"The scenery blowing by like it's rolling forward. Even if things start looking desperate, I won't lose sight of the target." Hyde, Ready Steady Go
As Leon drove through the south of California, his thoughts were filled with the Redfield siblings. He had talked to Claire earlier that morning. She was fine, and on her way to work. Chris had called the other night, but didn't leave a message or anything. Leon supposed that Chris was just calling to let him know that he was alright. The evening air had a slight chill, so Leon rolled his window up and turned off the radio.
Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed Chris' number. It went straight to his voicemail.
"Hey, this is Chris. Leave a message if it's important."
I miss that voice. Leon thought sadly, as unmanly as it sounded.
"Chris, man…it's me. Listen, I don't know where you are, but I'm gonna find you. Claire's really worried about you. And I don't know if you know, but Jill's alive. She survived somehow..I think the bullet didn't get through her skull or something. She's in a coma, but she's alive. Listen, I know you're hiding and there's a lot going on with you, but if you can just –" beeeeeep
Leon muttered a curse and tossed his phone onto the seat next to him. Since when does his voicemail limit the message length? Being alone for so long made Leon nervous, so he grabbed his phone again and called Claire's apartment. It rang a few times before the answering machine picked up. He hung up with out leaving a message and decided to call her cell phone when he reached a rest area.
Before leaving the building, Claire decided to thank Bill one last time. The sun had begun to set, making the photo suite area glow a bright orange. Not surprisingly, many photographers were taking advantage of the lighting. Claire spotted one group at one of the large windows taking a photo of a model and the sunset.
Claire saw Bill at the exit on the other side of the suite. He was lugging a big bag of things through the door, so Claire jogged over to give him a hand. "Hey, Claire. I thought you left already." He remarked as she pushed the door open so he could get through.
"Nope, not yet. Isn't that bag heavy? Why don't you take the elevator?" She replied.
"Yeah, it's heavy. I find that all too often I'm riding my way up from floor to floor. It's not healthy to take the easy route, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. It's so easy to just not care about things like that, but they really start to add up. I was so tempted by those donuts in the lounge but I know that if I have one, I'll keep cheating and start gaining weight." Claire replied, helping Bill down the stairs with his bag.
"Well…I guess you know your eating habits more than any one else. But it's not good to restrain yourself so much, don't you think?"
"I guess. Occasionally, I'll have something sweet without worrying too much. But once you take that first piece of cake, and don't notice a weight difference, then you tend to slack off more and more."
"You sound like some kind of pro at this." Bill remarked as they arrived at the ground floor.
"When I first got into modeling, I had to lose about fifteen pounds or so, and I was a junk food fanatic. It was really hard going through the sugar withdrawal and everything. If I gave that all up for a stupid piece of cake, I'd be devastated. Plus I'd have to do it all over again." Claire replied. "Is your car far?"
"I can make it, don't worry. You going home now?" Bill questioned.
"I'm gonna get some water before heading home. Back up the stairs for me. Take care, Bill. Thanks so much for everything."
Claire made her way up the flights of stairs, satisfied with the day's occurrences. When she reached the final flight of stairs, she started to smell cigarettes. Glancing up at the top landing, she saw none other that Mr. Hot Shot Japanese Photographer. Alright, I'm gonna find out his deal once and for all. Claire marched up the final steps and stood in front of the smoking man.
"Excuse me, sir but I happened to notice that you've been looking at me lately. Can I help you with anything?" She questioned.
"No." He replied arrogantly.
"No?" Claire repeated. "I heard some women talking about you. You're name is Kaz, right?"
"Kazuya, yes."
"The hot-shot photographer from Japan who's here to find a model for some cigarette campaign?"
He nodded and took a drag from his cigarette. "I told the photographer I worked with today about how you're always staring at me. He said that I 'caught your interest'. Is that true?" Claire continued, not liking how he was practically ignoring her.
"Maybe." Kaz answered, flicking some ashes onto the floor.
"Alright, then. Are you interested in using me as a model, or what?"
"No. I would never use you as model." He took the final drag off of his cigarette and blew the smoke to the side.
"And why is that?" Claire replied, feeling slightly hurt. Kaz dropped his cigarette to the floor and stepped on it before reaching over and pulling Claire's cheeks.
"Your face is too fat." He answered with a very slight smile. Claire's mouth dropped, and quite involuntarily, she swung her hand up and slapped the man in the face.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…I just…" What was she supposed to say? The other models revered this man as a God, and he just insulted her.
Kaz let go of Claire's cheeks, and leaned forward, planting a kiss on her lips lightly. She shivered as he pulled away, scared and unsure of what she should to. Her mouth felt dry, and she just stood there with her mouth open. Her cell phone began to ring, and her hand slowly wandered into her coat pocket to retrieve it.
"Are you free tomorrow night?" Kaz asked slowly. Claire could only nod. "Come by…around eight. No make-up." He lifted his hand and waved slightly, before pulling the door open and walking back into the suite.
