Rikku awoke bright and early the next morning, tossing her blankets back and stretching happily. It was going to be a very interesting first day for her blond friend, and she looked forward to seeing him.
"Ah...finally. Two whole days of not being bothered by him!" she spoke aloud, already congratulating herself at a victory she hadn't quite attained yet.
Hm, but there's always the possibility that he might win. So I can't let that happen!
The last thing she wanted was for him to rub it in her face that he won. If he won. It would not only annoy her, but she had to save herself and her pride because she was sure as hell not going to be his servant for the whole summer.
"No way!" Rikku voiced her thoughts.
Finished dressing, she pulled on her shoes and opened the door, just as Gippal walked by. He stopped in his tracks, his mouth open ready to say something to her. Rikku raised her eyebrow at him and smirked. He promptly closed it again, apparently remembering the bet and continued down the hall past her, heading for the stairs.
Ooh, this is going to be fun.
Rikku headed into the kitchen and sat down at the table, reaching for a slice of bread. She leaned back in the chair and propped her legs up, seeing Gippal pour himself a glass of milk at the counter. She simply watched him with strong interest as she chewed on the toast. He suddenly turned around to face her and their eyes met. She smiled at him teasingly, but he turned away, his face completely neutral.
He's doing better than I thought. Argh! I need to win! I want to see him begging for my forgiveness, dammit!
"Mornin' you two. How'd the mission go?" Cid suddenly spoke up, entering the kitchen.
"It was a success. The towers work great now," Gippal responded easily, leaning back against the counter. Rikku's eyes widened as she heard Gippal. Catching herself from claiming her victory right then and there, and remembered that she restricted Gippal from talking to her. She didn't say he couldn't talk to anyone else.
Argh!
Yet, a part of her was grateful that he decided not to tell her father about her little incident out in the Thunder Plains. It would have made Cid think of her as a child, and Rikku wanted to show her father that she wasn't.
Cid nodded. "Nice work. Oh, and uh...you two have the day off today," he informed them, pouring a cup of coffee for himself.
Rikku dropped her legs from the table. "Really, Pops? How come?"
Her father shrugged, taking a sip. "You need to get your mind and body ready for the dive, Rikku. We go three days from today."
"Really?! That's great!!" Rikku exclaimed, jumping up from her chair.
"Clean up, will ya? I gotta go make the final preparations on the machina, so see ya kids later," her father said, exiting the kitchen with a wave.
"Later, Pops!" Rikku called out after him.
They were alone again.
She turned her attention to Gippal. "So...uh...got any plans today?"
He simply turned his back to her and finished down the rest of his milk.
Rikku frowned.
This might be harder than I thought...
Walking up to him, she reached out to get the carton of milk that was next to him, purposely moving her body near his so that he could "accidentally" touch her.
He looked down into her face and smirked, before exiting the kitchen completely.
Rikku stood huffing. "I'm not done with you, mister!" she yelled out, and followed him out of the house.
She had been trying to track him down for nearly twenty minutes and as ridiculous as she knew it was, Rikku wasn't prepared to hand Gippal the victory just like that. Somehow, and very soon, she was going to make him lose.
But what else can I do?
Hushed voices stopped her train of thought, and she looked around. The voices seemed to be coming from behind the vehicle that was on her left. Curious, she peaked from the corner and was ready to call out to him, but a flash of brown hair caused her to stay right where she was.
The brunette was talking to Gippal and had reached out to stroke his face. He seemed to smile a bit at that, but he had his face turned away from her. Rikku saw that the girl was fairly attractive, tall, and had a cute face. Her eyes were obviously glued on Gippal, and she moved closer to him.
Rikku clenched the side of the car tightly.
Gippal backed away from the girl and seemed to say something, scratching the back of his head. Rikku leaned in closer to try and make out what he was saying.
"Sorry, I uh...you're cute, but I'm just not interested. Sorry..."
Rikku's ears perked up at his words and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Not interested?! Please! The girl is practically throwing herself at you!
Rikku remained steady and continued to listen.
"Oh, I see..." the girl replied softly, looking down at her feet.
Gippal remained motionless for a moment before he began walking away.
"Do you...like someone else?" the girl asked quietly. The question caused Gippal to pause in mid-step.
Rikku almost lost the grip she had on the vehicle's handle, and she leaned forward even more, awaiting Gippal's response with sudden interest. He was quiet for a while before he turned around to face her.
