Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews, everyone! I'm pleased you all liked the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too, dears.
Chapter 14: Hesitance
As I step out of the limo and onto the pavement, feeling awkward and childish - alternating between thanking the driver for the lift and apologising profusely for holding him up this afternoon by standing in front of the car and acting like a stubborn brat - my mobile phone begins to ring, tinkling out its melody from somewhere inside my bag. Good think it did, I decide, as the driver is now looking at me as if I'm a complete moron and I think I was just about to apologise for being one. I roll my eyes apologetically and start digging around for the phone while the driver makes a far-too-hasty exit, leaving me coughing in a cloud of exhaust fumes. Note to self: Tell Jin to tell Heihachi that his cars are in dire need of a service.
The glowing screen of my phone informs me that Hwoarang is the one that's calling, and I bite my lip hesitantly before taking a deep breath and pressing 'answer'. Hope he isn't too mad at me. Jeez, I'm making him sound like some type of dad-person, which he is so not. My dad never asks my breasts how I am.
"Hey." I try to sound relatively normal, so he doesn't suspect anything, but he doesn't fall for my mellow voice at all.
"You sound happy." he mutters, and I cringe.
"Yeah, uh, I'm eating chocolate." I lie hastily, and I hear him chuckle. "Uh, so, are you okay?"
"Me?" he asks, then makes a dismissive noise. "I'm fine. Kazama punches like a girl."
I smirk into the phone, even though he can't see me.
"No, I meant your foot." I reply, my voice laced with mirth. "Miharu stood on my foot the other day and I nearly hit the roof."
He groans, dropping the cocky act for a second.
"It hurts...?"
"No, it fucking kills, Xiao." he whines.
"Aww, poor Red." I grin, leaning against the gate.
"I mean it!" he says indignantly. "I can hardly walk!" After a pause he adds; "Feel free to express your sympathy any time now." I try to hold in my laughter.
"I did. I went 'aww', remember?"
"Such a saint." he mutters, irritated.
"Anyway, what's wrong? Why did you call me?"
"I'm bored. Baek never showed up for training."
"Mm-hmm?"
"And I think I have a hairline fracture on my toe..."
"Do you even know what a hairline fracture is?"
He laughs.
"Not exactly, but it sounded good. I heard it on Discovery Health yesterday."
"You watch Discovery Health?" I ask, amused. "I'm telling."
"On the subject of hairlines..." he muses. "What's up with Mishima's?"
I giggle, despite the attempt to appear like I'm above Hwoarang's special brand of humour.
"No idea, Hwoarang. No idea."
"Isn't Kazama a relative of his?" Hwoarang asks. "You know what they say about kids inheriting certain characteristics..."
"Well, that's disturbing." I trail off suddenly. You will not think about the weirdness that was earlier. You will not think about the weirdness that was earlier. I repeat it to myself like a mantra. Sometimes I wonder whether Jin has some kind of split personality. Mind you, it seems to run in the family, judging by Heihachi's sudden mood swing this afternoon.
He suddenly came bustling in, but luckily I'd heard his footsteps echoing down the hall and hurriedly extracted myself from Jin's arms. Just in time, too, as about two seconds after that, Heihachi flung the screen door aside and marched in, glaring at the windowpane for a few moments before turning to Jin with a scowl.
"Boy, get in my office. I have some news."
Jin nodded, padding out of the room without so much as a backward glance. Hmph. I stood watching him, then Heihachi's booming voice jarred me back to reality.
"Miss Ling, my apologies, but something has come up and I'm afraid my grandson and I will be busy from now on. I have arranged a driver for you, dear, so off you go." He thrust my jacket into my arms, patting me on the shoulder - a bit too heavily, might I add - and ushered me out of the mansion. Jin was nowhere to be seen. As it was, I ended up turfed out onto the driveway, wondering what on earth had just happened.
"Hey, are you still there?" Hwoarang asks, sounding slightly bemused.
"What? Oh, sure."
"So, where do you think he's gone?"
"Baek?" I ask, confused, and Hwoarang "hmm"s.
"Probably realised how strange you are and went to drown his sorrows." I joke.
"Yeah?"
"It's not like you to worry, anyway. You ill?"
"I know." It's supposed to be a statement, but it comes out more like a sigh.
"How long has he been gone, Hwoarang?" I ask with concern. Something's not right. He hesitates for a while, and I wonder whether or not he heard me. But just as I'm about to repeat myself, he speaks up.
"Never mind, Xiao. I'm gonna go down the local. Need a drink."
"I'll come with you." I hurriedly reply, worried. He makes a hesitant type of noise.
"Nah, the biker with the hair'll be there. He freaks you out, remember?"
"So?"
He gives a half hearted chuckle.
"See you tomorrow."
Click.
I glare at the phone. Something is wrong with him, I can tell. He isn't his usual cocky self. And he didn't try to sexually harass me, not once. Something's going on.
