Last time:
"You know what?"
"You're happy."
And I am.
I wake up the following morning to the sound of the phone ringing. It's 7:30 and I should have been at work a half an hour ago; according to my early working schedule that is.
It isn't until I hear Yamcha's chipper voice on the other line that I remember the night before, and suddenly I'm sitting up right and he's saying, "Bulma? Bulma, are you there? Hello?"
"Sorry," I sigh, faking a yawn. "You woke me up."
"How are things going there? D'you miss me?"
If you only knew, I think sullenly.
But wait. What proof do I really have that anything happened? I just woke up in my own bed and I don't remember driving home last night. It could have all been a dream. It was a dream. Of course it was; geez. My brain is just over-worked. I need a vacation.
Me and Vegeta?—I must have sniffed too many chemicals at work.
"When are you coming home?"
"Tomorrow night, late. You'll probably already be asleep."
Yeah, and then you'll wake me up with your giant siren nostrils.
"I'll see you then, love." And then he makes the kissy noise and hangs up the phone, and it's time to get ready for the day.
"Vegeta sure is in a good mood this morning," Chi-Chi says, taking a seat across from me at the table in the café. She's only drinking non-caffeinated tea however; no caffeine with the baby squirming around inside her.
Baby…
"What do you mean?" 17 asks; they're the only ones here so far. 18 and Krillin are always late in the morning, and Goku's already off doing some work. Buzz, buzz, busy bee.
"I was carrying some stuff in and I had a hard time opening the door; and well, having this giant belly doesn't help much either," she giggles. Oh she loves being pregnant so much. I can't wait 'til it's my turn. If it's ever my turn. "Anyway, Vegeta walks in and usually he just passes me when I'm carrying things, but today he takes the big box from me and carries it to my office. And he didn't say a word and then just leaves. It was so weird." The thing with Chi-Chi and Vegeta is that they're pretty good friends, but not so much as him and, say 18. But Vegeta would never help any of his friends. He's that self-centered. I wonder what's gotten into him.
"Oh kuso," I gasp, nearly spilling my coffee over.
"What?" Chi-Chi asks looking concerned. Mama Son.
"I…er…I need to get to the lab. I have so much work to do. I…I'll see you at lunch Chi."
And I'm gone before they can see the look of sheer terror on my face.
"Oh Kami. Oh Kami. Oh Kami," is all I can say as I run to the lab. This can't be real. No. Why would I do such a thing? It's impossible. No. Not real. Not true. No way!
When I get to the lab Vegeta's there, as usual, working away at his desk. But when I see him I'm too scared to say a word and I scramble over to my workbench, not looking at him. When he doesn't even acknowledge my presence I sigh with relief, only to gasp as strong muscle-corded arms wrap themselves around my waist from behind.
His lips are on my neck. His hands are working their way towards my chest; and I've lost control again.
"Ve-Ve-Ve…Vegeta don't," I squeeze out. "Last night—"
"Last night is tonight," he says in that perfect husky voice. Oh Kami, I can't take this.
"Vegeta…"
"Bulma?"
"Please…"
"Please what? Stop?"
Yes! I scream in my head. But it comes out as a straggled, "No," and his hand is under my shirt. "What…What about 17?"
"Damn it," he snaps under his breath, completely stopping his ministrations. Damn it is right! "Have you seen him this morning?"
"No, but that doesn't matter."
He comes around so I can see him and leans against my desk, a broad smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth.
"That's not what I meant," I say, my voice normal and steady. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm! "Look Vegeta, last night was…fun. But it cannot—under any circumstances—happen again, got it?"
"Fun?" he repeats, looking like he's about ready to burst out laughing.
Fun? I think, wanting to smack myself. Fun is not the word I would use. Who am I? Some sleazy guy from a bar dishing out lines the morning after? But what else am I supposed to say? That it was one of the best nights of my life? That I haven't felt that alive…ever? Oh Kami, what an awful thought. This is too unbelievable to be happening.
With my hand open, I bring my arm back then whirl it around to make sharp contact with my face.
Vegeta stares on in muted confusion. Perhaps that did look a little odd.
"Kuso…It wasn't a dream."
"Why, in Kami's name, would you have wanted that to be a dream?"
"Shut up."
He's laughing so hard now I wonder if he'd notice if I just got up and left.
"You know, Vegeta, just because that happened last night doesn't mean you can come over here and act like we're all buddy-buddy. Just forget about it and let's move on. It was a stupid mistake. I'm still trying to figure out how I could have been so dumb to make it."
He gives a big manly sigh and folds his arms over his chest. And I think back to last night, my lips trying to get a taste of every inch of him. There must be a dozen hickeys on his neck and chest. Thankfully there are none on me…I think.
"How long have we known each other woman?"
