm afraid I don't visit a lot of this city, but I can try to help you if you need it."
His head shook before she finished. "Not that." A hand rose and his index almost accusingly pointed in her face. "I wanted to know one thing about you."
She stupidly blinked and fought not to fidget. Or blush. She looked at him with wide eyes, unconsciously giving her full attention. "About - about me?" Her brows furrowed. Their past talks rang through her mind. "But I already told you something about -"
"Not that either." He was becoming a little uncomfortable, even if a little of his anger was sparked. No backing out now.
She slowly shuffled back until she leaned against the counter and part of her was relieved that he didn't move any closer. Perhaps he didn't like the lack of distance any better than she did. "Sir, I don't think it's proper to be telling you anything about myself."
He bypassed her statement and almost harshly met her eyes. "What is your problem?"
She jerked back as if slapped and gaped at him. "Ex - excuse me?? My -" Rapidly blinking, she tried to pick herself back up.
Her problem?? Why would he ask THAT? Green averted to the carpet below. 'What if he's asking about...my past...' Her jaw clenched and she tried to keep an even face.
He knew she would get defensive, but he didn't think she'd react like THIS. Was that...sadness - no, regret? - in her eyes?? He blinked. But he'd come this far now, there was no dropping it. "You heard me. You acted rather rude yesterday. And then last month, you acted like a total stranger. I was just being nice and you threw it back in my face. What's your problem??"
Her eyes jerked up and defiance flashed. "MY problem? What's YOURS?" She took note of the confusion and irritation.
'Problem INDEED. This guy should take a look in the MIRROR and ask himself that!' She inhaled a deep breath to calm herself and looked around him. 'I don't need this. I'm wasting time having this...WHATEVER it is with him. If he's going to get in my face, he won't do it while I'm supposed to be at work!' She took a step around and only got one more toward the doorway when a hand whipped out and clutched her wrist.
He took note of how smooth it was, before the obvious came to mind and he discarded those thoughts. She tried to walk away. When he was trying to get answers, she walked away! His eyes narrowed.
Flashing green swung back as her upper body twisted. How DARE he! No one touched her without her permission! Her mouth set in a tight line and her eyes slanted. She doubled his annoyed look, but one feel of his grip told her she wasn't going to get free by wrenching herself from his hold. The hand at her side clenched into a tight fist. "Let GO of me." She icily ordered, straining as far away as her arm would allow.
"Again I ask - what's your PROBLEM? Why are you so pissed off at me when I've done NOTHING to you? I went over it in my mind and can't find one reason for you to act like a bitch."
Green narrowed to slits. Her anger boiled. Was she going to lose her job over this? This jackass could very well tell her manager that she was blatantly rude right now and she could get either written up or fired. Could she take that chance? Was it worth it to tell this guy off like she wanted? That could get her fired as well. But, if she could only argue her point to Barbara...
Her eyes closed. No. No good. She couldn't really go to the woman and argue that she was taking a high distaste to being flirted with by someone who looked like THIS. Barbara would probably think her stark, raving mad. Not to mention BLIND...
The tension was as thick as it could get. Still, she didn't feel like backing down. She didn't want to spill her reasons that led to this because it involved explanations she was NOT going to give. Things from her past...
"I'd like an answer." He muttered, intently watching her. She seemed to be warring with something. "You owe me that much for insulting me."
Green snapped open like a whip and anger burned again. "A bitch? Insulting?? If I wasn't so -" She took a deep breath. "I have half a mind to laugh at you...you hypocrite."
A brow lowered. Hypocrite? HIM? About what?! "I have NO clue what you're talking about."
A snide smile lit half of her mouth. He was quite the manipulator this one. Act like a flirt, a jackass, and then a clueless idiot all rolled into one. "I'M being a bitch? I'M being insulting? What about YOU? You think a girl would take kindly to being twisted around for your stupid idea of games?" With sudden strength, she jerked against his hold and managed to free herself. That was anger for you. A finger pointed at him as accusingly as his once pointed at her. "You look at me with those eyes of yours and that smile that says 'hey sexy-looking thing' when you didn't stop to think of where those things SHOULD be looking at!"
