Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater
Chapter Fourteen: Dates and Developments
The next day Bulma woke up to meet up with her boyfriend's back first thing in the morning. If her arms were not flung over his sleeping form and his, probably some time subconsciously during the night, over hers, she would've considered waking him with a rebuke. Though she immediately decided against it and smiled to herself. Finally, she had him, all to herself. After all that considerably happened between him and that Hailie girl she knew that she didn't have to be on guard whether or not he was faithful. She believed him. For some unfathomable reason, she did…
The lavender haired girl pulled herself up, resting her weight on her left hand as she looked at the sleeping creature beside her. He was so… helpless in this position… He appeared so fragile and breakable that it made her heart clench. Why was it that his usual scowl appeared so… hurt when he slept? No malice, not malign, just hurt? Why couldn't he be peaceful, even if only in his sleep? Didn't he deserve some rest?
Sighing, she reached out to his sweaty forehead and stroked his cheek lightly in a gentle caress, as if he would break if she did it any other way. But that was truly the end of her little peaceful moment in time, as his eyes snapped widely open the second he felt someone's touch. He jumped upright in bed, taking a firm grip on her wrist, cutting her blood supply.
She winced and shut her eyes at his action while his prodding onyx eyes studied their surrounding. Suddenly, his nightmare washed away from his consciousness, and the memories of the previous night came flooding back. He let Bulma's hand go and turned away, easing his breathing that she just noticed had been rasped. Once having her limb back, the girl looked at his profile. What was wrong with him? Why did he look like a trapped scared animal? She couldn't understand his feelings right now, nor would she figure the cause of them.
Muttering an incoherent half-hearted excuse, the boy went to throw on his clothes and descend down the stairs as the fresh smell of pancakes attacked his nostrils mercilessly. He always starved first thing in the morning.
Frowning after he left, Bulma lifted herself to her feet and went inside the bathroom for her morning routine. She'd confront him about it later.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
At school…
The trip to school had been an unusually quiet one. Vegeta was probably thinking over the fact that she had seen him so… well, vulnerable, while Bulma wondered what was so wrong with him and why he wouldn't tell her, but knew better than to prod in his business right now. If he wanted to tell her, he would. But if he took too much time, she would be forced to get it out of him herself!
"Hey, morning people!" Goku joked as his friends approached.
"Shut up, Kakarott, or I'll really have to show you how much of a morning person I really am." Vegeta hissed as he passed by the taller teen and went directly inside the school building. Bulma just kept on frowning after him. What was so wrong with him today? Wasn't it him who asked her out just yesterday? Did something happen while she wasn't looking?
"What bit him today? He's grumpier than usual." ChiChi snorted at the arrogant teen. She never really got to even tolerating him. Bulma shrugged the dreaded feeling off and just smiled at her friends.
"You'll never guess what!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I think we pretty much already have a winner!" She laughed evilly. As we have previously noted, it sounded so silly coming out of her mouth that it was purely hilarious and more than not threatening at all… Her friends sweat dropped at her. They signed her off as completely insane…
"You're right, we won't. Save us the torture and just say it." Juu butted in the conversation and Bulma just grinned widely at her.
"Vegeta and I are a couple now!" She exclaimed. ChiChi raised a delicate eye brow at that while Juu grinned as well. For once she had been listened to. Poor Juu. Little she knew about Vegeta and Hailie's little conversation. She had been too entangled in her own little world at that time…
"Is that a celebration occasion or one to mourn over?" ChiChi asked sarcastically, earning herself a playful hit on the shoulder. "What? You're doing so as if it ain't true!" She smirked, reminding Bulma of her newly found boyfriend. Her look quickly faltered as she ventured inside, trying to find him before class started.
"I'll be seeing you guys in periods or at lunch, ok? I have something to do before class!" She called after them and heard Juu saying after her,
"Well, yeah, that's what all girls with boyfriends say, B. Just don't get too caught up to be told to get a room." And they all laughed, making Bulma stick her tongue out at them playfully, dismissing all thoughts about them, and letting her train of thought drift off into an entirely different direction. What was going on with Vegeta? He acted so strange since yesterday… As if he didn't really want to be with her and had just done it to please her. Her eye brow furrowed. She hated being pitied, or having things that the other didn't want done for her just to be pleased, because it took all her pleasure away. She had a few things to tell the flame-haired guy.
Soon enough she found him staring at his opened locker. She approached him slowly from behind and looked inside. All she could see was that it was almost empty. She looked at the side of his profile. He seemed to be thinking hard.
