Chapter 2-Starting Over
"Shit," Casey quickly kneeled down and tried to gather up the scattered papers. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Ryo. What was he doing here? His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest and he felt.. bashful? Towards Ryo? Casey had had scant moments of feeling bashful in his entire life. He couldn't think of why this was another one.
Then he felt someone kneel down next to him. Casey jerked his head up in surprise. "You dropped this," Ryo said, holding onto a bunch of papers.
"Ah..thanks." Casey took them from Ryo quickly and stood up. He slipped back behind the desk and tried to reorder the stacks of order forms and legal papers.
"What are you doing here?" Ryo asked, moving to in front of the desk.
"Working.." Casey would not look up and meet Ryo's gaze.
Ryo looks at the chaos on the table. "Well, I can see that. But what are you doing HERE? In Tokyo?"
"Working. I told you, I went into the music biz. Only, I've decided to do a come-back and then I wanted to open up my own set of clubs along with it." Casey stopped shuffling papers around and finally looked up. "What are YOU doing here? I didn't think I'd see you.."
"Oh. Well, you see, we decided to go on a trip Tokyo, for the weekend."
"Oh. That's nice." He paused and then he really took a good look at Ryo. He studied his face, as if it wasn't the same as he remembered. Finally: "How are things?"
"Great. Everything is going great." Ryo gave a big smile. Casey noticed the fake enthusiasm but didn't say anything, he simply nodded.
"You?"
"Ah, if these orders were delivered on time, everything would be great. Other then that..life is good."
Ryo nodded.
And then followed the awkward silence.
Which was broken by Sage. "Ryo!" He came up beside Ryo, not paying attention to who Ryo was talking to. "The guy want to move on, get some-," his eyes moved to the person behind the desk. And froze. His eyes widened in, of all things, shock. "Lunch," he finished after a slight pause. He blinked and then went back to staring at Casey.
"Do I have something on my face?" Casey asked.
"What? No. I was just not...expecting you." Sage finished rather slowly, as if he was thinking of saying something else.
"I see. Well, neither was I." The friction between them was obvious, all it was missing were the sparks.
"Well..we've got to be going," Sage was already herding Ryo towards the door. He gave a short nod, "Casey."
"Sage."
"Nice to see you again, Casey," Ryo said over his shoulder. He gave a slightly annoyed look at Sage as they walked to rejoin the rest of the guys.
Ryo, Casey sent a telepathic link to him. Come back tomorrow night. Here. I want to see you again. Can we talk?
Yes, Ryo sent back. I'll come.
Cassandra watched them from the stage. Something was telling her that this was bad news. After they left she went over to Casey. "Can we talk?"
"No, I'm busy."
"This is important."
"So is this."
"Dammit Casey, don't get smart with me. We need to talk about what's going on in your head right now."
"Can't it wait?"
"Stop putting it off. We're talking. NOW!"
In a flash she transported them to the upstairs office. Casey tumbled onto the floor while Cassandra placed herself perfectly on the chair behind the desk.
"HEY! No FAIR!"
"It's what you get for being a smart ass. Now. You wouldn't be planning a little rendezvous with Ryo so as to have a secret affair behind his lover's back, now would you?"
"No. I just wanted to talk to him again. I didn't think I'd ever see him again and now I have the perfect opportunity. A lot has happened in the few years since we've seen each other. We've got a lot to catch up on."
"Then why make it so secretive?"
"Because of Sage. I don't think he likes me. He wouldn't let Ryo come if he knew where Ryo was going and who with."
"And WHY wouldn't Sage like this idea? Hmmmm.. I wonder." She gave Casey a knowing look.
"Now who's being a smart ass? Ok, so we slept together one time. ONE TIME! It was in the heat of the moment thing. It won't happen again."
"Oh, really? So you can tell me you have absolutely NO feelings for him at all?"
"JESUS, sis! What do you want me to be here? A fucking SAINT?! Of course I have feelings for him! He's drop dead gorgeous! Anyone, short of a dead man himself, would find him attractive!" Casey flopped himself down on the sofa in a huff.
"I know, Case. And I'm sorry. But I've got a bad feeling about this..and you KNOW how dependable my premonitions are. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Or anyone for that matter. Ok?"
Casey wrapped his arms around himself and sank back into the sofa. "Alright, alright. I won't get all touchy feely with Ryo," he sighed dejectedly. It's gonna be hard, he thought. But I don't want to ruin his life. Or mine. I don't want a psychopathic Sage chasing after me. We can be just friends. It will be enough...
