This chapter includes the dinner scene, where Matt & Mimi go to Sora's place for dinner & Matt clear things up and…oh! I better not ruin it for you guys. Just read & find out! Thanks for the reviews again!

Chapter Sixteen

Matt poked around the hall closet but came up with nothing. What the devil happened to his bag of books? Had he left it at the mall? Perhaps he left them on the…

He straightened & turned around when he heard footsteps thudding down the stairs. He saw Mimi come to an abrupt halt on the bottom step. She was wearing her pink robe & her cheeks were so pink she looked as if she was about to explode. And it looks like she was going to explode at him. What the devil had he done now?

"I thought," he said, "you were going straight to be…" He broke off abruptly as she held out a bag. Uh-oh.

"These are yours," she snapped. "I brought them down just in case you wanted to read the Grisham book."

The Grisham book wasn't the problem, neither was the mom-to-be book, which he planned to give her anyway. But the other one…dammit, that one was a problem.

"Thanks." He walked over to take the bag but even as he grabbed it he felt the hostile vibes & backed away quickly out of her space. "I did plan on starting the Grisham…"

She turned around & started up the stairs again.

"Hold on," he called.

She stopped, but remained facing the stairs. Her body was rigid.

He cleared his throat. "This one…" he took the mom's handbook from the bag, "I bought for you."

She turned then & her cheeks were no longer pink but white. "And the other," she put a hand on the banister, "is for you?"

He grimaced. "Yeah," he said in an apologetic voice. "Yeah, that one's for me. What I was planning was…"

"That the two of us would sit cozily at night; getting ready for baby together?"

The sarcasm in her tone cut him like a scalpel slash. "No, not exactly, actually I didn't mean you to see it. I planned to study it so I can find out how I could help you in the coming months. I don't want you to go through this alone, Mimi."

All of a sudden, the fire seemed to go out of her. "Matt," wearily she shook her head. "I am going to go through this alone. I want to go through it alone. And I am totally capable of going through it alone. So the best thing you can do is return that book & get your money back."

"Will you accept the one I bought for you? Unless that is…maybe you already have enough baby books?"

"No," she said grudgingly. "I don't have any, well…not yet. I've been meaning to get some, but…"

"Then will you take it?"

Sighing, she said, "Matt, you really have to stop buying stuff for me."

"But you'll take it, right? Please?"

After a hesitation, she said quietly, "I suppose it would be foolish of me to refuse." She took the book when he handed it out to her & clasped it over her chest. "Thank you." She smiled unexpectedly. "It's really kind of you."

He felt as if he was the one getting a gift. A smile from her was more precious to him than anything he could think of at the moment. "So…" he smiled back at her, "friends again?"

Amusement twinkled in her eyes. "Absolutely! Good night, Matt!"

"Sweet dreams." He watched her as she walked up the stairs, her brown hair like a swathe of satin against her pink robe, & waited there till she disappeared across the landing.

Then he walked across the foyer & into his study, closing the door behind him before moving over to take a seat on his swivel chair. Leaning back, he set his feet on the desk, & from his plastic bag he drew out his new hardback copy of A Handbook for the Dad-To-Be. Opening it at the beginning, he started to read.


Rain fell through the night, just enough to freshen the air & the countryside. When Matt came back from his morning jog, he found Mimi outside, cutting white roses from a rambler by the door.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, "great day isn't it?"

"Mmm." She put a hand up to shade her eyes from the sun. "Do you jog every single morning?"

"Yup, like clockwork. How about you?" he ran lightly on the spot.

"No, I prefer to walk."

"Haven't seen you do much of that since you got here."

"No, I've been too nauseated in the mornings & then it's been too hot in the afternoons. But I know I should be walking."

She certainly should. That was one of the things he read in his baby book last night. "Early evening would be a good time," he said. "It's a bit cooler by then."

"I suppose."

"Tell you what," he said, "we'll start taking a walk together after dinner. My workload's been strenuous lately & I find my stress builds up during the day. It would do me good, too, to get out & have a walk in the evening."

"We won't be able to walk this evening." She snipped one last delicate fragrant rose & turned toward the back door. "We'll be over at Sora's."

"That's no problem." He opened the door & stepped aside to let her walk by. "We can take the kids for a walk to the park after we eat dinner. Sora & I always do."


"Sora and I." The casual way Matt had paired the two of them together stayed with Mimi as she arranged the dainty roses in one of her mother's crystal bud roses; and it stayed with her for the rest of the day. And it felt like her heart was bitten by a mouse. It also felled her with frustration…frustration with herself.

She didn't want Matt, but yet she couldn't stop wanting him. And how mixed up was that! But she'd been mixed up about the man ever since she'd set eyes on him again. Her only hope was that once he was married, she'd be able to look at him without aching to be in his arms. And surely, once he was married, he'd stop looking at her as if he wanted the exact same thing!


