Yea, I know.
Don't hate me, i'm honestly trying.
I do know that there was a big boo boo in my previous chapter about a double mention in two different parts of the story, I'll get around to editing that at some point this week.
In the meanwhile have this filler like chapter and the next one will have some juicy stuff. Promise, I have my chapters outlined it's just me putting events together in an order that I like. I just need time where my muse is up and running and i'm not at work, she pops up when i'm at work and not around my laptop and I hate using my phone to write.
To everyone who's stuck around, I cannot express how grateful I am, I really am happy that you guys like my story. I appreciate all the lovely messages, constructive criticism and the reviews that you guys leave. I hope this one holds you down for now. To all my new readers, welcome to the show, my updates are inconsistent but I swear I will never abandon this story. I hope you enjoy.
Also, I'd just like to say that this story is based off of my first love. No we didn't get to the actual sex nor did we have the happy ever after, but this story will have the happy ending that I sometimes imagine would have happened if he wasn't such an ass. (PS yes we are still friends)
Now i'm going to catch some Zzz. xoxo
Loving someone as recklessly and irresponsibly as I did Ichigo Kurosaki was very...draining. I honestly didn't realise how draining it was until now. But it was still the best feeling ever.
I remember Tatsuki saying that love shouldn't feel draining, but I personally believe that being in love with someone is a different experience for everyone, and that's what makes being in love so great and unique. Yes, there will be some aspects that are the same and some types of love are...harder than others for lack of a better term but in the end, it's love. As much as he put me through the wringer 90% of the time(with no one but myself to blame of course), I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe when we're married and we have our 4 kids and our amazing doctor careers (Ha! Inoue get a grip) I'll tell him of how much of a complete pain it was being in love with him as a teenager growing into an adult.
That is, if I ever got to become a doctor. I was so behind on my school work I'm surprised I haven't received a warning email/letter yet. Thankfully I haven't missed any deadlines (yet) so like the total nerd I am I locked myself in my room for four days ignoring the outside world and attempting to catch up on my lecture notes, my essays, my industrial portfolio needed updating, online tests AND my reading. The only breaks I took were for eating and toilet breaks. My hair was a mess, my hands shook from caffeine overdose and the bags under my eyes had bags, but I did it. I glanced at my clock. Thursday at 6:45pm. I caught up. I've been in my room since Sunday night when Ichigo came to see me about his hand. My phone has been off, I've shooed all my friends away from my door (Nel and Tatsuki were not happy when I cancelled our weekly sleepover, especially since it was meant to be our first one as a trio once more) and I'm pretty sure that I'm almost out of food (I've been living off of mentos and tic tacs since yesterday) but I'm done. I put my pen down and stretched, grimacing at the pops and cracks my body made, then gingerly stood, frowning at the pile of crumbs that fluttered to the ground.
Well I've definitely let myself go.
I looked in the mirror and burst out laughing.
First of all my hair was beyond matted. I dreaded the brushing it would need. I've lowkey been wearing the same oversized sweater and leggings for two and a half days (don't judge me, I forget myself when I'm working sometimes) and my face was in desperate need of some good exfoliating. I sighed and undressed, grabbing a towel and my hygiene container, it was time for some serious self care.
Three hours later after some deep scrubbing, exfoliating, washing and hair brushing and even painting my nails, Nel and Tatsuki showed up. I'd sent them a text before I hit the shower telling them to come over, giving me ample time to clean and air my room (for shame Orihime, for shame) and even pop to the store to buy some necessities for my fridge.
"Bitch if you ever try to keep us out of your life again like this I will break the door down," growled Tatsuki as she entered my room. Nel barely said hi to me, her head focused completely on her phone screen, fingers flying as she texted I assume her boyfriend as she sat on my fluffy carpet. I looked to Tatsuki questioningly.
"She's having a fight with her boo,"
"Via text?" I asked confused.
Tatsuki nodded. "They've been at it since yesterday"
"Wow, by text this whole time?"
"No idea. So you've finished everything Super Nerd?" She said changing the subject quickly, which meant that Nel would be the best person to tell me about whatever it was going on with her and her boyfriend.
I laughed and threw a pillow at her, "Shut up, I thought I was going to die from work and reading,"
"I can't believe you really locked yourself in here for 4 days just to work, but then again if you drop below 2nd place on the ranking board you start to panic."
