Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: This is the last chapter with Mimi and Sora. The next chapter will focus on Tai and Sora. I'm not going to be able to update for the first two weeks of July, and I will let you know this will be my last update this week, as well. Sorry about that, but don't worry. I'll be back soon, and I'll do my best to finish this story as soon as possible. I sort of wanted to explain how Mimi fell in love with Matt in this chapter, so hopefully it comes across because I don't want everyone to think Mimi just fell in love with Matt out of the blue. See you all in a little over two weeks!
My Best Friend's Girlfriend
Chapter 30: Between the Lines
Mimi Tachikawa
"Mimi, are you...are you in love with Tai, too?" Sora gasped, her ruby eyes sparkling with sudden tears.
What?
Mimi's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she started to laugh. "Sora, are you crazy? Of course I'm not in love with Tai! What in the Digiworld ever gave you that idea?"
Sora's face turned pink, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you did say you're in love with someone, and you said your feelings were going to hurt me. What was I supposed to think?"
"Trust me, Sora, I don't have feelings for Tai. My secret isn't that terrible!"
I can't believe it! Matt's not in love with Sora anymore! Why? She's a great person. How can he not still love her? I must be dreaming. Nothing like this ever happens in real life. Do I really have a chance with him? Impossible! Matt might not be in love with Sora anymore, but that doesn't mean he's going to want to go out with me. I bet he just wants to stay single for now, or maybe...
Mimi clapped a hand over her mouth, and she stared at her best friend in horror. "Sora, why doesn't he love you anymore?"
"Because he's in love with someone else," Sora whispered.
Mimi let out a soft sob, and she felt her heart sink to the floor. "Who?"
"I don't know, Mimi. He never told me. I'm sure she's a great girl, whoever she is. You know how picky Matt can be."
Mimi leaned against the wall and gazed numbly at the ceiling. Her heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces, and she did not think she was ever going to recover from what she had just heard.
He's not in love with Sora anymore, but that doesn't matter because he's never going to love me either even though he broke up with her. He loves someone else, and now I'll never have a chance to be with him...
She slowly turned to look at her best friend, and tears began to slide down her cheeks. She wanted to say something, but there were no words suitable enough to describe exactly how she was feeling. She had been willing to give up Matt for Sora's sake, but the thought of him being with someone else was more than she could endure. Her best friend had given her a precious gift, and it had been ripped away from her before she had even had a chance to accept it, and now she did not know what to do.
"Mimi, are you okay? What's wrong?" Sora asked, looking concerned.
Mimi leaned against her friend's shoulder for support and covered her face with her hands. "It's not Jun, is it?"
Sora rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement. "Somehow I seriously doubt that! Why does it matter anyway?"
"Sora, I..."
"Mimi, what were you trying to say earlier? Who are you in love with? You know I'll support you no matter what's going on. Please tell me."
"Isn't it obvious?" Mimi slowly opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around her best friend's slim waist. She studied the older female's face for a moment and managed a tearful smile. "I know he doesn't love you anymore, but I didn't want to say anything earlier because I thought he might still be upset about breaking up with you, and you know I'd never hurt you or Matt. It's hard to move on from a relationship even if both people have found someone new to love, and I'm sure you know that better than anyone, but I guess nothing I've said really matters anymore. He loves someone else now, and that means I'm never going to have a chance to make my dreams come true and I'm never going to have a chance to prove to you how much I care about you. Don't you see? I know you don't love him, but I kept quiet because I knew how hard it was for you to break up with him, and I didn't want to hurt you by moving in on your territory."
"What are you saying?" Sora whispered, her eyes growing wide with shock.
"Sora, I'm not in love with Tai. I'm in love with Matt."
Mimi felt Sora's cheek come to rest against her rosy-coloured hair, and she kept her eyes on the ground in order to avoid having to look at her best friend. She had no idea what Sora was thinking, and at that moment she did not want to know.
"Mimi, how long have you felt this way?" Sora asked quietly after a brief minute of silence.
