A/N: Hey, I'm baaaaaaaack. Sorry for those who checked with my latest update and found nothing new. I just basically altered Chapter 10 in Ami and Zach's scene (though if you didn't pay attention to the events you wouldn't have known it was them). Eeek!! Please don't kill me. Someone ::mutters, annoyed:: didn't pay the phone bill so guess who couldn't go online for a nice long while? Uh-huh. Yeah. That would be me. Thousands of thank you's to those who have sent in their reviews (when I finally got the chance to read them ::mutters again::).
Okay, here's my latest and I hope you guys enjoy!
Meus Amor et Mea Culpa: My Love and My Mistake
Nothing More
Rei glanced at her reflection for what was probably the eighteenth time of the night. Her violet eyes gazed critically over her porcelain-like features clad in the willowy white number she had picked out earlier in the week. It was a halter-top dress, with the white strands tying behind her slender neck. The material was soft, fitting her figure like a glove before separating at the longs slits along the sides and swirling to right above her knees, showing off her gorgeously long legs. A diamond pendant strung along her throat, matching earrings dangling on her ears. She wore white sandals with pallid straps lacing up around her calves. She had put her hair in a half-tail, the top half lusciously and painstakingly curled to perfection.
A sudden knock came to her door and she turned to see Penelope, one of their maids, peep her head into the room.
"Senorita." She said. "Senor Kaidou esta aqui." (1)
Rei seemed to find her voice in her dry throat long enough to tell Penelope that she would be down in a minute. She stood up from her vanity, looking over herself again. Her eyes wavered over to a certain photo that lay on her vanity desk in a beautiful crystal frame. The faded image of Rayna Yanielle Hino-Stanvers stared back her with a loving gaze. Rei's maternal grandparents were from Spain and Japan respectively. Her father had been a pure-breed American. How or why her parents had gotten together and stayed together (or rather, why her mother stayed with her father) would remain a bitter mystery to the teenager.
Rayna had died when Seiya was six, making Rei a mere child of three years of age. Rei had very little recollection of her mother. The memories that she did have were vague, almost like hazy dreams. Other clues to the person her mother was, were found in the pictures in the albums and the home movies of Rayna happily waving to the camera with a grinning Seiya and a giggling Rei on her arms. Victor Stanvers was nowhere to be found in little Rei's memory. The girl could barely recall her mother and she might as well forgotten about her father had the man not given presents and money on her birthday to blow off on whatever she wanted. Seiya was the only reliable thing in Rei's life. It was he, who taught Rei their mother's main language, Spanish. It was he, who stood up and against their father when he was clearly stepping over the line between parental discipline and haphazard abuse. Not that their father was abusive. He just had a temper of a chaotic volcano ready to erupt at any sign of movement.
Rei shook herself out of her reverie, reached over to pick up her purse, and got out of out of her room. Rei smiled weakly as she came down the staircase. Kaidou stood up from the couch he was sitting on and smiled warmly up at her. Kaidou was not old, Rei insisted to herself. In fact, he looked young and youthful right now, wearing his tuxedo. His white-blond hair was neatly combed back and his wide blue eyes sparkled at the sight of her.
"Reina, you look stunning." Rei almost visibly winced in front of him. She hated it when people called her by her full first name. Instead, she smiled sweetly and allowed the man before her to place a soft kiss on her cheek. For a very, very peculiar reason, Rei's heart didn't do that little jumpy thing that it had done in the past years that she had grown to…love(?) Kaidou. Even more so there was something (something that she wouldn't admit to for a while) that suddenly pictured another man by her side, with a brighter shade of golden locks and mischievous sultry eyes that had…
Rei furiously snapped herself out of her daze, suddenly feeling upset with herself. What was she thinking? Was she thinking? Surely, she couldn't be imagining that jerk in the place of this man that she had been pinning for in so long just because of one dance that lasted less than ten minutes. It was just one dance for crying out loud! They just danced once and there was nothing more to say about it.…Right?
She happily accepted the coat that Kaidou held out to her and they were off.
Senator Stanvers was already going to be at the party. He was leaving his office and heading there directly. Little wonder that Rei had found a whole set of his suits in the closets of his office room. The man might as well have moved in a bed and kitchen in his office, seeing as he seemed to live out of there more than at their home.
About half and hour later, they pulled up at the party. It was the home of one of her father's associates, a rich one at that she noted as she nodded politely at the valet boy. She took Kaidou's arm and entered the party, feeling her face suddenly tighten as she forced a smile on her face.