What she didn't know was that he saw the same emptiness inside of it, but unlike her related it to the emptiness inside of him. He was so… hollow inside… Why did he ask her out? To let her see how useless he was? To see how materialistic he was now… How he worked so hard just to ensure himself that he was not as worthless and bad as he really was? To have her know how she should've stayed with her cheating boyfriend rather than someone like him? What could he offer her in the first place? He could no longer love anyone… He was incapable of that feeling; he denied its existence… How could he even enforce himself to even begin to care for someone that he knew nothing about? Sure, she was famous, but that wasn't what he wanted to know… He could tell that her favourite colour was either blue or black; he could tell that she liked to quarrel, that she was a person of challenge just like him… But what about the other things? What did he know about her psyche? What did he know about her family, except for the fact that they were rich and famous, that they knew how to raise a well-mannered child even though they were rarely home?
What did he know about her past? Had she ever had any pets? What was her favourite animal? Why was it so? Why was her favourite colour the way it was? Why did she find herself caring for him at such an early stage in their relationship, when a month ago all they did was yell at each other, barely tolerating each other's presence near? Why did she make him drift off to such thoughts in the first place? It wasn't as if he hadn't dated with girls knowing even less about them, or caring none about what they were for that matter. He just said he didn't believe in devotion of any kind; what did it matter anyway then? He was contradicting on himself.
"Hey…" He heard her distant soft voice against his ear and felt her hot breath tickle his ear lobe. "Are you alright? You certainly didn't look alright to me this morning…"
Vegeta did his best to submerge the urge to just shove her off rudely and tell her off and quite succeeded at doing it, because he just stood in the hallway, staring unblinking at the locker. What was wrong with him, really? He had the best girlfriend he could ever wish for. She was beautiful, smart and caring. She would do anything for him, he knew now. And what did he do about it? Drown in memories, making her worry about him. Well, about the latter he assured himself he could personally care less, but he knew the statement was as empty as his heart was. So, instead of sulking over the past, he had to gather himself up, to be the boy that she had been going after and to show some backbone.
Smirking he turned around in her grasp after shutting the door to his locker.
"I'm great. Just a little upset that you had that nightie of yours the whole night. Seriously, I already hate that garment." He whispered huskily in her ear and she slapped his chest playfully, smiling slightly. He had managed to shake off whatever had been worrying him. Well, if he did it, than so could she. Or at least she hoped so.
"Easy there, tiger. We just got together. You'll have to charm me now to have you beneath my nightie you know." She giggled as he bent to kiss her neck and trailing small butterfly kisses up to her earlobe. Little she knew that he wasn't doing this just to give her pleasure, but also to remind himself how good he had, to remind himself what he was truly like. His pride had been wounded tonight… again… And he was getting quite sick of it.
Right after the thought crossed his mind, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the torture for today. Smirking, he pulled away from her and captured her lips in a brief kiss that only served to leave Bulma craving for more of him.
"Go, woman, before you blame me for being late for class. We don't want anything to happen to miss goody-two-shoes' perfect school record, now do we?" She punched his arm, making him chuckle at her hostility. She lifted her nose up in the air haughtily, but before she went she kissed her index and middle finger and put them to his lips before running off to class. The teacher was really bitchy and she really didn't feel like being yelled at after such a nice night's sleep.
Vegeta just stared after her, smirking. Well, he certainly had a taste in women. And this certain girl would be the cherry on the top. The gem in his little 'collection'.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Time seemed to drag itself so slowly that Bulma could barely keep herself and her excitement at bay. She couldn't wait for her first date with Vegeta on Friday! Hours seemed like months and days like years as she could barely breathe without him around anymore. Of course, that was all due excitement before the date, she assured herself. She didn't want to become one of those girls that had a choking vice-like grip on their boyfriends. She had never been that type of a person and certainly didn't feel like becoming one. Maybe that was the reason Yamcha had cheated on her, she wondered… But, shrugging the topic off, she didn't really care about Yamcha and their relationship anymore. She was in a far better one.
Vegeta's words had struck a cord that night… He had let out the two words that she had wondered about ever since they got to talk to each other on that bus on their way home from Eastern City. Could it really be that the two were soul mates? Did she even believe in that? Did he? What was your soul mate supposed to be like? Your exact replica or your complete opposite? She guessed it was neither, as it was probably the one person that you made a complete whole together with. She didn't really know how to define it right now, as she wasn't even sure if she believed that stuff but it didn't really matter actually.
What mattered was that it was already Friday morning and she hadn't made it to sleep for too long and hadn't even needed the alarm to wake her, as she had gotten up more than half an hour before the usual time she woke up for school. She had taken a shower and brushed her lined up teeth, and had a hard time choosing exactly what to wear due to the fact she didn't know whether Vegeta would want to skip school some before they were done or they would have time to go to their houses before they went on their date. She had debated even whether to wake him up and ask him, but quickly shrugged the idea off, remembering what happened last time she woke him, even though now it was impossible to happen. Her nearly-invisible bruise on her wrist spoke for itself, naturally, reminding her to forget such silly ideas. Knowing Vegeta, he would probably yell at her for bothering him with such idiotic matters first thing in the morning.
