Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Sorry about the wait. This chapter took a while because I didn't want Mimi or Sora to look like a jerk. I'm trying to keep everyone in character, so it was tough to write this without making one or the other seem a little unfeeling. Hope I succeeded, and please review!
My Best Friend's Girlfriend
Chapter 22: The Heart Always Knows
Mimi Tachikawa
Mimi let out a small sigh and stared helplessly at Sora's tear stained face. She wanted to comfort the other girl, but she did not know what to say to make her friend feel better.
Sora must feel something for Tai. Why else would she be crying her eyes out? Maybe she's not in love with him, but that doesn't change the fact that she's upset. Great. Now what am I going to do?
"Sora? What's wrong? Are you going to be alright?"
Sora shook her head and almost dropped her umbrella in the process.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Mimi said, doing her best to sound cheerful. "Come on. Let's get to your house before people on the street start gawking at us like a bunch of startled fish with their mouths hanging open! The last thing we need is an audience. Besides, I'm going to scream if I have to stand out in this rain for much longer!"
Sora gave her a weak smile, and the two of them hurried off down the street. They reached the older female's house in record time and quickly stepped inside.
"Are your parents home?" Mimi asked.
Sora threw her umbrella into the coat closet, which stood next to the front door, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "No. They won't be back until this evening."
"Good," Mimi replied. "Come on. Let's talk in your room. I really need to sit down."
"Why?" Sora asked, looking confused.
Mimi winced and gave her friend a sheepish look. "My boots are killing me!"
"You should have listened to Matt when he told you to ditch them!" Sora said, a smile finally coming to her face. "He's right, you know. You tend to put style over practicality when it comes to fashion."
Mimi rolled her eyes and followed Sora down the hallway towards the back of the house. They entered the older female Digidestined's room, and Mimi collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of relief. "Men. They always think they know everything!" she muttered, pulling of her boots and rubbing her toes.
"Here," Sora said quietly, handing her a pair of jeans and a blue shirt.
Mimi accepted them with a grateful smile and quickly pulled off her wet clothes. "Sora, you didn't answer my question before," she said softly. "I know you and Tai have always been good friends, but is that it, or has your relationship with him turned into something else?"
If Sora really is in love with Tai, then where does that leave Matt?
"I'm not sure," Sora said slowly, her ruby red eyes glittering with sadness. "I talked to Tai earlier today, and our conversation brought back some old feelings I thought I had buried forever."
Mimi pulled on the jeans Sora had given her and frowned. "What do you mean?"
Maybe she's in love with both of them!
"Or maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic and a total drama queen!" she muttered to herself.
Unlike me, Sora has always been a sensible person. I'm more likely to fall in love with two guys at the same time than she is. At least, that would have been the case if I hadn't gone and fallen in love with Matt. Now I can't even look at another guy without a certain blond haired musician's face popping into my head and taking over my thoughts!
"Mimi, do you think there's something wrong with me?" Sora asked quietly.
Mimi's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she gave her friend an incredulous look. "Sora, what kind of a question is that?"
Sora slowly sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. She stared silently at the wall with a blank expression on her face, and after several moments, she let out a deep sigh. "When I was younger, I had a huge crush on Tai, and I waited a long time for him to ask me out. He never did, and I had no choice but to move on with my life. After a while, I was able to forget about my feelings for him, and I started to develop a crush on Matt instead. When we started going out, everything was great. We always have a lot of fun together, but I can't help wondering if there might be something missing in our relationship."
Mimi did not know what to say in response to her friend's sudden revelation. She had expected to hear a few surprises, but even her wildest assumptions had not been enough to prepare her for what she had just heard. She had never been so shocked in her life.
"Sora, why didn't you tell me all of this a long time ago?" she whispered, sitting back down on the bed and giving her friend a sympathetic hug.
Sora hesitated and finally shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess I didn't want anyone to know about my feelings for Tai or my uncertainties about Matt because that would make them real instead of a figment of my imagination. Besides, I thought my feelings for Tai would eventually fade away. Everyone knows a simple crush doesn't last forever, but..."
"Your feelings for Tai haven't faded away at all, have they?" Mimi gasped. "They're stronger now than they have ever been! What are you going to do?"
Sora covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I don't know," the older female whispered. "Matt's a great boyfriend, and I care about him a lot. If only there was some way to stop myself from thinking about-"
"Sora, I know you care about Matt, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything when it comes to love."
"What exactly are you talking about?" Sora asked, frowning in confusion.
Mimi smiled nervously at her friend and sucked in a deep breath. "Sora, are you in love with Matt, or not? I think that's the real question here."