He was beginning to regret ever bringing this up. By now he was so lost it was all he could do to keep hold of his anger. It was like it drained out and shifted through the air to her. He was so utterly confused he imagined the blank look on his face would be rather comical if he had a mirror.
Finally, he snapped to reality.
"What in the HELL are you talking about??" He burst out, giving an odd look. "Yea I gave you a few charming smiles. I find you attractive okay? And I've seen your eyes... You're not going to say the same for me? You're a good-looking female and I was being appreciative! So sue me for LOOKING!"
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She nearly hissed, looking at him in narrow-eyed disgust. The pig had enough gall to ADMIT he checked her out! If she wasn't so ashamed, she would've been flattered. "You should say this to the one where your heart SHOULD lie to. I guess it's true that the cuter the guy, the bigger his ego." She took a step back. "You disgust me...checking me out with a girlfriend."
Now it was his turn to jerk back as if slapped. His eyes widened in astonishment, then narrowed in confusion. It took a few seconds for his brain to put words together. "You know about Cameron..." He dumbly muttered. "How do you know about CAM?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Have you been FOLLOWING me?" He demanded. "What're you...some kind of STALKER or something? Is this how you get your kicks??"
"No! I'm completely sane! But you and your friends speak loud enough to be heard down the hall. You think this place is soundproof?? As soon as I heard mention of why you shouldn't be flirting with me, I stopped to listen."
"So you were listening in on a private conversation?!"
"It was about ME! That hardly makes it private when you're talking about someone else behind their back! And you think I was being insulting? You insulted ME! Flirting with me when you KNEW you had a girlfriend. You're such an ass!"
"I'm a GUY. You going to tell me YOU haven't looked at other guys if you have a boyfriend?? It's nature. Animals will go for the strongest to continue the species. That's the way of the world."
"So you were looking at me with the intention of SLEEPING with me??"
"No!"
Her eyes narrowed. "The ends still don't justify the means. If you're going out with someone, you should be faithful until the end, or the two of you part." She heaved a sigh and scratched the back of her head. "Why can't men ever understand that? You're all alike..."
He gaped and dumbly blinked. Another insult! He nearly startled when she twisted around and squared her shoulders. "Listen, you got out what you wanted. You have your reason." A hand idly waved in the air, even though she kept her back to him. "I've wasted enough time talking to the likes of you. I'd rather not be around people like you anymore than I have to, so if you would be so kind as to treat the rest of your time around me professionally as it should be..."
He blinked again when she walked past the archway and disappeared around the corner. This REALLY wasn't what he expected and part of him said to run after her and demand a better explanation than that. 'I mean...she was pissed just cause I flirted with her and I'm going out with Cam? That's not like it's a BAD thing unless I DO anything about it.'
He had to admit that flirting with her when nothing would come from it wasn't exactly nice, especially if she became attracted to him. Not to mention he lived forty miles away and north of Miami.
The cons were rather abundant.
He looked to the floor, mildly feeling like the ass she proclaimed him. So what if he didn't consider her? He didn't think anything about it, since she didn't seem to have a problem until she listened in on his conversation. His lips pursed. She should've apologized for THAT, since she had no right to be listening to what he and his friends talked about. 'So much for professionalism...'
His eyes closed as he mentally sought for a solution. She gave him the answer he wanted, so what did he do NOW? Leave it alone? He knew should've done that from the beginning. But he wouldn't let himself be insulted and his honor tarnished...even though it seemed it wasn't HIS honor being insulted.
"This got WAY more complicated than I wanted it to..." He muttered, going back to his coffee. He picked it up and eyed the spread, but didn't feel very hungry... Still, he had to eat something because there wouldn't really be anything after this until he got home. With a sigh, feeling his pride take a licking, he snatched a glazed donut off the pile and sat at the table.
Merely halfway finished with his coffee he stood and went for the archway. This was getting him nowhere and he couldn't think in the same spot where the conflict happened. The only way he was going to get any GOOD pondering done was outside...in the peace and quiet of nature.
~*~*~
Noon rolled around and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, this hellish day was over and she wouldn't have to worry about that jackass ever again. What were the odds that they'd ever meet up again anyway??
"Hurry up and punch out so we can get going." She muttered, leaning against the wall next to the clock.