"We still don't," I say acidly, hoping he'll take the hint and go away. Why is it that I always seem to attract the men that want to trail after me? Just once I'd like to have a one-night stand that didn't turn into a ten-year relationship. Not that I want one-night stands all the time. Or even now. I'm in a relationship, Kami damn it! Why can't I remember that? And while in a relationship I should remain faithful and—Wait. Have me and Yamcha really been dating for ten years?
"You know what I mean."
"Twenty-some years," I groan. Go away. Go away! But at the same time I want him as close as he was last night. Where is all this sexual frustration coming from all of a sudden? The lying? The disloyalty? That's it; on my lunch break I'm calling a shrink. "Why?"
"And all that time we've fought, yes?"
"No Vegeta, we've been happy little friends running through fields of daisies. Are you going to get to a point anytime soon? Because we have a shitload of work to do and this little guessing game is not part of it."
"Alright, alright," he sighs. "Such hostility."
I roll my eyes at him, wondering when the hell 17 will get here and save me from this unbearable tension.
"I think we've always been driving towards this point, woman. Why else would we end up in bed together? Twice? Haven't you ever heard of a love-hate relationship?"
"Yes, I have. But that would involve some sort of love and a relationship. All we have is the hate."
"Stop being so high-and-mighty. You could have stopped me anytime last night and you chose not to, so don't act like this is all my fault."
"It is!"
"How, exactly?"
"You kissed me!"
And, of course, this is the exact moment 17 chooses to walk through the big metal double doors, his innocent blue eyes widening into tea saucers.
The phrase "and just when I thought my life couldn't get any worse" is a complete understatement in this moment. It's amazing how one simple tiny, seeming-insignificant moment can alter the rest of your life. How in such a short time your life is over and you'll never be able to go back and pick through the pieces because everything happened so fast.
I'm accused, convicted, tarred and feathered all in one big swoop.
"I-I," he stutters dumbly, staring at us. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No," I say fiercely. "We were just getting to work."
17 didn't say a word to me for the rest of the day, but I knew, every time that I looked over at him, that he was counting the seconds until we could be alone together.
And I knew Vegeta was thinking the same thing.
Flashback:
I was still mad as I walked into the school. I decided the night before that I would never let Vegeta bother or annoy or embarrass me ever again. Whatever he did I would either ignore or laugh with him. I would not let what happened yesterday happen again. No way. Never.
That, and I would take every chance to get him back.
The bell for homeroom sounded and I slammed my locker shut, catching Vegeta out of the corner of my eye. He was jogging, as if late for class, and a devious, yet childish, thought came to mind. He was so preoccupied with himself that he didn't even notice me. And so, slowly, I extended my leg into the hall, just when he passed, and his foot caught it, sending him head long into the shiny tile floor.
I was laughing so hard that I didn't notice him stand up. We were the only ones in the hall, but that didn't mean I still couldn't enjoy this great moment.
"Shouldn't you say something?" Vegeta snapped, shoving me against my locker.
"I hope that hurt?" I said, shrugging my shoulders.
His grip tightened on my shoulders and his head leaned in, our foreheads touching.
"Apologize," he said through his teeth.
"Right," I laughed. "In Hell."
"Woman!"
His eyes bore into me with such intensity I thought surely they would pop. But then, very fluidly, the anger washed away and something new, something I'd never seen in him before, replaced it. He loosened his grip to the point where he was merely touching me, not holding me against my will.
I was about to say something, when the second bell sounded. Before I could collect my thoughts he was gone. And he didn't even look at me for over a week.
End Flashback:
I watch as 17 slips quietly out the door, and I collapse into my desk chair, sighing heavily with utter relief. Thank Kami he—
I remove my cell phone from the clip on my pants.
"Yeah?" I answer it, hoping its not Yamcha. The last thing I need is to talk to him when I have all this shit on my mind. It's bad enough I'll have to face him eventually. But, you know, as long as it never—NEVER—happens again, then I think I'll be ok. I can get passed this. Vegeta won't tell anyone. Or—Damn! I'm no good at this cheating thing. I need to cover my bases!
"Come on."
At first I have no clue who it is.
"Get out here and talk to me."
"What the hell are you doing, 17?"
I don't need to turn around to know that Vegeta is now listening.
"Do you really want me to talk to you about this in front of Vegeta?"
Damn it! Why does every man in my life know how to manipulate me? And here I thought I was a free and independent woman.
I hang up the phone and toss it onto my desk, not caring if I hurt it. I hate cell phones anyway. Only after months of hounding from my father did I finally cave and buy one. And now everyone feels the need to call me on it at all hours. Well people, sometimes I just want to disappear and have no contact with others. People aren't supposed to interact all the time. It's inhumane.
"So?" I say, crossing my arms rigidly over my chest. I can't look him in the eye. Not after what he heard, not while he has those thoughts in his head. But I have to play it cool. Nothing further than kissing happened. I didn't even want to kiss him. He kissed me and I pushed him away.