So she just decided to throw on knee long jean skirt and a slightly tight black long-sleeved blouse that hugged her chest and upper body nicely, complementing her every curve, covering all the barely visible flaws that Bulma claimed she had, even though we can all be sure that if she asked Vegeta now he would just either laugh at her silliness or wrinkle his nose at her, wondering whether she was mad or just plain stupid for assuming such a thing for a girl that he, of all people, dated.
Giggling at the thoughts, Bulma made her way downstairs and made herself a light breakfast that consisted in lots of cereal and some milk that the things sucked inside almost completely. She liked to eat the cereal raw too, but used the milk only because her mother insisted that it was good for her. What did the old woman know anyway; Bulma snorted, but ate her cereal with milk anyway.
By the time she was finished, it was already time to go for Bulma, as she had spent some time looking out of the window, just phasing out. She had noticed how Vegeta had gone out on his balcony that was just in her line of view from her point in the kitchen, and smoked a cigarette, then another one with his morning mug of coffee before he went back inside to get himself dressed for the 'big day'. She doubted he thought of it as such, or that he was nervous anything like her for that matter. What she didn't know was that Vegeta had some dreadful thoughts on his mind right now and had a really bad feeling about the outcome of all this.
Of course, it wasn't her fault that he did… He never really could blame her for his nightmares, or for the fact that he could no longer trust anyone with his secrets. And he tried to convince himself that he had done that a million and one times before, why should it be any different now? Why would he want this date to be any different than all his other ones before? Deep down, he knew the answer to that; an answer that he dreaded more than falling asleep at night or dozing off during the day due to the lack of sleep the other night. He tried his best to push all thoughts away as he took his shirt on and took his skateboard on the way out, not really caring whether Goku was coming or not. He needed to visit his little hide out for a half an hour or so before he had to see the faces of those losers today, or the beaming expression of his current girlfriend.
It wasn't as if he didn't admire her facial features: her beautiful endless sapphire orbs, her plump lips that he had become addicted to having beneath his, her soft pale skin… It was just that she radiated such purity that… That he felt filthy whenever around her. It was not really a great feeling to have about your girlfriend, you see now… Hopefully he would manage to shake it off before their date today…
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
"Today's the big day!" Bulma exclaimed after first period. She had seen Vegeta take off into an entirely different direction than the one towards school and had informed the others when they have all but him gathered in front of the school's entrance. She was a little down that he hadn't come to join them this particular day, but she signed it off as the one thing that would bring her most joy about his action – he wanted to spend his day with her and only her. She was sure that if she confronted him about it that was what he would say – pick the answer you'd like the most.
Yamcha laughed with her as he took his books from his desk.
"Hey, I'm getting jealous here!" He joked. "You were never this excited when we were together. It's not fair, you know." He pouted playfully, but Bulma knew that behind his joyous act he was, indeed, a little hurt. True, she had never been this excited during the time they have dated. But then again, Yamcha had never been so secretive. He had always spoken frankly with her, told her what he wanted, what he felt… She voiced her thoughts making him shake his head and rub her shoulder in a friendly manner. "Don't worry about me, B! I was just kidding! You know all I have ever wanted was for you to be happy! I just feel a little down it wasn't me who managed to give you that."
"How touching." A voice spat from beside them. Their heads snapped towards its source and both frowned at the person they found standing there, glaring back at them. "Really, don't you have what to do, Briefs? I haven't given Vegeta up to the likes of you to talk to that scum of an ex of yours, trying to get Vegeta jealous, or something as stupid as that, just to know he cares or whatever. Honestly, how low can you fall more, Briefs?"
"Excuse me?" Bulma choked on her words in bewilderment. "Given him up on me? You're a little late with the news receiving, darling. He came on to me, not you. The idea of that little 'competition' was just an excuse for you trying to get back under his skin and try to have his way with him again. Sorry to cut your long story short so fast, Mizuhara, but you're a bit too late now. And I am by far not as stupid as you. The fact I have other friends besides him didn't seem to bother him yesterday, or the day before it or any other!" Bulma defended, making Yamcha smile at her determination. Hailie just narrowed her eyes dangerously at the other girl. But before another venomous threat could pass her mouth, Vegeta's flame-haired head poked inside the room.
"Woman, what the hell are you waiting for? Come on!"
