Hi, guys! I hope you had a good weekend? Okay, remember when I told you that I'm going to raise the rating of the story as we go farther, but I never thought I would raise it so soon. I spent my weekend thinking about it & I decided that it's better if just raise it now, instead of waiting & worrying about it. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong (or rated) in this chapter, in fact I think you'll all know what's in here once you read the title.

And one more thing, a lot of you have been wondering about what happened between Mimi & Michael & why they broke up. I wish I could tell you but that would ruin the story. Don't worry though, because there will be a flashback containing that event soon.

Chapter Seven: What I Feel For You

The next day dawned bright & warm with a more optimistic air in the Ishida household. Mimi slept in, lazed around in her toweling robe while reading a newspaper, & then fed Puffy. It was a perfect, lazy Sunday morning.

Matt held her hand on their walk home last night. They talked & joked around like they always did. He even dared her to enter the Miss Odaiba Pageant…which she turned down instantly. So they debated about beauty pageants over hot chocolate until the wee hours of the night.

He already left for work before Mimi woke up. With the town's festivities & all, his staff worked irregular hours. It was Matt's job to co-ordinate it all & he took it very seriously. Sometimes she was forced to tease him about it, but she knew he wouldn't change his life. And she was proud of him.

He was home by lunch, smiling & teasing just as normal. "Hey, there." Creeping up behind her in the kitchen, he ruffled her hair to distract her while he stole a carrot from her chopping board. "Have you thought any more about the beauty contest?"

She slapped his hand away when she saw his second attempt to steal food. "Nope, & I will never change my mind about it. I'm not beauty contest material. We discussed this last night, remember?"

"Remind me again…something about exploitation & sex discrimination and…nah, I forgot the rest."

Smiling, she turned to look at him & found him a few inches closer than expected. "Ishida…"

He closed the gap between them. "What happened to MATT?"

Her finger poked him on his chest. "You've always been plain old Ishida to me. You only get your first name when I'm flirting with you for the benefit of a certain woman's eye." She was implying about Jun Motomiya.

"So you were flirting at bar last night, not trying to SEDUCE me?"

"Dream on, big guy." She stood on tiptoes to move her face closer to his. "Just because I said you're a good kisser doesn't mean I'm going to fall head over heels in love with you."

Matt held his ground. "How should I kiss you to get you to fall head over heels in love with me, then?"

She stepped back a little, but with the kitchen counter behind her she couldn't go too far. She smiled & said, "Oh, no, you don't. The kissing part is a pubic thing, remember?"

"So hiding behind the trees at Sasaka was public, wasn't it?"

"Hell, no, but the idea was there. If you recall, it was for the benefit of the crowd."

"Yes, but that was before you told me I was a good kisser."

She frowned at him. "Oh, no, you can't go changing the rules of this bet halfway through. This is play-acting, not reality."

He reached past her for another slice of carrot. As his arm brushed the side of her body, she jumped & he grinned. "Play-acting, right. So, you think me being a good kisser is play-acting, & the fact that I can't go near you without you going all jumpy is play-acting too?"

Mimi was quickly losing her good mood with his teasing. "This isn't funny, Ishida. It's not something you can tease me about…like beauty contests or me calling you names or winning rat races. This is serious stuff."

"I know."

The phone rang.

Matt stared at Mimi. She looked nervous & he found his heart beating a little faster than it should be. He needed to talk to her now that he had some time away from her to think things over. Honesty. Their relationship had always been based on honesty, & he didn't want that to change.

The phone continued ringing. Mimi spoke first. "The phone."

"I hear it."

She smiled. "It's traditional to answer it when it rings."

He smiled back. "That's true."

"I'll get it, if only this big log would get out of my way."

"Really?"

She laughed, placed the palms of her hands against his chest & pushed hard. "Move, you big jerk, & let me get the phone."

He laughed too, & eventually moved so she could pass. "See, you can't even keep your hands off me."

She made a sign with her middle finger before answering the phone. "Ishida resident."

"Hey, there, gorgeous."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Michael? Hey, how are you? We were beginning to think you dropped off the face of the earth."

There was laughter on the other line. "No, not so far. Are you keeping that rebel-without-a-clue friend of mine in check?"

"Believe me…" she looked over at Matt, "I'm trying."

"You always were up for a challenge. Anyway, we're about to take him up on that offer for a visit."

"We?"

"Well, you know you always complained that it's about time for me to settle down & get married…?"

Mimi hesitated. "No!"

She could hear the laughter in his voice as he spoke. "Yeah, you won that bet. Kynna said she'd better keep me in line in & out of the office."

Kynna had been his girlfriend for several years now, & worked at his office as his secretary. Mimi had always wondered how long it would take him to notice how the soft-spoken girl looked at him. She knew that look too well. For a long time, it was how she looked at him herself.

"Well, it's about time."

"So we'll be there some time tomorrow to see you two, okay?"

"Okay," she looked at Matt & frowned. "We'll see you soon."

"Bye, Mimi."