"I have to keep my grades up or I lose my-"
"Funding yea yea we know, it's just been strange hanging out with everyone without you around."
I was about to respond but Nel suddenly shrieked and threw her phone straight into the wall and then started to cry.
"I HATE HIM!"
"Nel what's wrong?" I asked scrambling to the floor to hug her. Nel crying left everybody out of their depth because she's usually so happy no matter what.
"He-he-he's such a FOOL!" She hicked.
"Honey what's the matter?" Asked Tatsuki, with a look of genuine worry.
"I-I need the bathroom," she sniffled. She stood and we let her go.
"What were they fighting about?" I asked Tatsuki as soon as the door closed.
"His out of school friends...and that ex girlfriend of his" mumbled Tatsuki.
My eyes widened.
No one really spoke about it among us, but we all knew that before Grimmjow started dating Nel he used to deal with the worst kind of people and had an on and off girlfriend for years. If it wasn't for Nel he would have probably not even decided to come to university even though he was very smart. He would have been on the streets with them doing god knows whatever illegal stuff they dealt with and getting in trouble. Nel really put him on the straight and narrow, but sometimes he would slip away and disappear for a while with them. That I knew Nel didn't mind, as long as he got back safe- he was a big boy he could take care of himself after all, she refused to baby him- it was that ex of his that made her lose her mind. I recall Nel complaining that he was quick to do her every request and it always caused serious tension in their relationship.
The door opened and Nel came out looking scarily calm. She went and picked her phone up and then laid on the bed.
"I'm taking a break from Grimmjow," her voice cracked.
"So are you gonna tell us what happened?" Asked Tatsuki, sitting by her and stroking her hair.
She fiddled with the phone screen; which was surprisingly undamaged considering how had she flung it and said, "So imagine I'm at his yesterday and we're making dinner then his phone rings. He answers and then all of a sudden he has to go; he doesn't know when he's gonna be back so he's gonna drop me home too. So obviously, I ask him what's up because this is our time you know? I've barely seen him all week so I was hoping we could have this one evening together. It turns out that it's that bitch ex-girlfriend of his."
Tatsuki hissed her teeth and I face palmed.
"No way."
"Way. So, after trying to get it through his thick skull that it's unacceptable to be at some random woman's beck and call other than your mother or your girlfriend, especially when he's spending time with his current girlfriend, he had the nerve to say that 'she isn't just any girl Neliel'," she said, switching up her voice in a poor imitation of Grimmjow's which made me and Tatsuki snort. "So I walk out on him because I was really angry and then thinking on it, I thought I overreacted and I was gonna call him and apologise. So I call him today and guess where he is? At her house!"
"Well damn," said Tatsuki under her breath.
"Right?! And then when I'm asking him what he's doing there I hear that bitch in the background saying, 'Is that the needy girlfriend again' AND HE DOES NOTHING TO DEFEND ME! As usual he's just like 'Don't say stuff like that, Baby she's just playing' but you know that bitch doesn't like me- though I don't want her to like me but I'm side tracking. So obviously that led into another huge argument which was why I was on my phone for so long texting and then he's all 'Don't make me angry Neliel' and I'm like 'Well it's obviously too late for that now Grimmjow because you can't expect me to just sit around and be okay with you jumping up to be with your ex fucking girlfriend who's known for sleeping around' then he said things, I said things, he says he's going off with Nnoitra and I tell him that he should never talk to me again because we're done," She closed her eyes and slowly massaged her temples.
"I hate him so much right now,"
"Nel it'll be okay, you know how he is, he'll be back grovelling in a few days," I tried to soothe her.
"I'm just so tired of feeling like I'm his side woman especially when it's him and those god-awful friends of his," she sighed. "You know the last time he brought me around them they made it clear that they'd rather have that other bitch around? And that lanky creep fully looked me in the eyes and asked if he could cop a feel and Grimmjow did nothing. It makes me mad how he completely changes around them."
I was about to attempt to soothe her once more but she cut me off once more.
"Enough about my problems, boot up netflix and let's talk about Ichigo being here on Sunday."
"What do you mean Ichigo was here on Sunday?" Asked Tatsuki glaring at me.
"How did you know Ichigo was here on Sunday?" I asked, ignoring the furious look Tatsuki gave me.
