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Rendezvous - Chapter 3
Sunday dinner begets Tuesday Chess and dinner.
Tuesday Chess and dinner leads to Thursday "game night" with Mokuba and Yugi.
Thursday's "game night" brings Friday's "movie night," also with Mokuba and Yugi.
Friday's fun and successful "movie night" also brought with it an exchange of cell phone numbers between me and Seto.
So when my cell rings that Monday at the game shop, I'm not all that surprised to see Seto's number flashing across the screen.
Gleeful. Ecstatic. Hopeful. But not surprised.
"What are you doing for lunch?" his voice prods over the phone, bypassing a courteous greeting altogether.
"Umm...nothing?" I reply with a shrug that I forget he can't see.
"Wrong. You're eating with me. I'll be there in half an hour. Be out front," he commands, hanging up.
Smiling, I shake my head at his forcefulness, but I'm in front of the shop in exactly 30 minutes as requested. His sleek limo pulls to a stop and the driver opens the door for me. I slip inside to find Seto on the phone and by the way his jaw is clenched, it's not a pleasant conversation.
"How the hell did he get on the grounds?" he screams at the person on the other end. "And why the fuck wasn't Mokuba's bodyguard with them?"
My eyes widen in fear and I pull out my own phone to call Yugi. If something has happened to Mokuba, Yugi is probably involved too!
"H-hello?" My little brother stutters on the other line.
"Yugi! Thank Kami! Are you all right? What's happened with you and Mokuba?"
"Yami? How...? Where are you?" he questions incredulously.
"I'm in the limo with Seto. We were supposed to be going to lunch, but I'm sure that we're heading back to the house now. What's going on? Are you two okay?" I press frantically.
"We're fine, Yami! Some fan boy hopped the back fence and got close enough to Mokuba to start begging for an autograph from Seto before one of the guards tackled him. It really freaked Mokuba out because apparently no one's ever gotten on the mansion grounds before now," he explains calmly.
"So you're fine?" I confirm, finding myself shaking with the thought that something could have happened to Yugi.
"Of course! Have you SEEN the security around this place, Yami? It's like a fortress!" he tries to laugh off my concern, but I know it bothered him too. I decide not to point out that the intruder got past that very same security because I don't want to think about it any more than he does.
"Okay, then I guess we'll see you two soon," I acknowledge, turning to a still scowling Seto for confirmation. He nods to me and goes back to yelling at someone over the phone.
Once we arrive, Seto helps he from the car and leads me into the house with that familiar hand in the small of my back. This last week of hanging around Seto has strengthened my feelings for him. I wish I knew if he cared about me in the same way.
"Seto!" an obviously relieved Mokuba yells from the top of the front stairs.
I step to the side as he bounds down them and is crushed in his big brother's embrace. A few moments later, Yugi is slowly walking down the stairs to fold himself into my arms.
"You okay?" I frown with concern.
"Yeah," he nods, unsuccessfully hiding the quaver in his voice and the shimmer in his eyes. That look and the sound of Mokuba's quiet sobs tells me that Yugi hasn't told me the whole story. Before I can ask, Seto is touching my shoulder lightly.
"Sorry about lunch," he whispers, wrapping his arms back around Mokuba's trembling form. "Maybe next time."
With that, he turns and heads up the stairs with his little brother as I head out the door with mine.
It's not until later that evening, after Jou has come by for dinner and "homework" that Yugi tells me what else happened. As usual, we're in our pajamas in my bed.
"What happened," I prod quietly, opening my arms for my shaking little brother.
"Mokuba's seen a lot of things in his life," he begins unceremoniously. "But even he's never seen anyone shot before. That guy who jumped the fence; he shot one of the guards, a friend of Mokuba's."
Other than a sharp intake of breath, I don't say anything.
"The guards had him on the ground and he started really fighting them. It was obvious that they weren't trying to hurt him, but..." he stops talking and shakes his head.
It's more than an hour later before he falls asleep.
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The next morning finds me alone in my room as I turn over to shut off my alarm clock and get up to go work in the shop. Later that morning, Yugi calls to tell me that the guard had just been grazed and was okay. He also relays that Mokuba and Seto expected me to join them at the house for dinner tonight. He'd even been allowed to invite Jou and Mokuba would be having a friend over as well.
"Great!" I reply with a smile into my cell. "I'll see you guys after work then! I should be there around 7:00 pm!"
"Cool! Bye Yami!" My brother hangs up and I go back to work.