During the few days before Friday after the Monday that they actually got together, Bulma and Vegeta had spent quite some time while walking back from school. They occasionally went to each other's houses, talking endlessly about their lives before they met each other, about their favourite things (like food, colours, et cetera; stuff that you just lose time talking about, usually; how strange that Vegeta's list of favourite food seemed to be endless), and Bulma talked about her life, occasionally. She thought that he was uninterested by her personal things, when, in fact, that had been what he had wanted her to do, yet just subtly, not alarming her about it. He didn't want her to think he cared more than he did…
Anyway, during this time, they have come to the agreement (or more like Bulma enforced the agreement on Vegeta, promising him that next time she would be the one compromising for him) that they would see each other before every period, for Bulma had told him she needed to see him, to remind him not to get into trouble (especially today) and yadda, yadda, yadda. Vegeta had rolled his eyes at that, but knew perfectly well the reason she wanted that. And he had voiced it too. She just couldn't get enough of him. She had smacked his arm at that (she was quite aggressive nowadays, Vegeta had noted with a smirk) and refused, but both of them knew it was quite a mutual feeling…
"Well?" Vegeta continued impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground as his girlfriend had not stopped glaring at his ex one. "I'm growing old here."
"I'm not going before that bitch excuses to me!" Bulma hollered at him and glared at the other female across her. "What she said was totally not true and I hate to be accused of stupid things that I am not even doing!" The temperamental girl insist, stomping her foot on the ground. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta made his way over to the scene, while by the time half of the class was looking weirdly at them.
Truth to be told, he had been standing there long enough to see what Hailie had accused Bulma of and to hear her reply. He couldn't say he wasn't proud with her, but he had been angry at Hailie's outburst. He knew perfectly well what the emerald eyed girl's problem was, and he didn't need her solving his problems… He growled at her and pulled her away from his 'friends' and spoke lowly so that only she could hear. While he talked, she continued to glare at Bulma over his shoulder, but when he shook her demandingly, she just nodded, the look in her eyes softening, turning into a hurting one. He pushed her off slightly, rudely, and went back to Bulma to snatch her wrist gently and pull her out of the class room before anyone could say a thing.
"Why did you storm off like that? She was just about to say how sorry she was!" Bulma rioted against his pulling on her arm, but he didn't let go of her.
"You know perfectly well that isn't true. Don't pay any heed to what Hailie says, she's just nuts." He chuckled and kissed her briefly, only to have her hands around his neck in matter of seconds, being pulled into an enticing kiss that made all of his bad thoughts wash away from his head in an instant. One of the things that drove him nearer the edge and one of those that made him feel slightly uneasy at the same time. He still didn't want to give in to caring about her the way he did for his last real girlfriend…
"I missed you! Where were you? I got so sick of worry about you!" She frowned as they pulled away. He frowned as well. He hated it when she did that. She talked way too much. And in the worst possible moments none the less!
"How can you possibly miss me when I was at your house until one in the morning?" He snapped, not really caring how rude it sounded.
"Well, I did miss you…" Bulma said with a small pout, giving him the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. She was good at this, making him feel sorry for snapping at her. Damn her, he screamed in his head. She had way too much power to make him comply with anything. And they weren't even out on a proper date yet! Just imagine how much of a toy in her hands he would be after it…
"Whatever." He shrugged her off, only to have her grasp his hand in turn this time.
"You're really off nowadays, Vegeta. Are you sure nothing's wrong?" She continued asking him the same question over and over again. It was beginning to really irritate him. He pushed her off violently, glaring back at her over his shoulder.
"Leave me be, woman. I told you a million times. My business is my business. I don't need help in solving any of my problems from anyone. Just drop it! I'm fine and I'll continue being fine no matter how many times you actually ask me, alright!" He snapped angrily at her, whipping his head back forward, shoving his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans. Bulma blinked a few times, trying to clear her anger away. How could he talk to her that way? How dare he! But then again, she knew how touchy he got when it came to his affairs, and it was wisest just to keep away from all of 'his business' and just shrug the topic off, like he had obvious success in doing. A second later she just smiled a beaming smile towards him and latched herself on his arm, bringing it far too close to her chest for his liking. She might be very annoying at times, but that didn't mean she was still incredibly attractive.
"Alright, Vegeta; I'll leave you be. But remember you owe me!" She joked and pulled him towards an unknown destination.
"Where are you taking me?" He asked warily, a suspicious look crossing his features instantly. Bulma giggled at his demeanor.
"Towards class, silly. We have this one together."
"We do?" He asked suspiciously, still not really sure whether she was saying the truth or not. He was really, really out of it today. She giggled again. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he was just as nervous as she was, but was doing a far better job at hiding it. He slapped himself for this mentally, as it had sounded so stupid out of his mouth that it was almost degrading.
And so they took off down the corridor, Bulma's hands intertwined with his, towards their next class, absolutely unaware of the person behind the corner, looking warily at the couple.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Bulma's question had been answered quite practically. After school, Vegeta had told her to dress into something fit for going out, but not too flashy, so she could be comfortable. She had no idea what he meant, but went in her closet to pick something proper to wear anyway.