"Bye." She set the phone back in place & slowly turned to look at Matt's face. She stared at him for several moments, still frowning.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Michael & Kynna is engaged."

He grinned. "But that's great, isn't it?" He thought for a moment & then frowned himself. "Isn't it?"

"You jerk; they're coming HERE to stay for a while!" She turned on her heel & stormed out of the kitchen.

Matt caught up with her when she reached the porch. "So what's the problem?" He tried to push the thought from his mind that said she wasn't over Michael yet. The thought twisted in his stomach. They had been together for so long & they thought they were in love. What if Mimi was still in love with him? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. No, she was over him.

"The problem?" She turned & waved her hands out on either side of her body. "Well, let's just think about that, shall we? We're currently lying to everyone who knows us, half the world thinks we're sleeping together, we haven't got a clue how to deal with all this kissing stuff, & now Michael and his fiancé are coming for a nice, cozy little visit!" There was a dramatic pause as she glared at him. "So can YOU tell me how we're going to explain all this?"

Matt ran his fingers through his blonde hair, ruffling it out of place. "Ah." He almost said, 'Would it really matter?' But he stopped himself in time. They both cared about their friend's feelings, & Matt wasn't sure how Michael would react to the idea of him & Mimi being together.

"AH? That's all you've got to say? That's just great…just great."

"We'll just have to keep a low profile."

"And bribe everyone in town to keep it a secret?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Good plan."

He frowned at her. "Calm down! All we have to do is tell them that the rumor is getting way out of hand & that it is not true. It'll be fine, Meems. Hell, Michael will be so wrapped up in his own news that he'll not even notice us."

Mimi looked at him incredulously. "How can you say that? How can you say that we'll behave like normal people when we haven't been normal since I came home?" She shook her head. "And we haven't been CLOSE to normal ever since we started this little bet."

Her words shook him more than he was prepared for. With a dangerous glint in the depths of his blue eyes, he stepped towards her. "And why exactly do you thing that is, Tachikawa?"

"Because, you great big jerk, we're actually really, genuinely, truly, & physically attracted to each other. And neither of us knows how to deal with that. That's why!"

"Well, now that's out in the open, what do you suggest we do?"

Mimi stared at him open-mouthed. She couldn't believe she actually said that. It was something she hadn't even managed to admit to herself. At some point, she started to look at Matt & see a man. Not just plain old Matt, her friend, but Matt a member of the opposite sex…an attractive member of the opposite sex. He stopped being 'invisible' to her. But shouldn't that have felt wrong? He was the closest thing she could ever have as a brother; it should at least have felt weird.

Matt waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello, anybody home?"

"Huh?"

He smiled broadly at her expression. "I don't think I've ever seen you so lost for words." He stepped closer. "You okay?"

Large honey-brown eyes blinked at him, as if putting him back into focus. Her heart was beating erratically & she had to clear her throat before speaking. "I think so."

"Okay, I know I don't say this too often, but…" his smile was affectionate, "you're right, this time."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm attracted to you, too." Probably had been for half his damn life, but that information was a little too much for either of them to digest yet. "I've been thinking about it &, to be honest, kissing a friend shouldn't feel like it feels when I kiss you. I wasn't prepared for that."

"Neither was I," she managed a smell, shy smile. "But you are a good kisser, you know."

Now it was Matt's turn to blush. "Yeah, well, there you go. I guess we all have a talent for something."

"You're very cute when you blush too." She couldn't resist teasing.

"And you know I hate it. Grown men, like me, aren't supposed to blush. At least not more than when I have those thoughts…"

"What kind of thoughts, exactly?"

Dangerous stuff. He knew it the moment he looked into her eyes & saw how dark they'd gone. Suddenly he was in grave danger of showing her exactly what his thoughts had been. Dark, hot thoughts that involved them doing things that no two platonic friends would ever think of doing. But suddenly there was an opening for those fantasies, the tiniest possibility that they might come true.

"Grown-up thoughts, Tachikawa. The kind that any man thinks about a woman when he finds her attractive."

She focused her eyes on his broad chest, then back up into his eyes. Like a fly to an open flame, she stepped closer. "And what exactly do these thoughts consists of?"

"Well, now that you've asked…" He stepped closer too, until their bodies almost touched. "I guess they start with looking into your eyes to see if you're feeling any of this heat we've started up."

Mimi's throat went dry. "And what do you see?"

The air crackled between them as he stared down into her eyes. The heat increased as their bodies were centimeters apart. Matt knew they were hitting the point of no return. From here, there was no going back to the way they've been before. Their relationship would change incredibly.

"I see something that I've never seen there before." His voice was seductively low.

"What is it?"

The husky edge to her voice made his body tightened spontaneously. "I see desire, Meems. This thing has you just as hot as it has me, doesn't it?"

She stared up at him, her smile appearing slowly. "Uh-huh."

Lifting a hand, he brushed her hair back from the side of her face with one long finger. He did it ever so slowly, barely allowing his warmth to touch her skin.

Her eyes flickered closed for a moment. "I never knew."