"You are the only person that Ichigo would allow to bandage him up after he goes and bangs himself up. Plus, I know the bandages you use, now spill," she said, going to my mini fridge and pulling out my ice cream. I cringed internally. I had plans for that tub.
"He said he slammed his fist into the wall while he was using the punching bags,"
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "The bags in the gym are in the middle of the room. He's been fighting."
I frowned. "He's got no reason to be fighting anyone,"
"But everyone finds a reason to be fighting him, he seems okay though," said Nel through a mouthful of ice-cream. "He doesn't really use the hand much though, whoever he hit must really be feeling it now,"
"There weren't any breaks or anything, I checked it myself, I hope it's not infected though, he should know that he needs to change the bandages after a while he is a doctor in training himself-"
"He's a big boy Orihime. I'm sure he's fine," said Tatsuki with a roll of her eyes. "He practically grew up with a stethoscope around his neck he's not dumb enough to let his injury get infected."
"You're right."
"Now let us update you on the going ons this week." said Nel, halfway through my fresh tub of giant ice-cream. I wanted to stop her, but she was hurting and I knew all too well the comfort a tub of ice cream could bring when you're down. Plus if it were me she would never complain. "Kaien and Ichigo came to eat with us on Monday. It was strange. The two of them look so alike when they're side by side," she gushed, "then Rukia comes, looks around, clearly trying to see if you were there and tries to plop herself between the two of them. They moved so fast Tatsuki choked on her food trying not to laugh."
I laughed but tried to cover it up, "Guys that is so mean!"
"Whatever Hime, you know deep down you're gloating."
"Am not!" Though I will admit there was a sinister part of me that did feel good about it.
"I can't wait to have you back tomorrow. Wonder how you and Ichigo and Kaien are going to interact around each other" said Nel, scraping out the bottom of my tub.
"Shhh! Kaien literally lives right across the hall you can't be so loud Nel! Plus there isn't anything going on between us anyways, he knows where we stand,"
"That's not gonna stop him from wanting you though," said Tatsuki teasingly.
"I'm changing the subject now," I said loudly.
"Imagine her and Kaien though Tatsuki, Ichigo would shit kittens" grinned Nel.
"Aren't you supposed to be on an I hate men crusade?" I asked, not even bothering to try defend myself against them anymore. I knew when I was fighting a losing battle after all.
"Correction: I hate Grimmjow. I'm here for my best friends to be in great relationships," Nel clipped back, pointing the spoon at me threateningly.
"And yet still you tried to get her to go with Ichigo, That's some superb logic right there Nel," said Tatsuki sarcastically.
"Hey! Ichigo is way better than Grimmjow, you don't want this stress girl," she said.
"They're just as bad as each other,"
"Why are we even having this conversation," I said face palming. I'll admit though, I missed them bickering like this.
"Because you kind of sort of have a love life now and the drama that comes with it is great, though not at your expense," said Nel, pulling gummy bears out of her pocket.
"You know Nel the rate you're going with these sweets you won't have any teeth left." I said jokingly.
She was about to hit me with a clapback about her impeccable dental hygiene when there were three really loud bangs on my door. The three of us paused and Tatsuki and Nel looked at me. I shrugged and got up to answer. Who in the world would be knocking my door like that?
I definitely wasn't expecting to see Ichigo, Kaien and surprisingly enough Grimmjow standing at my door.
"Uh...what's going on here?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.
"Where's Neliel?" Asked Grimmjow in a gruff voice, speaking before the other two men could.
"She-uh-"
"Neliel! Get outchere!" He snapped.
Behind me I heard Tatsuki say, "Oh hell no," and then Nel responding, "Why aren't you hanging around with your favourite little bitch Grimmjow?"
He cussed under his breath and edged to enter my room but I blocked him off.
"I don't think it's wise for you to talk to her right now Grimmjow-kun," I said, smiling as apologetically as I could.
He rolled his eyes then said, "Neliel I'm countin' to three and if yer not out here by then them imma have to come getchu,"
"You wouldn't dare! Orihime don't let him in!" She shrieked. I looked back at her in disbelief. Did she think I was made out of titanium?
His eyebrow shot up and he took on an amused expression.