"Just smile, understand? It doesn't matter if you like, love, or hate whoever's looking, just smile and look like you're happy."
Rei felt a sudden twinge of irritation as she recalled the 'advice' her father had given her when she was about seven. This was the same advice she was now following, handing her coat to the man at the door and walking by Kaidou's side down the few steps that led to the dance floor. She heard the whispers start even before she began to step down the staircase. Several men and women looked over at the couple's direction with speculating and curious eyes. Of course, the two made quite an interesting pair. They seemed to float down with the easy grace of angels and the soft, white material of Rei's dress only enhanced the visage.
On the other hand, there were several well-to-do daughters of the rich huddled over and sending strange gazes in their direction.
"Oh wow!" One girl noted, glancing at them, hastily whispering to her companions. "Who on earth is that?"
"Hmmm… isn't that Kaidou, Senator Stanvers' assistant?"
"Yeah. I think so. He's hot, isn't he?"
"Hell yeah. But who's that on his arm? Is that his girlfriend?"
"Oh, man that would so suck. All the goods ones are taken."
"And by that nonetheless."
"Yeah, who does she think she is?"
"She," A new voice cut in brusquely, "Thinks that she is Reina Hino, Senator Stanvers' daughter by his first marriage."
The teenagers turned to meet the glare of one of the girls in their group. She had dark hair that had the strangest hue of purple. That hair was currently piled high on her head, showing off her long neck and her curvaceous body could be made out by the pink dress that she wore. Her dark eyes glared at the girls around her in disgust.
"Honestly." She spat, exasperated. "Haven't you anything better to do than gossip about things you don't even know about?" She rolled her eyes and regarded them with hostility. "You guys are ridiculous."
"Well, don't have a cow." One of the girls said airily. "It's not like we knew who she was."
"All the more reason you should've shut your traps." The pink-clad teen snapped. "You don't know who she is and therefore have no right to judge."
She reached behind her and took up her (matching) pink purse. "And I think I'll go over and say hi."
As our new character broke away from the entourage of girls behind her, her eyes narrowed down to the girl just a few feet ahead of her.
Reina Hino was obviously not happy. One glance at her tightened face that seemed to be frozen in that fake (though convincing) smile told this new girl that she was definitely not pleased with having to smile at every single person that came up to her and introduced themselves as friends of her father. Rei suddenly felt a gloved arm link through hers when she was saying hi to some deputy and glanced around her to meet a very familiar face.
"Cat!" Catherine Forte grinned widely as she and Rei threw huge hugs around each other. Rei was smiling like crazy when she pulled away. "Oh my God! It's so good to see you!"
The girl laughed and planted a kiss on Rei's cheek. "Likewise, Rei, likewise."
Her gaze then shifted over to the man who stood a little away from where Rei was. She turned back to Rei with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And who, darling, is tall, cute, and gorgeous behind you?"
A rose flush crept on Rei's face as she muttered something that confirmed the recent gossip of him being Stanvers' right-hand man.
"Hey, listen." Cat said suddenly. "Come with me for a second. I have something I really wanna tell you."
There was so much mystery and excitement in Cat's voice that Rei couldn't resist. She turned around to excuse herself from her escort but she found that Kaidou was already surrounded by several big-time men that made Rei suddenly feel very young and…immature. She bit her lip and then turned back to Cat, who now had a very sympathetic look on her face. She gave Cat a weak smile.
"Let's go." She said, slightly disappointed, taking Cat's hand and leading her away. "He's busy right now."
Cat nodded understandingly and the two walked away together. On the way, they bumped into a waiter and grabbed two glasses of champagne. Cat pulled her out to one of the balconies. It was a quiet peaceful night compared to the thunderous laughter from inside.
"So…" Rei turned to Cat with a grin. "What's the big news, cuz?"
True, they were cousins. Apparently, Catherine and her three other sisters were the daughters of one of Victor Stanvers' cousins. At Rei's question, Cat bit her lip with a hesitant look in her eyes as she looked over the bush of roses growing at the balcony side. She then turned to Rei, putting down her purse and drink. Rei watched with curious eyes as Cat slowly but surely took off the satin white glove on her left arm…
"Oh.My.God." The words barely registered in her own mind as her brain was still focusing on the sparkling white diamond glittering on Cat ring finger on her left hand. Rei's hand crept over to Cat as she stared admiringly at it. "Who-What-How?" Rei incoherently asked Cat with wide eyes and smiles.
