For the past couple of days I encountered a major writer's block! That's the reason I wasn't able to update sooner, and I was so pissed (sorry!). It's a good thing I'm not having that problem anymore. Anyways, most of you complained about the chapters being short, & you wanted me to make the chapters longer. Okay, I'll try my best to make every chapter longer...but it's not that easy, you know. Hopefully, this chapter is long enough. I don't want you drooling in front of the monitor or falling asleep because of boredom. Well, enjoy reading!

Chapter Eight: Jealous

Flashback

Six years ago

Mimi had been living with Michael for a year when the little voice started in the back of her head. At first she ignored it. Ignored the feeling in the pit of her stomach that said something wasn't right.

She was seventeen when she first saw him & she was starting to change from an ugly duckling into a swan. Michael was the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. And he was smart, funny, popular, & rich. But something in him seemed to change after college, at which time he had been his happiest. Crowds of friends, sports trophies & awards keep coming in, & the never-ending parties to attend. Everyone on campus liked Michael & wanted to be around him. Mimi had been so proud of him, & so proud to be his.

But outside on the reality world was something different. Now he had to work to maintain his wealth & his athletic ability was reduced to beating fellow board members on a game of golf. And he started to change into someone she didn't know well anymore.

She was twenty-two & she'd been with Michael for four years. She should be ready for marriage & that damned twelve kids…but then there was the voice.

"Are you drunk again, Tachikawa?"

Mimi glared up at Matt. "You make it sound like I'm an alcoholic. When's the last you saw me poop-head?"

He sat down onto the large sofa beside her. "Christmas."

She snorted. "See, it's almost a fucking year. So you can just take a long walk off a dock, Ishida."

They looked around the crowded room for a while. It was Mimi's mother's fiftieth birthday & the house was packed. People she hadn't seen in years spent all evening coming up & commenting on how much 'little Mimi' had grown. And wasn't it nearly time they bought her a new hat for her wedding?

"So how's life with you?"

"It sucks right now this very minute if you must know."

Matt studied her profile. "How come?"

Mimi took a long drink of alcohol, continuing to watch the crowd. "I wish I knew, Ishida."

"Maybe I can help."

She smiled at his gentle tone. "Still trying to save the world, are you?"

"Nope, handed my cape on that one."

"So…" she turned large brown eyes on him, "you're just going to rescue me instead?"

His blue eyes locked with hers for several long moments. She was troubled by something. He knew it, but he couldn't understand what it was. She should be happy…well; she had everything, didn't she? "You need to be rescued, Meems?"

Her smile was sarcastic. "What, from my perfect life? Nah."

"Isn't it perfect?"

For a split second she hated his calmness. Since he came back from his twenty-four vocation of worrying the heck out of her, he just seemed so goddamn calm. Why was that? Not that she wasn't pleased about it. It was a lot easier to sleep at night when you knew your friend wasn't in any type of danger somewhere.

"What did you do? Find something precious in one of those villages you used to go to?"

Matt smiled slowly. "Something like that."

She glared at him. "I swear, if you tell me you've found true love I'll throw up all over you." The thought bothered her greatly.

She almost sighed as he reached out to tuck a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She watched as he watched his finger, with soft blue eyes, trailing it down her cheek & along her jaw. "You're in a really bad situation, aren't you? So what is it?"

She stared at him & then suddenly, a tear rolled down her face. "I don't know. I really don't know." Stunned by her own emotions, she jumped up & ran from the family room to the safety of her old bedroom. She wouldn't see Matt or talk to him again until after she left for America.

End of Flashback

Matt didn't think he had ever been more frustrated in his life. Michael Cooper was the only college friend he had kept in touch over the years. They survived the changes in their lives & somehow still remained friends now that they were adults. Matt may not like the new version of Michael, but he accepted it. What he didn't expect was seeing him now when he expected to see him for another six months or until the wedding.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy having Michael & his fiancé staying at his home. He's really thrilled that they are here. It was just…well, if he was honest with himself it was just that he wouldn't be able to kiss Mimi as often as he wanted to now that Michael's here. Every time he looked at her, he found himself looking at her mouth & remembering the kisses they shared. He wanted more & it was hell. Who would have thought? Matt Ishida was seriously, seriously attracted to his best friend. And he couldn't even blame his hormones. It was amazing & frustrating.

"Matt?"

He looked at Michael as if he just realized he was there. "Sorry, what is it?"

Michael grinned broadly, dimples appearing in his cheeks. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so preoccupied. If I didn't know better, I would've said you had it bad for some woman."

"Me?" Matt laughed loudly. "Confirmed bachelor that I am? I don't think so, old pal."