"Of course I'm in love with him!" Sora replied, sounding extremely defensive.
"Yes, but do you love him the way you should?" Mimi said quietly. "I love Tai, but I'm not in love with him. There's a difference, you know."
Sora raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly. "Mimi, I got stuck with the Crest of Love, remember? Trust me, I know."
That's right! I almost forgot! Sora's the last person I should be explaining the mystery of love to!
Mimi felt her face turn red, and she sent the older female an apologetic look. "Sorry. I really should learn to think before I say something, shouldn't I?"
"No," Sora said softly. "I love your honesty. It's the best thing about you, and I hope you never lose it. You might say something I don't particularly want to hear, but I consider that a good thing."
Mimi's mouth fell open, and she blinked in surprise. "You do?"
"Of course I do. Your honesty gives me the strength I need to face things I'd rather run and hide from. I guess that's what friendship is all about. We help each other out, and that gives us the courage we need to face our fears."
Mimi hugged her friend tightly and nodded in agreement. "If it wasn't for you and the others, I wouldn't be the same person I am today."
"The same goes for me," Sora whispered.
"Sora..."
"I'm not sure about my feelings for Matt, but I'm pretty sure I know how I feel about Tai," Sora mumbled.
Mimi was about to reply, but Sora suddenly pulled away from her, and the words died in her throat.
I think my best friend has lost her mind. How can Sora be unsure about her feelings for Matt? He's her boyfriend! Now I'm getting really confused.
The rest of Sora's sentence suddenly came back to her, and she let out a gasp of shock. Sora's sure about her feelings for Tai? Does that mean...
"Um...Sora? How do you feel about Tai?" she asked avoiding her friend's eyes.
Sora hugged herself tightly and let out a shaky laugh. "Mimi, I'm so stupid. Like I said earlier, I thought my feelings for Tai would have faded away by now, but they haven't. I loved him back then, and I still love him now. Nothing has changed, and I don't think I'm going to be able to push my feelings for him away this time. I guess my relationship with him has changed into something beyond friendship, and now I don't know what to do. How could I have been so blind? I should have realized all of these things a lot sooner, but I didn't, and now Matt's going to hate me forever!"
Mimi frowned and gently placed her hand on Sora's shoulder. "What happened between you and Tai today? He must have done something to make you suddenly realize how much you still love him."
Sora smiled and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. "He didn't really do anything. I was upset because of Matt's decision not to go to the movies with me, and Tai started to blame himself for what had happened. I told him it wasn't his fault, but I don't think he believed me at all. We ended up comforting each other, and when he hugged me, I realized how good it felt to have his arms around my waist. It felt right, and that was when all my old feelings started to take control of my heart again. I could tell he was really concerned about me, and I realized all over again why I fell in love with him in the first place. He's so sweet and friendly, and I just can't push him out of my mind anymore."
Mimi stared at her friend in disbelief and nearly let out a loud groan. She had been right about Sora and Tai all along, but her friend's sudden affection for the former Digidestined leader did not bring her any happiness. Unfortunately Sora's love for Tai was not going to suddenly make everything better. In fact, it was probably only going to make things worse.
Poor Matt. If he finds out about Sora's feelings for Tai, we're going to have a huge disaster on our hands! He'll never be able to forgive her for breaking his heart, and his friendship with Tai will be ruined forever! What am I going to do?
"Mimi, you won't tell Tai about my feelings, will you?" Sora whispered.
Mimi wrapped her arms around her knees and raised her eyebrows. "You don't want me to?"
"No," Sora mumbled, her face turning red. "What's the point? Tai obviously doesn't feel the same way about me, and I'm just going to have to accept that. Besides, I really do care about Matt, and I don't want to hurt him."
Mimi gently wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders and shook her head. "Sora, listen to me," she said slowly. "I know you care about Matt, but let's face it. Your heart really belongs to Tai. It's not fair to Matt if you keep on dating him just because you're afraid he's going to end up getting hurt. Trust me, Sora, he's going to find out eventually, and when he does, he's going to feel hurt and betrayed no matter what you do."
"I know that, but I really don't have a choice," Sora insisted. "If Matt finds out I'm in love with Tai, he'll never speak to his best friend again, and I don't want to be responsible for ruining their friendship. Besides, if Tai knew about my feelings for him, it would only make things awkward between us. Mimi, he's never going to return my feelings, and that's why I can't tell him my secret. At least, if I keep my mouth shut, I'll still have his friendship, and that's better than nothing. I don't think I'd be able to live my life without Tai in it, and if that means I have to settle for friendship, then so be it."
Oh, Sora. If you only knew...