"I'm...I'm not really sure. I think I might have felt this way for a while now, but I didn't understand what I was feeling until I had that conversation with him the day before. I saw a side of him I didn't even know existed, and I knew then how much my feelings for him had changed over the years. We used to talk a lot over the phone when I still lived in New York, and I think that's what started it. He talked about you a lot, you know, and I could tell how much he loved you just from the sound of his voice. I was happy for him, and for you, but at the same time I felt a little sad when he talked about you as if you were the only girl on the planet. You should have heard how happy he was when you finally decided to make a move on him. I could tell he wanted to ask you out, but he didn't want to say anything until he knew for sure how you felt about him. Don't you see it, Sora? He loved you even before you guys started dating. There was no way I could compete with that, and I think that's why I started to forget how sad it used to make me feel when he talked about you. When I found out the two of you were dating, it didn't come as a surprise to me, but it still hurt. I pushed all of those feelings away because I thought they didn't mean anything, but now I know how wrong I was. You should have seen the way he was acting towards me earlier. He was being so sweet and sensitive, and I knew then I couldn't push my feelings for him away anymore. He has never once acted like that towards me in all the years of our friendship, and it made me realize the truth. For the first time in my life, I finally understood why you fell in love with him in the first place, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since."
"I never realized you spent so much time talking to Matt when you were in New York," Sora said softly, her voice trembling with emotion.
Mimi held her friend tightly against her chest and let out a soft sigh. "I don't think anyone did. The only reason I never said anything to you is because I didn't think it was important at the time. You understand, don't you? I mean, what's so strange about two friends talking on the phone to each other? If only I had known then..."
"Why, Mimi? Why didn't you tell me you loved him earlier? You know I would have understood, especially considering how I feel about Tai."
"Because you're my best friend and I love you, and I was scared you were going to end up hating me for falling in love with your boyfriend!"
Mimi felt her friend's arms wrap around her in a tight hug, and she squeezed her eyes shut again to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Sora. I kept my feelings for Matt a secret from you because I didn't want to hurt you, and I didn't want to hurt Matt either. I-"
"You should have told me," Sora said sympathetically in her ear. "I'm not just talking about your feelings for Matt. You should have told me about your conversations with him over the phone, too."
"He...um...made me promise not to tell you how he felt about you."
"I'm not talking about his feelings for me. He asked you not to tell anyone his secret, and you kept your promise. I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with is the fact that you didn't tell me you were such good friends with him."
"I'm sorry, Sora."
"It's okay. I forgive you."
"My parents had a fit every time they saw our phone bill, and Matt's dad wasn't exactly thrilled about it either, especially when Matt was the one who called me! Their phone bills were just as bad as the ones my mother kept getting on my case about. Eventually we had to switch to e-mail otherwise they never would have let either one of us use the phone ever again!"
Sora started to laugh, and Mimi finally opened her eyes. She smiled tentatively at her best friend, and Sora smiled back at her.
"Mimi, you're weird sometimes, you know that? Those boys in New York are lucky to be rid of you!"
"Actually, now that you mention it, I think Michael was a little bit jealous! I mentioned Matt to him when we first became friends, and you should have seen his face. He kept asking me who Matt was, and I don't think he believed me when I told him your ex-boyfriend and I were just friends."
"I thought he had a thing for Yolei," Sora replied, raising her eyebrows.
"This was before he met Yolei."
"Um, okay. Does Michael even still like Yolei?"
"I have no idea. Besides, everyone knows Yolei has a thing for Ken, and I'm pretty sure Michael knows that, too. At least, I think I told him. Either way poor Michael's out of luck again! I shouldn't really say that. He is my friend, and I care about him a lot, but I don't think even he believed we'd ever get together."
"Did you ever date Michael?"
Mimi laughed and shook her head. "No. Trust me, I would have told you if I had. We were just friends, and that's all we'll ever be."
Sora frowned and made a face at her. "You would have been better off dating Michael over Natsume. I've never seen Matt and Tai get so angry before. Natsume's lucky they never had a chance to go through with their threats! I was really worried about you."
Mimi smiled and gently patted her friend's back. "Thanks, Sora. You're a great friend, you know that?"
"So are you, Mimi."
Mimi shrugged and avoided her friend's eyes. "Are you sure? We...we haven't finished talking about Matt yet. Oh, Sora, I don't even know why I bothered to tell you all of this. None of it matters anyway. Matt doesn't love me. He loves someone else."
"Mimi, do you really love Matt as much as you think you do?"
Mimi nodded her head vigorously, and Sora smiled at her.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go tell Matt how you feel about him."