"Shit," Casey quickly kneeled down and tried to gather up the scattered papers. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Ryo. What was he doing here? His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest and he felt.. bashful? Towards Ryo? Casey had had scant moments of feeling bashful in his entire life. He couldn't think of why this was another one.
Then he felt someone kneel down next to him. Casey jerked his head up in surprise. "You dropped this," Ryo said, holding onto a bunch of papers.
"Ah..thanks." Casey took them from Ryo quickly and stood up. He slipped back behind the desk and tried to reorder the stacks of order forms and legal papers.
"What are you doing here?" Ryo asked, moving to in front of the desk.
"Working.." Casey would not look up and meet Ryo's gaze.
Ryo looks at the chaos on the table. "Well, I can see that. But what are you doing HERE? In Tokyo?"
"Working. I told you, I went into the music biz. Only, I've decided to do a come-back and then I wanted to open up my own set of clubs along with it." Casey stopped shuffling papers around and finally looked up. "What are YOU doing here? I didn't think I'd see you.."
"Oh. Well, you see, we decided to go on a trip Tokyo, for the weekend."
"Oh. That's nice." He paused and then he really took a good look at Ryo. He studied his face, as if it wasn't the same as he remembered. Finally: "How are things?"
"Great. Everything is going great." Ryo gave a big smile. Casey noticed the fake enthusiasm but didn't say anything, he simply nodded.
"You?"
"Ah, if these orders were delivered on time, everything would be great. Other then that..life is good."
Ryo nodded.
And then followed the awkward silence.
Which was broken by Sage. "Ryo!" He came up beside Ryo, not paying attention to who Ryo was talking to. "The guy want to move on, get some-," his eyes moved to the person behind the desk. And froze. His eyes widened in, of all things, shock. "Lunch," he finished after a slight pause. He blinked and then went back to staring at Casey.
"Do I have something on my face?" Casey asked.
"What? No. I was just not...expecting you." Sage finished rather slowly, as if he was thinking of saying something else.
"I see. Well, neither was I." The friction between them was obvious, all it was missing were the sparks.
"Well..we've got to be going," Sage was already herding Ryo towards the door. He gave a short nod, "Casey."
"Sage."
"Nice to see you again, Casey," Ryo said over his shoulder. He gave a slightly annoyed look at Sage as they walked to rejoin the rest of the guys.
Ryo, Casey sent a telepathic link to him. Come back tomorrow night. Here. I want to see you again. Can we talk?
Yes, Ryo sent back. I'll come.
Cassandra watched them from the stage. Something was telling her that this was bad news. After they left she went over to Casey. "Can we talk?"
"No, I'm busy."
"This is important."
"So is this."
"Dammit Casey, don't get smart with me. We need to talk about what's going on in your head right now."
"Can't it wait?"
"Stop putting it off. We're talking. NOW!"
In a flash she transported them to the upstairs office. Casey tumbled onto the floor while Cassandra placed herself perfectly on the chair behind the desk.
"HEY! No FAIR!"
"It's what you get for being a smart ass. Now. You wouldn't be planning a little rendezvous with Ryo so as to have a secret affair behind his lover's back, now would you?"
"No. I just wanted to talk to him again. I didn't think I'd ever see him again and now I have the perfect opportunity. A lot has happened in the few years since we've seen each other. We've got a lot to catch up on."
"Then why make it so secretive?"
"Because of Sage. I don't think he likes me. He wouldn't let Ryo come if he knew where Ryo was going and who with."
"And WHY wouldn't Sage like this idea? Hmmmm.. I wonder." She gave Casey a knowing look.
"Now who's being a smart ass? Ok, so we slept together one time. ONE TIME! It was in the heat of the moment thing. It won't happen again."
"Oh, really? So you can tell me you have absolutely NO feelings for him at all?"
"JESUS, sis! What do you want me to be here? A fucking SAINT?! Of course I have feelings for him! He's drop dead gorgeous! Anyone, short of a dead man himself, would find him attractive!" Casey flopped himself down on the sofa in a huff.
"I know, Case. And I'm sorry. But I've got a bad feeling about this..and you KNOW how dependable my premonitions are. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Or anyone for that matter. Ok?"
Casey wrapped his arms around himself and sank back into the sofa. "Alright, alright. I won't get all touchy feely with Ryo," he sighed dejectedly. It's gonna be hard, he thought. But I don't want to ruin his life. Or mine. I don't want a psychopathic Sage chasing after me. We can be just friends. It will be enough...