"Knew what?" His other hand moved to the small of her back & gently pulled her close until her curved body fitted snugly against him.

"That you could be so seductive." She lifted her chin, opening her eyes to look into his, but instead found her gaze locked on his mouth. She swallowed hard, her throat now unbearably dry.

"Meems…" he leaned his head towards her, "you have absolutely no idea just how seductive I can be. Maybe it would be easier if I showed you."

Her eyes grew heavy as his warm & sweet breath fanned her face. "Yes," she whispered. "Maybe it would."

Matt smiled the slowest & sexiest smile she'd ever seen. "Those dirty thoughts of mine didn't do justice to this, you know." Then his mouth touched hers.

The kiss was different this time. Almost as if they were finally being honest with themselves, & to each other, that they were in no pressure to behave differently from how they felt. Mimi wanted to be kissed by him, deeply & slowly. Matt was only too happy to oblige.

He took his time, exploring the shape & texture of her lips as if he'd never kissed her before. She tasted sweet & felt so much softer than he could remember. Could this be Mimi? Would she have responded to him like this if he kissed her years ago? His lips curved into a smile against her mouth. Does it really matter?

When the tip of her tongue brushed against his, Matt felt his body harden & was shocked by the force of his response. Only five minute ago they were facing up to the fact that they were attracted to each other & now his libido was kicking in…with a vengeance. Too soon…it was too soon to be confronted with wanting her. What if he scared her? No. Even as his body cried out for a logical release, his mind knew they had to take this slowly. They needed time.

As a low moan grumbled in his throat, he pulled his mouth from hers. Breathing hard, he rested his forehead against hers. "Wow."

Fighting to regain her composure, she eventually smiled at him. "Wow, yourself. We're good at this kissing thing, aren't we?"

"Too damn good."

They stood in silence, embracing each other. Then Mimi gently pulled away. "About Michael…"

Matt stared at her. "What do you want to do?"

"Well…" she took a breath. Turning away from him, she placed her hands on the porch rail & looked into the trees in the distance. She shivered, already missing the warmth from his body. In a few short minutes everything had changed beyond recognition. "I don't know about you, but this is all a bit too much for me to be dealing with in front of his eyes. I'm not sure what Michael might say on the subject…at least, not yet. Especially if he finds out we started all this because of a little bet."

"I'm not going to pretend I'm happy about hiding, Tachikawa. But I'll agree, for now, because it's what you want. I don't want to argue with you about it." The doubting voice reappeared in his head.

She continued, still unable to look at him. "It's just that…I mean we don't know where this is going. We could end up hurt & never be able to face each other again."

Matt frowned, his voice cold. "Okay, I get it, but for the record, that will never happen."

"Ishida," she turned to face him, smiling sadly. "You & I both know that once this game is over, we'll never be the same again. It's one of the things that scares me most."

"I'll always be here, just like I always have been." He shook his head. "I don't plan on going anywhere."

She looked away again. "I hope you're right."

There was silence.

She looked back again at her 'rock', noted the sincerity in his eyes & smiled. "Nothing's ever complicated to you, is it?"

Matt managed a small laugh. "Only when I'm around you."

"We've started this now, so I guess we're going to finish it, one way or another. Let's not make it any more complicated by involving Michael, okay?"

Unless he's already involved. It took a lot for him to keep the frown from crossing his face. His first lie to Mimi. Reaching out to take her hand, he squeezed her fingers in reassurance. "Okay, but I won't hide in the shadows forever…just remember that. We have nothing to be ashamed of."

AN: Phew! Is it just me or did the room suddenly feel warm? Hehe! Anyways, Matt & Mimi finally confess that they are attracted to each other. And they're going to keep their relationship a secret from Michael until they have sorted everything out. I think it's starting to heat up in here! Don't forget to review!

Zionne – this chapter is dedicated to you! (wink!) Hikkix2 – I do hope you continue reading my story, & my other Mimato fics. I'm sure you're gonna like it! Dyra – thanks for the review! I'm glad you took time to write two reviews. Thanks! BetterDeadThanAlone – hey, girl, how's it going? I was wondering what happened to you. Well, I'm glad you're back! Cole the Demon Hunter – there will be a lot of flashbacks, it sort of like fills the wholes in Matt & Mimi's past. No, I didn't forget to put Mimi's six years in America, it's actually on one of the future chapters. If you have any more questions, fell free to ask. Kuruta – wow! i'm quite flattered with your compliment. Thanks! Janay – thank you! I like chap.6 a lot! Nay – thanks for the review. Keep R&R! Kaye – shucks! That's one heck of a review! Thank you! I do try my best to make the flashbacks clear & understandable. You'll find out more on what went wrong in Mimi & Michael's relationship in the next couple of chapters. Yeah, Matt was 'accidentally' shot (take note of 'accidentally). When he's parents died, he got really depressed. He traveled a lot & went to different places & did a lot of crazy things. Good thing he's back now, right?

PnkSaKuRaSyAoRaNS2 – my #1 Fan! Luv yah, gurl!