Thanks again for all those amazing reviews! By the way, I'm working on this new Mimato fic. It's gonna be called 'Project: Babysitting'…Hopefully, I'll be able to post the first chapter some time this week.

MaRoNcOoL – you'll learn more about M&M's baby on later chapters so just stick around. beth – glad to hear from you again! Queenie – thanks for offering to be my beta. Email me when you're not busy coz I have this new fic in process. Hybrid Fairy – I'm really glad you like my story. Keep R&R! EUR3K4 – I know I said that Tai has a small part in here, but what I really meant was that he was mentioned in this story as Sora's husband. Angel –I'm writing another Mimato fic. It's still on the works, though. You should check it out once it's done aight? Xichiathik – cool name! Thanks for the review. Keep R&R! (Do you understand Tagalog?)


Chapter Eight

Matt saw, with a feeling of disappoint, that she was still quite upset because of what happened last night. Hoping to ease her out of it, he said softly, "I was just thinking that you really suit that color. What is it? Cherry Blossom Pink?"

"As I recall," she said dryly, "the store tag described it as Sunset Blush."

"Whatever, you look great in it. Elegant," he added with a grin, "as a pink flamingo."

"Thank you, I think." Although her cheeks turned two shades deeper than the color of her shirt, her eyes were cool.

"So," he said, "what have you been doing?"

"Just looking around." She smoothed a tidying hand down her hair; unnecessarily, since to him it looked perfect. "Getting the feel of things again."

There was a moments silence before Matt asked, "Would you like some lemonade?"

She hesitated for a moment & then, with a shrug in her voice, she said, "Sure."

In the kitchen, he took two cans of lemonade from the fridge, poured one into a glass & gave it to her. He leaned against the counter, taking a drink from his can, while she perched on the edge of the table.

"Where did you get to this morning?" he asked.

"I went to church."

"I didn't see you there."

"I was late so I took a seat at the back. I couldn't get the car started so I walked."

"And after?"

"I didn't hang around. I'm not quite ready to talk to people yet." She looked down at her glass & ran a slender fingertip over the rim. "Although I did have a word with an old friend on my way home. Sora Takeneuchi...No, I mean, Sora Kamiya. She said you were going to her place for lunch."

"She mentioned you guys met up." He looked again at her hair, which was full of bits of sunshine from the rays streaming in through the window. It used to be a little bit shorter...and pink; now it was in its natural color and fell straight to her breasts. He liked it better this way...except that it made him ache to run his hands through it, to feel the silky strands slide through his fingers...

"Sora told me she lost her husband. How long ago was that?" Mimi asked unaware of Matt's thoughts.

"Two & a half years ago. He had a terrible car accident. Sora was devastated..."Matt shook his head. "They were so right for each other. She took it really hard, and so did the kids. TJ & Tom-Tom loved their dad and Tai thought the world of them, too. His family was his life."

"Does Sora have a job?"

"No. She trained as a nurse, though, and worked full-time till the kids came along, then part-time after that. She's been planning to start full-time again once both boys were in school...but before that, Tai was killed. She went totally to pieces & hasn't worked at all since then."

He didn't tell Mimi that he wished Sora would go back to work. It wasn't because he minded being there for her, he didn't. What concerned him was that instead of becoming less dependent on him as time went by, Sora was becoming more & more clingy...more & more needy. But he promised Tai to look after her for as long as she needed him. And so he would.

"Mimi," he said, "I want to talk about you. Why did you come back here? Did things go...wrong...in New York?"

"Wrong? What do you mean?"

"You know...problems at work or with...a man?"

"That's my business, Matt. I'd prefer if you didn't pry into my affairs..."

"It's just that you're looking a bit...run-down."

"I was in a stressful job," she said. "I worked for the CEO of a major company. It was always busy, with long hours & constant deadlines. It took a lot out of me & I was getting burned out...that's why I decided to quit & come back here. Now that I'm home, I'll be fine. And since you're into making personal remarks," she added, "I think I should, too."

"Oh, please, I don't..."

"Do you still play?" She was referring to his guitar. Matt had it since he was fourteen & he loved writing songs. She remembered that he made a special song just for her.

"No, not anymore," he said.

"But I thought it was the most important thing in your life?"

"No..." he clenched his hand around the can & heard a faint creak as the tin gave way under pressure.

"You lost the touch?"

"No, Mimi, I didn't lose the touch. I can still play you know." There was a long pause before he continued, "What I lost was the heart."


Mimi spent the rest of the day alone as Matt arranged to go out with his friends. Before heading off, he told her he would be late, so she cooked herself a light dinner around six & then watched TV for a while before tiredly going upstairs for bed.

But once in bed, she couldn't sleep because she's been thinking about the conversation she & Matt had that afternoon. She tossed & turned, unable to forget the look that had been in his eyes & the sorrowful tone that had been in his voice when he said those six simple words. What I lost was the heart.

Flashback

"You lost the touch?"

"No, Mimi, I didn't lose the touch. I can still play you know." There was a long pause before he continued, "What I lost was the heart."

For a few long moments she just stared at him. Then gathering herself together she asked flippantly, "Was it because of a woman?"

"Yeah," he said. "A woman."

Jealousy wasn't an admirable emotion, nor was it a comfortable one. Mimi struggled to fight it. "Was she pretty?"

"No...she was beautiful. To me, she was the most beautiful woman in the world."

"And you were in love with her?"

"Yes."

"How much?" Mimi didn't know why she asked that question; it just suddenly came out. Why? To torture herself?

He was smiling at her in a way that gave her goose bumps, but his eyes were serious. "How much?" he repeated. "More than I've ever loved anyone else. More than I ever will love anyone else. She didn't steal my heart...she was my heart."

Mimi felt her eyes fill with tears & she turned away to hide it. But he must have spotted them because as she set her glass on the table, he said quietly, "Why are you crying?"

She blinked the tears away before she faced him again. "I just feel sorry for you. It must have been hard loosing a person you love so much. Was it a long time ago?"

"Years ago."

"So...you're over her now?

"No, I'm not over her. I doubt I ever will be. She was the only one for me."

End of Flashback

Mimi heard a whimper. But even as the sound jolted her, she realized she wasn't in the kitchen talking to Matt, but in her bed alone. And at the same time, she realized she had to get up.

One of the joys of pregnancy, she reflected as she pushed aside the covers, was the frequent need to go to the bathroom...and it was a need that disturbed most of her nights.


AN: So tell me what do you think? Now you know that Matt still loves Mimi, eh...Anyways, it'll take a while for chapter 9 to be posted coz I have to find my notebook first...yeah, the one I use to write my story...I'm not quite sure what happened, but somehow it got misplaced & I don't know where to find it...Don't worry! I know it's here somewhere & hopefully, I'll find it.

Don't forget to review! lol