Oh Kami, I hope he buys it.
"You know I heard part of your argument," he says, trying to catch my eyes. No, I won't look at you mister. "All I want to know is if there's something going on between you two."
I widen my eyes and look over at him in mock shock.
"Of course not!" I snap, sounding very much offended.
"Are you having problems with Yamcha?" he asks before I can say any more. "Why didn't you come to me?"
"Me and Yamcha are perfectly fine," I insist, maybe a little too hard. But I think I'm more trying to convince myself. What I didn't realize until just this moment was that me and Yamcha really could have some serious problems that neither of us know about. Why have I been so blind for so long? "We're great. What you heard was nothing. Nothing happened between me and Vegeta."
"But you said—"
"I know what I said," I say, rolling my eyes for effect. "But that's all that happened. He kissed me and I pushed him off. I'm practically married, 17. And I loathe Vegeta. Why the hell would I jeopardize my future, my life, for someone like him?"
"I—" he began, then his voice dropped as he re-thought his words, giving me some time to collect myself. Kami, why can't he just be done with this and go home? This is excruciating! "I guess that makes a lot of sense."
"You guess?" I laugh. "Really, 17. Could you see me and Vegeta together?"
"No," he says, and then he starts to laugh, a great weight seeming to rise off of him. "No, you're right. What was I thinking? You and Vegeta? I don't remember Hell freezing over."
"Exactly," I say, slapping him on the back. "You got yourself all worked up over nothing."
"There's one thing I don't understand though."
My good mood drops. Damn it! I was hoping he wouldn't catch on to that.
"Hmm?" Did my voice just squeak?
"Why would Vegeta just kiss you? Out of nowhere? I mean, don't you hate each other? It's not a one-sided thing. I—"
"I guess he hasn't been laid in awhile," I say with a shrug. "Who knows. Who cares. If he touches me again he knows what I'll do to him." A million and one dirty thoughts fly through my mind. I'm so bad…
"Well I care." He frowns deeply and I wonder if he'll confront Vegeta about this. And, more importantly, I wonder what Vegeta will say. Hopefully I get a chance to talk to him before 17 does. "Vegeta doesn't just kiss girls randomly. And especially not if he openly doesn't like them."
"I thought he really didn't like his ex. What's her name? Jacqueline? Something French…"
"Yeah, Jacqueline. But that was complicated. She ignored him so much at the end that he grew to hate her. And then she cheated on him, and, well, who would like a person like that?"
My heart immediately sinks. I'm a person like that.
"She wasn't Japanese, was she?"
"No. She moved here for some government work. She was a translator. Aimee was from here though."
"Aimee?" Thank you Kami! We're off the subject of me and Vegeta.
"Aimee came before Jacqueline." His eyes shift towards the open door behind me. "They're together now."
"Oh! Right." Of course I knew who Aimee was. They were the hot gossip topic for months around here after Jacqueline and Vegeta split. He got into so many fights with co-workers during that time. My father forced him to take some vacation time, lest he take a permanent one. It was the only time he and my father ever had friction. My father is the only person I know of who Vegeta goes out of his way to be nice to. Everyone else is just the same in his mind, and he treats them all the same; like shit. "Well, it's been nice chatting," I say, looking over my shoulder, "but I really should get back to work. My dad reminds me everyday about the deadline, so if I don't make it it'll be more than my neck."
"Right," he sighs. Clearly he's not satisfied with how the conversation went. Did he—No. That's absurd. He wouldn't—
"17. You didn't want there to be something between me and Vegeta, did you?"
"No, no," he says quickly, averting his eyes. "Of course not. No."
"17," I say through my teeth. I grab his arm and force him to meet my gaze.
"I only thought that it would be so much easier if that were the case. Me and the others wouldn't have to break up our time together. We could all hang out together."
"And what about Yamcha? We'll just throw him away?"
"Well at least if you two were friends. I mean—"
"Don't bother." I press my hand to his lips. "Your sister already gave me that speech. And I'm working on it, alright? I've been extremely civil with him lately. Even after the stupid kiss thing. Let me take it at my own pace."
"I love you, B." He pulls me into a quick hug, giving me a brotherly kiss on the forehead.
"You too, big guy," I laugh. "Now get the hell away from me."
Chapter 5:) I know not a whole lot happened in this chapter, but there was another flashback and you found out that it was absolutely not a dream. Just to let you people know, there will be A LOT of flashbacks. They'll be the window to Bulma and Vegeta's relationship (both open and secret). The flashbacks will tell us why Vegeta came on to Bulma, but the flashbacks will progress with the story, so you'll have to be patient :D Heehee. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And sorry it took so long, but I have been BUSY. Damn responsibilities:P
REVIEW! Or I shall write no more :o
Next time: More angsty goodness.