Finally Claire looked down at her phone. It was Leon calling. She pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She whispered.
"Hey, it's Leon. I called you at home, but you weren't there so I figured I'd try your cell."
"Oh…yeah."
"What's wrong? Are you still at work?"
"Yeah. I'm about to leave." Claire said, finally starting to relax.
"Oh, okay. I'm at a rest stop now getting some food. I think I'm nearing Arizona, so I'm almost there."
"That's great. Have you heard from my brother yet?"
"No. I left him another voicemail. I'm hoping he'll call someone back soon." Leon replied, making chewing noises.
"What are you eating for dinner?" Claire asked, pulling open the door to the suite and taking a step in.
"Just a burger and fries. Nothing special."
"Oh. Yeah, I'll probably just make a salad or something when I get home."
"Ya gotta eat more than that hon'."
Claire cautiously made her way through the suite, her eyes darting around looking for the man who dared to kiss her. Although, it was the first time in a long while that she got shivers from a mere kiss. Oh God, what am I thinking? I'm with Leon! This guy can't just barge into my life…he is good looking, though…
"Claire? Hello? Are you there?" Leon questioned.
"Yeah, I'm here. I think we lost the connection for a minute." Claire lied.
"Oh, sorry. I said you should eat more than a salad."
"Yeah…I'm not all that hungry. I'm going to get some fresh fruit on the way home I think. There was a box of donuts at work today. And they had sprinkles."
"Oh no. You love those sprinkles."
Chuckling, Claire made her way to the elevator, forgetting about the water she was supposed to be getting.
"So, how was work?" Leon asked. Oh, fine. I kissed a guy that wants to work with me. Apparently, he's a sex-pot.
"Fine. The shoot went well." She answered.
"That's good. Any idea when the ad is gonna show up?"
"Well, we'll get a draft in a few days, and then it's up to the company to decide when they're going to run it."
"Ah. Alright, well, let me finish eating and hit the road. I'll probably stay at a motel tonight and get some rest. Hopefully I'll be at Ajo before tomorrow night." Leon said.
"Okay. I don't want you falling asleep while you're driving, so don't push yourself okay?" Claire replied, turning from the elevator and heading towards the lounge.
"Alright. Call me before you go to bed, okay?"
"Sure. Love you."
"Love you too. Bye!"
"Bye, Leon."
Claire hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket. Turning into the lounge, she made her way to the water cooler and poured herself a cup. With a sigh, she gulped it down. Tossing the paper cup in the trash, she rubbed her eyes. Things certainly have gotten complicated since Jill got shot…speaking of Jill, I haven't gone to visit her. I hope she'll forgive me for being such a bad friend.
When she finally uncovered her eyes, Kazuya was waiting in the doorway. Damn, how does he always manage to find me!
"You okay?" He questioned slowly, cocking a black eyebrow at her.
"Fine." She replied curtly. "I have to get home." She brushed past him and hurried down the hallway.
"I apologize." He called after her. She stopped walking and turned her head slightly.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"For making you uncomfortable." He replied, tilting his head to the side. It's almost like he's toying with me, waiting to see how I'll react so he can try to kiss me again! Sneaky bastard.
"I accept your apology. In case you were wondering, that was my boyfriend who called. He's away for work…he's a cop." Claire babbled.
He leaned forward, expecting something else. "Great." He said finally.
"Yes…he is great. Well, I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye." Claire spun around and practically ran to the elevators. Her cheeks felt warm, and her heart was racing.
Why am I reacting this way? This guy means nothing to me! How dare he control my emotions like I'm a doll or something. Just as long as I can remain strong, he won't get to me any more. But I sort of like this…game he's playing with me. Does he actually like me? How could he…he said my face was fat and that he'd never use me as a model. Then why the hell did he kiss me!
Frantically, Claire pushed the elevator call button as she heard approaching footsteps. What now, is he going to propose? Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. She hadn't been this nervous with a man since she and Leon first hooked up. She could tell he was right behind her now. She pretended not to notice that he was behind her, and just continued to press the elevator button.
When she felt his hands on her sides, she jumped and her body stiffened. "What…what do you think you're doing?" She whispered as he drew his face close to her neck.
"Kami ni, hada ni ima mo furete itakute namida nureta hitomi koe ni, yubi ni egao omou no wa…aa. Anata no koto bakari…" "I have no idea what that means." Claire said weakly, unable to pull away from him. His lips kissed her neck softly. She let out a soft moan unexpectedly and her left hand wandered up and her fingers began to entwine themselves in his hair. His lips moved up her neck right below her ear, and Claire was practically being held up by his arms. The ding of the elevator finally snapped Claire out of the trance she was in and she pulled away from him, feeling slightly woozy. "I ah…have to go…home.." She said before stumbling into the elevator."Sayounara." He said with a wave. ENDTranslation: I want to touch your hair, your skin, right now. Eyes wet by tears. I think of only you, your voice, your fingers, your smile.