Cat gave a giddy laugh and took back her hand, gazing at the ring fondly. "Beautiful isn't it?"
"Damn straight." Cat laughed even harder at Rei's blunt reply. "Now who is it? Oh my God. Jared? No-Wait. Christopher?"
Cat merely giggled and bit her lip as Rei ticked off the names of guys that they had mutually known, shaking her head at each name.
"Ugh!" Rei said exasperatedly, a wild smile on her face. "Oh, come on! Just tell me. I have to know!"
"Uh-uh." Cat said in a teasing, singsong voice. "However…"
Here, she reached out and took Rei's hands in her own. "I do have something to ask you."
Rei's eyes widened in surprise. "Cat, you can't mean…"
Cat's head bobbed enthusiastically, grinning. "C'mon, Rei." She prodded. "Be my maid of honor?"
Rei let out a huge, delighted laugh, throwing her arms around her cousin once more. "Of course I will. But wait…" She pulled away and peered at Cat with suspicious eyes. "What do your sisters have to say about this?" Cat's face twisted into a mix between someone being tortured and uncertainty. It was a look that Rei did not like. "Cat…" She said strongly, her eyes narrowing. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing really…" But Cat's voice trailed off, leaving Rei even more suspicious.
"But…?" Rei prompted. Cat bit her lip and absentmindedly tugged on curl. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh and shook her head sadly.
"My sisters have refused to have anything to do with the wedding."
"WHAT?" Some people inside the ballroom glanced outside and Rei flushed in embarrassment at her outburst. She flicked her eyes at Cat. "Cat, what on earth is going on here?"
That was the question Rei definitely wanted an answer to. The Forte sisters were orphans. Their mother died when Cat, their youngest, was four. Their father had done his best, making sacrifices many men of his positions would never even consider for the sake of family. Obviously, Horatio Forte was nothing like his cousin, Rei's father. He had died in a crash on his private jet heading home for a family vacation with his daughters, leaving his beautiful girls, ranging from age ten to eighteen at the time, to fend off the world on their own. The girls had been inseparable from the beginning and the death of their father had only pulled them closer to each other. They had refused any charity whatsoever and after some negotiations with some very big friends of their father, their oldest, Priscilla, had managed to set off a cosmetic company that later resulted in the openings of several spas around the nation a few years later when their second oldest, Arianna, joined Priscilla in the business.
The sisters were close, so close that Rei was beginning to worry that there was something dark beneath the surface than Cat was allowing to let on.
"Cat," Rei reached out and held Cat's hand in hers, looking her straight in the eye. "Why would your sisters refuse to have anything to do with your wedding? For God's sakes, they love you like crazy!"
Cat seemed to give in, opening her mouth to say something when a commotion broke them up. Their heads turned to the party where just about everyone was shouting about something. The second cousins glanced at each other and ran off inside as fast as their heels would carry them.
"Get off o' me!" Rei heard Cat gasp by her side and saw the girl moving faster.
"Cat, wait!" However, Cat was slowly disappearing into the crowd that surrounded the source of the noise. Rei eventually pushed her way to the front and her eyebrows were raised to the sky.
A red-haired man was being held by two other men, a look of drunken fury alighting his features. He was shouting out slurred curses and insults at any and everyone around him. There was another man being restrained, but this one looked completely sober and livid.
"You keep that asshole away from Jen, you hear?" The other man called out, one that Rei recognized as Sean MacTaggert, an extremely young entrepreneur that she had spoken to at mutual galas. However, Sean had struck Rei as a businessman, very tuned in with his emotions. Yet, now, he looked about ready to kill. Rei supposed that the quivering girl with a rip in the sleeve of her shirt was Jen and quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Perhaps the reason that the other two men held the drunk, red head up was more for physical support than restraint, as the man seemed to be stumbling as he walked. What had shocked Rei, however, was that Cat was right there at the center of it all. She was standing right by the drunk with a desperate look in her eyes, looking like she was whispering to the man, pleading him to stop his behavior. However, the drunken man did not heed her words and Cat soon straightened and ordered something to the two men holding the red-haired man down. Soon, they were hauling the drunk down the hall, all eyes in the room giving the disappearing figures lingering looks before going back to gossiping. The crowd that had surrounded the commotion dissipated and Rei allowed her eyes to trail over to MacTaggert, who was now hugging the girl who stood behind him. The girl was crying and she was soon led out of the house by a comforting Sean.