"I...I might..." Gippal finally answered, trailing off.
"Who is she?" the girl suddenly demanded, moving in front of him. Gippal shook his head, walking in the direction Rikku was hiding.
"Sorry, I...gotta go now..." he replied gently, leaving her behind.
Rikku hid herself deeper in the shadows as she heard Gippal's footsteps approaching. Once they faded away, she let out a sigh.
So he likes someone?
Rikku checked to make sure no one else was in the area, and she stood up from her hiding spot. Heading back towards the house, she seemed to walk in a daze.
Wait, why do I feel bothered by that? Why do I feel like I care?! I don't care, dammit!
She stopped in front of the door to her house and turned the doorknob. It was locked.
Great, it's locked. And look at that! I forgot the key too! Wonderful...
A shadow suddenly appeared behind her and she let out a surprised gasp as Gippal put the key in and unlocked the door. Their eyes met as Rikku looked up at his face, and she realized how close he was standing to her. Opening it, he paused and let her step inside the house first before he entered not far behind her.
They stood awkwardly in the living room for a moment as Gippal bent down to take off his boots.
Rikku watched him, feeling slightly guilty for eavesdropping on his conversation with the brunette just minutes ago.
He doesn't seem to suspect anything though...
She stood for another second longer before heading into the kitchen without another word. Gippal looked up as she walked by him, frowning.
Rikku put the dishes into the kitchen sink after she had finished clearing the table. Turning on the faucet, she turned to look up just as Gippal walked into the room and sat down at the table.
I...have nothing else to say to him, so I just won't...
She was still disturbed from what he had said to that girl.
Grabbing the soap, she began washing the dishes silently, her back turned to him. Although she knew that she had to make him crack and make him lose somehow, the conversation she heard earlier just couldn't get off her mind for some reason.
Frustrated and confused, she firmly shook her head, causing Gippal to stand up from the chair and walk towards her.
Rikku continued washing the plate, seeing Gippal from out of the corner of her eye. He leaned back against the counter beside her, watching as she finished up the dishes. She didn't look up at him, but grabbed the towel instead and dried of her hands.
She sighed at him with annoyance, raising an eyebrow. "Are you just going to stand there all day or something?" His eye widened ever so slightly and his mouth twitched a bit. He was obviously taken aback by her sudden anger.
Why am I so mad all of a sudden? I just want him to say something to me. He's like this because of the bet, so why am I even surprised by it?
Rikku looked at him for a few more seconds before walking away, leaving him alone.
Gippal stood alone in the room. He sighed. "Rikku..."
It was about five in the afternoon when Rikku had awakened. She must have fallen asleep longer than she expected. Stretching from her nap, she sat up and looked down at a white sheet of paper that lay upon the covers. Curious, she picked it up. It was a note.
Rikku, since I can't talk to you or anything, I thought this would be the only way. Uh, I kinda sensed that you seem mad at me or something, but I just want you know that I'm not going to lose this bet. So even if you're asking me things and I want to answer, I can't...so I hope you understand.
Anyway, I'm hungry. When are you gonna get up and cook something?
She laughed at the letter. "Not going to lose the bet, huh? We'll see about that."
Getting up, Rikku looked at herself in the mirror and straightened her disheveled hair. She didn't want to do it, but she didn't have much of a choice.
This is for my pride. I'm doing this only because I refuse to lose and become his slave!!
Taking off her shorts, she opted instead for the skirt that her friend had given her. Rikku had never worn the thing because it always made her look too revealing than she wanted to. She blushed as she pulled it on.
Omigosh...I don't want to do this!! This isn't like me!
No. No! Listen, Rikku! This is the only way! It's the only way to get Gippal to lose!
Rikku nodded at herself in the mirror and decided that what she had on was enough. She kept her tanktop on though. Anything else would have been too obvious.
Entering the kitchen, she saw Gippal seated at the table drinking out of a mug. His eye flickered up to look at her as she walked in. She smiled, heading towards the refrigerator and pulling out food to cook.
Gippal swallowed.
"So...um, I guess it's just us tonight. Chances are that Brother and Pops aren't gonna be eating here today," Rikku spoke sweetly, turning on the stove. She looked over her shoulder at him. He simply nodded, absently staring at her. "And since I'm SO nice, I'm gonna cook something for us. You know, since I'm nice and all and—" she stopped short.
