Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ! But this story is inspired by Charismatic Beauty


Chapter 32

Saturday...

Trunks had just dropped Laura off at her home before he decided to stop by Capsule Corp. He knew that he and Goten were going to pick the girls up in a few hours for Riku's party but first he wanted to tell his mother about the meeting with Laura's parents.

"Hi, Trunks. How are you?" Bulma asked as Trunks entered the house with a small smile plastered on his lips. She could tell that he was in a good mood but her curiosity wanted her to find out what was the reason behind it.

"I'm great, thanks, Mom. Guess what? I got to meet Laura's parents today!" Trunks said and Bulma grinned at him. She was happy to hear that Laura finally gave Trunks the chance to meet her parents too.

"I'm so glad for you, Trunks. How did it go?"

"Well, I was a bit nervous in the beginning but Laura's father, John, and I hit it off from the beginning. He's funny and he likes to talk a lot. Laura's mother, however, that was a different case. She was composed but still friendly" Trunks explained.

"We went to have a private talk on the porch and at first I thought it was going to end badly but it didn't. It turns out, she just wants Laura to be safe and I promised her that I won't ever hurt her. It was really a nice experience to meet them" Trunks finished.

"I'm relieved, Trunks. She met your parents and you met hers and it seems like everything is working out so far. Just make sure you don't mess this up or break your promise, okay?" Bulma stated and Trunks nodded.

"I won't, that's a promise"


At Laura's House...

Laura was already getting her house ready before they went to Riku's party and made sure to keep herself busy. She was nervous about meeting Trunks' friends and she didn't know what to expect. What would they say? What would they think? How will they react when they see her?

Laura sighed. She wasn't going to get the answer by pondering on the questions. She decided to go and pick Sara up so that they can get ready for the party when Trunks and Goten came to pick them up.


Meanwhile elsewhere...

"What? Riku's throwing a party tonight? How come I only hear about this now, Vicki?" Cindy asked with a deep frown. Vicky should've told her about this event earlier! Well, she didn't have the time to go anyway.

"I only heard about it earlier today, Cindy. Oh, and I heard that Trunks and his new 'lady friend' will also be there" Vicky replied and Cindy snapped around while looking at the female. A smirk came onto her lips and she chuckled.

"We're going to that party!"


Saturday Afternoon...

It was 5:45 pm and Sara and Laura were almost ready. They were tweaking up a bit of makeup while Sara was busy adjusting her light yellow dress to make sure she was comfortable enough. She didn't want to be uncomfortable the entire night.

Laura on the other hand, wore a pink sundress with blue and white flowers. The dress was about two inches above her knees and she also wore white heels that matched the white flowered pattern on it.

The doorbell went off and the two girls glanced at each other. They smiled, grabbed their handbags and went downstairs. They were certain that the two boys were waiting for them and they were just on time too.

Laura opened the door and Trunks' eyes widened at her appearance. Goten grinned at Sara and complimented her on how beautiful she looked while elbowing a frozen Trunks. He was speechless but seemed to snap out of his haze.

"Wow, you look pretty in pink, Laura"

"Thanks, Trunks" Laura said with a small blush that stained her cheeks. The two couples advanced towards the car and the two boys helped the girls in. Goten sat next to Sara in the back and Laura sat with Trunks in the front. Trunks had a feeling that tonight was going to be one to remember.


"So this is it," Goten said with Sara close by his side as they arrived. "It's been a while since we've seen Riku" Goten added and Trunks grunted. He agreed but it wasn't only Riku they were going to see, they were going to see the others too.

"I'm so excited to meet everyone!" Sara chirped in and Goten laughed at her. He was sure that she was going to have a great time tonight. The four walked up to Riku's driveway and Riku opened the door after seeing Trunk's car outside.

"Well, you actually came, Trunks, my man!" Riku exclaimed in excitement and gave Trunks a bro-hug before his eyes went to Laura. "And this gorgeous redhead must be Laura!" He added and Laura couldn't help but laughed in embarrassment at the compliment.

"Yeah, hi, I'm Laura. Nice to meet you too"

"My pleasure" Riku said and they shook hands before he smirked at Trunks who was standing beside her. "I've heard good things about you. Trunks really likes you!" Trunks exclaimed in embarrassment at Riku's statement.

"Well, are you going to ignore me, Riku?"