As they drove to Sora's that evening, she could sense that he was in a bad mood. She snuck a peek at him & saw that his face was set in brooding expression. He barely spoke a word to her since he came striding into the house half an hour ago.

All that he said then was, "Sorry I'm late, client form hell. Meeting went longer than I expected. Give me ten minutes…" And then he shot off the stairs.

When he came running down again, she waiting in the front hall. He showered & shaved & changed into a crisp white shirt & khaki shorts, but he still wore that rugged look he had when he arrived home.

"Ready?" he said tersely, & without further ado, he ushered her out to the car.

The drive to Sora's took ten minutes & during that time neither of them spoke. Only when he drew up in front of a cream stucco house did he ay, unnecessarily, "Here we are.'

"I can see," she said lightly, "that you are going to be a charming company tonight."

About to open his car door, he paused & looked around at her. "Sorry?"

She leveled a cool gaze at him. "I know you don't want me to be here. You couldn't have made that plainer, but the feeling is entirely mutual. Playing gooseberry isn't my idea of a fun night out! So…"

"Gooseberry?" he glowered at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She just melted every time she looked at him, & right now, it seemed that he wanted him more. "I know," she said, her voice low, "that you & Sora are…"

"We are what?" he demanded. "Sora & I are what?"

"Well…" she turned away from him & reached for her door handle, "I know that the two of you are going to be married." The words almost choked her. She fumbled for the handle but couldn't seem to find it. And as she wiped her forearm across her eyes, she felt him grab her wrist.

"Who the hell," he rasped, "told you that?"

Mimi's breath caught as she stared into his fierce green eyes. He was obviously very angry with her…but she was even angrier with herself. Sure, Sora assumed that she & Matt were serious about each other, but no engagement had yet been announced. Perhaps Matt haven't proposed yet…& if he planned to do it tonight, which she thought was his intention, he certainly wouldn't do it now, with her sitting there like a lump of a log.

"Matt I…" She didn't get the chance to finish because just then, her car door was opened from outside.

Matt released her wrist instantaneously & drew back from her. Feeling dizzy, Mimi turned toward the open door & saw Sora smiling down at her.

"Hi, there, we've all been waiting for you. It's great to see you, Mimi! Come along inside."

Mimi somehow managed to return Sora's smile & somehow managed to keep it in place as she got out of the car & stepped into Sora's welcoming hug.

"Sorry we're a bit late," Matt said, as he walked around the car to join them. "I got held up at the office."

"Oh, sweetie, that doesn't matter!" Sora turned to greet him. Setting her hands on his shoulders, she raised herself on her tiptoes & planted a kiss on his jaw. "You're here & that's what counts!"

They all walked up the driveway & were almost at the front door when the boys came running out. Yelling, "Hi, Uncle Matt!" they threw themselves upon him & with a chuckle, he swung them both up in turn.

"Hey, guys, what have you been up to?"

"I beat my teacher at chess today," Tom-tom announced as he hung onto Matt's arm. "And I got a free hot dog!"

"Good for you," Matt said. "Way to go, kiddo!"

"And Yolei won a baseball bat in the hospital lottery!" TJ danced backward along the path in front of them. "And she gave it to me! Cool, right?"

"Really cool!" Matt paused as they reached the trellised archway at the door. "Boys, you haven't met Ms. Tachikawa…"

Mimi broke in. "Matt, they don't need to be so formal. Mimi is fine."

So Mimi it was. And after a few moments' initial shyness, the boys accepted her happily in their midst. Once inside, they insisted she see their rooms & with a laugh, she allowed herself to be led off, while Sora & Matt headed for the kitchen.

The boys' rooms were bright & air, with posters on the walls & trophies & toys scattered on every surface. Tom-Tom had a hamster called Ray in a cage by the closet; TJ had a sleek gray cat called Slim that was curled up on his bed. The window was wide-open & Mimi could see a small backyard filled with pretty flowers.

"Boys!" Sora's voice drifted through. "Wash your hands; we're going to eat now!"

The boys scurried into the bathroom together & Mimi wandered through to the kitchen. She found Matt leaning against the sink; a beer can in his hand, while Sora was took a deliciously-smelling lasagna out of the oven.

Matt didn't notice her. He was staring at his beer can & seemed lost in his thoughts…and those thoughts made him scowl. She cleared her throat & he raised his head sharply. Then she saw him deliberately raise his eyebrows to wipe away the scowl.

"Oh, hi," he said pleasantly & put down his can. "What do you want to drink?"

"Oh, I guess a glass of soda."

"I have some chilled cranberry juice." Sora blew back a wisp of hair & put the lasagna dish on a cork mat on the counter. "Or iced tea?" She pulled back a chair at the long kitchen table. "Sit here, Mimi."

"Cranberry juice would be great. Thanks, Sora."

"Matt, would you pour a couple of glasses?" Sora took five plates from the warming drawer. "I'll have some, too."