"Well, you look like what I looked like when I suddenly realized how Kynna felt about me."

"Nah!" He took a long drink of his beer. "Not me, I like my life the way it is. No problems, no pressures. You've given all that up now, you know."

Michael leaned back against the porch rail & saluted his friend with his beer bottle. "I wouldn't have it any other way. You don't know what you're missing."

"Whatever. That's why we're waiting out here while those two spend for ever getting ready to go to a simple dinner."

"Well, knowing Mimi & Kynna as well as we do, believe me, if it's taking this long…" Michael looked up at the second floor windows, "the girls will be worth waiting for."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girls finally arrived. Matt was drinking his beer when he saw Mimi & he almost choked to death. Mimi was NOT playing fair. She was wearing a really short skirt, showing off her darn legs again!

"Wow!" Michael said out loud what Matt was thinking.

Instead he just said, "You two scrub up pretty good."

Mimi raised an elegant eyebrow before reaching across to steal Matt's beer. She took a sip before handling it back to him. "Careful now, Ishida, you'll swell our heads. It's a miracle Jun can keep her hands off you!"

Michael smiled at his fiancé but still managed to eavesdrop. He looked across at his friend. "She's still chasing after you?"

Matt glared at Mimi from hooded eyes. "What can I say? I'm just irresistible to the opposite sex. Isn't that right, Meems?"

For a split second she looked astonished. Then she played along. "Well, you know, it's been tough fighting off the attraction, but somehow the world still turns, the sun still rises & sets, the seasons still come & go…"

Michael laughed. "Yeah, we get the picture. God, imagine you two liking each other. That'd be so funny. Just be thankful you're not her type, Matt."

Their taxi arrived; Matt looked into Mimi's eyes before looking across at his friend. "You're not kidding either. I should know…I live with her remember? How I managed to get through all those years without killing her stuns me."

Mimi smiled, her eyes focused on the taxi & its occupants. "Really?"

"Are you deliberately trying to make me crazy?"

Noting that their friends seemed occupied, she turned to smile seductively at him. "Now, knowing me as well as you do, do you honestly think I'd do any such thing on purpose?"

Matt took a deep breath. "Just so you understand that there will be consequences."

She laughed, glancing back towards the taxi. "I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this dinner."

He let her walk ahead while he watched her swaying hips from behind. Frustration, it was a lonely word & she was going to have to pay.

Flashback

A realization – six years ago

"Who is she?"

"Who is who?"

Mimi shook her head. The voice in her head had been getting louder & louder for weeks now. "You're seeing someone else, aren't you?"

Michael looked at her across the dinner table. "I haven't got the faintest idea of what you're talking about." Then he continued eating.

"Bullshit! Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"No," he wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "What I really think is that you're being ridiculous."

Mimi could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She swallowed hard to keep them from falling. "She isn't the first, is she?"

Michael stared at her. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want the truth dammit! I think you owe me that."

Thoughts seemed to flicker across his face & then he crumpled. "Mimi, I'm so sorry."

Mimi felt her chest would collapse any time soon. She had known for quite some time that he was probably seeing someone else. God, was she so blind, so naïve that she believed he was head over heels in love with her after all this time? How could she have thought that when for such a long time she'd been having doubts herself?

With supreme calmness, she folded her napkin & stood up. "I think I should go."

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't mean that. We can work this out, Mimi. I know we can."

Mimi laughed wryly. "If you say that woman meant nothing to you I swear I'll make you wear this bolognese."

"I love you. You know that. We can get past this."

She laughed at him again. "You bastard, for months I've been trying so hard to pretend that this would work. That any doubts I had were only natural at this stage of our relationship. And after all this time you were sleeping with someone else. Well, you know what? She can fucking have you."

Michael's chair topped back as he stood up. "Where are you going?"

She reached for the door handle. "I'll let you know when I know."

"Oh, I think we both know, don't we?" His face pushed towards hers, his breath thick with wine & sarcasm. "You'll go running off to your FRIEND Matt, won't you? Just like always. Back to that stupid little relationship you love so much. Maybe if you sleep with him & got it over with then I wouldn't always feel like I'm the third wheel."

"Oh, no, you can't go blaming your insecurities about my relationship with Matt for your inability to be loyal." Mimi's eyes were frosty cold. "He's you friend, too, Michael."

Michael grimaced. "How long will you be telling him I've been playing around?"

"Let me go, Michael, & leave me alone." Mimi stared at him straight in the eye. "And I won't tell him why we're splitting up. That way you'll only lose one friend in this."

He looked momentarily shocked. "Why would you do that?"

"Because he'd kill you if I told him."