Mimi wanted to scream with frustration, but instead, she gave her friend a sympathetic smile. Tai was in love with Sora, Sora was in love with Tai, and she could not tell either one of them what was going on because she had promised to keep their secrets. Life was truly unfair, and unfortunately it was only going to get worse.
I've never been so frustrated in my life! I can't tell Sora about Tai because Matt will never forgive either one of them if they end up getting together. The same goes for Tai. I can't tell him about Sora because that would also hurt Matt. Tai's and Sora's secrets are important, and I would never forgive myself if I ended up betraying either one of them. Then there's Matt...
If Tai and Sora started dating, she would have a golden opportunity to try her luck with Matt, but instead of feeling excited about her sudden chance at happiness, she felt sick to her stomache. She would not take advantage of Matt's pain and suffering no matter what happened between Tai and Sora. Besides, she wanted Matt to date her because he was in love with her, not because he was on the rebound from his relationship with Sora.
I was right all along. Tai and Sora were in love with each other when they were younger, but both of them had been too afraid to say anything because they thought their feelings wouldn't be returned. I wonder what Tai would say if he knew Sora was in love with him...
The thought made her smile, and she shook her head.
He's never going to tell Sora he's in love with her because he doesn't want to end up hurting Matt. I feel the exact same way. I don't want to be responsible for causing Matt any pain, and that means I'm going to have to learn how to keep my mouth shut when it comes to other peoples' secrets.
Unfortunately she could not stand the thought of Matt dating Sora either because he did not deserve to be in a relationship with a girl whose heart had already settled on someone else.
Love is a beautiful thing, but it can also cause a lot of pain. If only there was a way for all of us to live happily ever after, but I don't think that's going to happen unless I can find a way to stop Matt from getting hurt. Tai and Sora belong together, but they're going to need a miracle in order for their relationship to work.
"Mimi, what do you think I should do?" Sora whispered. "I don't want to be responsible for ruining Matt's and Tai's friendship, but I can't keep my feelings hidden forever. How am I going to stop myself from hurting Matt? He's a wonderful boyfriend, but I just don't think our relationship is going to work anymore. How can it when I can't stop thinking about Tai?"
Mimi stared directly into Sora's eyes and gently placed her hands on the older female's shoulders. "Sora, I think you need to have a long talk with both Matt and Tai," she said softly. "They need to know the truth, and you are the only one who can stop them from hurting each other. Their friendship might still stand a chance if you're honest with them right from the start. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few days it's never try to keep a secret from a fellow Digidestined. I know your news is going to upset Matt, and Tai might start acting a little weird around you, at least for a while anyway, but in the end, your decision to tell them the truth will turn out to be the best thing you could have done."
Sora's eyes filled with tears, and a small smile slipped across her face. "You're right. Things have a better chance of working out if I tell them right away instead of waiting till the last minute. Thanks, Mimi."
"You're welcome," Mimi replied, hugging her friend tightly.
In the meantime, I'm going to be avoiding Matt like the plague. I don't want him to know I'm in love with him because that will only make things even more complicated. Besides, Sora might not be in love with him, but that doesn't mean he's not in love with her.
Sora suddenly pulled away from her again, and she frowned in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Mimi, have you been avoiding me?"Sora asked quietly.
Mimi blushed and quickly shook her head. "No, I've just been...busy today," she mumbled, avoiding her friend's eyes.
I'm sorry, Sora. I want to tell you about my feelings for Matt, but I can't until I know for sure how he feels about me. Besides, I don't want to say anything until you've worked things out with Matt and Tai first. That way my feelings for your boyfriend will cause a lot less trouble.
"I better get home before my parents start to wonder where I am," she said softly.
Sora let out a sigh and nodded. "Alright. I promise I'll talk to Matt and Tai as soon as possible. Hopefully they won't end up getting into a big fight."
Mimi nodded and managed a weak smile. "You better talk to them separately. If you don't, who knows what might happen?"
"You're right. Thanks again, Mimi. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Definitely, and don't worry, Sora. Everything's going to turn out just fine."
"I hope so," Sora whispered. "Don't forget your clothes, and take my umbrella. It's still raining pretty hard out there. You can give me my clothes back tomorrow."
Mimi left her friend's house with a smile on her face and gazed thoughtfully at the dark clouds hanging in the sky above her. The rain was pounding hard against the sidewalk, but she barely noticed. There was a small spark of hope growing inside of her, and it would not go away no matter how hard she tried to suppress it. Sora was in love with Tai, and Tai was in love with Sora. Maybe she had a chance to win Matt's heart after all, but that was only going to happen if her blond friend could bring himself to let Sora go.