Light blue sent a wary, confused look her way. "What's your problem? You've been aloof and irritated the whole morning. Sure you hid most of it, but you can't fool me."
Hands in her pockets clenched to fists. ANOTHER person who asked what her problem was! She had VIABLE reasons for having a problem! Mentally berating herself for taking it out on her best friend, shoulders slumped with a sigh. "Sorry Sammy...I just had a bad morning."
Sam sent a smile and moved over to let her punch out. "No big deal. Care to tell me about it? You know you'll feel better."
That friendly smile was so inviting, but she would never live it down if she did. Sam would NEVER let it go until she made nice with that ass. 'No way in HELL am I letting that happen!' She quickly punched out and resisted the urge to tear her timecard in a gesture to release some anger.
They grabbed the few things brought with them and waved to some of the weekend housekeepers that passed.
"Bye K, bye Sammy! See ya next weekend!"
"See you guys!" Sam called.
"Girls!"
She giggled, her bad mood lifting a tad. Though housekeepers and front desk didn't socialize a whole lot, they got along pretty well.
By the time she got halfway to the car, already sweating under the hot temperatures of a noon summer, a voice called her name. A very FAMILIAR voice.
Her eyes fluttered closed with a quiet groan. She fought the urge to turn and address him. Just as she said, she DIDN'T want to be around manipulators like him anymore than she had to...having enough of it in the past. She ignored him and continued to the car as if she hadn't heard.
"K, what're you DOING?? That cute guy is trying to get your attention!" Sam hissed, grabbing her arm.
Unlike with Inaki, she didn't try to get away. She also tolerated when Sam shook her arm as if to make her see to reason.
"Matte! K...chotto matte kudasai!"
Yup, it was him alright.
Damn.
Sam yanked her in his general direction and she pointedly glared, getting a clueless look back. "Let's just go." She lowly answered, seeing him jog over through the corner of her vision.
Sam looked across the way, totally lost. She shook K's arm again as if to jog her senses. "But...he looks like he wants to talk to you..." A grin lit her face. "Maybe he wants to ask you out!"
It wasn't Sam's fault. The shorter girl was purposely in the dark about everything that'd happened between them. But she still couldn't keep the sickened look off her face.
He was glad to be able to snag her. After finishing breakfast and getting a shower, also finding an excuse to head back downstairs for a bit and lose the others' curiosity, it was noon. Not to mention he spent a lot of that time outside trying to think up a solution. By the time he gained one, he headed downstairs and found a different clerk than either of the two. Thankfully the girl told him they were just outside.
He stopped next to the two, but ignored the blonde. "Can I talk to you before you leave? Please?"
She met his eyes for a brief minute. They were mildly pleading and hoping, much like his voice. Her lips pressed together as her face smoothed. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing her get angry again. "I have nothing more to say to you sir." She evenly answered, turning for the car. She headed toward the passenger side and set her stuff in back.
Sam was totally confused, but knew her best friend was pissed for some reason. That tone always conveyed she was hiding it...or at least trying to. Something was going on between the two and she wanted every last juicy detail.
But first...
A hand rested on a toned forearm and she fought not to drool. Whatever this guy's interest was...she'd switch places with K in a SECOND to have his attention! "Just a second and I'll straighten this out." She whispered, giving a friendly wink.
He could only stare bemused and took a step back as she rounded him to the passenger side.
"Are you NUTS?! Get out of that car!" Sam hissed, leaning through the window. "Do you know what you have here?? This guy looks pretty damn desperate to talk with you and you're turning him DOWN? This is your chance to find out whether or not he's got a girlfriend!"
She wanted to retort back that she already knew that question, but kept silent. If she said that, Sam would push her to talk to him anyway. Though, as it was, she was most likely going to if Sam got her way. Still, she wasn't going to say what was on her mind and kept her anger to herself. She was NOT involving Sammy in this.
The car handle clicked and the door carefully swung open to keep from hitting the other car. She stared in mild shock and met stern eyes. "Kalie Himmen, I'm NOT putting up with this silent treatment of yours." She minutely flinched at that mother-like tone. That rather LOUD tone. A hand reached in and grabbed her wrist in a tight grip. "You ARE getting out of this car because I am NOT driving away until you get this fixed. You wanna get fired over this?? Trust me, that guy can go to Barb and do it! Who do you think that bitch of a woman is going to believe, you or him?"