The game continued all the way through dinner at the local hotel. There were frequent 'accidental' brushing & touching of hands or feet or arms. To Matt, the room felt impossibly hot.

A band was playing in the adjoining room, & soon Michael and Kynna went through the double doors to dance.

"Hey, there." Mimi rested her chin on the palm of her hand, smiling slowly. "How you doing, way over there?"

Matt shook his head, laughing tensely as he turned to look across at her. "You, my girl, are playing a VERY dangerous game here."

Her eyes sparkled at him. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, REALLY."

"Can you explain more?"

He leaned towards her, elbows resting on the table edge. "You have been deliberately teasing me all evening & you know it."

Lowering her long lashes, she watched her fingers stroke the stem of her wine glass. "You think so?"

"You're old enough to realize that a game like this has consequences."

Maybe it was the wine taking affect on her, & maybe it was their situation of playing friends while Michael & his fiancé watched. Whatever the reason, it had been TWO whole days since Matt kissed her, & she wanted more. She wasn't able to sleep properly, thinking about kissing Matt & being kissed by Matt. So if she was suffering it seemed only fair that he suffer a little too…

"You've mentioned those consequences before." She raised her eyes slowly to look at him, her gaze focusing on his mouth. "Maybe you should explain them to me in more detail."

He groaned, running his fingers back through his blonde hair. "Do I know you? Because you look like a girl I used to know."

"What was she like?"

"She was this really irritating kid."

"What age?"

"Ten or eleven, she used to tag along on all my great adventures."

"NOT all of them."

"I considered myself mature for my age & I was ready to take on the world."

"This kid, did she get in the way?"

"No," he smiled back at her. "She was distracting & too smart for her own good."

"She sounds nice. What happened to her?"

"She grew up & left us all behind." He looked away.

"But she came back to her friends eventually, right?" Looking around to check if it was safe, she reached across the table & touched his fingers. "So she's still here."

Ocean blue eyes looked back at her. "No, she didn't. Someone different came back in her place." He looked down at her hands, tangling his long fingers with hers. "Someone beautiful, smart, & sexy as hell, who I'd never met before." He moved his hand. "Now, there's a confession."

"I'm sorry, Matt."

Matt noticed the uses of his name again, how soft her voice had gone & he ached to kiss her. "Are you?"

Mimi looked surprised at the question. She opened her mouth to speak & then stopped. Was she really sorry? Was she sorry that they changed their relationship from friends to lovers?

"C'mon, you two." Michael & Kynna appeared by the table. "You both look like someone just died."

Kynna looked from one to the other & then reached her hand towards matt. "Come on dance with me, Matt. I believe you're quite the Patrick Swayze on the dance floor."

Matt laughed loudly. "I don't think so, Kynna. But I'm ready for some of that 'dirty dancing' if you are."

Michael watched as his fiancé dragged a grinning Matt away. He sat down in Matt's place, turning to smile at Mimi. "You all right?"

She pulled her eyes from the next room to look at the man who, at one time, had been the center of her world. It felt like a lifetime ago. "Sure, you look happy, Michael. She's a really nice girl."

Michael smiled the broad smile that melted her heart throughout her younger years. "Yeah, she sure is. Is Matt taking care of you for me?"

Her heart skipped a beat or two. Be calm, Mimi, stay calm. This was Matt's friend. Matt would hate himself if they hurt him intentionally. And she didn't want Matt to feel guilty, like a criminal who did something terrible. It had to be a secret until they knew what they had to do.

"The great protector? Oh, yeah, he made sure that no one would take me. I'm safe enough with him." As if…

"I'm glad you decided to stay with him 'til your house is done. You keep each other company." Michael reached across the table for his drink. "Just like having a big brother around."

Mimi smiled at the out-dated description. If only Michael knew. "In a kind of extremely irritating brother kind of way, I guess." That was a lie.

Michael smiled at Kynna & Matt on the dance floor. "I love that guy like a brother myself. He's the best friend I ever had." He looked straight into her eyes. "You two are the best friends I ever had. You both remind me of the happier times in my life. You know, not a day goes by that I don't regret the mistakes I made in the past. I need you to know that."

"I know."

"Here…" he leaned across the table towards her, "do you think we should try & find someone for him?"

There was a moment of stunned silence before Mimi laughed tensely. "You mean Ishida?"

"Yeah, well, you were right about Kynna & me, so I think you should pick someone out for Matt too."

"Do you, now?" She took a large mouthful of her wine. "And did you have someone in mind or do I have to find one myself?"