He suddenly cleared his throat, his cheeks a light pink. Getting up, he pointed in her direction.
"Huh? You wanna help?" she asked him, motioning towards the vegetables.
He shook his head and pointed at her.
Rikku frowned. "I don't get it."
Gippal sighed and moved towards her, stopping and pointing down at her skirt. He stood, awaiting her answer.
"Oh...so what? I can wear what I want!" Rikku exclaimed immediately, now feeling very self-conscious that he had openly asked her about it. Err...sorta.
She looked up at him. This time he was nodding, a smirk at his lips.
"Now what are you trying to say?"
He pointed at the skirt again before giving a thumbs up. Rikku felt her face growing warm. She quickly spun around and resumed chopping vegetables, trying to look anywhere but at him.
Gah! It's not working...he's supposed to say something out of shock or something!
Gippal remained watching her, simply looking over her shoulder. He raised a hand, ready to tap her, but quickly caught himself. She suddenly turned around and saw his hand in midair. Confused, Rikku just shrugged it off and laughed.
"You were about to touch me, weren't you?"
He shook his head quickly, sighing. She watched as he paced around the kitchen for a moment, running his fingers through his hair from time to time.
"You seem like you're tense or something. Anything I can do for you?" Rikku asked innocently, drying her hands and inspecting him closely.
Gippal stopped for a moment, blinking a few times. He seemed to come back to reality again, but quickly shook his head. She noticed how his gaze seemed to linger on her for a few more unnecessary moments.
Hm, it seems like I'm getting to him. This is great!
Rikku could hardly believe that she was actually acting like this. The thought of it and how she was acting towards Gippal was really working, and she was surprised at how quickly he seemed to succumb to her moves. It made her feel odd for a moment, almost ashamed...yet that shame quickly subsided when she remembered that her pride was on the line. Servitude was not an option for her. No way.
Dinner with Gippal was interesting. They were sitting at the table eating, and they didn't speak at all, as expected. Rikku would look across the table at him from time to time and would catch his gaze on her. The moment she looked up though, he always turned away.
As she washed the dishes later that night, another idea came to her mind. It was going to be a bold move on her part, but it was worth a shot.
It was almost midnight. Rikku lay wide-awake on her mattress, hearing Gippal moving around in the next room. She waited until he had switched off the light and she knew that he was already in his bed as well. Standing up, she made her way into the hall and stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath.
Gippal heard the door open and he sat up, propping himself up on his elbows as he saw Rikku's silhouette in the doorway. He opened his mouth, ready to ask but she caused him to pause.
"Gippal...I um...don't get the wrong idea or anything but um..." Rikku began hesitantly, wondering if she really wanted to go through with this. She saw him sit up even more and continued on, finding her courage again. "I um...can I sleep next to you tonight?"
Omigosh! What am I saying?! I can't believe I'm doing this! If Pops or Brother sees me, I'm dead!
Although she was screaming in her mind, her face showed no sign of her emotions. She stood waiting for his response, and a part of her was desperately trying to figure out why on Spira she was doing this. In the darkness, she could only see the outlines of Gippal's face, so she had no idea what expression he wore. But at the same time she was glad it was dark. Her face was more than likely bright red at that point.
After what seemed like an eternity to her, he moved and lifted up the blankets.
Rikku stood shocked, realizing that he had agreed. She swallowed hesitantly, before feeling herself slowly moving towards him. Gippal looked up at her and watched as she climbed in.
The warmth from the blankets instantly engulfed her, and Rikku remained motionless beside him. She could feel him just centimeters away from her, yet he still hadn't said a word. She liked to think that it was because of the bet, but why had he let her in so quickly? He hadn't seemed surprised either.
Shifting, she moved so that her head was on the far side of the pillow they were both sharing. Her mind raced, and she could hear her heartbeat as her face remained warm.
This is all for the sake of the bet. All for the bet. If only he'd turn my way.
They were both lying with their backs facing each other. She clutched the sheets beside her nervously, hoping that morning would come. If she was right, then come morning, Gippal would already lose the bet.
She heard his even breathing fill the room, and it was obvious that he had fallen fast asleep already. Yawning quietly, she too closed her eyes.
I hope I'm right about this and victory will be mine...
End of Chapter 5