As they left, Rei looked up see Cat still standing there, staring off at the direction the red-haired man had been taken to. She was agitatedly twisting on her engagement ring.
"Ruben Van Buren." Cat looked over at her cousin at her sudden words. Rei looked at Cat with cold eyes. "He's your fiancé."
Cat could practically Rei's fury from where she stood and felt the biting sting of the venom in Rei's voice so she looked away and nodded, still twisting on the ring. Rei walked over to the girl until her face was right by Cat's ear.
"Cat, I love you like a sister," She began. "But this, by far, has to be the most idiotic thing that I have ever witness you do."
Hurt reflected in Cat's eyes before she turned them on Rei with anger.
"How dare you say that!"
"I dare say that because I know it." Rei whispered harshly, careful to keep her voice down. Her face turned pitying. "Cat, I can't believe you'd do something like this. After all he's done to you you're still willing to forgive this asshole?"
"Don't call him that." Cat demanded, her expression softening to a pleading gaze. "He's different now, Rei." She said earnestly. "He really is. He loves me."
Rei gave a low growl and threw up her hands in irritation. She turned her back to Cat with a livid look. "Are you honestly still believing every lie coming out of his mouth? Come on woman! He just tried groping another guy's girl and you're still defending him?" Once more, a look of hatred sprang through Rei's face and she threw up a hand sharply, using all of her mental strength to keep from slapping her favorite cousin senseless. "Dios (2)!"
"He loves me." Rei turned at Cat sharply. There was shaky confidence behind the words that did little to alter Rei's opinion of the situation. Cat straightened. "He loves me, Rei. And I love him. That's all I need to know."
Rei rolled her eyes. "Really? What about trust, Cat? Don't you need to know that, too? What about commitment?"
"Oh shut up." Cat demanded hotly. "You haven't been in a serious relationship in what seems to be decades. Who are you to talk about bad relationships?"
"I'm the result of one of them." Rei shot back. Cat promptly shut up, looking away at the recollection of the relationship between the first Stanvers couple. Rei sighed, shaking her head in dismay. "Whatever, Cat." She said hoarsely. "Do what you will. I know what that man has done to you and a lot of other people. So feel free to marry him for all I care. Just don't try to defend him in my face."
Before Cat could say anymore, Rei had stalked off, leaving her cousin in her midst. The cool air on the balcony seemed to calm the wild fury in the girl. Of all the people in the world, Catherine Forte had to choose Ruben Van Buren, the spoiled son of a wealthy tycoon that spent his monthly allowance on girls, drinks, and drugs. The idea was sickening. And after all he had done! After all…
"BOO!" Rei jumped, slightly startled at the comment and spun around to meet the devilish grin owned by no other than Jaden Aino. She gave a scoff of exasperation and slapped his arm, annoyed. He, however, merely laughed.
"Jerk!" She exclaimed, trying to slow her shocked heart. "Trying to scare me like that." Jaden rolled his eyes.
"Come on woman, be a man." Rei glanced at him as if he was crazy for a moment then just looked away.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She questioned, feeling hot all of the sudden despite the coolness of the night. She stole a quick glance at him, realizing he was wearing a tuxedo identical to the one Kaidou was wearing. Yet…he seemed to look more…
Once more, Rei found herself shaking her head in self-denial. No way was she having these thoughts him of all people. Jaden leaned against the balcony on his back, glancing at her.
"Dad made me come here." He muttered, nodding inside the room. Rei turned caught sight of the tall, blonde figure of Mr. Aino. He was currently in a conversation with a mayor that escaped Rei's memory at the time being and Jaden was continuing. "He wanted to show off his European-educated son to his associates."
"Can't imagine why." Rei snickered. She laughed when Jaden glared.
"Please." He growled. "I have much better things to be doing than being used as a trinket for my dad to be flashing around."
A cloud reached Rei's eyes and she turned to look at her drink. "What a coincidence."
Rei had said the comment softly. Perhaps if it had been someone else, nothing else would have happened. Unfortunately, for her, this was Jaden. The said man now looked over at Rei with a calculating glance, as if he was looking at her but not really seeing. Rei felt him staring and turned sharply towards him, ready to glare down whatever pity was in his eyes. However, she only encountered the same annoyingly cocky smile on his face.
"We're not so different," He said. "Are we, Rei?"
Rei gave an encouraging smile, realizing that there had been a horrible pit in her stomach that only widened at the reminder of what she really was to her father; just another implement to appease his little friends.