She stopped her attention to the tight black dress, which reached down a little further than the middle of her hip. It complemented her every curve nicely as it clung to her skin a little looser than a second skin. It didn't show any back, nor cleavage, but Bulma assured herself that was okay since he had seen her in her nightie for five nights now, hey! Besides, she had heard the weather report – it was going to be a chilly night. She was sure he wouldn't want her to get sick because of one date. They'd have many more as it was what was the point? The dress went up to her throat and had a small collar, that kept her neck warm and it had very small sleeves. She found some matching shoes and was on her way out when her doorbell rang. She grabbed a purse, waving at her mother, telling her she would get it before she stepped out of the Capsule Corporation household.
She came face-to-face with her prince. It was the first time that she had seen him so official and she already knew she liked it.
He was clad in some black dress pants and had a semi-tight navy shirt on that made him look like a business man. Bulma giggled at that and he snapped his attention to her. He had been leaning on the nearest wall while waiting for her to answer the door. He lifted an eye brow at her outfit but still smirked at her as they made their way over to his Lamborghini.
"Where are we going?" Bulma couldn't help asking as she sat herself in Vegeta's comfy car. The seat almost devoured her yet again. It was such a wonderful feeling… Just being here with him was such a wonderful feeling. He chuckled but did not look at her.
"To a Japanese restaurant." Bulma squealed at that.
"Oh, you're just reading my mind. It has been so long since I last ate Japanese. I'm dying for some rice balls here." She watched out of her window as she spoke, a big smile gracing her lips.
The rest of the trip was… well, half quiet. Vegeta claimed it was because he was starving and she wouldn't want him to yell at her for no fathomable reason (that's when she started to see through the lie – he usually yelled at her for less and just to make her yell back; that was no coherent reply of his, but she let it slip, just this once). When they arrived, they were seated on a balcony table, which had a direct view towards the stars. Bellow were some water cascades that Bulma could almost bet her head he had talked the staff into getting back in action, as it looked quite old and unused now.
But all in all, it was a nice experience. They had their food served almost immediately, steaming as it had been just out of the oven. By the end of their meals, Bulma was stuffed and quite content with the evening's events, even though she had done most of the talking that night, as usual. Vegeta had claimed he wasn't much of a talker (which Bulma had noticed countless times before), but she knew there was something more. It hurt her he wouldn't even trust her to share the nightmares that have been bugging him lately, clearly the cause of the shades under his eyes, but she kept telling herself that with time, he would learn he can trust her. After all that they'd been through together until now, she knew he at least believed her.
"It was so wonderful here, Vegeta! And a wonderful night…" Her smile warmed his heart a little before he looked down to cup his hands around the cigarette he was lighting.
"We're just warming up here, woman. I was hungry. After you're finished we take off again to the 'surprise' place." He chuckled and exhaled the toxic smoke. Bulma narrowed her eyes as she watched him move with the 'weapon of destruction' as she liked to call the cigarettes, but didn't object at all. After all, he seemed stressed a bit. One smoke wouldn't do any wrong, would it?
As they paid up and left for an unbeknownst direction to Bulma, she registered the thought that he might be struggling with something. Her eyes saddened. And he wouldn't tell her what it was? He didn't want her help? She had no idea where they stood now, even though they were together now, and on their first date. Why did it have to be so complicated? But then again, were they rushing things? Bulma couldn't help but think of the famous play 'Romeo and Juliet', an emblem of passionate teenage love. But then again, even if things between her and Vegeta were developing too fast, she had more than enough brains in her head never even to seriously consider the idea of suicide, or leading Vegeta to such for that matter. But then again, he would never suicide just because she's gone… would he? At this point? At all?
They stopped and parked the car at the foot of a hill. Bulma sent him a strange look, but didn't question him as he locked his car and they began climbing up. They did it in absolute quietness. It was making Bulma nauseous already, but she decided not to push it. In her view came a huge tree, probably centuries old, the branches of which were looking directly over the night city. She smiled, deciding this is their destination, only to have him ask her just a second after,
"Where are you going?" She looked back weirdly at him.
"Isn't this where we were going?" She could recall hearing Goku talk about this tree, but she had had no idea where its whereabouts were before Vegeta had brought her here himself. He chuckled.
"Don't hurry so much, woman. Come on, there's a little bit more." With a frown, she did follow him down the rocky path that had been formed probably because of the grass being stepped on so frequently that it didn't have a chance to grow at some extent.