As I step out of the limo and onto the pavement, feeling awkward and childish - alternating between thanking the driver for the lift and apologising profusely for holding him up this afternoon by standing in front of the car and acting like a stubborn brat - my mobile phone begins to ring, tinkling out its melody from somewhere inside my bag. Good think it did, I decide, as the driver is now looking at me as if I'm a complete moron and I think I was just about to apologise for being one. I roll my eyes apologetically and start digging around for the phone while the driver makes a far-too-hasty exit, leaving me coughing in a cloud of exhaust fumes. Note to self: Tell Jin to tell Heihachi that his cars are in dire need of a service.
The glowing screen of my phone informs me that Hwoarang is the one that's calling, and I bite my lip hesitantly before taking a deep breath and pressing 'answer'. Hope he isn't too mad at me. Jeez, I'm making him sound like some type of dad-person, which he is so not. My dad never asks my breasts how I am.
"Hey." I try to sound relatively normal, so he doesn't suspect anything, but he doesn't fall for my mellow voice at all.
"You sound happy." he mutters, and I cringe.
"Yeah, uh, I'm eating chocolate." I lie hastily, and I hear him chuckle. "Uh, so, are you okay?"
"Me?" he asks, then makes a dismissive noise. "I'm fine. Kazama punches like a girl."
I smirk into the phone, even though he can't see me.
"No, I meant your foot." I reply, my voice laced with mirth. "Miharu stood on my foot the other day and I nearly hit the roof."
He groans, dropping the cocky act for a second.
"It hurts...?"
"No, it fucking kills, Xiao." he whines.
"Aww, poor Red." I grin, leaning against the gate.
"I mean it!" he says indignantly. "I can hardly walk!" After a pause he adds; "Feel free to express your sympathy any time now." I try to hold in my laughter.
"I did. I went 'aww', remember?"
"Such a saint." he mutters, irritated.
"Anyway, what's wrong? Why did you call me?"
"I'm bored. Baek never showed up for training."
"Mm-hmm?"
"And I think I have a hairline fracture on my toe..."
"Do you even know what a hairline fracture is?"
He laughs.
"Not exactly, but it sounded good. I heard it on Discovery Health yesterday."
"You watch Discovery Health?" I ask, amused. "I'm telling."
"On the subject of hairlines..." he muses. "What's up with Mishima's?"
I giggle, despite the attempt to appear like I'm above Hwoarang's special brand of humour.
"No idea, Hwoarang. No idea."
"Isn't Kazama a relative of his?" Hwoarang asks. "You know what they say about kids inheriting certain characteristics..."
"Well, that's disturbing." I trail off suddenly. You will not think about the weirdness that was earlier. You will not think about the weirdness that was earlier. I repeat it to myself like a mantra. Sometimes I wonder whether Jin has some kind of split personality. Mind you, it seems to run in the family, judging by Heihachi's sudden mood swing this afternoon.
He suddenly came bustling in, but luckily I'd heard his footsteps echoing down the hall and hurriedly extracted myself from Jin's arms. Just in time, too, as about two seconds after that, Heihachi flung the screen door aside and marched in, glaring at the windowpane for a few moments before turning to Jin with a scowl.
"Boy, get in my office. I have some news."
Jin nodded, padding out of the room without so much as a backward glance. Hmph. I stood watching him, then Heihachi's booming voice jarred me back to reality.
"Miss Ling, my apologies, but something has come up and I'm afraid my grandson and I will be busy from now on. I have arranged a driver for you, dear, so off you go." He thrust my jacket into my arms, patting me on the shoulder - a bit too heavily, might I add - and ushered me out of the mansion. Jin was nowhere to be seen. As it was, I ended up turfed out onto the driveway, wondering what on earth had just happened.
"Hey, are you still there?" Hwoarang asks, sounding slightly bemused.
"What? Oh, sure."
"So, where do you think he's gone?"
"Baek?" I ask, confused, and Hwoarang "hmm"s.
"Probably realised how strange you are and went to drown his sorrows." I joke.
"Yeah?"
"It's not like you to worry, anyway. You ill?"
"I know." It's supposed to be a statement, but it comes out more like a sigh.
"How long has he been gone, Hwoarang?" I ask with concern. Something's not right. He hesitates for a while, and I wonder whether or not he heard me. But just as I'm about to repeat myself, he speaks up.
"Never mind, Xiao. I'm gonna go down the local. Need a drink."
"I'll come with you." I hurriedly reply, worried. He makes a hesitant type of noise.
"Nah, the biker with the hair'll be there. He freaks you out, remember?"
"So?"
He gives a half hearted chuckle.
"See you tomorrow."
Click.
I glare at the phone. Something is wrong with him, I can tell. He isn't his usual cocky self. And he didn't try to sexually harass me, not once. Something's going on.