Trunks sighed in relief when Goten interrupted the scene and Riku's attention shifted towards the male. "Oh, hi, Goten, Nice to see you" Riky said after playfully punching him on the shoulder. "And this beautiful lady must be Sara. I hear you and Goten are getting really close"

"I'm very pleased to meet you and to be here. Yes, we are very much in love" Sara said and embraced Goten. Goten smiled at her before he kissed her on her cheek. Trunks and Laura couldn't help but smile at their friends.

"I'm very happy for you. Especially you, Goten"

Riku added the last part while winking at him. "Well, come on in! The party's starting!" Tiffany, one of Trunks' and Goten's Lady friend's from school called. The group of six then entered the house with Trunks holding Laura's hand and Goten holding Sara's hand.

As they entered everyone looked up from what they were doing and noticed the familiar lavender hair and jet black hair that only belonged to none other than Trunks Vegeta Briefs and Goten Son. Everyone was shocked but also ecstatic to see the two boys.

"Wait what?! Trunks and Goten is here?!" A familiar female voice exclaimed from the kitchen's side and the two boys recognized the voice as Kaku. She was a really close friend of them. Kaku was also somewhat nosy at time but she was still a kind person at heart.

"Hey! Does Trunks have another girl yet? I have to see her!"

Trunks chuckled at Kaku's exclamation as she came out of the kitchen while Goten smiled. "Same old Kaku! Always so nosy, wanting to know who Trunks is dating!" One guy exclaimed in the crowd with a laugh.

"Or doing!" Another idiot added.

"Will you guys grow up?!" Riku snapped at them with a deep sigh. Laura felt uncomfortable because of the remarks but Trunks' hand tightened on hers. He gave her a reassuring smile and she vaguely smiled back at him.

"Oh, Trunks! It's good to see you again! Kaku exclaimed and gave Trunks a tight hug. Trunks laughed while hugging the female back. It was nice seeing her too after all these years. "So, how's being the new CEO treating you?"

"Oh, it's been hectic. I barely have time for myself but enough about Capsule Corp! I want you to meet a really special friend of mine. Come here, Laura" Trunks said and smiled at the redhead female that he pulled closer.

"Guys, this is Laura Smith. Most of you guys probably already know her from High School" Trunks said and put his arm respectfully around Laura's shoulder. Everyone stared at the redhead with mixed emotions.

"Hi, everyone, pleased to meet you. I'm really happy to be among Trunks's and Goten's old friends" Laura introduced herself with a small and nervous smile. Some people in the crowd started to ask if they were dating and others asked if they're only friends.

Most of them were discrete and didn't dare to mention the 'weight thing aloud'. There were also people in the crowd who said that it was nice to meet her too and that it's been a long time. No one could believe that Laura was now a special friend of Trunks.

Seeing the atmosphere Riku jumped in and pulled Laura's attention. "Say, Laura, Trunks tell me you're a children's pediatrician. That's a really good job!" Riku praised with a grin and Laura nodded with her own small smile.

"Thank you. I really love kids"

Kaku pulled Laura aside and decided to talk to her for a bit. Laura was surprised at the action but said nothing. "You look slimmer! That's great!" Kaku said impressed that she had lost so much weight.

"Well, yeah. Four years ago, I decided to finally get my butt in shape so I did"

"That's awesome! So...you and Trunks and now a couple, right? You're just really good friends who hang out a lot?" Kaku asked with great interest. She wondered if they were really only close friends or if there was something more.

"Yeah, we do spend most of our spare time together"

"Is that so? For two people who seem to spend so much time together, I'm surprised that you're not a couple yet. Trunks looks like he really likes you. I can tell by the way he looks at you" Kaku said leading her into the kitchen for a drink.

"Yeah, Trunks has liked me for a while now. He kind of told me that he had developing feelings for me" Laura replied and Kaku nodded. They entered the kitchen and Kaku waited in a row to get some drinks?

"How do you feel now, Laura?"

"I'm not ready to take that step with Trunks but sometimes I kind of find myself slowly but surely giving into him. Earlier today, when we were leaving my parent's house, he touched my cheek and it almost looked like we would kiss. It was so surreal. I'm very surprised myself," Laura explained.

"You're slowly falling for him. Stop trying to fight t and give in. Be careful though, Trunks may be a catch: looks, brains, and money, but he's a heartbreaker. In school, he was quite a playboy. Girls loved him" Kaku said and offered Laura a beer.

