Guardians
Note: Here's chapter 31! Hope you like it, and don't forget to review! (Dear Atem's Queen of the Nile: Howdid you guess? Well, you were right! Was it obvious?) Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I love you all!
Chapter Thirty-One: Sweet Sixteen
Joey beamed at her as he opened the door. The house was dark except for a line of sixteen lit candles. Karmina gaped at him.
"How did you…?"
"Your calander is hangin' on da wall, and isn't exactly subtly mentioned. 'Course, I think it was Kaiba you'd hoped ta spend you're sweet sixteen wit, but I think I'm da next best thing."
She sank onto the couch, amazed that he could be so thoughtful, and still so stupid. The last thing she wanted right now was to fall for him, and here he was, charming her like the gentlemen that Kaiba had never exactly managed to be.
"I… you didn't… I mean, it's just… just another day… nothing special."
"It's your sweet sixteen… lotsa people think that's special."
He had joined her on the couch, and she got a chill realizing that it was still dark. But he just smiled at her again and seemed to be waiting for her to speak. She felt a tear on her cheek and hastily swatted it away, not wanting to cry in front of him again.
"I've never… never had a c-cake on my b-birthday before," she said, fighting sobs instead of shyness. "Th-the p-people at the orphanage… they didn't like to adv-vertise th-that the children there had birthdays before they could s-send them off t-to a r-real h-home… and I was there f-for a v-very l-long t-time. And now I'm c-crying in f-front of y-you again!"
He gently patted her back, his smile replaced with exactly the right expression of comfort, pity, and sorrow. "It's okay ta cry… dat couldn't a been easy, seein' all deh other kids going off ta new homes, and still bein in dat place."
She sobbed a little and tried to clear it up. "It w-wasn't… I started t-to think that I w-wasn't imp-portant enough, n-not g-good enough to have a family… As you can see, it wreaked havoc on my s-self esteem." She tried a smile, but it wasn't a very good attempt. Her cheeks were still damp and she was a little ashamed of it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to be strong, and the tears always seemed willing to show themselves to Joey.
Joey glanced at the melting candles. "If you plan on eatin' dat cake, ya better blow da candles out soon," he said softly, gently disregarding her tears as if it was nothing that she'd cried, as if he understood completely.
She wiped her eyes and stood up, looking slightly mournfully at the cake. She could tell that Joey had tried to do the writing himself, because it was not as nicely done at the rest of the icing, and that made it all the more beautiful. She grinned. It said 'Happy Birthday, Karmin'. He hadn't been able to fit the A.
"Sorry 'bout dat," he said, looking at the cake with a trace of a smile on his face.
"It's great," she told him, sincerely meaning it, and not sure how she felt about that fact.
"Make a wish," he told her, looking a little anxious as the candles' flames started to read the icing, as though it might explode.
She closed her eyes, thought very hard, and then blew out the candles. Every tiny flame went out. Even a girl who'd never had a birthday cake knew what that meant.
"Wow, on your first time, too!" Joey said with a grin. "Hope you wished for something good, like a lifetime supply of doughnuts!" he joked, putting on a falsely serious face that he couldn't keep up for very long before laughing. Karmina laughed along with him, feeling a lot better.
"I better turn da lights on," he said when he stopped laughing. "I can't see a thing!" As it to prove the point, there was a loud crash as he ran into the couch on the way, letting out a curse. "Who put dat in my way?"
Karmina giggled and then blinked rapidly as the lights suddenly came on and temporarily blinded her. When she could see right, she noticed that there was a wrapped package on the table.
"Oh… Joey… you didn't… you shouldn't have…"
But he just shook his head. "I've told you, Karmina, I like you… but I understand, a course, dat you still like Kaiba… I just wanna see you happy… I don't think I really ever have."
She shrugged. "I'm not generally a sad p-person… you just seem to get me on all the b-bad days, is all." She smiled softly.
He grinned and handed her the little box. She gave him one last reproachful look and then gently unwrapped it. Sitting inside it was a sterling silver necklace with a music note pendant. Pulling it tenderly out of the box, she looked at Joey again. It was too beautiful, too heartfelt, too silver… "This must have cost a fortune… y-you should t-take it back…"
"You don' like it?"
"Oh, I love it, Joey," she said softly, looking up into his amber eyes. "And that's the whole problem."
End note: (dodges thrown items) Yes, it's short, and yes, it's a cliffie, but I couldn't help it, this chappie was begging to leave you hanging right there, and I know where it's going, so the next chapie'll be here in no time. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!