As they got deeper into the night and what she could successfully call a forest, she began to hear a deafening noise. As if masses of something were falling from a great height. Masses of… water? Her eyes widened when Vegeta brought her in the middle of a beautiful picture. She thought of it to be a mere walk in the wild where she didn't have to worry about burglars and rapists after her since she had her strong boyfriend with her, but obviously she had been wrong. It was beautiful scenery. A majestic one that she would remember until the end of her days…
Vegeta pulled her wrist with him so they would come closer to the water.
"Is this where you wanted to bring me all along?" She bellowed over the thundering sound of the colliding water with the small lake that had formed around. He nodded at her, not really seeming like paying much attention. "It's beautiful…" She mouthed and smiled. He attempted to do the same, but ended it with just trying when he pulled her at a safe distance from the waterfall where he could speak properly with her.
They sat on the grass, backs against it, facing the midnight sky, staring as the stars up twinkled with their enticing glimmer. Bulma could stare with hours at the stars and never grow tired of it… After all, as she had previously mentioned to us in her thoughts, she had grown up looking at the midnight sky during the long sleepless nights. Something told her Vegeta had done quite the same, but was now struggling with something that he indeed wanted to tell her, but had no idea how to form the words. She wouldn't urge him; she wouldn't tell him to take his time. He was already doing it; what was the use of pushing him? If he wanted to, he would. If he didn't want to share any of his problems with her at all, then it was his wish and his choice, not hers.
She tried to assure herself that she wasn't really concerned what was bugging him since he was grown up enough to fix his own problems…
"I have been coming here since forever…" He finally began. Bulma looked at him, examining his expression. There was something hurt behind it. She smiled at him, making his heart crack. She was so cheerful and pure… And innocent… What had he done to deserve such a loving girlfriend? When she saw he wasn't going to continue soon, she said,
"It seems only you know about this place?"
"Not really, but once I made it clear to them that it is my place, they stopped coming." He flashed a wide sinister smirk and she laughed at his expression and words, just imagining how scared the poor creatures that had crossed his path have looked like when he had threatened them. Seriously, he had to learn some diplomacy…
Once their laughter ceased (well, Vegeta didn't really laugh… He chuckled), the atmosphere became tense with stillness again.
"I needed a refuge from the pain…" Vegeta's words flowed from his lips bitterly, like poison. "I needed to forget all the problems that went with my refusal to go to an orphanage…" Bulma head whipped in his direction, a shocked expression gracing her beautiful face. Vegeta chuckled bitterly at that too. "What? Weren't you supposed to be the smartest girl that ever lived? Have you never wondered why my parents don't live with me? It's not because I am defiant, woman; that much you should have figured." Well, in a way, she guessed she did. But none of her thoughts would prove true if he didn't open up on her, like he was doing right now.
But she wasn't about to tell him that – she wasn't stupid. Let him tell all that he wanted her to know and then they would talk.
"My parents have been dead since I turned ten." Bulma's head snapped in his direction as well. Ten? Refusal to enter orphanage? He was pulling her leg, right? There was no possible way that he would've survived at such a young age without financial support… And no parents. "I have been taking care of myself ever since… It had been hard to trust anyone, and I'm not really sure if I can trust anyone again…" She nodded at that. She understood fully well. "One more thing you should know before we continue this farce of a relationship."
Her head turned back to him, her eyes blazing furiously. How could he call it that? Didn't she mean anything to him at all? Well, if she only let herself not be taken in by the anger, she would figure that if he didn't care about her he would've left her be and never do so much as glance at her way again. But she didn't really know that…
"I have always been taught that love is a weakness, something that only gets in your way and your better judgement. My experience has only done to further ensure those words…" He looked up to meet her eyes. "You have told me that you like me for who I am… And you don't really know me yet… But if you plan on whining that I will not return your feelings, ever, we better drop this right now."
And then there was silence.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
What could Bulma have said to that? Her mind had gone blank. She was aware there was something emotionless about her man, but this? He had just told her he wouldn't love her, wouldn't let himself love her, ever… What kind of a confession is that? Why was he asking her that? To make her feel worthless and used? Was he asking just to stab her fluttering heart? Was that it? Did he enjoy others suffer while he himself was pulling though some amount of turmoil as well?
She slapped herself mentally. What was she thinking! Vegeta was rude, aloof, self-conscious, but he wasn't heartless. The bare fact that his heart seemed to be throbbing with pain the same morning they first woke up in the same bed. He didn't want to kill her emotion either. He just wanted to save her the pain that would surely follow later if she found it out on her own. He might be sadistic, but he had proved her that he cared about what she felt… He would never enjoy seeing a person he cares about suffer pain that was actually inflicted by him.
So she smiled back and shook her head. It stung, still, but it was okay… She would be okay… He would be okay… Everything would be fine… Even if she fell for him… No, even after she was already falling. He had been such a wonderful gentleman with her this night… She had seen a side of him that was even more enticing than the one he showed everyone. He had manners, a class when he wanted to. Even in such a plain suit, he looked like a prince in her eyes.