"No thanks, I'll take a soda," Laura said and Kaku shrugged. She got a soda for the redhead and handed it to her. They went to stand the one side of the kitchen. "Tell me about it though" Laura rolled her eyes. That was one reason why she was still fighting the feeling.

"I heard about your little crush. Just don't let that stop you though. You're quite a catch yourself," Kaku said as she leaned against the wall while Laura stood in front of her. She looked Laura up and down while grinning.

Meanwhile, back in the living room with the others, Goten introduces the guys to Sara. They're all surprised that Goten got a girlfriend and she was good looking as well. They were all happy for their friend to finally get someone descent and someone he deserved.

"Trunks, do you really love Laura?"

Trunks sat on one of the couches while chatting with his old friends when one of them asked the question. He smiled and nodded. "I do, but she's not ready yet" Trunks replied and one of the males frowned.

"Then why are you wasting your time with her? There are a lot of woman that would love to be with you," he stated and some of the other guys agreed. Even after all these years, the girls were still fawning over Trunks.

"Laura's different. She's special and I'll wait for her. The thing that I like about her the most is her self-respect and the fact that she's not easy. She did kind of play hard to get with me at first but she eventually came around and gave me a chance. We eventually became good friends" Trunks replied.

"I don't blame her for being standoffish at first. It was mostly my fault"

Back in the kitchen, Kaku introduces Laura to some of the other girls. "Hey, girls, this is Trunks's new girlfriend!" Kaku introduced her and Laura laughed while telling the female to cut it out. They weren't that intimate.

"Well, you are a girl and you are his friend, thus making you his girlfriend" Tiffany stated and all the other girls nodded. Laura laughed lightly not knowing how to respond to the logic of the girls and merely agreed.

An hour and a half into the party and the time walked on until 7:30 pm. Laura had a great time with some of the girls but there were always those who didn't like her and she accepted that. Laura decided to make her wait into the living room where Trunks, Goten and Sara were.

"Hey! Enjoying yourself?"

Laura smiled at Trunks who grinned back at her while holding his soda up with one hand. "Yeah, I'm having fun, the girls are really nice despite some people's reaction to me" Laura replied and saw down next to Trunks. They held hands and started to enjoy each other's company.

"I told you, it would be fine"

"Well, Trunks, not going to introduce us to you new girlfriend?" Cindy asked in a smug voice as she walked up to them. Vicky was standing right next to her, also with a smug look on her face. Laura and Trunks turned in the direction of the voice.

When Laura turned her head, Cindy got a good look at her. She had beautiful red hair and red/brown eyes. She had flawless porcelain skin and light pink lips due the lipstick, which was the only makeup she was wearing. She was already beautiful without it.

Cindy also got a good look at what the redhead was wearing. She wore a pink sundress with blue and white flowers. Did she look good. Trunks sure knew how to pick 'em. She thought and a sneer formed onto her lips.

Trunks also got a real good look at Cindy. She was wearing a really sexy dress like she would always do. It was a tight number that could get any male into her panties. He hoped that he wouldn't see her here but it didn't work out the way he wanted it to.

"What are you doing here, Cindy?!" Trunks growled angrily at the blood as he stood up from his seat. The atmosphere became tense and even Goten was on the edge. He pulled Sara towards him and she blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, who invited you?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, we were invited" Cindy snapped at Goten. "And why are we the last ones to know that you have a new girlfriend, Trunks?!" She directed her question at the lavender haired male. Cindy could care less who Goten was dating.

At this point, Laura was feeling extremely uncomfortable that all the native attention was suddenly being thrown in her direction. It had seemed that everything was going well. She thought that everyone was warming up to her, at least until Cindy made her grand entrance.

Laura was not expecting to see Cindy at this gathering and who was the dark haired female?

How could he? First she catches the two all lovey-dovey at the Coffee Shop and now they're at their friend's party together where everyone sees them as a couple! This was terrible for Cindy. Her chances with Trunks were almost nonexistent now.

"Cindy, I told you before. My life is none of your business!"

"Well, why now?! We ran into each other at the marker a few weeks ago. The least you can do is tell me that you were seeing my ex-boyfriend!" Cindy said in a somewhat hurt voice and Laura bit her bottom lip.

"She doesn't have to tell you anything, Cindy"

Trunks's tone was dangerous and he looked at the blonde right in the eyes. "Um... Trunks, I-I have to go" Laura said nervously as she looked away from the two offending females and grabbed her purse to leave. She wasn't going to sit around for this drama.