"1"
"Grimmjow-kun I really think that you should just-"
"2"
"-leave Nel alone tonight because she's really-"
"3"
Before I knew it, he was lifting me and placing me in Ichigo's arms with a gruff "All yours," before stepping into the room. I briefly registered Tatsuki's outraged scream and Nel shouting as well but all I could really focus on were the hands gripping my waist. My feet weren't even touching the ground, he was holding me like I was a baby with a stinky diaper.
"Sorry Orihime," he said, actually having the decency to look apologetic. "But we gotta help Grimmjow out, you know, Bro Code and that"
I looked to Kaien but he wasn't even in his spot anymore, he was somehow subduing Tatsuki- a feat in itself really because it looks like she's giving it all she's got- and Grimmjow had Nel in a fireman's carry heading for the exit.
"Now if you guys don't mind me, I'll be borrowing my girlfriend, sorry fer breakin' up yer girl's night or whatever," he said, over the sound of Nel's shrieking. "Neliel I swear if ya don't shut up imma spank ya,"
She shut up instantly but the outraged look on her face remained.
I blushed and looked down on my dangling feet. That was actually kinda hot.
Grimmjow nodded to his friends and then strode down the corridor with Nel still over his shoulder.
The rest of us were left there standing awkwardly.
"So are you gonna let me go Kaien or what?" Asked Tatsuki.
I just realized that I was still in Ichigo's hold.
"Ano, same question here Kurosaki-kun," I said timidly, swinging my feet around awkwardly. I almost laughed. I felt like such a child.
"Ichigo, Orihime." he said lowering me.
"Hai. Ichigo."
I hated how docile I became around him sometimes.
He flexed his hand and winced, which I knew had to do with his injury.
"Do you want me to take a look at that again?" I asked, glancing at the –poorly- bandaged hand.
"It's fine Orihime," he said, placing it behind his back, but I wasn't having any of it.
"I insist," I said, pulling on his arm to let him into my room properly. I sat him down on the chair and whipped out my first aid box once more.
"Why are you guys helping Grimmjow anyways," asked Tatsuki, glaring at the two men. I knew she was just ticked that Kaien got the best of her.
"We kinda had to spell it out for him when he explained what happened, but we really weren't expecting him to carry her out the room like that," said Kaien. "They'll be alright though, he knows he's been wrong, they just need to talk,"
"Hmph. I'm going out there to check on them," she said.
"I'll come with," said Kaien, glancing at me then to his cousin.
"Uh...Orihime?"
"I'll be fine Tatsuki, I just want to check over Ichigo's hand," I said smiling at her.
She lingered a little then nodded, taking Kaien with her.
As soon as the door closed Ichigo released a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong?" I asked, unwrapping the bandage carefully and wincing at the stickiness that was on the bandages. How he managed not to get it infected was a mystery to me.
"Nothing. Just tired. Where have you been all week?" He asked.
"Right in here, trying to catch up on my work... I kind of fell behind on all my studies," I said, keeping my head down and working on his arm. "Ku-Ichigo, you haven't been taking care of this! When was the last time you changed those bandages?"
"I haven't touched it since you wrapped it. Why have you let all your work pile up?"
"Are you trying to lose your hand or something Ichigo? You're a doctor in training it really shouldn't look like this!" I said, getting off my knees and going to the bathroom to get a warm wet towel. When I came back he actually had the decency to look sheepish. I cleaned it as best I could and then rubbed some antibacterial on it, not even feeling sorry for him as he hissed in pain, then finally wrapping his hand neatly and securely.
"For someone who's grown up with experience in a clinic your bandaging is pitiful," I chided him.
"I know, it's not really my shining point, s'why I always come to you,"
"Just make sure you take care of it this time,"
"I will. Thanks, Orihime."
"No problem Ichigo."
"You still haven't answered my question you know," he said softly.
I stood and he followed suit and instantly I noticed how close we were to each other.
I stared pointedly at his chest, waiting for him to move or say he was going to leave then I felt his hand under my chin, tilting my face up to look at him.
"With everything going on, it threw me through a loop, I kind of just let myself go a little really,"
"You know, you shouldn't let all this bullshit that's been happening affect your studying Orihime. I know how hard you worked to get here, it would suck if petty stuff made you lose your scholarship,"
"I-I know that, it just caught me off guard really, I'm fine now. Everything is done and up to standard" I reassured him.
"If you need any help with anything you know you can ask me,"
"I'm fine really Ichigo, I wouldn't want to be a bother with you anyway with your course load," I said, playing with my hair awkwardly.