She winced again and felt a little bit of her cave. Sam was right about the bitch part... Still...the woman had the power to fire her and although she could tell her story against his, she didn't think it would really hold up as well as his could.
Her teeth grit. Somehow, SOMEWAY she was going to make Sam pay for interfering!
"FINE." She grit out, getting out. She met a cheerful smile and glared. Sometimes her friend's emotions swung as fast as a top, even though Sam really didn't hold grudges. "But you are NOT listening in on it! Stay in this car and wait for me to finish and then we ARE going home. No arguments."
"Gotcha. Now, scoot."
She stumbled a little when Sam pushed her toward him and managed to catch herself on the car before he did. That would've been icing on the cake.
Evenly meeting his eyes, shoving emotions away, she took a deep breath for courage. "Let's head back to the front doors." Not giving him time to say anything, she went for the tall brick archway and leaned against it. Her arms crossed and eyes closed as she waited for whatever he wanted to throw at her to come. After a while, she was forced to open her eyes when all was silent except for the outside world. "Well?"
He scowled. "You sure have an attitude problem..." He muttered, looking to the concrete below.
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't like being confronted with something that wasn't MY problem to begin with and then accused when acting accordingly to that."
"Personally, I think you overdid it a little bit with the accusations."
"I don't like being played." She grit out, jaw tightly clenching. Her eyes remained on the grass a few feet away.
"And I don't like being grouped in with any other guys. I've seen worse and hell even my FRIENDS can be shoddier than I am when it comes to women."
She snorted and kept her gaze away.
He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't figure this would go very well. His lips pressed together as he scrambled for ideas. She apparently had a problem with men for some reason, if this and the previous arguments were any indication. "So out of all those guys you knew or know...how many of them have apologized for being an ass?"
She couldn't hide the tinge of hurt in her eyes or the small sneer to her lips. "Not a one."
He thought as much. But that was exactly what would give him the inside and smooth this over. "What would you do if any of them DID apologize?"
The hurt intensified and her jaw clenched. She would never forgive them for hurting her as they did. She gave everything and they helped turn her into the hidden creature she fought with. But she had to wonder. What WOULD she do? She had to admit, even though it hurt, she was pretty much over the worst of them. The curse of a naïve girl's heart was almost behind as she got closer to her twentieth birthday. Finally, she sighed and her shoulders slumped a little. "I - I don't really hold grudges that much."
A small smile tipped his lips. He believed her. Everything she said thus far had been honest and he would continue to believe her. A hand moved and floated in the air. "Then I'd like to apologize for any harm I've done. It's the least I can do to repair both our honors. I not only had mine tarnished, but also yours by my thoughtless words."
She stared at him in shock. Her eyes also took in his awaiting hand, extended in friendship. She didn't get it...what was he being so nice for?! WHY was he being so nice? That just didn't make sense...they would never see each other again, not unless one of them made an attempt.
Green dropped to his hand. She stared at it unblinking, pondering. It never wavered, never twitched. He was being patient and giving her the time to think.
Honor? Though she was no expert on Chinese or Japanese, she knew they held honor above a lot of things. That was rather thoughtful of him to talk about hers as well...even if she didn't believe in honor. But, she DID believe in pride. Perhaps they were one and the same. He crushed hers and made her feel used by his actions, though he didn't know he was doing it. She listened in when he didn't know.
Really...who was to blame here? Was it him, or was it her?
Certainly he was at fault. He initiated everything fully knowing he was taken in another city. But she learned this underhandedly and didn't confront him on it or ask him to stop. She despised him without him knowing it and never let him get a word in.
Perhaps NO ONE was at fault.
Finally, a hand slowly moved from its position over her chest and gingerly clasped his. His fingers tightened with the same slowness. A smile tipped her lips...even as his grew a little wider...
"Yamoi Inaki...last name first, first name last."
Her brow furrowed in confused amusement, but her smile widened at his humor. Her heart thumped a little faster at two realizations. He was introducing himself to start over...and she finally had his name squared around. "Kalie Himmen, first name first, last name last."