Did she just say what I think she said?
Mimi let out a gasp and stared at her friend in shock. "Are...are you saying you want me to go out with Matt?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Sora said firmly. "I love Tai, not Matt, which means he's free to date whoever he wants. It's okay, Mimi. I forgive you. I know you would never hurt me on purpose, and I think you'd be good for Matt. He needs someone like you. Your lighthearted personality complements his more serious attitude perfectly."
"But-"
"Mimi, make Matt want to love you. I know he has his heart set on someone else, but there's no guarantee she's going to return his feelings. You can't give up until you know for sure whether or not you have a chance to be in a relationship with him. If the girl he's in love with doesn't want anything to do with him then he's eventually going to have to move on to someone else, and that someone else could be you. Please don't give up before you've even had a chance to make your dream come true."
Mimi wrinkled her nose and frowned at her best friend. "Sora, I think you're being a little too optimistic. Can you imagine any girl not liking Matt? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Whoever he's in love with is definitely going to love him back. I'm doomed, Sora. I suppose I'll just have to be an old maid for the rest of my life."
Sora burst into laughter and shook her head. "Mimi, you're sixteen, not forty! That's one thing you and Matt definitely have in common. Both of you tend to get a little too dramatic at times!"
"Come on, Sora, you know I'm right."
"Really? I'm not in love with Matt," Sora replied, looking amused.
Mimi stuck her tongue out at her best friend and sighed. "Yeah, but that's only because you're in love with Tai, and he's every bit as great as Matt is."
"Please, Mimi? Matt needs to know how you feel about him. If you back out now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Sora's right. Besides, what do I have to lose? Matt was never mine to begin with, and even if he doesn't love me, I know he'll always be my friend. I have to try. If I give up now, I'll never be able to look myself in the eyes again. The worst part about love is thinking about what might have been...
"Alright, Sora, I'll tell him, but only if you promise me you'll talk to Tai."
"I will," Sora whispered, her ruby eyes sparkling with happiness. "I'll tell him everything."
"Um...Sora? Tai knows I'm in love with Matt, and he promised me he wouldn't tell anyone. I told him because I knew he would understand, and it looks like he has done a great job of keeping my secret. You're the only other person who knows, and the only reason I didn't tell you earlier is because I thought you and Matt were still in love with each other, and I was afraid you were going to hate me for falling in love with your boyfriend."
"I know. You told me already," Sora replied.
"You really do understand, don't you."
Sora nodded and smiled at her. "Yes, Mimi, I do. I'm glad you told Tai. At least you didn't have to suffer all by yourself, and you know Tai would never give away your secrets. He has been loyal to you right from the start, and that makes me love him even more."
Mimi wrapped her arms tightly around her best friend's neck and hid her face in the older female's carrot-coloured hair. "I really am sorry, Sora. I shouldn't have kept my feelings for Matt a secret from you, and I promise I'll have more faith in our friendship from now on. Um...you do still want to be my friend, right?"
"Mimi, how can you even ask me something like that? Of course I still want to be your friend. No one understands me the way you do," Sora said tearfully. "Stop apologizing. I told you, I understand why you were afraid to tell me about your feelings for Matt, and I know we'll definitely be able to work things out. We'll always be friends, and when we get older we'll visit each other all the time and our kids will play together, and everything's going to be great, okay?"
Mimi blinked in surprise and promptly burst into giggles. "Is that a promise?"
"Like it could be anything else!"
The two of them hugged each other tightly, and after several moments Mimi reluctantly pulled away from her best friend. "Is it just me or is everybody staring at us? I guess you'd better talk to Tai, and I'd better go find Matt. Let me know what happens, okay?"
"Okay, but only if you let me know what's going on between you and Matt."
"Don't worry, Sora, I'll tell you everything."
They gave each other one last hug, and Mimi quickly hurried down the hallway in search of Matt.
I hope I can find him. I wonder if he's still talking to Tai? I don't want to walk in on them in the middle of their conversation, especially if it's not going very well. They have to work things out. If Sora and I can fix our friendship then there's no reason why they can't either. Oh, Matt, I don't know who you're in love with, but I do know one thing. She's definitely one lucky girl, whoever she is...
Unlike Sora, she did not have much hope when it came to Matt. All she could do was try, and her efforts were just going to have to be enough.