She tried hard to maintain a smile. If she could just try & stay calm then maybe she could keep on salvaging the memories he had of a better Michael. A Michael she not only loved but actually liked a little. But he was Matt's friend, & Matt already believed that she dumped him & broke his heart. Matt cared for & protected his friends.

"What about Rachelle Song? I heard he kissed her a few times. She's a nice girl." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "He told me once that he thought she was a catch. She's his type, you know. And he thinks she's very girlfriend material."

Mimi drank more wine, glaring at the dance floor. "Did he say that? Well, then it's a match made in heaven."

"Uh-huh," Michael leaned back in his seat. "I'll even make a beet on it."

She leaned her head back & groaned. "Believe me, my betting days are over."

"Bet they're not."

"Michael," her eyes narrowed. "Believe me, I am NOT going to help you find a woman for Matt. I know Rachelle is a very nice girl, but I just can't help you with that." The thought of Matt with any other woman, let alone a woman that he already kissed in her absence, well…

"Aw, c'mon, don't you want to see him as happy as I am?" He placed his hand over his heart.

"See who happy?"

Mimi's head snapped towards him so fast Matt was convinced she must have broken her neck. "Tachikawa?" He pointed at Michael. "Is this guy giving you problems?"

She glared up at him. "No, that's normally your job, isn't it?"

Michael looked from one to the other & smiled. "I was just making a little bet with Mimi."

"I see," Matt raised his eyebrows. "Well, judging by your face, the forfeit must be hell."

"Oh, I've heard some dumb dares before, believe me." Mimi glanced away from Matt. "But this one's a cake."

Matt grinned at Michael. "Anything that pissed her off this much has to be good. What did you dare her to do, my friend? It didn't have anything to do with beauty contests, did it?"

Michael looked confused. "No, should I dare her to?"

An elegant finger waved across the table. "Don't even go there."

"Come on now, you have to let me in on this." Matt laughed. "What's the bet?"

Mimi glared at him. "You don't want to know."

"Yeah, I do."

"No, trust me, you don't."

"Yeah, Tachikawa, I really do."

Michael was laughing loudly. "Do you two ever get on?"

Mimi stood up & faced Matt. "Okay, Ishida, you asked for it. Your friend here just dared me to find you a woman."

The smile froze on Matt's face. "You're kidding?"

She tilted her head to one side. "Told you you didn't want to know."

He felt like a stunned rabbit again, car headlights all around him. Michael laughed harder. "Oh, boy, you should see your face!"

"He dared you to find me a woman." Matt chuckled slightly. "That's very funny, Michael."

Mimi smiled coolly at Michael & then looked Matt in the eye. "He thinks you have quite an eye for a certain Rachelle Song. He said you thought she was a catch. That she was nice & girlfriend material, and definitely your type."

Matt looked for the teasing light in her brown eyes & was surprised by what he saw. Damn, she was actually jealous. Mimi Tachikawa was actually jealous of another woman because she thought he, Matt Ishida, might be attracted to that woman. He grinned widely.

She knew he knew. The minute he grinned she knew he knew she was jealous & she hated him for it. She hated him for the way he was making her feel a different emotion every day. But most of all she hated him for knowing her so well that he could see what she felt. Damn him.

Her eyes went cold & Matt's grin faded. "Now Mimi…"

"Maybe I'll just take that bet."

"Oh, no, you don't." He frowned.

"No, really," she winked at the others. "That should make things more interesting around here, don't you think?"

"Mimi, I really don't need you to find me a girlfriend." His tone was flat, his face serious when she looked at him.

"You think so?"

He frowned again. "I know so." He dragged his eyes away from her, looking towards Michael with a small smile. "Call it off NOW, Cooper."

Mimi smiled brightly at their audience. "It's okay. I'll never find anyone who'd stick with him long enough, anyway."

Without turning, Matt glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "There you go, then."

Kynna reached her hand out to touch Matt's arm. She squeezed it gently & smiled. "Your time will come, Matt. I'll even put a bet on that."

Mimi smiled calmly, too calmly. "Well, if she's got any sense at all, she'll be forever running."

AN: Sorry, I can't help myself, but I just had to put this up! I hope that answers some of your questions about Mimi & Michael's relationship. In short, Mimi broke up with Michael because she found out that he was cheating on her, but she didn't tell Matt because, like she said, he would probably kill Michael. So in hope of saving Matt & Michael's friendship, Mimi let him believe that she was the one who broke Michael's heart.

Chapter 9 will be up soon. Don't forget to review!

Zionne – did you know that you're the first person to read & review chapter seven? There's more for you to come so stay tuned! Mrs. Ishida-to-you – I totally agree, what's up with grown men & nails anyway? Thanks for the review! Keep R&R!