Tuesday night's dinner with Mokuba, Yugi and their friends becomes Thursday night's dinner with Mokuba, Yugi and their friends and then Saturday afternoon's bar-b-que with Mokuba, Yugi and a few more of their friends... and I'm starting to notice a rather disturbing pattern.
Throughout the afternoon, Seto is attentive and conversational, never leaving me alone for longer than a few minutes, but always keeping us close to the action of the cookout. Whether we're sitting in a lounger by the pool or munching food from the cook's expert handling of the grill or just chatting with Mokuba, Yugi and their friends, we're never actually alone together.
"Yami, are you alright?" Yugi interjects into my musing as we head home after dropping his friends off at their respective houses.
I shrug, not sure how to voice my concerns since I'm not even certain I should be having them. After all, we've really only had a few dinners and hung out with our brothers. It's not like we've been on a date or anything. Though he knows how I feel about him, he's never really given me any indication that he feels anything for me.
"Yami?" my brother touches my arm as we stop at a light.
"I don't think he feels anything for me, Yugi," I sigh.
"You mean Seto?" he frowns.
I nod.
"Why would you say that?" he furrows his brow deeper as I pull off after the light changes.
"Yugi, with the exception of that first dinner, Seto has made it a point to never be alone with me. I think he's hoping I'll figure it out on my own that he's not interested," I sigh dejectedly.
"That can't be right," Yugi waves dismissively. "What about when you went over to play chess?"
"You and Mokuba were there playing video games," I retort.
"Well, what about "movie night"?"
"You and Mokuba were there then too."
"Well, what about this afternoon when you guys went back into the house for a while?" he offers.
"That would have been when I helped him and two of his tech staff set up the ballroom for your impromptu Duel Tournament," I explain.
Yugi falls silent as he realizes that I'm right.
"We almost made it to lunch," I remember to myself as we pull up to our house.
Yugi doesn't reply at the time, but shows up at bedtime to talk to me like usual.
"But it doesn't make sense," he mumbles, sprawled out across my comforter. "I mean, he's the one who keeps asking you, right?"
"Right," I yawn, nuzzling into my pillow and snuggling under my covers.
"I'll talk to Mokuba about it tomorrow and see if he can find out what's going on," he offers.
"No, that's okay, Yugi," I smile lightly. "I'll just back off like he wants."
"But, Yami..."
"It's been a long day, Yugi. We'll talk tomorrow," I insist.
My little brother frowns, but hugs me goodnight and heads off to bed.
Several hours later, I find the mind quiet to do so as well.
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"What do you mean you're not coming?" Mokuba argues on the other line of the phone.
I want more than anything to go to Sunday brunch at the Kaiba mansion, but I know it's best that I back away from Seto now before I become even more attached than I already am.
"I have other plans, Mokuba," I lie.
"No you don't," he states matter-of-factly.
"Mokuba..."
"Yami, please come. Seto really wants you here," he pleads.
'Of course he does,' I scoff to myself.
"I'm sorry, Mokuba, I can't. But please tell your brother that I said hello."
I hang up the phone without waiting for a reply and then turn the ringer off. If Yugi needs me, he'll call me on the cell.
An hour later I'm startled awake by said cell phone ringing loudly in my ear. Since I hadn't slept well last night, I thought that a nap would help me. And I was having a really yummy dream about Seto too.
"Hello?" I yawn into the infernal device.
"Where are you?" Seto's cool tenor questions intently.
"Seto? Shouldn't you be hosting a brunch?" I reply, startled by the other's call.
"Shouldn't you be attending my brunch?" he lobs back.
"I had other plans," I insist.
"Like sleeping?" he prods with amusement.
"Seto..."
"I really wanted you at my brunch, Yami," Seto reveals, making me feel very guilty for skipping out.
At least until I remember what would have most likely happened; all of Yugi and Mokuba's friends would have been surrounding us because Seto didn't want to be alone with me.
"It's alright, Seto," I sigh, dejectedly. "I know that you really don't want to spend any time with me. You don't need to go out of your way to – "
"What the hell are you talking about, Mouto?" he interrupts.
"Seto, it's obvious that you don't want anything to do with me! Every time you invite me to something, you always invite a houseful of Yugi and Mokuba's friends too. At the very least, you invite Yugi and Mokuba! How much more obvious could you be that you don't actually want to spend any time with me?" I snap loudly.
There is a short pause on the other end of the line, before a humorless chuckle comes over the receiver.
"Yami, I only invited them to make you feel comfortable so that you wouldn't run away again," he confesses.
"You...but...I thought..." I stop talking, realizing that I can't form a coherent sentence right now.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" Seto's amused voice intrudes into my confusion.