"Maybe." Rei muttered then suddenly grinning. "Though it's hard to picture that I'd have anything in common with a goofball like you."
"Better a goofball than a spitfire." Jaden laughed as he ducked a punch and Rei shook her head at him though a grin was spreading on her face as well. "Who was the hottie in pink?" Jaden asked suddenly, motioning back into the ballroom where Cat had been earlier.
Rei sighed and took another sip of her drink. "Catherine Forte."
"Damn, she's hot." Jaden whooped with a whistle. Rei rolled her eyes.
"She's also my cousin."
"You didn't get the good genes did you?" Jaden teased. He merely avoided the glare coming his way and smirked.
There was a pause before she added, "And she's engaged-"
"Good for her." Jaden commended happily, interrupting her and taking another sip.
"-To Ruben Van Buren." Rei finished, watching the happiness disappear in an instant. Jaden spit out the champagne that he was about to digest and his eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline at the name and it was confirmed that Jaden already knew of Ruben's dirty reputation. Rei nodded complacently.
"Yeah. I know what you're saying." She said, titling her head back and letting the drink slither down her throat.
"…She didn't get much of the brains from the family did she?" Rei managed not to choke on her drink and swallowed before letting out a coughing laugh.
"Something…like that." Rei managed between laughs.
"Wow." Jaden gasped in mock astonishment. "The banshee can laugh."
Rei shot him another glare. "You ruined a perfectly good moment, you know."
"I wasn't aware we were having one."
An immediate blush graced Rei features and she turned away quickly but Jaden had already seen the redness. However, he only smiled secretly to himself and looked the other way. There was another slight pause before Rei heard him say,
"You don't belong here."
At this comment, she turned to him again, expecting to see a cocky grin and was very disarmed to see the look of pure honesty and compassion. It was the same tender look that Rei had seen on Seiya's face when she had spotted him with a girl a few months ago. It was the same one that she had seen Jaden give Michi-
Here, Rei's trail of thought turned dark.
"No really." Jaden insisted at seeing a dark and doubting emotion in her eyes. "I mean it." When Rei did not say anything, he gave out an exasperated sigh and said, "I'm just saying that this doesn't suit you."
Rei raised an eyebrow. ''This'?" She repeated. "And what, pray tell, is 'this'?"
Jaden made a wide expression with his arms towards the ballroom. "All of this." He said vaguely. "You don't belong here. This is a stuffy place for greedy politicians and businessmen to rub up on each other and strike up deals with traitorous hands and lying promises. You don't belong here."
Rei forced a laugh, suddenly feeling very stuffy. "And what makes you think that I don't belong here?"
Jaden had not altered his look of tender loving and Rei was forced to revert to being stoic and waiting his response.
"You're worth more than all of them."
The short, simple reply hit Rei with an emotional surge. No one in her life had ever told her that she was worth something. Her father was a chauvinist asshole who spent too much time cracking the whip over Seiya to bother with Rei. Seiya was her brother; he was entitled to make her feel good about herself, as were her friends. Granted, she had known that jerk-er man before her since she was a kid but now…
Somehow, someway, it was different.
"Are you teasing me again Jaden?" Rei questioned shakily, drawing herself up. "Because if you are, it's not very funny."
Jaden shrugged shortly. "Nope, no joke." He shook his head. "You're real, Rei. It might've taken me a while to see it, but you're actually real."
Rei sort of stood there in place for a while, stuck somewhere between confusion and being flattered. Jaden smirked.
"Speechless?" He teased. "That's a first."
Rei glared at him through her blushing face. "Oh shut up!"
Jaden only laughed. Yet, for what was probably the first time since she's known him, Rei was relishing in his presence. Jaden had always been a clown but he was always too busy playing tricks on Rei and she was too busy beating him up to really get to know the person beneath the idiotic front.
"J-Jaden?" Rei managed to stutter. Jaden was coming dangerously closer now. Rei couldn't seem to stop herself but somewhere in her mind, she knew that she was moving closer to him and he wasn't stopping. "Um…I think I better go."
She made a move to leave but was stopped almost immediately by the soft, yet firm grip Jaden was now holding her arm in.
"Uh-uh." Jaden said, wagging his finger. "You're not getting away that easily again."
It took a while, but the meaning of his words eventually caught up to Rei. She was suddenly reminded of the night before, at the club, when she and Jaden had been dancing together on the dance floor. One close of her eyes and it was like they were the only ones there. However, Lita's distraught state and caused her to tear away from him with nothing more than a few incomprehensible words.