He laughed. "More than what you've asked me to do for you?"
I instantly turned red, knowing what he was implying. "Y-you know what I mean!"
"About that anyways," he said slowly, as if trying to figure out the way to say whatever it was that he had to say, "where do we stand with that?"
"I-I really don't know, Tatsuki believes that-"
"I don't care about what Tatsuki thinks Orihime, what do you want?"
"I don't know,"
"There's no need to try to hide anything from me Orihime, I've seen you naked and I know what you taste like...in various places. I've brought you pleasure in the most intimate ways and I consider you quite dear to me. At this point in our friendship you can tell me anything."
Well he definitely wasn't one to beat around the bush was he? I opened my mouth to answer but nothing could come out, I was too embarrassed to even try to say anything.
"I'll tell you exactly what you want though, since you won't say it," he said, his breath fanning across my lips.
"You want us to continue...this, otherwise I wouldn't still be in this room, you would have let me go as soon as my hand was bandaged but for some reason you're letting Tatsuki and Nel influence what we have here. Honestly, I don't wanna stop and I really hope that you don't want to either. Tell me Orihime, we have a good thing going, don't we?"
I swallowed and nodded.
"So let's just keep this strictly between us because no one has to know, right?"
I nodded again, still unable to think of anything to say.
We lapsed into a strange silence. Then his hand wormed around my waist and pulled me close to him.
When he kissed me, I just held on to him.
Kami knows how long we stood there, just kissing, me holding onto him, leaning against the door-
BANG.
We jumped apart at more banging on my door.
"Honestly, I'm not deaf you guys!" I shouted.
"I've been knocking for ages!" Bellowed Tatsuki back.
"Have you really?" I asked, looking at Ichigo who now had a sly grin on his face. I slapped his arm and opened the door for Nel and Tatsuki to come back in. Tatsuki entered by herself, looking disgruntled and annoyed.
"Where's Kaien?" I asked, looking around her but seeing no one. "And Nel?"
"Oh he's gone back to his room, Ichigo, he said you were going to meet up with him and the guys or something like that. Nel is still talking with Grimmjow," said Tatsuki giving Ichigo the dirtiest look ever.
"Right, well I'll see you soon Tats ...Orihime," he said, giving me a parting glance then heading for the door.
"Goodnight Ichigo,"
"Lock the door,"
"Will do," I said smiling at his back.
As soon as I locked the door Tatsuki jammed her ear against the door for a few seconds and then turned to me when the coast was clear.
"You've been close to him," said Tatsuki accusingly.
"I was bandaging his hand! Of course I was close to him!" I answered back quickly.
"So nothing else happened?"
"Nothing, I bandaged his hand, he asked me about my work and we were just there...talking," I said adamantly.
God knows I couldn't possibly deal with Tatsuki going on an Ichigo is full of crap crusade right now. I just wanted the juice on Nel and Grimmjow then hopefully we could binge watch horror movies or some good anime for the rest of the night.
"So what happened with Grimmjow?" I asked to quickly divert anymore Ichigo related conversations.
"Nel and him are out there by his car talking. Apparently she's giving him an ultimatum, the ex or her and he's tearing his hair out. The way I see it, if you're still thinking about your ex, you shouldn't even be in a relationship with someone else, Nel deserves better,"
"She deserves the world, he loves her you know, it might just be hard for him to let go of things from his past," I said slowly.
"You might be right Orhime, but I guess at the end of the day it's down to them. Anyways, enough of that for tonight, what's the plan this evening?"
"Well...anime binge?" I said, pulling out a box of junk food from under my bed.
"Attack on Titan?"
"Fine, as long as you let me hold onto you at the scary or gory bits"
"So you mean all through the show then?" She joked back, "Deal, boot up,"
I grinned and went to get my laptop from my desk and set everything up.
Honestly I felt a little guilty for not telling Tatsuki about me and Ichigo kissing, but Ichigo was right; whatever the two of us did from now on, should be kept between us. As much as I loved my girls if I kept going off their opinions I'd never get anywhere, especially since they were split on yes or no when it came to Ichigo. So, for now... I'd just go with the flow and hope it doesn't blow up in my face.
Let's see how long I could keep it up for.
I was never good at keeping secrets anyways.