His smile turned to a dry grin. "So I heard. Kalie? Extended version of K..." She gave a nod, meeting his eyes. Her hand rested in his, already forgotten... "But you told me to call you K? Don't like your name or something?"
"It makes me feel like a five-year-old." She quietly retorted, her lips twitching again.
His grin unknowingly turned charming. "I happen to like it. It suits you."
Her face heated without help from the sun and she looked away. Her smile turned mildly embarrassed. Finally, she took stock of her position and stepped around, taking her hand back. "Well...I should...get going I guess. I hope you and your friends had a nice time in Miami. You were here for a concert right?" She gained a nod and took a few uneasy steps back. She continued walking backward to give him her attention. He followed at an effortless pace. "Ah, well I hope you had fun..." She felt like clearing her throat. Why was she back to square one again?? Being so shy and girly...she was angry at him not even twenty minutes ago!
"I did, but thinking of - well what's now water under the bridge - kept me mentally occupied for most of Saturday. But I'm glad we got that settled."
His smile was charming, but it was friendly. She still felt her heartbeat a little faster than it should and her face still red. "Ah...well...it is nice to know, I guess." She stopped at the trunk of the car and leaned on it. "I...hope you make it back safe and sound to wherever you're all headed then."
She was so nervous...it was endearing. She was back to the way she was when they met that Saturday. "Andytown. It really wasn't worth getting a hotel for, but for something that awesome last night...it was worth it."
She gave a brief smile and fought for words. She was never going to see him again, even if she now knew where he lived and where the place was. That wasn't too far away from here, true, and it was even closer to her hometown. But here they were making polite conversation.
He didn't really know what he could do next. Besides giving her his phone number and or email, given she had both of those, he wouldn't be able to visit. He assumed her schedule was hectic, and he had work as well, so visits weren't really something to partake in. At least not right away...
"Say...you ever use email?" He queried, smiling when her nose wrinkled. "I'll take that as a no."
"Take that as an 'I don't like computers'." She corrected, giving a small smile.
He gave her an odd look. "Considering the day and age we live in, that's rather amusing... But I guess that leaves me with one final option."
Her brows went up. "Which is?"
"You have any paper?"
"Somewhere in the car..." She muttered, guessing where this was going.
A friendly smile popped back into place. "Well I was just wondering if you could loan me a quick piece and pencil or pen. I'd like to keep in contact with you. Friends if you would. If you don't mind that is..."
That smile was disarming and she couldn't fight the logic at how pointless it would be. But Sam was right about one thing. She would let one damn fine man go to waste...even as a person.
She decided to humble him and see where this was playing out. When he gave back pen and paper, she found his address listed. She blinked...having expected a number. None was listed.
"There. That way...when you wanna write me, you can at your leisure. As a sign of trust, I won't ask for yours until I get my letter."
Snail mail in this day and age. It was a good thing the post offices hadn't stopped in the hundreds of years since they were created... She looked to the ground, gently fisting the paper. How utterly thoughtful. She was suddenly seeing him in a little better light.
With a tiny nod, she managed a wisp of an embarrassed smile and met his eyes. "I'm...pretty busy... I've got classes and work all week and weekend long... But......I think I can find the time to write."
It was a good thing he was standing close enough to hear or he would've missed her whisper. He grinned again and nodded.
A honk sounded and they both jumped. Green whipped around to look through the back window and was suddenly staring at a watch, Sam's finger pointing to it. Her eyes widened before whipping back to Inaki's. "Speaking of classes...I've gotta get going. I'll...write."
"I'll be waiting. But not holding my breath." He kidded, heading back to the front doors.
She waited only until he entered the outer doors before hopping in and buckling up. "What was THAT for?"
"I thought I gave you two enough time together. Not to mention you looked like you needed to be bailed out."
She scowled, but didn't argue that point. As Sam sped the short distance back home, she looked at the paper in her hand.
"I'll be waiting."
She blushed and hastily put it in her pocket.
**I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner...so if these are not 100% correct...please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page to learn from, a dictionary, and a few months experience to work with.**
Translations: Matte-Wait Chotto matte kudasai-Please wait a minute/second