It was obvious by the way Matt moved around the kitchen that this was like a second home to him. It was so obvious to Mimi that something was bothering him. But what could it be?

She didn't think he was still angry with her. And she didn't think he resented her being there. In fact, after he set her glass of cranberry juice on the table, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder; let it linger for a moment, his fingertips warm on her nape, before moving away again.

The gesture had been reassuring & comforting. But…why did he do it? What was going on?


Matt wished he could spill out his problems to Mimi, but she was the last person he could tell…for now. Once he had everything sorted out, then he could explain. Hoping no one noticed his distracted mood, he tried to concentrate his attention on his food & on the conversation going on around him; but it was difficult because all he could think of was the conversation he accidentally overhead earlier in the office.

He arranged to meet a client for lunch, but at the last minute the client had called to cancel, so he decided to work through the lunch hour. He got up to look for a file in the cabinet by his door, & at first when he heard Yolei chatting on the phone, he paid no attention. Not until he heard his own name did his ears pick up.

Flashback

"…and the kids are crazy about Matt, too. Anyway, there'll be a wedding soon, Sora's sooooo excited, but don't tell a soul because Matt hasn't popped the question yet, but according to Sora, he's working on it & any day now…"

Jaw hanging open, Matt stood frozen & wondering if his senses are working right.

"…so that's all the news I have for now," Yolei said with a chuckle. "And anyway, I have a dentist's appointment in five minutes so I have to dash. Talk to you tomorrow."

Seconds later, he heard Yolei leave her desk, open then shut the door to the street. And silence reigned in the office again, except for the frantic thudding of his heart & the blood pounding in his ears.

End of Flashback

Sora thought he was going to propose to her? Where on earth did she get that idea? And how many people had she told? Yolei believed it, Mimi believed it…for all he knew, everyone in town believed it.

He suppressed a groan. Now, when he told Sora she'd been laboring under a delusion…as he planned to do this evening before Mimi had been invited along…she might think that he was dumping her because Mimi had come back into his life, whereas nothing could be further from the truth.

"Matt?" Sora's voice was concerned. "That was a mighty heavy sigh. Is something wrong?"

He blinked & saw they were all looking at him. Somehow he managed a rueful laugh. "I'm just thinking about work. Sorry, folks, I'll try to do better!"

And he did. He joined in the conversation & after dinner when they all went to the park, he played ball with the boys before taking Mimi & Sora for a walk…the walk he promised Mimi that morning.

They returned to the house around nine, & as soon as they got inside, the boys dragged him to the basement to see a project they've been working on. After a few minutes, he went upstairs again while they stayed behind.

He found Sora in the kitchen. "Where's Mimi?" he asked.

"In the bathroom," she chuckled. "I well remember those frequent trips during pregnancy. One of the joys…"

"And another of the joys, apparently, is feeling tired in the evening. I'm going to take Mimi home now."

"You're going so soon?" Sora didn't hide her disappointment. And when he saw her crestfallen expression, he realized it was imperative that he set the record straight without delay, before any more damage was done.

"Yeah, but I want to talk to you…privately. Can I come back…once you've put the boys down for the night?"

She brightened u immediately. "Of course, I'll be putting them to bed in about half an hour. I'll expect you when?"

"Around ten."

With eyes sparkling, she murmured, "We can sit out on the porch swing; it's a beautiful evening, & a full moon, too!" She touched his cheek & looked up at him tenderly. "I'll look forward to it, honey."

Mimi chose that moment to come back into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway, her eyes dark & her face pale.

Matt felt an awkward tension in the air, & to break it he said, "You look tired, Mimi. I'm going to take you home."

She grimaced. "I'm sorry to be such a party pooper, but yes, I would like to go now if you don't mind."

On the way back to Laurel House, she was quiet. And Matt, worriedly trying to figure out the least hurtful way to tell Sora she misread his intentions, made no effort to draw her out of her silence. But once they got home, before Mimi went upstairs, she apologized again for breaking up the evening.

"I truly am sorry, Matt. I know Molly expected us to stay longer & she did go to so much trouble and put on a lovely dinner."

"Its okay, Meems, I'm going back over there."

"Then I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Matt."

"Good night," he said softly, trying to suppress a smile when she didn't object about calling her 'Meems'. But as he turned away, his thought had already turned back to Sora, as he wondered how she was going to react when he told her that he saw her only as a friend.


AN: So I guess now you all know what Matt really feels about Sora…she's just a friend & nothing more. I bet all of you are happy to know that, huh? Well, I am happy too! Yay! Don't forget to leave a review!

xObuNnIi – you're very welcome! I'm glad you like it! Keep R&R! Koumi – whatever! Riven – it's good to know that you're so into this story. PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – thank you, thank you! (takes a bow)…I do try to keep updating as often as possible, but there's only a couple more chapter in this story (4 or 5 more chapters left!)