"Shh." Jaden whispered as she found herself stuttering for another excuse. "It's just me, remember?"
His voice was a hypnotic tune that wouldn't let her leave, slowly drawing her in closer, bringing back a memory of the night before when they were so close… But now, there was just about nothing left to stop the inevitable.
The kiss wasn't very good, Rei would decide later.
It was awesome! Heat seemed to burst like a roaring blaze was suddenly lit between their interlocking lips, drawing warmth to every last inch of their bodies in a mere few seconds. Jaden's hands found their way to her familiar curves and Rei's crept up to touch his hair, which was softer to the touch than she had previously thought. Someone let out a sound of ecstasy but neither could tell who. Both were to enwrapped in each other to really notice anything much else.
When the kiss finally did end, Rei snapped herself away from him, gasping for breath. Jaden sort of leaned against the balcony railing, shakily running his fingers through his hair. Neither could really look the other in the eye, let alone say anything. Maybe, it was better that they had broken apart when they did…
"Rei!" Both jumped slightly at the interruption and turned to see the menacing figure of Victor Stanvers standing before them.
"Y-Yes, Dad?" Rei cursed herself. Why was she stuttering? She heard Jaden let out a disappointed sigh. Hate to admit it, but she was pretty disheartened at the broken moment, too.
Her father was moving closer now, flicking his violet eyes, Rei's violet eyes, onto Jaden with suspicion. He turned those very eyes on Rei and narrowed them.
"Come on, Rei." He growled, slightly slurring. "I have some friends who want to meet you."
Rei shuddered at the innuendo behind the statement but she held her ground. She knew when her father had had a little more than necessary to drink. "What for?"
"Don't ask any questions." He barked and Rei flinched slightly. Jaden noticed this and proceeded to send glares in Mr. Stanvers' way in not such a discreet manner. Stanvers made a move to Rei but Jaden surprisingly took a step forward, standing in front of Rei, shielding her from her father. Victor's eyes lit up in anger and indignation. Who was this brat? He quickly took in the familiar blue eyes and golden hair and recognized him as that son that Argon or Aino man. Whatever. It was clear that he couldn't lay a hand on the kid, that would cause a scene he didn't need. So he settled for glaring at his daughter over the young man's shoulder.
"I think Rei's feeling tired right now." Jaden said coolly, his eyes boring like a blue flame into Victor. He then turned around to Rei, and she was met with a protective glance and a small smile of encouragement. "Aren't you, Rei?"
Rei was surprised at the act of shelter that she just nodded dumbly. Jaden smiled and turned to Victor with a triumphant smirk.
'Well, that settles it." He reached behind him and took Rei's hand. "C'mon Rei, I'll get you a ride."
Rei avoided her father's glare as she rushed past him, still holding onto Jaden's comforting hand. In a whirr of music, flowing dresses, and tuxedos, that same hand held her firmly until she was right by the entrance of the door. She barely heard Jaden give out an order for a car to take Rei home. Mr. Aino would not be pleased at all if he realized Jaden had left without his consent.
A car moved up in front of the entrance and Jaden gently led her to it, opening the door for her. He wrote down her address for the chauffeur and closed the door, leaving the window on her side open.
They hadn't said anything to each other yet and Jaden couldn't really find the words to say what he was thinking. So, the man settled for planting a small kiss on her cheek before stepping away as the car drove off.
Rei was still in too much of shock, refusing to turn around and glance at Jaden.
Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid…
So went the mantra of denial running through the girl's brain as she rubbed her head furiously, futilely trying to block out the past minutes' events. With a groan of frustration she tugged at her hair, barely registering the fact that she had just ruined her hair-do.
It's no big. She lied to herself. It was nothing. Nothing. Just a kiss. She had had kisses before. It wasn't a new experience for her. And yet. She glared at the hand that had unconsciously reached up to her lips, where she could still taste the champagne he was drinking.
No. She told herself firmly, seeing her house coming up in the distance. It was just a kiss. That's all it was. Just a kiss.
Maybe if Rei had turned around when the car was still leaving the mansion, she would've seen a certain blonde man, kick the gravel in front of him in aggravation, muttering the same words that were running through her mind.
Just a kiss
And nothing more.
~*chickay*~
(1) Miss, Mister Kaidou is here
(2) God!
Review Review Review! Hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll have the next ones out in a while.