"That's alright, Vegeta. I can strive with that fact." He looked baffled at her. He was hearing things. His eyes followed her actions as she stood on her legs. "Well, you haven't brought me here just to look at the beautiful cascade, did you? I could've done that back at the restaurant!" She snapped playfully and went over to the water, looking at the lake from the edge she was standing on.
Vegeta frowned after her. It wasn't as if he expected her to really give up on him that fast. She was far too stubborn, much like him, to do that so fast. And he knew that very well, but he expected at least a little fight over that. He had even readied himself a small speech or whatever, to make her understand. But she always had to be the one to try to be as selfless as ever. It angered him beyond belief, for an unknown reason. He felt relieved that he had finally managed to share a bit of his past with her. But then again, he felt filthier than ever as she had, once again, proven to be the better of them… With her sacrifice of her feelings… He growled deep in his throat. He'd make her pay for that one.
He approached her, making her look at him and point at something in the lake, which she giggled at. She loved the water. She had loved swimming since she had been a little girl. She remembered those times at the pool… It had really been so incredibly fun… She had been with her parents back then, because they couldn't be completely sure how much they could trust their infant daughter with the house staff. Besides, it was an experience that she had to remember them by, not the nanny.
"What?" She asked when she felt his eyes continuously stab her back with their piercing onyx stare that quite matched the mid-dark night. A malicious smirk crossed his features, before she was rendered into losing her balance, her hands stretching out to grasp for something, but failed and a huge splash followed her failure. Vegeta's throaty laugh rang in her numb ears once her head floated back above the surface. The water was freezing cold, but at least it was crystal clean. Her azure eyes darted over to him, glaring daggers his way. "Bastard! That was a dirty trick and you know it! My hair's all wet! And it's huge! Do you have any idea how much time it will take me to dry it out?" She tried to splash some water his way, but he dodged it masterly, kneeling on the same edge she had been on seconds ago, with a smug expression on his features.
"It was about time you washed it too. You should try doing it more frequently. People say it's good to bathe." Bulma growled at that. Was he insulting her cleanliness? The nerve of that guy! He was pushing his luck, really. Her throaty growl made his chuckle. "You're spending far too much time around me, woman. Someone might say something." He chuckled some more. And to that she growled some more, before the same smirk and smug expression took place on her face.
"Oh, yeah?" She sounded as threatening as she could. "Sue me for plagiarism then." He raised a dark eye brow at that and before he could begin to comprehend what she had said, his wrist was grabbed by the girl beneath him and she had steadied her feet against the edge, pulling him full-force inside, leaving him no chance to fight for his balance. Second after another splash followed his failure and his head appeared another second after it. He looked extremely pissed off, very annoyed and very… wet.
Bulma hollered with laughter as she looked at his expression. It was a really strange mix, but with his hair that, if it could, would show just as a matching expression, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She was splashing some water with her fist as it collided with the surface out of laughing too hard. Vegeta growled at her and by the time that he could no longer tolerate her laughter his way, he splashed some water her way, making her choke on it, which made him the one to chuckle.
"Bastard!" She screamed again and sent a whole wave, by her standards, his way. He took a breath in, readying himself for the impact, but before he could understand what had happened, his head was pushed beneath the surface, and Bulma was leaning over him, keeping him down. Even under the surface he could hear her victorious 'evil' laughter. "That's right! That's what you deserve! And stay there!" She yelled down to his submerged head.
'She thinks she won!' Vegeta's thoughts raged, completely forgotten about his turmoil earlier. 'We'll see who laughs last!' And with that he pulled on her hips, pulling her beneath herself. She kicked and punched, but she wasn't really strong as it was and the water was slowing down her every move to the point it was more than useless. He tried to dive up to the surface, but she didn't let him, until both had to breathe urgently.
When they faced each other up, Vegeta smirked, splashing some water in her face. She screamed in rage. She thought he learnt his place, damn him! Before she could splash some back, he was already swimming away.
"Catch me if you can!" He bellowed in laughter behind himself. She growled, but swam after him. There was no way in hell she would let him win so easily.
And eventually, as strange as it was to both of them, she did catch up with him, grabbing onto his neck as they have become far too close to the waterfall. She had no idea how strong the pressure there was, and didn't plan on finding out. Vegeta chuckled at her obvious fear and pulled them both towards the shore.
Both their clothes were clinging to their bodies, outlining them nicely (especially Vegeta's ex-semi-tight shirt; now it made his beautifully sculpted chest and abs perfect for her to see through the thin fabric), as they collapsed in exhaustion on solid water. They had spent a considerable amount of time swimming and fooling around; it was just hilarious if they could only see themselves from the side.
"Vegeta?" Bulma hushed out, completely out of breath, trying to ease it.