"No! Wait!" Trunks exclaimed as he grabbed Laura's hand making her look back at him. "Let's go outside" He suggested and Laura looked away again. Trunks led her out to the back as he ignored Cindy and Vicky.

"Trunks!" Cindy's call went unheard as Trunks retreated away from her. She couldn't believe he was turning his back on her and with that redhead! How dare they ignore her and walk away while she was still busy with them?!

"Look, why don't you give it a rest, Cindy? He's happy now" Goten said, also on Trunks' side with the whole debate. He walked out with Sara by his side and ignored her. Cindy and Vicki growled and decided to go upstairs so Cindy can vent.


Meanwhile outside...

"I'm sorry about all that, Laura. I didn't know that Cindy would be here" Trunks said as they entered the backyard. He was slightly pissed at seeing Cindy of all people here and once again putting her nose into his life.

"Why didn't you tell me that you ran into Cindy at the market?"

"I knew that you and Cindy had a long off again on again relationship. If you knew Cindy was around I...I was afraid that you would start seeing her again. I didn't want to feel used and rejected again" Laura said and Trunks got mad.

"Look, I'm not going to go after Cindy! It's between me and her and it has been over for the last two years. I'm done with her! If I wasn't I wouldn't be seeing you right now!" Trunks said and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Laura, I practically stalked you for days, I told you that I liked you more than a friend, I met your parents and pretty much received approval and blessing from your mother, today we almost kissed and I know that you are slowly falling for me as much as I am falling for you" He continued.

"And on top of all this, I have spent most of my time with you" Trunks finally stated and looked at Laura in her eyes. He loved the color of her eyes. "Doesn't that tell you enough?" Trunks took her hands in his.

"Trunks, I don't know what to say" Laura said also looking him directly in the eyes. She had a stern look on her face. The same look that she gave Trunks from the beginning when she was so mistrusting of him. Trunks didn't like that look.

Laura took her hands from his and walked to the side with her arms crossed. "You know, when I was in the kitchen talking to some of the girls, Kaku said you really liked me. I even admitted that I was slowly but surely giving in..." Laura looked Trunks in the eye. "...to you"

Trunks's eyes widened in shock and happiness burst from his heart. "Really? You mean it? You...do...do you really...?" Trunks let the last part linger hoping she would finished the sentence. He moved closer to her into a hug but Laura pulled slightly away and chuckled at him.

He was always so eager. "Wait! Not yet! I meant that I'm heading in that direction. I am seeing you more than just a friend now" Laura said and Trunks stared at her in disbelief and awe. She really was giving in. Slowly though.

"You are?"

"Yeah, something happened today at my parents' house and we almost kissed. A part of me was telling myself how crazy I was for letting myself slip like that" Trunks looked hurt from that comment. "But my heart was telling me to let go" She said and smiled. Trunks loved that smile.

Then the two finally hugged.

Meanwhile, Cindy was upstairs looking down from the balcony and saw the whole scene where Trunks and Laura was hugging. "Ugh, there they go again! I can't believe they're at it again!" Cindy was smoking another cigarette, still trying to calm her nerves after that scene in the house.


Sunday Morning...

Trunks arrived early at Laura's house to pick her up to meet the Sons. He was still in the clouds after what happened the night before. He finally stood a chance with Laura and despite her giving in slowly, she was falling for him.

Goten and Sara already arrived at the Sons' house by the time Trunks and Laura arrived and they even heard how ecstatic ChiChi was to see Sara again. Trunks was sure the only thing ChiChi was thinking about, was grandchildren.

Trunks also heard that Sara had been visiting the Sons a lot after their first meeting and Goten also mentioned that his parents love Sara. She and ChiChi got along especially well and Trunks didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Hey, ChiChi, I would like you to meet a special friend of mine. ChiChi, this is Laura Smith" Trunks introduced Laura who came in next to him. ChiChi's face lit up and she grinned while taking Laura's hands.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you! Trunks is lucky to have such a beautiful girl like you!" ChiChi complimented and Laura blushed but managed to nod with her own smile.

"It's nice to meet you too"

After Laura met the rest of the Sons, Goku, Gohan, Videl and little Pan, they all sat down around the table to have breakfast. Laura enjoyed talking to each and every one of them and they all seemed to enjoy her.

Trunks was relieved to find that Laura acted so natural with the Sons and a small smile came onto his lips. He was definitely a lucky guy to have someone like Laura by his side. He wouldn't want to exchange her for the world.


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