"What?" He answered back in the same style. It hadn't been so easy to beat her ass as he had thought it would be. He smirked. The woman was really a nice match for him…
"This is the best date I ever had." She confessed. He looked at her warily. She was smiling at him, having a little hard time steadying herself on her hands, hoisting her body to be sitting upright.
His expression was indifferent. She stared at him for some time before looking up at the sky, her cheeks reddening a bit. He didn't pay any heed to that. He was deep in thought. He was devouring every piece of little detail about her right now. Her mid-sharp facial features, her chin, her elegantly pointy, but not too much for that matter, nose that made her look aristocratic as she was; her plump lips that were slightly blue from the cold water and her wet clothes that clung to her body as a goner would to a lifeline, the chilling air making her shiver every now and then. The star and moonlight grasped and caressed her beautiful curves, making her look almost angelic. He hated to sound this stupid, this mushy, but she was simply… flawless in this moment… Like those girls in the love stories… When one gazes at them in the midnight light…
She looked back to him, only to find him still staring. Her cheeks reddened again. What was with him? He hadn't done that before… It was, and felt, absolutely embarrassing. She felt as if he could see right in her soul, all her dear and embarrassing secrets… It made her feel, the least said, uncomfortable. She was about to question him, when his lips went atop hers, bringing them both into a kiss, which made a jolt immediately run though her whole body, warming her up.
The lust ran deeper than she imagined, making them both regain all their warmth that they had seemingly lost in the crystalline waters of the lake and the air filled with tension. Sexual tension… Bulma's cheeks flushed red as Vegeta came closer to her. She pulled him down with her, having him atop of her as their kiss didn't break for a moment.
A moan escaped her throat when his hand slid up the side of her hip, leaving her skin burning after his caress had left the place. His hand went up to the rim of her dress, pulling it higher, so he could set a leg between hers to steady himself. His other hand was at the side of her head, hoisting him not to fall on her.
Her fingers intertwined with his hair, fingers playing with it as his probing hand slid up to her chest, making her emit a moan when he lightly squeezed one of her breasts. The sounds that he was earning from her made his whole body throb with desire for her. She had always appeared attractive to him… Now he could easily have her. She wouldn't mind, she certainly didn't seem to mind now. And he wasn't really doing anything yet. She had no idea what magic he could work over her body… Well, at least at this point, she didn't. He smirked against her lips. He would love to show her.
Bulma's whole form felt as if her senses were on fire. If before a single kiss could do miracles for her body to respond back to his caresses, this was a desire that she could never describe with words. Her mind was frantic. All she would decipher was that her senses were on fire, her whole body nearly trembling with the need for him. She needed him, now. She had to have him now that he had done this to her. He couldn't leave her craving and soaked, in more than one meaning. She could feel against her pelvis that he was just as desperate in this as she was…
Without wasting any more time, Vegeta slowly pulled her whole dress up and broke the kiss while he had to take it off her head. She helped him with it and then she reached for his shirt, unbuttoning the buttons. Thank God they didn't give much of a fight to her nearly shaking fingers.
With a quick kiss, his lips then assaulted her neck and burrowed at the crook of it. She moaned aloud, pulling his head closer to her, feeling his hot breath on her neck sending shivers down her spine. His lower body grinded against hers slightly, teasing her through the fabric of both their garments. She groaned at that. Why was he toying? She wanted him, now! And he wanted her too. Why play?
She turned them over, landing atop of him. She looked down, her cheeks red and flushed from the heat that she felt. It was nearly suffocating her already and he had the gall to go and just tease? The nerve!
He reached up for her bra, but didn't manage to unclasp it, so, capturing his lips in a brief kiss, Bulma unclasped it and threw it down where her dress and his shirt were lying, soaked onto the ground. She smirked against his lips, as she pushed her upper body against his, more than pleasured to hear the moan escape his lips this time. The sensation of both their skin touching made her burn even more, if it was possible.
Tonight was going to be a nice night…
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A/N: No more for this chap. Nope; hope you hate me now, haha. No, really, it depends completely on you whether I won't tease further. All you need to do is review to have the next chapter up soon. Damn, I really hate cutting a scene so nastily, but that's quite a nice cliff-hanging moment to stop, eh?
So, what do you think? Will they do it? Sex on the first date? But then again they know each other for quite some time, sexual tension every time they meet, since, well, they're both quite attractive and they really have a thing for each other… Yeah, so, anyway… As I was saying, review to know what happens next. Lemon or no lemon? Dunno, dunno; review and we all find out –gives the best innocent look she can muster–
Sorry about not updating other stories. You know how it is… I should use inspiration while I can… I have work knocking on my door again. Grrr… Hate working… Anyway…
Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin, always the nasty teaser.
